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Kitchen A-Peel
December 20, 2007
By Angela Harbison, Art Director
 I bought an old house awhile back and have been busy making changes ever
since. It has “good bones” as they say, and I can see the hidden (very hidden,
in some cases) potential in every room. As soon as I bought the place, I began
to peel off layers of decorating trends, unveiling the house’s past
lives. The kitchen, in particular, needed a good peel. It had what
could be described as a two-level dropped ceiling, and, as interesting as that
may sound, I thought it would be nice to have use of the entire room—ceiling to
floor. So that was the first thing to go. Then everything else in the room came
down: wallpaper from the 1960s covered wallpaper from the ‘40s—it was like some
kind of archeological dig in my own house! Eventually, I managed to get down to
the original plaster walls and ceiling. The condition of the plaster ceiling
turned out to be less than desirable, so I needed to come up with a solution for
it.  I finally decided that I really wanted a tin ceiling. I’d seen them in
older buildings and always thought they looked cool. I found an outfit called
Chelsea Decorative Metal Co. (http://www.thetinman.com/) and, after
asking the opinions of everyone I could find, decided on a deco-looking pattern.
The people at Chelsea were very helpful in getting us started on the project. I
enlisted the help of a carpenter friend who really did most of the actual work.
I helped hold things up, ordered lunch, and gave words of encouragement
throughout. In the end, I think it turned out great!   Thankfully, it’s was
done in time for the holidays, so I could have a family gathering without fear
that plaster might fall on some poor unsuspecting relative’s head. And it was
also a prime opportunity to show off my new place!
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Hudson Valley Holiday
December 13, 2007
By Mary Forsell, Contributing Editor
 Nothing will plunge you into a holiday mood faster than touring the Hudson
Valley of New York State, a hotbed of palatial mansions built in the Gilded Age.
Today, many of these showplaces are open to the public and are especially worth
visiting during the holidays, when they deck the halls to the hilt and make you
feel instantly festive (and, yes, the teeniest bit humbled at your relative lack
of square footage).
We recently checked out Mills Mansion in Staatsburgh,
decorated to re-create a 1907 holiday season wedding. Both of my girls were
amazed by the 25-foot-high tree dripping with ornaments and spanning two stories
of the reception hall. My 7-year-old, Elizabeth, commented that this would be a
great place to play hide-and-seek (her favorite method for exploring a house,
regardless of furnishings and aesthetics). She also kept asking repeatedly if
someone really had lived here. Yes, once upon a time, people really did live
this way, I informed her. Yes, the children really did have their own servants
bringing them cake at their very own table. Don't get any ideas!    
Over the
next few weeks, we plan on visiting many other architectural landmarks.
Entertainment, workshops, and candlelight tours are part of the draw. If you're
visiting New York City for the holidays, it's worth a field trip up the river to
see how the rich once escaped big city life. Some of the websites have train
travel tips. From north to south, here's our must-see list:
Wilderstein www.wilderstein.org
Staatsburgh State Historic Site (Mills Mansion) www.Staatsburgh.org
Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site www.nps.gov/vama/
Locust Grove www.morsehistoricsite.org
Boscobel www.boscobel.org/ Van Cortlandt Manor www.hudsonvalley.org
Washington Irving's Sunnyside www.hudsonvalley.org
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The Inheritance
December 6, 2007
By Ellen Gardner, Contributing Editor
 As children of parents who lived through the Depression, my friends and I often
discuss our parents’ thrifty ways, and working on the Finders
Keepers story about vintage wrapping paper brought back many memories. My
mother-in-law, for example, used to save rubber bands and plastic margarine
containers; my mother has a stash of canned goods and beauty products (like
shampoo and toothpaste) that should last until the next century.
For my pal
Jimmy’s mother, it was the all-important bag collection. As his sisters prepared
to move their mother to smaller quarters, they informed Jimmy that they had
found box after container after drawer after closet filled with bags—hundreds of
neatly folded grocery bags, shopping bags from stores that had long gone out of
business, and more recently, holiday gift bags. “She thought they were the
greatest invention ever,” Jimmy said, adding that she preserved them as
carefully as family heirlooms, even pressing some with an iron. “She saved them
all, you know, just in case.”  
When the sisters suggested pitching the
collection, Jimmy chastised them, saying, “What kind of daughters are
you?” The kind of daughters with a great sense of humor apparently, because
not long after, he received a package in the mail. Inside were bags. Dozens and
dozens of bags, and a note that read: “Dear Jimmy, We wanted you to have a
preview of your inheritance. Love, Leanne and Marilyn.”
Those who can’t bear to throw away rubber bands might want to check
out http://www.mazeguy.net/rubberband.html.
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