THE MUDDY DOG

The Muddy Dog Media Marketing Concierge

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:14:00 +0000

One of the most fun things about The Muddy Dog is working with fabulous designers and shop owners. One of the most fun things about being co-chair of the PSO 2011 Designer Show House has been working with the fabulous designers.

Hmm, I am noticing a pattern here. And something else I have noticed - all designers know they need to market themselves and their businesses, but really, they'd rather be creating and designing beautiful spaces...you know who you are! And that's where I come in!

I love marketing and branding issues – after all, I cut my sales and marketing teeth at such iconic companies as GE and HP. Marketing guru, Seth Godin, has even cited me for my outside-the-box business thinking. I speak and write on lifestyle marketing and branding issues and also act as a marketing mentor to entrepreneurs up here in coastal Maine - I’m really passionate about this stuff. So what better way to put these marketing chops to use than to take those pesky marketing chores off your plate to let you spend your time doing the things you really want to be doing, things that build your business and bring in revenue – like writing estimates, adding additional services to existing clients, networking, and yes, even designing!

The Muddy Dog Media is now providing marketing coaching and done-for-you concierge services to increase your design business revenues while helping you to stand out in the field by connecting you with your clients by:

• Designing, writing and managing your blog and Facebook pages

• Designing your website with copywriting, calls-to-action, keywords and SEO

• Designing, writing and managing your newsletter and email list

• Helping you take advantage of your untapped potential and opportunities with a personalized marketing consultation

We also work with other creative professionals such as landscape architects, manufacturers who work with designers (wallcovering, tile, furniture, window treatments and so on) – even dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors and lawyers! (Note to grad schools - no one ever teaches how to run or build a business during the course of specific professional training, so I am often tapped to provide marketing advice to these service based businesses.)

So how can our marketing coaching and done-for-you concierge services help to increase your interior design business revenues?

The PSO 2011 Designer Show House Luncheon

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:03:00 +0000

It has been an absolute pleasure to be co-chair of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra's 2011 Designer Show House to be held September 10-October 2. Everything is coming together beautifully (quite literally) and we recently hosted a luncheon in our house for our enthusiastic designers and their staff and partners. As Winterpast's renovation moves along, we haven't even started on the sunroom yet (apart from refinishing the floor) but it's a really lovely space, and we thought that it would make a terrific backdrop for a festive meal together. (With 32 people, we had enough china and silver, but I've decided that we entertain enough that it's probably time to invest in some folding chairs! Thanks to those who had to byoc - bring your own chair - and thanks to our church for the loaners!) Centerpieces were some fun little paint cans I found in a craft shop and fragrant white peonies from the garden, with signs that said "Keep Calm and Decorate On". Precisely!

We are blessed with a creative mix of talented designers for the show house who have been with us in the past and are excited to add some new faces and talents:

Rachel Ambrose, proprietor of Home Remedies, and Lisa Hincher, Director of Sales of Home Remedies, will collaborate on the servants’ quarters. Both have experience in all aspects of fabric, furniture, and home design.

Linda Banks is the founder of Banks Design Associates, LTD, and proprietor of Simply Home. She received her B.F.A. in Interior Architecture from RISD and completed post-graduate studies at Yale School of Architecture. She has participated in two previous PSO Show Houses and is in charge of the redesign of the dining room.

Kim Corwin of HOME – Make It Your Own will design the bedroom in the Show House. She began her career at Hallmark, then started her own art-wear company and moved into art consulting. Her designs are colorful and coordinated.

Anne Cowenhoven, founder of Accent & Design, Inc., will renovate the guest suite and bath. Cownhoven’s work is highly detailed, with sophisticated use of color and hand-picked materials.

Tracy Davis, founding principal of Urban Dwellings, is taking on the Show House kitchen and butler’s pantry. Her expertise is on designing for urban dwelling, drawing influence from across the globe.
Robin Desjardins-Davis, proprietor of Design For Less, and Paul Lajoie of Port City Flooring will design the full bath.

Karen Gallagher of Karen Gallagher Interiors will bring her traditional style to the Show House atrium. Gallagher style incorporates fresh, lively twists, comfortably blending the old and the new.
Vanessa Helmick, principal at Fiore Interiors, is a graduate of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. She is tasked with the grand foyer and hall for the Show House. Fiore is Italian for flower or blossom, and reflects her design philosophy of helping a house blossom into a beautiful home.

Brett Johnson, a Maine native, is the principal designer and owner of Maine Street Design Co. Expect to see blending of classic elements with the requirements of modern life, all with Maine roots, in the first floor study space in the Show House.

Annie Kiladjian of Annie K. Designs, LLC, and Theresa Tomczyk of Distinctive Tile and Design will redesign the Show House powder room, bringing to it their experiences in high fashion and culture. Kiladjian grew up in Montreal and comes to interior design via a career in fashion. Tomczyk attended Maine College of Art.

Debbie Kingry and James Light, both of Simply Home/Banks Design Associates, LTD, are collaborating to bring a simple elegance to the expansive drawing room. Kingry formerly owned Foreside Design and won the People’s Choice Award for her work on the kitchen in the 2007 PSO Designer Show House. Light has been elected to House Beautiful’s Top 100 American Designers six times and has participated in five PSO Show Houses.

Kate Lowry, founder of Kate Lowry Designs, LLC, grew up in Portland and studied at the University of Maine and the University of Rome, Italy. She specializes in staging, redesign, and downsizing, and will be responsible for the second floor study space in the Show House.

Lynne Maxfield-Cole is the founder of Decorating Plus. She is a columnist, has participated in numerous Show Houses across the State, and is an expert on universal design. Her Show House space is the master bath.

Jan Robinson of Jan Robinson Interiors will bring her sustainable design practices to the master suite and closet. As a designer, Robinson prides herself on her ability to balance form and function, creating beautiful, livable, and Green spaces.

Tony Elliot, owner of Snug Harbor Farm, is a trained agronomist but without formal design background. Nevertheless, he has developed a characteristic style; his landscapes are functional yet respect local history and the natural world. Elliot will do the landscaping.

Drifting Off In Thos.Moser's Drift Chair

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:17:00 +0000

Me, Tom and David Moser, Mr. D.

We have always loved the simple lines of Thos. Moser's furniture (Mr. D. actually has a lovely dining room table personally made by Tom Moser many moons ago and has known him since he was a professor at Bates) and Tuesday night we toddled off to the Freeport shop for a celebration of the newest introduction - the Drift. Wow - talk about comfortable, we could easily picture ourselves snuggling down with a good book for the afternoon in this chair. In fact, very cleverly, they had a drawing for a Kindle - just the thing! Unfortunately, we were drawn second, but we did get a great t-shirt. And of course, because we are blessed to live in Maine, our friend Ruth catered the affair making sure to include lobster rolls and whoopie pies. (There has been quite a brew-haha over what our official state dessert is - whoopie pies or blueberry pie....mmm.) Tom and David Moser and their staff couldn't have been more gracious and a fabulous time was had by all (as evidenced by the fact that we didn't leave until well after the official end time).

With our wonderful friends, Gary & Janet Bowne

Ruth, your food was amazing!

Announcing The Crafting Dog On Etsy!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:35:00 +0000

All our Muddy Dog goods have many component products needed to make the final item - for instance, with one dog duvet, we need a down duvet insert (all custom made to our specs, with special fabric and labels), a pattern (custom made to our specs), fabric for the cover (there's a lot of thought that goes into fabric selection - dogs are hard on their beds!), zippers (commercial heavy duty, two way and reversible), a special lining cloth (from another specialized manufacturer), piping (first the fabric has to be selected and then it is custom made to our specs in Rhode Island), four different custom labels (where type and size must be accomodated) and then packaging for shipment. Phew, it's a lot of work and coordination to make sure all the components are where they should be when they are needed.

Cognac Vintage (Faux) Leather piping - washable and amazingly realistic

Over time, people have asked us about buying the various components for their own craft projects and up until now, we haven't sold any. But lately, we've thought - why not! So we are announcing our new Etsy shop, The Crafting Dog:

www.etsy.com/shop/TheCraftingDog

We are offering many of our fabrics at deep discounts:

Pat Freund for P. Kaufmann - $15/yard

Schumacher "Chinois" fabric - only $20/yard!

You'll find a constantly evolving line of our fabrics, trims, piping (high quality piping is really hard to find!), webbing, canvas and a wonderful selection of ribbon. If you don't see what you are looking for, let us see if we can find it for you - as you can imagine, our inventory is pretty extensive, so many things won't be posted.

Navy embroidered ribbon with lime lobsters ...... we also have blue, pink and red lobsters.

A Sinking Feeling

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:14:00 +0000

One of the joys of renovating an old house is seeing where things can be repurposed. During a previous owner's tenancy, a small half bath sitting between the kitchen and the "red room" (which was probably the original breakfast room off the kitchen) was either added or rehabbed, but not at all in keeping with the 1920's feel of the house. To keep costs down, we did as little as we could in here (covering the "tile" linoleum floor with an oriental rug, leaving the 70's style toilet) but the sink had to go. First of all, it jutted out so far into the small space between the door and the toilet that anyone having had a large meal would have been pressed, quite literally, to get by. (The dogs won't even venture in here.) Also, it was very modern and had absolutely nothing to do with the decorative integrity of the place.

Luckily, when we added a master bath there was a lovely old sink that came out of the little space in our room that held a toilet and sink - just the right size and scale for the downstairs bath and best of all, it was original to the house. So down it went to its new home along with all its old fittings. The craftsmanship from that era is amazing - it still looks fantastic, and no one will have to skip dessert if they need to use the loo.

Because the space is so small and there is an odd slope from the back wall up to the ceiling, we opted to wallpaper all of it using Pierre Deux's Teildras. It really picks up Benjamin Moore's Imperial Yellow in the kitchen and the stairwell opposite and Candy Cane Red in the "red room" (we really need a name for this room!). We left the bead board up (it's such a coastal thing) but painted it a neutral tan color to keep the wallpaper the star of the room.

One thing we did have to change for safety's sake were the lamps - the wiring just wouldn't permit the fixtures that we inherited. And even though it is one of the only only windows in the house not original, not drafty and and without wavy, imperfect glass, I have to admit to enjoying having one window that easily opens and closes without disagreement. The last touch - two framed drawings, of Places de Vosges and Theatre de l'opera, a nod to France, Mr. D's favorite place in the world.

Nice and cozy!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:13:00 +0000

We have noticed that people have gone out of their way to say "Merry Christmas", not "Happy Holidays", this year, and understand that visits to Jesus’ birthplace are up quite substantially, despite the violence of the area. And then we got this email from Darcy at Peter Beaton. Wow, we love it - thank you Darcy!!!

"As you celebrate the holiday with your friends and family and assess the gifts that may or may not be exchanged this season, one thing holds true. The gift that stands the test of time--is our love. The material things you may or may not give and get this year will soon be used up, broken and forgotten. The but the love and time given to those you love will be kept and cherished in their hearts - and in yours - for the rest of our lives.

The gift of our love may be the biggest gift we have to give this season. But when we give this gift of ourselves, we give in the same spirit of the One whose birth this day celebrates--the One who loved us and gave Himself for us, the One onto whom all our sins and failures can be transferred so that our relationship with God can be restored--now and for eternity. Personally, this is the most amazing gift that I have ever received.

May the reason for Christmas fill your heart with love, your home with joy, and your life with peace,

Darcy Raymond Creech & sons (Cole Raymond Millington & and Peter Beaton Creech"

Peter Beaton: www.peterbeaton.com

Bronze Age

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:28:00 +0000

I have really been into the color orange lately: I painted my office coral (although the fabric for the window seats and curtains has been staring at me from an unfortunate pile for some time - ever notice how you get used to things like that after a while and they become part of the scenery?), have a few salmon colored cashmere sweaters (they look smashing with a chunky turquoise necklace) and this year decided to do a brown/gold/bronze/orange Christmas scheme. I decorated a tree at our symphony orchestra's Festival Of Trees last year and thought I could recycle the pieces, with a few other things thrown in. The one thing that isn't included: Our tree never, ever has a theme - that is where all our family memories reside and is my favorite part of the holiday decorating. I finally got a few things done around the house in time for the girls' night cookie exchange (it is so hard to be good when two huge tins of cookies are staring longingly at you in the kitchen!).

In the living and dining rooms I went with a copper-colored lilly with lots of sparkle, gold and brown balls and a bit of greenery. At my old house, I could scoot down the road to cut all sorts of pines, even cattails in the marsh, but I haven't really found a good spot here (well, I suppose there are a few, but I would have to go under cover of darkness), so my friend Jennie, who lives on several wooded acres, let me come to her house and cut to my heart's content.

Living in an old house means we are devoid of outlets, which makes things like window lights challenging (there are so many extension cords that they are probably a safety hazzard). If I had thought about it, I should have had our electrician put an outlet under each window, but I didn't, so we are trying battery operated lights this year. I found these at Plow & Hearth - expensive and honestly, a bit anemic. (I ordered white bulbs to make things a bit brighter but they are on indefinite back order, so maybe next year they will be a bit more glow-y.) On the plus side, they are heavy enough to stay in place on the sill, have cool-burning LED bulbs and best of all, have a very reliable timer - 8 hours on, 16 hours off, so I don't have to think about turning them off at night.

And although it may not be bronze-tone, our Christmas cactus did its usual fabulous thing and has been blooming profusely for a few weeks - it seems to really like its spot on the piano between two large windows. When those flowers start to bud, you know it's time to get into the spirit of the season!

Mistletoe Kiss

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:40:00 +0000

As we head into December and start to decorate for Christmas, the first thing to be done is hang up the mistletoe. (Yep, another excuse to smooch my hubby as he comes through the door.)

The origin of the word "mistletoe" certainly doesn't lend itself to anything in the least bit romantic - the common name of the plant is derived from the ancient belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings....ewwwww!...because it was observed in ancient times that mistletoe would often appear on a branch or twig where birds had left droppings. "Mistel" is the Anglo-Saxon word for "dung," and "tan" is the word for "twig". So, mistletoe means "dung-on-a-twig". See what I mean about not exactly being a prelude to an intimate moment?!

By the sixteenth century, botanists had got the story right, but it was still considered an icon of life and fertility, a protectant against poison (which is ironic considering that the berries can have the same effect as poison ivy) and an aphrodisiac. In fact, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits and placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches.

Kissing under the mistletoe found early association with primitive marriage rites and in Scandinavia mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses could kiss and make-up. And for those who wish to observe correct mistletoe etiquette, a man should pluck a berry when he kisses a woman under the mistletoe, and when the last berry is gone, there should be no more kissing! (I don't like this part of the tradition!)

Giving kisses is lovely.........

......and getting them back divine:

Run, Susan, Run

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:15:00 +0000

It must have been the wine. After returning home Saturday night after having attended two smashing parties, Mr. D. - an incredibly fit guy who plays hockey four times a week and runs about 6 miles most afternoons - had an idea: how about if we run in the L/A (no, not the LA, that's Lewiston/Auburn, Maine) Bridge 5K Run in the morning? Hmmm, attending boot camp a couple of times a week and walking a couple of miles with the dogs every morning, but not having done any running since a race in July, I think, what the heck, let's be spontaneous and go for it! I have a body that is made for comfort not speed, and in previous races (see picture above after my first race, with Mr. D. and our youngest daughter) just prayed to not finish last and to not have any type of emergency vehicles involved in my participation. Feeling emboldened for some silly reason, I decide on a particularly ambitious goal for this race - to not finish last in my age group. Yep, that will get me moving.

We maneuver through all the organized people who had the foresite to actually register for the race ahead of time and cross our fingers that there are still numbers available. There are, and numbers 631 and 632 are assigned. It is somewhat disconcerting to me, although an entirely practical requirement, that one's emergency contact name and information are scrawled in permanent marker across the back of each number. You know, just in case. Not sure that would be any help for us, as we are each other's emergency contact.

Stopping to say hello to the many people Mr. D. knows, we wend our way to the back of the starting line. A lady on the sidelines proudly points out her tattooed son, who has shed an impressive 40lbs in the last four months and is excited to be running his first road race. Now that is motivation - if this guy can do it, then I can certainly exert myself a bit and meet my goal.
The starting gun (well, air horn anyway) sounds and off we go, a wave of huffing and puffing humanity, thankful that the heat of the day is holding off for a bit and the high humidity which has been the hallmark of this Maine summer has decided to abate for a while. Mr. D., a veteran of many races far longer than this one and on much less friendly terrain, sweetly runs beside me, even though I am slowing him down dreadfully, encouraging me and telling me how graceful a runner I am. I fall in love with him all over again. We run uneventfully for about a mile an quarter, over a couple of bridges (hence the name of the race, of course) that bring us from one town into the other, and through a lovely trail that has been developed in a park along the river. I am prepared from previous races as the first hill comes into sight, and encourage Mr. D. to run ahead as I am going to take a breather. As I give him assurances that I will see him at the finish line, he picks up his pace and before long is well ahead of me. After walking up the hill, we are back on flat pavement and I start to run again, slowing down to revel in any sort of shade given from the old mill buildings dotting each side of the road. The two mile marker comes up and like a welcome desert oasis, a water stop is blessedly approaching. I take a drink of the cold proferred liquid and with no thought to the horror my poor mother would suffer seeing me in such an unladylike position, throw the rest on my face and chest. It doesn't look pretty, but I am somewhat refreshed.

Before I can walk again, I see The Muddy Dog's stitching house to my right. No rest for the weary on this one - I couldn't possibly tell them I walked by their place during the Bridge Run, so I huff and puff right by, deciding I can wait to walk again until I am well into the next set of buildings. Then, cruelly, a distinct whiff of baking bread wafts across the road and I am salivating like Pavlov's dogs. I had forgotten that our route took us right past Country Kitchen bakery, where the ovens turn out thousands of loaves a day destined for grocery shops all over New England. I tell myself that I would have been distinctly uncomfortable should I have eaten breakfast before the race, and remember that there are carbs - bagels! pizza! - waiting at the finish line.

There are many cheering civilians along the way, encouraging the most weary runners with shouts of "looking good" and "almost there". When I ran this race last year, some kind volunteer kindly let me know that one more turn, one quarter of a mile left, and I would be at the finish line. Suddenly enthused with this knowledge, I decided it would be okay to expend the little energy I had and sped up to the finish line only to come upon another helpful volunteer letting me know that one more turn, one quarter of a mile left, and I would be at the finish line. Wait a second, you mean the first guy was a little misinformed - at my expense? I was exhausted and nauseated by the time I crossed the last bridge and saw the finish line. The worst part was that the man calling the race was an Auburn firefighter who was a master carpenter in his off-time and who had been subcontracted to do some work in our house, so he knew me and called out my name, on the loudspeaker, as I was coming into view. Now what was I going to do, crawl across the finish line and let the side down? I kept running and got my personal best time so far, 32:38.

This year, I smartened up. I knew the course. So when a volunteer tried to encourage me by telling me the "one more turn" story, I'm afraid I may have given him the eyebrow. To a cute little teenage boy who was probably helping out along with his track team and very nicely volunteering his time when he could have been at home still in bed. Not my finest hour, so I hoped he hadn't seen it, quickly smiled sweetly and thanked him for his encouragement. Yikes, what was this race doing to me?

Sure enough, the finish line came into view, as did Mr. D., who had finished what seemed liked hours before me, and had came to see where I was, bring me water and run with me back to the line. (Yep, he's a keeper.) I finished right where I had been for the two other races I had run this summer, 36:58. I met my incredibly modest goal, didn't cause any medical emergencies and gratefully accepted a yummy bowl of Stonecold Creamery ice cream afterward while awaiting our times.

The rest of the family (all runners) is signed up for half marathons and marathons this fall. I think I'll just pass out the traditional Guiness (carbs) at the end of those races.

Nantucket

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:55:00 +0000

My darling husband spoils me rotten - and I love it!

Knowing only that we had to pack for somewhere fairly casual, we left Maine last week and headed for points south for our annual surprise anniversary trip. As we headed out, there were no clues - those had to wait as the trip unfolded. We passed the airport (Bermuda). We passed the highways that would have taken us to the mountains and up to Canada (last year's trip). We passed the highways that would have taken us to the mid-Atlantic region. Finally, we headed through Boston, toward the Cape and on to Hyannis - and the Nantucket ferry! Nantucket is one of our favorite spots - as soon as one walks onto the ferry, one feels the stress levels dropping, even on our last visit, some years ago, when we hit the island with ten little Girl Scouts and our bikes during a camping trip on the Cape. (Usually we enjoy camping only at a hotel, but this was Girl Scouts going for a badge after all.) Very exciting, but all was not yet revealed.

As we walked off the ferry we passed The Gallery, an antiques shop on the main drag, and were drawn inside by the cute shop sheltie, Tallulah. Tallulah's usual resting place is at the door, but apparently her owner, Kathleen Knight, was actually ticketed for her coming out a little further and taking a little rest on the sidewalk. Oh, dear. Wonder if Tallulah will have to take the perp walk?

One of our favorite shops was The Lion's Paw - it was easy to make a few purchases at this wonderful establishment. Another delightful find was Best of the Beach, which we discovered later on our trip. What a great place - so many fun and gorgeous things! We think they are just the sort of places The Muddy Dog down dog duvets would feel at home.

So we started shopping before we even checked into our hotel, but I still had no idea where we would be staying. As we headed for our ride on Federal Street, I was thrilled that we were picked up by a jitney announcing it was from the Wauwinet, a Relais & Chateaux inn with an incredible reputation for impeccable service and a restaurant rated as one of the top three hotel restaurants in the country! See what I mean about being spoiled rotten?

Having stayed at wonderful hotels all over the world, I think the Wauwinet has to be my favorite. Not only was our room cozy and delightful (thankfully nothing grand, which would have been totally out of place on Nantucket), but the service was attentive without being fawning, the amenities were fabulous and everyone called us by name, even staff members with whom we hadn't interacted with prevously. It felt more like we were staying at the home of friends rather than an inn.

The view from one of the chaise lounges overlooking the water, where we spent a few deliciously lazy hours napping and reading. The only time we don't feel guilty about doing this is on vacation, sigh.

One of the best things about Nantucket is its small size, which means getting around is fairly easy. We borrowed a couple of bikes from the Wauwinet and headed out to 'Sconset. After riding by some absolutely stunning estates on the way, we were delighted by the sweet little cottages in this area and particularly taken with the gardens - lovely no matter how modest the abode, everyone took pride in their plantings. It was late afternoon and we were getting a little peckish, so we stopped by Todd English's restaurant, the Beachside Bistro. As we descended to the dining deck, we noticed a large herb garden on the slope down - you can't get much more fresh than that. The food was so incredibly tasty that Mr. D. ordered seconds on the corn and lobster chowder - I really dislike corn and even I enjoyed this. (This is one of those recipes that you try to replicate at home, but somehow it just doesn't taste quite the same.) The view from the beach was pretty spectacular too.

And then there are the famous Nantucket gardens. We took a self guided tour of the island's historic houses and although they were in turn grand and/or charming, it was the gardens that really made our hearts beat a little faster. The neatly trimmed privet hedges, the stunning and different colored hydrangeas (sometimes from the same soil), the lavender - we were so inspired that we looked for a book on Nantucket gardens, but alas, to no avail. Based on some ideas we got, we came home with a few new plans for our garden. (In fact, we were so ambitious that the last few days of our vacation, Mr. D. put in a gravel walkway to the garage!)

We marvelled on the way home at the amount of bumper to bumper traffic all the way from Maine south to the Cape, and counted ourselves fortunate at the lack of traffic going northbound. Until we were three miles from home, when we came to abrupt stop for construction going through Portland. That's all right, it just meant we were extending our wonderful trip by a few minutes.

Sea Cliff

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:56:00 +0000

One of the great things about living in Maine is our incredible housing stock - we have everything from humble rustic cabins in the back and beyond to grande dames with sweeping ocean vistas. Recently a historic house came on the market in Cape Elizabeth, a beautiful, leafy, sea-blown suburb of Portland. Growing up we attended St. Alban's church on Shore Road, directly across from the water and just a very short drive away from both this house and Portland Head Light, an absolutely iconic lighthouse commissioned in 1791. There are several markings on the rocks below of past ships that ran aground even with this navigational aid. Recognizing the dangers of enemies sneaking into Portland Harbor (from castastophic past experience), Fort Williams was built around Portland Head Light in WWII. It's brick remains stand today and it and the lighthouse are part of the Fort Williams State Park. Sea Cliff stands high on rocks with direct views of the shipping channel and Portland Head Light. Here you can peek the lighthouse just beyond the eating area. It's still operational today, so we don't know how loud the foghorn would be from such a short distance!

It would be pretty hard to get up in the morning and leave this view.

This fieldstone wall is absolutely charming and simply screams "Maine". Living on the coast, we can attest to the cool, sometimes frigid breezes coming right off the water - no Maine home should be without at least one fireplace (Sea Cliff has three)! (We have four, including one in the sunroom - even in the summer, it can get pretty chilly at night.)

Diane Shevenell has the listing. For more information,http://www.sothebysrealty.com/en/PropertyDetails.aspx?R=104209982&campaign=listhub&refcode=SIRhomes.

Margo Moore Interiors

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:28:00 +0000

We are really excited to welcome our latest "Dream Team" retailer to The Muddy Dog family - in fact we adore this place so much, we might move in! We love the furniture, the accessories, the gifts, the garden and the resident doggies, Roscoe, the friendly yellow lab who has the run of the place with his adorable friend Barkley! What is this delightful shop? Margo Moore in Camden, Maine. Marcy and her team display their fabulously creative and colorful decorating flair in a restored 1830 house. We are very partial to old houses, living in one ourselves, and were thrilled to see how she has enhanced its charm and character while playing to its quirks. Really, it was quite difficult to leave without buying one of everything. We particularly enjoyed Marcy’s selection of tablecloths and table accessories – suddenly we had the urge to get home and spiff up our dining experience a bit.

Please stop by and take a look at our down dog duvets!(That's Holly the dog in the greenery - when our dogs can't tag along, Holly serves as our ambassador!)

Margo Moore, 74 Elm Street, Camden, Maine: margomoore.com or 207.236.4596

The Hot Spot Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Our poor doggies - developing a hot spot, also known to veterinarians as acute moist dermatitis, is one of the most irritating and frustrating skin conditions they can have. These red, itchy, oozing skin infections usually present themselves as circular lesions, but can - within just hours - become enormous open wounds.

Having had many golden retrievers, hot spots seem more common in dogs with heavy undercoats or long haircoats. We always try to dry them after a bath or swim as humidity and moisture may both play a role. Other dogs prone to hot spots are those with a history of allergies or ear infections.

We've found that hot spots are much more of a problem in the summer, although one of our dogs had a problem with them year 'round. They usually begin with a minor irritation which the dog scatches, creating an inflammatory response at the site, which leads to redness and more itching. The itch becomes so bad that a dog scratches and bites the irritation which can dramatically spread to a very large area of skin.

What can you do to treat this?

Fleas or allergies could be in the initial cause of an itch, but if the dog has a hot spot below the ear it could indicate an ear infection, if they are biting their hip or rear it could be related to an anal gland infection, and so on. Whatever the cause, obviously that has to be treated at the same time as treating the hot spot.

You should have your dog see a veterinarian as soon as possible, but while you are waiting you can make your dog much more comfortable by clipping all the hair over and around the infected area to allow air to get in. We use scissors to cut the fur away which is quite effective - the spot won't be quite bare to the skin, but the area starts to dry out, and also becomes easier to treat. (We have had several dogs shaved over much of their body while treating fast moving hot spots - they may look a little mangy for a few weeks, but they will be so much more comfortable!)

After clipping we put on an anti-itch ointment - believe it or not, Desitin works really well! It's a tad messy, but it seems to heal the sore and make it a little less irritating.

Here's the REALLY hard part. Make sure your dog leaves the lesion alone. This may mean the use of an Elizabethan collar (each of our dogs was empathetic to the other so they always bit the collars off each other) or clip his nails and put socks on his feet to prevent him from scratching it.

What will the veterinarian do?

Your veterinarian will examine your dog and look for possible causes. Tests may include skin scrapings to check for mites and other parasites, and cultures for ringworm. Your veterinarian may suggest a drying agent such as Burows Solution. If the hot spot is very painful, your dog may need to be under sedation while the area is clipped and cleansed. Your veterinarian may also prescribe an oral antibiotic and medication for the pain and inflammation. She will also help diagnose the cause of the hot spot and recommend the appropriate treatment.

How can this be prevented?

Make sure you are vigilant about flea and tick protection. Keep the dog's coat shorter in summer. Dry them after bathing or swimming. And if your dog really starts scratching a certain area, don't delay taking a look and seeing if there is a potential hot spot lurking.

Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:06:00 +0000

We attended a super networking event in Portland yesterday - thanks to Margaret Minister O'Keefe from Pierce Atwood and her colleagues for bringing together three fabulously successful women to talk about how they had made it in their field. Interestingly enough, and not by design (no pun intended), all three work with textiles, although in very different ways.

Kathie Leonard of Auburn Manufacturing got into the high performance and composite textile business 30 years ago when women were an oddity in that world. She now has two plants in the Auburn, Maine area and even in this recession, has had a couple of her best years ever.

Beth Shissler spoke of how she and partner Hannah Kubiak developed Sea Bags (we've raved about their products before), which creates totes and many other products from recycled sails. What a fabulous idea! One of the most fun things about their business to me is its location - their headquarters, including manufacturing, sits on the last commercial fishing wharf in Portland. Beth said that, like The Muddy Dog, one of their business goals was to keep manufacturing jobs in the state. Judging by their explosive growth and recently announced partnership with Angela Adams/J. Crew, they will be able to meet that goal and then some!

Jill McGowan (portrait above) was next - this talented and visionary artist single-handedly recreated the white shirt. Her background at Badgley Mischka and then Hathaway gives her all sorts of insights into how to make a top-notch garment, consistently. Jill also does her manufacturing in downtown Portland - in fact, Martha Stewart stopped by recently to see her operation!

These role models were all incredibly inspirational and their enthusiasm contagious. Of all the things that were discussed, the most interesting to us was the message that big store buyers are now actively seeking products made in the USA! It is such a hopeful message and since one of our business goals is to keep manufacturing right here, one we were very excited to hear.

They all agreed that we should follow our hearts and do what we love, which is what so many of us want to do but aren't sure how to. In a previous post, we talked about taking baby steps, doing a little at a time and breaking down mountains into doable molehill activities until you get there. None of these businesses was born overnight, but they were grown with vision and passion. Something we can all aspire to!

Sucking Up To Aerus

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:44:00 +0000

Is it wrong to be in love with our vacuum cleaner?

Fed up with our vacuums (we have three - one for each floor) constantly clogging with all the pet hair we generate at home (two very furry dogs and a cat), we decided it was time for something a little less frustrating. After all, while we could do cheerfully spend hours doing laundry, vacuuming is our all-time least favorite chore (ironing all that laundry is a close second, which is why it comes out of the dryer the second the cycle is over.....but we digress). We'd been looking for an alternative for some time when our friend Curran started raving about her new Aerus (formerly Electrolux) commercial upright model and how it worked wonders picking up after her family of five, plus Ozzy the dog, and how effortlessly it cleaned up in her workroom (she is an amazingly creative artist whose personalized kitchen towels now grace our kitchen). Now, how many people rave about their vacuum cleaners? That was quite a testimonial! Really, when we rhapsodize, it is much more likely to be over a newly discovered fabric or a delicious milky chocolate find. And on top of that, we weren't even discussing cleaning at the time, she just wanted to share her new purchase.

And then she let us take it out for a test run.

Uh-oh, we were gonners. We had serious vacuum envy and if we were going to try to keep the pet fur at bay (our house will never be fur-free, no matter how hard we try - we just hope dinner guests are understanding about the ocassional dog hair in the soup) we had to have this very thing. Now.

Well, it was quite an investment, but we did indeed purchase an Aerus Guardian Ultra. After a bit of deliberation in the shop we went with the canister model. It comes with a 20 year warranty, it stops automatically when the bag is full (which, by the way, is sealed so all that dust doesn't start flying out when it's changed), the L-shaped nozzle allows for easily getting under the radiators and furniture, it's fairly lightweight, it has a HEPA filtration system.....well, we could go on and on.

True love.

Every Working Woman Needs A Wife

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:33:00 +0000

This e-mail taken from an article entitled "The Good Wife's Guide" in the May 1955 issue of HouseKeeping Monthly makes the rounds every now and then, but it's always a good read.

* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed. (If we offer a choice between Corn Flakes or Frosted Flakes does it count?)

* Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. (Only 15 minutes? It takes us that long to do all the other stuff.)

* Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. (This is easy, we laugh a lot in our house. We also talk politics, which provides additional fodder. )

* Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. (Hope this doesn't include our office.)

* Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables. (Sarah!!!!)

* Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction. (Not only does a fire look and smell good, we can roast marshmallows for dessert at the same time - multi-tasking as it were.)

* Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. (We have a teenager still at home, four older kids that that pop in every now and then and two dogs who sit by the window and bark when something interesting happens outside. And we live on a street where something interesting is always happening. Enough said.)

* Be happy to see him. (Always, he is the love of our life.)

* Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. (Of course, and he tells us often how much he appreciates us.)

* Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours. (We talk in run-on sentences, so he has to go first because once we get going, there's no stopping us.)

* Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax. (He usually doesn't get home until pretty late because he works very hard for us and our family, but we might have a problem if he goes to a "place of entertainment" without me!)

* Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems. (Usually he is greeted by enthusiastic dogs who immediately drool, get fur all over his suit and trip him on his way to greet us.)

* Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as a minor compared to what he might have gone through that day. ("Stays out all night?" Whatever he might have gone through that day is going to be minor compared to what he's going to go through when he gets home after that! But no worries on that account - that is nothing our husband would ever do.)

* Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. (We'll have one together.)

* Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
(We're guessing that yelling at the teenager to turn the racket down doesn't count?)

* Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him. (Sure we do, although we decided at the start that he is the head of our household. It's actually very liberating.)

* A good wife always knows her place. (We know ours, it's next to our beloved husband. We aren't equal and neither of us is better or more important than the other - we are complimentary.)

True confession: Although that last sentence and a few of the other suggestions make us cringe, we actually do try to do many of these things for our wonderful, hard-working husband before he gets home! Yes, we work really hard at creating the most wonderful products for our beloved doggies, and yes, we make sure the refrigerator and shelves are well stocked, dogs are walked and kids are at lacrosse when they should be but giving our family the gift of a home that is a safe and loving harbor from the world brings us back far more than we give.

Fun fact: Ann Taintor, whose work we adore, is from Maine and her dad was one of hubby's law partners! We met her at the NY Gift Show last year and she is absolutely charming and delightful!

Ode To Spring (Flowers)

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:24:00 +0000

Although there's still a lot more to do inside at Winterpast, while the weather holds out we are going to start a few projects outside. While we know there's a ton of work ahead of us, we can still enjoy some of the orginal plantings around the property. We were told that these incredible azaleas are from some of the oldest stock in the state at Blaine House, the governor's mansion in Augusta. Don't know if that is actually true, but we like to believe it is! They are quite woody and before we knew their origins we thought about cutting them back or even down, but after seeing what they become in the spring, we are horrified that we ever considered that option. The flowers on the bookend plants are a very peachy orange and the middle one has a deep, complimentary pink color. Although one of our favorite plants is the lilac (several of which we have in the back garden), we had to cut the one growing in between the azaleas last fall as it was starting to affect their health. The rogue oak tree had to go as well, as did three scrubby pines affecting the light into the garden and house - and with branches that one bad nor'easter could have had come crashing through the roof.

As gorgeous as the front garden azaleas are, the most lively colored one of all is in the back garden - it is the most electrifying shade of orange, one we would never have chosen but is becoming one of our favorite plants in the whole garden. We will be having a new fence installed in the next couple of weeks (note to Missy and Woody: yep, sorry to cut off that particular avenue of pleasure, but you will have to wait for the neighbors to visit you now!) and have to figure out how to go around it so as not to cause damage.

Just outside the sunroom on the other side of the house, there is a lovely thicket of rhododendrons which are just starting to flower. The sunroom almost glows inside when the amazingly deep pink flowers are in full bloom.

Right off the dining room through some lovely old French doors is this once-beautiful porch and pergola. Sadly, the structure has been left in a dreadful state of disrepair - the floor of the deck has to be replaced (dinner out here might be hazardous to one's health - and not because of our cooking!), the bottoms of some of the columns have rotted to the point beyond repair and the pergola itself has almost no salvageable components. Before we can paint the house (we identify it as "the white house with the peeling paint") this all has to be repaired, so we have been getting some bids for the work. Guess that means our month long sojourn to Italy is out this year!

Born To Run

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:06:00 +0000

We love our early morning constitutionals with Missy - peace and quiet, something new to look at every day, and wide shoulders with motorists who are, for the most part, happy to share the road with us. Some days we see the fog rolling in off the water, and some days Missy is actually in the water! No matter what time of day, there are so many people out running, biking or walking - being on the Foreside, we always feel part of the action.

One of the best things about living in Maine is having plenty of places to take a dog for a lovely, off the lead walk, but we are always looking for others. While on a recent trip up the road to Damariscotta, we tried a new trail and we had a nice chat with some guys we met (thanks to our dogs, who instantly took a liking to each other) who recommended this book to dog-friendly places in Maine. We immediately went out and got a copy - with so many new places to try, this is a super resource for anyone living here or even visiting!

www.downeastdogguides.com

Careerwoman Barbie

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Goodness, Barbie sure has been busy over the last 50 years. While we've read that most people now change careers 3-5 times over their working life, we were fascinated to learn from this WSJ story that Barbie has us all beat with 124. Yep, she's been a concert pianist, an astronaut, a magazine editor, a nurse and even Miss America but her latest incarnation, computer scientist, is really putting us to shame - if we have a technology question, we sheepishly ask our kids. Barbie designers say that they worked with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to ensure that everything was “realistic and representative of a real computer engineer.” Our favorite part - the pink glasses of course! But we are also loving the binary print t-shirt and the pink laptop (no word on if it is a Mac or PC, but I'm guessing a Mac).

What career would you like to see Barbie try?

At The Drawing Board

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:46:00 +0000

We get a lot of questions about how we develop our products. We always claim they are proudly animal tested! The original bed was developed for our much beloved but very arthritic Golden, named Holly. We noticed that the only way she could really get comfortable was to bunch up our down comforter and plunk herself down on that. We found a down place that made up a bed to our specifications and Holly finally got a good night's sleep on her very own down duvet! Another advantage to down is regulating the dog's body temperature, so she also didn't get overheated as she did on her former foam bed. A few years later, Mr. D. suggested that a lot of dogs could benefit from having a down bed, and The Muddy Dog was born.

Because it supports the skeletal system, the most important part of the bed is the insert. When we first developed the duvet, our canine product testers gave each down blend a thorough workout to make sure we offered just the right combination of support and comfort. We tested quite a few, and it was amazing to watch the dogs go from one bed to another until they found the one that was just right - and they all seemed to agree on that! It is a 50% down/50% feather mix - it supports and cradles the body beautifully while offering a bit of spring, and as mentioned before, doesn't overheat the dog.

There is quite a process in selecting and processing the down to go into each duvet, which means that there are only a few companies that do this and do it right. In fact, there is so much to talk about that we have a down primer on our website, and will have a separate blog posting for that! This is handy stuff to know for your own down duvets or even the purchase of a comfortable down pillow for sleeping or the sofa.

Selecting fabrics for the duvets is one of the most fun parts of the process! As anyone who is as nutty about well-designed fabrics as we are will attest, we feel like kids in a candy store when visiting fabric vendors! Although there are myriad choices available, we have to make sure that the fabric is sturdy enough to stand up to the rigorous use of our pampered pooches, without embroidery or a raised decorative pattern which little dog claws can quickly catch and snag.

After we select the fabrics (American made), we have them shipped up to Maine to be made up into duvets. We have a real commitment to retaining and expanding jobs in Maine, so although many large manufacturers have moved production of their dog beds offshore, our down inserts and all the covers are made right here.

Here we are in the workroom, sewing and folding. (Donna has the Extra Large, below - it's the size our St. Bernard, Missy, uses and we call it "pony size"!)

And then off they are sent - our goal is to give every dog the gift of a good night's sleep on a Muddy Dog down dog duvet!

April Food Day

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:29:00 +0000

My thanks to Meg at Pigtown*Designs for making me aware of April Food Day! My church is very active with our local food pantry, which serves over 100 clients (in a fairly affluent town of 11,000) . Frankly, I have been shocked by the numbers, which seem to be climbing daily. It is a small operation, attached to our town hall, but has become a lifeline to those who have lost their jobs, whose benefits have run out, those who cannot find a job (all too common given our economy's uncertainty).

This is the second annual April Food Day and Feeding America is asking for your help.

Meg shared some facts:

•Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.

•That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.

•Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.

•Thirty-six percent of the households served have at least one person working.

•More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.

•The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

•Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters.

•68 percent of pantries, 42 percent of soup kitchens, and 15 percent of emergency shelters rely solely on volunteers and have no paid staff.

•55 percent, are faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 33 percent are other types of non-profit organizations.

When I look at the stats, all I can think is that "there, but for the grace of God, go I".

Please join Meg, Chris at Easy & Elegant Life and me and consider making a donation to your local food pantry, or to Feed America, today, and let's all be very thankful that we don't go to bed hungry.

Thanks so much for your generosity.

From Dream World To Real World

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Do you have an idea about which you are just bursting with excitement? Do you make a product that everyone asks where you found it, or if you take orders? Do you look at products or services from companies you admire and think that you could add your own unique twist to make them even better?

Having worked for very large companies in the past (GE and HP among them), a venture funded outfit (a company named PinPoint, now affectionately known after its demise as MootPoint) and now our own adventure, The Muddy Dog, there is one thing we are asked frequently - "I have an idea for a business but just have no idea where to start. How do I make this happen?" In fact, this topic of conversation comes up so often that we thought you all might enjoy chatting about it on a regular basis, so here is the first of our columns on thoughts about taking an idea from the dream world to the real world.

We call entrepreneurs "trapezepreneurs" because there is always a certain amount of faith involved in any sort of entrepreneurial venture - faith in the idea, faith that there will be customers. But before taking the plunge, one must have faith in oneself.

To kick things off, it's always a good exercise to examine our motives and goals in considering becoming entrepreneurs, and making sure we are embarking on this adventure for the right reasons. It's always great to remember these things after having one of those days when perhaps the security of working for someone else (if there is such thing as security any more) doesn't seem so horrifying after all. For us, we knew it was time to re-examine what we were doing professionally when, after presenting the CEO of our large company with eighteen months of research in the customers' own words and even handwriting, we were told that while that was indeed what the customers told us they actually wanted, the company knew better what they really wanted - and it was a far cry from what our research had indicated. Hmmmmmm, that seemed to be an interesting take on the marketing concept (giving the customer what they want) and we knew our days in the corporate world were numbered. Surely we could do better by truly and consistently listening to the customer and providing a product that met a real need. This experience was in the veterinary industry, we used our research to back up what we intuited, and The Muddy Dog was born.

We also thought about the goals we wanted to achieve by having our own business. These aren't our specific financial, marketing or business goals, they are only what we want the business to enable: Providing pet owners a way to offer their beloved dogs the gift of a restful, comfortable sleep while providing an impeccably designed bed that elevates a lowly dog necessity into a gorgeous home accessory. Being able to provide an income to support our last two children through college (London is expensive!). Being able to become more of an advocate for things we care about - animals in need, the plight of foster children who have aged out of the system and helping others achieve their potential. And last but certainly not least - being able to control our own destiny.

Today's homework lesson: What would be your reason(s) for having your own business? And what would be your personal goal(s) for the business?

Any thoughts on issues regarding entrepreneurialism or people or businesses you would like to see covered, please let us know!

The Charleston Symphony Designer Showhouse Is Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:39:00 +0000

The Charleston Symphony Designer Showhouse opens today and will be open daily from through April 18 except for Easter Sunday. Located at 54 Gibbes Street, this gorgeous home offers a beautiful backdrop for the fresh and inspiring color palettes of Maine Cottage® fabrics, which we've made up to become lively dog beds (or duvets, as we call them) for the pampered pooch.

The last few days have been wildly busy while furniture was delivered.....

.....assembled in some cases and put into place. And once everything is in the right room, it still needs to be staged.

There was lots of layering of accessories, rugs and artwork, with many Maine and local artists contributing their colorful and whimsical works. Sara is thinking, "so much to do!"

Because the Symphony is doing something a little different this year and having Maine Cottage decorate the entire house, our duvets will allow pets to rest in the lap of luxury in the cozy blue Family Room (Dilly in Bluebell),

the cheerful zinnia Formal Living Room (Tweet Suite in zinnia),

and the spirited china blue Rumpus Room (Ann's Labyrinth in china blue).

I'll be posting pictures of the finished rooms soon. Meanwhile, our friend Ozzie Burfeind modeled a couple of other Maine Cottage duvets for us - could he be any cuter!!

Above, Jubilee in porch and below, Summer Bloom in porch/china blue.

(Images courtesy of Maine Cottage.)

On Point

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:48:00 +0000

Yesterday we mentioned one of our favorite needlepoint shops in Boston, Knit and Needlework. Mary Jo Cole has a great selection of everything you could possibly want to needlepoint, including Christmas stockings, mules, pillows, handbags and, of course, belts.

Our family has a standing joke - very year, we get very confident that we will have plenty of time to needlepoint a birthday gift for Mr. D. and every year, he receives a semi-finished item that gets done in time for the next birthday! We know, terrible, but it works for us (and we can finish the gift out in the open instead of snatching time when he isn't around). Last year's present was a Harvard chair cushion (phew, in keeping with tradition it doesn't have to be finished for another couple of months) to go on Mr. D.'s Adams House (his school house) chair. Mary Jo had this custom made and sent up to Maine.

A local discovery is Grace Robinson, who has her eponymous shop on Route 1 in Freeport, Maine, about five minutes south of LL Bean. We aren't knitters, but this shop makes us wish we were, it's just an amazing resource. Grace also carries needlepoint and has finished some belts for us, and the quality was top notch.

Knit and Needlepoint, 11 Newbury Street, Boston, MA: 617.536.9338, http://www.needlepoint-boston.com/.

Grace Robinson, 208 U.S. Route One,Freeport, Maine: 207.865.6110, http://www.yarnandneedlepoint.com/

Catie Copley

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Dench) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:16:00 +0000

We recently made a trip down to Boston and stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel which was, as always, just delightful. Our room had a nice view of all the excitement of Boston and was very cozily done in reds and golds.

Luckily the weather cooperated and we enjoyed the pleasure of shopping on Newbury and Boylston Streets (it is so nice to be able to visit one of our favorite needlepoint shops there...more in another post !) while Mr. D. was delving into the finer points of tax law, but we convened for a fantastic dinner in the hotel's beautiful Oak Room.

For fans of design, the Oak Room offers a visual feast. Cameos and lacunaria accent the intricate white plasterwork on the ceilings and the 30' high walls boast rich dark paneling and mirrors. The gold, green and maroon fabrics pull the whole place together for a rather cozy effect. Enormous twin Waterford crystal chandeliers illuminate the room. We ordered steaks - salmon, and beef - and everything was just mouthwateringly tender and delicious.

We didn't bring Missy, so Holly had to be our canine representative, and she was thrilled to have her picture taken with the wildly popular hotel ambassador, Catie Copley, a lovely black lab who, between engagements, lies sanguinely in the lobby entertaining guests, especially children. Catie has her own e-mail address and business cards and her owner, Director of Concierge Services Jim Carey, says that there is usually a waiting list of hotel guests who sign up to take her for a walk. Originally trained as a service dog, cataracts forced the ten year old to change careers, so these days she stays very busy with personal appearances and room deliveries. In addition to staring in a couple of books about her hotel adventures, written by Deborah Kovacs, Catie is recognized by the Boston Duck Tours guides who tell passengers about the pampered pooch as they call out "Hi, Catie"!

Outside, Holly decided to take a turn in the doghouse. She had a much easier day than Catie.

Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Avenue,Boston, MA 02116: 617.267.5300 or http://www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza.