Jessica's Interiors, Etc.

Greeting Cards

2012-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

There is a saying, "Man Plans and God laughs"...I am attempting to submit my photos for a greeting card line, and the computer gods won't let me do it conventionally, so here we go!

Please note that all of these images are copyrighted, and cannot be used without my permission...Thanks

How to Cook A Wolf

2012-01-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was talking to a friend about our Christmas, and celebrating my mother-in-law's 90th birthday (see below).

Her comment was, (keep in mind, we have been deeply affected by the recession, and my husband hasn't worked for quite awhile- a ph.d. won't get one far in this economy) "for someone who's struggling financially, it (our home, our holiday decor, and the celebration), it all looks pretty posh". At first, I was a bit taken aback, as this is a good friend. Now, I think it was a complement.

I have always been a fan of making "a silk purse out of a sow's ear", and am reminded of the wonderful writer MFK Fisher, who was a food writer, who lived in Europe during WWII. Everyone was trying to keep the wolf away from the door, and she wrote a wonderful piece on "How to Cook a Wolf"

Such is our life; the wolf isn't at the door, but he's sniffing around our driveway...that said, we didn't exchange Christmas gifts, and I'd like to show some of you, who are in our same position (isn't that "we are the 99%), how to celebrate without breaking the bank.

I believe it cost me $8.00 to make this wreath.

Our tree was from our local supermarket...the urn has been everywhere with us, and did time in our garden, on our screened in porch in Wisconsin, and every Christmas, we put our 6-ft. tree in it, making a much larger-looking tree, and preventing our cats (who were once tree-climbing kittens) from attack. It has become a tradition...an inexpensive tradition, at that.

The silver, we inherited..(thankyou Aunt Lily), and the candles..dripless, burn an inch an hour, are from Tuesday Morning for $1.00 apiece. (Thankyou Tuesday Morning).

The pointsettia is an old one from last year's wreath...I hot-glued some "bling" to the stamens...ohhh lala..

The center piece, I made from $12.00 worth of German Glitter "asparagus", an old silver-plated teapot from years and years ago, that I bought at a garage sale, and was living in our garage(worn down to the nickel), and bit's and pieces from my endless stash of thirty years.

The china, (from England, TJ Maxx..$1.00 per plate)..The wine glasses, from TJ Maxx, which I hand-painted with a grape design ($7.00 for 6), The silver, ours for years....The ficus, lit with last-year's outdoor lights. That's my beautiful Mother-in-law, my handsome husband, and the back of a friend's head...The runner was from an estate sale, and I refinished the table (tiger maple) years ago - passed down from the family.

We have wonderful friends, who brought wine, and a smile....The menu was simple, served buffet-style...this is Texas, darlin', so we aren't going to be doing foie gras' and pheasant under glass..we did bbq chicken wings, new potatoes, wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven, wasabi develed eggs, a vege and dip plate (for recipes go to http://www.marthastewart.com/ and find the wasabi eggs, and the new potatoes)..have to give credit where credit is due.

I did splurge on the $20.00 raspberry-chocolate cake...some champagne, and good coffee.

viola' - "living well is the best revenge" (I am not sure who said that)..

This was my mother-in-law in Nov. 1946...she was a high-fashion model on fifth Avenue in New York, and as a college student, was on the cover of "Look" magazine as one of the most beautiful coeds of 1944....She's still beautiful!

Another Christmas, For Which I am Blessed

2011-12-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

There is light, love, and laughter through the tears for those, who are not with us, but watching over us with love...this I have to believe....

This is my lovely, mother-in-law, Miz Eula, who turned 90 in November...we feted her with a party...such an honor...

We should be as bright, beautiful, and healthy as she when and if we get there...

That Itch to Create

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

I can't resist...little bowls from Ikea, Pebeo French Paints, and "viola", Life becomes a bowl of you-know-whats

A tree form, some reindeer moss, a tin container (from the Goodwill, no less), stained with my husband's shoe polish...Some paper mache houses from Hobby Lobby, paint, dragees (for the wreath on the larger house, clear glitter, some snow (gesso)and the ribbon from Michael's..

A straw wreath form, an old, worn pair of velvet, Eileen Fisher lounging trousers, ribbon from Michael's, iron-on bonding materials (bond the ribbon to the velvet, and cut out shapes)...hot glue, and a faux, faberge egg...

Almost forgot....spray glue, and gold glitter...never enough glitter in this world...

Never enough Purple passion...

And, above all, never stop dreaming; of a better world, even when all seems dark...look for the beauty and the light...

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

2011-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder...

Children are beautiful..

As are roses....

Once upon a time, I was a photographer by profession...

Then, I decided to become an interior designer...As a Gemini, I am allowed to do this...'tis a blessing to be allowed to do what one loves...

As a child, we didn't have alot of money,but my mother, bless her, always made sure we had paper and pencils and a library card...I didn't know we were poor, and I didn't particularly care...There was art, music, nature, and a lovely lady, who had a natural grace about her...

"Above all," she would say "be kind and be honest." Those words have taken me beyond the sadness and ugliness in this world.

Finding things that have been cast off, such as an old, silverplate teapot, worn through to the nickel...and honoring it, by making it yet another thing of beauty is important...more important (at least to me) than a brand-spanking new ugly espresso machine (although, I do love an espresso now-and-again.

Age is a state of mind...

In this world that if full of fear, anger, greed, and angst...please, hold on to the beauty, and don't forget to dream.

Some New Some Not So New

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

For a very long time, I had this flying sheep over my bed. My first intention was to reproduce him, and have three, flying sheep...Never did - and as they say, "the cobbler's children have no shoes"...I was busy with other's homes.

I decided that since I was a big girl now, a bit of sophistication was called for...I will always love my Country French, pine bed, but I love black-and-white, and I make window treatments, and love color blocking, as you will see. I also love stripes...and did it ever pop with the fuscia!

I experimented with having white sheers over the bed, and liked it, and my husband was'nt wild about the fuschia, so the experiment continued...(For a designer, this is called "playing")

I decided this "Sophisticated Lady", was more appropriate than "flying sheep". Still, I don't have the heart to get rid of him...I am going to paint him with chalkboard paint, and put him in my office as the "black sheep" of the family.

I think for the holidays, it's time for another look.
I do love red....

Here's The Thing

2011-11-16T08:01:00.001-08:00

There's been so much happening: My business partnership is being dissolved (just didn't work out the way we had hoped)...My cat died...and the whole thing is starting to sound like a poorly-written Country-Western lament.

I am also having issues with Google..who will let me use my identity and password to access my blog, and to moderate comments..just won't accept my answers..no time right now to deal with it...so, please know that I appreciate any comments, and hope you will welcome me "Home"...and no, if you click on that "home", you don't go anywhere...

Here's a few things I've been working on: more later...

Little, Blind Cat Gussie is Gone

2011-11-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

There is a tiny, little furry body, wrapped in a towel, resting for the last time on our hearth. We lost our little Gussie during the night. She was sixteen, and had a hard time for many years not being afraid of everyone except me. When she went blind two years ago, a sort of miracle happened. She came out from under the bed, and spent the last two years, being loved and loving.
Rest in Peace our darling girl.

Running Away From Home (Page)

2011-10-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering, "Why is this woman rambling, and why is this entire post backwards, and why the heck is she here anyway....? Just because I learned to love coming here, and although it was started (hence the title - Jessica's Interior's Etc) the Etc. was the fun part. So, now I am a partner in Enlightened Interiors LLC, and am working on building a business in a (in case ya'll have noticed) a terrible economy...too much worry, too many people out-of-work..including my husband - too many angry people...me included...So, I came to just put up my photos..say, "Hey", hey, and go to bed, perchance to dream something more interesting than this blog. (and yes, it is backwards).

I don't know if anyone comes here anymore, but if you do, thanks..

This is Evelyn, loving her roses...You might want to read this post backwards, as that is exactly what it is...as is my life..topsy-turvy, upside-down, ass-backwards....

Why is it that on my "other blog", the photos are in order, the writing is in order, and on this one, I just can't seem to get there....I can't put a HERE, and you click on it, and it takes you wherever...SO, I am too tired to just fight it, and I ran away from facebook for awhile..and am sharing my black-and-white photos... This was our beloved "Lizzie" dog, and our very much missed "Mehetible"...Lizzie was a sweetie, and would share just about anything with anyone...except for "Cow", and this duck...She tried to share, but just couldn't.

They both have been gone for such a long time, but I miss them every day.

I know, I'm supposed to be doing other things; working on my/our other blog, "Enlightened Interiors"...and I do...I also love my design partner, but there is a part of me that needs to be here, as well

Fine, my photos are out-of-order, my thoughts are random, I'm not talking about Interior Design, but then, I have another blog for that

To me, the world has gone mad..just crazy mad.

I went through some of my thousands of black-and-white negatives the other day, and had some printed off, after which, I scanned them in. I miss my darkroom....I know that things are much easier here in computer-land, but there was something about going into my very "rustic", (read, no running water, in the basement, with the spiders, cold, damp, and well...dark), putting some music on (usuallyNPR), and spending hours, standing on my feet on a concrete floor...making magic. Well, I thought it was making magic.

Missing AllY'all....Truly

2011-09-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

THIS HAS BEEN MY VERY OWN 'HOME' BLOG

FOR A VERY LONG TIME, AND I MISS IT.

I LOVE MY NEW BUSINESS, AND WE ARE

WORKING HARD AT IT, WITH SOME GOOD THINGS HAPPENING,

THAT SAID, I AM A GEMINI (A DOUBLE GEMINI).

THAT'S THE OTHER ME DOWN THERE ON THE STONE

WALL....I AM WATCHING MYSELF FROM MY

BALCONY AND SAYING, 'SELF, I MISS YOU'

SOOOO, I AM DROPPING IN TO SAY HELLO AND

HOPEFULLY, YOU WILL COME BY AND SAY, "hey"

RIGHT BACK ATCHA.

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ON THE

OUTSIDE OF LIFE LOOKING IN, OR ON THE INSIDE, LOOKING OUT?

TIME RACES BY, AND ONE WONDERS, WHERE HAS

IT GONE, WHAT HAVE I DONE?

THIS IS EMMA; SHE WAS ONE OF MY

"CHILDREN"...I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHING

CHILDREN, AS THEY ARE SO HONEST.

DON'T HER EYES SHOW HOW HONEST AND INNOCENT

SHE IS?

BY NOW, SHE IS A YOUNG WOMAN, AND I HOPE SOME

OF THAT REMAINS.

THIS IS GINA MAE, WHO HAS LONG SINCE OUTGROWN

THE CHERRY BOWL....AGAIN, THE SWEET INNOCENCE

I AM TRYING TO REGAIN THE JOY OF THE LITTLE

THINGS IN LIFE.

SLOWLY.

OUR DAYS ON THIS PLAIN ARE LIMITED...EVEN THOUGH, AS

CHILDREN, WE BELIEVE THEY WILL GO ON FOREVER,

BUT, AS WE GET OLDER THEY WHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOSH BY.

I AM THINKING OF OPENING AN ETSY SHOP (ME AND

THOUSANDS OF OTHERS)...I NEED A PLACE TO

PUT MY "creations"...I AM THINKING OF CALLING IT,

"JESSE ETC."

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

http://enlightened-interiors.blogspot.com

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2011-08-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCING THE BIRTH OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP

ENLIGHTENED INTERIORS LLC

We have been working day and night, establishing our new business, Enlightened Interiors LLC~the partnership of Jessica Schatz and Jeremy Potts - yes, "Potts/Schatz" has been a labor of love...and now, it's official.

Please join us at our new blog: http://enlightened-interiors.blogspot.com

You have been so wonderful to me through the years; being patient, as I struggled with what to do with the rest of my career/life...through so many struggles..a few laughs, and a bit of bitching here-and-there, but now, I really love getting up in the morning, knowing that I am on a path that is so exciting.

I know that most of you probably don't know who Sister Parish and Albert Hadley were, and that's fine..they were design icons. Sister Parish was a socialite decorator, who decided to hang out her shingle in order to help with the finances, as her husband, who was an investment banker, was hard-hit in the stock market crash of 1929 (she married him in 1930, so it must have been love). Her real name was Dorothy May, but as the only daughter in a five-child family, she acquired the nickname "Sister", which lead to her being mistaken in the press as a nun with a talent for arranging furniture. She was known for her understated English country house look, chintz everywhere, combined with patchwork quilts, throws, and rag rugs that led to her being credited with the advent of American country style in the 1960's. She and Albert Hadley, no design slouch, either, but much younger and more contemporary in his style, became partners, and co-founded Parish-Hadley Associates. Parish was the first interior designer brought in to decorate the Kennedy White House.

Over a year ago, I met Jeremy, who was working in a home accessories store where I had purchased a mirror. From the time it took for him to carry it to my car to the time it took him to load it into the trunk, I knew he was special. He had recently graduated from design school, was frustrated because he was young and inexperienced (although he was lauded in his school as one of the best), and was searching. I was searching, as well, but for different reasons...I was experienced, but didn't have the technical, computer skills required for today's world, and he had all those skills, but not the experience to be hired in today's challenging economy. We became friends immediately. But, it was at least a year before I approached him as to a partnership...but, I finally did..and I am so glad!

Therefore, I bid adeau to Jessica's Interiors, Etc., and embrace fully this partnership. We work so well together, he is a determined, talented dynamo, and I am a determined, talented (yes, I have to say that) "woman with experience"...we shall go far...I have high hopes and expectations.

http://enlightened-interiors.net is our new website...(okay, I had to do this without Jeremy's patient coaching over my shoulder..hopefully, you can get there from here)..this is what I'm talking about.

Again, thankyou, thankyou, and thankyou.

May the wind always be at your back...

Something New is Afoot....

2011-06-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Having recently had an accident...a fall, a head injury...(I'll spare you the photo)..I have been in bed for the last two weeks..not fun..

The is, however, GOOD NEWS..but, it's a surprise... sort of... a new partnership, a new business, and so exicited...stay tuned..be well, be happy..

Ants

2011-05-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is a photo that I took years ago on our farm...In the following post, I refer to it in a color version of the photo...wrong photo..no ant..whatever..you are scratching your head, wondering what the heck I'm talking about....read on...:)

Self-Indulgence...

2011-05-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my 63rd birthday....Until one crosses the line at 60, one doesn't realize how quickly it all goes by...so, each day has been a gift...a gift of 86,4000 seconds...never to be re-lived, so make the most of it.

This is my mother, Julia Florine, who gave me life (thankyou, Mama), and left this world far too soon...before even reaching 60. If you look at the background, you can see we were poor..dirt poor, but my mother taught me to see beauty in everything... This is my sister, Norma Jean, (the pretty one); I'm the one trying to grab the telephone away,and looking just plain onery...She wants nothing to do with me...fact is, I don't even know where she is...One reaches a point in life, where one has to cast off these sad things...I have..

The sun is shining into my dining room, and beckoning me to go out for a walk, before it gets too hot...this is Texas, you know....

There has been so much tragedy in the world and this country of late, that I go to bed in tears many nights...I am trying to regain my center...to realize there are things about which I can do nothing, but to try to do something -

I took this photo years ago, on our farm...I call it "Romantic America"...If you click on it (twice), you will see an ant on the apple...That's how I feel in this world...a speck...but, specks can make a difference, as well.

I am embarking on a new endeavor with a wonderful, talented, young designer...more to follow...Treasure this day...I know I shall.

Jessica's Interiors, Etc. ~ Stage 2

2011-05-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Since I moved to Texas nearly six years ago, I haven't been doing alot of interior design...won't even go into what I was doing, but I miss it....I specialize in new construction, but with the "Great Recession" the construction/housing industry (this is not a news flash, ya'll know this already) is in terrible straits...So, what do do? Again, no newsflash, but since there is a glut of homes on the market, homes are not selling, and if they are, not for the money they deserve to bring in....I have done staging in the past, but not concentrated on really building it as a specialty...
The following shots are of my work...mostly done in Wisconsin, mostly of Parade Homes...which I did from the ground up...To me, a Parade Home is the ultimate in staging...The builder builds a house that he wants to showcase his/her work, and a designer "stages" it...We wouldn't go through all that time and expense otherwise, now would we?

I do not believe in the "paint it white, throw a few rugs here-and-there-, and "viola" it's "staged..I believe in making a potential buyer walk through the door and be able to envision themselves living there...Of course, you take out the dozens of family photos, books on fly fishing, and other personal possessions...but, you want to have the home invite the buyer in and see what it could be for them...

So, here I go....I have my eye on a young, up-and-coming designer, who just graduated from design school, is charming, talented, and computer-savy...you know who you are...can you come out and play?

Remember, you can click on the photos to make them larger and view the details...such as the onyx and marble tile floor I put in this power room...Powder rooms should be like little jewel boxes..

Being a photo stylist for years has helped me to set up the "staging" for this bathroom...(Designed it, as well...just assume that the rest are all from the ground up)..they are. I am not bragging, just showing - Enjoy...

Rather than draping swoopy, swaggy, scarfy things over windows, I like to sew color-blocked window treatments...combining textures and colors, using a tiny bit of an expensive fabric, along with inexpensive, and tying those babies up with a ribbon..inexpensive yet striking...

Would these glazed walls (did them myself...1,000 sq.ft.) scare a buyer off? Not the ones who ended up buying the house...they loved them!

Sheets from Target - a bit of fluff on the windows...a dream room for a little girl...

Whether a penthouse, or a Southwestern setting...they both have to be serene and inviting...no clutter, no fuss...minimal...

I hemmed the sheer fabric, and sewed inexpensive trim on the bottem to weight them..the top squares are hemmed, and then, glued crystal trim ($1.99 a yard)..tossed them over spring-loaded window hardware..so inexpensive..yet, when the sun hits the crystals, prisms of light dance on the walls...

All the furniture in these shots was rented , the accessories were not all that expensive, and I did all the floral arrangements...The artwork was through a friend who has a gallery (and, yes, it is important to have adequate insurance)...

So, I have moved to "Stage 2"...fun...

Interiors of What???

2011-05-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have led a pretty interesting life thus far.....
I began this blog quite awhile back, thinking that I would be like so many bloggers who are interior designers and showcase my work. By doing this, I would get clients....There's an old saying, "Man plans and God laughs"...Since moving to Texas (leaving behind a very successful design business), God has had several good laughs on me....I am not going to complain, for how could I; there are people starving, losing their homes, being radiated in Japan, being flooded out of their homes, etc. (there's that etc.)...Me, well, I'm turning 63 this month, and haven't had a good design job in which to sink my teeth for years now. In fact, my last design job of any significance was my doctor's home - just before I had major surgery.... Living in Texas has been like moving to another planet... hotternhell in the summer, temperate climate in the winter...a place with gardens called "Peckerwood" (true), and every kind of creepy-crawley under the sun (and rocks)...

I have been married several times...I do believe only Elizabeth Taylor had me trumped by a few marriages. I have been married to the final husband for twenty-eight years...so, finally got that right - and no, this is not him...this is number 3, the crazy, Latvian scientist...I'm just saying, I've had some excitement in my life. Now, at 62, going on 63, I feel as if I'm reaching another major turning point...

I also have had a few careers above and beyond interior design...I have been a photographer - still am...had a gallery (that showed me that retail for me is just not going to ever work out), a career in fashion (visual merchandising for such dept. stores as Bloomie's in Boston, etc...)...

a faux finisher, an artist, and now, I am sneaking up on writing a novel...Isn't that what everyone who is out-of-work does? I can't just sit down and hammer out a novel...no, I have to pick a period that requires years of research (Civil War), so that I can say, "I'm writing a novel, but first, the research)...

I shot this photo on one of my honeymoons (to the Latvian scientist, to be precise)...it was black-and-white, and then, I hand-painted it with oil paints...came across it stashed in an old portfolio..hard to believe that was thirty-five years ago...(so, are you beginning to wonder where the hell I'm going with this- so am I).

We have a lovely, Texas-style home...stained concrete floors, that stay cool in the heat...high ceilings, ceiling fans (I HATE the light kit, but it doesn't come off so I can cap it)..High ceilings, wonderful detailing...I love this house...I am at home here. I did the painting on the far wall...I have about six that I've been working on forever...Geminis do that...start something, and then, wander off...

For many years, I photographed children...This is Emma, who is probably out of college by now. My point? Life flies by...so, all you mama's out there, who blog about how wonderful your babies are...(and they are)..be aware...they grow up in the blink of an eye, have kids of their own, and you forget what a baby's head smells like (Heaven)...

Now, I mostly photograph my back yard...all the deer, who are hanging out here because we give them food and water. We know that we shouldn't, because they reproduce and there isn't enough food for all of them, but I can't let them starve to death in my back yard...(we are having a terrible drought.)

If you looked out your living room window, and saw this, could you let it starve to death? I can't...but then, every morning, I get up and feed two cats, feed and water the deer, feed and water the birds, feed and water whatever plants the deer haven't eaten...It's my routine.

I think this cacti (I shot this on a walk in my neighborhood...six miles a day)...describes what my heart has had to morph into...otherwise, it would shatter..watching all the sadness in the world.

We had (after months of no rain at all) a tremendous thunderstorm...Half of the country has had devestating tornadoes, and as I stood on my front porch, shooting this, I prayed those monsters didn't spawn a few and wipe us out...they didn't. We are blessed.

Oh yes, another of my "careers" was photostylist, and this was my calling card. I was raised (mostly) in Kansas..however, I can tell you with a straight face, "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore".

Finally, I've just run out...a down...and have decided that come what may, I don't think I'll be doing interiors anymore...so, what do I name this blog?

Just One Word Of Encouragement....

2011-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

The other morning, I arose, grabbed my camera, my "wellies" (there are snakes and creepy-crawleys in Texas), and went out to shoot. Lots of new babies, and a few big babies, as well. This was the photo I used as our Mother's Day card to my husband's 89-year-old mother. Sadly, my Mama died long ago, and this weekend is especially hard, as it is Mother's Day, and her birthday...I try not to cry the entire day, but it is difficult... My dear blogging friend, Rhonda, came to my rescue the other day....I was feeling that it wasn't worthwhile to even try to blog anymore, and she was so sweet. I think alot of us, when we look at blogs that have thousands and thousands of followers, think, "why bother"...I have come to the decision that I don't do it to advertise my design business, or whatever, but because I like to share parts of my life...

I am not one of those people, who changes my home everyother day (although, I used to do that, but now, I have one thumb in a brace - dislocated, and the other wrist is ruined from years of abuse - doing faux finishes and hauling around furniture).

My friend, Cam, said not to talk about it, or it wouldn't happen...but, I am working on a novel, and she's right..I need to talk less and write more.

I also am one of those 'round tuit' people...as in, when I get around to it, I'm going to paint three different paintings that I have in my head...I got the supplies, and it's just sitting there, waitingI have decided to try masonite, as I have lots of frames, and framing is expensive, so rather than painting on the canvas' I have, I am having masonite cut to the size of the paintings...starting that process this weekend.

This whole thing is a bit disjointed, but I just realized that I have water aerobics in a half-hour, and need to spend at least fifteen minutes, squeezing myself into my suit...I have lost 12 lbs since February, walking, doing South Beach (with wine), and water aerobics...at least, I am consistent with that.

Thanks again, Rhonda, for reaching out to me.

Perspective....changes....moving forward?

2011-05-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed blogging...at least, at first...Then, I just went dry...now, I don't know where this is headed...sorry for just leaving all (what all? no comments)...in what lurch...

New perspectives on life...on what is important, and what isn't...for now, this isn't.

So, we shall see...

What Kind of Blog Am I

2011-04-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

I started this blog as an Interior Designer....I've shared all my design portfolio, and quite frankly, I've changed my style over the past year(s)

I shared some of my "crafty stuff"...my photography....my art....but, not really myself...I tend to hold the world at arm's length....

Although some are quite interesting and pretty, I don't usually like to grab images, or even scan the images that I've cut out of magazines and saved over the years (I have a couple of dozen binders, overflowing with wonderful photos, recipes, craft ideas, art instruction..you name it, I've got it.

I don't comment on current events....I don't throw the "f" bomb in now-and-then, just to show how "f"ing cool I am...

I love fashion...I love history...I love music...I love good writing...

I feel I've "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt"...so, now what?

Maybe tomorrow, I'll grab my camera and head for the hills...maybe tomorrow, I'll master the art of french macaroons with raspberry-rose buttercream....maybe tomorrow, I'll write an entire chapter for my novel......maybe tomorrow, I'll finish that watercolor...maybe tomorrow, I'll make beautiful hand-made picture frames....

I recently dislocated my thumb...(and that was the GOOD one)...I have a brace on it...I have another brace for the other thumb and wrist...this pretty much slows me down...but...maybe tomorrow....

I do know that I don't want to be BORING...to a Gemini, that is a fate worse than death...

so...........................

Tune in and see what tomorrow brings...

Yellow Roses From My "Hunny"

2011-03-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

Actually, I often refer to him as "Dr. Bobby Hunny" (mostly, just Robert)...my husband of 28 years, as of yesterday, gave me my favorite roses...yellow....

As a young girl, growing up on a farm in Kansas, my Mama always put them in my room on my birthday, as we had a yellow rose bush....brings back loving memories....

LOVE TRULY DOES MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND...AND ROUND...AND ROUND

Backwards...Opus...

2011-03-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is the end result of weeks of hard work...I have everything backwards here...(it would seem I'll never get this right)....I now have my left thumb in a brace, and my right wrist and thumb in a brace..Didn't do the left thumb from making this guy...my guy was opening a door just as I was going out on the other side...dislocated it..gah!!!

He looks so different, when photographed indoors......................

At a certain point, I ripped off his bottem "feathers", as they were too bright, and I hated them...

See what I mean...I also covered his white "nose crest"..didn't like that either....In fact, I nearly chucked the entire project, but the gallery owner, Sonia, came and talked me down...

I used several shades of silk....fused together with a product called "Heat Bond"...in order to stiffen it, then cut hundreds of "feathers" and glued them on...hundreds...and hundreds.

I made his "base" from silk..(don't know why, as it didn't show), but it was lighter than other fabrics...I sewed it to buckram, and then, stuffed fiberfill in him (sort of "trapunto" style)..then, quilted him..to keep the fiberfill from falling...Then, I sewed him on the canvas using copper wire..cutting myself alot...Hey, this wasn't easy..

How to make an eye...backwards, of course

His "pupil" is a velvet-covered button I made..then, I glue Swaroski (sp?) crystals to make the "catchlights" (that's a photography term for the light in an eye) This shows the "fusion" process...This was not an easy project...

The whole point of this is explained on the Stinger Studio website...go - read - enjoy-

http://www.stingerstudio.com

Happy Valentine's Day, Ya'll

2011-02-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been gone (in case anyone noticed)....Blogging takes time, and it takes responses to keep one going...I do appreciate the responses so much, and to be truthful, just got discouraged. But, I am sucking it up, and moving forward.

Happy Valentine's Day...I made this card for my husband, who said, "that's nice", and then, I had to ask for a hug...this is turning me into a curmudgeon, isn't it? So, here..have a lovely day...(maybe I should have finished my coffee before this) Actually, if you can guess what this is, you are amazing...This is why I've been so busy of late...
Stinger Studios here in Georgetown, Texas has put out a "call for artists"..It's called "Art for a Song", and Sonia, the owner, has taken a wonderful song, (I won't reveal it yet), and we all chose a line from it to interpret...My line is, "And the nightbirds cease their song"...I have lost my mind.
Below, is the drawing, taped to a huge canvas..(that's the foot of my bed it's leaning against)..the canvas is five feet X 3ft.

I have the background in place now...(the entire thing is going to be velvet and silk)..the rest is a secret...Right now, it reminds me of the cartoon character, "Opus"..remember Opus..?

I will do my best to keep you posted...now, off to make feathers...

XOXOXO

Who Is Jessica , Anyway?

2011-01-22T14:04:00.001-08:00

She's a photographer, and photostylist, who recently did a wedding in Massachusetts...She's been out of the business of shooting for awhile, but enjoyed not only styling it, but shooting it.I love to use the sepia tones...especially, since in olden days, it could only be achieved by printing the photo, then, going back and bleaching it, sepia toning it, and washing it...again...It's like being delivered from the Dark (pun intended) Ages.

The most important thing in styling/shooting a wedding is to keep everyone comfortable (especially, the very nervouse bride - and the groom)...For her especially, this is the day she's dreamed about...it has to be perfect...seamless...fun...

Thank goodness, for the most part, the days of the "hideous bridesmaid dresses" is a thing of the past...I loved doing these lovely girl's makeup and hair...always simple, always "relaxed"

Preparing the bouquet toss..

Capturing the fun times, and the tender moments...the Bride, cuddling her nephew...

Did much of the floral design, and all of the styling/photography...

Back to the past...I was a Civil War Reinactor photographer, hired by the US Government, to go to various Civil War battlefields, and capture the living history...ended up owning a gallery in an 1860's schoolhouse in Wisconsin for four years...

Utilizing techniques I learned from as early as the Civil War (or, if you are from the South, the "War Between the States)...for many years I styled and photographed children - shooting in Black-and-white, printing, then, sepia-toning, then hand-painting with special oil paints

I developed a line of greeting cards from portraits I did over the years, called, "Here a Chick Greetings"

I first discoverd floorcloths about twelve years ago..they were the precursor to linoleum...canvas, painted front-and-back...then, sealed to protect them....art you can walk on..

Over the years, as an Interior Designer, I've done many homes from the ground up. I especially enjoy doing "Parade Homes", as I am able to select everything...including the furnishings, accessories...ETC (There it is again)....This was one of my favorites...When the photographers, who have the special equipment to photograph the spaces(I don't), I do the styling...

Once, I did a sixteen-hour photo-shoot (the styling, that is) for SubZero, that was a video, going to Paris to introduce Wolfe Stoves to them...Food styling is all an optical illusion...turkeys cooked with blow torches, cereal with white glue...by the end of the shoot, when at 3am, 12 people sat down to shoot the dinner scene, it was pretty to look at, but, oh the oder...hard work, but fun

My Texas Kitchen....................................

I love doing window treatments...designing and sewing them...I also did the pillows..paint colors, etc..The bed headboard was designed by Candice Olsen...The dog was so sweet...wish he were mine...

Glazed 1,000 square feet of walls in this home I designed from the ground up...my first, massive fireplace...Every home in Wisconsin should have a fireplace (or three)....This is not a room, it's a set - three walls and a floor...for Graber window fashions....same glazing technique; put the Southwestern background in the windows via photoshop.Same set, only "flipped", restyled, and a New York Skyline....This is one of my favorite things to do..This house was built in the 1800's...it's in Louisianna, on a bayou...My client's did most of the work themselves, but it was fun, selecting colors, bringing it back to life.... This photo was taken in the 1920's...

Lovingly restored to it's original splendor...............

This may seem to many a blatent, piece of self-promotion...well, I do have my reasons.........

Still, it's fun to look back at the last several years, and be pleased that I've been blessed to do the things I love....................

Pillow Talk-Or, How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

2011-01-09T11:40:00.001-08:00

So, the holidays are over....I love them...I do...but, I know we are (for the most part) ready to move on....
I spent a great deal of the season making pillows...My friend, Sonia, has opened a wonderful, new gallery (she's a talented artist), Stinger Studios, in Georgetown, Texas, and invited me to place my hand-painted glass, photos, etc. (Etc. is my middle name) there before Christmas...I did manage to do that, along with one holiday-oriented pillow. The rest shown here finally made it to the Grand Opening of her gallery last night. (You couldn't move, there were so many people there..very exciting!)

I have discovered the wonders of printing images from my computer onto fabric sheets, and then, making pillows - six of them in a few weeks time...exhausting, but truly fun to learn new techniques in not only using my 6-color, wonderful printer, but utilizing the tons of fabrics I have saved over the years, along with all the beads, trims, jewelry, geegaws, Etc...

I found the sheets at Michaels, and I am sure they can be purchased on-line, as well.

I placed these pillows in Stinger Studio's windows just hours before the opening (after my husband rescued me, as when I went to deliver them, I realized I'd locked myself out of my car)...Some of my glass is shown here, as well.

The botanical pillow was an image, that I had scanned years ago, just because I loved it so much....The silk front was leftover from a window treatment, and I got all that wonderful, gold gimp from Hobby Lobby for a great price!

The dragonfly was another treasure, that I've had for years-and-years...The velvet was part of my stash, and I "embossed" it in one corner by using a rubber stamp, and a steam iron...when I recover from all this, I will do a tutorial for you. I also learned a wonderful "trick" with regarding to sewing velvet, which loves to "crawl"...again, another time, another tutorial...as they say, "desperation is the mother of invention - along with tips from the Internet"...

This is my mother-in-law's favorite....she spent three weeks with us (she's 89, and amazing), and we had fun, shopping in Austin for just the right silk backing (I don't have all the right silks, but didn't have to buy any front velvet or silk)...

This is actually the BACK of my "Angel Pillow"...I inadvertently got ink on my finished pillow (GAHHHHH!!), so, I used iron-on tape to make a pocket; and I tucked in (between sheets of vellum) an Angelology...which tells which angels are the rulers of certain Zodiac signs, Etc. (there's the Etc. again)....I just had to attach the feather wings...so, viola, a two-sided pillow...

The angel image if from the "Graphics Fairy" (thankyou, Graphics Fairy", and the velvet is the remains of a wonderful, Eileen Fisher top (I love her), which finally died...it is like butter....

My "Midievil Illumination" pillow has a wonderful, old brooch, which I dug out of my treasure trove....

Again, I must thank "The Graphics Fairy" for this image of "A Visit From Santa"...the check is leftover from my duvet cover I made, and the mother-of-pearl buttons once belonged to my mother-in-law, who gave me a huge collection of her buttons...thanks, Mama Eula...

.Now, I am digging out my studio...there are piles of velvet, silks, all kinds of fabrics and trims, of which I have to make sense...but, first, a nap..

Wouldn't it be Lovely??

2010-12-31T15:11:00.000-08:00

If we could turn on our televisions, and the nightly news wasn't about disasters, murders, wars, greed, loss, illness, suffering (yes, they do try to throw in a "warm and fuzzy" towards the end.
If we could get behind the wheel of our vehicles, and go out onto the roads without some horrible person (usually with a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other), wasn't trying to kill us..producing "road rage"..

If the world wasn't in such turmoil, the economy so horrible, that people are losing their homes and their life savings?

Well, that's my prayer(s) for all ya'll this coming year...That we can cling to one another, and share what we have...that we won't judge one another, force our political views down one another's throats, or turn our backs on those who don't agree...
That the hungry will have food, the cold, warmth, the lonely, companionship, the sick, health....Please, Lord...give us a New Year to start anew.....................

Happy, and Blessed New Year to All

The Eye of the Beholder

2010-12-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been experiencing "White Christmas Envy"....there's a wonderful blog, http://www.a-cottage-in-the-woods.blogspot.com (most bloggers just put HERE), and you click on it, and viola', there's the blog...Ya'll may have noticed by now that I am "Computer Impaired", and it's not getting any better...But, I digress...
Zuzu (name envy), lives in Colorado, in a tiny cabin in the woods, and writes, photographs, creates, and does everything with grace and skill...I don't envy her, for that would be way too much envy going on in me, and that's not healthy...I will settle for "White Christmas Envy"....

I did, however, look out the other morning onto my "big back yard" in Texas, just as the sun was beginning to break into the fog....(my cats had me up since three am), and I was struck by the beauty of it all....No, no snow, no crystals, no frost patterns on the glass...just trees, dried grasses, rocks (I don't know of anyone who has "rock envy"), and the serene beauty of nature...It truly all is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

So, I grabbed my camera, and chased the sweet light.....

We had a wonderful rain today - so badly needed - the deer were soaked, but it wasn't too cold, and the birds were having a great time...the feeder was full, and they were singing their praises....

So, tonight, we are a small family, sharing a quiet Christmas Eve, and counting our blessings....

Pot Luck Holiday Party

2010-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that was a week ago! It's taken me all week to find time to post a photo now-and-then....
We had a wonderful time...everyone brought great food, the holiday spirits, and we laughed a great deal...
Rushing off to get last minute goodies for tomorrow...
Have

Blessed

CHRISTMAS EVE

AND...................................

A VERY, MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hustle and Bustle, and World Peace

2010-12-16T16:39:00.001-08:00

Tis the season....all the running about...parties, gifts, decorating...family visiting..my mother-in-law is staying with us (she's 89, and amazing)...for three weeks..having a "pot luck" party on Saturday...working on beautiful pillows for a gallery...it's worn me down....
I wanted the house and tree to be wonderful for my mother-in-law...and didn't have alot of money to just start a new "theme"...I am more traditional anyway...Dear, sweet, Aunt Lilly left us so much...a house (want to buy a house on a lake in Tennessee?), and wonderful heirlooms...one of which is this precious angel music box..which, the night before her memorial service, began playing (without any winding up).."Silent Night"...with the last "Sleep in heavenly peace"...her message to us...So....this is the angel..she is our tree topper, and probably will be for many years to come...

A wonderful addition to our tree are the crystals, that a lovely lady gave me (she worked for a lighting company in Madison..) that had accumulated over the years...I have them on the tree, and they catch the light beautifully...

I have much more to say, but am going to go watch a film with my family...here's a bit of what we have going on ...in the present (and a few shots of the past.)..it's the best I can do for now...enjoy!

Here a Chick Greetings

2010-12-08T17:46:00.001-08:00

My friend, Sonia, has opened a gallery in Georgetown, and I have put together these "packets" of my hand-colored, black-and-white photograph greeting cards (Here a Chick Greetings)....They are doing quite well...
I found the angel wings at Hobby Lobby, and I cut out glittered paper to front it, and regular cardstock on the back..I wrapped four of the cards in tissue and sandwiched them between, then, using scraps of ribbon, I tied them up, and then, but the wings in....I quite like the concept, in fact, I have copyrighted my cards and the packaging..(I'm not paranoid, am I)?

I Do hope you like them, and you are welcome

to use the idea for gifting, but not resale...

(my husband, the contract guy, made

me add this..) bah humbug...!!

Gatherings

2010-12-05T05:38:00.001-08:00

My favorite place in GEORGETOWN, TEXAS........................................................... no need to say anything...

just that I love everything there.....

lots to show...............................

I am going back for this fan................................................

will shoot some more....and share

MY FAVORITE!!!!

The Mantle is First

2010-12-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law is coming to visit us for three weeks (she's 89), and she loves that I "deck the halls". I enjoy her, and am looking forward to seeing her.
My husband wants to wait until this weekend to get a tree, although I am chomping at the bit, so in the meantime, it's the mantle. Then, tomorrow, the exterior, and a wreath...I have to pace myself!
We are on a tight budget this year, so I've not changed out the theme too much - which, as an old (and I do mean old) display lady for such stores as Bloomingdale's and Filene's, I try to start fresh with a new theme each year. This year, I've just added to it, and am making alot of my decorations, along with repurposing some. I did buy a swag (half-off Hobby Lobby), and used it on the mantle, along with the tiny lights, that fade in-and-out. They also blink like crazy, when I first plug them in, and I feel as if I'm going to have a seizure! Anyway, notice that our builder took it upon himself to put a stone, shaped like the great, state of Texas smack in the center. At first, I didn't like it, but after five years, it's fine. I love birds...and I have two of these little ones....I love the feathers....(no birds were injured in making this wreath).....

I took the pointsettias off a wreath that I had made six years ago, and put them on the mantle...I also switched the deer...He's facing in now...it's always best to have things facing in, so the eye follows it...(little display and art tip).

Off to make another wreath...cheerio...

I Didn't Mean To Exclude the Gentlemen

2010-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Males like Christmas, too....

Ladies, Start Your Engines!!!

2010-11-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

What does this photo have to do with that title - nothing...I just love the photo..I took it years ago, while driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains. There was a forest fire (very large, frightening fire...lots of wildlife running out into the roads)...and there was a haze over the mountins...I shot this, but when I scanned it the other day, I played a bit. I don't have photoshop, and if I did, I wouldn't know how to use it...this was a "happy accident".....

As to the "Start your engines"...today marked the day after Thanksgiving...this is when I wake up from my groggy naps (been ill), and hit the stores; sneaking in all kinds of holiday goodies...When my husband sees another length of garland on the mantle, he will say, "is that new?", and I will say, "no, we've had it for years" (tried that with a sofa once, didn't work)...

So, tomorrow morning, out it all comes..in all it's glory..my holiday "stuff"...can't wait...Have my camera ready, and, hopefully, barring a terrible relapse (I've had a few)...I'm off and running...

Just finished the leftovers from yesterday's dinner, and back on the diet/wagon again...sigh...

Hope you Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T11:27:00.001-08:00

Had a bit of a relapse...am hoping this is the end of the three-month saga of the unknown virus....Meantime, I am back to wish ya'll a blessed, happy, safe, loving, yummy Thanksgiving.

Better!!!!

2010-11-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning, and for the first time in nearly two months, nothing hurt! Okay, I had a little, teeny-tiny sore throat and headache, along with the remains of months of muscle pain, but for the most part...I AM BETTER!!! I am so grateful that I am finally (hopefully) over the worst of a terrible virus....I thought about my wonderful friend, Ginna, who didn't get well...I think of her so often. I lost my friend to cancer (please don't smoke) six years ago. I gave her this photograph (framed), that I took and hand-colored to hang by her bed while she was sick. After she passed, I don't know who ended up with it, but I have this, and the memory of a wonderful, funny, woman, who graced my life for many years....Anyway, this is for Ginna.
I entitled this "Ginna's Hat".....so, my chain-smoking, Diet Pepsi guzzling, wize-cracking friend, I hope you are looking down from wherever and saying, "that's enough, Jessica, move on".... I am feeling "romantic", and thought that since I haven't had the energy to photograph much about me these past months, I'd put some of my "Romantic America" photography series I did several years ago. Those were the days, when you shot actual film, in black-and-white, then you sepia-toned it....today, with my wonderful, new digital camera, I can push a button, and "viola", sepia..or black-and-white....never will replace the hand-colored, though...(yes, I know about Photoshop, thankyou)..

"Once I had a farm in Africa"...nope, that was Karen Blixen/Iasic Dennison, I once had a farm in Wisconsin - now, we live in Texas. I had a lovely, 4,000 square-foot garden, which I tended with love. Lot's of flowers, and an apple tree, where I loved to lie under (when I wasn't weeding), reading books, and enjoying a summer that wasn't 107 degrees for months on end. If you double-click on the photo, you will see there is an ant on the apple..for some reason, that delighted me (it doesn't take much, does it)?

I wish I still had this basket...I used to haul around a family of kittens, born in our barn...we had five, and are down to two, fourteen-year old babies...that's how I date this photo...

And then, just like "The Wizard of Oz", it springs to life in "Technicolor"....The quilt is in tatters now (I photographed many babies on it, which meant many washings), and the farm is a distant memory...I've moved on...

And now, it's autumn in Texas (this corn was on the door to my gallery in Wisconsin), and I don't mind the cooler weather a bit. In fact, I might even take a walk today! Happy Fall!!!

Beside the Bed.....a Take on Bedside Tables

2010-10-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, I have been ill....for two months...but, I am slowly getting better. At least my energy levels are beginning to improve, which is good, as it does take time and energy to blog.
I have noticed that several of my favorite bloggers are either shutting down their blogs, or at least, taking a break. I totally understand, as it takes a great deal of time and energy. We all have lives, (at least I had one, now, trying to regain it). This said, I don't feel quite as guilty about not being around, but I do enjoy blogging. I just have been sort of throwing what I have up there, and I can't see blogging, if you don't give it your best effort.
I have shown my bedroom before, but I am concentrating on my bedside table..I have spent many hours, reading and sleeping lately, and my bedside table has become a place to gather some of my favorite things. It's one of the first things I see in the morning, and last at night.
My table is really a folding-wrought iron base, with a filagree top, that I got at good old TJMax a million years ago. I put a piece of glass over it, and it serves me well. A table that size with a solid top would feel too large for the space.
The elephant lamp is very old; in fact, the shade (which I loved), is a linen, box-pleated ivory-colored shade, but the liner just shattered one day. I have saved the shade and hope to eventually, find a new liner, or place it over a neutral shade a size smaller. In the meantime, I have this brocade shade over it from another lamp (which died, and became a candle-holder). It is too short, but I don't want to add fringe to lenghten it, as it would feel too heavy. I will eventually find a lamp in the right proportion for it.
The hand-painted black-and-white photo is by me. I was doing a portrait of a young girl, and loved the lace and the position of her feet. I call it "Porch Feet"...I used some skeletonized leaves in the matting. Notice that I have a very important tool....a backscratcher! My husband is a sweetie-pie, but he's the world's worst back scratcher (I mean, what are husbands for, if not to scratch you where it itches)? My cats also love it. Since my gray cat, Gussie, went blind, she can still find her way to my bed, and she loves having the sides of her face scratched with it. Raisen, the black cat, likes it, but prefers to gnaw on it once he becomes bored with being scratched...
The satin-covered round box holds jewelry. I seem to have jewelry boxes all over the place, and need to spend a day, editing, repairing, and repurposing. I like to take pieces apart, especially, old, faux pearls and using them differently.

I hate my alarm clock radio, but it won't die. It's probably twenty years old; still, I can't justify getting rid of it.

This sweet, strawberry glass dish belonged to my Grandmother Julia, as did the heart-shaped, paper box. The top to the box eventually was lost, but I put my wedding rings in it at night. My rings once belonged to my husband's Nana Rose, so two grandmothers are sort of "introduced" each night. I made the bracelet from faux pearls, crystals, and a lovely, antique button, that was given to me by my mother-in-law. I treasure them all.I love my bookends; another great find from TJMaxx...$12.00! I know there are those who say to never tell what you paid for something, but I am the "Bargain Queen", so I like to "crow" about my finds!My mother-in-law is appalled that I let my box (with a Rhino on the top) tarnish so, but, there are some things I prefer in tarnished silver, especially, silverplate, as one shouldn't polish it too often anyway. I think it looks wonderful the way it is. Secret - it contains a box of vaseline, that fits perfectly in it. I use it on my feet before I go to sleep at night.

This is one of my favorite photos, (and frame) of my husband, Bob -bottem, and our friends, Maggie and David..The are on the diving board ladder of their swimming pool. He's still very handsome..only now, he has white hair. I collect scotties, and I love these. I especially love the big guy, who glows in the dark!

This bookcase was orginally bright blue...painted it black. And yes, the candle is crooked..the lamp was the one to which I referred earlier. Someday, it may become a lamp again. I love marquetry frames, and I treasure my family photos. No, my mother was not really resisting arrest; (policemen don't usually turn their caps backward) rather, she was a dispatcher in the 1950's, and they were horsing around. She was so beautiful.

Okay, this is not the bedside table, but as is the bookcase, a view from my bed. I painted the foxes; I call it "Foxes and Fireflies". Theya re competing for the last bunch of grapes. I love my settee, which I have had forever.

There you have it...sort of like, "how I spent my summer vacation", but where I've been spending most of my time for two months.

Fall has Fell

2010-10-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Please forgive my absence, and my short post....I have been ill, and still am...some sort of virus, which is debilitating to the point that I just want to sleep (and eat)..I could be on my deathbed, and I'd be hungry! Went to the doc, and he said, "there's alot of that going around" ..oh well.
Autumn in Texas doesn't mean vibrant colors in the trees...it means 80's in temps, which is so good for here, and pumpkins outside the grocery store - next to the watermelons...but, I am enjoying it.
I will try to come back more frequently...meantime...enjoy the season.

Oh, and this...well, I love peonies anytime of the year.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Guest Bath (Okay, it's My Bathroom Too)

2010-09-19T09:58:00.001-07:00

My guest bath is actually the bathroom I use on a regular basis....we have a Master Bath, but I don't like sharing...at least not bathrooms with my husband...I think many a marriage has been saved by having separate bathrooms...so, he gets the big boy bathroom, with the tile shower, double vanity, and garden tub, and I get the smaller bathroom, but it's mine, all mine!We live in Texas, and this is a "Texas House"..with wonderful touches, like stained concrete floors, high ceilings, etc...My bath is a combination "Texas house" meets "French Flair"...why? Because I have been collecting these things for years, and am not ready to change....I don't like it when people hit you over the head with all things Southwestern, or English, or French...I like to mix it up a bit..but with restraint..(or do I need restraits)...I digress...

I got the fellow in the park image years ago, and I love it...it is actually on lucite, and the wall is the background color...it's not large, but I love the mood.

This is a fairly small bathroom, with a tub and shower stall..what would I change about it? I would change the lighting (Helen Keller does her makeup), and I would change out the countertop and the tub/shower molded unit...it is Lippert, which I associate with motels...Someday...

I got the tree(s), which are glass, on sale at Hobby Lobby...love good ol' Hobby Lobby, the rediculous, mixed in with the sublime. I tend to clutter the counters, so I make an effort not to put too much on the counters..

Many years ago, I got this piece at Art Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC...I was an art consultant in Boston, and went every year for several years...really miss it...I do love her...Conte Crayon..

The other side of the vanity has another Hobby Lobby tree, a velvet, tiny frame, and a vase that we got Aunt Lily (who passed) in Portsmouth, NH..many years ago. The faux tortoise case on the toilet was hers, as well...I keep jewelry in it...

There is a spacious storage/linen closet behind the door, which I use for both my towels, and store many of my art supplies and holiday items...it's pecan, like my kitchen cabinets.

This house was a spec house, and was about two-thirds finished when I found it...I loved the custom home touches, such as the oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, the molded double mirror, and the doors...

I would love it if I had a separate water closet, such as we have in our master bath, but not enough space...and, since I'm not sharing a bath, I'll live with it.

I made the shower curtain from old sheets...This pattern has always been a favorite, and when I first bought them, there was a set for the bed, and enough top sheets for window treatments...This is the survivor of twenty years...never have grown tired of it... The rug is a rag rug, that I got for $3.99 at Pier One...I do floorcloths, but not in bathrooms (I do have one in the powder room)...I don't think they are safe, plus one needs something that will absorb moisture...

The decorative tassles are samples from sample books that I've collected over the years....I never throw anything out..which can be a problem..such as the fact that I've been doing this, rather than trying to figure out what to do about the mess that's in my office......

So, nothing fancy, but it's comfortable, and it reflects my taste...to each her own...

Marie Claire Idees

2010-09-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have binders...binders full of wonderful, informative, imaginative, inspirational "stuff"...My binders are years-and-years of cutting out things from the mountains of magazines...I had subscriptions, and I had Borders or Barnes and Noble.....I am a visual junky (junkie???)....My cat, Gussie, recently went blind, and I cry myself to sleep at night, for being blinded is my greatest fear...I live for seeing the beauty in the world, and I cringe at seeing the pain..but I digress....my binders..that's what this is about...I have bookcases full of them...several of recipes from Bon Appitit, several that are about art and techniques for faux finishes, one on window treatments, one on bedrooms, one on kitchens, one on dining rooms...it goes on-and-on...I have one that has these photos from old issues of "Marie Claire Idees"....I love these...for I love bits and scraps of beautiful fabric, whether left over from design projects, or just picked up here and there...Rather than save the mountains of magazines, I have distilled what catches my eye, inspires me, or is just pretty.....these are ideas (idees) that are wonderful..

So, take your bits and pieces of velvet, lace, ribbon, beads, bobbles, and bobs, and make something of it....

My Kitchen

2010-08-20T08:40:00.001-07:00

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...

2010-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-13T08:59:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-08-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

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?

Today..Hot..Tomorrow...Hot...and Salado

2010-08-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hot! Hot! and more hot...104 actual degrees, and who knows what the heat index was/is...

I decided to make a trip twenty miles north of Georgetown, Texas to Salado...I stated as much on my facebook, and my friend, Cam, who is so witty, asked...what is Salado - is it a restaurant, a salad??? It's a destination...a historical, small town, full of shops, galleries, and thankfully, has a river (shallow) that runs through it....

It was so hot (Greek Chorus here..."How hot was it?") that when I poured out the bit of bottled water that I had left in my car, it nearly scalded my hand (okay, I was rinsing my hand because I had a wonderful -only one-chocolate delicacy, and was rinsing off the evidence).

It was so hot, that I only got to about half of what I wanted to shoot, along with the fact that it is Sunday, and with the economy, the heat, and families that just want to spend Sunday together, many shops were closed. Also, some of the shops that I wanted to photograph were being watched over by employees, who didn't have the position (read owner) to allow or disallow photos...I did have to laugh, as one woman refused me (which is fine), but she was rather unpleasant, saying "we can't have you stealing our ideas"...I looked around and thought, "Darlin', first, most of your "stuff" comes from China, and "B", if I had to steal these ideas, I may as well shoot myself in the head"....I do respect that some don't want photos taken, but I am polite, and they might try to be, as well...most were gracious, acommodating, and some, I just sat down with and had a great talk....I do love Texans (mostly).

I was rather taken aback by a sign by the side of the road reading: Concealed Handgun Classes, and a telephone number..scary.

But then, Texas is a wonderous place..when I recover from heatstroke, I will post "Salado, Part I)..

The Wedding!! Words Aren't Necessary

2010-07-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

And They Lived Happily Ever After.

Waiting on the Wedding

2010-07-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

As a professional photographer, I decided it would be a good idea to get my subject's (the wedding) permission to publish the photos on the blog. I don't think there would be a problem, but just in case......

So, since "the article" came out in the magazine, I've gotten requests from people to put some of my other floorcloths up on the blog....I have put them up in the past, but I suppose many don't have the desire to slog through the blog...looking for them...so, here you go.

The shot of me holding the postcard was taken by the photographer for the magazine...they didn't use it in the article, but I rather like it...(the floorcloth, that is - I hate having my photograph taken - one of the reasons I decided to be behind the camera, rather than in front of it).

The chickens were published in the article, but someone commented that they couldn't tell what they were..well, here you go...It translates into: "The Chicken", "The Henhouse", and "The Cluck"....

My builder commissioned this floorcloth....It is taken from a painting on the shield of a Lakota Soux warrior..methinks he was doing a bit of Peyote or smoking the peace pipe when he painted it??? My cats have their meals on this floorcloth...I don't know if they realize they are birds, but it does keep them from getting food all over my laundry room floor..

Another client commissioned me to do a Painted Bunting (bird found in Texas-I've yet to see one)...for her mother for Christmas....

This was commissioned by my builder/friend for his client, who owns a series of hair salons...thus, "Mane Tamers"...The salon owner then commissioned me to do the lion - shown in the article.

This floorcloth is in front of my stove...on stained concrete floors - I love the look of stained concrete, but every greasy thing that falls on the floor leaves, well a greasy spot...haven't figured out how to get it off..any suggestions? The deer is taken from a cave painting found in Texas...and since I am Cherokee, many of the symbols signify such things as good luck, and warding off evil....The handprints are mine and my husband's....

This floorcloth doesn't show well the bronze and gold leaf I used on some of the leaves...it gives off a lovely glow in the lamplight.

This is one of my favorite non-Native American themed floorcloths...just pretty, that's all and as Porky Pig would say.."thathathahthathat's all folks"...

I Am Not Ignoring You

2010-07-20T07:46:00.001-07:00

Since my return from the very,very long, tiring, expensive trip, and the publication of the article in the local Georgetown magazine, I have been so busy...
I promise you, I am not ignoring you...in fact, as I drift in-and-out of sleep in the middle of the night, I think, "I really should just get up and go write"...then, Raisen screams to be fed, or throws up in the hall...or, I just manage to get back to sleep..which is what I seem to need right now...sleep.

They say lavender makes you sleep well....This field was so delightful, I stopped and bought some..on Long Island - used it in the wedding for a swag over the arbor. The wedding? Yes, I photographed my husband's Godchild's wedding outside of Boston....I will put up the photos soon, as I finally got my Geek to help me with "issues". The other best part of my trip was seeing all the green and flowers...especially, the blue hydrangea...they were all over New England...
So, rest your eyes on these lovely images.....
I will be back...soon...I promise.

The Article

2010-07-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank ya'll (they laugh at my ya'll up North-hey, I was ya'llen long before I moved to Boston or Wisconsin-the moment I crossed the Texas border, I was ya'llen again) for the lovely "welcome home(s)". Never sooo glad to be home...

Second, welcome Nancy, of Nancy's Notes...Hey, darlin, I live in Georgetown...not that far from Austin...we really must meet.

Third, is the article..it isn't a big deal..it is in the "Georgetown View" , a small, but nice, monthly magazine, that is paid by advertising..no subscriptions, but the good thing is it goes to the entire population of Georgetown...so, here it is...again, no biggie, but if it brings in a little "bidness", as some of the older Texans say, I will be a happy lady.

If you double click the images, they will be easier to read. and then click again....The only really important correction to Alicia's article is: never fold a floorcloth...always roll it...very important.

Oh, and Raisenette's correct name spelling is Raisenette Funicello Buttafuco (he told me to please throw that in).

I am running away from home..the World Cup is on, and I cannot bear the "buzzing" thingies..more later.

Home Again

2010-07-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

As Dorothy of the Ruby Red Slippers once said, "there's no place like home"...oh, mama, do I agree...much to share..including an article about my work (floorcloths), in a local magazine...as soon as I unpack!

My Bedroom

2010-06-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Although I have posted photos of my bed on occasion, I really haven't photographed and shared my bedroom...I don't call it the "Master Bedroom", even though I do share it with my husband,it primarily reflects my taste, along with my mementos...We start out (mostly) in the same bed, but one of us eventually bails to their respective bedrooms - our guestroom has his family mementos in it...why, you ask? It's called snoring...sigh...After twenty-seven years of marriage, a good night's sleep supercedes sharing a bed through the night. Not that we don't have a good marriage, we do..okay..enough of that information. There was a time it bothered me, but I have the cats, and he gets to hog the covers...

Yesterday, I decided to circle the room from the bedwall and shoot in sequence of each wall...This is one of my photographs...It's a portrait of my husband's grandmother; they called her "Marm"..she was a beautiful woman. This was taken in the early 1920's (the picture in the picture, that is). The room only has two windows, that get the Western light, but the opposite end has french doors, that open onto our porch...so, I get East light in the morning, softened by sheers (photo to follow), and a porch with our ficus tree. Marm's portrait hangs over my glass night table...

The lampshade is temporary, and too short, as the other is a beautiful, pleated shade, with a liner that just crumbled in my hands one day, it was so old. I love the ivory lamp, sporting elephant heads on each side...trying to replace the liner...

I like the glass-topped metal based table because I have so many things I enjoy looking at when I awaken, and I need space for my magazines, books, glass of water, etc...The cherry bowl is one I painted, that I put my rings and earrings in upon going to sleep. The little, red-sequined shoes I bought for my grandaughter, Hannah, the day she was born...in Kansas..."Oz slippers"...I told her mother I wanted them back when she outgrew them, and I will give them back to her when she marries (she's fourteen, so that will be awhile.

The tarnished, silver-plated box sports a Rhino, and holds my jar of hand cream (okay vaseline, but it's great for hands and feet, just before going to sleep...)

If you double-click on the image, you can enlarge it...there are three, little, glass scotties, and one, cream-colored larger one...I picked them up separately, but was delighted when I found out the large, cream one glows in the dark!

I found this bookcase in a shop on sale for $40...it was bright blue, so I painted it black...I have so many family photographs, and I have tried to contain them mostly in the bedrooms..some, I've put away, and rotate them through...Last I counted, there were 75! Again, if you enlarge the photo, you can see a very funny photo of my mother, being held by two, whacky police officers...one has his cap on backwards. Mama was a police dispatcher (this was taken in the late fifties) On the back, was a caption saying: "Notice" Wanted: Escaped from 2 officers in Russell (Kansas) 2-13-55, W F 26 5/7" 125 lbs.

Black Hair - slender build

Wearing Green suit, black low shoes

Driving: 47 gray Nash 4 -door

My Mama died 20 years ago, at the age of 60, so I treasure this so. I still smile everytime I look at it.

My studio/office has two, large bookcases, filled with books, albums of magazine articles I've cut out and saved, but this one is my "night reading"..and magazines that I won't cut up... I love my floral settee...I bought it twenty years ago in a department store, and it has held up pretty well, considering several of our cats thought it was a scratching post...Thank God for "Fray Check" (you can get it at Jo Anne's Fabrics". Above it is the only piece of art in the house that is a reproduction..the rest are originals, mostly mine, along with family photos...

I hate exposed outlets...so, I put this box (Hobby Lobby), which holds old letters, etc., by my door, and put this rooster on it..He moves around alot...leftover from a photo shoot I styled for Springs/Graber Window Fashions...

Above him hangs, "Here a Chick"; a hand-colored black-and-white photo I did..I made the frame from leftover Waverly fabric, which were my window treatments, (sheets)...
Here, they are, between the door to the hallway and the French doors. When I found the house, it was three-quarters finished, and what made me fall in love with it (among other things) were the doors...and I did get to select the hardware.

The sheers on the French doors were some I made for a Parade home in Madison..I sewed crytals on the bottem to give them some weight...The box on the other side is my sewing box.

I love red...This silk, red robe is worn by my dressform..and the flower on the top is a "broach"

It stands in the corner on the other side of the French doors...scared the hell out of my Gussie the first time she strolled into the room and found it...she came running out of the room..It took a bit of convincing that it wasn't a headless person. Next to it is my "Rogue's Gallery. That's my very handsome husband and his first communion photo...The dog with the "Raindog Antler's" is our beloved "Lizzie"...gone for so long now...The baby playing with her foot is "Moi".

I've been working for three days, trying to put the photos up, and write, but I keep losing my Internet Server, so things are a bit out-of-order...Now, I am starting from the other side of the Bed...Windows flank either side of the bed, so this is the opposite wall. Bear with me (this is long, are you drooling out of the corner of your mouth yet? Maybe, we need to take a break? It is a large room, with a triple-tray ceiling, which has too many can lights in it..need to someday change them out...someday....

The cane chest on the opposite side of the bed has a black basket (belongs to Gussie), and is covered with a fun tapestry I bought at a garage sale on my latest trip back to Madison...It has two terriers, barking at a black cat. My Raisen is sleeping on it right now.

The hand-painted, black-and-white portrait is the only existing photograph of my family. My father is in his police uniform (he was shot in the line of duty not long after it was taken), I am on his lap, my Mama is sitting on one arm of the chair, and my sister is on the other....It's the first thing I look at every morning...I tell them I love them..and I miss them (even my sister, as I have no idea where she is).
The little mirror hanging from the ribbon is my "touch up makeup mirror"..the light is good there in the morning.

This is becoming tiresome, so I will fast-forward a bit..Photo by Moi...Bunnies I love, glass jewelry box, all on a marble-topped Queen Anne table.

This hangs over the settee...I treasure it so...It was done by my son, Shawn, when he was barely seven-years-old...It says:

SHAWN ALLEN (last name withheld)

MY MOTHER

My Mother is pretty. She helps me with my homework. She is a good cook.

As a matter of fact she is a beautiful cook. She is

a good artist too. I love her too. She loves me too.

If there is ever a reason (God forbid) to have to evacuate the house in a hurry, these are the things that would be going with me (along with the cats)...The rest can be replaced....

Illustrating children's books

2010-05-30T06:43:00.001-07:00

My friend, Isabelle, told me about a publisher who is accepting submissions for illustrations for children's books...I am working on one of my own (bunnies, hand-painted black-and-white-someday....someday), but I decided to dig out a few of my drawings, and photograph them for submission..who knows...In today's economy, when noone is building high-end homes (which is what I specialize(d) in..(builders would buy my time, and give it to their clients to start their homes...saved a few marriages that way)..anyway, one has to diversify...In fact, on Tuesday, a woman is coming to interview me for a local magazine regarding my floorcloths...hey, free marketing...one never knows..but, I digress.
This pen-and-ink pointalistic drawing was fun...I like repetitive movement with my hands..it soothes the savage beast within me (funny, when I look in the mirror, I don't see a savage beast, but it's sometimes there..this calms me)...making little, teeny-tiny dots for hours on end is fun???

This cow was done in markers...I later did it on fabric and made a pillow out of it for a little friend of mine...He loved that cow pillow...wonder whatever happened to it...

Again with the details and repetitive movement..if you double-click on the image, you will see how much detail there is. One doesn't have to be obsessive-compulsive to be an artist/designer, but it helps...In real life..not so much..

I saw this photograph and just had to draw it....all these have been sitting in a portfolio in my closet for years...when I lived in North Carolina, I submitted these for a position with the state historical society as an illustrator..they lost their funding, and that was that (they had hired me)...such is life..maybe they will come in handy now..who knows? Maybe that's my new mantra: "Who Knows"????

This graphite drawing was from a postcard (okay, pencil), but now there are woodless, graphite pencils that I just love..in fact, I am finishing up a drawing of a nude, but think it might not be appropriate to submit for children's books??? Back to the drawing - I am one-quarter Cherokee, and the older I get, the more I am drawn to (no pun intended) my heritage....Funny, when we lived in Oklahoma on Indian Land, I was ashamed of it...now, very proud..Things change.

So, there it is...makes me want to do some more..but, I need to finish the nude first...

A Few of My Favorite Things....

2010-05-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmmm hummmm hummm hummm...hummm hummmhm ...and whiskers on kittens, hummm m hummhmm, hummm hummm and mittens, bright paper packages, tied up in strings, these are a few of my favorite things.....I suppose I could Google the words to Julie Andrews, singing in "The Sound of Music"..but, I'm too lazy.
I have a lovely home...I have lovely things....and even though my life is far from perfect, I am a very fortunate woman. I am not a "status" person...no status McMansion, no fancy car (I drive Aunt Lily's big ol' Buick). I have pretty jewelry, but not diamonds and emeralds..I wear mostly my turquoise and silver (much of it passed down from my mother), and my clothes are nice, but I buy many of them at resale (albeit nice resale) shops...
All that said, I do have some things that I love..things that I shall never tire of (at least, I don't think so)..some things that bring me great pleasure.
I have inherited fine china, silver, crystal, and I love setting a lovely table. I stand to inherit more of the same...I can remember coveting such things, but I would much rather have the people from whom I inherit....
So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things...(okay, my darling Gussie is not a "thing", but the I couldn't resist the line from the song...) This is my girl as a baby...just "hanging out"...I cherish this photo... I love the pair of etched-crystal vases, circa 1930's, that were given to me by my mother-in-law..I love the lily...I love the set of gold-and-red embossed books of the classics, that I bought years ago, one a month, when my husband was in graduate school and we were broke...I love the photo (hand-colored, black-and-white, by moi)...

I love the sheep that hangs over my bed...it says on him, "carry an umbrella when you see this flying fella"...that's a vintage child's hat, with cherries on it, that I often put on my "subjects" during my portrait photography days...

The sheep hangs over my Country French, carved pine bed, and the wonderful, red reading lamp is a new aquisition from Tuesday Morning...paid all of fourteen dollars for it. I love to lie in bed at night and write my novel(s)...I have tried writing on the computer, but I need to put pen to paper for some reason...nightime is my writing time.

I love the feather-trimmed silk, red pillow....even though one of my precious cats has damaged the back a bit..sigh.

Speaking of precious cats damaging my things...this was one of my favorite, silk, plaid pillows...it was $75.00 a yard, and I loved it...cat killed it..don't ask how...
I love the faux-fur, red throw (read "woobie) I keep at the foot of the bed to pull over me during the night...ala "Target"..

When I went to New England School of Art and Design in Boston, I took a faux finishing course..this screen was my final project...(got an A)..This was back in the day, before all the synthetic materials (which are much better for you) came out...I learned the old-world methods, and am glad I did...It is in my dining room, hiding my sewing machine in the corner....

When I was doing a photo shoot for Springs/Graber Window Fashions, (I did the photostyling), I acquired this rooster...at the time, he was white resin, but I "tarted him up", so, he came home with me. On July 4th, he sports an American flag. The rest of the time, he's in my laundry room....

These two, antique bunnies (I think they are circa 1920's), are horse-hair, straw-stuffed, and I believe they have been much loved...Poor Rupert (I named them Rupert and Nora) only has one ear, and Nora's gown is bedraggled, but somehow, making her a new one just wouldn't be the same..Rupert sports such a fabulous outfit...When I was doing children's portraits, they were the secret I would pull out of the bag when the children melted down..worked every time...they are the subject of my children's book in progress (okay, it's been in progress for way too long)..The smaller bunnie is Peter Rabbit..belonged to my husband when he was a baby. The cloche is always changing...and I love my fun, little Easter animals...the duck's wings flap..

I love making herbed vinegars...steeping the herbs in vinegar, bottling them, and making hand-made tags, embellished with pressed pansies from the garden...

The photograph hangs in my bedroom ("Grace", hand-colored, black-and-white..again by "moi), and I used wall covering to cover the hat box...I have boxes everywhere...stashing photos, letters, and momentos...

Sunflowers in blue-and-white china....

Peonies in blue-and-white china....when I lived in Wisconsin, I had many bushes of them..the scent is heavenly, but look out for the ants!

I love using china platters on walls..this was one of my favorites in Wisconsin...note to self, do not try to use it as a bird feeder...shattered...sigh. Also, loved drying my PeeGee Hydrangeas...

This angel is in my kitchen...she's a blessed thing..again, she was white when I got her, but I used a "rusting" technique...She cradles the small bird in her arms...(and she hides the outlet on my granite kitchen counter)....

She and these silly "things" are things I cherish, that have wonderful memories, or just bring me pleasure.

What are some of your favorite things?

Evolving Spaces

2010-05-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

Rooms, homes, and people should evolve, don't you agree? I have always encouraged my clients to never consider a room "finished", even if,at the time, they love it. There is something too "static" about a room that is installed, and then, never changes. I'm not saying one needs to repaint every two years, or change the room out entirely; but rather, add, edit, embellish, or rearrange the space. Perhaps treating it differently seasonally, which is what I've been doing with this corner of my living room. Our living room doesn't have the lighting I wish it had. My builder did a wonderful job on this house (it was a spec, but with custom upgrades). It was already too far gone when I discovered it to make the changes in lighting that I would have liked; as in floor outlets, more outlets, no pot lights, but rather, halogen, and a front door with some glass in it to let in more light. But, with time, I am making changes - I will not change my front door, as it is beautiful wood, and I know I would regret it afterwood. I lived in the house for an entire season without making any major changes. It's important to watch the lighting in the space over the seasons...For example, these two windows face our back porch, which is recessed, and there are Live Oaks shading the porch. This is Texas, darlin, and after a summer in this house, I was grateful for the shade from the relentless (we get 300 days of blistering sunshine a year) sun and heat. I was also grateful for the stained concrete floors, that feel so cool on bare feet (except I wear slippers, as there are also scorpions).
As you know from a previous post, I finally made window treatments. These windows flank our fireplace, and on the other side are French doors. I wanted to be able to drawn the curtains, light a fire, and feel cozy. Yes, we actually do have some cold, rainy days, and once, it SNOWED!
That got alot of Texan's really excited (being from Wisconsin, me, not so much).
I found the lamp at Hobby Lobby, added the elephant finial, bought a little chest (only piece of furniture I've bought since buying the house three years ago), and I had found these fabulous, Chinese silk pillows, still in the packaging at Goodwill, for $3.00 each - I added the fiberfill.
The fern needed to winter over, so I placed it on a plant stand (okay, I lied, I bought the plant stand at Hobby Lobb y -$60.00), and viola', my winter corner was established.

There's a wonderful, small town not far from me called Salado...it is small, but chock-full of historical buildings, housing shops, antique stores, and galleries. I love it. I found these silk sunflowers (I know, I once said no silk flowers, but these actually move in the breeze..not stiff and tortured like so many...I have changed my stance...if you can't tell if they are real or not, why not?). I put them in this blue-glass vase, but didn't like seeing the stems.

When I was in Madison, my friend, Cam, and I went shopping (alot)..we had such fun. There is, or rather, was, a wonderful shop owned by a friend, who had shared a space with me when I had my gallery. He was moving on to NYC, and had a wonderful clearance sale going on. I bought these striped candles (they are usually quite expensive). In fact, Cam commented that she just knew I would buy these candles. At the time, I wasn't sure where I would use them, but when I returned home, I realized they were perfect with the color-blocked window treatments, and the pillow. By the way, even if you have candles that you would rather not burn, please, light them once, and then, blow them out.....they look so much better than the pristine, white wick..just a Designer's Tip.

I won't go on-and-on with each angle...just wanted to show how wonderful (at least, I love them) they are...and how changing the vase to something more organic highlights the flowers better.

The small, enamel box on the table is hand-painted from Russia. One of Aunt Lily's acquisitions on her many travels...I cherish it.

I put three mirrors in the living room, (you can see the corner of one)..two of which are hammered tin and tile from Mexico...they do help reflect the views and lighten the room. I also love seeing the table through the window, where the plants are thriving (out of reach of the deer).So, this is my "Summer Look"...it may continue to be my "Winter Look" , as well, until Christmas, when the tree takes it's place....

I started to glaze the foyer two years ago, but hurt my wrist..had to wear a brace for six weeks...well, it's happened again - it's called, DeQuervian's Syndrome, or "Washer Woman's Syndrome"...tendon injury...I call it "Fall Down in Fort Worth on Your Anniversary While Wearing Stilleto Heels on Cobblestones Syndrome"......back in the brace again..just in time for hot weather.

They say "When life hands you lemons, make lemonaide"...I say "When life hands you lemons, put them in a lovely dish and enjoy them on a table

Is it Cheating???

2010-05-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

First, let me fill you in on my life (if anyone is interested)...After my trip, I've been thinking about priorities...and although this blog is important to me, other things are taking priority...but before I go there, I wanted to share this photograph with you, along with it's story. Short story...we have wild peacocks in the neighborhood - one male (I call him, "Gigilo George), and three females - no names, just "The girls". I had some strawberries that had become mushy, so I tossed them off the back porch, assuming "Blossem" the opossem, or our new friend, the racoon, would find them. Instead, I opened the door to check on the grill, and there were "the girls"...They took off, but I managed to get the photograph. Our Raisenette Funicello Buttafuco (he headbutts) was in the chair on the porch, eyes bulging, calling to them to not go....I love our little piece of the country. Now, to the issue at hand...since the "recession/depression/economic downturn/whatever, I have pretty much come to a designing for builders standstill. That said, as many have had to do, I am assessing my talents and my possibilities. I am a fairly decent artist, good seamstress, and an artisan. Again, with the economy the way it is, not much happening there...So, I have the opportunity to take this time to do what so many people threaten to do....I am writing a book. Actually, I am working on two novels and a children's book. Writing is easy, you just sit down and open a vein..(not my quote)...I slave and sweat and ponder and write and toss away and save and hope that I am not writing something that will be considered dreck. I cannot write to please others...I have to write from my heart, and so I will. Will I get published? It's unlikely, as there are "slush piles" of wonderful books out there, with overworked editors, who are pretty much struggling with the publishing industry (as in Kindle, etc). But, again, it is a luxury provided by my husband to get the "green light" to just go for it...and so I am. So, after writing every day (at least I am attempting to do that), the blog suffers.

I have seen a great change in blogging; especially, design blogs...I have seen many drop out of the game..for me, it's not been about how many followers I have, and how many "hits", etc., but it's been about reaching out and sharing. I will continue to do so, even though I don't have 10,987 hits...just do what I can when I can.

As to the "Is it Cheating?", here's my question (rather, two questions)...is it cheating to repost some of my past work that I've had on here before (but with a bit of a twist), especially, some of the very early stuff? Also, I see so many blogs, where the "blogger/designer/whatever" scans photos from books and magazines, and then comments on them..as in "what inspires". I ask this question - is it interesting? I have over the years, compiled entired loose-leaf notebooks, jammed with photos from the seven million design magazines I have accumulated over the years. Since they would otherwise be piled to the rafters, I cut out what I wanted to save, and I catagorized them, as in: Kitchens, bedrooms, window treatments, etc...Problem with that is I do not know who's work it is, and to whom to attribute this great talent (I don't save boring stuff).

All this said, here's a bit of an experiment: Here are several powder rooms and bathrooms that I have created in the past. Every single on of these were from the ground up. I wanted to repost them, and talk about the client's personality, and why these rooms work. So, for what it's worth....

This was my favorite "over the top" powder room. My clients were world travelers (he is Phillippino -sp?), and she's not. They both love color and drama. I gold-leafed and aged the ceiling, trim, and the inside of the pocket door. I also used outdoor lanterns for lighting (with auxillary lighting up top. I usually recommend side lighting to put on make up, but for a powder room - as in "powder one's nose" (do women actually do that anymore", and a bit of lipstick, one can cheat a bit....
This was a Parade of Homes powder room, but sold before building (people who buy Parade homes before they are built get all kinds of discounts and perks...it's a smart thing to do, but they do end up having 28,000 (literally) people go through their homes. Good builders make sure you cannot tell anyone has been there. It is in Wisconsin, where saturated color is uplifting during the long, grey winters. I glued "gimp" trim between the color sections to better define the borders. This was a young, vibrant family, a contemporary, couple, who entertain alot.
My clients for this bathroom were two men (it happens, deal with it), who were busy professionals, with an adopted child...a wonderful couple, but wanted to have some "masculine influence" in the bath...I used Ralph Lauren Navy Blue paint, floated the cabinets, and designed a giant shower (reflected in the mirror). I am not a "design Nazi"...a good designer takes the wishes of their clients seriously, and does the best one can to make thier wishes come to fruition.

This bathroom was designed for a gorgeous blonde...beautiful in every way..she and her husband (a pro-hockey player), were in Switzerland eight months out of the year (he played for a Swiss team), so there was alot of back-and-forth decision making.....

This was the blonde's powder room. Small but dramatic...My regret is that I didn't get a good shot of the obsidion and onyx tile floor.

This was another Parade powder room, but wasn't presold, so I got to do as I wanted...using a vanity that is more like furniture, and wallcover, covered with what feels and looks like glass beads...Everyone who passed through just had to touch that wallcovering...the glass stayed on!

Last, there is the cool, contemporary "Barbara Barry" influenced bathroom. I painted an opalescent strip through the room, and a carried it into the bedroom, as well.

So, that's it folks....I will be interested in seeing if there is any response at all..If not, I will continue to come here when I can...I do care about those people, who do come here for some news and inspiration..

Happy Mother's Day..

2010-05-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know of too many (especially, female bloggers) who aren't writing about Mother's Day in some form or another....Remember, this started out as a "Design Blog", but has also been about life...mine, and those who are sharing this world with me.
This is an especially difficult weekend for me; my Mama's birthday would have been yesterday (she passed at 58, 25 years ago), and today is Mother's Day...A day doesn't go by that I don't think about her. She was beautiful in every way....as you can see...and I thank her for inheriting those legs.... We were poor...really "dirt poor"...literally, dirt floors (which were swept, sprinkled with water, and hand-made rag rugs covered most of them)...a "RC Cola" sign for a roof...we lived on Indian Land in Oklahoma...We never went hungry, were always clean..and we didn't have much, but as I got older, things improved..for awhile.
I don't want to bring out the violins, and play, "I've been traged", but merely paying tribute to a woman, who always worked..and after my father, a police officer, was shot in the line of duty, she went to work at the police station...later, the sheriff's office...
We always had books in the house, and paper in pencils.. both my sister and I loved to draw, and she encouraged and praised us- she was my best friend, my rock..my muse.

Babies are babies.....

And kids will be kids (this time, literally)..getting themselves into all kinds of situations...whereupon, the mama has to rescue them..I know mine did, many, many times..After which, they often need to rest....Thanks to all the Mamas..and rest in peace, dear Mama..I will always love you.

The Garden

2010-05-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

Blogging takes alot of patience...I have no patience...but, I do want to share my wonderful friend's garden(s) with ya'll...Especially, since returning from my stay with them in Wisconsin, it is now in the 90's in Texas...All the green and harbingers of Spring up there are a respite from what promises to be a hot, dry, Summer...but, I still love Texas...

So, since I've shared Cam and Jim's home, I want to share their wonderful gardens...an acre over which they toil endlessly with love....(and Jim has a wicked aim with a stone...scaring the bunny that just ate their tulips away)..they do, however, usually catch and relocate..(except the deer)..

This is the view from my guest bedroom window...I love the birdbath from "Gatherings" in Madison, which is sadly, moving to New York..

The photo after this is also from the window...so much has happened already, and plenty more to come..wish I could see it. I am going to play, "One picture is worth a thousand words"; only commenting when it's necessary..enjoy...

Jim is an amazing metal sculptor...this mermaid is fantastic..and large..I shot in front of the bench to give you a sense of her "presence"...love her..

Jim is a wonder at building anything..he added this porch (as I explained in my previous post)..last summer...Here it is this Spring....Cam was going to put some lovely flowers in the pots for the shot, but we didn't get that far....still a bit early there..

Cam took this photograph (which I love) last winter...which is why I left Wisconsin (one of the reasons...)..Spring is wonderful...Winter (for me, at least) not so much...

I created this vignette, using the wonderful, Italian-inspired pottery, and the spring flowers...I can't wait to see the painting Cam will do from it.

I once contributed some photographs I took of Southern porches for a book called, "Out on the Porch", which celebrates the integral part porches has played in the South...Hey, porches are important in the North, as well. Love the color of these chairs.

I didn't get to stay long enough to see the lilacs in full bloom, nor smell their heady scent...I do miss my lilac bushes..

This is the back entrance to the house...Cam commented that she hadn't "dressed it out" yet, but I love it as it is...very Italian..

Jim built the arbor...it looks like gnomes went to work during the night...eventually, honeysuckle, which is already growing nearby, will cover it...just imagine the scent!
I love bleeding heart...I wanted to cut some and press it to bring home with me, but didn't have the heart to cut it up (no pun intended)

Perhaps Cam will grace us with photos of the garden as the season progresses??? Please and thankyou...

I Am Home Again....

2010-05-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

This is Cam and Jim, and their rescued Pom, Maggie...they were the perfect hostess and host to me for a whole week, while I was in Madison, WI....We have been such good friends for years, but to have me feel so welcome for that week was such a treat!
Cam and I took long walks, talked, cooked, laughed, shopped, (and shopped), and sometimes, we were just quiet... This is my favorite photograph of Cam in her garden..being the "Italian Earth Mother/Goddess" (for she is truly beautiful outside and in), but, for some reason, I cannot get it any larger than this...try clicking on it..
Yesterday, I tried to put all the photos of both their wonderful farmhouse and their gardens, which are just coming into bloom, with a riot of tulips, lilac, and all the wonderful harbingers of Spring flowers...I don't know why, but lost it all..so today, I am going to just show their farmhouse...tomorrow perhaps, the gardens..

This is Jim at the head of the table, my husband, Bob is on the right, and our friend, Brent, is under the light...This was taken during one of their fabulous dinner parties...We all would take turns entertaining...getting all dressed up, and having great food, spirits, and lots of laughs...I do miss that so....

This is their farmhouse, which is now in an established neighborhood, but believed to be the original farmhouse for quite alot of property..now, they have an acre of beautiful gardens, and sit up on a hill, overlooking the street. Jim built this wonderful porch on last summer, and it so fits the personality of the house (and Jim's love of bright colors)...Cam is wonderful with color, as well, as she is a very talented artist, but left the porch to Jim....I felt a mixture of Tuscan Farmhouse, and Victorian...somehow, they pull this off with great ease.

These chairs welcome you to sit down and have a refreshing drink, or a piece of fruit....again, I love the colors...Keep in mind that in Wisconsin, many of the months are dark and dreary...so, a shot of color keeps up one's spirits.

The inside of their home is also a riot of color...but it works wonderfully..mixing kilims, bright florals for the window treatments, pillows, throws, tapestries, fabulous artwork (many paintings by Cam, and metal sculptures by Jim), crystals, collections of pottery, antiques, plants...and especially, the thing I covet most...Cam's armoire, which breaks down into seven pieces...It houses the television, stereo, and extensive music collection...

This is their dining room/library...I forgot to mention their collection of books...books everywhere..in the dining room/library, in Jim's study, in Cam's studio (she is also an accomplished calligrapher, in the guestroom I occupied (I wish I had photographed it - but once I plunked down all my bags and "stuff", it was too cluttered-It has William Morris wallcovering, and Jim matted and framed Latrec posters...one wall is mirror, an antique bed with beautiful linens, and the view from the window - I will reveal tomorrow).

Back to the dining room/library...it's off the hallway and stairs, which also have another William Morris wallcovering...Jim is amazingly talented in building, painting, wallcovering (Cam has her own set of talents...art, writing, gardening, too many to list)

It was so wonderful to see fresh tulips and spring flowers all through the house....We ate great meals at this table everynight...

The other side of the dining room is all antiques, crstal, paintings, plants, and fabulous red,patterned window treatments....

Back in the living room...more of Cam's work, along with work of friends....Everywhere one looks, there is color..there is art, and always something of interest..all juxtaposed with such flair.

Jim built this ottoman, and they had it upholstered by a fellow I used to use in my design business...it also houses all their Christmas ornaments...We enjoyed last Sunday morning, feet up, watching CBS Sunday Morning, having coffee, and reading the paper..they know how to relax.

It was all I could do not to grab dear, sweet Maggie, and run away with her...but, they wouldn't let me (nor would she)...Poor baby was in a puppie mill for years, in a box, and toothless...Cam and Jim rescued her, and with tenderness, love, and great care, turned her into the happy-go-lucky "Tiny Dancer" that she is today, eight years later....

Thanks so much to you -

Road Trip!!!

2010-04-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

On my way to Madison, WI....to see my dentist, along with many friends...Just me and Aunt Lily's Buick (and many audio books). Be well..see you when I return...