The Adventures of Elizabeth

Details, details, details! It is the details that make all the difference in my opinion. Here are more shots of my work in Chicago. There is a shot of the headboard pillow that I designed for the French bed - it is ironic...that design is my most requested pillow. And to think I designed it years ago when I had neck surgery and I had to wear a neck brace for almost 5 months. I had to sleep in the brace and I had to sleep sitting up practically. So, I came up with this design to help me sleep actually. My friends saw it and it just sort of took off from there.

The French Toddler Bed is my favorite! This solid iron piece with all original paint, is just to die for! I have had a lot of beautiful French youth beds before, but this one takes the cake. I had a very sturdy platform made so a big adult would be able to really use it and sit on it. The seat cushion and pillows are of humble fabrics and my simple design. I designed it so that it may be used in the center of a room and sat on from either side. Or, it may go against a wall with pillows backed up against the wall on which to lean. If I had room in my apartment, it would be there right now.

A detail shot of my little French chair (set of four) that I painted and had covered in silk. The bulap and ticking pillow is sold separately, but I thought how fun to put the two textures together. Sort of like wearing socks with ballet slippers. Not really done, but still interesting, and makes one stop and think a moment.

Those little tiny bags are housing my business cards. It is funny how that all came about. Way back when, like in 1998, when I first started my little antique booth in San Antonio, Texas, I use to print up my own cards with my little home printer. The ink and quality weren't so great and I found that if you touched the card a lot, the ink would eventually smear. So, I found these little bags to put them in to leave in my booth. Well, one day I finally could afford to have them printed professionally and no longer needed the little bags. Well, good grief, you'd think the world was coming to an end when my customers expressed their disappointment that my cards were no longer in the little bags! Little did I know that the ladies who visited my booth (I never worked in the booth, so I never heard their comments) complained loudly to the mall owner "what happened to the little bags!!!" The next time I went in to stock my space, I was quickly told by the employees that I had better get those little bags back! So, now that I am "big time" in Chicago (as a friend likes to say), my business cards are still very humbly housed in little bags. A nice reminder, actually, of my very humble beginnings.

Finally, yes, those are very old (1868) pages that I gleefully ripped out of an old book and shoved in places around the space. Why? Oh, I don't know, I just felt like it. Besides, I do freak out quite a few people when I will take something "so old!" and rip it to shreds. I like the texture. I like paper. Actually, I love old paper. And I like the color. I have paper all over the space. Glued on walls, in the glass cabinet, hung from the rafters, and shoved in little cracks in the brick wall - look carefully, you can see it in other photos.

So, even though not apparent, there is a method to my madness. I can't explain the method, but I can demonstrate my madness quite well. I do love what I do and I hope what I do inspires you to do what you love as well.

Thank you so much for your interest.

from my house to your house,
Elizabeth
www.elizabethhouse.us