Christmas Open House at Ann Perry's

JOY!!!

I WISH you could have had the JOY of being with Cindy Craine & I when we headed south (a couple of weeks ago) to Ann Perry's Christmas Open House!  

 It was a COLD/RAINY day with the fall color surrounding the area.  

Ann's Gazebo tucked back in the yard & her flowerbeds lined with old sewing machines.  Such a cute & unusual border!













Walk past the statue on the porch (Mary never looked so beautiful standing watch). 

 And doesn't everyone put vintage plates in their window box?  WELL... WE SHOULD!

Come in the front door of this tiny but, oh so precious cottage!

 I loved the pillow with the sweet little pocket for stuffing old papers/letter, photos & a HAND!

   A window so old & so many stories to tell!!!  An old picture frame hung on the wall with a sweet little something in place of the photo.

A Dinning Table all dressed for the party!  I ADORE the slip covers!  It's like your furniture dressed up for the party!  So changing the look of any room!

Fresh greens such a beautiful touch!

  The Living was hosting beautiful flocked tree that glowed a golden glow over everything!  I have been wanting a flocked tree & this was the kiss of death for Hubby.  At Market this year I WILL be buying a flocked tree for next year!

                          Beautiful angel wings on the mantle.

Even the sweet little coffee table was wearing her finest skirt!

I'm borrowing a photo from my dear 
friend Teresa from Garden Vintage Antiques. She is such a dear & was selling there.  You also know her from selling MANY places (especially know at Warrenton during the Famous Round Top Antique Festival twice a year). It shows the door between the dinning room & kitchen (every time I tried to take one people were in the way).

Even the kitchen cabinets were adorable!  Decked with a wreath, lights twinkling above, & treasures peeking out. 


Below you see the treasures set out under the cabinets.  Sweet little vignettes everywhere!  My friend Joy Campbell would have loved all the old Iron Stone.

Thank you Ann for such a magical time.  I hope you'll come back soon because in a few days I'll post her feminine bedroom & some treasures from the sale!  Enjoy these beautiful days before Christmas.  The beauty of all the decorations & the feelings of LOVE abounds!   HUGS!

A Visit to Laurie's House Gig Harbor, WA

On September 29th Cindy & I headed out to start our visit with our friend Laurie.  It just happened to be Cindy's birthday & Laurie had this yummy cake for dinner after we arrived from the Seattle Airport.  Her home was decorated for Halloween & I don't think I've ever seen so many adorable/interesting pieces of ART!  Upon looking around I decided I couldn't choose a favorite...

 These stunning blown glass pumpkins were from a company called Cohn Stone Studio & if you click on the link it will take you to their site... One more beautiful than the next!!!  The colors & textures so lush!  Next fall the Art Sisters are going to plan a Field Trip & I can assure you I will be bringing a few of these beauties home to Texas!

 While at Rogers Garden (see my last post) I saw pumpkins designed by this same designer as those below but, I think Laurie's choice of display/colors were better than Rogers Gardens.  The eyes on these pumpkins are so real!

 This fellow was so cute in her living room.  And he's HUGE!!!

 The devil sits behind Laurie's hubbies desk.  Hmm I wonder if there's a message there?  LOL!  He is made from fabric & all of his face is painted.  So clever!

 The views out Laurie's windows were divine!!!! The house looks out over Puget Sound. 

 The play of the water, the sky & the trees made for such MAGIC every time I looked out! 

Below is one of the guest rooms with that stunning view in the background...

The beautiful bed & chandi that she/hubby chose/hung right out of a storybook castle!  The paint on the wall behind the bed was stunning!  This photo doesn't do it justice!!! It was a Martha Stewart paint that looked like silk fabric.  The sheen was beautiful.  Laurie said the process was tedious but, worth it indeed.  First you pint the paint on the wall  & then you have to use steel wool & DRAG it down the wet paint to achieve that texture!  A PAIN I'm sure but, so worth it as it was AMAZING!! 

Even in this beautiful room Laurie added her Halloween Art pieces!  Below is another pumpkin guy with those realistic eyes & TEAL colored Cohn Stone pumpkins!  Everything just seemed made for each room.

Below was the witch she had for the guest room.  The velvet fabric for her dress was beautiful.  And again, she was BIG & really made a statement!

In the kitchen she had some FUN felted fellows!  I want to learn to felt.  I need to find some good online classes I think.  But, again the artists out did themselves & Laurie has such a knack for decorating & pulling it all together.

LOVED this white pumpkin below!

And I fell in love with her buffet by Hooker Furniture!  I came home & told hubby I NEED THIS!!!!!

Laurie used more Cohn Stone pumpkins, leaves & gourds to do a vignette across the top of the buffet that was stunning!   Don't you LOVE the colors?  I DO!

One afternoon Laurie suggested we all go into the old Port Area of Gig Harbor & eat at a darling little Pub on the water.  By this time some of the other Art Sisters had joined us in Gig Harbor (Sandy Navarro, Joy Campbell & Vicki Orlando)& we so enjoyed the charm of the harbor, the boats & seeing some of the other houses along the water.  Sooooooo different than Texas I can assure you!  LOVE THIS AREA!

THANK YOU Laurie for a very special time in your very SPECIAL home.  I love all the beautiful touches you have added.  It is like a Show Home & we were all so lucky to see your MAGIC!  I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the tale of this visit to the northwest.  I have soooooooo much more to share.  Next post will be about the visit to the Dale Chahuly Art Glass Museum & downtown Seattle.   

Happy   Halloween!

After my trip to Morrow Bay, California (this summer) I had Halloween on the brain.  I bought a cute witch (sorry I'll share her later) a few cute canvas's & a darling little pumpkin girl named EEK!  Hubby & I love this garden shop named Garden Gallery  right down on the waterfront.

The photo above is of a witch named Minerva.  She was a cutie.  Short, fat, wearing red & purple but, she didn't come home... My witch is named Clarice.

This cutie above is my little pumpkin (EEK) girls brother.  Looking in a mirror... I thought that was a darling decorating idea!  Shows front & back for sure.

The cute little buckets were so tempting... one came home & couple of those pumpkin bowls.

When we went back south to visit our friends (Vickie & Ray Orlando) we went to Rogers Garden which is an amazing treat.  It is GARDEN STORE on steroids!!!!  The doll above was found there.  She is a cage doll & if you look closely her skirt is a cage holding a Halloween creature.

The designers used old computer parts, black lights, lab equipment & skeletons to create this display.

And you want to talk spooky??? The dolls below in the jars....

My friend Laurie Garcia has some of the pumpkins (like below) & I thought this was a clever way to display them.  The eyes on these pumpkins look soooooooooooo real.  They made shelves for their heads to sit on & then they used vintage clothes/shoes to make them look like a pumpkin family standing there.

Some of the designers found these huge ceramic/chalk busts & painted them like Day of The Dead.  Every single one of them were sold.

It was a lot of fun & just fueled the Halloween fire.  Sorry I'm so late in posting but, it's been crazy busy.  We were in California most of the summer & then we came home for 3 weeks.  Of course we just moved into our house May 24 so there are boxes galore & I can't find a thing.  But, I knew the good fairies weren't going to be unpacking the house so... off we went to escape the heat.  Once I came home for the 3 weeks there was so much stuff to catch up on with our business no unpacking took place either.  At the end of September I took off to visit with my Art Sisters up in the Washington/Oregon (Terry Brush Art Camp for a long weekend).  WHAT FUN WAS THAT!!!! So, I'll try to get my act together & start posting again on a regular basis.  We'll catch you up on the summer adventures & Art Camp.  But, for now I need to go get the candy ready for all the little spooks!  Have a fun & safe Halloween!

California Dream’n

Back in June 2012 I was reading my new Romantic Home Magazine & came across the article about this enchanted cottage in Laguna Beach California.  I was totally mesmerized by the story & wrote to the owner via the email address given.  That is the beginning of my love affaire with Summerland Cottage & my friendship with her owner Paulette Adams.  Click  HERE to see the article on Paulette’s blog that opened that magic door.

That studio full of ceramic shells & other beauty…


A cottage on a hillside soooooooo very near the ocean.  A brick & rock wall with little pieces of magic stuck here & there by the Fairy God Mother (Paulette) herself.


A courtyard so beautiful & special.  And….. did I mention that Paulette has a B&B right there on the property?  YES, YOU COULD BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO STAY THERE TOO!  Go to her web site (HERE) & check it out if you think that might speak to your heart.


Beside being a talented ceramic artist, a painter & a million other things I could list off… she is a designer.  The photo above shows her on the set of stairs that she designed to go up to her bedroom.  The cottage is tiny & she needed something other than a ladder to access the space so this staircase is what she came up with.   Go HERE to see the post about this.  Imagine my big ole size 12 foot on those tiny little stairs!!!!!111  But, it was so worth it!  Because when you get to the top…

Her beautiful bed in a bay window with the breeze from the ocean (yes, you can see it from there) blowing the vintage lace hanging in the window frame.  Stunning!!!! 
Magical!!!!
So very special just like Paulette who created & shared it!


The photo above is of Paulette & I after a dream come true tour, lunch, shopping & promises that Vickie/I will return to play in the studio & make lots of little ceramic shells & treasures.  PINCH ME……..  I think I’m dreaming!!!!
HUGS!  Charlene