Memories in Rustic Hills of Texas

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving this week!  I have been sooooooooo busy with going to Austin last weekend to play PMC Silver Clay with my friend Janise & then getting home Monday with just 2 hours to spare before our niece & her hubby showed up from North Carolina.  We spent the week just enjoying each other & eating our way through the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex!  The pictures in this post share a few shots of our time down at the family “ranch” near Lake Whitney.  I loved some of the photos our nephew Buzz captured for us.  Hope you enjoy some of the shots showing the rustic Hill Country of Texas.

I LOVE this sweet girl & it was sooooooooo good to spend time with her!  This is Amy & Chase her 10 year old Labrador that came with them.  She used to breed Labs & it was not uncommon for them to have up to 14 adults at any one time (not to count many puppies).  But, now she’s down to 4 & Chase was the “chosen child” to accompany them.  He taught Ms Elle a thing or two about minding her manners!  There’s nothing like a mature dog to put a “fresh kid” in her place.  It was a cold damp day as you can see I am bundled up in Hubby’s coat.

The homemade rustic sign Hubby’s Dad made for the front gate…

Speaking of his Hubby’s Dad… The reason for this trip to the ranch was to bury the ashes of his Dad/Amy’s Granddad which was his last wishes…   And I think this next photo so captures the mood of the day…

Cold, damp, grey(old grass), yet filled with green grass (the future).    On to happier things…

An old barn made from railroad ties…

has been standing on this land for a VERY long time.

I just love the rustic ruggedness Buzz captured in the close up of this old rusty latch & SQUARE nail!

 

RUSTIC! Life so  Hard!!!!  So THANKFUL for all the conveniences we so take for granted today!!!!

So, as the road rises up to meet you… remember to be Thankful for all that you have…  I didn’t get to say Happy Thanksgiving earlier but, I wanted to tell each & everyone of you how special you are to me & how THANKFUL I am that we have the chance to be friends over all the miles, the different landscapes, towns, states & so on but, Blogland makes us all neighbors.  NOW, let’s look forward to a beautiful Christmas Season.  

HUGS! Charlene

Diana Frey & Riki Schumacher

Does that little beauty above make your HEART go pitter patter?

Make you loose your head?

Are you charmed by Charm Bracelets?

Bring the KEY to your heart & join us in February 2012 for A CHARMING ROMANCE taught in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA where the beach is just a few minutes away, the company fun, & the teachers FREAKING AMAZING!  Leave your winter blues at home & come play with us.  This class will be taught in their private studio (how can you miss a chance to see that?) & will promise to be an amazing weekend learning to use PMC Silver Clay, techniques like embossing metals, using rivets, eyelets, miniature hardware, playing with patina’s & much more!  So, contact Diana HERE or Riki  HERE to reserve your space! HURRY!  Tell Santa,  use a little of that “stash” cash you keep just for yourself/just in case, tell your Valentine this makes you heart go pitter patter, whatever it takes… You won’t be sorry you did because in February you will be having a blast & come home with a piece you will LOVE to wear!  See ya there!

HUGS! Charlene

Marble Falls Again!

Another wonderful weekend spent in Marble Falls, Texas this past weekend! We loaded up the 5th wheel & headed south to take our French neighbors Daniele & Pierre (they have homes here & in France) to see this area we love so much. We always stay in an AMAZING park that sits on a peninsula of Texas Pink/Black granite that juts out into Lake LBJ. Above is looking out onto Lake LBJ from the granite & below is looking back at the HUGE MASS of stone going back to the park. At this point we were about half way between the lake & the park. HUGE I TELL YOU!

While we were there we went to visit The Texas White House which was the ranch where LBJ & Lady Bird Johnson lived. There were many parties, meetings, & times during his presidency that this place was shown in photos many of us would remember.

The weather was soooooooooooooooooo beautiful while we were there. I didn’t think we would have much color for fall this year due to the draught but, in some areas there was color. AND I LOVE FALL!!!!! The ranch tour was very interesting. I had not been on a tour since Lady Bird passed away in 2005. Since then they have opened the house for tours. Before, only the ranch property, the outer building, his car collection, old school, & dog trot cabin (where he was born) were on the tour. As long as Lady Bird was alive she lived there & no one could go near the house. It was very interesting to tour the property & imagine how times were back during “The Cold War”. The meetings that were held here & the decisions that were made. Also, we visited the Cold Spring Granite Company’s Quarry & Showroom.

Click HERE to see a previous post that shows some beautiful examples of the different granite colors. In the previous post I talked about visiting the Cold Springs Granite Quarry & showed HUGE slabs of amazing colors in different granite slabs. We went through their showroom & I thought I would share some of the ideas the designers had. I LOVE the granite countertop above with the clear glass bowl sink.

This is the pink/black granite I told you the area was famous for (the same as at our RV Park & it really looks different here than in the photos above doesn’t it?). I love the THICK & RUGGED look they used for this sink. What do you think?

And a different color (area) for this tub. It is stunning I think but, I bet it would be slick getting out.

Above is the fireplace in the showroom. There were different types of granite used & the area above the fireplace has a map of the lakes, dams, & area along the Colorado River where Marble Falls is located. This has been etched or carved into the granite. Different kitchens were done so you could see different styles. Below is one done in light colors.

And a beautiful green. Again using the THICK cut/look.

And this one had the Texas LONE STAR etched into the backsplash. And the burners of the gas stove set directly into the counter top.

The entire building was made from native white Texas Limestone & granite was used for accent.

At about $40 -$50 a square foot (that’s retail & I know they own the Quarry but, still… $$$$$$) That’s a lot of money.

Hubby loved the outdoor kitchen. Wouldn’t it be great to have this out by the pool?

Now, I have to decide if I want to redo my kitchen/master bath OR sell this house & build something else (that’s been our dilemma now for about 2 years). I KNOW one thing…. I WILL HAVE GRANITE! I love it. Hope you enjoyed this little trip to Marble Falls, TX (does the area look like you thought it would?). And I hope you got some ideas about granite/remodeling if you were in the market for ideas. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

HUGS! Charlene

Laurie Anna’s Wonderland!

On Friday Cindy & I took off for Canton to visit Laurie Anna’s. We had heard about this shop but, had never visited. We decided to make it #1 on our list & if we did nothing else… we did Laurie Anna’s. AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

Just look at those amazing pillows! And everyone who knows me knows I have a severe case of MANNI LOVE! And this one with the birds nest made my heart go pitter patter but, Not for sale. DARN!

And the photo below makes my heart jump in my throat as I WANT IT ALL!!!!! Those cabinets… YUMMY! And love the Christmas tree upside down! When we walked in we asked if we could take photos for our blogs & to share with each of you. Permission granted so you guys go to visit her blog & tell her you saw it here & LOVED IT!!!! Usually they don’t allow photos but I told her all you guys would LOVE to see it & many of you would put it on your “Wish List of Places to Visit” Canton, Texas every 1st Monday is where you can find them. Or visit her shop/blog HERE.

This table made my pocketbook quake as I had to have those tinsel trees!

All three sizes…

Don’t have a sweet vintage buggy to put them in but, oh how pretty they will be with the little snow man (the one with the boot on the table in the photo above this one) I bought to put next to them. Sweet Denis of Ruby Graces Blog scurried everywhere finding the trees as I bought the last small one they had. THANKS Denis!

One vignette after another…

Oh for the LOVE of the Farm Shelves stocked to the brim with WONDERFUL!!!! I want these shelves in my studio for the kitchen. WHEN OH WHEN?????

And could you lay your head down for sugar plums to dance here?

Or here? I loved the blue color of this room.

The vintage suitcases stacked high on the cupboard.

The tear drop trailer loaded with goodies. Goodies Everywhere!!!!

And let’s talk unusual lights…

The lights on the left are tiny mason jars that fit on a string of Christmas lights.

Baskets made into lights.

Snowshoes made into lights… Is this group of talented designers BLOWING YOUR MIND? They did mine!

Architectural pieces combined to create beauty at every turn. Let’s wander into the clothing area before I hyperventilate.

Soooooooooooo much to look at. I bought a top in that beautiful blue linen shown above. And a nightgown of the the most amazing white cotton with lace that I just adore.

White furry vests, creamy lace tops… Vintage shoes in an adorable vignette/cloche.

Let’s talk TREES in a corset. For a bedroom would this not just ROCK?

Old windows, curtains, soft lights… I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…

I wanted this Santos… to display jewelry on. What do you think?

And this concrete mermaid… BE STILL MY HEART!

Yes, she has the most amazing smelling French milled soaps that wandered into my bag. HOW did that happen?

The hands on the clock say tick tock it’s time for me to leave you. These last photos are of my favorite part of the whole store…

This tree was stunning. And again the architectural pieces singing to my heart. Saving the best for last…

The baby dresses framed & hung above. Magic!

I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we did. We had a wonderful time & we want to thank Laurie Anna & her staff for creating the magic that will stay in our hearts. When you take vintage goodies, wonderful items for sale, creative souls & Christmas… YOU CAN’T HELP BUT MAKE MAGIC!

Hugs! Charlene