Missing all of you!

Hope you all are having a WONDERFUL summer! Mine has been filled with lots of photography, family, and our three children that have been 1) making movies, 2) traveling to China and the youngest packing and prepping for Columbus College of Art & Design. As for me, I'm drenched in wine! (and no, not because of the extra family time;-) I accepted a full time position working at Buckeye Lake Winery, which is right behind our home. Being around beautiful Napa Valley and Ohio wines every day is a temptation that is hard to resist. I have been thrown in the briar patch! I know some of you relate...wine lovers get each other, right?

The photo above I took one evening in March while sitting on the dock at the winery. I took this with my phone and used no filters...this is exactly as it appeared to the naked eye. It was like no other sunset I've ever witnessed...Gulf Coast sunsets couldn't hold a candle to this Ohio beauty! It was stunning. Deep Purple's song come to life..."smoke on the water, fire in the sky."

In all of this urban farmhouse has taken a back burner. I suffered my 4th (and hopefully final) broken foot bone earlier this year so I'm scaling back on carrying, lifting, buying heavy things. You all know how much I LOVE the heavy, cool garden stuff! I'll never get over my love of old, cast iron urns. And big honkin' farm tables...they're the bomb. Any way...long story short. I'm no longer doing the Country Living Magazine fair and will miss all of you terribly! I can't thank you enough for all of your support and kind words over the years there. You truly made it the extraordinary experience that it was and I treasure all of those memories.

I am, however, participating in the incredible Rural Society Antiques & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Ohio. A show VERY similar to Country Living without the crowd and on the most beautiful Ohio farm! Juried dealers set up in the top and lower levels of a 100 year old bank barn, under tents near the greenhouse and myself in the former Milkhouse. The show is always the first Saturday in May and October...so between sampling wine I'm buying and squirreling away for the fall show. Mark your calendar! Hope to see you there! Thank you all again for your support over the years, couldn't do it without you.

March Vintage and Made Market

Join me this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Feather Your Nest in Pickerington, Ohio for the monthly pop up shop FYN hosts. Starts Friday at 5pm!!

One of those places people keep secret!

Just dropped off merchandise at Grandview Mercantile in Columbus, Ohio's Short North arts district. Its pouring down rain outside so I decided to take a few minutes and just walk around the store and window shop if you will. The dealers here never cease to amaze me. They find the most amazing pieces, iconic pieces. I brought you along on my walk that you could see as well. If you're interested in any of these pieces all the Mercantile at 614.421.7000. Only the first picture is from my booth the rest are from dealers throughout the store so I have no idea what their prices are on items. Enjoy! And hope to see you Friday Saturday and Sunday at the March Vintage and Made Market at Feather Your Nest in Pickerington!

Joining Feather Your Nest's March Vintage & Made Market!!

I'm very excited to be joining Feather Your Nest for their Vintage & Made Market event, where they feature vintage and handmade items, repurposed, renewed and reloved vintage furniture, stylish home goods and a whole lot of pretty things!! We both hope you can join us as we all look forward to spring!

Feather Your Nest

36 W Columbus St, Pickerington, Ohio 43147

Friday, March 6, 5pm - 9pm
Saturday, March 7, 11am - 4pm
Sunday, March 8, 11am - 4pm

No Need for the Whole Forest. . .

The faux bois trend continues with birch bark products taking center stage. This time of year it’s the perfect way to add a touch of nature to your home (and wardrobe!) that is full of texture. Terrain offers up three birch products in particular that I love. These birch bark strips can be used to wrap around glass vessels, for handwritten invitations or place cards or even to paper the inside of a cupboard or drawer.

Also from Terrain, birch planters.

I, of course, saved the best for last. Hand-cast in a mold created directly from a paper birch, this statement ring of patinated bronze was created by New York designer Michael Michaud.Terrain offers wide and thin versions. I could totally see these as wedding rings for the nature loving couple.

Birds of a Feather

Taxidermy pieces are turning up at every antique show I am in these days. While beautiful and definitely interesting (if not alarming depending on the animal’s pose) I understand it is not for everyone. At a show I was in last fall I offered a gorgeous red fox I would have loved to “adopt” to put on top of the primitive white cupboard that houses our television. I was met with resounding opposition from the rest of my family. They simply could not imagine watching TV with this fox “watching” them. They even likened it to the rescue panther commercial!!

 

If you feel the same way as my husband and children there are certainly other ways of achieving the curated feel of nature. A simple and certainly less expensive way is by adding antique chromo lithographs from the late 1800's of your favorite fauna subjects. 

 

If you are looking to do a large collection of prints try looking for them on one of the royalty free photo websites such as shutterstock.com, istockphoto.com. Print and frame yourself or take to a printing shop to have them put onto artist’s canvases.

Search your favorite antique haunts for the real McCoy. You might be lucky enough to find a gem! If the print quality is excellent and the production numbers were low, you may score a litho with significant value! Happy hunting…of paper not fur.

Create A Calming Space

Pick up almost any home decor magazine today and you will find gorgeous photos of entire rooms, if not the entire home, devoted to white. While the thought of this may scare even the decorating risk takers among us (let alone those of us with children!) it need not strike fear into your decorating dreams.

When decorating with white the textures in a room become what would otherwise have been the layers of colors. It is important then to incorporate several different elements such as multiple textiles (washable!), bead board walls or ceilings, creative counters and cabinets, etc. to make this design work.

 

White elicits a calming, serene feeling. Think of your favorite spa’s color scheme. Most are varying shades of white and off-white. If you love the look and vibe of white rooms check out pinterest for some inspiration rooms. Maybe begin with a small room to “try on the look”. The bathroom is a great place to start. Introducing textural items is easy with towels, sponges, baskets and glassware. Use this space to create a soothing and tranquil refuge that will melt away all your stresses!

 

Prohibition Corkscrew - Fun Find

The 1932 Flauder silver plated corkscrew, bottle opener and jigger was sold as a “4-in-1 Friendship Kit” and was marketed as “Jolly Good Mixer”.

The piece illustrated the two faces of prohibition as seen by Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist Rollin Kirby. Kirby was vehemently opposed to prohibition and created a cartoon character named Mr. Dry, a mean and stoic proponent of prohibition. Side one is an assertive, self-righteous, barking man who on the flip side is smiling and enjoying a sloshing cocktail.

 (sorry, this piece is sold)

Fat Heads and Flat Heads

“Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the car window.” 

~ author unknown

With the coming of spring and the snow finally melting, what better time of year is there to take a look at the most iconic of vehicles–the motorcycle and how it can play a role in your design. 

Here in the Midwest when the open road has iced over for the season most
motorcycle owners reluctantly garage their iron pony until the first
signs of spring arrive a few months down the road (pun intended). Some
“roads scholars” have found a way to incorporate their passion into
their urban decor and bring their bike right into their living room. No,
not literally, but artfully yes.

You don’t have to own a bike to admire the power and the fabled lure of random wandering they represent. Like this amazing print from Ducati, who launched a limited edition collection a few years ago featuring Ducati’s iconography and images inspired by the history of the company which dates back to the 1920′s.

Why not have your own photo reproduced onto a large canvas? Hint…going with a black and white photo would add an instant Steve McQueen coolness to your environment.

Whether you know the difference between a fat head and a flat head or you enjoy watching episodes of Sons Of Anarchy, you can’t help but appreciate the art of the machine. I’ll close with this thought “I don’t always ride a motorcycle (never), but when I do…it’s a Ducati.”

Does Size Matter?

Sometimes, yes for obvious space reasons. However, there are also times where you should break the “scale” rules and go extra big in a small room. Like this 7 foot tall primitive cupboard turned entertainment center in our 14 x 12 living room. It actually makes the room appear and feel larger. Don’t be afraid of those big pieces!

All Buttoned Up

  How many pieces of furniture do you know that have remained in style for nearly 300 years? The buttoned up back and arms of the Chesterfield make it an iconic example of elegance and tradition. Historically made with the finest of leathers today’s market offers a wide variety of fabrics including velvet, denim, tweeds and flannels. Quite simply...an investment in your home decor as it will remain with you through decades.