Happy New Year Everyone. I hope your holidays were as fabulous and you all are. Yesterday afternoon I cleared away the little bit of Christmas I had around and did my deep clean of the living/dining area of the house. If you are interested here is the list and cleaning schedule I try to stick to The weather was gorgeous so the doors were open helping to motivate me. It didn't hurt that I had slept 11 hours straight the night before which like never happens.
I'm thinking of painting that wicker table a flat black. You'll be the first to know if I do. Also maybe I'll trim that string hanging from the slipcover 😁.
I deadheaded the chrysanthemums earlier in the day and the deep plum color was so gorgeous I couldn't throw them away yet. January 1st is always my favorite day of the year. Today I plan to go on a beautiful long walk and make a pot of soup. What are your plans? Do you watch the parade? Are you hungover? lol
Do tell. xo
I am also cleaning and decluttering today and would love to be taking down the tree etc. but in Ireland the tradition is to leave everything up until the 6th Jan ('Little Christmas', or 'Women's Christmas')!
ReplyDeleteJudy (theartyfoodie)
Happy New Year! Today is my favorite day of the year too. I went to a party last night and had way too much to eat and drink so feeling exhausted today. It was fun though to dance away 2017. I am also planning a long walk today, making soup (it's still freezing here on the East Coast), and taking down the Christmas tree. I always love seeing your gorgeous cozy home. It so inspires me to de-clutter and deep clean.
ReplyDeleteI love looking at your beautiful home. I like how you frequently make small changes for a fresh look.
ReplyDeleteHow do you hang things? I have plaster walls so changing things involves patching holes and touch up paint.
I enjoyed the small plates you had above the sofa with the extra art but this paired-down look is classic and clean for the new year.
Joyce
Joyce, I wanted to reply to your comment because we have plaster walls too, and we use picture molding (original to our 1922 house) to hang artwork and mirrors. We bought the hooks at a local frame shop. My husband uses heavy fly fishing leader material instead of wire to hang things. Picture molding is the best, it's attractive and makes it easy to change up your art without having to patch walls.
DeleteClaudia
I love looking at your beautiful home. I like how you frequently make small changes for a fresh look.
ReplyDeleteHow do you hang things? I have plaster walls so changing things involves patching holes and touch up paint.
I enjoyed the small plates you had above the sofa with the extra art but this paired-down look is classic and clean for the new year.
Joyce
Happy New Year, Janet! I am slowly putting away Christmas decorations between sips of tea. I have a little inner fight with myself about taking down the tree. Our tradition when I was growing up was to leave the tree up until January 6th, like Judy commented above. Must be my Irish-Catholic heritage. We didn't put the tree up until Christmas Eve, so I think that made a difference; by this date we were just starting to enjoy it. But, I honestly feel like putting everything away and starting the new year fresh and organized. I'll probably win. I have a walk on the agenda as well. Here in Michigan our high today will be partly sunny, 11 degrees, with a wind chill of -11, chance of flurries. Perfect day for a walk, eh? Thank you for your continued inspiration. I love your blog! P. S. Your comment about possibly trimming that little string from the ottoman made me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! You have inspired me to set monthly goals and one of the goals this month was to get the front garden cleaned up, cut back plants, and mulch. I was doing just that this morning when the stealth fighters flew over to signal the start of the Rose Parade so I had to take a break to watch for a while. Last night I went to a water aerobics party and plan to continue today by swimming laps. This is my 69th year and I plan to enjoy good health for as long as it lasts and to make it last for as long as I can!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely room. Just moved to a new house, so more organizing is going to happen today.
ReplyDeleteI have to say - I really love your blog. You are honest and live your life the way you want which I admire and respect and have decided that I want to be like you ! Your home is beautiful and I enjoy seeing it so much - gives me inspiration ! Happy and Healthy new year !
ReplyDeleteYour house is so beautiful!! Thank you for the inspiration as always
ReplyDeleteYour house looks so fresh and clean - perfect start to the New Year! Definitely not hungover...too old (55) for that stupidity. Only had one glass of wine. Stayed in with the hubby and stayed in our pajamas and watched TV and ate pizza. Too cold here to go out anyway. This morning we were at -13F! Happy New Year to you.
ReplyDeleteIt is COLD here in NC so I am making a pot of yellow split pea soup that I will post on my blog if it turns out well. My husband took our two pups on a nice hike through the woods this morning. The dogs love the cold weather; it makes our Henry feel so energetic! He could hike for hours, even though he's a senior dog. All in all, it's a great start to the new year. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteClaudia
Happy New Year! We are sanding the floor to what will become the room I’m calling the Zen Den. Strictly for yoga, meditation, reflection/etc. We bought the house back in August and this room had vinyl ( asbestos, naturally ) tile over 2 inch red maple flooring ( who DOES that? Lol). WE had the pros take the tile away, and luckily the mastic left behind was not “hot”-not asbestos, so we knew we could take care of that ourselves. No furniture is going in the room except a Murphy bed and a side table so we can have the floor space for yoga/etc. I’ve never had an extra room before so this is glorious. I’m off from teaching for one more week, so I have time to hone the wardrobe ( I like the capsule method) and make our list of other home improvements we’d like to do this year. I like Peter Walsh’s declutter challenge every January. ( see him on FB) and since the house is fine ( no clutter here really ) I am applying it to my classroom.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter is getting married May 19 ( damn you Harry and Meghan! LOL) and my best friend of 20 years moved to Sete, France so I HAVE to visit her this summer, right? Here’s to health, wealth, and happiness in 2018. Like my Feng Shui teacher says, we need to “prune for growth” so I’m going to do just that!
Good first day of the bright new year to you, Janet. Cannot say it's my favorite day. Yet, it is a shoe-in as of my favorites because I don't know if a day will be a favorite until it happens. ALL that said, January first always gives the same giddy joy as placing the first foot print in fresh snow, skating on fresh ice, going for and early walk with Josie (retriever) when she and I make believe no one else is awake, skipping a stone in a still pond. Fresh starts . . . are appealing. They lend renewed opportunity and refresh our purpose. It's YOU who often gently sets the course for us. As a direct result of this, I have gathered bits of trimmings to ready them for inspection and packing. Dismantling the tree? That's more difficult for me . . . I will know when the time is right . . . it may be tomorrow and if not surely before the coming weekend. We will leave the fresh boxwood wreaths outside on the front windows and boughs in the planters on the screened porch for the month. It's cold here in the mid-Atlantic region (seriously cold) so they should do well.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling this is the start of a fine year.
Not hungover in the least, we were fast asleep by 10pm! What a couple of party animals. I also love the new year, such a fresh beginning. I just baked an apple strudel, I've got the bread rising and it will be lentils for dinner tonight. Today we're going to watch that movie you recommended. Wishing you a really wonderful, happy and healthy 2018 dear Janet! XX
ReplyDeleteHi Janet! Gorgeous home! Can you tell us your 10 top reasons why you love January? Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteJennifer
jennifer i'll give it a go. 1. a fresh start 2. the idea of possibilities 3. another chance to get it right 4. the holidays are behind me:) 5. the peace of january 6. my energy for organizing is high 7. the curiosity of what lies ahead that's all i can think of at the moment:) x
DeleteMy home is undecorated (sigh of relief), I have made my traditional new year round of my condo with a smudge stick, and I am currently eating some vegetable soup I made. The pantry rearrange is currently all over my kitchen floor but I will get back to that soon. Hoping for a nice walk later as well.
ReplyDeleteI think painting the table black is a great idea. A very happy new year to you!
Your home is so beautiful. Love the white!
ReplyDeleteMay I ask what the name of your white wall paint is? I'm getting ready to paint my living/dining room walls.
I love 1-1 too. It feels fresh and new!
Happy New Year!🎉
yes, the walls and trim are benjamin moore simply white.
DeleteSounds fresh...Happy New YEAR to you
ReplyDeleteMy day has been pretty much cleaning and cooking. Christmas decor wasn’t really all that much so it was pretty simple to take down. We have a long dark winter ahead so fairylights stay tucked here and there to make the evenings warm and cozy. I had a wicker table almost exactly like yours. I too painted the wicker black. I loved it black. I sold it when we downsized.
ReplyDeleteNew Years Eve was extremely quiet with hubby sick. It would have been pretty quiet even if he wasn’t. After a couple of busy months we’re ready to regroup.
Happy New Year, Janet!
Kathy
Kcarr (instagram)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Janet. Thank you for all the pleasure and inspiration your blog never fails to give me.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Janet! I just found your blog and I am so inspired.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful New Year from Australia, it is so hot here in Qld,. With thunderstorms threatening. We go bike riding every day but leave it till the cooler afternoons. I do envy you your lovely cold weather, especially if you can snuggle up in front of an open fire, what bliss! Thank you so much for the recommendation of your favourite film, it was just the best New Years treat along with the fireworks across from our home.
ReplyDeleteWarm wishes Carol
Happy New Year! New Year's Day is my birthday so it lends greater import to this annual event. Resolutions made, gratitude journal entered and then off to brunch at our favorite annual brunch at a seaside Del Mar restaurant to watch the Polar Bear Plunge. Never gets old! Dolphins danced in the surf and a lone seal popped up as well. A nap on our return home (I was up at 3 this morning with my mind racing on the tracks of the New Year ahead). Prime rib dinner at home with larger family and I am fully content.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your lovely cottage and the tweaks you make that feel fresh yet effortless. Oh - paint the table. Nothing quite like a coat of fresh paint to perk a room up!
Here's to 2018 and all the hope it holds. xx-holly
My husband is Chinese so we always start the new year with hot pot, fresh thinly sliced meats, shrimp, noodles, tofu and veg cooked at the table in pots of broth. Everyone cooks their own little bites in wire baskets. Always a group of our most beloved family and friends around the table. It's a wonderfully fun and cleansing way to start fresh.
ReplyDeleteI always feel very peaceful looking at photos of your beautiful home. Your living room always makes me want to bring out a good book and cozy up in one of those plump armchairs. Its been lovely to see the small transformations over the years of reading your blog.
I never tire of seeing your beautiful house. Your immaculate rooms always motivate me to stay on top of the household to-do-list.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, dear Janet! Let's hope it will be a good one!
Happy New Year! I had such a good day. On NYE, we had a nice dinner and a little prosecco at home and went to bed by 10PM. No hangover at all. I attended a two hour yoga class - Manifesting a Good New Year - on New Year's Day and it was fabulous. Excited for 2018. Love your beautiful house!
ReplyDeleteOh I love the idea of painting your wicker table flat black. If you hate it [which I don't think you will], just paint it white gain. The optical effect of the black paint will really be felt when the lower level and the legs suddenly bring that corner into the rest of the black "conversation" you've started around the periphery of the room. So glad you're feeling better, Janet!
ReplyDeleteHello Janet
ReplyDeleteYour home looks so beautiful and fresh. For us Newyear always starts with a visit to the temple followed by a simple meal.
Wishing you all the best in 2018, and I look forward to seeing what you share. You always inspire, and I love you to bits!
ReplyDeleteLove the comment about the string. I laughed as I'd probably do the same thing. Also love the idea of painting the table black. Black is thunder to a room....and every room needs thunder. :)
ReplyDeleteI loved the string too...and that you didn't retake the photo.
DeleteA black table would balance out the black frame of the mirror - perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe window wall could use a little softening with a floor length curtain. I love this very inviting room! Jan-Leanne
you inspired me to take down the Christmas decorations this morning. I often will take a couple of days getting them up but once I start the undecorating process I want it finished, on to the new year. actually I did less this year as I wasn't hosting, went with a small tree I could manage on my own. Lovely dinner and gift exchange at my Daughter's. New years was a nice dinner with my dear friend and her partner at a neighborhood bistro. home before 9PM and into my pajamas with a good book, a cup tea and the kitties. Have a very happy new year!
ReplyDeleteDarby
new year Janet!Thank you so much for the recommentation om Happy Family.What a movie!
ReplyDeleteThe crysanthemums do look lovely. I took down my Christmas decorations yesterday and was so glad that I only had two small boxes to pack up. Does sugar shock count as a hangover? OMG.
ReplyDeleteyou dearest AAJ are such delightful proof that small is good and less is more.
ReplyDeletein your case more style and grace and wonderfully lived in elegance!
I was worried for you last year ... WASN'T it last year?
the older I get the faster time flies.
when you lived with your father in law in the mountains. but you even managed to make that feel beautifully HOME. and you were so patient. you created a life for you and L both (and his dad!) that suited that environment as if it were something you did everyday. effortlessly! you're a keeper you are. and you're a glam camper too!
and I have no idea how I ever found your blog. it's been too long ago now. but so glad I did! here's to the healthiest and happiest 2018! ♥
??? who is AAJ? LOL
Deleteyou of course are Audrey Jackie Janet! :D
Happy New Year, Janet! Your living room is so peaceful in its refined beauty.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, NYE almost passed unnoticed in our household. This time the holiday season has been such so joyously calm yet fun that we moved seamlessly into the new year. As soon as I tackle the Christmas tree repackaging project, all will be back to normal...until we prepare to move.
Until then, I'm leaping for joy that the weather has turned warmer and the sun is out. Now I can begin baking bread again.
I hope this year will be very good to everyone. Cheers, Ardith
Your home is beautiful. I was so pleased to see the back of 2017 and look forward to making my home a more peaceful refuge to see me through a very sad time. I will use your photographs as inspiration. Our homes are very different but I love your ideas.
ReplyDeletePAINT THAT TABLE.
ReplyDeleteNO PARADE
SLOW DAY JAN 1st........
NEVER HUNGOVER.......those days long gone!
XX
Hi Janet - can you tell me how you handle buying for your kids and grandkids for bdays and xmas? Do you buy for them? I'm REALLY wanting to simplify my gift giving. I want to copy you. LOLOL THANKS! Jennifer
ReplyDeletehi jennifer. i def buy for their birthdays. i buy less for my sons bc they have everything but i get whatever my grandkids need/want. i only have 3 grandkids and their bdays are spread throughout the year so it's pretty easy. there is usually a giftcard involved tho. x
DeleteHi Janet, January is my month as well, yet being that it’s my birthday month as well, I like to over look my day January 2nd it’s grand to greet the new year, but the other side of it is that it’s a reminder I’m a year older.
ReplyDeleteI was in Redlands today the 1-4-18 and hit a few shops thinking of you. I should have let you known I was going to be in town, but it was a last minute thing. Perhaps my next visit I will plan ahead and if available you and I can meet up.
Your home in all it’s perfectness couldn’t speak to my soul any louder. It’s such a beautiful calm place to rest your eyes on.
As for any New Years hangover? No! Not for me, I woke well rested to greet the day and got a bit creative in working a bit more on my blog posted theatre.
Enjoy your weekend and all it inspires from you, best of all please share.
Xx
Dore
oh i hope you had fun here. yes! next time lets meet for a little thrifting and a coffee. xo
DeleteI love your home. Can you tell me anything about the glass lamps you have pictured?
ReplyDeletehi tracy. thank you and they are from the late 50's-60s. i purchased them from an antique store that was going out of business.
DeleteYes we will meet up Janet soon
ReplyDeleteXx
Doré
Hope you and Burlap Luxe meet someday!
ReplyDeleteI say YES paint it black...the great thing about paint is if you don't like it or later regret it you can undo...lovely vignettes everywhere in your home...I am completely smitten with your style
ReplyDelete