Visiting The Big-Ass Button

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Yes, it has been a while since my last posting, and I have missed you, but you haven't been far from my mind. And to prove it, I want to share with you my latest adventure. In fact, because I was thinking of you, I purposely took along my little pocket camera when in all honesty, on this adventure, I wouldn't have stopped long enough to snap photos....and what exactly was I doing that I didn't want to stop and take any photos?

I was in the Garment District of NYC exploring (okay, touching, grabbing, oohing, and aaahhing) all the fabrics and buttons and trims and laces and ribbons and tassels and baubles and bears oh my!! You know how they say NYC is the "Big Apple"? When I came across this sculpture (photo left) I actually squealed in delight and really said aloud to myself, "Now, that, is one big-ass button!" So, to me, NYC, is no longer the "The Big Apple" but rather "The Big-Ass Button," well, at least to me.


So, let me back up a bit and begin my story from the beginning and catch you all up some. I have been on the run a lot lately. From my last post, I am still working on that lovely home and completed the bedding and the sofa pillows. I just haven't had time yet to shoot the photos, but I will! I am now working on her hearth room. I have since began another bedroom project for another client that is still in the design stage and has a way to go yet, but it is very exciting as well and very detailed.

It seems I have been here, there, and everywhere lately. Randy and I flew to Dallas, Texas recently to visit my brother and his family and while there we went to the Cotton Bowl to watch the OU and UT football game. Randy's cousin, Tyler Evans (number 75) plays for OU and he got us tickets to watch. OU didn't win, but they played very well, and the day was just beautiful!! If you are a football fan, you must look up Tyler - he is headed for the NFL, and he is only a freshman - but he is very talented and a really good kid (well, not really a kid anymore).

While in Dallas we went to the Texas State Fair where everything is fried: I heard of fried Twinkies before and even fried Oreos...but have you heard of fried guacamole? Fried butter? Fried cookie dough? Fried snickers bars? And they had the usual fried cheese, fried onions, fried ice-cream, fried pickles, fried gum - just kidding, no fried gum. Just checking to see if you are really reading this, or if you are skipping down to the NYC story :-)

Here are some family photos of my visit:


Randy and my nephew Broderick, were always together. It was funny how Broderick used Randy as a piece of furniture...sort of like his own personal lazy boy chair that would rub his head now and then.

My beautiful niece, Mackenzi, always smiling and always gabbing and gabbing and gabbing....can't imagine where she gets that from?


I don't like rides and my brother, Bill knows it. He talked me into this "glider ride" which wasn't suppose to be a big deal....which of course turned into a big deal which I unfortunately did not realize as you can see by my big pre-ride smile. You can see the look on my brother's face that basically says "I got her" and after the ride, I got him.

I came back from Dallas with a cold and cough that lasts a week and the following weekend Randy and I go to our place at the lake of the Ozarks to close it up for the season. I then get notice that my friend, Bob, who lives in NYC, has the opportunity to have his play "workshopped." Bob and I were college theater majors and we studied theater together. And once upon a time, I performed on stage and directed while living in Germany and I was the director of performing arts at a private school in Princeton, NJ. My love and appreciation for the performing arts has never left me. Getting a play "workshopped" on off-off Broadway is a very, very big deal and I wasn't about to miss it. Basically, before a play is produced, it must be rewritten many times and worked out professionally which is very expensive and very competitive and an honor to get selected to have this done.

Three days after coming back from the lake, I leave for NYC to see Bob and his play. One of Randy's clients is a pilot and he gave me a round plane trip ticket for $45 on stand-by. While trying to find a room in NYC I discovered there were no rooms - little did I know it was the weekend of the NYC Marathon - and Halloween. So, I go on a great website called airbnb and I rent a living room with a sofa bed from a total stranger in NYC. This site is a place where people rent out their entire apartment, or just a bedroom, or in my case, a sofa bed, to guests. It was SUPER cheap - a typical, decent hotel room is going to cost at least $200 a night. You can find rooms for $75 on airbnb. I got an entire living room for $100 a night.

So as Randy summed it up, he basically said the day before I left, "So, you don't know which flight you are leaving on, or which day, and you don't know the person you are staying with or how to get there either, is that right?" And as I packed and tossed in my google map of the garment district, I replied, "That is about right." And he just shrugged and smiled and said, "Better you, than me..." I just laughed and told him not to worry.

For those of you that have never been to NYC, this story is for you. For those of you who have been to NYC many times, you can either pretend not to be interested or excited like a lot of people who go to NYC often do, or, you can be honest with yourself and admit that you too, get giddy with the energy, the lights, the buildings, the 100's of coffee shops, the endless sidewalks that lead to zillions of adventures and read this story as well. And by the way....I lived in NJ for four years and have been to NYC at least 20 times, and to this day, I am still amazed by the city, and I don't hide it either. It is a great city...so here we go...

I left on Wednesday, got on the first flight out, and had a voice message waiting for me from the apartment owner, took a bus from NJ airport into NYC, met Miriam (hostess) at her apartment, got the keys, called Randy, and went on my way. It was so simple and trouble-free. The apartment was great, very clean, safe, and you get to feel like a real New Yorker, "living" in an apartment verses "staying" in at a hotel. And it is way cheaper!

It is still pretty early so I head out for the Antique Cafe, for a coffee and lemon bar (I googled it) and while walking I spot a glass store window filled with vintage clothes - well, I just have to pop in and see what's what. But I had the hardest time finding my way in...I had to go around the street corner, up some marble steps and inside was a giant foyer with a security guard. What kind of special vintage store was this anyway? The guard asks me if he could help me and I tell him I was just trying to get into the "vintage store" and I point to it, and he looks at me with a puzzled look but lets me in.
I cross this huge lobby and go into the store and was so disappointed that it was so small, but the stuff seemed so cool. But the clothes didn't look old and the young girls working the counter looked so trendy...what kind of store was this anyway? I am informed that I am in the NY school of Fashion Institute of Technology and the clothes I am looking at were designed by the senior designers that were in previous fashion shows! Well now that explains the fancy-schmancy lobby and security guard for such a little "vintage store" and why I had to make my way around an entire block and up huge steps to just get in....my street view of the store was only a tiny window of the clothes housed by a huge block-sized building! Well, if you ever traveled or even walked with me, this would not surprise you that I was so oblivious....I tend to be caught in the moment and see what I want to see in the moment.

I turn my attention back to the clothes and think, "Shoot, these clothes are only going to fit those food-deprived-pseudo-women-that-get-air-brushed-anyway" and I won't find a thing that will even go over my ankle much less my butt.....but wait! What is this I see? It is a beautiful, beautiful baby-doll chiffon dress! Never mind that I always hated baby-doll dresses and never mind that I had no interest (until this moment) to even own one. But this one has beautiful elastic all across the back (beautifully stitched I must say)and elastic is a middle-aged woman's best friend! This baby-doll dress is looking better and better. The chest area is covered is tattered chiffon black roses sewn all over it and the bodice is drapey gray/slight plumb chiffon hanging to right above the knee. It has two simple black shoulder straps.

I go try it on and it fits! Being not so well for months did have an upside and having lost a little weight paid off :-) I think how I would wear black tights with it and my black boots and a black short jacket and hopefully not look too stupid. But I don't care. It was only $40 bucks! I think it was the idea of owning couture, having a one-of-a-kind, getting it from (I am sure) a very soon-to-be famous designer, and getting it from FIT in NYC made this dress, ahem, I mean, couture, so special.

I go back to my apartment and drop off my couture (when you acquire couture, something prevents you from just calling it a "dress" I discovered), and I finally head to the Antique Cafe once again. The coffee shop is long and narrow with a fabulous bar and a cute guy behind it whipping up coffees and serving all sorts of pastries. Interestingly, no one is on a lap top. Comfy over-stuffed chairs are in the front, and people are chatting. Small, tiny chairs and tables line the long wall and hip people (old and young) sip, chat, clink, and chat some more - but all at a low murmur which is really nice. The wood floors are dark, and the guy behind the counter is very polite. Rude service is only a rumor in my opinion when it comes to New York. I always get polite service.

Perfect timing - the woman at the huge window gets up and I grab her table and watch people pass on the street and listen to the couple next to me. Apparently they are just friends having a visit. The guy had his girlfriend spend the night with him the night before, and they slept together, but he isn't serious about the woman anymore and he feels really bad. His coffee companion is very sympathetic and offers support and comfort and advice. He rattles on and on about what he should do and how to break up. She comforts him some more but then tells him to spend the night with her while he works it out. Not sure what that was all about. Very Seinfeld in a way.

But I digress. I love being in NYC alone. I have been alone in NYC only one time before and you don't need company in NYC....the city is great company on its own. the Garment District awaits!

As I walk towards the district I practically spend all day Wednesday and Thursday in a two block radius of 39th and 38th. I am a big walker. If you visit NYC, be in good health, be willing to walk, and wear comfy shoes. I wore boots because it was raining and wet most of the time and nothing is worse than walking in wet shoes. Big puddles are everywhere and boots take care of that issue. And forget the tiny, cute purse. I wear a satchel. EVERYONE carries a satchel, or a backpack of some sort. New Yorkers don't drive anywhere - they walk. And when one stops to get the newspaper, or a bottle of water or stop on the way home to pick up a can of cat food or a pair of socks, you can't be carrying a lot of bags around while trying to hold your umbrella, answer your cell phone and hold onto the rail on the subway all at once. That is where the satchel comes in handy.

The Garment District...it was love at first sight. At first I couldn't figure out why I loved this dingy, dark street with really no personality or color or anything really exciting about the buildings. Then it struck me after a while. It reminds me of a street I would shop on when I would go to Brussels. There is a street in Brussels, Belgium that has a lot of lace and lace factories that isn't too exciting, but has signage everywhere, it is narrow, and a little dark. I realized that the Garment District reminded me of that street in Brussels and I felt so at home and a little homesick at the same time.

I took photos of the street signage to give you an idea of what I saw. It was rainy and busy, so excuse the low quality. I snapped them quickly and stuck the camera back into my pocket. This is an area of NYC that I have been wanting to visit and believe it or not, I have never made it here! I am either too busy, or on another mission, or with someone who would just not get why I could stand in a store for three hours staring at trim or buttons. This trip was best done alone and I loved it.

I love this sign: "Fabric Czar" It was the first sign I saw and I knew I was home! :-)

This is what I mean when I say that the street of the Garment District is nothing to write home about. It is dingy and the buildings aren't special....but it reminded me so much of a particular street in Brussels that I felt right at home.

I just love all the signage along the buildings:

I didn't just stick to the streets...the alley proved to be interesting too. I saw these steps and they called my name. I poked around and snapped a photo and discovered more fabrics.




I had seen so many signs and store fronts, I couldn't decide which to visit first, so I just started to go in stores and found it so hard to go out. But in and out I did! And I did all day long....

I realized after I took this photo that it would have been smarter to have taken it BEFORE I got my hands on it and turned the once neat row of trim into a row of tormented pile. Photographing the aftermath isn't nearly as pretty as the "before." But I did have fun, fun, fun!

This is just one giant wall of many giant walls of many giant stores that houses 1000's of buttons just waiting to be discovered and sewn on projects that are housed in one little head....mine :-)

When I saw this huge wall of rolls and rolls of white lace trim, I just about experienced the big "O" right there in the aisle, and I'm not talking about Oprah!

I came across this vintage brooch in one of the trim stores and fell in love with it. The irregular shape and size caught my attention and the price kept my attention - it was only $15!

The exciting street scene makes up for the lack of exciting buildings in the district. As I rounded the corner, I almost got ran down by a rack of beautiful wedding dresses. If it was my time to go, it wouldn't had been so bad to have been smothered in satin....I whipped out my camera to snap the beauty of the dresses against the grime of the streets.

Just as I turned, a factory employee pushing a beat up cart of fabric, passed the wedding dresses and again I snapped a quick photo and loved the extremes between the two. The street scene continued to be entertaining and I was so glad to be a part of it.



What is it about seeing fabric on a rack on the street that makes me convinced that whatever it is that is being unloaded has got to be ten times better than what is waiting for me on the shelves inside? Of course I ran across the street, felt up the fabric, slowed down the delivery a bit and thanked the man for tolerating my mania for material...I think he was use to it :-)

After all the activities of hunting down buttons, snapping photos, copped a feel of fabric from the street, buying a brooch, almost smoothered by satin wedding dresses, that is when I saw this sign of ribbons and a coffee shop in the same building...well...I would swear I saw the sun come out and heard angles sing. What more could a girl want?? A bakery and buttons under one roof? So, after eating a huge chunk of NY cheesecake and a real coke (really now, would a diet coke make a real difference?), I head out on my hunt again. You know how sometimes you feel like the universe is trying to tell you something? Well, when I left the coffee shop and turned the corner, the universe had a friggin megaphone yelling out to me with some signage staring at me right in the face (see below):



Okay, maybe I should have had the diet coke.

Damn universe.

My adventure led me to another exciting discovery. I learned where a lot of "my girls" are "born" and how nice to know that as much as I love my European gals, my American gals are chic New Yorkers. In this district, mannequins are manufactured, sewing essentials, tools, and other garment gadgets. I found it all so very interesting and never really gave it much thought until I ran across it.

Seeing my "girls" lined up got me a little choked up - it seemed like they were all headed out to wonderful adventures and I wish I could have taken them all home with me. In case you haven't noticed, mannequines are the chic girlfriends that always make you feel in style :-)

While in the Garment District, I wanted so much to spend, spend, spend, but the reality of the situation was, I looked, drooled, and fantasized.....but darn it, I had to get something...and then...just down the sidewalk, I see a table full of wonderful colorful scarves (I LOVE scarves)!

Upon closer inspection, these super soft scarves were Pashmina! Well, I just had to have one - and to say I got them in the Garment District made them even more special. They all have a very elegant slight embossed print on them that you can't see in the photo.






Well, the more I looked the more I loved. And when I went around to the other side of the table and saw the price....$5 dollars each - well - let the Christmas shopping begin! I got all my Christmas shopping done in stop - so I shopped and shopped.....

So to those of you who may find a pashmina scarf waiting for you under your tree, don't think of it as a $5 dollar scarf...think of it as it a gift that was bought on FIFTH AVENUE in the Big-Ass Button (aka NYC) in the Garment District and I have proof, below:


But then again, I got some really cool colors....they may be hard to give up.... ;-)

I hope you enjoyed my adventure to The Big-Ass Button City. I flew back 4 days later. My visit with Bob went well. We visited the Whitney museum and saw the Georgia Okeffe exhibit - which was great. His workshop was fantastic and I am so proud of him. My apartment was super and the location wonderful. Every evening was spent in Times Square and Off Off Broadway. Drinking lattes in coffee shops, reading the paper with my cheesecake, and people watching are all wonderful...but the time alone surrounded by millions of people is really a special thing to experience.

This Sunday we will be celebrating our first year of marriage by flying to Marco Island, Florida for a week. Having a loving husband who takes such good care of me, protects me and supports me through so much is something so few wives really get to experience. While sitting alone in a cafe, sipping coffee and people watching, I was thinking about my Randy, who happened to be on the lake fishing while I was in NYC. I was thinking how he was quietly fishing while I was in a noisy cafe in a very noisy city. How funny our chosen weekend locations exemplifies our very distinct personalities.

But yet, I was quiet in my thoughts while surrounded by so much activity and I was thinking how very blessed I am to be so loved and cared for. I felt so content and so comfortable in the giant city with the hustle and bustle but what a comfort to feel my heart wanting to be with Randy and feeling so sure that it belonged next to him and wanting to be next to him. I think when one is truly loved, it is then that one can truly feel free to be oneself and independent.

The freedom that comes when one is "freed" only increases closeness and trust. Having a husband who joyfully gives me the gift of being alone only increases my love of wanting to be closer to him. I too often see people cling in fear of losing. And it isn't clinging only with a relationship, but it can be with your ownself, your passions, your business, your decisions. Sometimes, joyfully "letting loose" a little gives you the room you may need to reconnect with what you may be fearing all along: your job, a major decision, a career, a relationship, your children, whatever it may be....

Just know that "letting loose" is just another way of saying "having trust." Trust a little more in yourself, others, and in God, and just see what happens. Sitting in that little coffee shop, watching all the people rush by, listening to all the sounds, enjoying my own thoughts....I felt so independent and happily alone and very, very happily connected to the one who let me alone - and I couldn't wait to get home to share my adventures with him.....but not until I really scoped out the Big-Ass Button City first though!!

May your trust and faith allow your next adventure discover a big-ass connection that brings you a joy of independence in which you can't wait to share with a loved one.

Now that is a true adventure!

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

P.S. I have received several emails regarding the chiffon dress - I mean courture :-) And many of you wanted to see a photo of it. So....just for you...I took a few photos in my dressing room for you with my little camera so please excuse the low quality. But isn't it pretty? I forgot the straps had roses on them too! Enjoy!

My Latest Cyber "Refrigerator" Creation!

Welcome back to the "after" photos of the gorgeous home that I showed you a little earlier. If you remember, I showed you a home with huge windows in need of a little dressing. The owner (and friend) is a true romantic who wanted opulence without stuffiness and her request to me was, "Elizabeth, I want my bedding to remind me of a wedding dress and the drapes to feel like ball gowns...."

When this project began, the home had some construction issues that required the owner to vacate and move out while the floors were being completely replaced along with all the trim around the windows!  Many months later, we finally got to install the drapes. These "after photos" show the drapes, but note the home is not completely unpacked yet. Shelves are still empty, walls still bare and the owner is still unpacking her boxes....but once we put up the drapes, she immediately said so happily, "Now finally, it is feeling like home!"

Nothing makes me happier than to see a house turn into a home. And even though this owner has many boxes to unpack and lots of shelves and walls to fill, the softness of the silky fabrics that hang so casually instantly provide what I like to call "livable elegance."

Please enjoy the photos and while most of us don't (well, at least I don't ) get to live in such a lavish home; this home, I assure you, is filled with the kind of love and friendliness that the little ole' cottage homes we so often think of when we think of "comforts of home." This lavished home is lavished with love!

Before: The family room while unpacking

After: The family room:

These drapes are actually two panels. The top is tied to the bottom. I had lots and lots of inter lining sewn in to produced a heavy, lush feel to such a fine fabrics. I  love the height of the windows! The challenge was to design a drape that would only soften the edges of the windows, compliment them, and allow the windows to remain the centerpiece. 

The above photo you can see how the two drapes are tied together. Below is a photo taken from the balcony. I am designing pillows for the sofas and once she is unpacked and art is on the wall....the room will be spectacular!

I love puddling. I like this view because it does remind me of "Gone With the Wind" ball gowns of ladies dancing in a row in a ballroom. This design is not practical if you have pets or small children (the owner has neither). For those who do have children or pets, I would design it similar, but have a few tricks that make it more practical.

Before: Hallway window

After: Window with silk drapes and tiebacks 

I love the photo below. The puddling reminds me of a beautiful ball gown skirt.

Below is the hallway that has the beautiful window above. And at the end of the hallway is the master bathroom. I am standing in the bedroom taking this photo. Can you imagine getting out of bed and looking down this hallway every morning and passing the beautiful window on the left as you make your way down to take a bath?

Below: The before photo of the main window in the bath

After: I designed Austrian shades for the master bath. Doesn't it look like whipped cream on a wedding cake? My friend Debbie, who came with me on a visit to this home, is the one who said, "Oh, that shade looks like frosting on a wedding cake!" And now, every time I see it, I do get a sugar craving, and that isn't a joke! So the wedding and ballroom theme continues even into the bathroom... :-)

Before: The bedroom window and study:

After: More silk, more Austrian shades, more elegance!

Now you may notice that you can see the corner of the bed, but no bedding....that is because I am saving it for another post! Yes, you will have to wait. Actually, we are making a few adjustments to it and I was excited to get the photos out and I didn't want to wait for the adjustments. So, I will have them out later. Maybe I will have the pillows for the sofa done by then as well and you can see those if finished. I hope you enjoyed the peek. Once the home is completed I will be taking more professional shots of the complete home - you should see the kitchen, the upstairs bath, and the sitting room! I will be taking lots of photos of this home in the future. You haven't even seen the study yet.

And now I save the best for last....I want to thank Maureen - the miracle seamstress who can take my designs and figure out all my drawings and my math and make it all work out. She is truly talented and patient and a joy to work with. Her son, Andrew, helped her install the drapes and he is definitely a pro as well. Can you even begin to imagine how many yards and yards of material that was required? I am talking about the fabric you see, the fabric inside to fill it out and the lining behind the fabric.  Anyone want to guess?

(If you guessed less than 175 yards you guessed too  little.)

Thank you for allowing me to put my art on the "cyber refrigerator" as I like to say. I think that is what we artist use blogs for anyway. I mean, think about it. As a child, what do we do when we create a drawing? We show it to mom or dad and they show it off  by putting it on the fridge with a magnet. Now, we are all grown up and no longer do we really hand our "art" over to mom to hang on the fridge and unless we have a gallery (which is just another giant refrigerator), we now post our art in cyber space on our own refrigerator, aka "blog." And our magnet is our posting for all the "moms and dads" out there to see our work and clap for us! And actually, there is nothing wrong with that. I hope we adults never grow too old to clap for one another. And I definitely hope we never grow too old (or too proud) to be willing to put something out there for someone else to clap for in the first place. You know why? 

It's called encouragement. And it is called inspiration.

Too often we are so quick to evaluate, criticize, and basically shrug off others' endeavors especially when they have no particular meaning to our own lives. Sometimes we don't even realize we are doing it. And sometimes, our society is very purposeful and mean in doing it. Just pick up a Hollywood tabloid and read who gained 10 pounds (gasp!) or who wore the wrong shoes to an event, or who "needs" an eye job? 

Our culture takes great, great joy in knocking down others and seeing others fail...why else would the ratings for American Idol's early season shows be so high? We love to see (unfortunately) which poor slob is going to get slammed by Simon. Or other "reality" shows that vote "losers" off the show...our culture gets great pleasure at the expense of other people's pain. I seriously doubt there would be a reality show that would make it past one season with the theme of  encouraging others to excel and exceed, now would there? I kind of like that theme for show: Encourage! Excel! Exceed! The show would have teams in which life tasks are to be performed and there are no losers - the teams are assigned to shelters and which ever team can encourage a member from the shelter to excel and exceed at life and get that person's life back on track again - that team is the winner. And actually - everyone is a winner.

And that is how I see all of our "refrigerator" blogs out there. We all like to show what we are doing and if we feel like "clapping" for the other, then we do and we offer encouragement. And it always feels good to be encouraged. It always feels good to feel like you have someone on your side. And what a bonus when you find out that what you put up on your refrigerator becomes an inspiration for someone else as well!

So, thank you for visiting with me and I do so much enjoy sharing with you. Because there are so many others that have such wiser things to say than I, I like to usually close with a quote from one of those wiser folks:

"We are what we believe we are" Benjamin N. Cardozo

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

"I am on my way...!"

Hello! I would like to welcome you to my blog if you are new and thank those of you who are visiting again. As many of you know, I got married last November and now I am happy to say that our wedding is featured in a little 2-page spread in St. Louis Bride magazine's Fall/Winter 2009 issue in their feature "Real Moments" where they feature real weddings around the area. I also wanted to let you know that I finally updated my blog that features photos from My Carriage House Wedding which shows photos of not only the day's events, but also the "behind the scenes" events that so many of you seem to enjoy. As I like to call them: the "not-so-pretty shots that make the event pretty." You  may click on the right of this page where it says "Carriage House Wedding" at any time to see any updating that I may add as I add more photos over time.

I had to smile at the cover of this beautiful, ethereal shot of the ballerina bride - and to know that I and Randy are the first couple to be featured inside this graceful cover. While most brides probably feel ethereal and even are seen as such....well, I think I had too much fun to come off as ethereal. I know I didn't feel ethereal, but I do I know I felt extremely happy and while my boisterous-mouth-wide-open-laughter and my shenanigans with an old French sink, may not be country club etiquette, they are perfectly suitable for an old carriage house filled with friends, family, lots of candles, a Tuscan feast, burlap (yes burlap), cheesecloth, and most of all, love. 

The writer for the article asked me to give a tip for any bride who is in the throws of planning her wedding and here is the advice I gave:

"The best advice I can give a bride who is planning a wedding is to remember that all the effort, focus, and energy she spends on the wedding should be very little in comparison to all the effort, focus, and energy she spends on her marriage."

Sometimes, I have to remember to take my own advice....isn't it funny how easy it is to give advice but harder to take it?? :-) I can get wrapped up in my projects so easily and quickly and before I know it, I have my groom calling me on the cell phone saying, "Hey, remember me, the handsome barber who is waiting on you so we can go eat? Have you left yet?" And as I quickly close down the computer and rush out the door, I don't really answer him until I am in the car and I say, "Of course, I am on the way! I wouldn't forget you!" And so now, to my own demise, my advice is now in print for all the world to see; but that I don't mind. What I do mind is that my lovely husband can point to it now and again with a raised eyebrow and a slight (grin?) on his face while looking at his watch.

Maybe, I should have just advised brides not to show their grooms any possible wedding articles that may be published about their wedding. That would have saved me at least, one less point in his favor when he is trying to win.....oh wait....marriage isn't about keeping score, now is it? Now that is a whole new topic that I won't even debate...I mean start...."debating" means there is a winner and loser...and we're not about winning or losing, right? Right? Right? I am right, aren't I? ;-)

Okay, I am done having fun about that - but I do want to thank you so much for visiting with me. And please stop by the Carriage House Wedding and see all those wonderful people I thanked for making my day so special. 

And I want to thank St. Louis Bride Magazine and Atia Thurman, our photographer, who submitted the photographs to the magazine and I got a surprise email from the editor asking for an interview. It was fun going through the photos and finally getting them sorted for the blog - they brought back a lot of smiles. :-))

From my (carriage)house to your (carriage)house,

Elizabeth

Updates and Happenings

Hello!

Well, I certainly have missed you all and I have some wonderful emails and blog comments to catch up on. Please know that if you commented on any of my postings in the recent past and you haven't seen it yet or seen a response yet, know that I haven't forgotten you and I will respond and I appreciate you taking time to write me:-)


I am wondering if I should catch you all up with a few fun things first and then end my post with a few not so fun things or the other way around? Fun first? Or, not so fun first? Hmmmm....


I think I will start with fun first. We all have our own life's ups and downs and sometimes, we just don't really want to hear (read) about one more problem (well, at least I feel that way sometimes). It doesn't mean we don't care or have concern for others; but sometimes, when we click on our computer, and after we get past all those news ads, pop ups, more ads, and other Internet things we must sift through in hopes to get to some eye candy or fun reading, it can be a little disappointing to be faced with yet another life issue, that well, frankly, we just may not be in the mood to read at that very moment. With that in mind, I will start with fun things first!


So, having said all that, let me say how nice it is to have you pop on by and visit with me again and how I so much love hearing from you all.


I know how much you love (and me too) "before's and after's" and below I wanted to show you some before pictures of some windows that are about to be covered with some drapes that I designed. The home owner wanted everything to be light and sweet and yet have a luxurious feel. She also stated that she wanted her bedding to look like "a wedding dress." And she wanted some of her curtains to remind her of elegant "ball gowns." She is a true romantic. Just about all the fabric used was silk and my seamstress, Maureen, used a lot of interlining and backing to really make the delicate silk very opulent and full. Not an easy feat.

Below is a photo of the living room and the windows. This is before she really moved in. And right after she moved in, she had to move out again due to some builder's mistakes in installing the woodwork and flooring. However, the finished product is beautiful with all the finishing wood touches that you will see a bit later. For now - look at how high the ceilings are! And no, we did not cover all the windows! In fact, we covered very little in this room....

Just look at the scale by studying the size of the french door and where the door knob on the door is compared to the height of the chandelier (which is changed in the "after" photo)!

Her bedroom is very sweet and romantic. The bed, she got from England and she wanted it to feel like a wedding dress. She has a long hallway (2 photos above) that leads to the master bath that is to die for.

The room you see at the foot of the bed is a room she is using as an office, but it could be a sitting room, dressing room or whatever - but wait until you see the fireplace!

Don't you just hate it when your windows are just so large that they make your beautiful European armoire look like a little toy that belongs in a doll house? I hate when that happens! :-)

Okay, back to reality - well, my reality at least. That is her dream home that she worked very hard for and saved for over the years. And while her dream has finally come true, someone else's dream has come true as well....

...While not nearly as glamorous, or large, or breathtaking (but you will gasp at the sight - but not in a good way...), my handsome barber of a husband had his dream come true when he bought his own business, a barbershop, a little over a year ago. Randy has been cutting hair for about 23 years now and is a licensed cosmetologist (he cuts and colors my hair - sleeping with your stylist is one way not to lose them) and he now "barbers," as he calls it, and so he also a business owner!

He bought Big Bend Barber Shop, from a gentleman named Clifford, who had owned the shop for 35 years. But the shop has been around for about 45 years, so Randy is the third owner. Clifford now works for Randy two days a week (Friday and Saturday) and it turned out to be a beautiful relationship. But it didn't start that way. Clifford (everyone calls him Cliff except for me, I love calling him Clifford) pretends to be a gruffy kind of guy who is short on words and smiles. He did NOT like the idea of "retiring" at all and certainly did not like the "young" guy taking over his shop. His children had been asking him to retire for years due to his health and age. He is 72, I believe.

When I first met Clifford, he would barely look up when I walked in the shop. He was not happy that someone else was cutting "his" clients' hair - who could blame him? But, Randy did pay for the shop after all, and it was bound to happen some day, and he knew it, but it still was a bitter pill to swallow. So, I made my way over to the shop a lot in the beginning and I would head straight for Clifford and give him a big hug every time. I could feel him bracing up for the embrace and the more he braced up, the longer I embraced. He lived on peanut M&M's and diet Pepsi and nothing much more. He is single and has his truck, and his TV, his buddies, and he cuts hair. So, I would bring him in cooked meals in Tupperware and put it on the back bar by his chair and tell him to eat it or give it to Randy and I would walk to the back and have lunch with Randy. He always grumbled that he wouldn't be eating it. But, sooner or later, he would hobble to the back (he had a foot problem) and place the empty Tupperware on the desk and mumble "that was good" and go back to his chair and read the paper.

His foot problem needed surgery and he finally gave in and had surgery. He was out for six weeks. He was worried that all his customers "forgot him" and no one would need him. The day he got back from his surgery, I swung the door open wide and stood there with a big smile on my face and said loudly, "There he is!!!! NOW we can finally get down to business!! Finally!! Someone who knows what is going on around here!! Clifford, I am counting on you to keep Randy in line for me, you know. He got out of hand while you were gone. Do you realize how hard it has been on me not having you around to keep him in line???" I went and gave him a hug and he seemed to slowly over time warm up to the idea of retirement.

How is he now? Well, let's just say that if it is too cold for him, he has no trouble taking off for Florida. And when I come in now, he actually opens his arms just slightly, because he knows he can't get away from me, and he actually makes me laugh with some of the stuff he comes up with. Randy is such a character he had Clifford almost falling out of the chair with laughter just last week. Clifford now volunteers at the hospital, takes off early on most Friday's and Saturday's and retirement isn't so bad after all. He fills in for Randy when we go to the lake and that helps Randy get some much needed time off. I hope we get to have Clifford around for a long time. I might even get a photo of him smiling for the "after" shots that I post!

This past year, we have slowly been making improvements to the shop. We have painted, put in new floors, and we finally just ordered two new barber chairs. We would love a new back bar, but that will have to wait, so, I am hoping I can do my "magic" and paint it - my next project. I have never done a back bar so this will be interesting. I am not sure about the sinks either. We have no budget after getting the chairs - have you ever priced barber chairs? Geesh!

You can take a gander (and a gasp) at the before photos below on the day Randy bought the shop and our friend, Debbie, stopped by to congratulate him:

Our friend Debbie - she is the one who had the cute, cute living room and dining room that I did for Romantic Homes (and bedding) with the hose nozzles garden theme table....her daughter, Caitlin (sorry if I misspelled that) just bought a home - that will be a big "before" and "after"... but I digress...this is suppose to be about Randy's shop...

Notice the yucky floor and old chairs. These chairs are old, but not in a good way. They are too big in the back which makes Randy lean just slightly forward all day while cutting hair. This gives him a horrible backache. Hopefully the new chairs will help because they will be smaller.

Also, notice the back bar - it is such a mess - it will be a real challenge for me to paint this with all the cords and the all the equipment that is needed daily....the sinks may have to stay - not sure yet. But all of this will be done very soon...so you will get "after" photos soon!

Here is my business owner of a husband who is just too happy for words to be sitting in his very own shop after 23 years of cutting hair for someone else - now - he cuts for himself. You know, when it comes down to it, even though most of you who read this blog, are boutique owners, or use to own shops, or want to own shops, or just like to shop....the pride in owning and running a business crosses all trades and even a barber shop, even an old, dated barber shop, still has a very happy and proud barber sitting inside thinking: "I did it!"

But Randy is no different than most of the rest of us. He didn't do it alone and he is very grateful. While he is the one that studied and had to pass his exams and get his permits and work all these years he always credits his paternal grandmother that put him through his tech school. He hunted for several years to buy a shop and almost gave up on this shop until I suggested he write a letter to Clifford. I drafted a letter for him and he sent it without much hope and to his much surprise he got a positive response. His mother graciously and lovingly assisted with the sudden financing needed and lent help when Clifford suddenly decided to sell his shop to Randy. And now, the very unexpected passing of his (step)father's (Jim) mother, Mary Benitz, he now is able to purchase two new barber chairs.

These past two months have been less than productive or happy. First, Randy's grandmother, Mary Benitz, very unexpectedly passed away recently. It was a shock to us all. She is pictured below. She attended our wedding, and I am so grateful that I had a chance to get to know her. Knowing her such a short time only makes it all the harder to say good-bye because I was so looking forward to finally having a "grandmother" in my life for once. I never had a grandma. And she was the perfect one. And I mean perfect. She made me feel like I have been a part of the family all along. And obviously, she loved Randy and felt he was her grandchild as well because she loved him enough to think of him and because of her loving and giving nature, he is now able to purchase two, very good chairs, that will hopefully save his back from aching so much.

So, when Randy cuts his father's hair (Jim), Jim will be sitting in the chair that his mother bought while his son cuts his hair. Mary will be a part of the barbershop - which I find so wonderful. A day won't go by that she won't be thought of and when the chairs finally arrive and when the customers comment on them, Randy will get the honor of telling customers who bought them for him. Mary will be missed and I am grateful to have known her. Her funeral was a testimony of how a life well-lived is rewarded in the end. She lived for others and not herself. The love she showed others is an example for us all.

I have one private and special memory of Mary that took place at my wedding. We were about to have our picture taken and she and I were alone together. She was holding on to my arm while someone was finding Randy for the photo. She patted my arm and looked up at me and just simply smiled and said, "You are a beautiful bride, Elizabeth." And she patted my arm again. What was so nice about that moment was that she said it with her eyes, not just with words. With all the bustle, the laughter, the noise, the people, and activity all around me, when I looked down into her eyes, I could see so much love in them. I never had that given to me before. I never had a grandma and now I finally did. It was a really nice moment. And how lucky I was to have it captured. The photo of that very moment is below. No one knew about that moment until now. And if you look closely at my eyes, you can just tell by my eyes and by my smile that her words and her look just touched my heart so deeply. It was such a simple little moment, but it meant the world to me. I am so glad the photographer just happened to snap that moment.

She was my grandma for a moment.

(I love you, grandma.)

Also, this past past month or so, my health isn't what it should be for now. My headaches are back and I am tired a lot. I am having some complicated female matters that are being looked into that are causing a lot of other issues that I won't go into. Tests are being ran and I am taking care of myself, but it is tiring and at times, I will admit, a little scary. Nothing conclusive at this point, but sometimes, you just want to get on with life, you know what I mean? It seems if it isn't one thing, it is another. But, I will keep you posted. Some days I feel just fine and dandy, and other days not so much so. That is what is so tiring - the up and down of it all. That and the headaches.

Also, I have decided to take somewhat of a sabbatical. What is a sabbatical exactly? Well, the college professors take them and researchers take them, and even pastors take them. It is suppose to be a time of renewal and exploration. Actually, I think it is just a fancy word for, "I aint' working for a while." Call it what you will, but what I am really doing is what a friend of mine called: mining for new gold. I really liked that when she said it. Because that is what I am really doing. I am "mining." But I am doing it slower until I feel better. Actually, I have been mining slowly on something new for some time now, and I can't wait to share it with you all. I am very excited about it, but not feeling up to par lately and have put that little gold mine on hold for a bit. But it is a fun gold mine. :-)

My other news is that I will not be participating in the December Miss Frenchie Show as a vendor. If I am up to it, I may help out in other avenues, if needed, but for now, my sabbitical or rather, my mining is taking priority. I will certainly miss it though! I love, love, love putting my little booth together - but, if the ladies need any help, and if able, I hope I can help them in some way. I do hope to attend one way or another, those vendors have lots of goodies that I never get to shop!!

However, I do plan on writing (sans deaths, illnesses...who knows what lies ahead lately, geesh!), I do plan writing a shop talk, I will be adding more wedding photos - more news on that to come...and more photos on "before" and after" projects. I hope to offer encouragement when I can and inspiration as well. You inspire me, you know! The things I read, see, and hear about are just wonderful and I am so honored that you share your accomplishments with me.

Also, one last thing, and I will let you go - and kudos to you for reading this far down - I am not sure I would and I am the one doing the writing! But, if you have any particular subject, or idea, or project, or topic, or theme that you wish I would write about or address (design wise or not, it can be anything), feel free to drop me a line. I am not saying I will address it, but I have been getting some interesting emails lately requesting some topics that I never would have thought of.

For example, do you have any interest at all in my thoughts or opinions on how to live simply but elegantly and on a budget? I had a reader ask my opinion on bed making. She (or he) didn't specify exactly about bed making she wanted to know. I had another reader, inspired by my kitchen, ask me what I cook and how I serve it (she liked my ironstone...).

If you have a thought or two, please feel free to pass them along. I hope your summer is safe, fun, and happy. And I will leave you with this:

"No matter what you do in life, stand up for yourself because no one can do it for you." Alfred Maxson (as said to me at age 10 by my father)

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Better Late Than Never!

Well, although everyone else has had their photos up for some time now and the Miss Frenchie show is definitely a "been there done that" event....I thought I would throw mine up anyway. I have been so swamped and it seemed the second I returned from that show in KS City I haven't stopped long enough to download the photos. Hence the kitchen photos on my prior posting (those I already had and they were timely since the article is being currently featured in Romantic Homes magazine...).

I thought I would at least start with a pretty shot - this is a beautiful French youth bed at the right. But below, I will tell a quick story of the show because once again, I am off - this time - for fun! My sweet barber of a husband (poor guy, he will probably never be known for anything else now) surprised me and is taking me to NYC to celebrate our anniversary of the day we met while running in the park here in St. Louis. And now we are going to run together in Central Park, NYC - so while I should be packing, I am instead trying to get this out before it is really way too late to even mention it!

Okay, I will keep it short and get to the pictures - and no bloody photos of any fingers this time. The story begins with me, in the dark, with Randy, loading up an 18' truck with goodies that I am to drive to KS City for the April in Paris Show for those of you who may be new to the blog.

A lot of people can't believe I drive such a big truck, but actually, the bigger the better because I feel safer in them, I sit up high and I can see the road, and I know how to use the mirrors really well. When I pulled up to my hotel at 2A.M. the security guard and hotel desk clerk got the biggest kick out me driving the truck. He said, "look at you...wearing earrings and everything..." I actually thought he was funnier for noticing my earrings than he thought me driving a big truck. But I digress.

Below is a photos of just one of about 20 totes of small stuff I had in my home that needed to be loaded along with the big stuff.

I made it safely and was greeted by Carol of Raised in Cotton, and her fantastic husband (Sam?) who took a day off work to help us - is that great or what? I mean, he took a day off to do hard labor - so he is either really, really sweet, or really, really crazy...I choose sweet... And no, I am not making a fashion statement, my really, really sweet husband insisted that I wear a back support while doing lifting - which helped a lot, even though it can get really hot.

I like this photo because I call it the "chuck wagon" photos of all the "wagons" gathered around in a pow-wow. The flea-market takes place in an historical site (barn) in the middle of KS City. For more info you may go to Alexander Majors Barn and check it out - it is great to rent for an event such as a wedding, reunion, party or whatever!


Here is the big space I am about to fill up - I discover that I have only one electrical outlet and I am now left to figure out how to plug in about 10 chandeliers that will be hanging about 20' high.... Carol is looking up at the rafters questioning if I should be hanging anything at all....

Stuff is getting moved in. Carol from Raised in Cotton is my neighbor, we sort of blended our booths' entrances and her stuff and my stuff went well together! Those are my huge columns that lead into my area where the rafters are.

Yes, that is me up on the ladder, which freaked out the ladies. I used to be in theater and hung lights so climbing ladders doesn't bother me too much. When doing a lot of climbing, I always wear knee-high leather boots with rubber soles. The leather protects my shins - which lean against the hard metal ladder - and I mean lean....that is how you keep balance when not holding onto the ladder....

We had a lot of laughs making fun of my "vampire" chandeliers. They all hung in garbage bags. Remember the posting with my bloody finger? Well,this proves that those chandeliers are indeed vampires! All those broken chandeliers are inside. Keeping them in bags prevents them from poking the hell out of me while hanging them and from grabbing the cheese cloth as well.

This give you an idea of the scale of things.

The outside of the barn is getting ready as well. Donny was my outside neighbor. I am sorry, but I was working such long hours, I never got out of my section of the barn for long. Carol, at Raised in Cotton did a great job in capturing names and vendors so please visit her site to get all the real info and all the photos. Karla did a great job too at getting info. I just had such a large space to fill I didn't have time to even shop! 

The early bird ladies are lining up on Friday night! What is so funny about this photo below is that I was working non-stop right up to the time the doors opened and these ladies saw me running around in my sweatshirt, looking dirty and sweaty and then someone announced that the doors will open in 10 minutes so I ran to my truck and got out my make-up bag and brown velvet overcoat ran to the bathroom, did a quick change and came out and took these outdoor photos....looking all "calm" and "collect" when only moments earlier they saw a sweaty, sweatshirt lady wiping dirty hands on her jeans....hahahaha...I guess I am not fooling no one!

And speaking of "calm" and "collected" this is Kenny - he is the manager of the barn site. He is basically the only guy on site and just about the sweetest and kindest man you will ever meet. He doesn't get excited over anything and if there was blazing fire in the barn, he would say in his quiet, southern accent, in a slow, soft way, "now ladies, you might want to finish your shopping before the fire gets out of control....just be careful now...." I saw him in this photo and this is the MOST expressive I think I ever saw him - poor guy - surrounded by a lot of a cackling ladies waiting to get inside! :-)

This is my "check out counter" that is an old utility cart on wheels. I ran out of time and I grabbed a bed cover and whipped it over it and tied it in a knot. Well, wouldn't you know it that the ladies made such a fuss over it that it made me laugh - I only tied the knot so high because the grass was wet! You would think that the knot was made of gold - but I was very flattered that my knot got so much attention - my lady customers make me smile and laugh every single time - the things they point out!

This was my "stash" that I kept with me at my counter. In my basket, I have my point and shoot camera, berry candy, pringles, soda and salt/pepper cashews. But what I really wanted to show you was the basket. That is my German shopping basket that I bought over 25 years ago when I lived in a tiny village. Germans don't really use bags over there when shopping and I learned that the hard way when I went grocery shopping for the first time. I bought groceries after living there only two days and when I checked out the clerk looked at me blankly and I stared back - she didn't speak English and the best I could say was "Nicht don't German" which is a really butchered way of saying "I don't speak German" as if I really needed to explain that to her. She pointed at the next customer's basket and I realized what she was trying to tell me. I didn't have one, so at the time, I was wearing a big, long shirt tucked in, so I pulled it out, and piled my groceries in it and carried all my groceries home in my shirt (I didn't even drive in their country yet). As soon as I got home, I went out and walked around the village and bought me a basket - and I have used it ever since. And once again, as my husband likes to say, I took the "scenic route" to get to my point...so to continue...

Here are some photos that I quickly took in my space in no particular order.

Me and Carol from Raised in Cotton. I just love this woman. She is so real, so sincere and so lovely. She threatened to blog something about me, but she was too nice to, and so, I will confess the thing she didn't blog about me. We were setting up and working and working. She said she saw me standing in my space studying my area intensely and wondering where to put my stuff. She said she watched me move stuff around and then I stopped, put my hand on my hip and got a serious expression on my face as I studied my space in silence. She said just as she wondered what creative thought I was drumming up in my head, I announced, "I think I need to go poop." She just about fell over laughing. I laughed too because l was like a kid playing with toys, and I didn't want to stop all because I "had to go." I don't care how many velvet coats one may own, how many crystal chandeliers one may light up, or how many elegant Belgium linen sheets cover your bed, when girlfriends get together, someone will eventually announce a bodily function - and you know I am telling the truth, so don't be acting like you haven't made a poop announcement before because we all know you have :-)

Me, Debbie from Curious Sofa and Marsha(?) in the center. I am so terrible at names! This is hilarious. I finally got a moment (just a moment) to go look at the other vendors and Carol calls me back to my booth. I enter my booth and Debbie introduces me to Marsha (so sorry Marsha if I got your name wrong) and she tells me she has been wanting to meet me and she has followed my blog and so on. The reason I am laughing so hard is that right before this photo was snapped, her little son, Drew (?) came over and stood in front of his mom and she reacted loudly with "DREW, NOOOO" and moved him to the side, out of the photo, and we just cracked up how she would get the mother of the year award. She was so neat, so funny, and such a sweet woman - and Drew, you were a doll - you waited patiently, you didn't mess with my stuff, and you made us all laugh. I am always so flattered when someone takes the time to meet with me. So thank you, Marsha (geez, I hope I have that right!)

This is Brandon (I know that is right!) He drove all the way from Iowa and has been following me (in a good way) for a long time. He has a little booth in an antique mall and is slowly growing his business. Brandon came to my store after reading about me several years ago and he emails me once in a while and surprises me by popping up here and there. I hadn't seen him in a good while, and it took me a moment, but I did remember. It was really nice to see him! He works hard at his space, like everyone, and like a smart business owner, he tries to stay on top of trends and keeps track of what is popular in his market.

Below are various photos of my space:

Below is the only photo I could grab of Secret Leaves' original artwork. Sharon Derry created four pieces for my show and one sold before it left St. Louis and the other two sold before I could photograph them! There is only one left - so if interested, contact Sharon, it is all hand made with authentic ephemera and all hand cut - you have to see it to believe it. The women who bought the other two just squealed with delight and one said, "I know Secret Leaves!!" Which of course, made me smile.

I never got a good photo which bums me out - I wish I could have spent more time taking photos. But this is my Big Bertha - who found a home this time! When my booth was all set up, I put her under all the chandeliers and well Bertha, being Bertha (sort of filled out) she looked a little out of place with all the super skinny mannequins so I put a sign on her: "An American in Paris. God Bless America. Every Ounce of Her." Everyone loved it and loved her enough to take her home. I loved Bertha - she was beautiful on the inside and out - just like America :-)

Here are some photos of Donny's space outside:

A few photos of Carol's space, Raised in Cotton:

A few of Curious Sofa Space:

Curious Sofa Head Manager, Pearl

Deb getting ready...


Well, there is plenty more to see with plenty more vendors, but what I showed you were about as far out of my space I ever got. I was at the very end of the barn and busy with customers and never got away - but look at the sites I mentioned earlier for all the vendors and more photos. When I saw the others' photos I died because I saw all sorts of thing I would had loved to had bought! It was a great show with a lot of people, laughter, and fun.

I am glad you decided to visit for a moment. I may not always be up to date or always current, but I do want you to know that I do appreciate you pretending that I am not that far behind. You really do mean a lot to me and I enjoy getting the chance to "visit" you on your sites as well.

I have no profound thoughts to leave you with, so I will leave you with this:

Don't hold it for too long....it's not good for your bladder. Or so I am told.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

From Soup Kitchen to Super Kitchen Part 2

Hello Everyone!

First, let me say, I am POOPED! I am back from the Miss Frenchie's show in KS City, and I don't have my photos down loaded yet from that event. But in the mean time, the June issue of Romantic Homes is now out on the stands which is featuring my kitchen cosmetic make-over. And since I do have those photos ready to go, I thought I would share those photos with you while I work on the Miss Frenchie show photos.....hope that is okay with you.

So back to my soup kitchen...

To refresh your memory from my earlier posting regarding our little kitchen: being newly married to my lovely husband and moving into his lovely little bungalow, and after "the honeymoon was over" and after regaining my sight from being blinded by love, I came to the realization that I could not live a day longer in his - ahem - I mean, our, kitchen any longer without doing something (anything, please, I mean anything) to keep me from stabbing needles in my eyes just to avoid looking at the torn, teal, plastic tiles falling off the walls and the burnt counter tops all surrounded by greasy, hospital yellow painted, cracked walls. And if I have to mop the torn, multi-patterned frog-green linoleum floor one more time in hopes that if I just clean it well enough "it really wouldn't be that bad," I will put pop my head in the microwave oven. But I digress.


To put it much more eloquently and simply: The kitchen was a real mess.


The kitchen needed to be completely gutted, torn out and rebuilt. It needed new cabinets, floors, walls, windows, counters, sink, lights, and hardware. However, we can't afford a complete rehab project at this time and I stood in the kitchen one day thinking that I can't be the only one who has this same dilemma.


The dilemma: What does one do when one truly needs to gut a kitchen, but can't afford to? How can one "fix" the kitchen in the meantime? I told Randy that I could give us a whole "new" kitchen for less than $500! (After I made this announcement, I wondered if I really could.)


What I wanted was only a cosmetic make-over. I didn't want to put a lot of time or money into something that hopefully we will be ripping out in a few years to do properly. This is only a temporary fix that will keep my eyes needle-free and hopefully the only thing popping in the microwave will be popcorn.


What I also hoped to accomplish is to encourage others that there is really something you can do with your kitchen as well. Maybe you don't know how to faux finish with paint, but you can straight paint (paint with just paint, not using any technique). And maybe you don't have a cool old workbench to put into your kitchen, but that doesn't mean you can't tear off the counter top of your kitchen island and put a cool old wooden door on top of it, or an old chunky counter from a bar you find in a rehab thrift store or at a garage sale. The point is, I don't want you to feel stuck with what you have. Just take a peek at what I had to work with and I will take a moment to explain what I did and how. I bet there is at least one project I did that you have the talent to do just as well that will make a huge difference in your kitchen - and doesn't break the bank either!


Below are before and after photos and then I go into a little more detail after you get a feel for the entire kitchen....

Before: Stove and tile back splash - which was torn on top left corner. The dishwasher had a little box built around it. The home was built around 1920 (pre-dishwasher days) and there is no room for the dishwasher. You can see our "beautiful" frog-green floor and in the background, you can see a snippet of an orange wall in the breakfast room...

After: This is probably one of my favorite photos because it is what you see almost as soon as you enter our home. I moved in my old 1940's O'Keef and Merritt stove which made all the difference. Randy tore down the plastic tile wall and filled the hole. I put joint compound over the hole and painted the walls and aged them down. You can see the floor is painted (a better photo is later in the posting of the floor). I hung old group photos and a mantel mirror over the threshold - which Randy made himself. Yes - I want to point out that Randy made that wooden threshold and did it on his very first try! And no orange breakfast room. I had hung my old chandelier from Belgium in the room earlier, but now that it is painted, you can really see it.

Before: This is the corner of our tiny kitchen. Yes, the plug outlet really had no cover and the walls were a yucky yellow. The kitchen probably had not been touched since 1940. In Randy's defense, he had lived here about five years and had spent most of his time redoing the floors, bedrooms and bathroom and other things in the home. The kitchen was last - as usual because it is the most expensive. The cabinets below the sink are metal and the paint around the windows are cracked, thick and have many, many holes from probably many different styles of curtains over the years from many different owners - but obviously not from Randy.... :-)

After: You can see what a difference simple paint can make!! Painting the floor, the cabinets, hanging an old European grain sack, building out the "box" around the dishwasher, adding a "new" sink and faucet. I scraped off the paint of the original window copper and brass hardware which I really loved. I originally wanted to paint the metal cabinets black, but once I realized how difficult the hinges were to remove, I just bought a couple of glossy spray enamel paint (the kind you use on outdoor furniture) and just sprayed it to keep in the theme of 1940's....sort of like Retro French-American, if you will. I added my ironstone on top and kept it simple. No fluffy stuff, no flowers, platters, or just "stuff." I wanted the kitchen to breath. It is so small, but I love the big windows. The few items you see on the counter top are for the photo shoot for the magazine, but other than that, what you see is for real - event the giant platter in the next photo is for real - meaning, I really do use these items and they are really a part of the kitchen. Even the items for the photo shoot are from my home and I do use them, I just put them together for a nice photo. I am a BIG believer in "living real" with "real beauty."

Before: This is a shot from the breakfast room. You can really see the plastic tiles, the yellow walls, and on the left side of the photo, the tile behind the stove is pulling away from the wall. You can also see the sink and faucet. But, you can also see the pretty floors that Randy did in our living room! :-)

After: Well, I must say, sitting in our breakfast room now, digesting my food is much easier! Painting the cabinets and removing the cabinet doors was probably the biggest change. The one happy accident was that both Randy and I had white dishes. He had white Fiesta ware and I had a combo of white ironstone and William Sonoma and others. My antique ironstone bowls are all lined up neatly on top and yes, it does my heart good to see my husband pull out the foot stool and grab one down to use to make our salad in - he thinks nothing of it and that is exactly what I hoped for some day. That using beautiful things are an everyday activity. And if something breaks - it breaks. They are just things, after all. It is the created memories of using them that makes them special, not their mere existence.

Before: This shot is taken from standing at the stove. That doorway goes into my office. We are not sure why it is there. It doesn't make sense. Randy closed it up with plywood, plastered it, and I put joint compound over it. Randy seemed satisfied, as a bachelor, with his TV tray and microwave "counter top" combo.....his bachelorhood decorating came to a screeching halt....

After: It was as if it were meant to be...I bought my workbench about 14 years ago and used it in my workshop, in my office and even as a kitchen island in another home and now it barely fits in our kitchen! We love it and it gives us more, much needed storage! My French shelf, another treasure I have owned for years, barely fits. Had it been only one inch longer, it would not be hanging there. I added some work lights and hung up our pots and it holds some of our treasures. Many of which were used in our wedding. You can see a better view of the floor too.

Before: Randy had a tiny fridge that held so little and I couldn't even stand a liter bottle of soda upright. More than once, I am sure he heard me mumble under my breath as I put away groceries so he surprised me by getting us a new fridge - which he didn't include in the initial $500 budget. It also meant removing the overhead cabinet in order for it to fit. I needed all the storage space I could get, but it was worth the trade. I put an old French basket on top of the new fridge to house small appliances that aren't used daily, such as our blender, steamer, and meat grinder. I also painted the food pantry to the right of the fridge and my girlfriends were sure that we added that pantry but I have proof in the photo that it was there all along. The fridge is counter depth, which makes a huge difference in such a tiny space. In fact, I think the area looks much larger and roomier even though we took out a much smaller fridge and put in a much larger one! Randy did a great job in removing the cabinet, too.



After: You can see the hard work paid off and I love that my antique English ironstone cream bowl found a home on top of the black cabinet. I hadn't really found a place for it in the home yet and I had owned it for so many years and hated to "store" it away.

Before: Sometimes, I feel like most of my time is spent right here, when not at the computer. Actually, I didn't mind it because my back was turned away from all the mess and I could look outside and pretend the kitchen would be different when I would turn around....and then one day, I turned around....

After: And one day it seemed I turned around and couldn't believe I was in the same kitchen. I suddenly felt like I was in another country...I half expected George Clooney to come walking in take me out on a ride on his yacht in Italy. But no, it was my barber husband coming in to take me fishing on his bass boat...I wondered who he expected (or hoped) to find in the kitchen? All I know is that my little kitchen seem so much brighter when my barber husband walked in with a giant smile on his face and gave me so good a hug that made me very happy that I wasn't in another country after all. I was very content to be right here...bald barber, bass boat and all. 

Before: Below is the counter top made of Formica. It is worn and rubbed out over the years and even burnt. I decided to just paint it. I painted with latex. I sanded it lightly. Washed it with TSP (Home Depot carries it), put 2 coats of Kilz on it, then 2 coats of paint, faux finished it, and sealed it with polyurethane (several coats). I made up my own color and faux finish - so please don't ask me what color I used - I hope I don't chip it too soon because I will have to repaint the whole counter because I don't think I can replicate it. Oh well. I was just playing around with color and came up with this and kept it. But, it is very little counter space, so no big deal. It should last a couple of years. The key is to take your time, do it right, prep it, and lightly sand and damp wipe between the sealing coats. I used about 3 sealing coats. It will hold up - don't worry about it. Besides this is a TEMP fix!

After: This is the EXACT same spot as above. You can see the brush marks and strokes - which is fine with me. I don't want it perfect because the rest of the kitchen is far from perfect and a perfect counter top would look out of place. In case your computer screen color is a little off, the real color is sort of an olive/brownish color.

Below are some more shots of the kitchen. Then below those are some details shots, and work in progress shots. Below is a photo of our pot rack. The crepe pan on the far left has a story to it. I will tell you at the end of the post. I think you will like the story.....

Below is a wide shot which shows a nice difference between the before and after:

Below is my deal of a faucet for only a $119 that I found at Home Depot. It is for a 4-hole sink and our sink is only 3 holes. Everyone (including the staff at Home Depot) said it wouldn't work. I was determined to get that faucet. It was the sprayer that was the 4th hole. I finally asked a plumber if water is sitting in the sprayer and he told me that only when the button is pushed is water ever in the valve. So I looked at him and said, "then, why can't we just coil it up, zip tie it, and tuck it behind the garbage disposal and let it just hang there out of the way?" He just looked at me blankly and said,"well, I guess we could do that..." and so as you can see...I got my $119 four-hole faucet to fit my three-hole sink! I am pretty persistent when someone tells me "it can't be done." I just loved the curves and vintage look and feel for such a low cost. I saw many faucets with the same look for about $400 and up.




Below you can see the floor better and the threshold. The pattern of the linolenium shows through, but I don't mind. In fact, it makes it interesting. I taped a 6" border around all the appliances and painted it black to give it interest. I designed the diamond in the center of the stove to bring attention to the stove. The design I did by hand and created on my own with just a ruler and eye-balling it. Good thing I didn't stick needles in my eyes after all! :-)


Yes, those are umbrellas on the wall.....I think they are the perfect color and I had them in my basement and I was too lazy to go hunt for something better because I was too pooped. Randy asked me, "Why not just hang up some platters? You got a ton of them..." And I said, "Nah, been there, done that, and beside, I don't want to hunt for the platter hangers and I know where the umbrellas are...." So you see, sometimes, as much as I would love to tell you how much thought and time and talent goes into my projects, to be really honest, sometimes, what really happens is just lack of time and energy and whatever I happen to have lying around will just have to do at the moment because I am too pooped to create another new thought....and as the late and wonderful Paul Harvey would say, "and that is the rest of the story..."

















This is an old doctor's cabinet we have in our breakfast room that stores my ironstone platters and the basket on top holds a lot of cookbooks. I try to find storage wherever possible!

Below are some kitchen pics of work in progress:

We just put in our "new" sink that I found at Habitat For Humanity store for $50. You can see the old counter top has not been painted yet.

You can see the hole on the left from the tile being torn off from behind the stove. Randy is working late into the night for me. You can also see the teal plastic tile is now covered with joint compound underneath the cabinet on the backsplash. I haven't aged or painted it yet.

I am trying to sand off about 6458 layers of old paint off the door trim. I later gave up and decided that the "new look" is the "layered paint look" and I am sticking with my story.


I decided that I couldn't live with the support bar going across the cabinet front. This piece is what held on the doors that were no  longer going to be there. I took a chance and decided it wasn't needed. And it wasn't. I had a back up plan in case I was wrong. You can see the joint compound is still drying over the back splash tiles.


Removing paint from really cool vintage window hardware!

Okay, my beloved will kill me for showing this - but it is either this photo, or the butt crack photo...and no rehab job is complete without either a butt crack photo or a "manly muscle" photo....as you can see by the dark window, it is late at night, and we are getting slap happy and I think Randy just figured out how to fill some hole in the wall without tearing it all out and he is actually doing some sort of "chicken-hula dance" and if you look at his hand on his hip/gut and if you can picture his head moving around sort of like a chicken.... well - that gives it away. But I guess if you put a muscle in the air (and with a heavy 5:00 o'clock shadow), the hula chicken dance becomes the masculine version. Either way, he can wear a friggin grass skirt and cluck for all I care, I am just glad to have him on board because he would do anything to make me happy - even dance and cluck for the camera, late at night, after working in a filthy kitchen...need I say more?

Well, I hope you enjoyed our little cosmetic make-over from Soup Kitchen to Super Kitchen. The entire cost was about $497. (Not including the new fridge, of course.) That included $119 for the faucet (Home Depot), $50 for the sink, about $180 for supplies, paint, trim, and $30 for the walnut butcher block top for the dishwasher from John Boos,  about $80 for the light fixture from Home Depot, buffet mirror from a flea-market for $28.50, which all comes up to around $497.50. The wall color in the breakfast room is Ralph Lauren, Broome, the window and door trim is by Benjamin Moore, Linen White.  The sealer on the counter top and the floor is by miniwax, water-based, satin, clear. Everything else is either custom blended by me or custom made, so I won't be much help with any questions about those things - but I hope the above info helped you some.

Now to finish off with my last little photo and my closing thoughts - you know I always have closing thoughts....

You see the crepe pan hanging on the left, next to the French wire turret? That was the very first gift Randy ever gave me. See how beautiful it looks, hanging on a French pot rack, against an aged wall, lit under tarnished silver pitchers? Very vintage and so very elegant....

Let me paint another picture for you. Randy and I had been dating only three weeks when one day, he drove up to my workshop, on a very hot day in May, in his very large, beat up old 1995 Ford pickup truck that has a huge crack going over the entire windshield. This truck is a sort of a shiny teal green in color, and so big I have to jump up to get into it. (He has another car, but this is his work truck, which by the way, I absolutely love driving around to haul my stuff...). He pulls up to the back of my workshop, where I have my garage doors open, and I am a very sweaty mess, working on a kitchen, on a deadline, wearing a bandanna, no make-up, in my work apron (one that looks like I have been butchering pigs), and I am shocked to see him pull up in his big ole truck because I am not expecting him (to say the least).

Out of this big truck jumps out this big guy in his barber uniform, which is a baggy white smock and black pants, but also wearing a big grin. He walks around to the other side of his truck and opens the door and gets something out. Now you have to picture what this must look like to someone who might be watching from the parking lot. My workshop was behind my store and very visible to the public. I am so tired, hot, sweaty, and looking really bad in a very dirty workshop and now a big old green truck with a cracked windshield drives up and a bald guy in a weird outfit hops out while a dirty woman wearing a "butcher apron" stands at the garage door watching him and the whole scene must have looked like "The Deliverance Gone Urban." Randy turns and shuts the door and then turns towards me with the most beautifully wrapped gift (he said he wrapped it himself) and hands it to me. I can't imagine what in the world he could have gotten me. We have known each other only three weeks.

I wipe my hands on the bandanna on my head (yes I do that because my apron is too dirty to even wipe my hands on...) and I open the gift and discover the beautiful (and extremely expensive) crepe pan. You see, I was in the process of closing my store when I met Randy. And at some point, I must have mentioned that I was looking forward to having a "real" life again, meaning, having time to myself again. I briefly mentioned that I missed cooking and that once upon a time, I used to be a really great cook and that I wondered if I even could remember how to make crepes because it had been so long. He told me the pan was a house warming gift (I was moving out of my apartment above the store). He also told me that he hoped someday, I would make him some crepes, when things slowed down after I closed up the store.

So, to someone who may have been passing by in the parking lot and  looking at this pitiful couple in their pitiful clothes, driving this pitiful truck and seeing a woman working manual labor in the awful heat, it would be so easy to pass judgement based only on appearances - and I have lost a couple of "friends" who have judged me or my choices based only on appearance and not on substance. 

And now, that same crepe pan that was given to me in a filthy workshop, on a hot day in May, by a man driving a beat up truck, is now hanging beautifully on a French pot rack, softly lit, in a tiny kitchen that both he and I built together, side-by-side, as husband and wife. And every single time I pass by that pan, I think of two things: the handsome man that drove up in the beat up truck and handed me a beautifully wrapped gift....and the a handsome man with a five o'clock shadow, doing a chicken-hula dance in our tiny kitchen just because he wanted to make me laugh - which he did.

And yes, I remembered how to make crepes. 

It might be very cliche, but it is very true: don't judge a book by its cover. Whether it is a grimy kitchen, a man driving a beat up truck, or a woman in a dirty bandanna, it all resulted in one very beautiful, shiny crepe pan hanging on a French pot rack in one very beautiful, tiny kitchen that is full of love....and chicken-hula dances.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

 This is short, sweet, and bloody...yes, you read correctly...this is no longer "blogspot," but "bloodspot." (Graphic photos below - you have been warned....)

This is also a very quick promotion to get you all out to KS City for the April in Paris Show that I, along with other very dedicated and hopefully non-bloody dealers, store owners and bloggers who will be selling their wares. Please check out Miss Frenchie for more info! 

Not wishing to burst anyone's bubble out there about the glamour of living in the creative world, but just to let you know how much we dealers, store owners, artists, boutique owners...love you and want your business...we will even bleed for you....well... only those that are really dedicated to you, that is! :-) 

If you get a chance to stop by at the show and say "hi" and let me give you a hug, I am attaching a few pics to just give a little reality to what you will see at the show which will hopefully be a woman with clean, washed  hair, wearing something other than a bright orange apron that looks like I have butchering cattle). 

Since returning from my quick trip to Texas, I have been super busy doing everything but getting ready for this show - more on what I have been up to when I return - lots to tell - but I am playing catch up and must run now... 

If I don't see you at the April in Paris show in KS City, wouldn't it be great if we could meet and I mean really meet someday in Paris?? And I am not talking, Paris, Texas, or meeting with that wealthy, weight-challenged woman who hasn't discovered crispy creme doughnuts yet; I am talking about the real deal - wouldn't that be great?? Okay, I am procrastinating. Really gotta go tag things now....right after I go eat the other chocolate bunny ear with some peanut butter.

Talk to you soon, hope to hug you more, and would love to get rid of my stuff...

Take care and have a wonderful and very happy Easter - it is so comforting to know that Easter is the day to remember that we will never have to deal with the big stuff (or the small stuff) all on our own ever again.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

For those who love a story:

Below is a slide-by-slide story of my trying to lift out a very broken, very heavy French chandelier and by the expression on my face, you can see that all does not go so well...

I am struggling trying to lift a heavy  French chandelier out of a bag...

I quickly realize I am strong enough to slice right into my thumb...

...And I am grateful that this is pics only and not volume and you can't see my mouth and the word I am forming behind my fist and thumb..

And for those of you who are squeamish, I posted the pic below just for you, because if I had to see it and deal with it, so do you. There is a reason why I did not go to nursing school....

And after I did my "nursing" of the wound, it refused to "heal" and so I just kept working...so if you find a "little color" on any of my items, it comes free of charge!! :-) I am sorry this isn't my best beauty shot that you are use to getting of my interiors - but hey, it can't always be eye-candy!!! (And no, I had no idea I had so much freakin dirt on my face until I downloaded the pics....I went straight to the shower when finished without even looking at the mirror. When I saw the pics I don't know which freaked me out more, the grime and grit or the bloody mess ....and they say Randy is the lucky one???? I beg to differ...)

Proof to the IRS that I really do use my nails as tools and so my writing them off as a business expense is legit.

Okay, okay! I just got three emails from some lovely readers who, thank you, yes my thumb seems to be better today, but while asking about my thumb, what my concerned readers really wanted was some eye-candy on the broken chandeliers! Due your devotion to my ever-so-irregular postings, I snapped some quick pics (okay, it was an excuse to stop tagging - which I hate doing...) and loaded up a few. Now, gotta get busy again. And thank you for emailing me so quickly. I just finished my bunny ear, came back to the computer, and your emails were waiting. I really do appreciate you more than you realize and I do mean that.

Elizabeth. 

So Much For Going to the Gym...

(Above is a how Me, Debi, and Carolyn looked after a day in the Bermuda Triangle - read below for clarification...)

A week ago Thursday, I am in my office, working away, trying to get 90 things done at once and accomplishing none of them, the phone rings mid-morning only to hear on the other end of the line, "Hey girl friend, whatcha doin'???" I immediately knew the southern twang - it was Debi Mattingly, the Junkin Yaya, of Yaya Chique in Houston. She is wanting me to go with her to Warrenton and Roundtop (Texas) antique show with her this year and of course I can't because I have a zillion things to do, but we chat anyway and catch up. She tries one more time to convince me to go shopping with her and so I ask her, "So when is the antique show this year, anyway?" And she replies, "Tomorrow." She thinks nothing of the fact that it is already almost noon, and I live in St. Louis, and the show is near Houston, Texas. She continues to entice me and I continue to say no.

But, I haven't been in several years, and I didn't really want to do the 937 things that I was trying to do in the next two days, but not accomplishing any of them anyway, and so I quickly called up my handsome barber husband and ran it by him, to which he happily agreed that I needed a break and gave his blessing (actually, practically booted me out the door because I think he wanted a free weekend of hanging out, eating pizza, watching guy movies as loud as he wanted...but I digress...). So, before I know it, I got a plane ticket, I am driving to Walgreens to buy travel toothpaste, shampoo, skittles, and People magazine, when only two hours earlier, I was just sitting in my office, minding own business, doing my work and wondering if I could find time to go to the the gym while also trying to convince myself that if I didn't go, I would be saving the environment by not driving the car and causing pollutants to fill the air....but packing for a quick trip to Texas was just the excuse I needed to procrastinate my work and so much for going to the gym....

The next morning, Friday, I was on the plane and was greeted with a "howdy" by Debi and her Texan hubby, Greg, and off we went talking, catching up, eating, more talking, lots of driving, and oh, did I mention talking? Greg offered to be our chauffeur for the day and drove us 72 miles to Warrenton. We made a couple of stops to hunt for antiques along the way and right away I met up with some people who knew me who knew someone who knew my friend who knew my store friend's sister who knew my cousin's dog walker who reads my blog who also has a blog.... and so I am going to be upfront right now before I go any further.

So please hear me loud and clear:  

I am the WORST (and I mean worst) when it comes to remembering names, places, blog names, and faces. If you don't believe me, ask my very good friend, Sharon Derry, of Secret Leaves, who worked for me for almost 5 years. She has told me many times that she has never seen anyone as bad at remembering names or places than me. Just to give you an example, I had met a woman in Warrenton (will tell you about her later) and only MOMENTS later, I went back to her, and I said, "I'm sorry, did you say you liked to go by Christy, or Christine?" And thankfully she gave me a friendly smile and said, "Neither, I go by Joanne." And we cracked up laughing. So, I only tell you this because I am dreading showing photos of people later in this blog because I know I will get blog people wrong, faces mixed up and even locations - so I may just be vague and let you figure it out - or let someone leave a comment and correct me. But just know I loved meeting everyone and it was great, great fun getting to know the people that goes with the blogs, the readers of my blog that I met, and the wonderful vendors and artists. If I get you all mixed up it isn't because you weren't spectacular people, it is just the wiring in my brain runs a little short in the name/face department.

Okay back to the adventure.

No sooner than did we arrive and parked in the field did I tell Debi to watch out for the cow patties. And I would say it took her only about 30 seconds to find the biggest, juiciest, cow patty to roll her shopping cart right through. Greg, her ever devoted husband, was glad to point out the evidence for all to see in blogger land. (He also was a sweetheart and washed off the cart for us when we got home so our cart would be patty-free for the next day.) 

We looked around and wondered how the vendors would fare with the high winds and threatening clouds. Having done shows before (actually that is how I started out), I know how hard it is to set up and when weather acts us, it can just throw off an entire show. I hadn't been to this show in several years, and I was very surprised at how few shoppers there were. Of course, this was the first day, and I wasn't there for the following weekend. The vendors seemed to have good spirits though. 

I got the opportunity to meet and befriend Carolyn Westbrook, of Carolyn Westbrook Home. She and I hit it off immediately. 

Me, Carolyn Westbrook and Debi Mattingly

Of course I love her look, her bedding and her style. I was going on and on about her look and her set-up in her space and she said, "Of course, Elizabeth you love my look, it is a lot like yours!" I laughed and said, "Well, you obviously have good taste!" We seemed to spend a lot of time at Carolyn's area, which I named "The Bermuda Triangle" because I couldn't seem to get out of a 100 yard by 100 yd triangle for most of the days there. And when I did make it out, I got sucked back in again and again.

But while in "Berumda, Texas" I did get meet Chris Brown, of Urban Prairie Refueled and photographer, Cheryl of Stash Studios

Those of you who may not know of these two (and if you don't, you should! :-) they are talented beyond words. They have an edge and an eye that most of us don't and they see things in a way that only by visiting their sites will you understand why I admire their work. I had never met Chris nor Cheryl in person until now, and it was an exciting moment for me - I have been a long time admirer of their talents and Chris honored me a couple of years ago by featuring me as one of many artists on his blog.

On Sunday, I discovered that there is Blog Party, hosted by Theresa of Garden Antqs Vintage who provided lots of wine, cheese, fruit, but mostly a gathering of women who loved to laugh. I met many wonderful women that I am sure I will forget some names or mix up some names but here are a sampling:

I believe I have this correct, and if I don't someone will correct me. From left to right: Amy of Whisper Wood Cottage, Theresa of Garden Antqs Vintage (our fabulous hostess), Mindy of Primitiques 'n Poetry, Shelly from Sweet Pea, me, and Theresa of Time Worn Interiors. 

Do ya'll magazine junkies remember a couple of years ago that article in Country Home magazine (or was it Country Living?) with the trailer home that was all done up very, very cool, in Shabby Chic style, but even better? It was a fantastic article - anyway, if I don't screw this up, Theresa, the woman in the blue skirt, is the owner and designer of that trailer! I hope I got this right, but I was very excited about meeting her and I loved that article. I am a firm believer that with some imagination - space, location, and size have nothing to do with making a house a real home and Theresa proved that.

While at the blog party, I look up and I see a very familiar face with a look of disbelief, then curiousity, then, frustration, then finally a half smile - I think? Can't tell, she is too far away, but at least she is waving - yes, that is Debbie of Curious Sofa, waving at me - I don't go near her because I am pretty sure she is stronger than me - I may be faster, but she looks stronger and I didn't tell her I was in town. I didn't tell anyone for that matter - I didn't even know myself. Actually I am kidding about Debbie - she came up and gave me a hug and we caught up some and basically we both know we are all business when it comes to antique markets. I have no doubt she and Carol of Raised in Cotton, found some great stuff. They flew and then rented a truck and drove back. Carol, Debbie, and I will be doing Ms. Frenchie's Market in Kansas April 17, 18 - more on that later.

Debbie of Curious Sofa waves to me in surprise, but hugs me below - or is she squeezing me to a slow death for not telling her I was in town? :-)

I also had the opportunity to meet with Sue Whitney and get an autographed copy of her third book, Junk Beautiful, Outdoor Edition. We had a nice chat and I was inspired to work even harder on my own book (yes, I really am working on - more than you think - more on that later!) Below is me, Sue, Carolyn, and Debi.

 

I also had the fun opportunity of meeting and running into friends and people who either knew of me, heard of me, or has read my blog. I am always so flattered when that happens (not that it happens often, but it amazes me how thoughtful and kind you are). While sitting at Carolyn Westbrook's table in the Bermuda Triangle, two women were walking by and stopped and were trying to decide if I was who they thought I was. I was totally unaware of this, because, I was gabbing with Carolyn (what a shock, me talking). Suddenly, these two women just start to scream and scream in delight, and Debi, Junkin Yaya, almost spilled her tea as she walked past them, and these two women, with huge sunglasses on, standing about 15 feet away kept screaming at me and yelling, "It's us! it's us!!!" They were jumping up and down and so happy, and I was happy too, but I had no idea who they were. Finally, they took their sunglasses off, and jogged my memory, and reminded me that about 7 or so years ago, I painted Janet Cox's kitchen black, who lives in San Antonio, TX, and her friend Joanne's bathroom, aged ivory. I did these two projects under the gun, right before I left for St. Louis and have never seen them since. They were so kind and told me how they followed my blog and read everything I wrote and I was so touched by their sincerity. What touched me the most was that they went on and on about my writing long before they complimented me on my design work - which meant a lot to me because I have been doing a lot of writing "behind the scenes" so to speak (more on that later). But below are my two biggest "fans" from Warrenton and they made my day with their genuine sincerity, and while they said how much I inspired them, it was them that really inspired me and encouraged me more than they will ever know and I want to thank them so much for taking time to talk with me.

Oh - remember how I said earlier how horrible I am with names and places? Well, at one point, I was pulled away from our conversation and when I got back to them, I asked, "Now, please tell me again, do you go by 'Christy' or 'Christine'?" And she looks at me blankly and says, "I go by Joanne" We all just laughed and I think they realized that some things never change.

Joanne (aka Christine) me, and Janet of San Antonio

Okay, below are a mix of photos that I have been trying for over 30 minutes to load in order and it isn't working, so I give up. I will try to notate, but just enjoy!

Shadow box above from Willow Nest.

Linda from Willow Nest with me. 

Debi behind her counter at Yaya Chique.

Had to take this photo in honor of my husband, the fantastic barber!

Blog party!

I have more photos but I am pooped!  I do want to close with a few thoughts...

I enjoyed my time at Warrenton and meeting so many people. I didn't get to shop nearly as much as I normally would, but the Bermuda Triangle was in full force!  :-)  I did learn a lot about myself though. I learned that I have grown more than I gave myself credit for. I learned that I am really okay with where I am and what I am doing with my life at this point. While in Warrenton, I actually enjoyed being on the sidelines and watching others "do their thing." I didn't have anything to peddle and I actually enjoyed that! I didn't have store to sell, or a booth to empty (not yet at least), or a show to promote, or a product line to market, or brand to get out, or a book to push (hopefully some day though), or anything going on that required me to get out there and get my share of the pie so to speak. And the best part of all of that is that I am truly okay with that. I didn't have any little nagging voice in my head telling me I should be doing more, creating more, selling more, getting on-line more, starting a facebook page, twitter, flicker, or whatever. Whether this is good or bad for my business, I don't know, and I really don't worry about it at this point. Maybe later I will, but that is later.  Being around all the vendors and all the store owners and all dealers made me realize that while I admire their talent, hard work, and creativity, I am very happy to be on own path right now. Going to this show gave me the validation that I needed that I am exactly where I need to be right now and I am making all the right choices and I am very happy about that.

I am happy to share my path with you as I discover all its twists and turns. So far, it is good. Very good.

Happy trails to you too and may you discover that your path is actually leading you to an exciting destination...

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Soup Kitchen to Super Kitchen Part One

Hello!

It is amazing how the time passes and how much I think of you all and I often wonder if time passes just as quickly for you as it does for me. I get so many wonderful emails asking me to write more often and I am so very grateful for the encouraging words - as I miss writing very much! Thank you for your concerns and taking time to write me. It often boggles my mind how I let life interfere with my true love - writing.

This will be a quick update and when I return from my very sudden "surprise trip" I will update you more on what I have been up to. My year began with my need to turn our "soup kitchen" into a "super kitchen" on a limited (very limited) budget. Our kitchen will be featured in Romantic Homes' June issue, but below is a sneak peek at the process. It is just a cosmetic make-over.

One morning, after staring and our studying kitchen (again) I mentioned to my handsome groom, Randy, that something just had to be done with our kitchen...I could no longer allow it to remain in this state of repair...I mean, this was no matter of differing tastes, but rather a matter of torn tiles, cracked walls, and burnt counter tops. I am pretty sure the kitchen hadn't been touched since 1940's. I bet him I could re-do the entire kitchen for less than $500. So, being a very competitive couple (remember, we met running in the park while training for a marathon), he took me up on the challenge. Actually, I wasn't so sure I could do it, but I was willing to try.

Actually, as I thought about it some more, I realized that there must be some other people out there in the same position: what does one do when a kitchen needs a total gutting, but the funds are yet a few years away to do it properly and one can't stand to look at it one more day? I was sure I could find a way to do our kitchen cheaply, quickly, and end up loving it, even if the results only lasted a couple of years. Besides, if we do get to gut it and put in a new kitchen like is really needed, I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time or money on it right now anyway.

I won't show you very many "after" shots, but below are some before shots. You will have to check out the June issue of Romantic Homes to get the full deal. I believe it will be a fairly long feature. I do explain the "how to's" and give tips.

I would like to add a personal note about doing our little kitchen. When some of my girlfriends had seen it, they all expressed how much personality went into it and how they couldn't believe the change. While I appreciate their comments and compliments, what I think they were experiencing was something that we all have the ability to include in our homes...and that is our own personal touch. Whenever we take the time to add that little "something" that is truly ours and ours alone, that is when we turn our houses into homes.

Yes, I love my little kitchen, but what I love even more is hearing my handsome husband tell me each morning how nice the kitchen looks. And I enjoy watching him crack open his little soft boiled egg in his little German egg cup,while he is sitting in his Barber uniform, and watching him scoop out the soft yoke with his tiny spoon and he then looks up and smiles at me and says, "I just love having breakfast with you in our little breakfast room...." Beginning our day with our little breakfast, in our quiet, little breakfast room, is the little personal touch that makes our house a home.

Enjoy the sneak peek of our kitchen and more photos of the finished kitchen soon to come!

Also: next posting: More info on the April in Paris show in Kansas City - don't miss it!

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

BEFORE PHOTOS:

SNEAK PEEK AT AFTER (MORE TO COME LATER):

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope 2009 has started out well for you all. I find that the new year always makes me think of the previous year and all that I did or did not do. The most exciting thing that happened to me in 2008 is marrying my wonderful husband, Randy. Right after the honeymoon, there was Thanksgiving, then the antique show in Kansas City, then Christmas and so on. I am finally getting to my wedding photos for you to view. I decided to make my wedding photos a new blog, as you will notice in the top left corner of this blog. My Carriage House Wedding is a new blog that will be updated frequently. I will post photos, wedding tips, behind the scenes work, family, friends, and continue to add photos as my friends and family give them to me. Please check this blog periodically as it will be updated. Also, please visit Atia Thurman's website, the photographer of my wedding. If you are on a diet, this eye candy is super delicious without an ounce of fat! :-)

I am finding much happiness with my new life. By "new" life, I simply mean that at age 45, I feel much younger than I am, I feel happier with my life's decisions, and I feel like I have lots of new adventures waiting for me. I want to thank you all for sticking by me when my posts aren't published as often as I would like. I appreciate all the emails and comments and I continue, to this day, find myself amazed at how many of you take the time out of your busy lives to send me a quick email or comment. I will never take that for granted and I am so very grateful for all of you. You inspire me more than you will ever know.

My next post will be some "eye candy" of a couple of article that were published in Romantic Homes magazine a few months back. I didn't announce my articles like I usually do, as I explained in an earlier post, I had a few troublesome months. I thought I would start the new year out with some photos of some projects and also tell you of some future projects that I am currently working on...thank you again for taking an interest.

Just in case you are wondering about the photo...that is my little guy, Monty. He is my little pug that now lives in Texas with his sister, Lulu, and their daddy. I miss him so much and when I took this photo, he was patiently waiting for me while I was on a photo shoot for Romantic Homes. He just sat and waited and waited. The wrinkles on his forehead are from him thinking he heard me open some food package and he is looking hopeful. Unfortunately for him, I was getting out a memory card for my camera, which was packaged in cellophane. His photos always makes me smile and I thought what a nice way to begin the new year - with a smile!

From my happy house to your house,

Elizabeth

"You're Not in Kansas Anymore"

Remember the tornado that took Dorothy and Toto right out of her home and into the land of Oz? "Your not in Kansas anymore" as was told to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. The version I heard customers say over and over again at our first French Market was more along the lines of, "This is as close as I will ever get to Paris..." If you didn't get a chance to enjoy the goodies that I brought along with Debbie of Curious Sofa, Carol Spinski of Raised in Cotton, Julie Reed of Reed Design, Karla Nathan of Karala's Cottage, Gwen McClure and Teri Eliott French by Design, and Beth Leintz, then don't fret, you will get a chance to shop "Paris" when we have our April in Paris market in April 2009, located right in the heart of Kansas City on a wonderful historical property, Alexander Majors, with a great home and barn.

It has taken me several unsuccessful tries to upload these photos in a certain order, but the blog did not want to cooperate, so in order to somewhat be "timely" I am just loading the photos, in no particular order and will make little commentary. Since my photos are in no special order, I will note only some, but not all for fear of identifying someone's product or a vendor incorrectly. For those of you who want more than just eye candy, at the end of this post, I give you a "behind the scenes" account of my adventure to Kansas along with photos. Mostly, I just hope you enjoy the photos and I hope to meet you at our next April in Paris show!

I want to thank Debbie for inviting me to participate and I especially want to thank Carol (Raised in Cotton) for her great help and hard work in assisting me with unloading my truck. I want to thank Beth, Karla, Julie, Gwen and Teri for making me feel so welcomed in their group. I also thank my mother-in-law, Diane Benitz, for bringing me some forgotten items and I want to thank all of those who attended, and those of you who sent well wishes. It was a HUGE success and a delight to meet so many of my readers. I look forward to meeting even more of you.

And awning, old post cards blown up to poster size and holiday lights greet the customers with a holiday French Flair!

Now these are my kind of people!! Sylvia, Debra, and Jimmy drove 13 hours from New Mexico just for the show! Debbie of Curious Sofa (on left, with cute hair and gorgeous eyes) and I got a photo of these wonderful people. They drove all night, Friday night, arrived in KS City in the morning, had breakfast, and waited in the parking lot for our doors to open. Debra told me that she saw me pull up in my huge truck and when I got out, she and Sylvia exclaimed, "There's Elizabeth!" I laughed when she told me this, and I noted that although Jimmy was polite, he had an expression that told me that he just didn't understand all the fuss...I don't blame you Jimmy, I don't understand it either, but it sure makes a gal feel good to know that someone thinks she is worth getting excited over! I just love all of my delusional customers/readers! :-)

I have to do a little bragging....my very good friend and former employee, Sharon Derry of Secret Leaves Paperworks, and her partner, Ann Hirshfield, supplied me with some their one-of-a-kind goodies such as these holiday labels and stickers. She also included greeting cards, scrap journals and more. Visit her site to order your own stash - this stash went quickly! It was nice to hear ladies commenting on their items with glee such as "Oh! Look at this journal! I can't believe all the work that went into it..." It was nice to see so many customers who "got it" and appreciate hand-crafted, very unique products such as Secret Leaves offers.

This is the "before" picture of my section. And below is the "after."

A GRAPHIC LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES....WARNING!!

This section may not be suitable for all audiences. Realistic content includes graphic tools, no make-up, ugly trucks, and hungry, tired women in a state of confusion as to why they agreed to do this in less than 2 weeks.

My adventure began with my forgetting my personal tool box. I asked Debbie, of Curious Sofa, did she have tools? She pulls out her bent "hammer" and said, "Will this do?" We cracked up laughing right there in her living room and I said, "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

But I am getting ahead of myself. Before I even arrived in Kansas City I had a very short time to dig through my HUGE mess of inventory, clean it, price it, pack it, and load it. And in my defense, I would like to remind my dear readers that I JUST got married, went on a honeymoon, Thanksgiving, and JUST (and I mean JUST) packed away all of my wedding stuff when I get a call from dear

Debbie asking, "Wanna do a French Market here in Kansas City?"

My reply: "Sure! When?"

She replied, "Next weekend."

And so the story continues...

For those of you who think I have a great stash in a well-organized warehouse...well, uh, I hate to burst any bubble you may have, but here is a peek of my "well-organized" stash...

Here I am, at 2A.M. wrapping French soap in a dingy dungeon with my ever-faithful "Big Bertha" keeping an eye on me. Bertha was at the show with me. She has low self-esteem issues and to help her out, I keep her close to me,

and don't let those 1880's skinny mannequins harass her. I told her that she has a beautiful spirit in spite of it being surrounded with a lot of padding.

And speaking of dungeons...I am currently looking for a small space for my inventory and photo studio in the St. Louis area or surrounding areas. I am willing to consider all avenues...garage with an apartment over it, warehouse with windows, carriage house...must be cheap and must have good lighting for my photo studio. If you know of anything, please feel free to email me! Thank you!

On with my adventure....after a 4 hour drive in my 16' truck (packed full), I arrive at Debbie's at midnight, where we gab until 2AM, and I am up and out the next day by 10AM. I am tired after a week of digging, loading, cleaning, pricing, and packing then driving. But I knew the real work was about to begin - so I decide to begin with a big grin...

It looked like a huge yard sale with my stuff spread out everywhere. You are only seeing the half of it - the other half is all along the sidewalk...and I like how my truck is near the covered wagon. Can you imagine if I had a store back in the covered wagon days? My poor horses would surely run off at first chance, but I bet I could barter my way out of an Indian attack if I had to...

Carol, of Raised in Cotton, I am sure regretted when she sweetly asked me, "Can I help you unload Elizabeth?" She asked before I opened my back door of the truck...she was a great help, never complained one bit, and was careful with all my items. I REALLY appreciated it so much! She is the nicest woman I have ever met (and very talented too!)

This is Carol and I with an empty truck and surrounded by all our hard work.

Karla of Karla's Cottage, was just moving in as I arrived. It is amazing how the barn, unloading, and upacking mess can turn into such a beautiful event....

Okay, I am only including this photo for bragging rights...I drove that big truck in a field, around the barn and backed it up to the door, between the flag pole and building without any trouble at all. And on top of that? None of my inventory arrived damaged or broken! I have to admit, that surprised me.

Here is Debbie, about midnight, working away at tagging her items. My cream table became the "work and eat" table which is always needed during a show setup. Hence, it is the last item to decorate, display and figure out

what to do with since most items are already displayed. But with Debbie's pile of tarnished silver and

my 2 giant pairs of corbels, we got a great display.

And finally, at some hour in the wee morning, Debbie shows us her "lacy bat" lamp shade. It didn't turn out the way she wanted and we all laughed so hard. We get such lovely emails and comments about how creative we are, but just to let you know, we have our moments too.

Thank you for allowing me to share behind the scenes for you. I thought you would find it interesting to see how "glamorous" our lives are and how, right before you walk through the doors of our show, we are scrambling to make everything "just so" for you, our wonderful customers/friends. We feel very, very fortunate to live a creative life and we don't take it for granted. But I also think it is important to let others know that along with the path we chose, there are very long hours, lots of physical labor, lots expenses, risks, large amounts of time away from family, and true exhaustion after the creative juices are greatly challenged. But, for some of us crazy, creative types, our spirit soars higher than our doubts and that is why we do what we do.

It really is that simple: My creative spirit soars higher than my doubts.

May your creative spirit soar among the clouds.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

It Took Only Fifteen Minutes...

Fifteen Minutes....that is the amount of time between my writing my last posting stating:

"And for those of you who are so lovingly curious about what I am going to do next? I can honestly say (guilt-free):

I don't know yet.
But you will be the first to know. "

And only 15 minutes later did I find myself on the phone with Debbie Dusenberry, of Curious Sofa, accepting her invitation to participate in Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante next week!

So, the dilemma is: do I post photos of my wedding or do I keep my promise and let you "be the first to know"? So, as you can see, the wedding photos will have to wait for now. I have a lot to tell, a lot of people to thank and brag about, and a lot pretty photos to upload. I don't want to rush through it and just get something up...so I will wait until after I get back from the European-Inspired Market next week to share wedding photos.

So, what is this European-inspired market? Click on Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante to get more information. But basically, I just found out about it and without giving too much thought, agreed to do it. It will be located in Kansas City in Alexander Majors barn, part of an historical home. The vendors involved have a love of anything European, a vintage feel, and are known to most readers of my blog and similiar blogs as well.

There is Debbie Dusenberry of the Curious Sofa. And unless you have been living in a cave, (now if it is a well-decorated cave, that may be the exception), everyone knows the famed and extremely talented Debbie. She and I have shopped together and our tastes are so similiar, that when we enter an antique mall, she will aske me, "left, or right?" And I will say "right..." And without anymore words, she heads down the aisles on the left, and I head for the right and we begin to pile up our treasures on the counter as we shop our way, and eventually cross paths, and keep going. Our items on the counter always look like they all belong together and even though we are great friends, we do keep a teasing, watchful eye on our goodies to make sure they don't "happen" to end up in the wrong bag! :-)

The other very talented vendors, I have not yet met personally (but looking forward to!) but I know their work and I am sure you do as well. Vendors such as Gwen McClure and Teri Elliot of French by Design for those of you who must have French antique furniture; Carol Spinski of Raised in Cotton, for vintage inspired goods; if you love knit, crochet, felted scarves and brooches then you will want to see Julie Reed; for collectibles and odd little finds there is Beth Leinitz;and Karla Nathan was "green" before "green" became popular...she recycles vintage finds into charm bracelets.

Please come out and join in the fun, if you can. I would love to meet you and give you a hug. I will be selling "just stuff" from my inventory that is stored away. Having such short notice, it will be a "get it while you can" sale at my booth. I will have some furniture and whatever stuff I find in storage and I can honestly say, I really don't know what I have left. However, I believe this event may happen again in the Spring. If so, and if invited to participate, I will have time to hunt down some really good treasures, custom design a few pieces, and even have a few surprises in store. But this first time around, I will have items "show cheap" because I want a reason to shop for "new" old stuff for the second show!

I need to get busy and I hope to see you next week in Kansas City. And thank you all for the lovely comments on my last posting. I can't wait to do the wedding posting next. And after that I will post about Miss Frenchie's show.

So funny how I got only 15 minutes of "I don't know what I am going to do next"....and something just pops up. I think being opened minded about possibilities also opens doors....and in this case...a barn door and a cool one at that!

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

You Will Be The First To Know

This is the very bench where Randy and I first met, where he proposed to me, and where I continue to visit and sit in peace. I have been visiting "our" bench quite a bit these last several months...mainly to rest and to think quietly. I realize that most of you know that I just got married, and I promise to tell you all about it and publish lots of photos, but for now, I would like to catch you up on a few personal things in my life. But, I promise, wedding photos are to come soon. For those who can't wait, Debbie, my dear friend of Curious Sofa, has photos and lovely commentary about my wedding and you can visit her blog to get an early peek.

But for now, I just would like to talk to you from my heart.

First, thank you all for the lovely emails, well wishes and concerns. They are greatly appreciated and they mean a lot to me. I wish you all the very best too.

I have always been upfront and personal with my wonderful cyber friends, but I have struggled as to whether to share my personal struggle these last several months. My husband (feels nice to say that) reminded me that my blog isn't just about design and pretty photos. It is also about my personal insight of life. He reminded me that my readers have their own struggles, and writing about mine may comfort others. I thought about what he said and so I decided to share.

As you know, almost a year ago, I got into a horrible car accident. I was hit by a drunk driver, flipped my car twice, and only a light post saved me from going over the bridge down to the highway below. I walked away with no broken bones, not even a broken finger nail. It happened on my birthday, December 11th ,early evening. I did get a very strong hit to the back of my head with a gallon paint can (it was a full can of course) and that bump set off a chain of problems - both physical and emotional.

Since I came out alive, and I felt so lucky, I didn't pay attention to some signs that all was not really okay. I much later discovered that I was in denial about the effects the accident really had on me. I lost a great amount of sleep due to my pain in my arm and I had a headache everyday, all day long, for over two months right after the accident. After that, I have had many headaches that has kept me in bed many times. I was not use to living in chronic pain and I wasn't dealing with it well at all - but I was in denial about that for quite a while.

I wanted to just get back to "normal" and get on with all the plans I had made for 2008! I had just got engaged, I was moving out of my home, putting inventory aside for my Internet store, finishing up my book, plan a wedding, and so on. I had my whole year planned out and I wasn't about to let some accident keep me from my plans.

I won't bore you with any more details, but what I want to share is that several months after the accident, I felt like something was wrong and I didn't feel myself at all. Not really depression. Not really sad...but just not myself. I cried at the drop of the hat, seemed fearful of losing Randy (in an accident), I became fearful and unreasonably worried when he didn't answer his cell phone on his way home from work (I was sure he was killed or in an accident) and finally, I went to get help with these irrational fears.

I was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and I learned that I really wasn't as "okay" as I thought (or hoped I was). PTSD is a condition that I wouldn't wish on anyone. In my case, I would at times panic and freak out while in the car when I thought a car was driving way too close to me. I once pulled over on the side of the road and called Randy in tears because I had experienced road rage from another driver and I was too scared to drive home. While driving, I would have to really study the white lines on the road to convince myself that the driver next to me isn't too close to me. Many times, while Randy drove, I argued that he was too close to a car, going too fast, or just basically scared him with my gasps as a car pulled out of a driveway. I had always thought him to be an excellent driver up till then.

My counselor explained to me that my short temper was anger that I had for my life being so disrupted and living with the chronic pain. I had horrible nightmares that scared Randy to death as I screamed out for help in my sleep. I was not fun to live with. And I felt like I wasn't the same person anymore. I missed my old self and really wanted her back. My counselor explained that a significant life event always, always changes a person's life and there are no exceptions. None.

A part of me was gone and I had to grieve for her absence and then get to know and accept the new me. And during this process, I had to rest, rest, rest. I disconnected myself from most people, friends and others. I didn't feel like myself and I wasn't sure I even liked my new self. I was very forgetful, and got overwhelmed very easily. I stopped my design work late last spring and have had a few other personal issues that I had to deal with since. I have had over 110 doctor's appointments, physical therapy appointments, counseling and MRI's, X-rays and so on since the accident. I really didn't have the time (due to so many doctor appointments) or energy to be the happy, fun, creative person that I felt that others expected from me. And I didn't want to let others in my life at that time because I was afraid I would disappoint them and their expectations of me.

The blow to my head from the paint can caused some visual issues, headaches, and slight abnormal "spikes" in my brain during several EEG tests. These spikes were never clear as to what was going on except perhaps slight seizures. The doctors feel that I was experiencing post-concussion symptoms. Well, at least that explains why I didn't feel like myself. And the counseling helped in that I no longer felt like I was going crazy, that everything I was going through was a "normal" reaction. My reaction was delayed, as explained to me, because I was in denial and I was so busy feeling grateful to be alive and in one piece. It wasn't until after the holidays and several busy projects did I slow down enough to let it sink in how close I came to losing my life, the pain I was in, and the emotional turmoil of survivor's guilt. Not less than a week after my accident, a friend called to tell me that her young son-in -law-to-be just lost both his parents in a car accident...why did I survive and they didn't? He is to be married soon and neither of his parents will be there. It seems unfair and that feeling of guilt, grieving, anger, and fear are all part of having PTSD. And feeling those emotions just simply made me want to be alone, rest, and not be pulled in so many directions from so many different people.

So, if you have read this posting this far, I would like to reward you with it ending on a very good note and lessons learned. As I stated earlier, my counselor said I would never be quite the same again, and as much as I fought it, she is right. How am I different? Well, to my much dissatisfaction, I can't do as much as I use to and I am slower at getting things done and can really only do one thing at a time now. I don't like this one bit. But as my husband reminds me, most people do only one thing at a time. Another thing I am not too happy about is I sleep a lot more now. By that, I mean, I sleep 8 - 9 hours now, instead of only 4 or 5. Never mind that sleeping 8 hours is healthy, but it cuts into my work time, which means I get much, much less accomplished in one day. I don't like feeling so unproductive.

But, there are other things about the new me that I do enjoy. I no longer allow myself to be pulled like a piece of taffy in so many directions by so many people. I also find myself doing things (or not) that best serve my needs instead of always trying to meet other people's needs, wants, or expectations. That was a very hard thing for me to accept. It felt selfish and self-centered, but with time, I learned that it is a healthier way to live. And finally, one thing I like about my new self, that I really, really hated at first, is I am truly living my life without guilt or apology for not doing "it all". I let myself be convinced that I "should be doing this" or "should be doing that" and if I don't, I will fail others, my talent will be wasted, and I will let others down. I no longer feel guilty about not living up to the expectations of others. The only expectation I hope to meet is what God has planned for me and my life. I hope my life's path is truly the path He wants me on. And what is that path? I will have to wait and see.

So, how am I doing today? Well, I can't remember the last time I have been this happy. (Many photos from my wedding show me laughing and laughing). My headaches are less and less and after several treatments of acupuncture, my arm is so much better!! I have a husband that loves me dearly, good friends who are still my friends, even after my long absence from them, and I have so much to look forward to. I am taking time off from design work for the next couple of months just to rest and to be "happy." And for those of you who are so lovingly curious about what I am going to do next? I can honestly say (guilt-free):

I don't know yet.

But you will be the first to know.

And you know what? That is really okay with me. Writing this post was wonderful therapy for me - just the thing I needed to do...and I have you to thank. I had a very loving and caring friend tell me a while ago that "you are losing your fans if you don't keep up your blog..." The old Elizabeth would have felt very guilty and worried and would have got right to the computer and crank out a post. But the new Elizabeth just replied to her, "I know." And after I thought about what she said, I realized, that I don't write this blog to increase "fans" but rather, I share my photos, my design work, my thoughts, my adventures, and even my struggles with you because I feel a connection with you, my readers, my friends.

And even if there is only one left that still reads my blog and checks it now and again, then that is fine because I feel like I am having a conversation with just only you anyway. :-)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday...hug your family, eat lots of pie, and take a long nap....and I will talk to "only you" very soon!

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

"How Interesting!"

Welcome! Around my house, I have quite a few objects that could be considered "conversation starters." Which is ironic because I am not one really needing anything to start a gab fest. In fact, I find that my favorite topic is asking questions about the other person's life and their goings on. Which just now reminds me of a funny little story that I have to share, and I will keep it short....

Many, many years ago, while living in Germany, my ex-husband worked with several colleagues and I encouraged him to invite them to go out with us, as I was always excited about meeting new people. And being only 22 and living in Europe, everything was exciting to me. One evening, a colleague and his wife were to meet us at our apartment and the four of us were to go out to dinner. I have never met this American couple before and after the usual polite greetings we headed out to the car. The woman (I can't even remember her name) seemed "shy" and so I just began asking the usual questions such as: How long have you lived in Germany? Where are you originally from? Have you had the chance to travel anywhere yet? And she responded crisply with one-word answers: "One. Ohio. No."


She didn't look mad, or ill, or uncomfortable. So, in my excitement, I decided that she was indeed "shy." So I set out to make her comfortable during our short drive to the restaurant. I gave her a little info about us and then back to my questions: How did you meet your husband? How long will you be living here in Germany? I am learning to make ceramics, do you create any crafts? She finally shot me a look that could kill and said very sarcastically: "Hey! I got an idea, why don't I just write a book about my life and then you can read all about it."


Okay, I may be a little dense at times, but she made it very clear to me that she was not happy about our little outing. Dinner was uncomfortable to say the least and at age 22, I didn't have the life experience to realize not to take it personally. At that age, I didn't have the compassion to think that she had an issue which had nothing to do with me. I was very offended. If there was ever time I could have used a "conversation starter" it would have been during that painful dinner. I can laugh at it now, because it really was funny when I think about it. I am sure I drove her nuts, and she most likely just had a huge argument with her husband just moments prior to arriving at our apartment. Oh, and just to finish the story...we skipped dessert and I have no idea what happened to them because we never went out again. Moral of this story: Never let anyone keep you from ordering dessert! :-)

Well, back to my real reason for this post. I wanted to give you a little sneak peek at a conversation starter that was extremely popular in the Victorian era. In the August issue of Romantic Homes, I produced an article on Victorian Parlor Domes. My friend, Richard Cottrell, owns about 50 of them! Most of my blog postings are about my women friends, women business owners, and supporting women. But let's not forget about the important men in our lives. I have met and befriended some wonderful business men over the years that were kind, considerate, and so very helpful and encouraging to me and I consider Richard one of them.


Richard owns a beautiful antique store, Antique Center of St. Louis, along with his business partner, Louise Harre.

And if you are ever in the St. Louis area, his store is a must! Beautiful chandeliers, silver, mirrors, furniture. His store is what I like to call "a real antique store" only because he leaves his stuff alone - his items are "pure" where as I paint anything that stands still long enough. Even if pure antiques aren't your thing, you must stop by and see Prissy - his old Basset Hound who can be found (and heard) snoring beneath Richard's desk.

Richard's store always has several domes and I really knew nothing about them. When he explained he has a collection, and after seeing them, I just had to photograph them! Historically, a proper Victorian parlor would always have a dome to which visitors could comment upon and be impressed. "How interesting!" a guest may politely say to the hostess and thus the conversation begins. To read more about these fabulous domes, their history, and to find out which one is Richard's favorite, you will have to go out and get the August issue of Romantic Homes!


I have not seen the August issue at this time of posting my blog, but I will share some of my favorite shots with you. I would like to add that Richard's collection of domes are housed in his historical home in a little town of Clarksville, along the Mississippi river. Yes, the town experienced the flood. Richard's historical home was on the front page of the paper and it showed an eight foot tall wall of sand bags surrounding his entire property. Richard's property is directly across the street from the river. I spoke with Richard today, in fact, and his home survived. The basement flooded and the yard is trashed, but his home, and his treasures, are fine. Richard is also fine, but tired. His town was saved but surrounding towns didn't fare as well. I don't live near the river and my area was never a concern. Our prayers go out to those who are struggling with putting their lives back together.

So, please, enjoy the photos below, read the August issue of Romantic Homes, keep the flood victims in your prayers, hug the special man in your life, and have a safe 4th of July. No matter what struggles we all may have, I wouldn't want to struggle in any other country than our own. How lucky are we to live in a country with so many freedoms? We even have the freedom not to like our own country, if we so choose. But I happen to like it. A lot. And for a lot of reasons. Now that's a conversation starter fit for Independence Day! :-)

From my house to your house,
Elizabeth
www.elizabethhouse.us
Richard's store, Antique Center of St. Louis, 4732 McPherson, St. Louis, MO, phone: 314-367-0588





Below are a couple of "artsy" photos that I took in an unfinished room of Richard's historical home. It was the light that came through the huge window that caught my attention. And of course, I loved the old, cracked walls. I loved this room, but I am afraid Richard will be horrified that I am showing it. Don't worry, Richard, you couldn't have a mess of a room if you tried. Even in a flood. Love you!

Knit Wit

I am finally learning how to knit - sort of.
Actually, the knitting lesson was a Christmas present from my fiance. A gift can tell a lot about the giver and the receiver. My fiance gave me the knitting lessons thinking it would help me to slow down and relax. My gift to him? Rock climbing lessons! I thought it would be cool for us to climb the side of mountains together via lessons at our local rock climbing wall downtown. However, rock climbing is on hold until I am out of pain.

If you have been reading my blog for a bit, you will remember that I was in a serious car accident in December, on my birthday no less. I was hit by a drunk driver and flipped my car. If you missed that post click here to read it, if you wish. I haven't been able to blog as often as I would like to (and I miss it). The past several months have been challenging in many ways and stresses. Chronic pain is one of them. The accident forced me to slow down, whether I liked it or not and whether I learned how to knit or not. So, I decided to learn how to knit.

As I struggle to properly hold the knitting needles, keep the yarn around my fingers, and try not to let my little loops fall off my needles, it occurs to me that knitting is very much like my life lately. There are two general schools of knitting: either English style, known as "throwing" the yarn which is held in the right hand or Continental style, known as "picking" the yarn which is held in the left hand. It doesn't surprise me that I fell into the "picking" style since it requires me to maneuver my yarn in my left hand, even though I am mostly right-handed. Sort of like learning how to knit backwards. And there has been quite of few times that I conducted my life backwards as well.

For example, I married before I went to college. I became a supervisor before I was really ever an employee. I became a stage actress way before I ever took a single acting lesson. I owned my owned boutique having never before worked in a store. And I bought my first home without using a realtor or lawyer. I remember I bought my first plane ticket for Europe before I ever applied for my passport and I moved to Germany before I learned to speak German. I was insistent on learning how to make crepes when I didn't even own a crepe pan. And I made my first (and only) quilt having never picked up a sewing needle. I even once agreed to have "my" apartment photographed for a magazine before I even had the keys in my possession, nor any furniture for it in the first place! Oh what a tangle web we weave. But what a fun web it was!

Well, some would call my life experiences as "leaping before looking." Or maybe just plain nuts. Then there is my favorite, "What is wrong with you???" I think, truth be told, it is a recipe made of excitement mixed with a dash of impatience stirred with adventure. But it can be a recipe for disaster at times as well as a recipe for a very rich life. Looking at my life so far, I would say I have very rich taste - and I ain't on no diet!

But on the other hand, life has a way throwing its own ingredients into the mix and that is when things can get messy - sort of like my ball of yarn right now.

When I find myself holding onto life "to keep it all together", that usually results in my feeling frazzled. And while knitting, I tend to hold and manipulate the yarn too tightly, which causes the yarn to fray and become fuzzy.

I like how this stray "hair" in my knitting demonstrates how deceptive life can become. The loops look fairly neat, orderly, and all in a row...but if you look closely, you see how frazzled the yarn became in my effort to keep all the loops just right.

These loops, which appear lined up in a perfect row, took much, much effort to get that way. The fuzzy yarn shows how much handling, holding, coaxing it took to get them lined up as they should (or at least how I think they should). While the end result is passable, the process was painful. At times, it required me to unravel the entire row and begin again. And at other times, my yarn was in such a mess, I couldn't even unravel it myself. I had to go to my teacher and have her undo my mess while I stood there and watched carefully how she slowly (once again) showed me the method, the technique, and the proper way to hold my needles so that I may accomplish my goal.

The best lesson she gave me though was a reminder: She reminded me that I was a beginner.

Like any good teacher, she encourages and she corrects. She expects mistakes but she also expects me to keep trying. She never chastises nor makes me feel guilty for having my yarn frazzled or knotted up. She is gentle with my yarn, as she patiently untangles my mess, knot by knot, and carefully rolls it all up into one neat ball of yarn again. Then she hands it back to me with a smile and simply says: "Now, try again."


I know of another teacher that is just as loving and patient with me. If only He could teach me to be as gentle with myself as my knitting teacher is with me. Currently, my life is not going as smoothly as I would wish it. But, no matter how knotted up it may get, it is nice to know that I can always try again. And again.

















So, at this time in my life, I am trusting my life teacher to help show me my way. I will try again. And I am going to take the time I need to gently and patiently roll my life up again neatly. Not perfectly. Not quickly. But you can bet it will be very rich.

May the knots in your life untangle easily and know that you can always try again.

And again.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Common Cents Creates Comfort

"...but the concept of the new Cape Cod and Nantucket II is to show how people can live comfortably in the $600,00s."

This is a direct quote from the April 27th issue of the St. Louis Post Dispatch Sunday newspaper in the new home section. This comment came from a local developer. Is it me or do any of you also find yourself re-reading the quote two, maybe three times to make sure you read it correctly and then roll your eyes and are screaming in your head "you have got to be kidding!!"

I can't believe that we Americans "need to be shown" that we somehow can manage, without too much discomfort, find a way to find to live in a $600,000 home comfortably. I know that the majority of us lack the imagination and know-how in finding some impossible way, to make our inhabitable shack of a $600,000 home livable...but thank goodness for the beloved HGTV shows to set us all straight and to inspire us to get off our lazy butts and do something to get our half a million or so home livable and presentable for company....

Okay, I will stop with the sarcasm...I just couldn't believe that someone feels the need to show us how to live comfortably in a half a million-plus home. I only hope it was a misquote. Anywho, while there are many people who can well-afford such a home and in certain parts of our wonderful country, $600,000 really is the average price for an average home. I have lovely clients that live in homes three times that cost and the owners all feel very fortunate and blessed and have made them very comfortable and they didn't need me to show them how. They just needed some custom drapes or bedding. But for the rest of us, a $600,000 home would be very comfortable and we would most likely not need some developer to show us how to live in it.

I would like to prove my point with a little eye candy from a feature I designed and photographed for Romantic Homes June issue (now on stands). While this home is not $600K, nor the size of a McMansion, it has all the comfort, warmth, and love that any mansion would envy. The owner, Debbie McReynolds, and her daughter, Caitlain, have turned their tiny home into a haven. I will give you a sneak preview of photos that were not used in the magazine. To see the entire 10-page feature, you must buy the issue, or better yet, subscribe to Romantic Homes magazine!

(Nothing wrong with a little PR :-)

Enjoy the photos - the concept is simply that even the smallest home can pack in the personality. I also took a formal dining room, and with a few simple changes, I made a rustic, whimsical "Young at Heart" party to kick off the summer. A corn drying wrack over a glittery mirrored buffet, and antique hose nozzels on vintage china. And Little Debi snacks for dessert - summer is finally here!

If you would like to see many more photos, please pick up the June issue of Romantic Homes Magazine.

Texture, texture, texture! Linen table cloth, French collars, wooden floors, mirrored furniture, Oriental rug, vintage china and upholstered chairs all make this tiny room a room to remember!

What's up with all the friggin antique hose nozzels? You can read all about it in the June issue of Romantic Homes magazine....sorry - I can't tell you everything, now can I? :-)

Yes, I designed this bedding for Debbie. She gave me the most endearing compliment. She told me that when she goes to bed at night, and covers herself, she feels like "Elizabeth is giving me a hug goodnight." I teared up when she told me that because I had no idea that the bedding meant so much to her. How fortunate I am to have such lovely people in my life?

Thank you for allowing me to share with you.

I hope you enjoyed the photos of Debbie's home. I had so much fun with the photo shoot and dressing up her table. I especially got a kick out of my friend, and Debbie's neighbor, Renee. Renee came over during the photo shoot and couldn't believe all that went into a shoot and how long it took (three days). When the magazine feature came out, Renee was the first to call me and tell me about it and she couldn't believe that while the photos in the magazine were beautiful (thank you Renee), but how they also didn't even begin to show how much work went into capturing it all. That is the magic of a photo shoot...it all looks so effortless which makes us (yes, even me) look at the rooms in magazines and think, I want to live there! But in reality, I think most of us just love the thought simply living in just a clean and orderly home...never mind the style....I just want someone to clean my home for me....that is my goal anyway.

A clean...orderly...comfortable home are things we all strive for. But until I am "shown how I can live comfortably in a $600, 000," I will have to make do with my common cents in creating comfort in my little abode.

From my abode to your abode,

Elizabeth :-)

Note: For those of you who are waiting for my notes from the Country Living Magazine seminar, please go to my other blog, Shop Talk for the notes. Thank you!

Blooming with Inspiration

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I get so many e-mails from women around the world stating that I provide inspiration for them. While that makes me so very happy, I am also very happy to report how YOU provide inspiration to me! I haven't been able to write a new post to my blog because I have been so busy being inspired by so many women these last four weeks and I would love to tell you about my adventures these last several weeks.

My adventure actually begins with a wonderful phone call from Sanya Pallos, owner of In the Pink, who happened to be in St. Louis and wanted to meet me and just say "hi." We "knew" each other via blogs and cyber space and how wonderful to meet Sanya in person! We agreed to meet at a local antique store, here in St. Louis. We found each other in the store, Sanya's hands filled with found goodies and we hugged and chatted non-stop. Just like a true antiquer, chatting and spying a great find just go hand in hand. Sanya inspired me in so many ways. She also reassured me that my taking my time with my online store was "very smart" as she is very experienced with that venue and she validated my concerns and challenges with designing my online store. So while my online store is taking much longer than anticipated, Sanya inspired me to continue with my path and she offered to help me over some of the online challenges. How wonderful is that?


I so enjoyed my visit with Sanya, but it was a quick visit as I was leaving for Houston, Texas the very next day to meet with Debi Mattingly of Yaya Chique. Debi is not a Texan; she is quick to inform you that she is from Louisiana and very much a Yaya. To find out what a Yaya is, visit her site. Debi found me via the blog world but mainly through Sharon Derry of Secret Leaves Paperworks. I will get to Sharon in a minute. Back to Debi. Debi is an artist. She designs purses and jewlery and is now entering the retail world. She hired me and flew me down to Houston for a week to consult with her on opening a retail store. Debi is a talented artist of 30 years but new to owning and running a retail store.

When she called me she said she needed a little help in getting her store designed and started. "It is such a huge canvas and I don't know where to start!" said Debi. My mind just whirled through years of experience as I provided her with all that I knew, tips to save time and money, and what to expect and when. It was like going down memory lane - I had forgotten how overwhelmed I was when I first started my store.


I assured Debi that she really had taken all the right steps and she was doing fine.
Debi calls me regularly and tells me in her Louisiana accent, "Elizabeth! Everything you said that would happen is happening! Everything you said that I would hear or experience is coming true!" But honestly, what an honor to be chosen to be there with Debi during her very first beginnings, to witness her store sign going up, and help build her very display in the store. I also got to meet her lovely family and very supportive husband Greg. Debi has a lot of experience in manufacturing, which inspired me to keep working on some of my own personal goals and dreams - no matter how overwhelming they may seem.




My week in Houston was very busy and I was hoarse from all the talking I did (I know, hard to believe, isn't it?) But not only was I talking to people in person, I was also talking via Internet through an interview that Secret Leaves published on their blog. They ask me some very good business questions and generously included some of my detailed photography. Sharon and Anne, owners of this wonderfully designed blog that details their adventures as business owners in the creative paper world. If you ever want a special journal, note card, or custom designed album, you will surely miss out on the best if don't visit their site.






As most of you know, Sharon was my employee for over three years and she helped me and my business grow. She, now being a business owner herself, tells me quite often, "Elizabeth, now that I own my own business, all the things you did as a business owner that I thought were crazy are all making sense now!" And in return, I regularly thank Sharon for all the marketing and press kit knowledge she passed on to me. I find myself calling her or emailing her and telling her, "I am doing a very Sharon thing right now...." And she knows exactly what I mean. I am being super picky about every single letter, font size, spacing, and any little tiny spec that may print on my sheet of paper for a press kit. She drove me crazy when she worked for me and did all that nit-picky stuff and here I am doing exactly the same thing! She inspires me beyond words and I am happy to know that she no longer thinks I am quite as nutty as she once thought.

And the reason I was doing "the Sharon thing" and being so nit-picky about printing information is because I recently returned from Chicago as an attendee and to pitch my product to Country Living Magazine Women's Entrepreneurs Conference. My future mother-in-law, Diane Benitz, signed us up to attend as a Christmas present to me and then she informed me that she signed me up to pitch my product to the editors! I had to complete an entire package and send in lots of information (thank you Sharon for teaching me to be picky) and then wait to see if I would be chosen to present. Diane kept calling me and asking me if I got picked or informed yet, and to be honest, I never gave it any thought at all until she called and asked about it. I was just certain that my package wouldn't be chosen, and I had so much work to do, I just didn't think about it much. The day that I received my acceptance, I called Diane and was in shock. She, states, she never doubted that I would be picked. It is nice to have a cheerleader. Very nice.


Oh, I just noticed that I didn't mention the p