A cozy Christmas

I saw this display in the window of the Dupont Circle Benetton store and really thought it was cute: miniature sweaters on a tree! Thats a knitting project for you! I'll be decorating my tree this weekend, anyone else?

Old brick church

I was in hallmark recently looking for a card and saw an architecturally correct model of an old romanesque church -and it was an ornament!Turns out this is the last of a series of 12. Hallmark has been doing faithful architectural renditions of churches for 12 years: Where have I been? The box even gives the history of the style and when it was most popular (1890s-1920s). Each little individual red brick is rendered on the facade, as well as a red clay tile roof, which you can't see in my poor photographs!

Who knew hallmark was giving architectural history lessons! I'm still not sure whether to hang this on the tree (you can insert a christmas light bulb inside to make the stained glass glow) or place it under the tree -like a little village. I think this is a great small gift for any architect friend or a child interested in architecture.Now I just have to collect the other 11!!

Find information on the ornament at hallmark HERE.

The softer side of Versailles

Not every room at Versailles is gilding, glitz and glamour (the 3 G's). A set of rooms on the first floor enfilade feature some very pretty boiseries with colorful details.

I think they're the prettiest rooms in the palace and are a very cozy size of approx 15' square.The chamber adjacent is painted all white, I doubt this is original but I really love the look of this. It's as if you bought an old victorian or tudor house with dark paneling and wanted to brighten it up a bit. All that dark wood can get so depressing.

I just loved the way the sun streamed in across the face, picking out the brightness of the colors.

The room which was set up as a private library had beautiful red leather journals behind glass and a sparkling crystal chandelier.While the bed chamber of the apartment had a more delicate porcelain chandelier. Definitely a girls room.

This amazing turquoise rococo clock floating on mirror above a fireplace was just spectacular.Don't you think these are the prettiest rooms you've seen in a long time?I loved the subtle turquoise theme in these rooms - these chairs would have only been enhanced by footstools in red leather and maybe a sisal rug and a mirrored sidetable to hold a drink (but thats if this was my own house and not a historically accurate museum!).You just can't take a bad picture in these rooms!