On the Cote de Texas.....

I spent the weekend in Houston, TX - remember how I mentioned I was going someplace warm and sunny? Warm, comparitively at least for a northerner like me, but it ended up being gray and drizzly unfortunately :-(

I spent Saturday with the super stylish Joni of Cote de Texas. We met for lunch at the yummy Raven Grill (which has an adorable trained pet chicken roaming around the front of the restaurant, seen below) in Rice Village and then hit some of her favorite shops, many of which she has mentioned in her blog. The shopping is as fabulous as Joni claims and her taste was exquisite of course! She kept pointing out hidden treasures that I might have missed otherwise and was full of great stories about each store! I coudln't have had a more knowledgeable tour guide. I'll show some of my favorite pieces from our adventure. I forget the names of some of the stores but will write them in where I can remember!By far, my favorite shop was 'AREA'. Unfortunately as I was busy shopping I didn't take many photos, just these 2. The store has a great mix of antiques and modern pieces, books and gifts -all put together very creatively, sort of like a fabulous house. I could have spent all day in this store alone but there was so much more to see.....

Joni has blogged about Shabby Slips, my next stop.Shabby Slips had just repainted the walls white from gray for a very fresh and open feeling in the store. A mix of beautiful antiques with a few upholstered pieces thrown in to live up to their name filled the space completely!The last store Watkins & Culver, adjacent to shabby slips, was so exquisite. The walls were newly faux finished and were really just incredible. They looked like 200 yr old stucco walls in Europe. All of the pieces were out of my price range but so fun to see including some really unusual pieces there that I think Joni will mention later this week. I ended up getting a really great candle here as a hostess gift. I recommend anyone to go shopping in Rice Village!I was very tempted to buy these 2 pastel drawings above - very picasso'esque of harlequins in beautiful colors.photo at the top of the post is of a wall of amazing framed antique 'weeds' available at Neal and Co.

Weekend!

I hope everyone who has a long weekend is enjoying it! I'm spending mine someplace warm and sunny; more on that next week! Photo is from Kykuit in the Hudson River Valley outside of NYC. Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Dior, 1948

What was Christian Dior up to in 1948? Well, for one thing -he was designing 'Abandon' for autumn & winter . Why don't clothes or houses have names anymore? I think a name can add so much! You wouldn't have a pet or child without one obviously! This dress of silk and cotton was noted for its plunging neckline. Supposedly, for more modest women, you could adjust the silk to cover up more......I'm not buying that. Still -it's a beautiful dress! Below is a more modern version of the dress -recognize it?

Pics courtesy of the Met

Georgetown by night

While walking home from work the other day, I snapped some pictures of Georgetown by twilight. I just love this early spring-like weather -it brings out the best in everything! I wanted to share them with you, I hope you enjoy them!brick sidewalks, brick walls -brick brick brick!

I loved how this modern building along the canal looked at night -almost like a Mondrian with all of the differently colored rooms. reflections of an office on the canal.....someone is working late!Lighting can make or break a building, don't you think?

along the canal, I just love all of the little lights in the darkness.

Collection: Jasperware

I have a small collection of wedgwood Jasperware. You know the stuff I'm sure; everyone has a piece or two from their wedding!a sugarbowl and creamer; ignore the dust on the shelf!

Jasperware is a type of fine-grained, unglazed stoneware invented by Josiah Wedgwood (founder of Wedgwood potters) in 1772. It was named after the natural stone 'jasper' because of its hardness by Josiah after a lot of experimenting with different techniques of porcelain making. This quickly became what made Wedgwood famous and is still one of the products it is known for today.a small vase and another larger creamer

While most people seem to know the blue, it comes in a wide range of colors. The natural porcelain is white however and the color is added into the mixture during the manufacturing. Typically it has white applied porcelain mouldings of neoclassical scenes. I really like the deep blue color and that is primarily what I collect - something about the deep blue with white trim is just so pretty. I do however have this one pale blue vase, I couldn't resist it!

CARE: from waterfordwedgewood

We recommend that you should hand-wash your jasperware in moderately hot water with a mild detergent. For more stubborn stains, rub the Jasperware with a toothbrush or a small brush with polishing powder.Never use your Jasperware in a microwave oven, conventional oven or refrigerator. Sudden changes of temperature are likely to cause cracking or breakage.

Crazy Store

This crazy looking store is not in Holland -instead it's on lovely Cape Cod....and they don't sell wooden shoes -it's a discount bargain store! Check out those shopping carts in the lower right hand corner. I've just always thought it was sort of kitschy Vegas......It's right under the Sagamore Bridge if you don't believe me! The store is called 'the christmas tree shoppe' but it's really just a dollar store, that also sells holiday decorations.

Leslie Caron

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Images are of Leslie Caron, around the time she did Gigi (my favorite movie), taken by Cecil Beaton. Caron was born in 1931 and is still living, even occasionally acting! She currently runs a bed and breakfast named Auberge La Lucarne aux Chouettes (The Owls' Nest Inn) which is located outside of Paris in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. I'm sure it's delightful!

Indoor Gardens, Atocha

This cold weather has me thinking of indoor gardens. In Madrid is the most beautiful indoor JUNGLE in the main train station, Atocha. The plants are watered every few hours by these big misters, you can see them in action here above. The original station that was built in 1851 was destroyed by fire, and this new station was built in 1892 by Alberto de Palacio Elissagne and Gustave Eiffel (recognize that name??).

The space is huge, I'm not sure if my pictures captured it, but there are walkways cutting through the jungle space. Not a bad way to spend time while waiting for a train!The station itself is a really interesting early industrial space. Look at the grilles on this window below, pretty ornate and yet still industrial. I love that detail.All pictures are my own from my trip to Madrid 2 years ago.

Friend's apartment: aquisitions

Do you remember a few months ago when I posted my friend Henry's apartment (here). Well, he has a new addition: a 6' tall antique venetian mirror! I thought it was so beautiful I just had to share it. Unfortunately he's moving soon and will have to abandon all of his hard work.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Please all join with me to wish Happy Birthday to my friend Laura from Lodadesigns! Laura loves flowers, especially cherry blossoms which are coming in a few short months. They have special significance for her as she is a local and we have the famous yearly festival here.

Happy Birthday, Laura! We don't get to spend coffee breaks together at work anymore but you're still in my thoughts!

these images are ones i've taken during the last few years.