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!

Meet My New Neighbors!

Welcome to my new neighborhood!
Well, I am almost moved - not quite complete, but getting there. As I shuffle my inventory, office equipment, workshop, design studio, photo studio and personal living items to six different locations, I am determined to find time to get out and meet my new neighbors!

Okay, first, I must tell you about a little shop called Francesca's located in South City St. Louis. The address is 5400 Nottingham. Actually, we are really on Macklind Ave - a very up and coming district. I have a small presence in this little co-op which is ran by eight dealers. We are open only Friday and Saturdays from 10-4pm. My local customers may stop by and get the usual Elizabeth House items such as baby clothes, soaps, lavender and candles. These items will be available on line as well once my online store is up and running. The other dealers carry a variety of items from retro to painted furniture, to fun flea-market finds....please stop by!

I just want to share a few photos of my new space...

Signage! I get to hang up my sign and no one is taking me to court! :-)





Yes, I am still custom designing baby crib bedding. This set, which is made of silk and chenille is $575. It includes a ruffled bumper pad, dust ruffle, diaper bag, and blanket. If interested, or you would like your own custom set, please just email me at Elizabeth House.
I would like you to meet some of my neighbors just a block away on Macklind Ave. If you haven't been in this area of town in a while, you really need to see all that is going on! First, one of my favorite new spots is a fabulous coffee house called Murdoch Perk. The owner, Stephanie Seemiller, is just about the hardest working business owner you will find. I am all for supporting women business owners. And it is easy to do when the business is top notch.

I LOVE her crepes! And, she has the best gooey butter cookies in town - I promise! Oh, yes, the coffee is wonderful too. The interior is nicely designed with stained cement floors, fireplace and free wireless Internet! She also has a wonderful deck on which to eat her scrumptious Belgian waffles or Chipolte Turkey sandwich or Asian Chicken Crepe....okay, I need to stop now and call in an order - I just made myself hungry. What do I really love to get on the run? A naked crepe - yup, just a hot crepe she cooks up for me and and I roll it up and munch on it while driving to my next appointment.

Another little gem on Macklind Ave is yet another, woman-owned business. It is St. Louis' first and only Green General Store called, Home Eco. Its owner, Terry Winkelmann, along with Phil Judd, have created a store that is so environmentally friendly, you will find yourself looking for the nearest tree to hug after you leave. Do you ever feel that recycling your paper, glass and plastic is just not enough sometimes? Well, visit Home Eco and your guilty conscious will be set free! The store carries alternative fiber clothing, locally made and Fair Trade gifts, Beeswax and Soy Candles, natural flooring, renewable energy products and zero VOC paints and stains.

After you are done saving the environment at Home Eco, go ahead and treat yourself and cross the street to Manzo Importing Company, owned by the Manzo family since 1956 but has been in this location off Macklind since 1967! This wonderful grocer imports food products from Italy, Greece, and the Middle East. Pete, one of the owners and brothers of the business, is very friendly and loves to share what he knows about his merchandise - which is a lot! If you are looking for authentic Greek olives, or 15 varieties of Italian olive oil, speciality meats, cheeses or just want a deli sandwich, you must stop in! I live only a block or so away which is both good and bad, if you know what I mean....I think Pete and I will become fast friends very soon. :-)

Below are photos of other neighbors....local sandwich shops, bar and grille and a wonderful retail space that is under construction - just wanted to show you what was going on in this part of town:

Well, I hope you enjoyed the little tour of my new neighborhood. There is always something exciting about "starting again" in a new location. Yes, my house is a wreck, boxes still need to be unpacked, and I couldn't find a stamp or envelope in my office to save my life right now...but even with all the packing chaos, there comes the fun side of having new adventures, new friends to be made, new sandwiches to be tried, new running paths to learn and oh yeah, find new places to park - I live in the city after all...and finding parking near your home is an art.

I hope you find new adventures where you live too. Maybe a new store just opened not far from you? Or a new deli? There is something so wonderfully energizing about patronizing a new business. Believe me, the owners appreciate it very much. They just may be too pooped to tell you. So, set out and find a new business and welcome them to the neighborhood - and take a friend. After all, selling two sandwiches is always better than selling just one!

Thank you for allowing me to share my adventures,

Elizabeth

http://www.elizabethhouse.us/

New Ta Da! feature now in Romantic Homes

Remember a while back I gave you a sneak peek of the photo shoot of the room that was to be featured in Romantic Home's June issue? Well, the issue is now out and I would like to share some photos that you won't find in the issue - so in other words - you will have to buy the issue to see the rest of the photos and to read the story behind this iron French bed! :-)

Below is just a little eye candy just for you that really needs no explaination. This room belongs to my wonderful friends, Joni and Kendall who allowed me to basically do whatever I wanted to their bedroom. I aged the walls and ceiling, designed and painted the vintage chair, designed the bedding, the tin valence and radiator cover as well. They were a treasure to work for.

Enjoy!

Okay, just to get you curious, the little porcelain dolls

hanging from the chandelier (below photo) have an interesting story - which is told in the June issue of Romantic Homes magazine!

Thank you for stopping by again. Oh! One last note about June's issue....make sure you read the letters in the front of the magazine. The editor included an email I sent to her because I received a lovely and very touching letter from a reader who commented on the Feb issue which featured my Valentine "Tree of Love."


And as a favor to me, should you enjoy my article about this bedroom, please feel free to write or email the editor and let her know how much you enjoyed it. I would love to do even more writing/designing/photography/styling assignments...sooo maybe...if she got a few emails from happy readers requesting more of my work....I promise you will always get a sneak peek of all my work that is to be published! :-)


Oh! One more thing, and then I promise to shut up....I was out all day today and the entire evening as well, and I didn't even get home until midnight. I went into my store to check on things and I found the current issue of Romantic Homes! I was so excited for Joni and Kendall (owners of the bedroom) that I drove over to their home tonight, after midnight, put sticky notes on the pages in the magazine, wrote them a note, and placed the magazine under the windshield wiper, face down, on Joni's car. I got a feeling she may be a little late to work in the morning because I am sure she will sit in her car and read every word I wrote.

I wanted to start her morning with a big smile.


I hope you smile a lot today as well!



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