News from The Nest...September, 2012

Don't judge a memory by the layers of old paint

     After many years of "treasure" hunting, one of my most prized finds has to be an item from a local auction that I simply couldn’t resist…an old metal porch glider that immediately caught my attention and warmed my heart.  It was covered in layers of dingy green paint and rusty in a few spots, but that didn’t matter to me.  I just had to bring it home because it reminded me of the glider from my grandmother’s front porch.

     So without a second thought for my skimpy budget, I proceeded to bid tenaciously against a room full of people who also seemed to have had grandmothers…grandmothers who had porch gliders.

     When the tense bidding was finally closed, I was the proud owner of that glider – for quite a bit more than I had planned on spending.  I was excited…and a little queasy.
     I felt better, however, when several auction attendees told me how hard it was to find one of those vintage gliders and how much more expensive they were in antiques shops.  And I only felt a little bit guilty when the lady beside me and fellow bidder mentioned how she had wanted to buy the glider for her husband for his birthday. (His grandmother had one just like it, you see.)
     After my hard fought victory, I still faced one more challenge.  I had to get that thing home.  That meant I had to call my husband and ask for his help – and his truck.
     “You paid how much for that?!” he exclaimed a split second after I pointed out my purchase.
     No matter how many times I stressed what a great deal it was, he couldn’t see beyond the layers of old paint and rust.  So I tried the sentimental approach…
     “My grandmother used to have one just like it,” I said.
     “So?”
     “My cousins and I used to sit together on hot summer days and eat Popsicles,” I added.
     “You hate Popsicles.”
     “You’re missing the point.”
     Finally, I tried the financial approach…
     “You know, in antiques shops these things go for two or three times what I paid,” I said knowingly.
     “Show me one,” he said – ever the skeptic.
     Vindication was mine, however, the moment my two children spied that glider on our front porch.
     “Cool!” said my discerning son, carefully examining the contraption.
     “I love this thing – what is it?!” added my astute daughter, gently pushing back the seat.
     “Can we sit on it?” they asked.
     Maturely controlling the powerful urge to stick out my tongue at my husband, I replied, “Of course…
     “Can I bring you a Popsicle?”

Mary Magoon

Collections are more than dust collectors!

It's not something I really meant to do. It's not even something I realized I was doing...but somewhere along the way in the course of ordinary day-to-day events, I became a Collector.

Collections say a lot about a person, and I know exactly what my collections say about me: I just can't have one of anything!

It all started with a small, pewter penguin couple -- a favorite wedding gift. I was enchanted, and it wasn't long before I began filling our apartment with the quirky birds. Penguin figurines in pewter, crystal, ceramic and wood multiplied like rabbits (the one thing I don't collect -- yet). With such a plethora of penguins, the need for a creative way to display my burgeoning bird assortment became imperative. The seeds of my next collection were ready to blossom.

Printers' drawers. The slim wooden drawers, which formerly housed alphabet blocks used for typesetting a publication, feature compartments in assortment of shapes and sizes. Hang them on a wall, and you've found the perfect penguin habitat! To date I have about a dozen of the drawers -- from small to large in rich wood tones from dark oak to light pine. I'd be hard pressed to find enough penguins to fill every nook in my homemade rookery!

The collections don't stop there, however. Among my ever growing hodgepodge of groupings is an array of firkins. I don't know what they are, what they were ever used for, or what to do with them now. There's just something about them that speaks to the Collector in me! From wooden spools, buttons and bobbins to antique picnic baskets, cobalt blue bottles and hob nail milk glass, the assortment of accumulations continues to...well...accumulate.

Quirkiness aside, collections are uniquely personal, and they speak volumes about their owners. If my penguins could talk, I know exactly what they would say.

"The more, the merrier!"
                                                                                                                               Mary Magoon

Welcome Home!

nesting (v.) the process of making your house into a home

She found the tree.
She picked out the perfect branch.
Every twig she selects is part of a carefully thought out plan to build a nest that is warm and welcoming for her family. She is nesting.

She takes great pride in her choices, as her nest is where she will raise her family. Hatchings, homecomings, and empty-nesting await her. When the nest is filled with twigs she loves, she will know this is home.

The Feathered Nest is a boutique interior design firm that specializes in nurturing your nesting abilities.

The Feathered Nest will help you create a space full of pieces you love that vividly reflect your personality and lifestyle. We will work with pieces and colors you have, or give you a complete refresh with new ideas. And when we are finished, your house will feel like your home.