My Kitchen

I have one....I also have a Google Account, that insists I don't have a blog...I have one...so, being persistent has paid off, and a week later, here I am...but I digress.
Since I got my new, wonderful, does everything camera, my images are so much better, and I'm like a kid with a new toy...keep in mind, I was a professional photographer for 25 years (along with being an interior designer) and I used the old-fashioned, film cameras, and darkrooms...I did buy a state-of-the-art digital camera eight years ago, and paid a fortune for it...within a short time, it wasn't so state-of-the-art any longer...but I digress.

I live in Texas - I have a "Texas House". There are many interpretations of a "Texas House"..and thank goodness there are. I have lived in regions where I refer to their style(s) of architecture as "architorture"....very boring..Our house is "Rattlesnake Limestone", stained concrete floors, lots of arches, radius corners, high ceilings, lots of fans (yes, we have airconditioning, but it's HOT here, and moving the air around helps)....We have stone fireplaces, which we do use in the coldest days of windter, but not often. We have Live Oak trees off the deep, back porch, to shade us from the relentless Texas sun.

My kitchen is small, yet very functional, style-wise...there are just the two of us, but when we entertain, there's plenty of room for friends to have drinks and salsa and chips, chatting or helping with the cooking...we laugh alot in this house/kitchen.

This is my "Kitchen Angel"...when I purchased her, she was white resin, but I "rusted her, and then, did a coat of gold on her wings. She cradles a bird in her arms, that has seen better days (it was once in a Christmas tree years ago, and I don't have the heart to throw it away...She's a good angel, and she also hides outlets very nicely (I hate outlets, but they are necessary evils)... This is from the living room into the kitchen. The greenish cast on the backsplash is because I have the camera set for "tungsten", and these are flourescent...oh well...I do have plans for the tile backsplash behind the stove...I have clay...I am going to sculpt something...it is a surprise...wait for it..it may take awhile..

This is the view from the living room....In our last home, one couldn't have people in the living room and be able to participate in conversation...also, we can watch the tellie as we cook...

The appliances, we hate....but, they came with the house, and until they die, they stay...

Funny thing, our ice maker (after only three years) stopped working...I called Sears (it's a Kenmore, no, not a Sub Zero - which orginates in Madison, WI , where we were for twelve years, and one of my good friends is from the Sub Zero family...that's as close as I'll get to a Sub Zero)..but I digress...I called, and was told it would cost $300 to replace it...I decided that in todays' economy, I could buy alot of ice cube trays for that....six months later (last night), I heard it - the ssssssss sound of water through the pipe, and that comforting "clunk" (this was 2 am)..I jumped from the bed, ran into the kitchen and "glory be", we have ice! I am pretty sure "Our Lady of Perpetual Ice Cubes" decided to bless us....But, I digress.

We downsized considerably from our former home, and when I found this house, it was 2/3 finished....As a designer, I specialize in new construction, and when the economy was better, builders would buy my time and give it to their clients to start the process of building - which can be daunting - as in picking all the exteriors, all the surfaces, designing fireplaces, kitchens, baths, etc...so, when I saw that the builder was doing a spec house with custom features, such as granite countertops as opposed to laminate, oil rubbed bronze fixtures, etc., I held a gun to my husband's head and told him to make an offer (not really, we don't own a gun - which is unusal in Texas)....

The island is butcher-block as opposed to granite, which is fine with me...between dropping things on the floors, and the granite countertops, I don't need another hard surface.....Also, I enjoy the mixing of surfaces...and I like wood...(yes, these are floorcloths I painted.)

I found this round table in Target, when we moved here four years ago...it fits wonderfully in the little alcove - I suppose I should have photographed the tray ceiling over it...next time...

I love the stained concrete floors, which are cool to the touch (I used to go barefoot all the time, but there are scorpions in Texas...haven't seen many lately, as we have pest control, but one still never gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom without slippers - and one never slips into bed without checking the sheets first)..

There's plenty of cabinet space, and the tall cabinet is a built-in pantry...The wood is pecan, and we love the warmth of it...You may have noticed there is no hardware...I found exactly what I want..oil-rubbed bronze, but it's very expensive, and until the economy picks up, no hardware, sigh.

This is an all-electric house, with an electric burnerless stove top, which I've already managed to break. I was pulling a piece of cookware out of the upper cabinet, and dropped it...it's cracked, but there is no danger in using it - and until there is...(it's the economy thing again)..I've become very frugal these days.

I found this cabinet kit at Sears in Wisconsin...I bought two of them, and my husband put them together...one is in the dining room, and it has doors on it...it is decoupaged, and finished in a rustic red. When we moved, the doors to this one got lost, so I decided to use it any way..it has a wine rack, storage, and the top folds out as a server. I decided to crackle-glaze it, using a turquoise underbase, and a dark green paint...love it...

The inside-mount envelope shaped linen window treatments were so easy to make...I used spring-loaded hardware, and, "viola"...I had the trim, which I cheated by hot-gluing on, and I decided to set it off with real turquoise beads.. I am part Cherokee, and make a lot of my own jewelry, so I have plenty of turquoise in the house....

So, there's our little kitchen....I shot this at night, as the window treatments wouldn't show well during the day.....Now, I am going to eat breakfast...in my kitchen...enjoy your weekend!

This Could Take Awhile...

Arggggggggggggggggg!!! Okay, here's what happened...I tried to post these images in order, but had double-posted one, lost this one, and had to put it here..why, you ask? Because I haven't figured out how to move images around...All I can do is put them up in reverse order, so that the one I want first, I put up last...This image is the second page of a tutorial at the bottem...The next one is the first page of "How to repair drywall"...so, I have to live with it. Ya'll seem to do so well and know all the magic thingys, that make things beautiful, functional, imaginative; things flutter, things float..you can put HERE..and if you click on it, you go somewhere..don't bother clicking on that HERE, for you will go nowhere...stop laughing..stop it.
So, if you haven't read by now, I am archiving many of the articles I've cut out of magazines over the years and placed in sleeves in loose-leaf binders..big binders...I am getting rid of the binders, as they take up too much space, and it's hard to carry such heavy things around...so, I figured I might as well share them with you...

Don't forget to double-click in order to read the articles....I know, you knew that...

This is "moi", in all my glory, trying to reach a spot on my client's staircase (two stories), while sitting on a homemade (do not try this at home, I am a professional) scaffolding, comprised of boards and ladders. The room(s) I glazed -(one is pictured below in a photoshoot for Graber Window Fasions.) added up to 1,000 square feet...lots' of work...My client caught me with the glazing brush between my toes...

Painting stripes can be challenging...math skills needed here; and apparently I lacked them...one has to be very careful not to be off by a quarter-inch here, and a quarter inch there, as one ends up with having to adjust the width of the stripes at the end...I made it barely discernable..it did turn out well, and I learned alot..also, had thighs of steel, after all the taping and painting..going up-and-down a ladder one million times.

I took a faux finish class at New England School of Art and Design, in Boston....This was my final project..got an A...We had to use the Old World techniques, which are much more difficult than the wonderful (and better for your health) products out there today...which is why I want to share what I've learned by just reading...and observing.

I would like to give credit where credit is due, and I try, but some of these images were cut out years ago, and I have no idea...but, thankyou very much....

Faux Finishes, etc...

Since I've been "compartmentalizing", I've been having fun reading and remembering how fun it was to find these articles, and save them. I've spent hours-and-hours, going through magazines, and cutting out these things, and putting them in binders...which take up too much room...making room for my husband's books in a bookcase along side mine in my office....
I am a firm believer that aside from brain surgery, there's not much I can't learn from a book or a tutorial (I need to remind myself, when I am reading tutorials about the computer...there, I freeze up)...anyway, after learning these techniques, as a designer, I did many of my own faux finishes for clients...they loved them..In fact, time permitting, I will put some on the blog.

I do hope you find instruction and inspiration here...I know I did.............Don't forget, you can double-click, and read the print....try it...also, I always suggest doing a sample board before diving it...saves time, money, and tearing your hair out...been there, done that, bought the tshirt.

After learning these techniques, and before ruining my wrist with falls and other abuses, I was able to charge $50 a square ft. (those were the days), or more....everyone loved whatever I did.

Enjoy- I am off to water aerobics.

Compartmentalizing....

My husband is just now finishing a two-year "gig" as a consultant, and is moving out of his office and back home...which means there are boxes of books in our garage..I have my design books, art books, novels, etc., and he has his scientific journals, business books, (okay, I give up here...he has a doctorate in anatomy, and he is a scientist and a business guy)..which means all kinds of books that he refuses (as do I my books) to just get rid of...which means unless we have tons of bookcases, we are in trouble...We don't have that much wall space in our home...lots of windows, arches, and our offices are "chock full"...
So, for years, I have been cutting articles out of various magazines, and filing them away in plastic sleeves in big binders, which take up a great deal of space...also, they are heavy...so, I am compartmentalizing....I have decided to scan my favorites...I have "sewing, crafts, art, kitchens, window treatments, dining rooms, bedrooms, gardens, the whole gamut, all taking up a great deal of space...I have decided to scan my favorites and share them with you...also, they are then on my computer..which I better back up..don't you think?

I am also writing two novels, and a children's book, which is taking a great deal of my time..along with three days a week of water aerobics, and two days a week of power walking...so, I am going to share with you what I've taken from the notebooks, and hoping that you won't think I'm cheating here...but, I LOVE so much of it.

The first thing I got from my "Fabrics inspiration" notebooks were these wonderful articles from "Marie Claire Idees" from years ago...I had forgotten all about them...now, I will share them with you, and perhaps, getting the "creative juices" flowing again as far as sewing...

Remember, you can double-click on the images, and they will be enlarged...enjoy!!!

I do so enjoy taking bits of fabrics (I save everything, especially, scraps of velvet, silks, moires, beads, ribbons,) and making something from them...I am a "she who dies with the most fabric (scraps and all), wins..

I love gold - and I love stamps, and I love what they've done with these bags.

This ribbon embroidery is devine, and I love making pillows from whatever is around...I also love ribbon roses, and have several books on it...This heart is one of my favorites

Tis actually kind of fun..going through my archives... I hope you find some idees...

Lily's Legacy...Part 1

I've written about Aunt Lily before....Bless her, she passed away last winter, and we recently returned from a trip up North, stopping in Tennessee to put her Estate Sale together, and bring home (at least what we could get in the car-which also was hers) some of the things we inherited from her.....

I adored Lil; she never married, but ran four corporations in New York, and was a "mother/aunt" to my husband and his brother, who died two years ago...Anyway, everything went to us...

Lil never entertained, preferring to say in her wonderful, New York accent, "Ah, come on, I'll take you all out to dinner." I say this in amazement, as she was ready just in case she ever did decide to entertain at home - Royal Doultan crystal (service for 12), china, linens, silver...oh, the silver!

This is a photo of Lily, my husband's father (her brother), and Aunt Mary, who was a hairdresser (as was my husband's father) on Fifth Avenue in New York in the 40's....
Lily is the one with the bow on her hat...she was so cute!

This was the last photograph I took of Lily and my husband...she was 84 by then, and had Alzheimer's...still knew us, but was going downhill rapidly.....
Last night, I couldn't sleep, so around 2 am, I gave up, got up, and got my new toy (my wonderful, new digital camera)....that can do anything ...For 28 years, I was a professional photographer (along with being an interior designer), who shot film - remember film? I also developed my own film, and printed my own shots...even hand-colored many of them.

I tiptoed into the dining room, where I had set out some of the silver...and had hung one of the trays (that's a photo of my father as a boy, and an aunt in the velvet frame...I lit the candles, and decided to experiment with all the "bells and whistles"....so, tell me, which you prefer...(this may get a bit reduntant)

I shot two angles, using the "normal" setting, and not using the flash...never use a flash, as it sucks the life out of a photo...just "push" the film (okay, the ISO)...I can go as fast as 1600, which is wonderful! If you want to see details, double-click on the photo...



I love the the glow of candle light, and the gleam of the silver....(that's one of my hand-painted glass decanters).

Next, I switched to sepia...this is to me the greatest thing since gummy bears were invented!

I used to (yes, I am old...okay, older...62..okay?) have to print the photo, wash and dry the print, then, bleach the print, wash the print, put the print in a stinky, rotten-egg-smelling bath, wash the print again....so much work...Now, (okay, everyone who is under the age of 28 stop laughing at me marveling at this technology)...I push a button!

It brings me to mind of 1940's films shown on Turner Classic Movies, where the man and woman (she has a Marcel hairdo, and is wearing a dressing gown with feather-trimmed sleeves...he is in a smoking jacket, and yes, horrors! they are actually smoking cigarettes, and sipping champagne...she turnes to him, meets his eyes, and smiles..."Happy Dahling?" she croons...

The experiment continues....This is the "neutral" setting...I really like it...not quite "normal", not sepia...gentle...easy on the eyes...almost painterly....

The word "photography" comes from the Greek..."photo" - light - Graphy-writing...it's writing with light...I love that...again, the reflective quality of the silver makes me want to paint it....

The last setting I tried was "vibrant".... puts me in mind of the 1950's "Technicolor", when it first came out...too bright, to vivid, but boy, was everyone wowed by color....I always loved the scene from "The Wizard of Oz", which was much earlier, when Dorothy (and Toto too) landed in Oz...when it switched over from black-and-white to WOW-color!

This, however, in this case, is not my favorite...makes my eyes hurt...Okay, I'm done...for those of you who could give a rip, I tried not to bore you too much, but for those of you, who are interested in photograpy, hopefully, you will give me your opinion..(s)

This bowl of lemons (yes, Lily's silver bowl - there are more pieces that I have yet to polish)...sits on our round, black kitchen table...under the chandelier...At this point, I got tired enough to crawl back into bed and fall asleep...thanking Lily for her lovely things she passed on to us...we WILL use them!

Salty Salado

Who knew it would take nearly a week to upload all the photos of Salado (and I only got about a third of the way through the town, when the heat done me in. For the past week, it's been "upload a photo, and while I wait, clean the dishes, or litter box, or rotate the tires (kidding about the tires")...I haven't been sleeping much, as I have a neurotic cat (that would be Raisenette), who awakens me several times a night, so, I turn on the computer, and continue to upload...enough of that..that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Salado was a thriving community in the 1800's; it was a Stagecoach line (there's still a stagecoach, sitting outside the, well, "Stagecoach Inn", on the famous Chishom Trail, and at one time, there were eleven mills surrounding the river, which had been dammed up to the point that a five-foot geiser shot up.

The name "Salado" means "Salty" in the Tawakoni Native American language (never heard of them..looked them up; they were a small, fierce tribe, who was absorbed by the Wichita - heard of them, as I was born in Wichita)..but, I digress...still no idea why they called it "salty", perhaps, there were salt flats there then...

But now, Salado is a destination...like many smaller communities that base their survival on visitors spending money in their shops and galleries, they are struggling in this terrible "Great Recession", so if you are anywhere near there - people come from as far as Ft. Worth, Austin, Dallas, to stay in the Inn (there are more than one), and shop - there really is alot to see and something there for most tastes. It runs the gamut from Fine Art, Antiques, Clothing, and specialty shops.

I started at one end of the main street, and decided to work my way down...There were rows of shops under one, long-tin roof, filled with things I have no interest in (many what I refer to as "Oatsy Groatsy", I don't mind "Oatsy Groatsy, as long as it is hand-made -this was not hand-made, but made in China...I bypassed them. There is a Thomas Kincade gallery, which many people love, but it's just not my taste, but never would insult his fans.

Then, I saw it...a tiny, log cabin, nestled in the trees...I had been to Salado on several occasions, but never noticed it...I wish I had asked the owner what it originally was - perhaps a tiny tavern, or even a small, log domicile. It is covered in ivy, and it beckoned to me.

I love my new camera, as I can switch, back-and-forth from color, to sepia, to black-and-white...this shop just needed sepia, in fact, shooting the older buildings in sepia made it easier for me to "see" it in my mind's eye, when it was back in the 1800's......

I fell in love with the two, what must have been church pews?

Having once had a tiny gallery/shop in a historical building, I was so impressed with how much was in this little space...and they were wonderful things...All the linens, aprons, bags, etc., are hand-made by Richard, the very nice owner, who was busy cutting out pieces of fabric on the counter. There is also wonderful, quaint fabric sold by the yard.....

There is much to see, and I couldn't resist buying a little box of notecards, as it had coral on it..the box is like a book, that says "Coral" on the binding....I have a purpose for it..which you will see in another post. (anyone want the notecards? - I just wanted the box...below, are some of the other boxes...and lovely notecards..also, a clever bowl, made out of rolled up paper.

An assortment of candles, balms, bunnies, nests, floral arrangements, are displayed on wonderful, antique pieces.

Here's the most startling thing; this tree grows right through it..I asked Richard if they put the huge limb in, and he said it was there when they moved in...In fact, there is a tree that grows through the Stagecoach Inn as well. I love this!!!

Lots of quilts, pillows, tableskirts, aprons - all hand-made, and many available custom-made.

The cases have some lovely, hand-made jewelry, as well.

I especially liked Richard, as he takes in stray animals, many who have been hurt or are starving, and nurses them back to health. He told me there is no animal shelter, so all the shop owners have a doggie piggy bank, where one can leave donations to help care for the animals..There was a pretty chubby black cat outside the door, who was taken in, and seemed quite happy.

After living the Garden Shop, I walked across the street into another culture...Oriental...a "Zen" garden...Trees seem to play a large part in this town (trees in Texas play a huge role...it's called shade)...There were several shops but only one was open (it was Sunday)...The one that was open is owned by an Oriental lady, and is full of beautiful, imported pieces; kimonos, scarves, jade pieces, art - lovely.

Speaking of different cultures...just down the street is -Sofi's - and yes, the picture of the porch and bench is up at the top..why? Because I had it here, but it disappeared on me, so I put it wherever the heck it wanted to be...still learning here...sheesh.

Sofi's is a shop with many "owners"...spaces...and a comglomeration of just about everything...art, photographs, clothing, jewelry, antiques, children's clothing, quilts..One could spend hours in there (I need to go back)..

When I first came to Texas from Wisconsin (and the cultures couldn't be more different), I was shocked at how the Mexican population celebrated death and their dead ancestors...Now, I just think it's fun. On the "Day of the Dead", the Mexicans have picnics in the cemetary, next to the graves of their loved ones..they bring their loved one's favorite foods, and just have a party...It's their way of celebrating the lives - not the deaths of their families...Hey, we have Halloween, which can be kind of spooky...I find nothing frightening about these "gleeful dead"...wouldn't want them in the house, but sure are interesting...There are beautiful, brightly-colored clothes, bags, jewelry, hats......for me, a little goes a long way...but still, a very interesting place. Lot's of hommage to Frieda Kahlo, whom I loved...she could, however, have used a brow waxing.

I think of Sofi's as an "Emporium"....truly a fun place to be....

I bought a wonderful "Flax", white linen dress at a great sale the owner of the space, Nancy, was having...It's on my dress form in my bedroom, waiting for the special occasion...right now, it's 102 outside, and I'm just not interested in being out there...but when I do venture out, it will be in that dress - Nancy says she has tons of new pieces coming in...I love the "Flax" line of clothing.

This is "Fergie", a stray that was taken in by Sue, who has fabulous jewelry, much of which she was wearing...Sue is confined to a wheelchair, but Fergie takes very good care of her...what wonderful women I met in this shop...very gracious, very interesting....very lovely.

Just look at that incredible jewelry.! And that lovely complexion this lady has...

This is Nancy, of the Flax....I wanted to rip this jacket right off her body and run away with it..it is wonderful! She wouldn't let go of it...

This is Barbara, who makes the jewelry displayed in the case behind her...turquoise the size of hen's eggs, unusual stones, and combinations....love it...If I didn't make so much of my own jewelry, I could have bought so much of what she had.....

Walls of quilts, at wonderful prices...really fun children's clothes and accessories, lots and lots of sales going on...hurry on down!

I just inherited so much beautiful silver from Aunt Lily, but I was so taken by this fork...It is haunting me...I may need to go back for it.

This shop was across the street....it's in the back of a larger shop ...I asked the woman there - in this space, if I could take photos, and she was kind enough to let me...it is quite lovely, with antique china, pretty jewelry, linens, etc...The mirror behind the counter is to die for

The chandelier is huge, and probably, orginal to the space? But electrified later....

I started to go into the adjoining space, but was stopped by the woman, saying she didn't want me to photograph the space...stated that everyone was trying to steal their ideas...I will honor that gladly (although I didn't see a single idea I would want to steal, as most of what was there was resin or imported from China or India)..oh well...be nice..

Miller Fine Art is my favorite gallery and Western Genre gallery in all of Salado...there is one down the street that is very nice, but it's all longhorns and bluebonnets...nothing wrong with that...I love both, but after awhile, it's all starting to look the same...so, all you long horn painters, and blue bonnet artists don't get angry...it's art, and art is subjective...there are many who would love your work...k? (In fact, I am going to do a painting of a longhorn...just can't resist them)..

I love the "door" series...Judy, the owner, was telling me this artist is in his eighties, and I believe he lives in New Mexico...very etherial..

I love this bronze....There are so many in her gallery, and all of them would be wonderful in my home...I can paint, and I can sculpt a bit, but the entire bronze process is expensive and difficult....I can't affort a foundery...The wall behind it is actually brilliant red, but in a wash of light, it takes on this fabulous magenta-tone.

These mesquite tables, inlaid with turquoise take my breath away....

Judy was so gracious, she invited me to "sit and talk", so we did...I had a great visit with her, and learned alot about the various artists showing in her space....Again, it is fine art, for fine art people...She said a young woman came in one day, newly married, and looking to collect some art for her home..Judy gave her the best advice - (I say the same to my clients)...Don't get it if you don't just truly love it...don't worry if it doesn't match the sofa, or if it seems out of place for your home...if you love it...it will find the right place...

Another gallery, built around yet another tree...I love this!

Further on down the street is a series of shops, in such wonderful buildings! However, it was 102, and I was wilting......Even sitting on the benches in the shade was too hot...

More quilts...still at good pricing...

At this point, I was melted...also, I needed to get in my car to travel across the bridge (just too hot to walk it)...It was so hot, I felt sick...so, that's the cue to blast the air conditioning, and get out of Dodge (no, Salado)..I've been to Dodge, and it's a very sad place..The only interesting things I saw in Dodge City, Kansas, were some prairie dogs, standing in front of the local Walmart, sort of waving at me....weird..

Need to go back to Salado and finish my adventure....maybe when it cools off?