Green Spaces and Ava Grace

Please join us for Wednesday Hodgepodge on Joyce's Blog,

From This Side of the Pond.

1. What do you think about luck?

I believe for the Christian there is no such thing as luck.  I believe the Lord is sovereign and has a plan for each of His children that doesn't involve chance.  Therefore, luck has no place in my life.

2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

In my city, it would be Norton Art Gallery and Gardens.  There are 40 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and botanical gardens consisting of walk ways, walking paths between thousands of azaleas, camellias, and other plants.  There are bridges over flowing water and reflection pools.  Spaced throughout are outdoor sculptures of wildlife.  It is a most restful and inspiring place.

Louisiana is known for it's great State Parks and waterways.  It would be difficult to pick just one.


3. How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be?

By trying to get ahead of God.

4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

I will go with Amsterdam.  Another trip to the Holy Land with friends would be on the top of my list.

5. What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

It was the Shreveport Symphony.  I would rate it as a 9.  The Broadway Tenors performed and they were excellent.  The symphony is always spectacular.  Truly, for a small city, we have the best director and group of musicians to be found anywhere.

6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

I am not a big potato chip fan and really don't have a favorite flavor.  I much prefer Frito's Corn Chips.

7.What rule is most important in your home?

Being just the two of us, we don't have many rules, but I guess there is an understanding that the man has to always put the potty seat back down.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of beautiful green space, Ava Grace and I went to the Dallas Arboretum last weekend.  It is such a beautiful place.  We spent most of our time in the kid's section for obvious reasons, but we did get to see some of the tulips and pretty trees that were in bloom.

 

 And one of the things Ava enjoyed in particular was the photo session for this bride-to-be.

My Antique Shop Excursion

 This past week I was in Dallas.  Although I had hoped to visit a lot of different shops around the area, the weather prevented my getting out except for two days.  On Thursday, I met a dear friend and former neighbor, Cele, for lunch at the neatest little place.

The Chocolate Angel Cafe & Tea Room in Plano is known for its vintage decor and menu of delectable food items.

Since it wasn't raining hard when we finished lunch and I still had time before picking up granddaughter, Ava Grace from school, I decided to explore.

Around the corner, I discovered an antique store, Antique Stop and thought "Yea, my lucky day!

I had no idea what to expect when I entered, but it didn't take long to realize that I would shortly experience sensory overload and also have fodder for my Monday blog.

So, please come inside this upscale antique shop with me and see what beautiful things await.

I can certainly understand why this store was voted one of the most outstanding antique shopping experiences in north Dallas.  One must spend time searching all the little nooks and crannies and surfaces for the amazing treasures.

Located at Parker and Preston in Plano, Texas, many of the prestigious homes in this area have been furnished with antiques, accessories and art work from this very place.

 All of the floral arrangements are made on sight in this amazing work room.

 This was made for St. Patrick's Day.

 Let me share with you some of the vignettes and items that particularly caught my eye.

 This gorgeous Reed & Barton Silver Tea Set is on sale for $3,484.  Can't you see this being used on the lawn of Downtown Abby?

 Centered here is an antique French mantel clock with marble base and matching candlesticks.  It is currently 20% off $4,884.00.

I could have walked out with this massive Venetian Mirror.  The etching was so intricate.

And, it could be yours for $2,448.  Marked down from $3,600.

There was also a section for the typical Texan room.  These paintings and sculptures are priceless.

I enjoyed visiting with the manager, Larry Lawson who explained that the majority of the European pieces here have been purchased from collectors right here in the states.  In fact, he said that the French finally realized that they sold most of their treasured antiques, and have started buying them back from America.

For example, he showed me matching 400 year old French Corner cabinets.  Beautiful and in excellent condition.

I loved the marble on this French sideboard and the highly sought after country-side china.

This desk and chair grouping held my attention for quite a while.  I tried to envision the house that could provide the perfect setting for this.

Not all of the furniture is dark and heavy.

 Selections of lamps and light fixtures abound.

 All of the amazing paintings are originals.

 There were some spectacular chandeliers.

The house suitable to accommodate this metal fixture with the perfect patina, would require 20 ft ceilings at least.

 This hand made crystal beaded birdcage chandelier was originally $4,200 but is currently on sale for $2,884.

There are also beautiful jewelry and home accessories.

 

 What a way to set an Easter table.

Thank you Larry for allowing me to share your amazing Antique Stop.

Should you be in the Dallas/Plano area, please drop in and tell them Libby sent you.

Of course, that won't mean a thing to them but may be a conversation starter.

You may also want to follow their blog at Antique Stop Blog and/or follow them on Facebook at Antique Stop & Interiors

Linking with Amaze Me Monday #154

Women, Woman, Wo-man

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Click here to see how others have answered them.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. March is National Women's History Month. In that vein, who are three women who've been influential in your life? How so? 

First would be my mother.  She was always the steady spiritual influence in my life, but she also taught me to appreciate beauty and fine things.  She demonstrated unconditional love and a love for missions.

Second is my mother's sister - my Aunt Thyra.  She encouraged me by example to be a lady and instilled the desire to surround myself with beautiful things, .

Third, Mrs. Charlotte Young was my spiritual mentor when I most needed that in my life.

2. In what ways do you think women have it easier than men?

I don't know that they do.

3. What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace?

If the Apostle Paul needed more faith, then how much more do I.

4. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why?

I no longer collect anything as space for storing/displaying is limited in our Garden Home.  But, I used to collect gravy boats and white pottery pitchers.  I still love my pitcher collection and try to use them in decorating as much as possible.

5. Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes...your favorite?

You will not find any of these in my house.  I don't care for the casual décor style where these would be appropriate.  In my wardrobe, there are a few striped shirts.

6. In what way are you the same as your childhood self?

Good question and something I haven't given much thought to.  I suppose one would be my sleep pattern.  The night was my most creative time as a child, and I would often be up writing, sketching, pretending all by myself.  Another would probably be my stubbornness strong will.

7. You're a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace?

None!  I am not an ace in any category.  The older I get, the more I am aware of this fact.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Are you ready for the 2016 Olympics in Rio?  Watching 2012 Olympic gymnast, Gabby Douglas on the balance beam in this video will get you in the mood.

Gabby

A Dallas Flea Market Home

I am having the pleasure of spending the week in the company of a delightful nine-year old granddaughter in Dallas.  Because my schedule has been rather busy, I will not have my regular "Love Your Home" feature.

However, in Saturday's Dallas Morning News Arts & Life edition, a house that would fit my series criteria perfectly was featured.

Anyone love flea market finds?

This house is owned by the founder of "Flea Style", the huge Dallas Flea Market
taking place on March 12. 

To read the article and see pictures of Brittany Cobb's amazing Park Cities home click HERE
A trove of boho-chic treasure.

Granddaughter and I went to the Dallas Arboretum on Saturday.  Although we spent most of our time in the Kid's Section, we did get to see some of the still remaining beautiful tulips.  That will be a blog post after I get back home.

I had hoped to visit many of the wonderful home decor shops in the Design Center and in Highland Park, but it is supposed to be stormy here all week, so I'm not sure how much walking around outside I'll get to do.

I trust you will have a great week and enjoy visiting the house full of  flea market finds. 

Marching Into March

After a much needed break, we are glad to be back with Joyce for another

Wednesday Hodgepodge

From This Side of the Pond

1. February ended with an extra 24 hours in 2016. What did you do with your bonus day?

Reading and piddling in my house

2. What's something in your life that's grown by leaps and bounds in recent days, weeks, months, or years? I'm giving you lots of room to come up with an answer here, so no fair passing on this one.

I'm afraid it is aches and pains.  I hate to sound old and negative but since turning 70 a couple years ago, my body seems to have gone into rebellion.  I sadly told Hubby yesterday on our way to the gym for our morning workout, that the days of waking up pain free seem to be a distant memory. But, I'm still waking up and still getting up and still moving, so for that I am grateful.  Plus, I still remember mine and his names!


3. Do you read reviews about a film before deciding if you'll see it? Did you watch The Oscars this year, and if so your thoughts on the program? How many of the Best Picture nominees had you seen prior to the broadcast? (Spotlight, The Martian, The Big Short, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Brooklyn) If you watched The Oscars who gets your award for 'best dressed'?

We will read a review before seeing a movie we aren't sure about, but I am going to have to go with "N/A" for the rest.  Believe it or not, but I haven't even seen a review of the best and worst dresses this year, and no clue who won or lost.  My heart/interests/want-to was not on the Oscars this year.

4. When did you last have overnight houseguests? Give us your top three tips on being a good houseguest.

A dear friend since 1969 and her son stayed with us while in the area for a funeral a few weeks ago.  I might add, they were perfect houseguests.
1.  Be respectful of the host's schedule
2.  Offer to take dirty laundry to utility room
3.  Leave nothing behind

5. March 2nd is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. Will you be celebrating? If so, would you prefer a home made peanut butter cookie, a Reese's peanut butter cup, an old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or shall I just hand you a jar and a tablespoon?

Jar and spoon please!  Seriously, I love PB and eat some almost every day.  My favorite would be an old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  BUT, the PB and jelly must be mixed together well and then spread on the bread.  None of this spreading separately!  That doesn't even qualify.  If you are really feeling adventurous, then top the mixture off with sliced banana.

6. Why is failure important? Or isn't it?

Without some failures, how would we be able to delight in successes?

7. Share with us one fun thing on your March calendar.

See answer below, plus a few additional things on my schedule.
12th:  Celebrating the wedding of a precious young couple
16th:  Meeting a long-time, special friend for lunch and shopping
30th:  Meeting my sisters for a sister weekend.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Tomorrow I will be going out to Dallas to stay with our 9-year old granddaughter for a week.  Her parents are getting a very well deserved trip away and I get the honor of keeping this adorable child.

It doesn't happen often so I am really looking forward to the next few days.

While in Dallas I plan to visit my oldest-living cousin who lives there.  I am looking forward to seeing some museums, open houses, shopping, lunch with friends and that is just while AG is in school.

She and I will find some fun things to do together around her ball practices and games.  I look forward to reading books with her and playing table games.  She is so full of life that there will not be a dull moment at all.

There may or may not be time for Hodgepodging next week, but rest assured there will be plenty to blog about afterward.

Love Your Home Part 7

While the architecture and decor of the houses I will be featuring may vary, what they all have in common is an interesting story to share because it is the story of the people who call it home.

Blending of Styles

For newlyweds, combining furniture and collections they each value, as well as decorating styles to create a cohesive home they both love, can be quite the challenge.

Blending two disparate looks, contemporary/traditional, masculine/feminine, can be a source of conflict for many couples.   But, often coming up with an interior design that satisfies both styles can create some of the most interesting and satisfying results.

Gloria was married to her first husband for 45 years and had been a widow for six years before meeting Rusty, a divorcee for a number of years.

Gloria's late husband was very handy around the house, making and building just about anything Gloria wanted, but couldn't have cared less about the decor.  Therefore, she did all the decorating according to her tastes and style, filling the house with traditional furniture and lots of blue and white.

Rusty was a landscaper for many years with an eye for design and love for original art.  His former wife is an artist and they collected a lot of art together.  After the divorce, Rusty kept many pieces that meant a lot to him and continued collecting art that caught his eye.  He also has very distinct decorating tastes and ideas.

Rusty is not only a large man physically, but he also has a large personality, and leans toward large, masculine furniture suitable for entertaining.

So, how do two people with their own furniture and collections, and such different decorating styles, tastes and backgrounds come together in a new home and a new marriage?

Fifteen months ago, Rusty and Gloria said their vows and for "better or worse" began combining what meant the most to them.  This blog post is not only how they did that, but the results.

Prior to the wedding, they purchased this new home and began the process of furnishing it.

Upon entering the home, it becomes evident that art is the unifying theme and yet it was the most difficult thing for them to reconcile.  Both Rusty and Gloria brought treasured paintings into this union.  Yet, because of their diverse decorating styles, their art collections and family pictures have become the common denominator in decorating their home.

They have learned the best approach to pleasing both of their individual tastes is to purchase only those items they both love.  Of course, another secret is compromise.  The result celebrates both favorite possessions and a mutual respect for each other.

Because the couple does share a love of antiques, before the wedding, they made a trip to Arkansas where they found many antique pieces they both liked.  One such find was the dining room furniture.  The ends slide out making it easy to entertain large groups.

The compromise started in the dining room with Gloria displaying paintings by her paternal grandmother over the antique sideboard that Rusty especially loved.

Gloria found this information about her artist grandmother and put it together with this treasured picture.

The antique Tea Box was a gift from Gloria's former boss of many years.  Inside the sideboard, along with Gloria's china is her mother's crystal stemware.

A Plain Dealing, La. artist, Beverly Anderson, and a distant cousin of Gloria's painted this depiction of her paternal grandparent's home in Plain Dealing. Her grandfather actually built this home in 1906 and it still stands.

 Gloria honestly confessed that when Rusty brought this painting into the house, her initial feelings were, "Not in my house!"  But, after learning that the painting was done by a local artist friend of Rusty's, Mike Dean, whose talent was well known and respected in the area, she now loves having it hang in the entry.

 

In the living room the curved sectional sofa covered in brown leather, is not only practical for Rusty and his LSU buddies who love to have game nights here, but also its shape and color play perfectly with the artwork above and the color balances the dark wood of the mantel and built-ins.

 The gallery wall in the living room has been a joint effort between them and contains mostly favorite paintings from Rusty's collection.  On the far left is one they purchased together in New Orleans.

The large oak coffee table was another joint find from their antiquing trip.  It was once a library table that had been cut down.  I love the rich details.

The beautiful table in front of the large windows was another piece they both loved.  And here you begin to see some evidence of Rusty's willingness to compromise with Gloria's love for Blue Willow.

On one of the shelves by the fireplace are these two pictures.  On the left is Rusty's deceased sister and the other is Gloria at about the same age.  Although Gloria never got to meet his sister, the many pictures keep her memory alive.

These two watercolor paintings add such a bright spot to this wall.  The top one is Rusty's done by Bill Bryant and the smaller one is Gloria's done by Renee Webb.

These two very interesting sketches are from Rusty's prized collection.  The top one was done by an artist in New Orleans.  The lower one is of particular significance.

 The subject is "Don Quixote" done by Salvador Dali. It is an original etching, signed in the plate, from his Spanish Immortals series and a classic example of masterly technique.  Dali will be hailed as one of the major art influences of the 20th century and his works are in every major collection and museum in the world. 

 In the hallway leading to the master suite is this collection of pictures of Gloria and her parents.  She still has that radiant smile by the way.

On the wall just inside the bedroom is this grouping.  The large center picture is of Rusty's mother done by a German artist while the family was stationed there many years ago.  There are also pictures of Rusty and his dear sister.

The little desk was built by Gloria's grandfather for one of her aunts and it was been passed down through the family until finding its home here.  On the desk along with old family pictures is an old school book that once belonged to Gloria's father dating back to 1920 - "Billy Goats Gruff."

Gloria has used family pictures as a means of sharing their lives prior to meeting.  This is so important in unifying their past and making it part of their present. 

The focal point of the master bedroom is this huge cypress, king-size headboard that Rusty purchased many years ago from a skilled craftsman in Natchitoches, La.  They have recently commissioned him to make specially designed night stands to match the headboard.

Gloria told me that Rusty searched a long time to find the exact chair that would fit him for this intimate sitting area.  He finally found this beautiful chair and agreed on the red leather upholstery.

In this area are also groupings of family pictures one of which is Gloria's favorite of Rusty.  It is from his school days at LSU.

  This home is really an artist lover's retreat - extremely personal, not too stuffy, and easily updated as collections and styles change.  This grouping will continue to evolve when the lower painting finds its permanent home on the patio.

Just off the spacious master bath is another piece of art in the form of the master closet.  It was designed by a cousin of Rusty's, Melaine Johnson of Melaine Johnson's Closets,
Gloria's eye for detail and need for order is exemplified in this room.  I could be so happy here!

One of the changes they made to the house was to add a door from the closet into what was a bedroom, turning it into a work-out room.  This expanded the master suite to include that entire side of the house.

A Jack-and-Jill bath connects the workout room to another bedroom that Gloria has made her own personal space.  Here she displays art, family pictures and memorabilia that is especially meaningful to her.

On the opposite side of the house, Gloria's traditional bedroom furniture has found a home in the guest room.

 Above the night stand is a painting from a memorable hiking trip in Switzerland with her late husband, done by a fellow hiker and local artist.

 The large, spacious kitchen and family room is where Rusty and Gloria spend most of their time and where guests want to gather.  Rusty loves to cook so this was a drawing feature of the house to them.

Gloria told me that they searched long and hard for the chairs in this family room.  They needed something that would be comfortable for Rusty's large frame and her small one.
In a bright corner is a table laden with family snap shots.  Above it hangs a painting also done by Beverly Anderson of Gloria's family home in Plain Dealing, La.

The round breakfast table belonged to Rusty's grandmother.  The other pieces he purchased to go with it.

It is here that Gloria has used many of her Blue Willow pieces.  She has inherited and collected antique plates and bowls over time, so not all of them match, but the mix of blue-and-white patterns makes for a lovely, relaxed atmosphere in this bright breakfast room.

The two plates below were her grandmother's and the tea set was a gift.

Compromise and the joining of favorite pieces is displayed with Gloria's Blue Willow platters with one of Rusty's favorite pottery pieces.

Again, Gloria was not sure that this item belonged in the house although it was very special to Rusty, until she realized what a conversation starter it was.  This unique cabinet was used by Rusty as a wine cabinet and reportedly was carved from one large piece of wood,  It certainly is an interesting item.
Above it hangs Gloria's favorite painting done by her artist grandmother.  This horse painting is the only watercolor they know of that she did.

The staircase landing is an open gallery space for Gloria's on-going display of favorite pictures from both their families.

On the second level is another guest room and bath that continues to evolve.  On the quilt rack is a quilt made from squares by Gloria's great grandmother.  She and Rusty have opened their home as a Bed & Bath retreat for traveling PEO Sisters and this remote suite is perfect for visiting guests.

Rusty put his landscaping skills to work by completely re-doing all the landscaping and specifically the back yard.

  It was a lovely place on this rainy day, so I can only imagine what it will look like come spring and summer when Rusty will be bringing in plants from his greenhouses.

As you can tell, Rusty and Gloria like an orderly life, and this beautiful, calming, well organized home full of art and family is obviously no longer "my style and your style" but two shared styles.

 Thank you Rusty and Gloria for showing us how you truly
Love Your Home. 

 

Love Your Home Part 6

Love Your Home Part 5

Love Your Home Part 4

Love Your Home Part 3

Love Your Home Part 2

Love Your Home Part 1

Linking with
Amaze Me Monday
Thursday Favorite Things