#339...pottery acquisitions

I have a teeny - tiny obsession with small scale hand made pottery....especially pieces that look like a beginner did them. I spent several years learning how to throw and hand build pottery, so I know first hand how difficult an art form it is to master. Once we finish the pottery cabana, I plan to get a wheel and try throwing again, but for now I will settle for collecting cast-off pieces that I find at the thrift shops. Here are a few of my latest treasures.

#338...flower's for laura

I recently completed this palette knife painting for my client Laura's dining room.

Laura fell in love with this painting from Horchow, but the size was way too big for her space, so I tried to recreate the coloring and composition of the painting on a smaller square canvas, instead of the giant rectangle.

Here is a shot of the painting in Laura's dining room propped atop her pretty mirrored buffet, above which she plans to hang the painting.

#337...breakfast at dinner time

Blogger was down this morning when I wanted to post this.......so now this is a breakfast food for dinner post.

This is a picture of my new favorite breakfast. Anna turned me on to it a few months ago, and I've been eating it non-stop. It consists of a giant spoonful of Fage yogurt, some blueberries, a spoonful of granola, a handful of raw almonds and a tablespoon or so of honey. Just put everything in a bowl, mix it up with your spoon, and enjoy!

#336...painted glass desk top

About 8 years ago I bought this Bedford desk from Pottery Barn in white. It was the floor model, so it had a few dents. My desk lives in my TV room with this elfa shelving, these dog crates, and this seating arrangement. Over the years, the top surface of the desk got really dirty, and the more I cleaned it, the more the finish rubbed off, leaving a worn looking, rough, discolored desk top.

I decided to put a piece of glass atop the desk, to give it a new smooth surface. I wanted a colored glass, as clear glass would have still shown the discolored surface. After searching around for colored glass, I decided that the least expensive option would be to try painting the underside of clear glass and laying the glass painted side down on the desk.

I opted for white paint, and used a 4 inch foam roller to apply the paint as smoothly as possible. Here are some pics of my desk with the painted glass top and my office area at the back of my den.

#335...carol's living room

I spent the latter part of last week in the country at my clients' Carol & Jeff's house. I got to see horses, Brahmans, llamas, longhorns and even a coyote, which is pretty exciting for this city girl. Carol and Jeff live in a rustic farmhouse  built from Austin Limestone, with a modern metal roof. It has really beautiful wood moldings and large open light-filled rooms. I'm helping them bring a little bit of personality to each of their rooms. We made a lot of progress in their living room, which is also the entry into the home. Here are a few before & afters.

Before

After

Carol and Jeff already had all of the furniture we used in the space. We reoirented what was already there, and rehung artwork that we brought in from other parts of the house. We added some new lamps, some new pillows, and a peacock feather arrangement to the coffee table for some color.

Before

After

The above glass piece formerly hung in their sunroom on a less visible wall. It is a piece they got in New Orleans, and I believe it is made from broken glass collected after Katrina. We brought it into the living room and paired it with a coyote watercolor done by musician Joe Ely, and a print of a Golden Retriever, a breed they have owned many of.

Before

After

Before

After

To define the entry hall portion of the space, we added the above antique sideboard, which formerly lived in the dining room. We decided not to use the curvy mirrored decorative back piece that sat on top of the cabinet (you can see in the before). We added the tall silver vertical mirror above the entry piece and a white ceramic lamp for a modern twist.

#334...treetops

I was laying in my newly refinished chaise lounges looking up into the trees and thinking that maybe they would make for a nice oversized graphic wall photo.

#333...mom's retirement party

Mom's retirement party was a backyard success!