Clean Den Decorating

Two weekends ago my husband and I painted our den Natural Tan one coat by Sherwin Williams. Even though I like the color and it did cover my sage green color on the walls, it gave a green tint after drying instead of a tan hue. So all to say we will have to paint again, however we went ahead and did a little more.

I made panels, not drapes for the one window in the room. They look pretty good. Since the window was near the bookcases there was not enough room for a full panel of drapes.

This is an older picture of the room before the decorating.  The mirror has been gone for a while, but you can see the paint color.  The paint color really needed to be updated.

First here is the fabric that I chose for the panels.  It is not the same particular pattern that is on the sofa but the identical color.  The pattern is a little different.  

The rings that I sewed onto the panels came from the Pottery Barn Outlet in Morrow, GA.  These were priced per box in the regular catalog at  66.00. They were marked down to $33.00 and then to $19.97.  I got them for 1/2 off of the $19.97 for $9.50 a box. There were 10 in a box so I used 5 on each panel.  What a steal.

In my sewing room you can see the pattern better. I loved it and you can't have too much!

 See the difference below in the pattern of my sofa and the pattern of the panels. So close that from the window to the sofa you won't be able to even tell, but it's OK if you do. 

You can also see the paint color of the den after it was finished.

Below is a pic of the french door in the back and I chose to put nothing on it.  

I think it lets in so much light and really like it.  

It's not a great picture of this window with the panels hung, but you can see how great they turned out.  The pole was one we had left over from my daughters decorating project and I had saved it.  We painted it black with the black finials.  I love how it reflects the other black items in the room.  

And below you can really see the panels and the room color.  I simply am so please with how it all turned out.  Soon and very soon the Mister of the house will be painting the backs of the bookcases, unless I find a great wallpaper to use in NAVY! That is to come. It really looks much bigger and I love the light it brings in.  

 Thanks for joining me in my endeavor.  It was a fun redo that needed to be done and so glad it is completed. Well almost!

Book Review: America's First Daughter

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamole tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy. 
Taken from Goodreads

Authors :
Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women's fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into eight languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year.  Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer and a teacher. She lives near the nation's capital withher husband, cats and history books.
Taken from Goodreads

Laura Kamole is a New York Times, Wall Stree Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author.  Laura has always been facinated by the people, stories and physical presence of the past, which led her to a liftime of historical and archaeological study and training.  She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from the The College of William and Mary, has published two non-fiction books on early America and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction.
Taken from Goodreads

My Review:

By far one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read.  The way that these two authors did their homework on Martha Jefferson Randolph (Patsy) and Thomas Jefferson was amazing.  They picked up on items such as a shaving kit that is there at Monticello and expounded on all details that it involved.  This was shown in many, many ways throughout the book.  It opened my eyes to ways of the colonial era and how fortuns of American Presidents were used to help the American people, by entertaining, supporting the cause of liberty and freedom, while also intertwined rightly  in setting slaves free. I loved this book!

Book Review: The Age of Desire

For fans of The Paris Wife, a sparkling glimpse into the life of Edith Wharton and the scandalous love affair that threatened her closest friendship. They say that behind every great man is a great woman. Behind Edith Wharton, there was Anna Bahlmann—her governess turned literary secretary and confidante. At the age of forty-five, despite her growing fame, Edith remains unfulfilled in a lonely, sexless marriage. Against all the rules of Gilded Age society, she falls in love with Morton Fullerton, a dashing young journalist. But their scandalous affair threatens everything in Edith’s life—especially her abiding ties to Anna.  At a moment of regained popularity for Wharton, Jennie Fields brilliantly interweaves Wharton’s real letters and diary entries with her fascinating, untold love story. Told through the points of view of both Edith and Anna, The Age of Desire transports readers to the golden days of Wharton’s turn-of-the century world and—like the recent bestseller The Chaperone—effortlessly re-creates the life of an unforgettable woman.
Taken from Goodreads

Author:
Jennie Fields
Jennie Fields received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is the author of three other novels, Lily Beach, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and The Middle Ages.  An Illinois native, she spent many years as an advertising creative director in New York and currently lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee.
Taken from jenniefields.com

My Review:
I enjoyed this book. This was a real glimpse as Goodreads suggested of her life and the love affair during a time when it would have been very scandalous for a woman to be involved in an affair if married.  The relationship with Anna Bahlmann her secretary was a strange one as Anna's moral values were surely obvious as she disapproved of Edith's affair.  Edith was really not too concerned about how Anna felt and later I believed maybe realized the facts.  You will enjoy the book if you enjoy reading about the wealthy and how they lived their lives in the 1930 era.