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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Noel's Delicious Marinated Salad


Many of you emailed or phoned asking about the recipe for Noel's Marinated Salad from our Country Living article last fall. We posted it on our website but it was in an obscure, hard to find area so we will repost it here for all to enjoy. This salad benefits from being made a day ahead so the veggies can marinate overnight.

Veggies

1 Head Cauliflower

1 Head Broccoli

1 Lg White Onion

4 Stalks Celery

1 Bell Pepper (Red or Green)

1 Unpeeled Red Apple

Cut all veggies into bite size pieces and place into a non-metallic bowl.


Dressing

In a separate bowl combine -

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup White Vinegar

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Salad Dressing (Miracle Whip)

Pour dressing over veggies, mix to coat all veggies and chill overnight.


Enjoy !

Noel and Verge

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Happy Spring!


Spring has finally arrived here in Maine after a very long winter. The ground is thawing, the snow is melting, the crocuses are poking their heads up and the daffodils are sure to follow. Spring is one of our favorite seasons as we delight in checking daily to see what is waking up from its winter nap.

We just love the shot of these beautiful Tulips taken in our dining room. They are contained in an antique Pewter Pitcher resting on an old Penny Rug we found years ago at a local antiques show!
A collection of Sgraffito & Yellowware pieces are housed in the corner cupboard in the background.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

C'mon in and take a peek . . .

We have always loved the look of a Slate Sink so when it came time to update our Pantry Kitchen we decided upon a custom sink by Sheldon Slate, located right here in Maine. For the countertops we called on our good friend Cindy Hamilton from Americana Workshop in Kennebunk, ME. She was able to track down old wood which she planed down and refinished to complete the look. Please take a moment to visit Cindy's shop & website. She makes the most wonderful reproduction pieces, many of which you will see throughout our home.

In the Summer Kitchen we installed an Antique Copper Sink, from Americana Workshop. It has the most wonderful patina and looks just perfect with the old wood countertops. Rosemary, one of our most favorite herbs, sits upon the windowsill to soak up the sun. To give this room more of a herbally feel we hung dried flowers from a ladder above the sink and decorated with assorted garlands, like the Gourd Garland which hangs to the right of the sink.

The Deacon's Bench, shown here in our Dining Room, is one of the very first antique pieces we purchased for the house. We softened the look with a matching pair of coverlet pillows. An antique mirror hangs above the bench on the original mirror board. To the left of the bench we hung our Long Cellar Rod . It fits perfectly in small areas.

This Living Room Mantle surrounds one of three working fireplaces throughout the house. We have adorned the mantle with Green Glass bottles (as seen in our catalog,) antique books, old spectacles & silhouettes. A hand-stenciled Fireboard by Hope Angier covers the fireplace during warmer months. We offer several hand-stenciled Fireboards in our catalog.

The Cannonball Bed is the focal point of the Master Bedroom. It stands sturdy and handsome in Black over Red crackle finish. For a primitive look Noel made simple curtain panels from Linsey Woolsey and used jute to hang them on square head nails in the windows. Jute was also used as the tiebacks.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Welcome to Circa Home Living!

Hello and welcome to our new blog!

We're thrilled to be entering a brand new phase in the development of Circa Home Living! Blogging is growing in such popularity we couldn't help but try our hand at it.

Our catalog began as a grass roots effort to provide America with authentic reproductions of the period furniture and accessories we love and live with in our own historic home.

Since it's inception in 1996 we've grown tremendously in volume and size. While our concentration is still on hand-crafted, American Made products we have recently branched out to offer even more practical and whimsical offerings that are sure to please. We're very proud of our web presence and will continue to expand our product selection in the future.

The visit from Country Living magazine to our circa 1820 home in rural Maine (see the August 2008 issue of the magazine) was a wonderful experience. Since its publication, we've heard from many folks who'd like to see more images of our home. We're happy to post a few here for your enjoyment and plan on posting more periodically throughout the year.

We will also be posting photos and information under such categories as Decorating Tips, Collections, Favorite Photos, Field Trips, Recipes, Gardening, Great Reads, New Products and more relating to the lifestyle we enjoy.

We hope to make our blog as interesting and interactive as possible and openly welcome your comments & suggestions.

So, without further ado, we invite you to join us on our journey as we bring Circa Home Living into the world of today.

As Ever ~ Noel & Verge
Circa Home Living ~ It's not just a catalog ~ it's a lifestyle!