Thursday, March 15, 2012

Finally! Painted and Staged

Six hundred and thirty-three trips up-and-down a ladder later ~ done..finished, praise God!
Our living room was dark, even on a sunny day.  This is Texas, after all, and when the 107 temps hit for months on end, we were grateful for the deep back porch, the cool, stained concrete floors, and the live oak trees off the back porch. 
As a designer and stager, I knew that the ceilings needed to be painted in the livingroom and the foyer...they were the same color as the walls, and sucked up what light there was coming in the one wall facing East....So, I decided I could do it...and I could, but as God is my witness, I will never paint another ceiling again...that said..what a difference!


This is still a "before", but I wanted to show you how dark the room was, even with the bright sunlight outside. Also, I didnt like the fact that the fireplace breast was the same color as the rest of the space, so I painted it the same color as the trim...and now....
"Viola"





So, the realtor came out with the wide angle lens (I don't have one), and took some shots..the "pro" will be here as soon as we have a sunny day, which is next week.  It's strange to have so much rain and cloudy days, but wonderful, as we've been suffering through a terrible drought.


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It seems that one of my three muses (we all have them, you know) is playing with the computer today - I have a kitchen muse, who loves to add too many spices to my chili, and one, who loves to play with my computer (while I'm trying to post), and one, who is my "creative muse", who mostly behaves..So, these photos and captions are a bit mixed up today...

My home is "Rattlesnake Limestone" which is named that because of the fossils in it (they are really sea shells, but look like rattlesnake rattles.




Sunday, March 4, 2012

After a Long, Dry Spell

I have been neglecting my blog..not because I am bored with blogging, but if you read the post below this, you will better understand.  Every waking moment lately, I've been on an 11-ft. ladder..painting our ceiling, foyer, and fireplace breast.  Photos to follow.
Speaking of photos, while I've been out-and-about to some of my favorite places, I've shot some things I'd like to share..Here's a bit of a montage.
My favorite shop in Georgetown, Texas ..."Diva"
 I love the chest, and the entire look..Diva...

                               Usually, I amnot wild about silk arrangements, but these are lovely.
                                                                              Diva
I'm pretty sure I need to feed my bookend obsession with this stack of celedon turtles........love...Diva

I love birds, china, and combining the two is almost irresitable...
I may take a break from my painting, and visit Diva today...

It's Been a Long, Long Time Comin'

But a change is going to come.  We are selling our home, and moving to an yet to be determined destination.
It is a sign of these times.  I swore when we bought our Texas home, they would have to carry me out toes up.  Things happen.  My husband can't find work in Texas, and the design industry is terrible, so we have to adapt. Sooooooooooo, here's a few shots of what we are doing to stage our home..outside first.
This was taken before last season's drought..the grass burned up, and now,this Spring, clover has taken over..which is good, as it will add nitrogen to our poor soil. 
The space between the garage windows looked stark and made the house feel not so welcome...soooo. I designed a custom-made trellis...Now, my husband suggested a trellis, but after it was up, he hated it..said it was too large and heavy looking.  We thought about painting it, but it is a western exposure, and I think it wouldn't stand up under all that harsh sunlight...so, I think I finally found the solution.


I rather liked it the way it was, but it was not making our marriage any happier by arguing over it, so while he was away for a day, I went to my local Tuesday Morning...(I love Tuesday Morning)..and Home Depot Garden Center, and found these "Wall Mangers", wrought iron, filled with coconut hair (for lack of a better term)..I only fell off the ladder once while mounting them. 
We have deer, lots of deer, whom we feed corn, but that doesn't stop them from eating every plant and flower we've put out. Deer don't eat bougainvillea, and even if they did, I wanted something fairly out of their reach..just in case.
I have added Rosemary in pots, and will be adding some other plants in the round pots..probably Plumbago, which deer nibble at, but not too much...so..that's the exterior.  We wanted to add shutters, but the windows are placed rather awkwardly on one wall, and would throw the look off.  Maybe our next home....