surprises

[ellenkushner]

I bought Delia a necklace from this artist for her birthday - we were at that amazing crafts fair at Lincoln Center 2 weeks ago, and it was almost the first thing we saw, and I'd just been thinking, When the hell am I going to have time to go shopping and buy her something . . .? We had to have it shortened (Delia loves saying that, like Anne Boleyn, she has a little neck), so the maker took it home to Maine to cut out a bit, promising to mail it to me in plenty of time. Since Delia doesn't remember much that doesn't have to do with tiles or wallpaper these days, I figured she'd forget all about it and I could spring it on her on her birthday next week on the 22nd.

This did not quite work as planned, since when it arrived in today's mail I spent a certain amount of time staring at the Overnight envelope and musing loudly, "Jodie in Maine? who the hell could that be? feels like a box! why would anyone be sending me overnight express from MAINE?!". . . until Delia said, "Oh!" and wryly remarked, "Well, at least it was a surprise for somebody."

Comments

[j-bluestocking.livejournal.com]

That sounds exactly like something I would do. But at least it's a gorgeous necklace, if the website is anything to go by!

So -- wallpaper and tiles? I used to dream about wallpaper from this place:

http://www.bradbury.com/

It doesn't really go with my house, but I love their Arts and Crafts line, and there's a Moorish ceiling somewhere on their site that my inner drama queen fell in love with.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Funny you should mention Bradbury & Bradbury - Delia's old house, the 1880's Queen Anne manse in Newton, Mass., was done almost entirely in it, and I loved it exceedingly. All our current cottage (ca. 1900, but not grand at all, so the scale would be wrong) can sustain is a little bit of thornberry (http://www.bradbury.com/thatch_thornberry.html) in the upstairs hall.

We are, however, moving; I have not yet had the nerve/time to work up an announcement on LJ, but we're closing next week (also on Delia's birthday)and the place - large rooms, built in 1909 - will be nothing but Bradbury if we have our way - including the border above the paneling in the diningroom - Delia's thinking http://www.bradbury.com/for_oakleaf_fr.html because it will not fight with all our tchatchkes, but we're also inclining toward http://www.bradbury.com/for_land.html - or possibly the Galleons that you have used for your "ID photo" here (though Delia thinks they - or maybe the River (http://www.bradbury.com/rivr_945_olive.html) might do better in the bedroom. The bedrooms are nothing to write home about - as was the custom in the period, all the glory lies in the public rooms. But that's why there's wallpaper, isn't it?).

Lovely to hear from you - I am sweating with joy over the gorgeous pictures of your place, and glad to know you'll like ours as well. Come and stay, once we're settled.

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

I've never seen any of that Bradbury & Bradbury stuff before - I'm in love. *sigh*

[j-bluestocking.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on almost-closing! And I'd love to visit -- the very phrase "paneling in the diningroom" is honing my desire to see it.

The River and the Galleons are two of my favorites. Imagine how lovely it will be to go to bed looking at them -- like sleeping in a childhood fantasy novel.