Modern Oasis

Pie Heaven!

2011-09-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've been to Round Top before on our treasure hunts, but never have tried the famous pies at Royer's Cafe! My Mom & I took a little trip to Royer's the day before we got to meet Rachel Ashwell...

let me tell you...Bud has created ...

PIE HEAVEN!!!

Bud outside Royer's

I decided to go with their bestseller...the Apple Pie...Yummy!

It has stacks of fresh, delicious Granny Smith apples that are topped with a decadent brown sugar and pecan topping...as they say at Royer's...OMGX6!

The apple pie at Royer's is hands down the BEST apple pie I have ever had in my life and I can't believe it took me this long to try it...

OMG I have been missing out on all this deliciousness!

After our wonderful lunch at The Prairie...Mom & I stopped by Bud's new Pie Shop and got a few pies to take home...I am trying to save mine for Thanksgiving...but I have a feeling it's going to be gone by next week for sure!

I was so impressed by Bud's service to many parts of the community. Bud donates 2 pies to every project completed by Dwell with Dignity. Dwell with Dignity is a non-profit group of Interior Designers and volunteers that create inspiring home design for families struggling with poverty and homelessness.

Bud also runs Operation : Desert Pie, for $76 you can send 2 delicious pies to a soldier...

what a wonderful gift to receive..."The Ultimate Slice of Home"

Thanks Bud for such a wonderful lunch!

Lunch On The Prairie

2011-09-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Rachel Ashwell's new B & B...

The Prairie

The whole day was just amazing...the lunch hosted by Bud Royer of Royer's Cafe, The tour of Rachel's lovely B & B, and her gorgeous new store....Shabby Chic Couture.

Bud Royer and Rachel Ashwell...both were so humble and down to earth...LOVE them both!

My favorite part of the trip, besides meeting Rachel & Bud, was shopping at Rachel's new store at

The Prairie ...Shabby Chic Couture

All of Rachel's upholstered furniture is SO comfy & luxurious...my next sofa will definitely be one of hers! I would love this light blue chaise for my bedroom...I adore it!

Purple velvet...what better place to snuggle with that special someone! This was my Mom's favorite piece...and she doesn't even like purple!

We are in the process of adopting a little girl hopefully sometime this year and this vintage Italian paint by number would be such a sweet addition to her room...stunning!

How cute are these pillows! Love both the Union Jack & Texas flag reinvented in a softer palette...

also adore the cute little pin attached!

Who wouldn't want to dive right into this bed?

My favorite thing in the store? This gorgeous french bench upholstered in a luscious yummy blue velvet...perfection!

Stay tuned for more posts about our trip to Round Top and our incredible visit to The Prairie!

A BIG thanks to Rachel & Bud!

Dwell With Dignity...

a beautiful cause that I hope to be a part of!

and The Hidden List....Thanks Kelley!!!

Inspiration

2011-09-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of putting together a little girl's room in pink and green...LOVE these rooms!

Shabby Chic

2011-08-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to meet Rachel Ashwell at Round Top!

Thanks Kelley!

Taxes

2011-01-22T16:55:00.000-06:00

My least favorite thing to do...Taxes!

My daughter has been on me to finish to get the FAFSA submitted...back to the grind!

images via We Heart It

French Macaroons

2011-01-22T12:28:00.000-06:00

I'm in the kitchen today baking up some French Macaroons. I have been seeing these beauties in all the magazines lately and decided to give them a try.

All the recipes seem about the same on the web so I'm using Martha's for the first go around...thinking about making the chocolate version...YUM!

Wish me luck!

images via We Heart It

Artist Watch : Amy Ruppel

2011-01-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

Amy Ruppel is a self-taught encaustic artist & photographer. I have always wanted to purchase one of her pieces, but never followed through.

Her encaustic pieces are created by using computer illustrated drawings layered into beeswax with etched drawings on top. Since the surface is smoothed with the flame of a propane torch, Amy Ruppel describes her process as “painting with scissors and fire instead of a brush.” These works represent snapped moments in time, captured and taken from one simple slice of a digital photograph, to create a field of pure and lucid color. Simple imagery of birds and nests are a recurring motif in this series.

Amy Ruppel is constantly exploring new ways to bring the digital realm into the hands-on world and is constantly reworking encaustic methods into fresh contemporary forms. Amy states, “To me, feeling the completion of a piece is like reaching that ethereal finish line, and you feel the way that you do when you see the ocean from the shore, or when you exit a matinee and squint into the sudden light, knowing all along it was there.” Which is very much how one feels when experiencing Amy Ruppel’s paintings.

Busy

2011-01-21T20:44:00.000-06:00

Been super busy at work...arg!

I'm loving all the beautiful shades of purple right now...check these out!

Love the plush velvet sectional in a bold color!

A touch of purple on the bed makes me want to dive right in...

This armoire makes me want to paint something in a rich violet!

Adore these plum ikat chairs...need them!

Modern Chic Entryway

2011-01-15T18:17:00.000-06:00

Modern artwork + chrome console + lucite stools + faux bamboo=

Modern Oasis

Precious Metals

2011-01-11T16:55:00.033-06:00

I love Z Gallerie for their affordable furniture and fantastic accessories...I'm so excited for the new spring arrivals…especially all the silver and gold!

I adore the Sequoia Console Table...beautiful natural form and hand applied silver leaf...can it get much better than that?

I think this would be perfect in my bedroom!!!

Glamour emanates from the Hudson Floor Lamp in its shiny stainless steel.

The Axis Dining Table could be one of my top picks for my dining room table.

I think a pair of these Troy Sconces would give off the sexiest golden glow!

images via Z Gallerie

LONNY Jan/Feb First Look

2011-01-10T20:10:00.001-06:00

I just finished browsing the Jan/Feb issue of Lonny…awesome as always! I love that I spotted the cute Jonathan Adler needlepoint owl pillow that I am obsessing over in designer Angel Dormer’s apartment!

Check it out…

images via Lonny

Fine Art Furniture...Rococo

2011-01-10T18:50:00.000-06:00

Rococo.

I stumbled upon this unique furniture company several months ago. Each piece of furniture they sell is an amazing piece of artwork and one of a kind.

I definitely see this furniture adding a sense of modernism to a traditional setting. I love the juxtaposition of the painted fabric on a traditional French frame.

This would be so easy to duplicate at home on a worn-out piece of furniture. As long as the fabric is in good condition, it could easily be painted with fabric paint/dyes or drawn onto with permanent markers.

My favorite chair is the Chaotic Bloom chair…it’s simple but beautiful.

images via Rococo

Cozy Bedrooms

2011-01-09T11:03:00.000-06:00

The cold weather is beckoning me to one of these cozy bedrooms...

of course wrapped in a faux fur blanket!

Hot Trend: All Aboard

2011-01-08T18:49:00.001-06:00

Brrrrr…It’s cold in Texas!

The thought of snow this weekend has me longing to be on the beach sipping a mojito. I can almost feel the warm sun on my skin and the sand under my feet. Since I can’t get away…I would love to bring a bit of the beach to me. My beach bungalow is right at home, with classic, nautical stripes, vintage sea inspired accessories, and a classic color combo of navy and white.

Love the nautical rope knots of this wallpaper…how cute in a small bathroom!

I love the eternally chic look of blue and white with a pop of pink!

Love this Zebra Fish Pillow from artist Jacqueline Maloney! Check out her other beautiful watercolor pillows from her Etsy shop...

Hot Trend: Owl Love

2011-01-05T19:53:00.000-06:00

I have a secret love for owls…our neighbors told us that an owl lived in the rafters of our house while it was being built and I hear him late at night from time to time. The owl symbolizes wisdom and is seen as a protector, so I have been looking for something to remind me of our friend the owl…look at these fantastic finds!

I fell in LOVE with this adorable Owl Cookie Jar at Anthropologie last weekend...and it’s in 2 of my favorite colors-turquoise & orange!

LOVE this Jonathan Adler Owl Needlepoint Pillow…

I adore everything about this print from Etsy…the pink/green color scheme, the freshness of the sketch, the patterns on the owl, and especially the book page background!

How cute is this Owl Bank?

My daughter would go crazy for it since it’s in her favorite color…ORANGE!

Beautiful photo...reminds me of Harry Potter!

Adler does it again with this streamlined Owl Sculpture. I am crazy about the contrast of textures and polished nickel!

Who wouldn’t LOVE this Owl Ring…so modern and sweet!

Inspiration Board

2011-01-04T23:29:00.000-06:00

One of my resolutions this year is to start an inspiration board, something I can visually set my eyes on every single day. I am thinking about placing it in my bedroom so I can see it at the beginning and end of my day.

I plan on going large like Kevin Sharkey’s…

I love that it is in the inside of his shoe closet!

What do you look to for inspiration every day?

images via Martha Stewart and unknown

Winter Whites

2011-01-04T14:25:00.000-06:00

The cold weather has me imagining the possibility of snow and dreaming of the winter landscape that we had last year.

How beautiful would it be to take that inside?

Style at Home editor Ann Marie Favot must have been thinking the same thing…look at her winter white housescape…

images via Style at Home

The Waiting Game

2011-01-03T19:15:00.000-06:00

Our local Williams Sonoma Home is closing and I scored the Metropolitan Rectangle Chandelier for our foyer...I can't wait to get it home on Wednesday, it's been a month already and it's killing me!

I'll post a pic of it installed hopefully next week!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T17:31:00.000-06:00

It's the start of a new year and I'm looking forward to Spring so I can relax outside by the pool!

Vintage Shopping Trip

2010-12-31T19:58:00.000-06:00

On the last day of my vacation from school, I wanted to take a quick trip to Downtown Dallas to one of my favorite vintage shops …White Elephant Antiques. They have absolutely everything from vintage modern to classic country. I was on the lookout for some mid-century modern items for the home…I found a great ottoman that I am going to recover with a fab velvet and a set of 4 upholstered chairs for our card room in grey velvet….still debating on getting them on the account that I will eventually need to recover them.

Check out my other great finds!

I have been wanting this for a while...so beautiful!

One of my obsessions...lamps! Love these chrome beauties!

Love a touch of industrial chic

If this matched my home...it would have been all MINE!

Lacquered and reupholstered...these could be fab!

Cute set of teak nesting tables...

LOVE these lamps! Very Hollywood Regency!

Great little pair of faux bamboo side tables!

Beautiful landscape painting...but I think it was going home with someone:(

Awesome teak table!

Mid-Century Lounge chair...Awesome!

West Elm Spring 2011

2010-12-30T13:12:00.000-06:00

I LOVE West Elm for their stylish and inexpensive looks...here's a peek at their new Spring 2011 collection!

Modern Windsor Chaise...Windsor LOVE!

Tribal Woven Bowls...wanted these at Marburger!

Elton Settee...perfect for at the end of a bed!

Hive Vases...love the pop of color and texture!

Parsons Mirror Console...a chic finish to a classic piece!

Nomad Pillow...such a great graphic statement!

Elipse Metal Canopy Bed...so dreamy!

Terracotta Lamp...gorgeous geometric lamp!

Red Drama

2010-12-29T15:09:00.000-06:00

I have a dresser that almost looks identical to the one below...I would love to be brave enough to paint it red, but alas going the white route. I might be brave enough to paint it a beautiful turquoise blue...It will be one of the last pieces for my master bedroom...Yeah!

My dresser before...

Dining Room Table Hunt

2010-12-28T15:12:00.001-06:00

I am currently without a dining room table and have been hunting for one for months. I didn’t think it would take this long…Christmas was my original deadline. I am almost finished staining the Louis chairs that will go around it! They are a deep brown stain with yummy mango orange velvet!

My inspiration tables…

Here are some tables I love…which one do you like best?

Williams Sonoma Home Mercer Dining Table

Room & Board Parsons Table

West Elm Parsons Expandable Table

Crate & Barrel Walker Table

My Deer!

2010-12-27T11:17:00.001-06:00

I bought this deer several months ago from One Kings Lane…it has been looking for a place to live in my home. I am usually good about not buying anything for my home until I know exactly where I will put it, but he was an impulse buy…had to have him but not sure where to put him. I finally found the perfect spot in my kitchen looking over us!

I love that Stray Dog Designs are made of recycled materials and are handmade in Haiti & Mexico…makes it that much prettier! They also can paint their designs in an array of colors using low VOC paint…check them out!

Very Hollywood Regency...perfect sitting beside the fireplace!

How great are these lamps...love a pair of them!

This one would look good upstairs in the card room!

Baughman Love!

2010-12-26T23:01:00.001-06:00

Milo Baughman is one of my favorite 20^th century modern furniture designers.

His designs are clean, modern, and still classic to this day! He designed for several furniture companies, but is most well-known for his partnership with Thayer Coggin from 1953 until 2003. I especially love his furniture pieces in burled wood and chrome…to die for!

LOVE the chrome & burled wood!

Yummy lacquered orange!

My future dining room table...

Velvet beauties!

This would look so good in our game room!

Need these for the kitchen!

Perfect...

Love the Baughman swivel chairs...can't wait to reupholster mine!