pinch me

That's what you'd have to do if I walked into my own dressing room and this is what it looked like.

I mean, really.

If you have the clothes to back it up...you are sitting pretty. Thank you Traditional Home for this beautiful San Francisco remodel. I will dream of you tonight.



the annie sloan experience

Mom and I went to the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop in McKinney on Saturday and what a fun day it was! First, McKinney, TX is an adorable city! The square is simply precious with quaint stores and restaurants with great antiques and cute boutiques. The neighborhoods surrounding it are beautiful with some eclectic homes thrown into historical estates. If it weren't over an hour away from Fort Worth my mom said they would look over there when my dad retires! Not going to happen...

But, the point of the day was heading to our painting class! We were two of four people in the class, taught by Kayla aka Lady Butterbug. It was so interesting. Each person was given the same materials and same paints. We practiced on boards and each person created a totally unique look. This is a technique that you can make your own.

A little backstory: Annie Sloan was a muralist and created chalk paint over 20 years ago! Where has it been hiding??? She started painting furniture and developing painting techniques and writing about it. She set up a store front in Oxford and since then it has slowly taken off.

The paint is nothing I've ever used before. It is a water-based paint that is super super flat. There are different techniques that we learned, here are a few pictures from Saturday's workshop:

{Primer Red was the base}

{Cloud Technique}

{This is Duck Egg Blue on top of the Red Primer & distressed}

{My mom's sample - totally different than above!}

 

{The spindle with the awesome green and a dark wax}

The last picture had everything to do with the waxes that are paired with the paints. The green was SO bright and threw me off a bit...Incredible Hulk??? Once the wax was on it totally changed the tone. The wax is important, not only for the look, but for the sealing. When you distress the furniture it literally falls off like chalk! So, the wax assists to shine, seal and highlights the little extras in your piece.

It was a fantastic weekend and I've already gotten started on my dining room chairs :) Posts to follow!! Until then, go check out Annie Sloan. It would be wonderful to become a stockist - there aren't any in Fort Worth yet! If only I had a store front somewhere...

harry potter and the deathly hallows

Potterwatch is on the move again. Texas time puts us at T Minus three hours until the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. Unfortunately, I have a very early meeting tomorrow and then my parents are coming to town so I can't stay up and finish the series as I wish...at midnight, in the theater.

I will be seeing the finale on Sunday, after my parents leave, and I have time to recoup from meetings, enjoying family & our FABULOUS arts-n-crafts weekend.

Shall we take a moment to enjoy the end of HP in film series? I think it should win Academy Awards out of the ears, but I'm also still living in my fantasy world of child/teen movies. I am in complete jealousy of all of my friends with the ability to see the film at the midnight showing. But I will live in excitment and expectancy, until then. Happy Harry Potter Day!!!!!!!

It. All. Ends.

a different harry potter

As I said, I am a cat person and my parents have my two babies at home. In my household, we rarely settled on typical pet names. My first dog was Beauregard, my second Delilah. I had cats name Winston Churchill, Lafitte, Cleo (and then some ordinary ones) and a hampster named Hamlet. We believed in creativity in our pet names.

 My babies at home are Beatrix Potter (the children's author) and Harry Potter. They are both black and white, pleasantly plump, beautiful sungglers and very photogenic. I am a proud mama. We had Beatrix first. Although a sassafras, she is a wonderful pet and I love her so much!!! Harry came to us by the grace of God. We had only one, Beatrix (which was rare in our household), and as Mom and Dad drove home one day this adorable bebè sat patiently by the side of the road. Mom told Dad to stop the car, and that if he let her approach she would get him. Sure enough, as she inched closer to the emaciated kitten and bent down he lept into her arms! He has been a member of our family since and was an amazing addition. Harry is a handsome son-of-a-gun and an outstanding drooler :)

Beatrix Potter

Harry Potter

As we continue to celebrate the final installment of Harry Potter I think of MY Harry Potter, and wish he was here with me now, purring and drooling away :)



the final installment

pinterest

I am a bonafied Potterhead. I have all the books, all the movies and pause anytime there is something about the magical series online, on tv, magazines, etc. This Friday marks the final installment of movies for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Although I have been waiting with baited breath since the first half of the final book came out in film, I am still so sad and will mourn the end of an era. Expect more Potterwatch throughout the week :)



mo-ranch, my ranch

Its that time of year. The time of year when, if I were still a child, I would be at camp. I hadn't really realized it until last night when I was lying in bed; it made me so sad! I had the privilege of attending Camp Loma Linda at Mo-Ranch Presbyterian Assembly from the age 10 until I was 16. Seven glorious summers I spent there. I grew up at camp, made wonderful friends from across the state, better learned the Bible and learned how to be alone/without my parents (which is was no small task).



My childhood dream was to become a camp director. Talk about living the good life! You get to spend all summer in the beautiful Texas Hill Country with fun, motivated children who look at the world with a fresh perspective and play games, rock climb, canoe, swim, hike, horseback ride. Ah, just thinking about it again makes me feel light as a feather!

Alas, the real world hits and you slowly grow out of the idea/realize the salary for said job, and move on. But there is still that dream...And for me, since my camp was on a retreat facility I can still return. That is where the husband proposed! He is a smart man. Chapel on the Hill at sunset, my dream wedding destination, but too difficult to logistically arrange with family being from all over :(  I had my dream wedding in Austin and loved every breath of it, don't get me wrong! But there is the nostalgia at Mo that cannot be replaced by another.



I already dream about finding the perfect camp for our hypothetical babies and hope that they love it as much as I did.

Way down in hill country,

there lies by a river

our Camp Loma Linda, we all love her so!
Its here that we are gathered

to swim, sing and play together

in rain or in sunshine the whole summer through.

In the evening, by the campfire,

we sit and sing together

and kindle fires of friendships

our bonds firm and true!

When summer days are over

we leave you dear Loma Linda

we always will cherish our memories of you.

giveaway extraordinaire.

I love me some Southern Eclectic. Sheridan French is (from what I read) an amazing mother, wife, designer, editor and blogger. Notice the order. Those jobs are the order she puts her life in, which I find important. Certain things should go first and she makes it clear that they are. If you aren't a fan or follower, become one. I love getting to see her articles every month in Fort Worth Magazine, its like a little present each time!

She is hosting a GIVEAWAY! As said, she is an amazing designer. I could live in tunics if life/seasons would allow. I think they are flattering and comfortable and I adore them in the vibrant colors and textures she offers. HOLLER ATCHA! They truely are fabulous.

 

Anyway, visit her site, love on her things and hope that I get a free giveaway! I'm not one of those gals that usually wins lotteries or auctions, etc. But why not give it a whirl, eh? Feel free to indulge on the giveaway if you feel so inclined. Her collection is absolutely fabulous :) Enjoy!