Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Black painted railings can update oak railings

Photo via Beatricebanks.blogspot.com
Now I can't say that the below photos that I found online have oak or a wood that the homeowner did not like, but  in my old house I did just that...  I painted my oak railing black and I loved it!  What a quick fix to updating a staircase. Making sure to use a quality primer (I had mine tinted black) then I used a paint that can take the high traffic and I was good to go! 5 years later it was still looking great.  Would you like more design inspiration?  Don't forget to check out my design and lifestyle web site New England Fine Living

Photo Via Houzz.com

Photo Via baltares.blogspot.com

Photo via: Remodelaholic.com



Photo Via Houzz.com by Usona

Photo Via HJholtzandson.com



Linda Calder Smith, is an Allied ASID Interior Designer in Middleton MA, Westford MA, New England, owner of New England Fine Living, and Party Planner North of Boston. Classic New England Style or Glam Interior Design and parties have been most recently completed in Middleton, Carlisle, Andover, North Andover, Marblehead, Boston, Salem, Newburyport, Newbury, Ipswich, Westford, Boxford, Topsfield, and so many more surrounding towns!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Beautiful Master Bedroom Ideas with some elegant touches



Having already been awake for 2 1/2 hours with insomnia (it's 5:30 am) and I am realizing that it's a bit ironic that while I work on a dream master bedroom suite for one of my clients, that includes a fireplace, sitting area, crystal chandelier, and new king size bed while I have let my own private sanctuary show my "on the go" lifestyle. Instead, it should be enveloping me to relax my soul and wash away a busy and sometimes stressful day.    I have allowed folded laundry to multiply, shoes have been kicked off and landed not in the closet, all neat and lined up like they should be, but near a wall or doorway, and the collection of earrings found on my bedside table could rival the jewelry counter at Nordstroms.  I have also realized that I have not personalized my space as I have done many times over in the past.  I am in a sweet bungalow which is a transition rental home and I have not allowed myself to put my own personal stamp into play.  In the master bedroom, which was once the attic, I would love to paint the dark trim that surrounds the windows and ceiling panels, I would change the flagstone blue carpet, add built-ins along the slanted wall, paint the walls, and rid the bathroom of the parquet floors, burgundy wallpaper and oak vanity.   Thank goodness for my king size bed that has a mattress that feels like I am climbing onto a cloud, my crisp white cotton sheets, and my electric blanket that I use on chilly winter New England Nights.

I thought I would share just a few of the photos I have collected in my Master Bedroom Idea File.


Photo Credit HGTV Blog

 Photo via southgateresidential.blogspot.com

Photo via: Elle Decor


Ralph Lauren Black and White Bedding


Photo via House Beautiful 





Linda Calder Smith owner of New England Fine Living is and interior Designer and Party Planner with offices in Middleton MA and Westford MA.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Photos of the ultra cute Gucci Car

Since my last post was auto related, I thought I might show you the Gucci Fiat I saw at the car show last week.  Maybe a Chanel car will be next! 









Linda Calder Smith owner of New England Fine Living is and interior Designer and Party Planner with offices in Middleton MA and Westford MA.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Vintage Truck Parts Get A New Life!

Check out this guest blog post from my boyfriend's son!  Just when I started to believe children don't enjoy fresh air and creative outings like I used to, I was sent the best email ever!  You see, as a child, I grew up in a 300 year old colonial that had the BEST property to dig and search for old dumping grounds which held old bottles and antiques. One area included the carcass of an old vintage car from the 20's which I made my destination point many times.  I used to walk, dig, and dream while trying to envision how the old path/road hidden in the woods used to go to Boston.  My own childhood memories were reignited when I was sent this amazing documented day of adventure, creativity, and imagination.  

Please let me take a moment to catch you up to speed.  When Ben made a quick mention of leaving, to go to the old dumping ground of vehicles in town, I figured he would be gone for about an hour.  Nope!  Several hours later and daylight almost completely gone, I put on my Nervous Nelly pants and said we should go look for him to make sure all is well.  After a funny and over exaggerated rolling of his eyes, his dad appeased me and left to check on him.  Within a minute after his dad leaving, Ben and his 1951 Ford truck pulled into the driveway and I was able to relax and could not wait to see what he found.  (oh and then I texted Ben's dad to tell him he was home and that he might as well get some wine while he was already out :-)  No sense in wasting gas you know!)

Please enjoy this unedited story of Ben's adventure and the re-purposing old truck parts. This is just one of his projects.

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So here’s what I did to make a cool old truck in the woods into something cool for my room!

First I found a truck across from the ice cream stand in town. There were 4 trucks I could see and likely others buried under boulders from the new mini golf course construction across the street.

Here are a couple of pics from the farm truck graveyard a 55 ford f600 big job (green) and an old international (rusty)


There's a funny story to how my buddies and I found this place! That old international sits embedded in what looks like just dirt right? Well that’s what I thought.   This picture was taken from the crest of a steep 8 foot hill of dirt formed by a backhoe, which should have been suspicious when I found it, but I was so eager to take a good look that I ran up to it on this hot summer day and plunged belly button deep into the pit were they dumped unused ice-cream… in my jeans, I sank into this horrible 90 degree junk that smelled like the deepest pits of hell, way past the stench of rotten milk. The story gets better though! As I try to get out of that pit, it sucks my pants off. So now I'm on the crest of this little hill yanking on my pants trying to free them, wearing my underwear. Finally I got them on, drenched in rotten ice cream, and I proceeded to bike back 2 miles home. Yes, on my bike, because I had no license. I had to pedal harder than ever before to keep fresh air in my face and the stench behind me. As I got near home, Murphy’s law kicked in and I had to go past the group of pretty girls in the neighborhood. I called my mom and told her to have the garden hose ready (no way I was getting in dripping in that stuff!), because I didn’t want to stand waiting without the breeze provided by the bike. Took half an hour to get me clean enough for the house, and then an hour shower to get the smell off me. Those jeans (brand new of course) never smelled okay again, even after many many washes.

ANYWAY... Here’s the best picture I have of  the old Mack B-42 from which the dashboard came. Took half an hour to finish the job I had started a year ago and lost interest in (unscrewing old screws and breaking the ones that wouldn't come, and cutting speedometer, oil, air, and electrical cables). This truck is a beauty! Non existent split windshield, big fenders, and a flathead inline 6 cylinder engine. It’s all there. A frozen solid twin stick transmission and dual rear axles. This was a top of the line truck.


After my epic battle with the old hardware, I brought the dashboard home (with some other junk too like an old boat dashboard, steering wheel and column, some old cab lights and a few emblems off the old trucks).





The backside is fairly straightforward, so I took the light bulbs and sockets out from their mounts and the wiring came with it. I sanded everything for half an hour to make sure the electrical connections would exist. Initially it was one wire to each light, and the electricity would complete it’s circuit through the dashboard, body, frame, and back to the battery.  This is how old cars and trucks were grounded.

After this, I took my moms old portable house phone charger and cut off the base for the phone, leaving only the plug and wires. The brick that plugs into the wall converts a houses ac 110 volts into dc current needed for lights like this. All dc power supplies like this say their voltage on the back, and mine is 6 volts. I think that like my 51 ford truck, this Mack was a six volt. 



There are three bulbs on this circuit, and I have two power supplies, so I cut off the smaller speedometer bulb from the circuit. This one will be independent from the others because being the center of attention, it will need to be brightest.
Working with the other two side bulbs now.

Once the phone base is cut off from the wire, I solder a one, let’s call it positive although it doesn’t matter which one yet, to the end of the existing light circuits wire end.



Then I solder the negative power supply wire directly onto the outside of the first bulb’s metal jacket. Then another wire goes from bulb one to bulb two’s outer jackets. This creates the negative end of the circuit.



Plug it in, and all goes well! One is dim because it is the old original bulb, the new one is working a bit better.


Now for the speedometer bulbs circuit, I attach one wire to the existing old wire, and the other to the bulb casing. That is a complete circuit. (all connections are soldered.)

Now for the speedometer bulbs circuit, I attach one wire to the existing old wire, and the other to the bulb casing. That is a complete circuit. (all connections are soldered.)

Now I plugged that back into it’s hole, in the back of the speedo, I put the other two bulbs in their mounts, and plug it all in! The speedometer is great, but the other two need more power to light up the small gauges visibly. So I’ll buy my buddy’s defective computer power supply and use the 8 volts from that to power them. Should work great!

A note from Linda: "And here it is! We will try to post a photo of the whole panel, but camera and flash issues prevented showing how cool the whole panel was"






Thursday, January 12, 2012

Can a party dress inspire a room or party theme? Let's see!

Do you have a party dress in your closet that you just love the colors, the accents, the way it makes you feel?  Have you ever considered using the dress as inspiration for your decor or party theme?  I have gone into my client's closets on numerous occasions and asked them to do just that!  I ask them to pull out clothing they love, ask them what they like about it, then sometimes we go from there!


Photo Via: Simply Stoked

Photo Via: Luxe Finds

Photo Via: Near Zoo

Photo Via: 
Maharani Weddings
Dress by Jovani Beyond


Photo Via: Decor Pad
Photo Via: Stone Gable
The answer to the opening title is yes! I think you see that you can decorate a room or plan a party around a dress or piece of clothing!


Linda Calder Smith, owner of http://www.newenglandfineliving.com is an Allied ASID Interior Designer in Middleton MA, Westford MA, New England, owner of New England Fine Living, and Party Planner North of Boston. Classic New England Style or Glam Interior Design and parties have been most recently completed in Middleton, Carlisle, Andover, North Andover, Marblehead, Boston, Salem, Newburyport, Newbury, Ipswich, Westford, Boxford, Topsfield, and so many more surrounding towns!




Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I'm Blushing... Beautiful blush colored items

There is something to be said about the soft colors of blushing pink, dusty rose, and soft peach and that would be romantic.  I am already looking at party ideas for Valentines day and thought I would share some of these photos with you.
Photo Via -Inside Weddings
I have a similar pair of sunglasses that have now seen better days, but I just can't get myself to dispose of them since they are my "rose colored glasses".  If I could buff the scratches off of the lenses I would in a heart beat, but I swear they are about 15 years old and been jostled around in drawers, handbags, and counter tops.


Whenever I see a dress with a lot of tulle, I think of the prom dress my mother wore when she was 15 and I always wanted to wear a dress like that.  The closest I ever came was the cocktail dress I wore this past December that had black tulle under the dress to give it a fun little lift.


A blush pink, dusty rose, or soft peach cocktail party or wedding color theme would be so beautiful with a touch of brown or taupe.

Photo Via: We Heart It

Once again some tulle on the dress!  Okay I love that!  But... But... I love the sleek lines of the dress below too!

Photo Via: JoanaHendrie.blogspot.com

Photo Via - Takeoutincouture.com

Photo Via - True and Wesson
Check out this blush pink and taupe color mood board. So Pretty! 

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A snowflake themed cocktail party by New England Fine Living

A snowflake themed cocktail party for 40 was created and this bling snowflake ring and blue snowflakes I had as decorations around my showroom was the color and shape inspiration.   To see the invitations I made for the party, here is a link to that post



A signature drink I created just for this event.  My NEFL-tini with a some blue Curacao added.