Wednesday, March 30, 2011

My Charlotte Moss Checklist



"Elsie de Wolfe's famous pronouncement -- 'A house should be attractive, comfortable and suitable. The food should be good; you should be beautifully dressed' -- says it all. I might add that the flowers should express your sensibility; the atmosphere should reflect your personality; and the housekeeping should be impeccable."
Charlotte Moss

So, let's see...
1. attractive, comfortable, suitable? Two out of three, I think...
2. good food? Does takeout pizza count?
3. you should be beautifully dressed? Ummm, not happening.
4. the flowers should express your sensibility? What does a mixture of faux and dying express?
5. the atmosphere should reflect your personality? Gosh, I don't even know where to start with this one.
6. the housekeeping should be impeccable? Oh, hell no.

(Sometimes, things just tend to pile up on my dining room table. That happens to you, too, right?)

24 comments:

  1. Yes that happens to me...only thing is...my piles aren't nearly as attractive...
    Glorious photos!!!

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  2. Sometimes it does, but not happening again until this weekend or I'll be smacked. How funny that we're both featuring the dining room today. Yours is delightful and so charmingly elegant even with your table piled high. That floor looks pretty darned clean to me, Mary! Doesn't that count for impeccable housekeeping? (Yes, pizza counts. It always counts.)

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  3. Oh, you made me laugh this morning. . .At least you scored 2 out of 3. That's a whole lot better than 0!
    But I suspect you were being hard on yourself,
    things always look perfect through your camera
    lense!

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  4. Charlotte Moss should just send her housekeeper over here then....

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  5. Your answers to the questions, made me laugh and smile. Your photos made me go Wow! Kit

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  6. ooooo, your chandelier is so beautiful, Mary. I'm kinda glad ol' Charlotte cannot visit here. Impeccable housekeeping is about as rare around here as spring. hee hee Susan

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  7. The light streaming in your kitchen windows is heavenly. And.... only if my table was cluttered with such beautiful things.... mine currently has piles of folded laundry waiting to be put away.

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  8. Ha! This made me chuckle too! There's only one word here that fits us...suitable. Suitable for two outdoors people three cats and two dogs. If my dining table isn't covered with cat hair and piles of stuff, then we've moved! Have a beautiful day Mary!

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  9. Oh yes....piles of stuff everywhere. They breed.
    I tidy and the piles shift to another surface.
    Of course, the chandelier, the elegant nature of the collection on the table and the sunlight streaming over it all makes for a great photo.

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  10. Piles of stuff on the dining room table??? You too???

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  11. The dining room table is a collection point around here, too. But oh, the light! It transforms the mundane into a thing of beauty. Just lovely!

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  12. Hi lovely lady. I love your Tablescape in your dining room sweet lady. You have some Beautiful Dinnerware to die for!! You know I love plates.
    I hope you have a Great Day.
    xxoo
    Diane

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  13. Beautiful! I think your house is gorgeous and Charlotte would heartily approve!

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  14. I don't have a lot of things to pile up like you do. So no, it doesn't happen to me. Unless you count the camera and the lenses which are usually strewn on it.
    I have to clean this weekend. I can't even tell you how long it's been. I am ashamed of myself.

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  15. I've just returned to tell you that I'm over it. Whew. That shame lasted only 30 seconds.

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  16. I laughed when I read this post. I almost took a picture of my table for today's post, but backed off as it is so bad. Yours looks great compared to mine that is covered in jewelry making supplies, paper work, laptop, etc. etc.
    Enjoy your evening.

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  17. What, doesn't everyone dress beautifully while eating good food in her attractively suitable, impeccably kept, flower-filled home that perfectly reflects her scintillating personality? LOL I sometimes wonder at the folly of having a centerpiece (currently a terrarium and candles on glass pillars) when there's all this stuff piled around it! Your table and chandelier, however, look gorgeous!

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  18. Thank you for your honesty. To tell you the truth, I'd much rather play with you than that stuffy Charlotte Moss anyday!

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  19. CAme across your blog, and I just love it! The flowers are really making me wish for spring- (upstate NY - still getting snow here).

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  20. Dear Little Red House...Try though I might...I can never be like you. Pillows can be fluffed and she can collect milk glass..and sit it just right so that the sun can hit it...
    They even painted my trim and shutters..with a lovely Pomagranite red..but..the history is just not mine. However you never fail to be an inspiration, dear little red house! Say hello to Mary for us...
    Time is on my side..but I will never ever be like you.
    Little house in California..

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  21. Well Mary, the dining room table is such a big open space, no wonder piles of stuff get put on it. I try to keep my free of clutter but I have 2 desks that I have to clean every week to be able to see the surface.
    I guess everyone has their own little place for piling stuff. :-)
    I try to dress nicely and put on makeup every day because I think if I look good, I'll feel good and this usually works.
    Judith

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  22. That Charlotte Moss is a real kick in the pants, isn't she? I love you keepin' it real, Mary. ;)

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  23. a yes - the things on the dining room table - I can relate to this. But then you dining room table is such a gorgeous collection of beautiful things! and you house I am sure reflects your personality perfectly. Enjoy!

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