Jenny B's Blog

chest/table for the house

i noticed this collection of tables & chests in the pottery barn catalog - and thought it might be an interesting re-finishing project.  i've been scanning craigslist to try and find someone who has a chest of drawers or something similar for $50 that i can refinished and then paint.  i think it might be fun.  here is the pottery barn collection.

persian carpets

this summer my friend kathy and i are going on a mediterranian cruise.  we are going to be stopping in istanbul and i am really looking forward to the carpet shopping.  i have been reading up on different styles of persian carpets.  ironically i've learned that the older the carpet is, the more valuable.  there are many places in the mid-east that make beautiful carpets including Iraq and Turkey.  all of these carpets are one-of-a-kind and the authentic rugs are hand-knotted.  there are many different designs and they tend to be referred to by the region they are from.  i particularly like the turkish hereke style carpets and the iranian tabriz style.  we'll see what i find. 

The Med

My friend Kathy and I decided to go on a Mediterrainian cruise this summer. 

We are starting in Barcelona and going to Marsaille, Florence, Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Istanbul, Ephesues and Venice.  We are psyched!  Kathy is coming over today so we can plan out the excursions we are going to go on while we are there.  I am super excited to go to Istanbul and see the Grand Bazaar.  I am hoping maybe I can come away with a nice new Persian carpet! 

Valentine's

On Valentine's Tony surprised me with a romantic dinner at home.  Earlier in the week we really hadn't talked about what we would do on Valentine's Day - we are kind of in a money saving mode since we go on our Africa trip in about a month.  So I had planned on getting him some Birthday Cake Remix from Cold Stone and then some chocolate.  On may way home on Valentine's Day, I called him and felt bad that we hadn't planned anything.  After a day at work where everyone seemed to have plans, I might have been feeling a twinge sorry for myself.  On the phone Tony totally stuck to his plan and said that maybe we could just go out to our local favorite restaurant or something -- and then reminded me that I should tell people at work that we are "saving for Africa".... Well, I got home and he had the table set with crystal we had gotten at our wedding, flowers and had made YUMMY dinner for me.  He even dimmed the lights and put on some jazz music.  It was VERY nice.  And a big surprise!