Unique Unique Design

Now for the rest of the story. These pictures are from Judy’s (J Hill Designs) bedrooms and bath. All the bedding and pillows are Judy’s own line. Also, she does the curtains and valance in the master bedroom. She calls her line “Whitewashed”. It’s 100% cotton in whites and oatmeal. Every piece is prewashed with that soft, inviting feel. Remember when sheets were hung on the line to dry. They had that fresh air smell and freshness. These will bring back those memories from a time gone by.

Old brass bed in front bedroom.

Sitting area in front of bay window in the same bedroom.

This is a twin bed in the middle bedroom.

Snacks for overnight guests!

A slipcovered chair in masterbath.

Judy had 2 full size beds set up in her master bedroom.

Looking out the window between the beds. Note the beautiful valance she designed in these 2 pics.

The rest of the pictures were taken on her back porch. The food for the day was served out of a 14′ metal boat. This was the room I got to help with. We had fun
“playing” with all this! Because of the weather the porch was dark and for some reason these pics are blurry. I’m posting them anyway, so you might get an idea what was done out there.

The back of the boat. We had lights in those pots. Also, the food was not put out yet.

Here’s a seating area across from the boat. All the eating utensils are in various containers on that metal shelf.

Length of the boat with old cot at the front partially tucked under.

Another view.

Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of Judy’s amazing creativeness in these last two posts. Would love to hear what you’ve seen here that “floats your boat”.

Happy Fathers Day!

Last Thursday Judy of J Hill Designs held her always anticipated spring home show. I got a ring side seat, as I went a day early to lend a hand.  Since Judy is a very good friend and we don’t live close to one another, it’s always fun when I can go to supposedly help her and Billy get ready, but we actually get in a whole lot of “talk time”!!

As always Judy’s displays and arrangements are “over the top”.  Everything looked beautiful and shoppers were certainly not disappointed. Sales were brisk and soon the house was looking alot more sparse.

The weather was dark and dreary as you can tell from my dark pictures. I tried not to use the flash.   Even so, a fun time was had by all and the show was a big success in spite of the wet day.

Entry hall.

Harp in living room.

Small Italian metal table.

Table in center of living room with large iron urn. Notice all her custom pillows on the sofa.

Jars with shredded paper and Mary.

Full view of sofa and pillows.

Vintage chair newly upholstered in beautiful brown fabric with crazy quilt rolled up on top.

Music sheets rolled up under cloche.

Umbrella with custom cover in living room. Sorry about the bright lights!

Great fabric on this reupholstered chair.

Birdcage with lamp inside.

Place setting on dining room table.

Slipcovered vintage sofa in Judy’s breakfast room.

This is not all the pictures I have. I’ll post more in a couple days. The rest will be of the bedrooms and the backporch.

Enjoy the tour and keep cool!

In Texas you are always taking a chance on the weather! Last weekend my good friend, Laura, from Dela Design held a wedding in her back yard. It was for her son and his bride. We’ve been having close to record breaking temps here, with the humidity to match. But, the wedding must go on! So, wipe off the sweat and get busy! The trees and bushes were filled with votives, hanging candles, and chandeliers (the groom was responsible for getting most of this up). The flowers for the wedding, tables, wedding party, and all were done that day.  Laura’s very dear friend, Theresa, came and helped with all that and more. I got to help some that day, too. It was fun working with them. Even, though, there is usually some stress that comes with getting everything done on time, by the time the sun set and the lights came on the scene turned to magic.

Laura didn’t have any pics yet of the actual wedding, so what I am posting are a few I took mid-afternoon.  The sun was high and bright, so I really didn’t get many. The yard looked wonderful and since the front was more shaded, that’s where I took most the pics. So, here is a very small sample of the things I could get a picture of that day.

This is a flower bed by her driveway. Notice the votives lining the bed.. There are a few candleliers hanging in the trees, but you’d have to look close to see them.

The path to her front door is lined with hydrangea, ferns, rosemary, and more. The large urns at the front door are vintage concrete pieces purchased in Warrenton, Tx at the huge show down there.

It hadn’t arrived yet when I took this photo, but a beautiful rug was coming for a sitting area out front. The ghost chairs(3 of them) and small table were going on the rug for extra seating.

Hydrangea lining her back patio was used in various floral arrangements.

Up close!

The goose was flying north to The Hamptons for the summer, but stopped in for the ceremony!    Laura actually purchased this from us and we put it high in a tree by where the ceremony took place.  She had on her wedding finery with a wreath for her head and ribbons for her neck

Wish I had pics of the actual ceremony, but I don’t.  Believe me,though, the setting was quite beautiful!

Have a wonderful day!

Remember our friend Deanie? Since I was last over to her house, she has finished painting the brick in her sunroom. She just e-mailed me the pictures of the finished project, so wanted to share them with you all.

She has created lots of texture with the walls, wicker, vintage concrete pieces, linen, seagrass rug, and plants in a predominately white room. I will say, as usual, it is much more impressive in person.

Once again, I’ll let you guess what she purchased from us.  She did buy a beautiful chalk mirror from us for above that buffet. Sad to say, though, it came crashing down and broke in to many many pieces. It was beyond repair.   But, wherever she buys her treasures, she puts alot of thought into it.

Note the french pastry table hidden beside the wicker settee. I love the large, shallow concrete birdbath top on the table…very dramatic. BTW, that fern is real and she keeps it that beautiful!

The opening in the center of that buffet is lined in mirror, so it creates a neat effect.

A small seating area with a table base made from a large column base. A lovely view into her back yard adds the finishing touch

Whether you have a sunroom or not, we hope wherever you are you have sunny days ahead..

And our heartfelt thanks to our military and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice!

I apologize for being gone so long. We’re working on house plans for  a client.  It started with me drawing up sketches for space planning and sending them to the architect. We should be getting the final revision for the floor plan this week and begin the process of deciding the elevations. Our client wants a Spanish feel to this house, but she is far from traditional thinking on anything. Here is a little sample of the beginning of how things might lay out. Some of this will stay similar, some has already flipped around.

A starting place.

I traveled to Houston to Urban Market last week end, then on to Austin, and about an hour west of Austin to shop with our client. We found several things at Urban Market….some great light fixtures, columns for the pool area, a sink for the cabana, and even some cool old leather chairs for dining area. Our stop west of Austin was to check out old doors for exterior and interior at a friend’s shop, Pieces of the Past. Below are some pics of ones we thought might work in this house.

There is a pair of these. They have shutters behind the bars that can be opened. We are thinking of these for the front gate into the front courtyard. When open her dogs can peek through the bars!

Not sure where these might be used. Just loved the lattice work. Thought they could be used as art almost.

This pair would, also, be used as a gate coming from the side yard into the pool area.

These old wooded arched shutters from a church are really great pieces. Would probably be used for impact somewhere rather than function.

These are beautiful divided light doors that we thought of using as possible entrance doors to the master bedroom.

What do you think? Would love to hear how you would use these. Right now we haven’t made up our mind which ones are a sure thing. Although, the white pair with bars are probably a done deal.

Hope you have fun “PLANS” for the week ahead.

Was back in New Mexico with my daughter, Erin. We were at Casey’s “ranch” for more cattle business. We go there to help. Erin in the riding and round up department….me in the cooking and dishwashing department. It’s always fun to see a real working ranch in action.  Round ‘em up and move ‘em out!

Three days after we got home, we had some ladies come over to shop at my house. Mayron came a day early and spent the night. We managed to get it all ready. Had to bring in some new stuff, clean, and do flowers, etc. We enjoyed the time with these ladies. Two of them had never shopped with us before. One gal is renovating an old house, so was looking for merchandise.

These pics are a little random. Some from New Mexico and a couple from my house.

Grandson Mason doing his job.

Granddaughter Madi giving a shot.

Ellee and Erin and Jack and Erin watching from bed of pick up.

Birthday tulips from Casey’s family. Just in time for our ladies!!

Snacks to keep up your strength from shopping!

Wish you could join us for a snack, too.

Enjoy your weekend!

It was a beautiful day on Saturday.  Visiting our friend, Deanie, I got to check out the painting she has been doing on  the brick in her living room and sunroom for the last few weeks. She has wanted it white for sometime, but was meeting with opposition from her husband. There is a very cute story about how he finally agreed to the change. I won’t get into that now, but it is very funny. Since I made the trip over, I asked if I could take a few pictures. Deanie said sure, so I did. Now, I am in the market for a new camera, and I hope to come back and get better pics soon. Believe me the subject matter is fabulous!!

Deanie has absolutely wonderful pieces that are put together to perfection. She chooses everything very deliberately for the overall look. It’s frenchy with a touch of unexpected metal and updated with a few contemporary elements. Her home could easily be seen in Veranda.

Not sure why the shots came out with 2 different colors, but her living room and most pieces are white.  Note the amazing very old french table in front of the couch. The New Orleans  shutters are throughout her house. How about that pair of stunning urns on the columns. Her pop of color is with a Fortuny pillow.

Don’t you love the FUN “floral” arrangement in the old cast iron urn. It’s actually some type of cardboard packing material. It’s so unique, I love it.

A corner in her guest bath.

Her breakfast nook has a large metal table and simple old urns. She sits her 10 grandchildren here. The table is pretty indestructible!! The large mirror opens up the room. The iron fireplace piece filled with shells on the buffet is a finishing touch.

This is her formal dining room. She has a wonderful iron base table with a glass top and sitting on top is a very large (not sure what it’s made of) bowl. Again, more shells in a tall iron urn. Another beautiful crystal chandelier and Italian metal sconces flank the vintage mirror on the french gray buffet.

I’m not even going to get into what you’re not seeing! Hopefully one day with a better camera and some classes on how to use it, I can get pics of the rest of her house and whole rooms instead of snippets.

We have know Deanie for quite a few years now. She’s shopped with us (will let you figure out what pieces might be from us), and even worked with us on various things over the course of time.

Enjoy the little tour and please, we would love to hear a comment on your thoughts.

Smiles!

Well, I’ve been busy, but not exactly with selling, shows, and design.    I went to New Mexico and picked up my 4yr. old granddaughter, Ellee. She came home with me. We had lots of fun for a week. Between pedicures, movies, shopping, cooking, having her cousin for an overnighter, walks, stories, and whatever else could keep us busy, we had a very good visit. Ellee’s little brother, Jack, wasn’t real thrilled with not coming back with us, but he’s up for the next visit.

Here’s a few pics of our time together.

Jack when we are still in N. Mex. Not sure if that is his Batman or Spiderman pose?!

Auntie (my daughter Erin) with my 2 granddaughters Ellee and Riley.

I told them to kiss Auntie on the cheek and they attacked her!!

My daughter-in-law, Michelle with the gang.

On their trusty steeds!

Glam girls!  Actually, we are waiting for the movie “How to Train Your Dragon” in 3-D.

Excuse the red eyes!

It always keeps you young to run with the young crowd, but have lots of catching up to do.

Have a good one and hope you look half as “cool” in your glasses as these hip chicks!

It’s been busy. Have been working on floor plans for a new house. Mayron and I are trying to find the perfect fabric for a bedroom redo. In between, I have been desperately trying to win the battle of weeds in my flower beds. Sad to say I never win. As soon as I get one area cleaned out, more little weed plants start popping up. The best we do is keep them at bay for a short period of time. But, this time of year they (the weeds) are prolific little guys. We’ve had some beautiful days here, though, and it’s got me thinking of lovely plants and flowers. I really love various types of containers filled and overflowing with flowering plants and greenery. I, especially, love vintage ones. I have to confess, though, I’ve only gotten as far as finding pictures of some very pretty container gardens. So, that’s what I’m sharing with you….hopefully to spur me on to getting some actually planted up.

How about you? How’s your gardening going?

examiner.com

simplegiftsfarm.com

Love the shape and texture of these bases for the baskets.

agirliegirl.wordpress.com

whiteflowerfarm.com

Stunning!

photo: kerry michaels

davesgarden.com   kat’s container garden

Such a pretty pig!

davesgarden.com   kat’s container garden

Isn’t this fun?!

marthastewart.com

A very large container high above the street!!

marthastewart.com

Succulent hanging ball.

containergardeningforyou.com

Aren’t these shapes great?!

The “blues”.

Tropical

above 3 photos from  containergardeningforyou.com

Hope you are inspired to go plant a flower!  I am, but first,  I still hear weeds calling my name.

Enjoy the springtime!!

I’m home from the Warrenton/Marburger Farms shows. The weather was pretty fabulous for Texas and its unpredictability!. It was pretty windy one day, but the temps were pleasant and no rain or other crazy stuff… at least while I was there.

Missed having Mayron there, but had fun staying with Laura and Theresa. We always do have a good time. My daughter Erin came in late Monday afternoon. She’d not been there before. We got to catch up with folks you don’t get to see very often. Erin was impressed with Marburger. Of course as usual, there was amazing merchandise at Marburger, “Excess”, Zapp, and all the other tents and fields in the Warrenton/Round Top area. I didn’t take any pictures, but have found some pictures of the type of wonderful things you see down there. Needless to say the following photos don’t come close to showing the variety of what you’ll find. Maybe you can get just a little idea, though, especially if you’ve never been.

above photos from modern 50

There was absolutely wonderful industrial tables, all types of lighting, cabinets and shelving, signs, and accessories!!!!

above 3 photos from unique unique design

photo from olde good things

There is always lots of statuary, planters, urns, and fountains, etc.

photo  olde good things

Gorgeous architectural pieces are abundant.

above 2 photos   joanne  maclennan

photo   country french antiques

above 2 photos from rocaille galleries   found on country french antiques blog

The french, swedish, belgian treasures are more than drool worthy!!

I haven’t even touched on the incredible linens, fabrics, mirrors, furniture, vintage clothing, mid-century items, garden furniture and decor. Of course, there is always the quirky and unique things that you don’t find anywhere else.

I highly recommend planning a little jaunt down to Texas in  the fall if you’ve never been. You won’t regret it! (except, maybe the Texas heat! ).

Enjoy your Easter weekend! Thank heaven, He lives!