A Quick Stop For Inspiration

On our trip home, we decided to make a quick stop in Austin. I say quick because we weren't even there 24 hrs. That didn't stop me from photo stalking;) (Annie, I hope you like these. Ha!) I've been itching to see the Saint Cecilia Hotel, since I first heard about it. Designed by the developers of the San Jose, I knew it would have to be amazing...and it certainly was!!!
I know many bloggers have written about this place so I hope you all will indulge me. I'm just so excited about it! Also, please excuse Mr. Liam who had to walk through almost EVERY photo I took. Here's a tip: Don't take small boys when taking photos. They don't exactly know how to sit still.

I don't have many photos to share, because I didn't actually stay at the hotel, I was just passing by. Yes, I know...the definition of stalking. Honestly, there is so much inspiration that just a quick walk around supplies more than enough eye candy. One of my favorite details was the black and white tile in a chevron pattern. Oh you all know how much I love stripes!

Yeah, he knows how to pose!

My other favorite part. This hidden courtyard. The design of it isn't complicated, but its just perfection. It occurred to me how simple it would be to find a couple of simple outdoor benches and paint them bright white. This bench is one large L-shape piece but two benches placed caddy corner to one another can have the same effect. The pillows are simply made with black outdoor fabric.

The jewel-tones and the stark lines are so striking. St. Cecilia, hopefully next time I can see you from the inside.
Love ya!

The Fabulous Flea And A Fabulous Sale.

I don't often get to write about a furniture store in houston that I've never been too, but this is one of those times! This weekend The Fabulous Flea opened its doors to the public for a rare sale. I decided I needed to jump at the chance at seeing this place, and it was worth it! I was ready to move into this beautiful space. Its so quaint and romantic:)

(This little doorway captivated me. I imagined the curious places it might lead to)
Mary Daly along with the fabulous folks at Found For the Home, put together a beautiful collection of antiques and unusual objects. P.S. If you are reading this, live in Houston, and its before 5:00 pm on Saturday....go check it out for yourself!

This beautiful carved horse head was my favorite piece! Why am I so into horses now?
I grew up in West Texas and didn't care about them then...oh well.

Ooh, I even got to take a peek at the pool house, behind the studio. I tell myself that this was special treatment,
but I'm not really sure if it was. Anyway, just had to share. Don't you just love it?!

Many Thanks!

Over the last couple of weeks the photos of my most recent house stalking excursion,
have traveled around the web. I wanted to say a quick thanks to those of you who
posted my photos and a quick hello to all the new bloggers I've met.

1. Desire to Inspire
2. Swamplot
3. Better Living Through Design
4. The Brick House
5. Vintage and Chic Homes

I love finding so many new blogs, including several of which are from Houston!
P.S. I thought I would share one more little treat from this amazing house!

A Modern Cottage.

As is often the case, I'm very late in writing this post. Remember the whole "no internet" thing? Last week I had the pleasure of photographing one of my favorite Houston homes. Located in the my usual stomping grounds, I have been admiring for a few years now. So a few weeks ago, I drove by and was surprised to see it for sale! Click here to see the listing. Being the house stalker that I am (Yeah, I admit it), I called to see if I could see the interior.
The house was shown in a local magazine a few years ago, but the owners graciously indulged my desire to take some pics myself:) What I always admired from afar was the beautiful color scheme of the exterior. Its very bold but has a Zen feel, especially with the bamboo.

This house is like a wonderful gift in a beautiful wrapper. You know sometimes, you wonder if what's inside is as great as the exterior? I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed when I walked in the door. The decor is restrained elegance with a modern twist. I can say that I haven't seen many homes with such a wonderful attention to detail. Something I really loved were the creative vignettes placed around the house.

Check out the ebony stained floors throughout the house! I know lots of you love them as much as I do.

The kitchen is simple and clean. I think this is one those rare kitchens that actually inspire me to cook. That is saying a lot, trust me!

The large open doorways are a remnant of when the house was a beauty salon. Instead of replacing the doors the owners either left them open or installed heavy draperies from tracks. The bedroom also has a fabulous dressing room that once was a porch.
P.S. The cool framed numbers are from Ebay!

So was I right? Beautiful, huh? One last amazing detail. The backyard is a small garden. Inorder to expand the space, a mirror was installed along the back fence. With the large plants in front, the yard seems to go on forever...without all the trimming that is;)

Happiness

So, Friday afternoon we decided to drive to Austin at the last minute. Many of you may know that my husband and I make Austin trips on a regular basis. I do a lot of wondering around whenever I'm there, so I kind of assumed I was familiar w/ most of the shopping sites...but I discovered I was wrong! (I get so excited when I find new places to shop). Driving down South 1st, I discovered a group of shops called Happiness. There isn't an easy way to describe it. It sits behind a couple of funky vintage clothing stores. You kind of have to know where it is, because its hard to see. Basically, its a collection of tiny sheds. They are centered around a tree-lined courtyard and are filled the works of various artists. The little sheds feature different types of art and handmade objects. My favorite pieces were the creative planters. Happiness really lives up to its name; I forgot about all my troubles and became absorbed in the bohemian atmosphere.

Good Times

Last week I had several opportunities for great shopping.
In fact, there were so many, I had to turn down a few events. First was the debut of
Barbara Hill's accessory line @ Found for the Home. It was a great deal of fun, and
there was a great turn-out. Barbara's furnishings were so witty and unique, they were a big hit.

BTW, I spoke to Barbara and told her I knew from my coffee shop.
Fortunately, I could tell she didn't remember me from the "Love your hair" comment.
So I guess that's a good thing;). Check out my Flickr site, there are many more photos of the nights events.
Also, I met a great artist named Mary Beth Woiccak. Her work is amazing, check it out here.

One event down, next was the return of the Urban Market. It was an incredibly beautiful day, and I basked in all the rusty and worn pieces. (Makes me feel at home). More photos here.

I'm Tired, I'm Stressed...Only Junking Will Help.

Junking is a real term right? If not, I'm sure you all know what I mean.
Its the act of searching through and hunting for junk!! I have yet to figure out why I love it so much, but it does my soul good:)
Many of you may have noticed that I have been slow on posting lately. I have to admit that my work has been taking all my time and energy.
I'm struggling w/ feeling any amount of creativity or inspiration.

I know, "Boo hoo".
Over the weekend we had a few rare child free hours. (Thanks to my lovely sister and brother-in-law)
So I took the time to hit some "antique" stores, to relieve some stress.
Some of my favorite Houston haunts are located along several blocks of Westheimer.
Finding so many hidden gems made me very happy. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

This is such a cool Valentine's themed window display!

Of course I must include chairs.

I feel a little better, now. Aahhh.

Looking Back.

Well, I can hardly believe it; but over the weekend my blog turned one year old! Wow! I'm amazed at the opportunities this little blog has presented to me. I've met so many wonderful people, both virtually and in person. I can't honestly tell all of you how much I enjoy hearing from you. When I started writing this a year ago, I had no idea how much enjoyment I would get out of it. I really feel like I have found a world wide family. So I just want to thank all of you for stopping by and reading all of my crazy ideas:) Last weekend, I walked through the Houston AIA home tour. I was a little disappointed, but did love the serene bedroom above. The blue wall and linen covered chair were beautiful. Although, one year ago my second post was about a fantastic house featured in the tour.

You can check out the full article here, but I decided to re-post a few of my favorite shots. Given that it was only my second post, I'm sure 99.9% of you didn't see it. I remember how uncomfortable I felt asking for permission to take photos, for a blog that consisted of one article. Thankfully, the home owners and architect were very gracious.

Here's to one more year!