I cracked up, Punk, over the boyfriend thing....I totally spaced out and forgot that is what BF usually means. I should have typed in BFF (best friend forever). I had always mentioned my Dad by the full word cause DD meant dear daughter in my little nerd world. I easily get confused with the abbreviations myself. By the way, my 'other best friend' IS a guy...tho definitely not a boyfriend LOL. John has been my antiquing and dog show buddy for quite a few years, does the driving for me which is a huge help. Maybe I should refer to him as Dear John. LOL. He couldn't help us cause of his work schedule, but Mollie is a little dynamo! We had this placed all done by noon today and could enjoy lunch and relaxing a couple of hours after our work. More in another post with pix about today, and more pix. Janet, I'm so sorry you are in a Flare. Those things just can knock you flat on your butt and make it impossible to do much of anything. Take care of yourself, please. Oh, and you cracked me up too with your "dear dumb" sig. Too funny. That shoe can really fit me at times too. ;o) hugs, Karen

sheesharee - thanks! Now here is the long story about the curtain rods: The lady who made my drapes took me to a place called Nassau Windows in Paramus, NJ. They had beautiful rods, expensive with a capital E, but way beyond my budget. Of course, she showed me those first and then took me to the back where they had similar looking ones for a fraction of the cost. The finishes, although limited, were rich looking. The FR ones are the faux tortoise. I went with french gold in the rest of the house. The rods are twisted and very heavy. I believe everything is wood. I had so many windows that I needed rods for that I bought out everything they had and had to special order more. While I was waiting for the special order to come in, I googled the brand name of the rods and somehow I found out that Linens N things sells them under the brand name "Paris Texas Accolade". It is identical except for the brackets (the design is a little different). Best of all, they regularly have sales for 20% off total purchase. I could have saved a lot of money if I knew this before. I bought all the rods/rings/etc. for my upstairs from Linens N Things. They should be stocked at your local LNT store or you can search "paris texas accolade" on their website.

How about some elegant black iron scroll work? There are scads of varieties and they are often the perfect solution for a wall that needs that certain "something". (The photos are from my home.) I recommend choosing art that a) reflects your interests and b) makes you happy every time you see it. You said you can't your hang travel visas and martinis, but why not? You could frame your travel visas and arrange them under a large matte. For the martinis, you could either buy a painting or print of them or literally frame some martini classes in a shadow box. You might also consider vintage travel posters from places you love or that you've already been to. Your home is very nice!

Amy, agree that planters are too small. Height seems ok but they should be wider to make a bolder statement. I would look for wider, bulkier planters.. These 2 you have would look great on first step though - it would look nice to continue the black accents down your steps. Maybe also consider adding a wide doormat with black trim on it. Very pretty entry! As for the mirror, the color looks perfect for the entry chest! I do like the mirror shape & its texture & beveled glass too. Can’t tell the mirror size - there’s some rule about size but can’t say what it is. I think make sure it’s wider than the center door section of chest. That means more than 1/3 size of cabinet- I’m sure someone will chime in to correct me!