Visiting The Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) Dorinda Medley’s home, Blue Stone Manor, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

Dorinda Medley and me in her Living Room at Blue Stone Manor, on the day of the Lenox Garden Club Tour.

Garden tour patrons approaching the front door of the mansion.

On July 15, 2017 The Lenox Garden Club held its biennial garden tour, and one of the show-stopping properties visited was Blue Stone Manor. Blue Stone Manor is the country home of Dorinda Medley who is a reality TV star on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City. Dorinda and four other property owners were kind enough, to open their gorgeous homes and spectacular grounds, for the day, as a fundraiser for The Lenox Garden Club. People from far and wide traveled to Great Barrington, Massachusetts for the “sold out” tour. This blog post shows some of the well-appointed rooms and grounds at Blue Stone Manor, decorated by the super tasteful, effervescent and charming Dorinda Medley. Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Visits (Road Trips), The Summer Garden | 5 Comments

Starting an African Violet from a Leaf Cutting

Posted on May 26, 2017 by

Step-by-Step instructions on how to start an African Violet from a leaf cutting.

Are your African violets getting old and unshapely with multiple crowns and suckers? Do you have a friend or co-worker who grows the most beautiful African violets, and that person will give you some single leaf cuttings, so you can start some plants of your own? This blog post shows you the two easy steps that it takes to growing an African violet from a leaf cutting. Continue reading →

Posted in House plants / Forcing bulbs | 3 Comments

A look at my Easter 2017 decorations, here at Whimsey Hill House

Posted on April 12, 2017 by

A late Easter, like we’re having this year, to me, is the unofficial start of the growing season here in up-state New York. With the late Easter, no matter how cold or snowy the past Winter has been, I seem to have snowdrops, winter aconite, crocus, hellebore, daffodils and hyacinth that have set buds and are starting to bloom. This blog post shows the decorations that I’ve put up to celebrate the Easter holiday and to herald Spring. Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTMAS / Easter | 22 Comments

Arranging furniture and Decorating a 19 foot long by 14 foot wide Living Room with a Brown Leather Sectional Sofa

Posted on February 11, 2017 by

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img_3024 Recently a reader, whose husband is a house builder (Texas Barndominiums out of Floresville, Texas, texasbarndos.com) asked for my help with the decorating of their new house that is also a “show house”.  I said yes to her inquiry, but would only do it if I could turn it into a blog post that might inspire my readers. Melissa,  the builder’s wife, had already purchased some furniture and wanted suggestions for extra things to buy, so she could create a home that is a warm and inviting place for her family,  friends and husband’s clients to see. Looking at what she already has, the size and height of the room, its location in the house, and what textures for surfaces are already in the room, this is what I think she should do. Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging Living Room Furniture, Interior Decorating Principles | 7 Comments

Floating (Arranging) furniture in a 20 foot long by 20 foot wide Living Room

Posted on January 29, 2017 by
Twelve different ways of arranging furniture in a 20 foot by 20 foot living room with a fireplace in the corner and french doors.

Twelve different ways of arranging furniture in a 20 foot by 20 foot square living room with a fireplace in the corner and french doors.

Recently a reader asked for my help with the placement of furniture in her 20 foot square living room after reading my blog post titled “Arranging furniture around a Fireplace in the Corner of a Room“. Initially I thought the space would be easy to lay out, but because of a corner fireplace, french doors, three entrances into the room, and windows on two walls, there was not much wall-space to put furniture against. So my readers dilemma became the inspiration for this article, which is a topic that I had not yet covered here at FGGH. Continue reading →

Posted in Arranging Living Room Furniture, Interior Decorating Principles | 8 Comments

Adult Coloring…Fred Gonsowski’s drawings of the “Big Eyed People” to download, print and color.

Posted on January 18, 2017 by
Dessert in the Living Room

Dessert in the Living Room

From the late 1970’s until 1993 I was known for my paintings and prints showing the “chic lifestyle” of the Big Eyed People. I sold my artworks through galleries and did many art and craft fairs across New York state, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

During the period I was really lucky. Organizations like the Kennedy Center, Nabisco along with Capital OTB, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Meadowlands Race Track, as well as other charities had me design posters and invitations to advertise their projects. My original poster for the Kennedy Center project, “Imagination Celebration” (which promoted arts projects for youth, even ended up on McDonald’s tray liners).

The stars of my Big Eyed People paintings were Pamela and Reginald Wellington (Wellington, as in the name of the polo fields in Palm Beach, Florida). Pamela and Reginald had inherited their fortunes from their grandparents and were having fun spending them. At the time Pamela and Reginald partied all night at their 5th Avenue NYC apartment and slept all day, unless they were seen going to polo, fox-hunting or the Saratoga Springs, NY race (flat) track. Well that was 24 years ago, and times have changed. Pamela and Reginald still party, but now have a bit more of a casual lifestyle. The 12 new illustrations that I’ve made for this post, show this chapter of their lives. Continue reading →

Posted in Fred Gonsowski's Drawings for People to Color | 12 Comments

A quick look at this year’s Christmas Decorations, here at Whimsey Hill House

Posted on December 18, 2016 by

Christmas will soon be here, and I’ve done some decorating. The amount of daylight, this time of year is decreasing, and the amount of darkness is increasing, so what better way to brighten the dullness of Winter, than with Christmas lights and decorations. This post shows some of the things I put out this year to celebrate the holiday period. img_2960 img_2957 img_2938

Let’s start out front.  The above three photos show what passersby see as they drive down my road.  I like lights in all the windows and on the bushes, but I feel that you must have something out on the lawn to add depth to the display.  This year I’ve covered the bear topiary, that I’m creating, in white lights, and then folded a string of red lights in half, and tied them around his neck to suggest a scarf. (click on photos to enlarge) Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTMAS / Easter | 11 Comments