Twenty-seven cents!

That is how much I paid for a hardcover decorating book at the Salvation Army store. I ran in as they were calling all shoppers up to the front of the store to check out (mental note: they close at 5 pm on Saturdays). I cruised back to the little section of books, looked on the bottom shelf for a sturdy volume, and voila, it was there. The perfect book.

So today has been spent (after church) on adhering pages together and slapping paint on them. Something I have been trained not to do my entire life. Scary, but oh-so-freeing. I have a little collection of .... stuff. House plans, pictures of kitchens that I like, kitchen islands, color combinations, design ideas ... all kinds of stuff.

I am putting it into the book. It will grow and change and I will add stuff as I find it, anything that appeals to me. What a fun idea.

As an aside and a small insight into my brain, I had a clipping of a gorgeous kitchen with custom cherry cabinets. A stove hood with beautiful korbels ... and island with these awesome turned legs that looked new, but old. Very cool. Except for the gigantic plaster rooster the kitchen's owner had chosen to use as a decorative piece at the base of the island. Honestly -- a white plaster rooster that was probably 18 inches tall and 12-15 inches across. Heinous. Just heinous.

So I painted over it with a lovely warm taupe color, being careful not to cover up the turned leg on either side of it.

Somehow, when I looked at it mounted on the page, all I saw was that damn rooster.

What would Freud say about that?

Frankly, I don't care. But I bet he'd be totally jealous of this awesome book.