Jessica Rae

On Pretty Little Liars, Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell) bedroom is the sweetest of them all. Everywhere you look you’ll be met with the warm hue of sunny yellows and peaceful greens. The walls themselves have a traditional white wainscoting on the bottom, and are also painted a buttery yellow. It’s hard to feel mellow in a room like this.

The white, wrought iron bed has a vintage appeal to it. A semi-lacy dust ruffle gives it feminine flair. The Pretty Little Liars bedding for Emily is a yellow quilt. This makes her bedding the easiest to copy!

Moving to the wooden desk, the chair doesn’t match – but has been spray painted (or was already) white and has a hot pink seat. The chair is where Emily often puts her purses. Wicker baskets sit on top of the work area, along with various odds and ends.

Accessories in the room include a white polka dot pillow, a blue and green striped chair, a window seat area, white butterfly art on the walls, a green lamp, a sunflower poster, a framed bulletin board with awards pinned to it, picture frames in every color from whites to pinks, and a large white scrollwork piece of art.

To copy Emily Fields bedroom you’ll want to represent her color palette of yellows and whites but also mix in greens and little pops of pink and purple. Emily’s desk only looks cluttered because of all the picture frames, so try to store everything in nice wicker baskets inside your closet. Showing off achievements is important to Emily (especially when it comes to swimming), so whatever is important to you should have a strong presence in your room. If you can get any white wrought iron pieces, that will help you in re-creating this look.

Emily is all about a sense of clean comfort. It’s not exactly minimal, but it is apparent that she’s the daughter of an army man

from smallscreenscoop.com

By Kristen Klempert

The Hours: Mon.-Fri. 3-7pm

The Deal: $15 six-bottle buckets, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3 well drinks, $1 off all drinks

The phrase “come as you are” springs to mind the instant you pass through the wrought iron archway leading into Molly’s beautiful brick courtyard. During the summer, the outdoor bar attracts an eclectic crowd that is content to simply have a drink in hand. Although the Cajun menu is respectable and Molly’s walk-up-and-order burger shack (exclusively for outdoor dining) is a cute idea, it’s not the draw or point of happy hour there. There are no complicated drinks or micro brews. The bar is stocked more for a kickass backyard barbecue than after-work martinis. But that’s only because the staff doesn’t want you thinking about work while you’re there.

We don’t like to speak in absolutes, but Molly’s in Soulard has one of the best — if not the best — patio in St. Louis. The enormous brick-paved outdoor area is lined with shady trees, and during happy hour, the setting sun gives the place a golden hue almost as soothing as the drinks.

Every so often, we all crave simplicity. Although the deals aren’t the best and don’t include food, the world just seems to move at a slower pace after a drink at Molly’s.

from blogs.riverfronttimes.com

From the earliest days of the blacksmith’s traditional forgework that identified the General Store in the Old West to the wares displayed in today’s West Coast big box stores, garden-rooted metallurgy has never gone out of style.

In recent wanderings, we’ve spotted sculpture, wagon wheels, captains’ bells, south-of-the border tin mirrors, brass doorknockers, old cast iron bathtubs, horseshoes, steel gliders, Moroccan lanterns, copper birdbaths and weathervanes.

But the most striking piece of heavy metal resides in Colfax Meadows. There, a 12-foot hand crafted iron giraffe named George stands watchfully in the front yard belonging to  Lysbeth and John Chuck.  The couple plunked down the heavyweight red-rust colored creature under the Modesto ash tree.

George, Lysbeth explains, immigrated to the United States from south of the border.   “We were driving back from a fishing boat in Mexico when we spotted on the side of the road a menagerie of huge animals,” she recalls. “The giraffe was head and shoulders above the rest.” They continued driving but Lysbeth couldn’t get that nob-eared giraffe sculpture out of her head.

“Why in the world would you want a giraffe?” John asked her.

“Well,” she answered, “when people come to visit us we could tell them turn left and it’s the house with the giraffe in front.”

“That’s good enough for me,” John said.  They turned around and purchased two giraffes.  One went to their daughter in Mar Vista.

Besides being a handy landmark for visiting guests, George, it seems, is a good listener when neighborhood kids pass by and want to engage in conversation.

At a front entry garden on Valleyheart stands a sheep, life-like in its articulation and size, set against a backdrop of bamboo.  At first surreal glance, it seems as you’ve just stumbled across a pasture with one sheep in it.

Patio furniture has long dominated the metallic jungle.  Wrought iron seating made its statement in the late 30s, got firmly planted on 50s suburbia patios, and turned bistro chic in the 80s. Today, the trend is lightweight zincs and sleek chromes.

Making a comeback at cottage front porches, stylists have turned once more to the iconic lines of 50s metal gliders and ever-popular shell-back or pie-crust “bouncer” chairs (available in shabby condition at vintage stores and on ebay, re-conditioned and sold online, and modernized versions of the classics sold at retail).

Of course you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.  Still, it’s pretty darn cool to see that weathervane going round and round on the rooftops around town.

Zinc big. Since last summer, zinc planters have added a new twist to the garden. Two will do. Both should stand at least three feet tall. Place one on each side of an arbor. This will instantly define an otherwise unremarkable walkway.

Shop thrift stores for mismatched metal or wrought iron chairs. Spray paint with an unexpected color (retro = salmon; for modern go gray).

Shop the aisles of Pier One, Target, World Market and Marshalls for metal objects that will work in a large outdoor space.

Lanterns come in finishes from rusty browns to enamel red to high polish nickel and in shapes round, slatted, square. Use them to create a mood: silver clean lines paired with buddha and solid fabric creates a zen-like retreat. Hang slatted white or nickel lanterns on sailor twine and pair with hurricane lamps for beachside getaway. Oblong open-work lanterns can be paired with multicolor fabric and pillows to evoke a trippy Moroccan vibe.

from studiocity.patch.com

Have you ever been asked, “Were you brought up in a barn?” if you neglected to close a door? There’s a home for sale at 6201 Dyke Road in Sullivan for $269,000 where you could answer that question with a resounding, “Yes!”.

Dan Sauro bought the property — a barn on 50 acres with woods, wildlife and waterfalls — in 1971. Sauro said his wife, Marie, who died in 1981, didn’t share his affection for the spot. Although she found it pretty, she told him she wasn’t interested in spending time there. But his six sons “went nuts with the place,” he said.

For years, Sauro was busy building his photography business, and left the barn as it was. He and his boys used the property for hunting.

About a month before Marie died, she asked him to take her out to see the property. “She looked at the barn, and said, ‘I want you to build that house,’ Sauro said. “She knew I was in love with it.”

Sauro hired contractors and spent most of 1990 converting the barn into a house, doing much of the finish work himself.

A 300-foot crushed stone driveway stretches between mature trees to the timber and stucco structure. The front entrance has recycled, wooden church doors, but Sauro prefers to use the side entrance with its glass door and wide, clear sidelight.

The nearly 900-square-foot lower level has potential as a separate apartment, with its roomy kitchen and full bath adjacent to a workshop and the garage.

Oak stairs ascend to the 2,100-square-foot main level, which has an open floor plan, subtly divided by timber frames into kitchen, dining, office and living room areas. Sliding glass doors line both long walls, providing lots of natural light and views of the property. A 24-foot-long balcony on the back of the home overlooks a wooded hillside, although the property’s stream and waterfalls are not visible from the house.

The home has a 2-year-old architectural-shingled roof and a 20-year-old gas forced-air furnace. There’s no central air, but Sauro says he hasn’t needed it.

“Beautiful breezes blow through when you open sliders on both sides,” Sauro said. “The sun comes up on the front and sets on the back side.”

The main level has narrow plank oak floors throughout, except in the full bath adjacent to the living space and in the master bath, which have marble floors. The master bedroom, also on the main floor, has wall-to-wall carpet.

A spiral staircase of wrought iron and oak leads to a 1,000-square-foot carpeted second-floor loft, also edged with wrought iron and slatted oak railings. The loft, which gets lots of natural light from windows, skylights and a large central cupola in the roof, has not been divided into rooms, but could be. The space could be a home gym, a studio and sleeping space with lots of extra beds, or all three, as it is now.

“I have family reunions here all the time. My grandchildren go nuts here, especially on the spiral staircase,” Sauro said. “They fight up and down the stairs, and throw balls off the loft.”

The property is home to deer and wild turkeys, making it ideal as a hunting lodge or just a place to get away and enjoy nature.

“To me, it’s absolutely paradise,” Sauro said. “People have told me that the home is so unusual, we’ll have to find just the right person to buy it, and I agree with that.”

And for the buyer of the house that used to be a barn, closing the door will be optional.

da BLOG.SYRACUSE.COM

By Lynda Kiernan

THE CHANGES to Ballyfin are evident from the very entrance of the demesne, where an intercom sits beside the now electronically controlled wrought iron gates.

It is perhaps bittersweet for locals who have long enjoyed the ancient woods, parkland and lake of this 600 acre estate, that the careful renovation of the Georgian mansion has meant the closure of its gates to all but the very privileged.

It’s a different world to recession hit Ireland, where guests really can be lord of the manor, with a price tag of E14,000 to take the whole house for a night. For this, groups of 30 will enjoy a 5 star service with breakfast, morning coffee, afternoon tea, drinks and dinner by a top French chef, while every need is attended to by the butler and a myriad of staff.

The privacy of the walled demesne will be an added attraction for stars hoping to escape paparazzi, while the faithful adherance to the original architectural design may prove an attraction for film locations. With the reservation book already filling up, the rebirth of Ballyfin house seems set for success.

The house was built almost two centuries ago, designed by leading architects for owner Sir Charles Coote. The site was previously the ancestral home to the O’Mores, Crosbys and Wellesley-Poles. For most of the 20th century it was been home to the Patrician Brothers’ secondary school, with past pupils including politicians David Norris, John Moloney and Portlaoise actor Robert Sheehan.

In September 2001, the Patricians announced their intention to close Ballyfin College. With just four elderly brothers left in the building, it had fallen into severe disrepair, some ceilings had collapsed from water leaks and the conservatory was dangerously rusted among many other problems.

At the time a Chicago businessman and his Kerry-born wife were searching for a project – to turn a significant Irish country house with intact grounds into a luxury small hotel.

Fred Krehbiel spoke to the Leinster Express in the grand library about why they chose Ballyfin.

“My wife Kay and I were always intested in having a small hotel. We had bought a house on Lough Dergh, but it just wasn’t right, we realised it wouldn’t fulfil the vision we had. When we drove in (to Ballyfin), we looked at it and said, this is it. It’s a great building, and it was a great school,” he added.

Jim Reynolds, a landscape designer, and now Managing Director, of Ballyfin House, was the driving force behind the renovation, according to Fred. He too, praised the Patricians for the care they took of the house, explaining that when rainwater leaked through the roof despite their best efforts, causing the inlaid parquet flooring to lift, the brothers carefully collected each piece, and handed a boxful over to the bemused new owners, suggesting it might be of use.

“They treasured every little bit of the place,” said Jim. He also spoke warmly of Mrs Barry the housekeeper who retired three years ago and who “minded the house like a child”.

A team of expert restorers began work while the school was still open, reroofing the building and restoring the Clonaslee sandstone facade, discreetly installing modern services while repairing internal structures. Creating the luxurious en suite rooms was an easy transition, as each bedroom already had a dressing room.

The reception rooms have been carefully restored and furnished with antiques and many of the orginial paintings were traced and bought back to hang once again in the house, including the Coote family portraits.

Their descendants were so impressed with the restoration, they suggested the paintings would be happiest back in their original home.

Renowned furniture expert John Hart, an elderly gent who has worked on some of Europe’s most important restorations, spent weeks on his knees painstakingly removing layers of dull varnish from the marquetry flooring, revealing its intricate beauty.

The result of all this toil is a truly grand country house that exudes warmth and comfort through the use of beautiful fabrics and furnishings.
The owners are to be lauded for their use of local workers, sourced by word of mouth. Much of the painting and wallpapering was carried out by Mountmellick’s Con Farrell and his team, “the greatest painter in the country” according to Jim Reynolds.

Emerald Stained Glass from Tullamore spent six months in the meticulous reglazing of the beautiful conservatory, and also reproduced some of the stained glass panels in the rotunda dome.

Many staff members too are local, including the head housekeeper, the accountant and gardeners. Manager Aileesh Carew, who has years of international experience, lives in Ballyadams, and is married to former Laois GAA player PJ Dempsey. She relishes the challenge ahead.
“It’s a privilege to manage this house, lead this team and develop the hospitality,” she comments.

Portarlington’s Douglas Benson who worked in the Heritage, Killenard, before taking on his new role as butler, is equally enthusiastic, “This is a labour of love. I can’t wait to go live, we will have a really interesting set of guests visiting.”

Jim Reynolds has devoted himself to this project, and is justifiably happy with the results.

“It is a huge privilege. I am more proud of this than anything I’ve ever been involved in, and everybody here will say the same.”
Susanne Roe, sales and marketing manager, summed up the importance of the house, “It’s such a gift for Ireland, it really is a national treasure.”

from leinsterexpress.ie

The listing on Amazon (via SimPrograms) lists the stuff pack’s features:

* Build the perfect al fresco setting for your Sims with stylish furnishings, outdoor electronics, and cozy fire pits and fireplaces.
* Give your Sims several uniquely styled hot tubs where they can relax with friends or get romantic with someone special.
* Turn up the heat with an all-new built-in countertop grill as part of your Sims’ outdoor kitchen and take their cooking to a whole new level.
* Choose from two new styles. “Garden Terrace” features elegant wrought-iron pieces, while “Sunset on the Veranda” embraces the warmth of outdoors.
* Dress your Sims in an array of chic but casual attire for a great day in the sun or a relaxing evening under the stars.

By Pete Haas Cinemablend.com

The gift shop at the Friends of Historic Kingston Museum will host a holiday sale on two Saturdays, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, from 1-4 p.m.
The museum shop features items of regional interest and origin, including hand-painted tiles and wooden boxes, hand-forged wrought iron pieces and pottery.

A lithograph featuring a bird’s-eye view map of Kingston circa 1880, reprinted by the Friends of Historic Kingston earlier this year, will be available for sale. The 23-by-32-inch map offers a city portrait that is both historical and pictorial. Executed in exquisite detail, it depicts every residence, church, public school and commercial building existing in Kingston circa 1880.

A large selection of books related to regional history includes the recently published “Street Whys: Anecdotes and Lore of Kingston, N.Y.,” which tells how Kingston’s streets got their names. The author, Edwin M. Ford, will be at the museum during the sale hours to sign copies of the book. Ford is the City of Kingston historian and a Friends of Historic Kingston board member.

The Friends of Historic Kingston Museum is on the corner of Wall and Main streets in the Stockade National Historic District.

This 23-by-32-inch lithograph map featuring a bird’s-eye view of Kingston circa 1880 was reprinted by the Friends of Historic Kingston this year and is available for sale.

If you’ve never visited Toledo, all I can say is — it really does look like the world does in ornamental placemats. I never tire of the view of this medieval Spanish hill town, with more flavours to it than a curried fruit salad — with churches, mosques and synagogues sitting cheek-by-jowl.

Upon the twisting lanes of this world heritage site, in this history book written in stone, the architecture changes from one doorway to the next, the design from floor to floor, all awash with strident messages.

A closer examination of the edifices seems to say to anyone choosing to listen: In this the capital of Castilla-La Mancha, diverse cultures make their presence equally felt.

The valuable heritage of art and over a hundred monuments speaks of the prosperity of the three communities — Christian, Arabic and Jewish — that reached their cultural peak here during the Middle Ages.

The quality of the aesthetic details and heritage buildings that pepper the place proclaim good taste. The structural and design alterations at every corner point to the need for a sturdy pair of walking shoes, especially if you don’t want to miss out on a monastery here, a wine-cellar there, a Mudejar detail here, a Spanish Renaissance detail there.

Pointing to the labyrinth of narrow streets, plazas and inner patios, I tell my companion, “We could easily be in Cairo or Damascus or Fez.” At precisely the same moment, my friend points in the opposite direction at the cathedral that dominates the skyline and at a pretty 18th century church, the Iglesias de San Ildefonso, and says, “This feels exactly like a mini-Rome.”

Perhaps this is one instance when we’re both right. We could possibly be in North Africa, or Italy, depending on which side of the street we’re looking at.

What assures us that we’re truly in Toledo is the impending prospect of a lavish feast of some really mouth-watering marzipan, distinctive of this region. Like most good-things here, the preparation of this treat calls for close attention to detail.

Eels, figurines, fruit, cathedrals —all made of this delicacy adorn the windows of specialty shops, but they are by no means the only place you find this indulgence.

Behind the walls of cloistered convents and monasteries, where the only thing you expect is a much-venerated image of a smiling Jesus with a bleeding heart and nuns praying in isolation, you find a counter brimming with pastries, even if they are sold through vertical bars that keep the inmates secluded.

This tradition of pastry-making goes back to medieval times, starting with marzipan, whose subtle recipe was introduced by the Arabs, its reputation zealously guarded ever since. In its wake came a variety of pastries that include cream tarts, macaroons, toledanas (a chewy sweet biscuit) et al. Feels like Christmas can be celebrated here the entire year.

The other thing Toledo is famous for is its heritage of ancient craft guilds and consequently mountains of intriguing souvenirs. Perhaps that sentence should be scratched out to read: Toledo will convert even the most hardened anti-shopping male into a hardcore addict.

The reason for this temporary rearrangement of cerebral furniture is fairly straightforward. With damascene swords, knives, armours, iron sculptures, wrought iron baubles, and every schoolboy fantasy floating around, it’s easy to see why my companion Mr G declares he has just done the unthinkable; he has gone forth and out-shopped his wife.

With hands in now empty pockets, he imagines a headline in the local papers reading the following day, “Fifty-five year old Indian, father of two, went on a shopping binge in Toledo and in a syndrome usually associated with women and shoes, he ran totally amok.

He was last seen emerging from the stores with bags upon bags of guns, swords and sculptures of ancient knights. Today, looking like Father Christmas on a roll, he is the town’s most popular tourist attraction.” Although Mr G merits attention as he staggers under his parcels, popular gaze is diverted quickly as a bevy of beauties, all here for the finals of Miss Spain, sashay past.

Another compelling experience is a visit to the Museo Sefardi, which has the widest possible overview of the history of the Jews in Spain. Within walking distance is the Catedral de Toledo whose sacristy is a museum in itself, showcasing works of artists of the ilk of El Greco and Goya.

As I ramble from one monumental edifice to the next, time and again I find myself in wide squares, the focal points that give the town its quality of being a living museum.

Part of the charm lies in slowly wandering around these squares, getting lost and stopping for a quick drink in a copa or bar. I make an unhurried circuit of the town that is the starting point for those proceeding on the Don Quixote trail.

Toledo being a crucible of art, architecture, wine and cuisine, it’s easy to see why Cervantes chose to have the picaresque character of his magnum opus begin his journey here.

I drape my arms around the statue of Don Quixote and think, as I watch a myriad travellers scuttle by — the true test of whether I’ve really got into the spirit of a place is that even when the streets overflow with people, my sense of ecstasy does not wane.

A passer-by goes into raptures over the virtues of the nearby luxurious state-owned hotel Parador.

Located on the Cerro del Emprado hill, this typical large country house is an essential wind-down of a day spent in the city. The promise of stewed partridge, goat’s cheese and a sampling of Sephardic, Muslim and Christian cuisine is not the only reason I visit.

I pause as much for the views of the town as I want to remember Toledo through both flavours and panoramic photographs, as a place where countless people left their footprints down bygone centuries.
By Sonia Nazareth dnaindia.com