Country Home Magazine Official Blog

A peek behind the scenes

2007-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

As the Copy Chief/Production Editor for Country Home, I seldom venture beyond our editorial offices in Des Moines. But last September, I was able to attend a photo shoot at a charming home in the country near Leesburg, Virginia, as a team of four (one of our magazine’s editors, the producer/stylist who had found this great home, and a photographer and her assistant) met to capture the home’s beauty and inspiration for our readers. “Some Things New, Some Things Old” (beginning on page 94 in the May 2007 issue of Country Home) tells the story of this farmhouse that has been given a fresh look with simple, sophisticated style. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos I took during the two-day shoot.

—Susan WeaverSenior Building and Design Editor Meredith Ladik peers through the camera to see what the photographer has framed to shoot on the home’s front porch. Much of the inventory for Caroline’s shop in Leesburg, Ekster Antiques and Uniques, is housed in the big red barn in the background. It’s also her workspace where she paints some of the antiques and new furniture she sells at Ekster (www.eksterantiques.com).

The front-porch photo (that eventually wound up on page 97 of our magazine) seemed to be missing something. To add a punch of color and some height to the porch table, stylist Jean Norman grabbed a pitcher from the kitchen to fill with flowers. She went to the side of the house and simply snipped some branches from blooming shrubbery.

Editor Meredith Ladik and photographer Helen Norman view what has been digitally photographed thus far on Helen’s laptop computer, checking the composition of the photos, color accuracy, et cetera.

We couldn’t have found a more gracious, hospitable family as our crew invaded their home for two days last September: Caroline Verschoor, her husband, Jon-Paul Saunier, daughters Sofie (7 years old at the time of the photo shoot) and Gwenaël (4 years old at the time of the shoot), and their faithful family dog, Rosco.

Rosco is an eager but gentle participant in many of Sofie’s and Gwenaël’s playtime activities. The family also has two cats, Furball and Foxy.

I didn’t have an “official” job on this photo shoot, so I adopted the unofficial role of “kid wrangler.” When her big sister was at school and Gwenaël wasn’t needed to pose for the camera or otherwise “assist” the photographer, we enjoyed such activities as reading together and exploring the outdoors on our stick horses. Giddyup!

Good “Buds”

2007-04-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

Neighbors make good "buds." From the quick "hello" across the fence to the way they shovel your walk or bring in the garbage cans while you are away... there is nothing like a great neighbor. Aside from those friendly courtesies, there are so many other benefits from neighbors... an inspiring garden border of blooms that you spy from your kitchen window... a luminous exterior paint color that gives you a lift every time you see it... an exotic leafy tree that beckons you to take a walk just so you can soak up its beauty.

For our spring story on flowering branches, I called on a couple that lived up the street from us when we resided in Webster, New Hampshire. Jenny and I met them one day when looking for a Christmas tree. (They had a hillside full and a handmade sign that said "you cut.") We were first drawn to their "neck of the woods" by the tree sign, but were then taken with the beauty of their home and landscape. An early yellow cape gently set in amongst the forest so that the house and outbuildings looked like they sprouted right out of the ground. Everything there was like a pretty picture... real life with simple, utilitarian items set against the rustic nuances of true-blue country.
The pair have been absolutely lovely to Jenny and I over the years, and we have been to their home on many different seasons for different photo shoots. Last spring was a particularly memorable shoot there. New Hampshire had experienced an abundance of spring rains and the fields and trees were lush and overflowing. I arrived at the location with photographer David Meredith, my wife and coordinator, Jenny, and my assistant, Lisa. Like so many times before, we strolled the property and visited the homeowners’ summer living room (a space between the barn and back shed that is constructed of wide-plank pine boards and aged to a rich, rustic patina). It has screened walls on each side and is filled with great country pieces.

We borrowed the dining chairs and brought them out under the apple tree and placed them around a table amid the tall meadow grasses. The summer living room became a great background for our cut branch ideas, including a simple day bed we constructed from a twin bed set and some fresh country linens. (See photo.) You know what you are shooting is special when you long to sit at the table you have set up, or sleep in the bed that has been newly made. But when you see a lush blossom pop off the page like you can touch it and smell it, then you know, positively, that you have captured the essence of the season.

The sun was warm and glorious those two days at my favorite country house and we enjoyed the smell of the earth, the beauty of the apple blossoms, and the brilliance of dandelions set against the luminous blades of new spring grass. These are moments to remember, captured beautifully in the pages of the April 2007 issue of Country Home.

Our "good buds" (neighbors and blossoms) inspired all kinds of fun projects: Our table was set with a paper runner made of gift wrap with forced-branch motifs fastened together with double-stick tape; Country Home Style Editor Jennifer Kopf found the best dinner plates with a forced-branch detail in the center; I gathered an array of bottles, glasses, and vases and filled them with the cut branches and buds. (I use the advice I once received from a florist with 60 years of experience, adding seltzer water to woody stemmed branches. The seltzer water should be about half of the liquid in the vase. It gives them a little longer life.) I am heartened to look at these pages over and over and glad to share this special part of spring. Thank you to our dear former neighbors and their special spot in the country.

Matthew Mead

Lambing season

2007-03-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

March, as the saying goes, roars in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. On our farm, March not only leaves like a lamb, but it also leaves behind lambs. Because March is the start of lambing season for us and for our small flock of Cheviot and Jacob-cross ewes.

It never seems to fail that a big storm sends ewes into labor. Although there is ample space in the barn, some laboring ewes wander out into the storm and their lambs are born unceremoniously dropped head first into a snow bank. Others nestle into straw nests in the barn and deliver their lambs without help or incidence. But some need help—and my husband, Doug, and I play midwife.

The first week of March brought a howling storm that raged for two days and piled drifts of snow against the farm outbuildings. Inside the barn, a skittish first-time-mom Cheviot ewe went into labor at around 10 p.m. Two hours later (after several late-night calls to our sheep-raising neighbors, Larry and Sandy, and our vet), we hand delivered (actually pulled out feet first) a giant ewe lamb.

It was dicey for a while…when the lamb came sliding out, she was wet, listless and her tongue was navy blue and hanging out of her mouth. Doug wrapped her in a terrycloth towel and rubbed her vigorously. Outside, the wind howled and blew the snow around in circles in front of the barn door.
For what seemed like hours (it was minutes) we anxiously watched the wet little body for any sign of life. And then she gave it to us. She twitched, she jerked, she opened up her eyes, and gave out a strong “bahhhh.” Her mom, also somewhat listless, raised her head and called back to her lamb.

For what seemed like hours (it was minutes) we anxiously watched the wet little body for any sign of life. And then she gave it to us. She twitched, she jerked, she opened up her eyes, and gave out a strong “bahhhh.” Her mom, also somewhat listless, raised her head and called back to her lamb.

Here’s to an eventful spring for all of us.
Karen Weir-Jimerson

We thought this big Cheviot lamb was going to be twins!

A Behind-the-Scenes Look

2007-03-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

I’m thrilled to be able to share my new home with all of you in the April issue of Country Home. Isn’t it great the magazine is doing a “green” issue? I hope you love it as much as I do.

When reading this post, it may be helpful to have the April magazine on hand. You can also CLICK HERE to see four sets of the “before and after” photos. I think—if anything—these photos prove that, with a little paint and some imagination, any room can be transformed into a comfortable, beautiful, living space.

BUYING THE HOUSE
I fell in love with this house the first time I saw it. After touring 20 homes, I knew the instant I stepped foot in this 1920s bungalow that it was mine. Even though it was the smallest of all the homes I’d seen, it had the most character and quirks that made it special.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD THING
But with every home, there’s a hitch: This home came fully furnished with the listing price. My accountant—who is not a decorator—thought it was a coup. As a Country Home contributing editor, I thought that was a huge hindrance. I preferred to furnish a home starting with a clean palette—not one already full of furniture, accessories, and even dishes in the cupboard. So as I stressed about what to do with my belongings and this home’s furniture, my realtor said two magic words that eased my mind: “auction house.”

So I sorted through everything—the dishes in the cabinet, the antique books, and the furniture—and marked everything that would go to auction and what would stay. All I kept: a wood bed upstairs, a blue bucket, the medicine cabinet (which I recycled into a BBQ station outdoors), a few stools and chairs, and the bottle of champagne in the fridge (which was consumed on the first night). The auction house came and picked up everything else, and a few weeks later, I had a check for them for the goods that sold. Yeah! Fast cash.

BASIC RENOVATIONS
First things first: The upstairs bedroom needed to be painted. Before, it felt like a dark cave: dark wood ceiling, dark wood beams, dark wood floors. You needed lamps even in the day to see around. So I hired a local painter to come in and paint the whole thing cream, using an eco-friendly paint from Benjamin Moore. The whole room brightened up and it became a bedroom.

THE KITCHEN
The kitchen was awkward from the start: A tiny campfire stove that barely could cook one pot. A gigantic fridge in an awkward position. A beveled wooden countertop didn’t have any storage space underneath. So many “What were they thinking?” questions popped in my head.

First, I donated the refrigerator and other appliances—including a weird washer-dryer combo machine (it washed and dried your clothes). They were quickly snatched up. I recycled everything else, including the stainless-steel sink and the stove, by taking them to the scrap yard.

When remodeling day came, there in front of my tiny home were giant trucks from Lowe’s and Kraftmaid—which caused a traffic jam. And the traffic jam only got worse when both FEDEX and UPS showed up to drop off overnight packages. I wanted to hide in the house. I just kept thinking, “This is not how you introduce yourself to the neighbors.”

The kitchen, after just two weeks of renovation, is now a lean, green, working machine! I modeled it after a galley-style NYC kitchen with the best of the best appliances (most energy-efficient Energy Star) and eco-friendly countertops (http://www.icestone.biz/) and backsplashes (http://www.glasstile.com/) made from recycled glass.

THE CRAFT ROOM/OFFICE
I loved the color of this room and thought it was very cute and “country” But what was the point of it?

This is a great example of turning an extra room (it could be a spare bedroom or a room in the basement) and making it into something useful. Lots of shelves hold craft supplies. An extra wooden board from the kitchen renovation is now the worktable. And two faux iron flower pots act as table bases. I really love having all of my crafting supplies in one place. It’s nice not to do a project and then pack it all up and hide it in a box in the closet. I can dream up recycling projects in my head and try them out here. Many of the projects you see in “Fresh Thinking” in Country Home are concocted right here.

Let me know what you think. For more, visit my blog at http://www.dannyseo.typepad.com/ to see the evolution of my little, green bungalow home.

Thanks!

Danny Seo

Winter Antics

2007-03-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

In winter, the cold temps and deep snow in the barnyard keep all the animals in low gear. The horses stand with their backs to the wind, facing our white barn to soak up the reflective warmth. The sheep stand in a tight circle. And the donkeys usually loiter in the barn because they seem to distain the concept of winter on every level. (After all, they’re originally from Sicily, so winter must seem like some sort of cruel joke to them).

A typical winter day in the barnyard is business as usual for all the animals: hay breakfast, a couple hours of standing around, a walk to the trough for a drink, more standing around, then dinner (oh boy, hay again!).

But every once in a while, when the sun is strong and the wind is absent, the horses feel frisky.
Sam is usually the instigator of the barnyard games. First, he’ll roll around in the snow or mud, covering his beautiful blonde coat in muck. Then he’ll gallop around the paddock a couple of times, eying the other horses, donkeys, and sheep, who watch him warily. He tries to generate interest by kicking up his heels, bucking up and down, and shaking his blonde mane. Sometimes he’ll give a hearty “let’s go” neigh.

His horse buddy Ben sometimes takes up the offer and they chase each other around galloping, biting, kicking, and often sliding into fences, creating giant divots in the paddock. But if Ben isn’t in the mood for play, he’ll warn off Sam by flattening his ears in a menacing way. Yukon, our quarter horse, just gives Sam “the look” and Sam backs away.

With no horses to play with, Sam moves down the food chain to the sheep. They never want to play with Sam—ever. But Sam doesn’t pick up on that and he gallops recklessly into the flock and scatters the sheep in all directions (I call this action “sheep bowling”). Once there’s movement (fleeing sheep), Sam is deluded into thinking that they’re playing with him and he’s happy. Sometimes he’ll lower his head and chase some poor ewe around the paddock for a minute. Then he takes a couple of victory laps alone, dips in for a gulp of water at the trough, and settles back down for an afternoon of standing around until dinner.

Are you ready for gardening season?

2007-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

The past two summers I've had a date with a great love—Ireland—first through a press trip organized by Tourism Ireland, then on a photo shoot of our favorite spots for Country Gardens magazine. We visited gardens and gardeners in the counties of the Irish Midlands: County Offaly, County Wicklow, County Roscommon. And we drove north to Enniskillen on the banks of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

The best part about interviewing gardeners along our travels is that every garden is so different. From grand estates to backyard cottage gardens, each is created by geography, season, weather—and the limitless imagination of their gardeners.

Ireland is a simply dreamy place to garden. In midsummer, perennials, annuals, and roses (oh my, the roses!) were a gush of bloom.

I think that great gardeners—and I wouldn’t hesitate calling any one of the people we met a great gardener—are surprised and pleased at seeing their own gardens through the eyes of someone else. And I was pleased to be those set of eyes. Gardeners are a generous, humble, and creative group. And even though they may be able to rattle off the names of one hundred plants in Latin in a single breath, I’ve never met a gardener who was boastful.

To discover more about Irish gardens and to meet the gardeners we interviewed, check out the Spring 2007 issue of Country Gardens magazine.

Want to breathe the rich and magical air of the Irish landscape right here in America? Then come to the Philadelphia Flower Show March 4-11. The theme this year is “Legends of Ireland.” I’ll be speaking there on March 4th, along with Country Gardens Editor Samantha Thorpe; David Speer, garden photographer and Editorial Manager of the Better Homes & Gardens Garden Group; James Baggett, Editor of Perennials and Nature’s Gardens magazines; and my husband, Doug Jimerson, Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens’ Garden Group.

And I’ll report back here with photos of my favorite displays.

Hope to see you there.

Karen Weir-Jimerson

BACK STAGE AT A COVER SHOOT

2007-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

One of my recent projects was creating a cover shot for the March Bed and Bath issue of Country Home magazine. Many times the covers originate from houses that are photographed for the magazine. But other times, when we are introducing fresh ideas like new bedding, we "create" a sumptuous setting to show off updated style with a twist. This photo shoot was no exception.

I typically meet with Style Editor Jennifer Kopf and we chat about colors and ideas as well as trends and fresh style choices. Jen found lots of great new bedding ideas in the marketplace. We both were drawn to the traditional navy blue-and-white scheme that is so prevalent in this year’s new linens.

It was up to me to find a location, a bed, and just the right props to bring it together as a room. A friend with a rustic barn (which could really be a guest house) helped us out with an amazing location. I had a great Oak Victorian bed in my prop room that had been painted white, and I looked for all types of coordinating props at antiques shops and flea markets in my area.

I wanted to update the bed, so I gave it a coat of flat latex paint in gray from Pratt and Lambert and then a coat of specially mixed glaze. It gave the bed a simplicity and heirloom depth that just wasn't there with high-gloss oil paint. I also needed a paint color for the wall and wasn't sure what direction I would take. While going through some props to put away, I found a vintage Haager planter in chartreuse perched atop an English-made navy blue-and-white transferware platter. Aha! Tradition topped with a twist!

I took the planter to the paint store and matched the paint with Pratt and Lambert, and then painted the wall. To my delight, the color combination was pure magic—beautiful and sophisticated bedding with a bright shot of color to liven things up a bit.

One of my favorite things about this setting is that it is a great color foundation for any bedding color combination. The simple gray-tone furnishings would mix well with pinks and greens, softer shades of blue and yellow, and an array of lavender tones. Creating a look like this will help you easily change your bedroom with a fresh set of sheets for every mood.

Many times readers write and ask me how to get their bed to look as lush as the ones that we photograph, so I have developed a little check list of my favorite ways to add a bit of feathering to your nest and end up with a bed that looks just like it does in the magazine:

MATTHEW MEAD'S TIPS FOR CREATING THE BED OF YOUR DREAMS

* If it’s been a while, flip your mattress and layer on a quilted mattress protector. Get out your iron—it may be a bit of work, but there is nothing like ironed sheets when slipping into a freshly made bed.

* On top of the quilted mattress protector, place in layers: a sheepskin liner and a feather-filled mattress topper, then a cotton flat sheet; tautly tuck in the sheet. This will form the base layer on the mattress itself. Then add the top sheet, the comforter slipped into a duvet (I prefer two comforters for a fluffier look—I use small stationery clips to hold the two comforters together), and then all of your additional blankets and quilts for added warmth and pretty style for the foot of the bed.

* I like six pillows total and I prefer vintage feather, but there are beautiful new pillows on the market. Consider some Euro pillows to prop yourself up when reading. For added comfort, slip pillows into quilted covers before adding the final pillowcase. And for the most decadent final treatment, spritz pillows with a lavender linen spray.

* The last layer is a couple of decorative throw pillows to add a bit of interest and texture. You might find a vintage floral or heirloom embroidered piece which creates a lovely focal point and a bit of whimsy.

* Make sure your bedside table has a great lamp for reading, writing, or working on your laptop, and—of course—a place for fresh flowers and a drink.

PAINT, CRAFT, REFRESH

2007-01-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

Winters can be long in New Hampshire. When the year changes and I get the holiday decorations all wrapped up and put away, it is time to paint a room with some color. I like this project because it’s a real "task-oriented" cleaning and organization endeavor. (I think if I didn't have the distraction of picking a new color and imagining some new accessories to coordinate with it, then I probably wouldn't get the "cleaning and organization" part completed.)

This year, we picked Jenny's studio office. She is very practical and sentimental, so I wanted to work with furniture and collectibles that we had on hand. She loves yellow. She also has a great collection of floral paintings and a great old red, rustic work table that we found at a local farm stand. Now yellow and red might at first give you thoughts of McDonald's French-fry packaging, but I assure you that the yellow we picked is a subtle, creamy butter color and the red of the desk (country table) has a perky hint of blue and pink (cherry is what I would call it).

The space prior was a boring white, so adding a shot of color was not only a great idea, but also easy. We began by moving the furniture and washing the walls and cleaning. All the old holes in the wall were filled with spackle and sanded. We then wiped the walls with a tack cloth for a final removal of any dust, etc. Our paint choice was Pratt and Lambert’s Corn Cake Muffin 13-8; we applied two coats with a medium lint-free roller. The results created a lush and saturated backdrop for Jenny's unique decorating scheme.

It was time to bring in some new accessories. Jenny loves storage, but since she has a decorative side, it needed to be special. We found really nice red ticking-striped canvas totes at Wal-Mart to hold magazines, books, craft supplies, etc. For items like vintage linens and ribbons and old photos, we created paper-covered hat boxes that have a distinctive vintage feeling. (Look elsewhere on this Web site for the papers and the directions. I must admit, many trips to flea markets over the years inspired all of these paper patterns and I hope to one day have my own commercially available gift wraps and scrapbooking papers. Until then, I am happy to offer these designs and projects through the Country Home Web site... enjoy the painting and crafting.)

The result of Jenny’s office transformation is the pretty and colorful cover seen on many issues of the February edition of Country Home magazine. (The cover was one “tested” on some newsstands around the country.) And the details of the office accessories are featured in The Nest/Hands-on Style feature in all issues of the February edition.) While it is always an honor to share what we do in the pages of Country Home, it is particularly nice when the results are a great and engaging cover. I wanted to share just a few of the "style notes" from this shoot:

I wanted to create an updated "cottage" feel to the room, so we used some classic elements like painted country furniture and a fresh take on a floral rug from Company C (Beach Rose Sand floral rug; www.companyc.com).

The desk chair was an intricate part of the look, so I married a Parisian cobbler's stool with an American canoe seat to create something sophisticated with a "garden trellis" feeling.
If you follow my styling, you know how Jenny and I have collected floral paintings for years. It is fun to mix and match these colorful perennial blooms—they are like an everlasting vase of flowers.
And, of course, the hat boxes we added…... they are such a tried-and-true "cottage" accent and so familiar but fresh in their pretty heart-paper covering.

Please send us your comments and let me know if you wouldn't just love to be here in this engaging home-office setting.

What ho! No snow!!

2007-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Our eager winter crocuses are two months too early.

I've enjoyed the warmer-than-normal temperatures this winter. But all this mild weather has created a sense of foreboding. I can't help but feel that the other shoe is going to drop…and that shoe is going to be a snowshoe. Is winter just lurking somewhere to surprise and bury us?

The lack of snow and cold has other unpleasant side affects. With no ground frost, our barnyard is a squish-fest of mud. The horses and donkeys stagger around sinking into gooeyness that rises past their fetlocks. The sheep stand stranded, clumped together on an island of grass—reluctant to move toward the barn until feeding time.

It's nearly impossible to keep boots on your feet when trudging through this muck. Sadly, more than once, the muddy ground won the tug-of-war—I pitched forward, thrusting my socked foot into the mire leaving my mocking boots behind me standing legless in the mud.

Then there’s the fact that the calendar says it’s January but the crocuses in the garden think it’s March—and they’re already three inches tall. At this time of year they are usually three inches below the soil.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with winter. I love fresh snowfalls, snow days, and making soup when the weather traps me home. But I hate the wicked wind, the inhuman temps, and the ugly soil-blackened snow piles.

So I find myself in a rather surprising position—wishing for winter to hurry up and do her thing.

Karen Weir-Jimerson

Hey, look! Kittens!

2007-01-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Don’t you love headlines that are shameless appeals for attention? Well, it’s hard to beat the cute factor of kittens. One of our cats, Claire, had a small litter at the end of the summer. These kittens are extra cute because they have extra toes (a genetic trait called polydactyly).

While excessive digits on other animals might seem freakish, extra-toed cats are very special—and some consider it good luck to own them. Cats usually have five toes, but polydactyls have six—and sometimes even seven. A few of our cats have used their extra toes as opposable thumbs and pick up things in a clumsy sort of way.

Extra-toed cats have a history of famous relations: Ernest Hemingway had polydactyls when he lived in Key West (and the feline relatives of his original cats still reside at the Hemingway Home and Museum).

Our friend Eric and his family came out to the farm and his daughter, Iris, picked out two kittens. The gray tiger and all-black kitten are now living the high life in town. We’re keeping the other two kittens—a matched pair of black-and-white tuxedo cats—here at the farm.

Cheers, Karen

Scroll down to my October 4th blog to see this little gray
tiger when she was just opening her eyes.

Iris and her two new kittens.

CRAFT-TASTIC Gifts

2006-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

It's craft fair season. My wife, Jenny, loves it and so do I. Each weekend morning through late November and early December, we rise early to hit the craft-fair circuit. We don't really have a plan, and aren't really on a hunt as we are during flea-market season—rather, we are open to possibilities, meeting crafts people, and seeing the wares they have worked on all summer long.

We have favorites at each of the shows... There's a woman who sheers her own sheep and painstakingly dyes and spins the wool (her colors are very specific to her work and thus very personal and one-of-a-kind). We stock up on mittens and hats and mufflers. (I use the extra-large scarf as a table runner on our early pine farm table, and we use her headbands to stretch over large hand-blown glass hurricanes.) There is a man and his wife who make their own lip balm. We have been buying it for our daughters’ Christmas stockings for years (strawberry kiwi is a real favorite). There is an amazing glass artist who makes beautiful vases and decanters; each year I mean to bring some of my early Shaker jelly jars and ask her to make some for me (I hope to do that this year). And there is a candy maker who has the richest and most decadent chocolate-covered English toffee. (It would make a great gift if it ever made it beyond the exit door!)

Each year we discover something new. Last year. Jenny bought me hand-made stir-fry paddles from a man who carves from wood grown on his acreage. I found some old-looking silver lockets for the kids—and we discovered that there is a lavender farm off of Interstate 91 in Massachusetts that makes lavender sugar, oils, and honey.

Sometimes the crafts fairs have "rummage" tables where you can find old Christmas ornaments, books, and general flea-market smalls. You have to arrive early because those items are popular with dealers who are trying to find something for nothing.

Did I mention there is homemade food at these events? I do like to bake during the season and many times it is the homemade food table where I sample the first gingerbread cookie of the season or a piece of date nut bread. For mere dollars you can enjoy something delicious that has been made from scratch with fresh seasonal ingredients. Many of the church fairs have a cafe with hot soups filled with fresh vegetables and stews that have been slow-cooked over several hours. We grab a bit of lunch at the fair and then move on to the next show.

Like Christmas, the craft-fair season comes and goes and we try to make the most of it, gathering gifts while also finding fresh inspiration and talented artisans who inspire amazing projects for Country Home. We've admired one person for several years who creates felted wool objects. We always chat about her wares and buy a few pieces and secretly wish we knew how to felt wool... this may be the year we ask her to teach us.

Here are a few of my craft-fair tips:
Scan the back page of your local newspaper on Thursday and Friday to find fairs to attend. Make a list of where you want to go, because they are usually only one day.

Mark them on a calendar and rate each show so that every year when the season comes around you can remember which ones were you favorites.

Collect business cards from the artisans. (You may be able to order items all through the year.)

Buy the raffle tickets for sale—they support community projects and often have great prizes.

Bring cash in small denominations and a canvas bag with a handle to hold all of your great finds.

Gingerbread men are the first spicy taste of the season ahead... found for pennies at the craft-fair bake table.

Sterling-silver lockets are probably imported but have an antique charm—from $20 at a crafts fair.
Moist date nut bread for a snack or later on means we don't have to bake it ourselves to enjoy the traditional treats of the season.

Collecting Christmas!

2006-11-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

I interviewed Ralph Del Pozzo and David High, authors of the books ReCollections: Christmas Ornaments and ReCollections: Christmasland (Collins Design, $15 each). These small gift books are chock full of vintage Christmas collectibles, all part of Ralph and David’s personal collection—and have tons of personality (as do the guys!). Each page is full of interesting Christmas tidbits, mixed in with fun commentary, and laced with plenty of Christmas-of-yore nostalgia. Plus, the photos are whimsical and beautiful.

Here’s my conversation with Ralph and David about how to collect Christmas and why they love it so much. Enjoy! – Rachel.

Why did you guys put your Christmas collections into book form?
Ralph: We’ve been collecting Christmas for some time, but we weren’t collecting with a book in mind. It was just because we love collecting. We also design book jackets and do photography, so when a publisher mentioned wanting to do a small gift book on Christmas, we jumped at the chance—it gave us a reason to buy more!

Why do you love vintage Christmas so much, rather than the new stuff you can find at the mall?
Ralph: Tradition seems to be rapidly decreasing. Decorations now are really meant to be disposable, without a lot of effort or love. Back in the 1950s or ’60s everything was new. They were coming up with wonderful ideas, like “let’s turn pinecones into little elves,” which got people’s imagination going. Now decorations are blow-up ornaments on the lawn, which are puddles when Christmas is over. Antique Christmas is wonderful because the pieces were special enough that they were held onto and passed down through generations.

What do vintage pieces add to the Christmas tradition?
David: Vintage Christmas invokes a feeling that is typically something you’ve totally forgotten about. It transports you back to when you actually believed there was a Santa. You find this thing, like a mica nativity set, which was exactly what you had at 5 years old. When you hold it in your hand, you get a warm feeling that’s hard to find these days.

You collect other stuff, too, but why is vintage Christmas your favorite?
Ralph: Christmas has just so many things to collect, from porcelain to chenille. You really can make collecting Christmas a full-time hobby because there’s always something new. Christmas is a holiday of excess, more than any other holiday. It’s also the most nostalgic—the whole childhood, make-believe feeling.

David: Plus, what’s great about Christmas décor is you put it away and the next year there are surprises all over again. If your stuff is out year round, they collect dust. But unpacking Christmas becomes part of tradition. You unload boxes, set up villages, and it warms up the house.

Ralph: Friends love coming over to our house because it’s an event. There always seems to be something someone has forgotten about. People look and say, “Oh, those pinecone elves! We had ones just like them when I was younger.” There’s such a common thread with all of us. No matter where you go in life, at one point your grandmother had pinecone elves. A serious person turns into a child and shows you a side you rarely see.

We don’t have nearly the extensive Christmas collection you have. How can we create this traditional Christmas feeling in our homes?
David: Even thought these things are beautiful, you still have to create our own sense of peace and comfort that you get from surrounding yourself with things from the past. Gather your own family around and participate together. Create your own warmth.

Ralph: Go into an antique shop and buy something Christmas from yesteryear. I avoid buying brand-new Christmas items, because I’d much rather have something that has a story and history. And it’s worth it. For me, pinecone elves bring both of my grandmothers back into Christmas. Every year, we’d get a shipment from Pennsylvania of all homemade ornaments. It’s like having them back with me.

Tell us a little more about your ReCollection books, Christmas Ornaments and Christmasland.
Ralph: They’re history worked in with cleverness and some interesting tidbits. One minute readers are laughing, the next they’re a little teary eyed. We did all the photography and set up the little villages. Everything that’s photographed is what we own.

David: For the second book, Ralph went insane creating little scenes. He was gone for months. In the summer, he’d have Christmas music going while making glitter villages.

What’s your home like at Christmastime. Do you go overboard? Be honest.
Ralph: When we decorate, it’s not just the one room. A mischievous congregation of pixies, elves, or pinecone people is all over the house, on every available flat surface, the bathroom included. One of the first things I do is put out plastic nativities. They’re all the same model but different artists and containers. As a kid I remember breaking the little Jesus or the little mica houses. I had to know what was inside. That’s why they’re all broken.

David: We’re usually still doing stuff Christmas Eve. We start Thanksgiving weekend, and it’s a continuous thing until January. We keep it up really long. Ralph says, “You can’t open drapes, it’s too embarrassing.” When we were shooting the first book, we had real Christmas tree branches in it, so we needed a second tree in January. We were trying to sneak it into the house when our neighbor drove by. They must think, “Oh my, Ralph and David are putting up another Christmas tree in January.” We have fun.

What’s your decorating style?
Ralph: I guess you could say we're traditional, times ten. For instance, we construct a winter scene under the tree (which is traditional), but instead of one light-up church we have a half-dozen incorporated into the landscape. We tend to decorate our country house on the traditional-Victorian-vintage side, whereas our city apartment is all done up in mid-century modern with a spinning silver aluminum tree and “Jewel-Brite” ornaments designed specifically for them.

How many vintage Christmas pieces do you have out each year?
Ralph: It’s hard to say. 500 pieces wouldn’t be exaggerating.

What’s a piece of advice you could give someone who wants to start collecting Christmas, but doesn’t know how to begin?
Ralph: Number one: Don't be intimidated. Tell yourself you won't spend more than five dollars and that your first purchase will only be a passion purchase. The right vintage piece will induce an emotional reaction when first spotted. You'll have that desire to pick it up and hold it. For that split second you will be transported back into childhood, perhaps by a memory of your grandmother's house or the aroma of Mom's fresh baked cookies. At that very moment you will have experienced those precious elements of collecting and the warmth induced by the tradition of vintage Christmas. It's a traditional discovery! My first piece was an indented ornament, probably due to a memory of sticking my finger in one and finding out how thin the glass was.

What is your Christmas morning tradition?
David: It’s not pretty. Because we spend most of our free time around the holidays decorating (and it’s a lot of decorating)m our traditional Christmas morning usually involves frantic last-minute wrapping before heading to the family dinner.

David visiting Santa as a tot.

Ralph posing at his first Christmas.

It’s Apple Season

2006-11-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

My name is Matthew Mead and I am Style Editor-at-Large for Country Home magazine. My job is to produce seasonal stories on decorating, entertaining, and “how-to" ideas that you can replicate at home. I'm often working a year ahead of schedule, trying to capture the season at its peak so we can have beautiful imagery for the upcoming editorial schedule. Shooting in real time would be impossible with the time constraints created by printing and distribution schedules.

I work out of my studio in New Hampshire and have a small team of helpers. We coordinate with a photographer for three or four days of shooting, heading out on the road to capture the seasons.

Recently we were shooting autumn in New England at a local apple orchard called Gould Hill. It is one of the many orchards near my home and one that I grew up visiting as a child. It’s set on a spectacular hillside that overlooks miles of New Hampshire mountains—and if you visit at just the right time, you can see spectacularly colorful foliage for miles and miles. I have dreamed of shooting there for years and this season decided to do a story on decorating with apples; I knew the location would be the perfect place to capture fall living in all its glory.

My days always start early, but shoot days call for extra early mornings. I'm on the road at 5:30 a.m. in my pickup truck filled with all of my favorite props, including a mix of country chairs in old paint, baskets, and vintage pails. I have to make sure that I have enough cut leaves, wreath forms, berries, and country containers to bring just the right look to each and every photo. I make a shot list for what we will work on (though I am notorious for straying from the list and trying to capture those spontaneous subjects that really embody the season). My team—including my wife, Jenny—arrives around 8:30 and we coordinate and load any last-minute pieces of furniture, wardrobe, or props that will be needed. Jenny has organized a group of friends to meet us at the orchard and pose for pictures picking apples with their children. In many cases—and especially in this one—it is the photographer who brings that special, dreamy quality to the shoot.

For this event, L.A.-based photographer Reed Davis was assigned, and his infectious humor and sharp wit bring unyielding smiles and giggles to all. The result is real people having real fun doing something truly joyful—and it shows.

At 9 a.m. we are fully engaged in the shoot. We are blessed with a crisp autumn day in the mid 50's. The children arrive and—like they have done many times before—make a beeline for the orchard, running and playing in the most natural way. Reed grabs his camera and disappears in the leafy hillside as we gather the parents to make a short trek to the trees densely laden with large, beautiful apples (a glimpse of what Eden must have looked like). As I stand there and absorb the atmosphere, I realize that I am so lucky to be out in the fresh air and enjoying the beauty of an autumn day. I always tell people who pose for pictures it won't take long, but it always rambles for more than an hour.

Once our guests depart, we begin focusing on details, using the rustic old buildings, stone walls, and age-old maple trees as backdrops for October decorating. The day will be long with a lot of moving and hauling props and projects from place to place, but it will be well worth it when the magazine is filled with colorful autumn style.

I've become known for my secret sources, and Gould Hill Apple Orchard is definitely one of them. Situated in Contoocook, New Hampshire, it has a beautiful rustic orchard barn that has been selling apples and country baked goods for generations. Visitors can select from more than a dozen beautiful heirloom apples and check out the honey bees that are sleeved in a glass-front hive (which I remember from my childhood). Don't miss the shortbread cookies sold on the counter, and take the drive to the top of the hill to drink in the view (and the cider).

Look for our story in the October 2007 issue of Country Home. It will feature lots of great apple craft projects and fun ways to enjoy the season.

Jenny was able to capture a few shots of the beauty at the top of Gould Hill. Our friends enjoy the views, the apple picking, and take a turn at making an apple wreath.

No matter where you live, visit an orchard to grab a bushel of apples and the joy of the season.

OUR FIVE FAVORITE APPLES
HONEY CRISP—sweet and crisp with a tinge of honey; they are the freshest eating apple right off the tree.
MCINTOSH—a versatile New England standard for eating, baking, sauces, etc. We use these for the best apple pie.
MACOUN—best for eating and pink applesauce. (Leave the skins on the apple for the most pleasant shade of pink as a sauce.)
BALDWIN—great for cooking and eating; good as baked apples with caramel and whipped cream.
EMPIRE—crisp for eating, making sauce, or great in a crisp Waldorf salad.

The team and our friends shoot details under the changing autumn trees.

A small apple house has a great rustic patina from serving the orchard for so many years. We found it the perfect backdrop for wreaths, garlands, and all types of apple projects.

Ram—It’s a Noun and a Verb

2006-11-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Autumn in the barnyard means our ram is in the mood for love. He’s a handsome chap—a three-year old Cheviot with deep-set, serious eyes and an arching Roman nose. Usually a calm guy, he hangs out with the horses during the summer, grazing in their shadows.

The fall rut is a time of lust, angst, and recklessness. The carefree, hoofs-off management style of the ram in summertime ends—and in autumn he becomes dictatorial, irritable and, well—to put it bluntly—kind of a butthead. His attention is split between the ewes who come into heat this month and his own sons (spring lambs from last year) who take every opportunity to threaten their father’s authority. (Ah, those teenage sons.)

“Butting heads” is not just a metaphor at our farm. So after the first several loud, head-on crashes, my husband, Doug, rounded up the lamb rams to stalls in the barn where they can hang out eating hay until fall mating season is over. The ram struts around the pasture, lord of his domain.
(My son Graham, who has been taking photos for this blog, had to be quick on his feet to get this ram picture.)

Cheers, Karen

An Apple a Day...

2006-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Autumn is apple time. On a sunny day, I can step out my front door and smell sweet, ripening fruit from my porch.
My husband, Doug, planted our small orchard about 25 years ago with a plan for diversity. Each tree offers a different fruit. Tart, red-streaked Stayman Winesap apples. Yellow, firm Golden Delicious. Blushing Cortlands. Miniature Seckle pears. Juicy, crisp Asian pears. And a sort of watery, tasteless pear (name unknown) that we toss into the cider press or feed to the horses who are very enthusiast about overripe fruit.

Our orchard is an organic one, so our fruit is not always the prettiest. But it tastes great, doesn’t harbor any unwanted chemicals, and you can eat it right off the tree as you take a walk through the low branches and on down the gravel road. While the fruit may not place first in any beauty pageant, it definitely would win Miss Congeniality.

Enjoy your autumn!
Karen Weir-Jimerson

PS: The new kittens I wrote about in my last blog are up and about. Claire, their mom, moved them from the garage to a small space beneath a wagon/planter on our back porch. I can hear their little “mews” every time I step out the door. They’ve reluctantly made friends with our pushy, but friendly, Jack Russell terriers, Snap and Archer.

I Love Jewelry!

2006-10-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

I’m a jewelry nut. When I shop, I end up at the jewelry cases first, my favorites being the beads and baubles made by local artists. I want a great piece that no one else has—and if I find great vintage jewelry, that’s even better. So when I was working on the “Collect It/Antiquing Buzz” story for the November issue of Country Home magazine (see page 78 of the November 2006 issue) about great artisans who make new jewelry out of reclaimed found antiques, I was over the moon.

It seemed like a good time to be doing a story on this, because everywhere I had been turning—Elle magazine, DailyCandy on the Web, New York magazine, the design blogs I read, and gift shows my fellow editors attended—there were little bits on vintage-turned-new jewelry.

So I called a bunch of people and asked them to send in their favorite pieces. I was floored by what the artists sent. My desk was a veritable jewelry playground. Unfortunately in the magazine world, space is at a premium, and I couldn’t include some of my favorites.

In our November issue, you’ll see pieces from Lulu Frost, who makes very fine jewelry out of hotel numbers, chandelier drops, vintage charms, and other beautiful and sparkly antiques; What’s Your Type, who fashions bracelets, necklaces, and more from vintage typewriter keys (then donates the typewriter skeleton to other local artists to keep them out of landfills); Silver Spoon Jewelry, whose vintage-inspired watches, bracelets, and even business-card holders are sophisticated and regal; and, finally, Grandmother’s Buttons, a 20-year-old, Louisiana-based company that makes great traditional-looking, as well as hip and funky, pieces out of antique buttons and vintage Bakelite buttons.

But I didn’t have room to include Leviticus Jewelry by Tara Levitin — click on “one-of-a-kind” to find some of my favorites), or Found Treasures You Wear by Connie Govea Stuart. Check both of these ladies out if you get a chance. Connie goes to a lot of jewelry and antique shows throughout the country—send her a note at connieart@aol.com to see her stuff.

And after we went to press, I got some information about L.A. designer Amy Di LaMarra’s Kudra belts. The sash belts are adorned with super-blingy vintage (and some vintage-inspired) belt buckles and other found things.

Although a bit pricey, I also mooned over Monique Pean’s vintage-scarf-and-antique-chain creations. Gorgeous!

Want to find more artists to browse through? Try going to My Bonnie and Clyde , which hosts a bunch of independent artists, many of whom make new jewelry out of found vintage objects. (One of my favorites is Laura James.)

Because of this story and my overflowing inspiration garnered from these creative folks, I look at leftover vintage pieces, or objects that would otherwise be lost and forgotten, in a new way. In fact, when I shopped the Chicago Antique Market this summer, I bought a handful of vintage chandelier drops to make into necklaces for Christmas presents.

What about you? Do any of you have any jewelry-making ideas or inspiration? Who are some of your favorite jewelry artists who use antiques?

Faster than the “Slow Lane”

2006-10-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hi. I write the “Slow Lane” column in each monthly issue of Country Home magazine. And now I’m writing a blog that will appear every other week on www.countryhome.com.

So, let me introduce myself. I live on an acreage in Iowa with my husband, Doug, and sons, Tristan and Graham. (Actually, Tristan left for college in August, but most of his laundry—clean and dirty—is still littering the floor of his bedroom, so it’s sort of like he’s still living here).

We live in a farmhouse that was built in 1903—with only one closet. (What were they thinking?) The lack of closets, the one bathroom, and the tiny bedrooms all led to 23 years of remodeling projects both inside and out. I think the house is done now because there’s nowhere else to add on…or is there?

We share our lives with lots of pets. Three horses. Three donkeys. Eighteen sheep. Five dogs. Thirteen cats, including Claire, a dainty little tiger-striped cat who gave birth to 5 kittens, so make that 18 cats. We have doves in our garden aviary and a chicken house populated with laying hens. Our two tortoises (Maximus and Minimus, pets that Graham got when he was 8) will each eventually grow as large as a wheelbarrow—but not for 50 years…or so my son promised. And two canaries—one that sings like Pavarotti and one that makes awkward chirping sounds.

And we have four large gardens, a small orchard, and a huge koi pond (and the koi definitely have to be counted as pets because they are as personable and friendly as puppies).

You’ll meet them all, plus find out what else is happening at the farm and surrounding countryside throughout the seasons—every other week. I’ll hope you’ll tune in.

Claire’s kittens just opened their eyes and have started to wander about.

Snap, a Jack Russell terrier, is one of our five dogs.

EDITORS’ BLOG

2006-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Come behind the scenes on the photo shoot of actors Kerry Washington and David Moscow’s West Hollywood bungalow. Country Home Editor-at-Large and eco-expert Danny Seo helped his friends pull their place together in a clean and green way. (See results in “Getting Personal” in the October 2006 issue of Country Home.) “Kerry and David had a great selection of furnishings and accessories,” says Danny, “but didn’t know how to make them work together. So I didn’t decorate as much as curate. This is both an ecological and economical way to go; I didn’t have to run out and buy all new stuff.” Here, in an extended interview, Danny talks to Kerry and David about the makeover process.

David, the first time we met, your apartment didn’t look like this. How would you describe it before?
Starving artist. We had a mattress on the floor, metal office lamps, random art from trips abroad, stacks and stacks of books, magazines, and DVDs. It was the kind of chaotic mess that had clearly just been thrown together because we never really had the time to design and decorate.

Why do you want to live green?
David: The reasons are numerous, but the most important is that this is the only planet we have.
Kerry: People still sometimes have ideas about what environmentalism looks like, and although they care about the Earth, they might not want to wear Birkenstocks and hug trees. So it’s important that businesses create well-designed products that are also good for the planet. And it’s important that we, as consumers, support those businesses. Being green and being stylish are absolutely compatible.

Kerry, what new things in your home do you like most?
The dining room chairs are chic, comfortable, and made from recycled aluminum. They’re hand-cast and polished to a chrome-like finish. The dining room table is made from recycled scrap wood, all hand-glued together, cut, and shaped into a one-of-a-kind table. These pieces are like art.

What do you think of your comfy, hemp chair?
Kerry: we love the blue chair! I love how classical it is in form—it makes me laugh every time i think about the fact that this very elegant little chair is actually made from hemp! No one would ever guess.

Kerry, where do you hang out most in your home?
The place I cherish the most is the bedroom. Relaxing is not something that comes easily to me—I can sometimes be a bit of a workaholic. But now that you’ve redone it, the room is so inviting and cozy and sensual. It has encouraged me to spend more quality time with David and Josie in the mornings when we have the luxury to do so.

Kerry, speaking of puppy-dog Josie...is she incredibly spoiled, or is it just my impression?
She is not spoiled! She is loved. Love does not spoil a person or an animal; it makes them stronger. But she is a feisty little brave girl who likes to be treated like royalty. We take her everywhere. We sneak her into places that would shock you because she fits inside most of my purses. So whenever I get ready to leave the house she jumps into my bag.

How did you name her “Josie?”
I was excited about the idea of getting a dog, but also really nervous, so I bought a lot of books on proper dog care and training. In one of those books, I read that it is easiest to train a dog when his or her name has two syllables and ends in a long "eee" sound. I was racking my brain trying to think of a name that had this sound but that also had some sort of emotional importance or relevance to me. The names I liked were Yogi and Sufi — names that David wasn’t so crazy about. He wanted to name her after a real-life person. His favorite ideas were Albert Einstein and queen Elizabeth the third—he thought that one was particularly funny! Finally, knowing that she’s a huge inspiration and hero of mine, David suggested Josephine baker. It was perfect— we call her Josie, or Josie B, or JB—and the name fits her.

The one thing you asked for from me was a spot to meditate, Kerry. Why?
Mediation is very very, very important to me. I have an absolutely imperfect meditation practice. But I love to meditate and I thought that having a space designated for meditation would help me to spend more time giving myself the amazing gifts of sitting in stillness. When I meditate, i experience more gratitude, joy, peace of mind, and self-acceptance throughout the day.

Kerry, whenever I’m around you, you’re always coming back from the gym or whipping up a protein shake. What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Because we are constantly back and forth between New York and L.A. and other shooting locations, we tend not to keep perishables, but we always have a well-stocked pantry: Crystal Geyser seltzer, Smart Water bottled water, Imagine organic soups, David Kirsch Wellness Co. Protein Powder, Just Peas, organic almonds, and olives.

I tried to use the things you love in the redo. Tell me about one item you’ve picked up that you cherish today.
David: We went to Uganda last year for a film Kerry is in called The Last King of Scotland (scheduled to be in theaters September 27, 2006). It was such an amazing place! We stayed at an eco-lodge at the foot of the volcanoes on the border of Congo and Rwanda. On the drive there from Kampala, the capital city, we stopped at a small crafts shop at the equator where they sell paintings whose profits go to children with AIDS. There was some really amazing art, and some of it now hangs on our wall.
Kerry: We also have a beautiful little piece of black volcanic rock that they allowed us to bring home. It now sits on the side table in our living room. I love that rock because it reminds me of that trip.

You have a stuffed fish. Did you catch that, David?
David: Yeah, off the coast of Florida. Kerry caught one, too, and I ate it right in the marina. We walked off the boat to a restaurant, she handed them her fish, and they grilled it up. We were told you couldn’t eat barracuda, so we got it mounted but felt really badly. Since then, we have a rule that we only catch fish that we can and will eat or release. And since Kerry is allergic to fish, that means lots more food for me.
Kerry: I never really fished before falling in love with David, but together we've been fishing in California, Florida, and Montana.

The house is filled with hundreds (if not thousands) of DVDs.
You love films! What are your Top 3 favorite picks, David?
Wow—very tough question. I have new favorites each week, but there are a few all-time greats:
I like DR. STRANGELOVE — a brilliant, funny political film that is extremely relevant now.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY — I recite Billy Crystal's lines to Kerry when she acts like Sally - which is OFTEN! Also it reminds me of home when we are in L.A..
We don’t really watch TV all that much, but recently we have been buying full seasons of different television shows and having marathon viewings. The first season of The Sopranos is incredible. The grandmother is the most amazing character ever on the small screen.

What are you listening to on your iPod right now?
David: Our iPod is sitting dusty and unused in its case. It’s weird that we haven’t really become iPod users because everybody is and we love our iTunes programs on both of our Macs. But we do listen to a lot of music. My most-played is the album “Z” by the band My Morning Jacket. Kerry loves Top 40 music and is obsessed with music and video countdowns. She downloads music from web sites that have the current countdown hits.

I’ve never met bigger bookworms than both of you! What’s on your nightstand right now, and why did you start reading this book?
David: I am just finishing "Don't Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight" by Alexandra Fuller. It’s an incredible memoir about a racist white family surviving as farmers during the Rhodesian/ Zimbabwe revolution. It’s hilarious, sad, and something totally outside my realm of thought.
Kerry: I am reading “Personal History” by Katharine Graham and “Thoughts Without a Thinker” by Mark Epstein. I am usually always reading some sort of spiritual/self-help book and then another book as well. Lately I’ve been obsessed with women’s biographies: Jane Fonda’s “My Life So Far”; “Desert Flower” by Waris Dirie; and now “Personal History,” which was a gift from David.

Tell me your three must-have essentials when you go away to work on a film.
David: Must bring Kerry, Josie, and a book.
Kerry: Must bring David, Josie, and my cell phone.

David, you’ve acted professionally ever since you were a child. How did you end up being so normal and grounded?
Well I wouldn’t say I’m “normal,” but I might be grounded. It would be my folks’ and friends’ fault. I also think that being an actor was my initiative and wasn’t my parents’ idea. They were very supportive of it, but also made sure that I did well in school and was sent off to my cousins’ in Utah every summer to run around like a kid. I also happened to go to high school in Harlem where being a white actor was not as cool as being black and Latino and on the basketball team. In addition, I just want to say that while newspapers are sold with the exploits of child actors gone bad, most of the ones I have known have turned out pretty good—Neil Patrick Harris, Adrian Brody, Seth Green, Hillary Swank, to name a few.

You’re working on an eco-renovation of a Harlem rowhouse now. Can you tell me more about it and why you’re doing it?
David: We purchased a brownstone a couple of years ago from someone who had let the building deteriorate. Its tenants had been shoving cardboard into holes to stop the rats from coming through.
We first fixed the most immediate issues—holes in walls, broken windows, redid collapsing floors. Then we signed up for an energy-efficient renovation program for low-income/mixed-income housing. They redid the roof, changed all the windows, brought in energy-efficient appliances.
In the process of doing this, we were able, with the tenants, to create a sense of community in the building. We put dressers and rugs in the common spaces. One of the tenants started putting his art on the walls. The building has become more like a home than four separate apartments.
We got excited about what we had been able to do and turned our attention to the vacant lot next door. We went to the city with a proposal to build mixed-income environmentally conscious housing. The city was very interested because this was one of a number of very small lots that developers are generally not interested in. Half of the four apartments will be reserved for low-income tenants and the other half will be NYC market rate prices. We had hoped to make it a totally green building. But we found that, in the short term, there was a contradiction between two high priorities. On the one hand, we wanted to create a building which was 50% low income because of the increasing displacement of long-term Harlem residents due to gentrification. We also wanted to build a green building. We found that there were financial limits to doing both at the same time. So we are going to do some green work—bamboo flooring, low-pov paints, recycled brick and concrete, local plants, high-efficiency appliances, a tankless water heater. We hope to continue to make the building greener as we are able to (a green roof, solar power, et cetera).

It all pays the same for Danny Seo, Country Home Editor-at-Large and environmental expert, who puts the final press on a bed he’s making wrinkle-free for photography.

BEFORE: This bicoastal couple divides their time between LA and NYC, so Kerry and David’s Hollywood home had all the appeal of a crash pad when they called on Danny to help.

BEFORE: Indonesian furnishings look cool but grow old after awhile. Danny felt it was time for full-size furniture.

BEFORE: Danny kept the mirror and moved the table and shelves elsewhere in the house so the main room in this small bungalow apartment would be a welcoming place to watch DVDs and relax.

Kerry and David share Danny’s passion for sustainable living and environmental causes, so he was a natural to call on when they were ready to furnish their apartment. Everyone seems happy with the result…even their fluffy dog, Josephine Baker.

End-of-Summer Fun

2006-08-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Summer's drawing to a close and all of us are scrambling to squeeze in some vaca before our next deadline and the start of school here in Iowa. The State Fair, of course, is a mainstay for many of us-especially those who've let the summer slip away without getting away for a week or two. The fair is a sure bet for great on-a-stick foods, music (James Taylor is this year's highlight), cows, corn, the carnival, and people watching! To see some highlights from this year’s fair, go to www.iowastatefair.com and click on Photo Album.

The lucky ones on staff have done some more adventurous traveling in the past month. Administrative Assistant Jane Perdue took her family to Colorado two weeks ago. She returned with tales of snow at Estes Park! Executive Editor Sandy Soria took the biggest adventure and flew with her family to Europe. She came back with lots of great stories and the quote of the trip from one of her tweenage sons: "Paris is for old people." Sandy’s back-home recommendations include a peek at the famous 13th-century pharmacy/herbalist shop in Florence, where you can buy their famous soaps, oils, etc. online—go to: smnovella.it/smn.htm. To search for lovely accommodations in France and Italy, trust Sandy's favorite guides: karenbrown.com. And if you ever happen to be traveling in Tuscany in July, don't miss the music festival in Lucca. (Sandy and her family saw Tracy Chapman and Santana in an ancient square of this magical, medieval town near Pisa.)

With the pump prices this summer, others have been vacationing closer to home by camping at some of our state's great parks (check out http://www.iowadnr.com/). A few of us have taken long-weekend trips to go antiquing in Walnut, Iowa, or tour the pretty rolling hills of the northeast part of the state—with Decorah, Waukon, and Strawberry Point a few of the recommended stops.

Quite a few of us have spent time at Okoboji, Iowa's premier lake resort. (FYI: Lake West Okoboji was once named by the National Geographic Society as one of the three most beautiful blue-water lakes in the world—Lake Louise in Canada and Switzerland's Lake Geneva are the other two.) The lake is a year-after-year tradition for several of our editors, with some families returning to the same cottages every summer for boating, swimming, the locally famous Arnold's Park amusement park, and plenty of down time.In just a few weeks, though, the leaves will be turning, harvest will begin, and here in the office we'll have to fast forward and start putting together our Christmas issue. Sigh. Yet, even as the nights get cool and we stumble back into a routine, we all look forward to fall. It's the prettiest time of the year here in the Midwest.

Sneak Peak

2006-06-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our art director, Shelley Caldwell, just returned from a house shoot in Washington, D.C., and she came back not only with some good inside info for our writers, but a camera full of digitals with behind-the-scenes shots as well. Here's Shelley's debrief:

Question What did you know about the house before the shoot?
Shelley "The scouting shots showed a hip mix of classic, contemporary, and even a little bit of exotic. Brownstone, 4-story. The owner's name is Julie Wolfe. She's a painter and jeweler."

Question What'd you think once you got there?
Shelley "The narrowness of the house got really, um, real. It's only 15 feet wide, and that includes a 3-foot-wide hallway."

Question And . . . ?
Shelley "Well, that makes art directors and photographers crazy, 'cause it's tough to get that great sweeping shot of a room in that kind of space-you're forced sometimes to shoot through doorways and windows and use, heaven help us, wide angle lenses."

Question Any other challenges?
Shelley "Being a brownstone, we only had natural light at the front and rear of the house. So, we had limited time to shoot with good natural light. And if I could whine, I bet I went up and down all those staircases about 400 times. I'm not kidding."

Question No, you can't whine. What got you jacked about the house?
Shelley "The owner's knack for making the space her own. She only moved in about eight months ago, and it's already so put together and well done. That in itself is amazing-I'd be lucky to have all my boxes unpacked by then. But the best part is that she came from a cottage into this totally different architecture and made it all work with the things she had. It's a wonderful house with a fresh, well-edited look."

Question Besides you, who did the work?
Shelley "Photographer Erik Johnson, his assistant, and stylist Neely Spruill.”

Question What issue will this house appear in?
Shelley "Pretty sure it's going to be the September issue—our special decorating issue."

Question On sale when?
Shelley "August 15th."

Question Anything else?
Shelley "I took along a little digital to snap some shots so we could show the house 'before' online. (There's usually just no room in the magazine for that kind of thing.) Readers may not realize that it can take hours—and lots of Starbucks—to set up a shot. Propping, lighting, camera angle, and cleaning all go into every picture. And if you think a good dusting and vacuuming does the trick, think again! Every speck is meticulously picked off of a curtain, carpet, or upholstery so we don't have to Photoshop it out later. You've really got to have an eye for detail to make it all work."

National Kitchen and Bath Show in Chicago

2006-04-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

The Country Home offices last week were buzzing with anticipation—and, frankly, some relief—over the National Kitchen and Bath Association big annual show in downtown Chicago (www.nkba.com). Our building and design editor, Meredith Ladik (a.k.a., Shopgirl), along with a cast of other editors and designers, has been hard—and we mean hard—at work for months getting ready. KBIS, as it's commonly known, is primarily a trade show our staff attends each year to get the jump on new kitchen and bath products, colors, and trends that will soon be in stores. KBIS is a bit like a runway fashion show or the big Detroit auto show where we see all the cool—and sometimes over-the-top—new stuff coming to the marketplace during the course of the year. It's also a great chance to find out what the long-term trends are in color, finishes, and materials.

Walking around the show, you see everything from work boots and well-worn jeans on the tens of thousands of contractors there to expensive imported suits and heels on the high-end builders and buyers. By the end of the show, your feet are aching, your notebook is crammed with hastily scribbled notes, and your head is swimming with all the new things you've seen. But for us, it's one of the coolest shows of the year, and it's a great place to find ideas to fix that stuck-in-a-time-warp kitchen or bath.

In future issues, we'll be showing you what we think is the best of the best. And you can also count on Shopgirl to scout out some great new stuff for her column in every issue of Country Home. If you're looking for something in particular, you can e-mail her at her new address and she'll be sure to give you the low-down on what you need. (Send comments to shopgirl@mdp.com.)

This year's show was even more special for us because Country Home's parent company—Meredith Corporation—pulled out all the stops to install a very large display at the show of custom kitchens and baths designed by some of our company's best magazines.

Here was the official hype from www.nkba.com: "Partnering with NKBA, Meredith Corporation plans a truly unique collaboration between five of its consumer publications: Country Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Kitchen and Bath Ideas, Traditional Home, and Midwest Living magazines. Each of these titles will occupy a portion of the 10,000-square-foot NKBA booth space and showcase each magazine's spin on one overriding theme: "The Best of Times Are at Meredith." Visitors to the booth will wind their way through a typical day in the life of family pursuits and discover concepts and design ideas based on the individual magazines' core readership. For instance, Country Home steeps its space in personal pursuits."

Inside each magazine's area, there were lots of great ideas and high-style, innovative solutions to chronic kitchen problems such as storage, workspace, color schemes, efficiency, and so on. In our area, we installed a one-of-a-kind kitchen-in-the-round, a circular-shaped space washed in sunny color that's specially designed to not only function as a great kitchen, but provide plenty of room for a "personal pursuit"—in our case, knitting. That said, we know 99.9 out of 100 readers didn't attend this show, but the good news is that we will have photographed this set-up and will be featuring it in our October issue with inside info from all the editors, designers, and artists who poured so much overtime, angst, and thought into this production.

If you're eager for highlights, go to http://bhg.com/bhg/videos/index.jhtml for video tours of each space. Tip: Our computer gurus tell us that this link works best with a Netscape browser if you're using a Mac.

So . . . check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be posting a debrief next week when we've all had a chance to catch our breaths!