Sorry Ringling Brothers, this is the greatest show on earth

I'm off for a few days to Brimfield, Mass., for the greatest outdoor antiques show anywhere. And that includes anywhere in the universe. I add that just in case there are other life forms out there and they have antiques shows and think theirs are better. Well, there's no way.

I'll report on my findings when I return.

As an aside, RIP: Ralph Kovel, the antiques expert and collector who wrote scores of books with his wife Terry. He died last week at age 88.

I've used their reference books and their website many times. They had a TV show at one time, too, and I was convinced that between the two of them, they knew everything.

I saw them filming at Brimfield once and I was thrilled...

Room makeover, a before & after: Creating a bedroom retreat

The Day of New London, Conn,'s Spaces magazine today featured a story about how I re-design a room by using furniture, artwork and accessories that a homeowner already owns. The magazine used this bedroom that I re-designed as an example and I thought I'd post a few of the photos that I took because I think they illustrate solutions for some pretty typical problems.

In the "before," it's clear there wasn't much color in the room. It looks like the homeowners just moved in, doesn't it? In fact, the very nice couple who owns this home had been there for quite some time.

A few other problems: There's no headboard, so the bed wasn't featured as well as it could have been. And the bed isn't facing the entrance to the bedroom, which is usually the best spot for making a bed the room's focal point.

In the "after," you can see that I infused color by swiping pillows, plants, frames and vases from here and there around the house. And, most importantly, the print over the bed - which you couldn't really see so well in the hallway where it previously had been - adds a lot of interest over the bed and acts as a headboard substitute of sorts.

I grabbed some daylillies from the garden, too. How nice of them to be growing just as I needed a shot of orange!

In this before, you see the TV on a white table. In a perfect world, it's better to leave the TV out of the bedroom if you're trying to create a bit of a retreat. But in the real world...

...it's better to at least downplay the TV as much as possible. It disappears better on top of the dark dresser versus on top of the white table. (I managed to get more color in this part of the room by using some of the kids' art.)

Finally, I found the wicker rocker in a storage room and freshened it up with a few pillows that where elsewhere in the house (and I really don't think they will be missed) to create a little sitting area. A great way to make a bedroom more relaxing is to add a chair where you can read....or sit and admire your new room...

See the orange print above the white table (that previously held the TV)? You can't see it from these photos, but there are actually four of them in the room. The homeowner had all of them in storage.

I can't tell you how often that happens... People think they need to buy more stuff to make a room attractive when all they really need to do is to shop around their own homes.

Aren't I too old for school?

My son started kindergarten today. He loved it. He's exhausted. His Mom and Dad are wiped out.

So, I'll keep this one short: Remember how I was talking about fall decorating yesterday? Well, you've got to check out The Inspired Room. Melissa has loads of links to loads of autumn ideas. As soon as my strength returns... I'm going to read them all!

Remember to post some of your favorite ideas or links to your posts here as well. I'll showcase fall fun later in the week.

Now, I'm off. I understand we have to do this kindergarten thing again tomorrow...

How do you decorate for autumn?

It's getting cool in New England. Farmers are selling their pumpkins. The school buses start rolling tomorrow.

As much as I'll miss the summer, I love the fall: the breezes, the foliage, the decorating. I plan to put out autumn wreaths, gourds and a big bowl of apples this week.

What do you do around your home to mark the change in seasons? If you've got a photo or a blog post you'd like to share, please email me or leave a comment here with a link for a roundup later this week.

I'm leaving you with a final look at summer: Above is a house on Loon Island in Newfound Lake in New Hampshire, where we vacationed this summer (at the lake, not that house. But, wouldn't that have been fun?).

And a tip for next year: Here's a good way (above) to stay warm and dry while touring Newfound Lake when the rain unexpectedly appears.

I Love These Ideas! Sunday

Happy long weekend! Here are some great ideas to browse as you celebrate:
Daisy Cottage does a great job illustrating how you can use furniture and mirrors outside as well as inside for an interesting look. Lots of eye candy on her blog, so be sure to check her out.

I love this idea from Eleanor at A Bit of Pink Heaven. She created this garden art by spray painting metal objects she got on sale. Very clever!

I'd love to hear more ideas for future I Love These Ideas! Sunday columns.

Drop me an email at: Mary@AtHomeRedesigns.com if you've got an idea of yours or someone else's to share.

Featured bloggers, grab a badge if you'd like:

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A sad, but inspirational story and a chance to help

One of the amazing things about blogging and reading blogs is how you get to know people, or feel like you know people, that you've never met. News of their lives, their families, their work, their problems and their successes leak into the blog posts.

I find myself thinking about people that I've never met, sometimes worrying about them.

Lately my thoughts have been with Stephanie Nielson, of Nie Nie Dialogues. She and her husband were critically injured in crash of a private plane earlier this month in Arizona. The flight instructor died in the crash and Stephanie and Christian were badly burned.

They have four young children and the extent that family and friends have rallied around them has been inspirational, as you can read through Stephanie's sister's blog.

I have to say, I had never run across Stephanie's blog before this happened. But I do read Design Mom, and learned about the family through her blog. And now they are on my mind... that's just how this works.

I wanted to pass this family's story along to you in case you haven't already heard it both because the faith and strength that the couple's relatives and friends are exhibiting is amazing, and because there are many efforts underway to raise money for Stephanie and Christian, whose recovery will be extensive.

Design Mom has organized Nie Nie Day, with more than 300 bloggers auctioning off items to raise money. While they started yesterday, many of the auctions continue through Sunday. If you'd like to participate by buying something, Design Mom has a list of the auctions here.

I'm off to shop. See you on Sunday.

Now I want a new bathroom, and I'm hungry

Don't you love it when you discover a fun decorating product? I caught part of a lighting special on HGTV the other day, which illustrated how the right lighting can transform a room.

Then they showed the product I love the idea of: a pendant light that screws into a recessed light instead of a light bulb. In the photo above, the homeowner had a few recessed lights over the tub and the designer replaced them with pendant lights. No electrician. No waiting weeks to get an electrician to come to the house. No expense of an electrician.

HGTV lists the source as A Well Hung Light (I dunno...maybe the owner was a writer for Benny Hill in a previous life...).

Looked quick and easy and, next to Lindt Lindor Truffles, in dark chocolate, there's nothing better than that.