100th Blog Post and Free Gifts Giveaway, at My Old Historic House.

   First, I would like to thank, all the new friends, I have made out in Blogland. I love you all and look forward to getting your comments every time I post. This has been an amazing journey for me. When I moved from the big city,St.Louis, to the country, little did I know what a big life change, I was making. The little town I live in, has a 490 population. There is no gas station or grocery store. I actually grew up here, but was away from some 40 years. I was not totally prepared for country life. There is not a whole lot to do here, one has to travel to find entertainment.Most people here are married or in a relationship, making it hard to have a good friend. I had a very hard time with this and I was often depressed. Some one suggested that I do a blog, and the rest is history.
      I am so excited that in 8 short months, I have over 180 followers and this is my 100th post. For a year or so, I followed a couple of bloggers that both have antique shops. Soon I would go and check out the people that left them comments and then those people, and before you know it, I was really  into following blogs. While I was restoring, My Old Historic House,  I always thought it would have been fun to do a blog about it and the process.  One thing I did to help pass the time was selling things , on ETSY, a on-line store.  When I was in the process of leaning how to do that, I   learned a photo processing  called  PICASA. I thought if I can do ETSY, I am sure I could do a BLOG. After all, how different could it be. Thus my Blog:         www.myoldhistorichouse.blogspot.com  - was born in December of 2010. My only regret is that I hadn't done it much sooner.

     I use a $150.00 point and shoot camera from Walmart. It is COOLPIX 7X, Quick Response.None of that means a thing to me, I just copied it right off the camera. I have had no training in the use of my camera, I did read a few pages of the instruction book.When I bought the camera, I asked the sales person to give me the easiest camera to operate they had. This one has a rechargeable battery, just plug a cord into it, don't even have to take the batter out.    I do clean up my pictures using Picasa. It is easy and free,Just download it onto your computer. It is wonderful.  You can brighten up, darken,crop , straighten and various other things, all using this simple process.I usually spend about an hour taking pictures for each blog post. I have learned   a lot from just doing. It takes much longer to clean up the photos and down load them into a folder. I also have learned that, GOOGLE CHROME, works  much better than plain GOOGLE. Just download it, again it only takes a few minutes and is also free.I do a lot of research for most of my post, as I wanted to put a little more something-something into my Blog, than just pictures. I get a lot of comments about this part of my post.I am glad you all like it!
     Getting and reading  comments  is the best thing about doing a blog. Several bloggers have stated, that they blog for comments .I am right there with them.The first comment I got was from a close friend. But, it sure was exciting to get it. I soon learned to get comments you need to give them. A lot of my first followers were gained by me, going to other blogs and asking the owners  to stop by mine.  I looked for blogs about antiques, decorating and the American South..  Some of these bloggers have stayed with me, while others have gone on there way. Some of them, I consider to be a good friend. We email, call on the phone, send funnies  and just keep in touch.Linking to other blogs has been fun and is a good way to get followers and find new readers.It is fun to be part  of a group and soon there followers become yours and so on.

    This whole Blog thing is amazing. Who would dream that people in Europe  would see my blog. One day I got a long distance phone call from New Zealand. It was from Christopher Moore, the wallpaper designer. He had visited my blog and saw where I used 2 of his Toile designs and wants to come and photograph my two rooms for a book he is doing. Some Bloggers and I hit it off right away. I spent New Years Eve -emailing back and forth with a fellow Blogger, and I told her, it was the best date, I have had for New Years Eve, in a long time. I find myself waiting for my favorite Bloggers to comment on my new post and if they don't ,I always worry ,way not?I have a friend, Blossom, we are both addicted to Blogging. We get on the phone for hours and comment to each other, about this blog or  that one. If she finds a good one, she tells me and if I find one ,I tell her.I know I spend way to much time Blogging, but it has given me a whole to life.

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                                       100th BLOGGER POST GIVE AWAY!
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     As I mentioned before, this post is my 100th post. So, I wanted to make it extra special and give back a little to all my friends and followers. I am doing a GIVE AWAY. I have three prizes that I have picked from my gift and antique shop, Richard's Great Stuff. I have chosen fun things that I think you all might like.
1.) A French Tin Calender, A magnet is used to mark the day and month, so it never goes out of date. It can be hung or sat. It has a fun floral design and the months are written in French.
2.) A Satin, lace and feather bed room pillow. Made around 1920-1940. Has Marabou feathers, laces and tiny floral trim.
3.) A Gift Registry Book for your home or business.  Has a very Southern design with pictures of Camealias and pretty gold leaf letting.
   The rules are pretty simple. To have a chance to win, you must be or become a follower on my Blog. The three prizes will be given to three different people, so you have three chances to win. Just send me a comment and describe the prize you would like to win and give me a good reason why you would like that prize.The better the comment, the better your chances, to win.  You can make as many comments as you like, and make them for each prize. My Friend, Blossom and I will read each comment and the two of us will pick the three winners. We will pick the winner on Friday, August 12th and I will do a new post on Saturday ,August 13th, to announce the winners.  I know it might hurt your chances in winning, if more people enter, but, I would appreciate any, "Shout Outs" ,about this contest. Don't be shy, get on that computer and comment. I am so excited to get them and read them all.
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A tin French Calender from Victorian Trading Company.

Add caption

Satin , Lace and Feathers, Bed Room Pillow.   ( 1920-1940)

Southern Inspired Guest Registry  Book for Home or Business.

               
   Thanks for coming along today for a visit at, My Old Historic House. I hope you have had fun and you will enter my contest. And if you are ever in my neck of the woods, I hope you will come by for a real tour. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will always meet you with a jump and a kiss.
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                GOOD LUCK!       MAY THE BEST  BLOGGERS COMMENTS  WIN!

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Enter my Daddy's Contest!

Do it now, don't wait!

Cheer me up with lots and lots of Comments on my Daddy's Blog!

 

19th Century Inspired Library.

 

  In the Victorian days a Library in a private home was a pretty common thing. The Library was  considered to be a man's room. Now, don't get your self in an up-roar,  That is not my  feelings, but was the norm, of the early to late ,1800's society.Women had no rights to vote, very few were educated past high school and that was just the way the world was back then. Because the library was consider to be a man's room, it was usually more masculine in appearance. Darker colors, heavy wood, leather and often stuffed animal trophies were hung around and about. The library was usually on the second floor above the dining room, which was also considered a man's room. After the evening mean, the ladies would retire to the parlor, while the men would stay behind and smoke,cuss,drink and tell wild stories. So it just makes sense to consider the dining room, a man's room. In the library the man of the house would do his paper work, pay bills  and read his  stock market report. It was a kinda like, what we call today a,"man cave." If there was evening callers, especially gentlemen, they were more likely than not, received in the library.Ladies were required to knock before they entered.

     It is hard to make a room masculine, and still have an appeal to the ladies as well. It is far easier to make a room feel girly and appeal to the ladies.Men often  feel uneasy in a room that is soft, sweet, pretty and demure. I think it takes a real man, to be at home in such a space, but, most peoples solution to this problem, is to add a  moose head to there room. It is kind of like the old saying, "real men do not wear pink". Bull-----!
Making a room that is comfortable for men as well as women is a tricky thing. If you really want to please, it can be done and done well. I have worked hard in, My Old Historic House, to make the rooms gender safe. I think a man can feel just at ease as a lady. Some of my furniture pieces are small scale and might scare a man from feeling comfortable. But, after they are in my home for awhile, most men, seem to like it as much, if not more, than the ladies.
    My library at, My Old Historic House, is above the dining room and on the second floor. While I chose a light floral  toile, for the walls,I used a dark brown for the ceiling. The wallpaper boarder has birds, which tie in to the specimen glass domes, full of stuffed birds. I have an iron chandelier, with prisms, which appeals to both sexes.An iron and marble center table and an iron and leather sofa, complete the masculine look. On the sofa is a lush MINK lap throw. Warm, but, the ladies are impressed, as it is mink. I use a lot of red as well. Red curtains and red oriental carpets on the floor. Studies show than men are usually attracted to the color red. And what kind of library would it be, with out books? Books, books, everywhere. I even pile them on the floor by the chairs. I have two wonderful old needlepoint chairs in the library. Both of which have a very masculine feeling. One has a running deer, while the other features men in costumes.Both are in shades of brown and red and are carved from heavy oak wood with brass nail heads.

   I love books. Most of  the books I collect and enjoy are beautiful coffee table books. I have a few subjects that I usually look for. Decorator, antique, cooking, garden, the American South and the British Royal family.My family, whom I love so much, are sometimes a little on the dense side. For my birthdays and holidays they always say, I just did not know what to get you. Well, a beautiful book or a gift certificate for a book, would be the best present ever. I have found that the books on the market today have gone up so much in price, that I rarely buy a new one. I mostly look for them for sale at yard sales, antique malls and junk shops. A really good book at today's book stores can be priced from $50 to $100.00. I can find them at resale shops from $5.00 on up. I just think books, add a real lived in look, to a home and they make your guest ,just want to set down and look one over. And usually, they are very colorful and adds a little color to a room. I notice in today's world, most people decorate  with out color and I for one, find that very sad. So if you are afraid of color, or just don't like it much, colorful books will add, just the right, safe, amount .
    I hope you enjoy my library and maybe someday you all can come for a visit. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will always meet you with a jump and a kiss.