End Of My Year

I made friends with Cooper, this fall. A rescue dog with a heart as beautiful as his eyes. A stoic personality.

We took a drive to shoot some film for a song that this man had written. "In the shadow of the hill..."

As we drove over to "Lime Lake Rd".

Bittersweet is life, captured emotions in photos, soon the leaves drop from the trees. 

To see the same point of land, for sixty five years, is to say something. I have rooted into this sandy way, maybe to trod the path I have walked in lives before. 

To keep the picture, a record, of what you love

The ancient spirits of the past, reach out, to eyes that see the life that was before and will repeat again.  

My love is felt more profoundly, as I gain the age of spirituality. 

As we gaze across the land formations that have been here from the beginning. 

Revisit the paths of what is dreamt when you are young. 

Be eternally grateful for what is to come reckoning my soul.

All of life starts from the nest. 

Then fans across the reality of time.

Every corner a spiritual nurturing of lessons lived.

Until the moss grows over your bones. 

I love the exclusivity that this pandemic has offered us. A moment of time to catch up with our thoughts and our dreams.

Here is to life continued in the new year.

 

The Week In Phonetos

This is my son, Christopher, who had a song writing mania during this pandemic. I ordered his new t-shirt today. Check out his latest song, "Take On You", proceeds go to the L. A. Animal Rescue. Chris is shown here having one of Steve's, "Randy Kaylor" pickles and the absolute best bloody Mary mix from Sonoma Gourmet. I bet you know what team Chris loves!!

Meet MayKay, my darling daughter-in-law. She is loving the Route 11 Pickle Chips. The chips have the most outrageously great flavor! Funny story, when I took all the presents to the post office to mail out for Christmas I put their box up on the counter first. As I looked up at the face behind the mask I said, "wow, you have beautiful eyes!" Needless to say Chris and MayKay got their package in two days time!! Everyone else is still waiting their turn! Except, now the other recipients know what is in their care package coming soon!

It is always Christmas at the fabricators! I love how the customer had the yellow welting put on these Madcap Cottage pillows! 

Cushions for rockers and chair seats for basket chairs, stuffed into the back of my truck! The two Madcap Cottage "Manor Born" pillows are so adorable! Geez!

A work in progress. I had a ton of stuff in my office that I moved out when I put the bathroom in. How to put it back in without crowding! 

I am afraid of losing the oomp of the black walls because of all the pieces that need to be in the office. Lamp shades, pillow forms, file cabinets and accessories. 

What is fun about the black walls is everything is defined, all the art work and the gold gilt mirror show up differently than against white walls. I still am pulling racks off of the showroom floor and wheeling them into the office. So the showroom side will be vignettes using rug swatches and fabrics, bedding, lamps and accessories. The office will have the pillow forms, lamp shades and lines books on shelves stacked up to the ceiling! I can't wait to see the end result!

Merry Christmas to all of my friends who read this blog. Thank you for being a part of my life. Stay safe. 
Love,
Mary Ann

 

Staying Creative

This is how I left the office on Saturday. I hung my grandmother's gold gilt mirror on the black wall and I like the way it looks. The voile sheers are another story. I have had them for quite a while and thought I would use them in the newly painted office. I washed and ironed them and Steve helped me hang them on the rod. Well, the embroidery, along the sides, shrunk and now they don't hang straight. But I like the look! Hate to spend the money for new ones! 

Emma Bridgewater for Christmas this year. I couldn't help it! I usually get my Emma fix when I ordered for the shop. But with the brick and mortar shop closed up I had to actually buy some at retail cost and have them shipped to my home! It's a real addiction!

The walls in the office are ten feet tall. The space, itself, is five by sixteen. I lost three feet when I added the water closet. If you have ever wondered, truthfully, if a dark color makes the room seem larger, I am here to say that it does!! The dark color seems to push the walls out. 

Back out to the office, today, for a lot more tweaking! Plus, where are my files? I need to get to work!!  Hoping to be in place by the end of the week. Merry Christmas!!

 

What Has Been Rattling Around My Creative Brain

I have come to the conclusion that I am a primary color girl. Red, white and blue! I should have gotten a clue when my mother used to decorate (dress) me when I was a little girl.

Putting fabrics together for a banquette. I like the large floral on the blue background. Fresh, youthful and a little bit modern. 

Mucking around the property envisioning how to landscape the bare ground. Spring mud is not my cup of tea. I like the idea of planning the planting to be viewed from the house. 

The rug kicks butt! Let's bring this look around. Out with the chinoiserie and in with some clean lines and the colors blue.

A view into sewing world. I see I will need to change out window treatments and decorative pillows. Wish I could travel to North Carolina to look at fabrics. 

I spied this wallpaper for a kitchen that does not have any windows, (the kitchen opens up into a great room), but has a ton of white bead board cabinetry and not a lot of wall exposed. So far the island that separates the cooking from the party is being painted a faded denim blue. We shall see!!

That is a wrap for this week of decorating in the Holler. Almost ready to open the showroom back up. Toilet and sink being installed next Thursday and then we can move all of the "office" out of the Jeep and show room and into the newly painted space. Steve painted the walls a disappearing black! Surprisingly enough it made the office feel roomier. 

 

Thanksgiving Phonetos-Tim I'm Counting On You!

With all the checks in place, on my Thanksgiving menu, I took some quick shots with my phone. I hope Timothy was able to take better shots of the table with his camera. 

Shopping locally, I managed to create some pretty floral arrangements, with grocery store flowers, for the tables. I have always felt that the Thanksgiving holiday is more serious than all our other family celebrations. This year, because of the presidential election, I was feeling a little patriotic in my selection of flowers. Thank goodness for Tom's Food Market in Northport for coming through with all the trimmings for the table! Including the fruit cake, which Steve and I ate Tuesday night!!

Our cozy little cabin in the Holler welcomed my son and his husband, after a ten hour drive in the pouring rain, to mom's special chili and Cedar hotdogs! Martinis and snacks for the fellars! And they drove and they drove and they drove!

Of course, if you know me at all, fresh kitchen rugs are the best party favor that I can find! Since we all congregate in the kitchen area, it helps to lighten the chaos in the prep area! 

This is becoming a traditional snack! Pimento dip from Fortify restaurant in Clayton Georgia! Steve loved the flavor, so much, that he takes every chance, he can get, to whip up a batch! 

 

One of my favorite things to do is set a pretty table! Hope Tim comes through with better pictures of the Thanksgiving Day table. We had a feast! Everyone was thankful to sit around this table, in front of the fireplace, and enjoy each others company.

Blessed with the love reflected in the eyes of my hearts gathered around my dinning room table! 

 

Amaryllis Week!

These are my girlfriends Amaryllis plants she bought, on the sly, for $5 a bulb! Boy did she luck out, she'll have flowers before she knows it. It is all about the light, the plants love it! 

These are my Amaryllis, I had nine and tossed two that didn't make it through the summer. Now there are seven plants on my window sill, four have started to grow. We shall see, not that great of light in the woods so they take longer to flower. 

Then, in the mail, came three new bulbs, birthday bulbs from my husband. I planted them yesterday and already, today, I have two buds poking up!!

 

Happy birthday to me! From my girlfriend in Florida, where Amaryllis grow in the ground, year around! 

Fun having flowers in the Holler for the holidays. 

Working On A Breakfast Nook

 

enchantedhome.com

My customer has a cottage that has one long room stretched across the lakeside of the house. From living room to dinning room overlooking the water. 

magnolia.com

I want to alter the original floor plan and take it from two living spaces to four social spaces all under one ceiling. 

ballarddesign

The kitchen is the fifth wheel of this main floor area. The room is anchored by a stone fireplace at one end, two large windows and a door going out to a porch along the lakeside. The opposite end of the room was where the  former owners had their dinning table. 

Chinoiseriechic.net

So far the sofa and chairs have been grouped around the fireplace. We then set the long dinning table from the kitchen to the door leading out to the porch over looking the waterside. 
 

French-Country Cottage

So at the far end of this room we will create a small breakfast nook directly off the kitchen. Small, cozy and easy to slide in and out of and spread the newspaper out on Sundays! On the same wall, overlooking the lake, will be a small conversation corner with a desk and a chair for computer/work from home, related activities. Or maybe just a space to occupy for a brief moment of time.

This will be a fun family home when all is said and done!

Have a nice Sunday. 

Several Motrin Later

What a week, down here, in the Holler. Big project! Moving out the small studio to build a bathroom. 

 I wanted water and septic up at the garage so the painter can wash his paint brushes and I have a place to go potty. Several acres, later, of excavation and we will be there. We had to go past the woodpile to hook up to the septic field. A tank in between and water lines from the well. I'd say we are ready for some new landscaping!! Steve raked and I broadcasted Field Rye and grass seed. We shall see if this beautiful, sunny week in November will yield some germination and growth to cover the mud!

The east side of the studio moved into the west side of the studio. Steve hung a plastic wall to keep out the cement dust. 

In the mean time, out the corner of my eye, is a pretty blue and yellow fabric that I want to use on a pair of slipper chairs. Distracting, but I will need to put my office back together before I can continue! 

The pressure tank installed. Waiting for two sinks, a toilet and hot water heater on Monday.

Six panels of this luscious linen came in for a customer. Ran it over to her asap. Also, delivered three 8 x 10 rugs, an 8 x 10 rug pad, 3 x 5 rug and pad and one 12' curtain rod, two 10' rods and a 4' rod to get them out of the way.

My new Muck boots showed up just in the nick of time. I have been helping Steve move acres of mud. 

My desk is in the backseat of the Jeep. Complete with files and pencils, lists and notes, that I need to keep track of, for the six jobs I have been working on. 

Piles on the bed and beside the bed and around the bed with a walk through space in case I need to put my hand on something. 

Let us pray that the plastic keeps the cement dust at bay. 

Bright spot!! Dash and Albert rug swatches were delivered today. 

Bright spot number two, I brought in these blue and white pots from the office for safe keeping. A pair of hurricane candle sticks that may never leave the house! Who am I kidding? I am using these on my Thanksgiving table! They're not going back!

With all this physical exertion, no wonder I am sitting here waiting for the two Motrin to work. Monday the plumber comes and hooks everything up. Then I have to put it all back together, again. Moving my props around, should be written on my tomb stone.