The Hush of the Season

Overnight it seems, we have passed completely into winter. The world is hushed; all noise is dampened by the blanket of snow. The roots of the plants are bedded down under a thick protective layer and the small animals can tunnel through the drifts, keeping safe from the keen eyesight of the hawks overhead. The snow has shifted the world into to an entirely new color palette. But the days are already getting longer and the wheel continues to turn. Happy New Year to All!

Benjamin Moore's Top Color Pick for 2013

Benjamin Moore 2013 Color of the Year: Lemon Sorbet

To 2013 -- New Year's Colors!

Going beyond Pantone's selection of Jade Green as the color of 2012, I am curious to see what hues are coming out for the New Year. Especially for home interiors and exteriors. Link back through my Pinterest "For the Home" board to see what's new in home color in 2013.

Pottery Barn 2013 Benjamin Moore paint colors

Loca-voracious!

Just about sums it up.

Almost time to start thinking about which local CSA to join for next year. So many choices!

But in the meantime, there is still the Winter Farmer's Market at the Community Center in New Paltz.

All is Calm, All is Bright 

I tend to like what looks to me to be an old-fashioned tree. I think it's the compact and sturdy look of a fir that appeals to me. 

There are many cut-your-own Christmas tree places all over Ulster County and in fact I listed and sold a 70+ acre Christmas tree farm in Marbletown this summer. It can be a lot of fun to go out and tromp around, finding and cutting the perfect tree. Getting out under a big sky with the birds and the clouds, especially in the snow, makes the day memorable The kids especially enjoy it and you know that tree is fresh! 

In years past, I have also gone to local farm stands, like Davenport's and Wallkill View Farms, to get trees and they have always been lovely. But this year, I went out on the second weekend in December (crazy early for me, planning ahead for once) and got perhaps my favorite tree ever at the Town of Lloyd Fire Department on Old New Paltz Road, where the firemen sell trees as a fundraiser. Almost all of the fire departments are volunteer up here so it feels good to be able to benefit them and, I have to say, their trees were spectacular. 

I have a rule (that I always break but it still keeps me in line) that the tree can't be bigger than I am. Many of the trees at the Town of Lloyd Fire Department looked like they were ready for Rockefeller Center, or at least for a house with an atrium or two-story front hall. There were also a few little scraggly things that you might use on your porch or yard display. But there were three that were just about perfect for me and I think I may have gotten my favorite tree ever this year. It is just right. 

Wishing everyone a joyous and peaceful holiday season!

A Sparkly Season

The Inn at Orchard Heights, a Victorian B&B in New Paltz, hosted a jewelry sale and exhibition featuring work by designer Karen Capobianco  last Thursday night. Her work is inspired by Byzantine gold and Rennaissance artistic traditions, delicate and heavy at the same time. I love her jewelry but need to note that these pieces (which I bought) are not terribly representative of her "oeuvre" as a whole. I was strangely attracted to the brooch (in fact, had to have it): evocative of a dreamweaver or an eskimo drum. And yes, that is fur.

How much do I love Pinterest?

 Words cannot express...

Arielle's "For the Home" Pinterest Board

Coldwell Banker Village Green

Here's a link to my profile on our Coldwell Banker Village Green website

Link to my Coldwell Banker Village Green Profile

To a Mellow Holiday

A little daunting but here is my first post on Arielle Curtin's Nest @ Upstate Home. A blog dedicated to Ulster County Real Estate and life in general in Ulster County, NY.

We've been gearing up for the holidays recently and I have really been having a wonderful time. Made two wreaths from grapevine found in the woods, hemlock and tamarack greens from the yard, and some crazy Japanese seedpods (not yet identified) I found on the ground outside of the New Paltz Village Hall. The tall things below are, I believe, a plant called teesel, that I gathered at the New Paltz Little League field behind Village Pizza earlier in the fall.

I have a great commercial listing on Route 32 in Bloomington (between Rosendale and Kingston) with a store building, a trailer/office and two self-storage units. The owner was kind enough to let me snag huge bunches of wild bittersweet growing on the sturdy metal fencing that surrounds the whole compound. It strikes a lovely bright note with its red and orange berries.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU!

I will see if I can upload some photos as local plants and wildcrafting are two of my consuming interests. (SUCCESS!!!)

The year is winding down but it feels like it is taking a short rest before we gear up for a very active Spring home-buying season here in Ulster County. There are a lot of amazing properties on the market and prices are very appealing. We will only know in hindsight, but I feel that prices have already had a "bounce" and are starting to head back up.