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.