Category: Designing

B and B

Posted on by TheIrishLady in Designing

B & B, I dedicate this post to all the incredible and wonderful things you’ve built.  My only regret is that we had to move and leave the shed and the porch swing, but I look forward to all the new things you are capable of building.  Your wives will be amazed and very grateful that you learned how to do these things before you got married.

The Shed
Outside

Inside… all of your tools so meticulously placed.  (I wish you would do that in the garage.. in our new house…soon.)

The Porch Swing

This kind of stings.   I wanted to take it with us.  The new owner wanted it to stay.  You promised to build a new one…

B & B,  Your Mom loves you so very much.  I am so proud of you two.

The Chicken Chronicles: Confessions and Homecoming

Posted on by TheIrishLady in Designing

Confessions are always good for the soul and I have a few about chickens that have weighed heavily on my mind.    Please allow this post to serve as not only a confession time but also a happy homecoming for the chickens.

Fessin’ Up First

1.  I gave four chickens away.   There  I said it and I feel better.  I did it after the snake episode because…

2.  I bring the chickens in to the laundry room every night in a great big box…

3.  Chickens stink…

4.  My chickens don’t stink…

5.  Okay, they stink a little…

6.  I sometimes wonder if I gave the good chickens away because…

7.  The give away chickens sound really smart according to the new owners…

8.  My chickens aren’t so smart, but…

9.  A few of them can hug…

10.  Okay,  they kind of lean on me.

Homecoming

This was  temporary housing that we set up because I couldn’t make up my mind on what type of coop I wanted and I secretly felt safer with them in the laundry room at night anyway.   You can peek at the box they slept in and they really like their box or I should say boxes since several boxes became too malodorous to bring in the house and required a replacement.  Malodorous is fancy talk for stinky.

B&B moving the coop which stands for Brothers & Builders or Bradley and Brett, my sons.  They took over the design of the coop that I now call “The Coop De Ville”.  After moving chickens in every night and every morning, they were highly motivated to not have to help their mom move chickens in and out every day.

Coop De Ville, First Floor or Private Sleeping Quarters

Coop De Ville, Basement or Parlor

All this work makes happy chickens!  You know what happy chickens do?  They give eggs, little ones at first,  called junior eggs.   Then you get the big ones like the ones with pepper on them in the skillet.  Those peppery eggs belong to Himself, the man of the house.  The junior  eggs belong to Herself, the lady of the house.

Welcome Home Chickens!  You deserve it for all the beautiful eggs.

Country Living Fair and Bribery to Get There!

Posted on by TheIrishLady in Designing

Shhh! Are we alone?  If we are completely alone,  I am going to share a secret with you.  You ask me all the time,  “How do you get your sons to work so hard?”  All the furniture hauling, the paint projects, landscaping, cleaning, mowing, gardening, tending chickens and trips to antique fairs and the list goes ….. gets done with the help of my sons because ….. are you ready for the secret ? … you’ll be amazed … it’s kinda simple … it really is…. listen close…  I FEED THEM!   It’s true, it’s really true; the way to a man’s heart is his stomach.  That’s how I got them to go with me to the Country Living Fair.  They were so stuffed they needed to walk it off and had no problem strolling the aisles with me.  Just don’t ask them if they like  pink anything or ‘is this chair better than that chair?’ or ‘what do you think I should get?’  “This”, they sternly warn, “will require me to turn in my man card.”  And, they guard that card diligently.

The best “worth the drive” barbeque in our neck of the woods is just south of Austin on Highway 290 in a little town called Elgin.  It’s called the Southside Market.  The wood is stacked outside.  The smoke touches the tendrils of your nostrils immediately after exiting your vehicle and you are summoned by one of the most down home comforting foods the State of Texas has to offer.  Simply put, brisket with the sauce on the side.  Lemons on the plate are for the tea not the barbeque.  I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to pose for the picture.

Enough about barbeque.  Here’s what I gleaned from the fair:

OLD QUILTS CAN BE RE-PURPOSED with quaint lettering, family photos and framing…

RED CHAIRS WITH AN ORIENTAL FLAIR can go anywhere and still matter in design just like leopard…  Pairs of anything old are my weakness because I figure if the two can make it that long they should always be together.  I think that about my husband after twenty plus years.

OLD TAPESTRY PLACED ON AN OLD STANDARD BUFFET make for interesting pieces and could be inspiration for any print fabrics…

CLEVER AND PAINTED UTENSILS apparently have more use than bending your elbow and getting your mouth to fly open…

RINGS ARE A BEAUTIFUL THING especially when you take your grandma’s big earrings and make two big rings… To purchase these rings go to Emma Lou Vintage at http://www.etsy.com/shop/emmalouvintage or coming soon to my booth at Hermann’s.

 

Just a small sampling of what was there.  All in all a really enjoyable day with my family.

 

The Irish Lady Antiquities at Hermann’s Antique Mall

Posted on by TheIrishLady in Designing

Have I ever mentioned that I have an antique booth at Hermann’s in downtown Brenham?  There is a section of the store to the right that houses antique vendors of all kinds.  My booth is way in the back in the old meat market section where you can still see the meat hooks hanging from the tin tile ceiling.  The history of Hermann’s is so interesting.  You have to come see the place.  It’s huge.  Well, back to antiquities and such, here is a sampling of what I have crammed in my space.

Keyed Round Front Solid Oak Lighted Curio,  Drexel Heritage Chair Painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Distressed,  White Furniture Company of the Carolinas Accent Table Painted with Annie Sloan.   And, many many accessories..

Bright Sunshine Yellow Formica Table from around the late 40’s early 50’s.  This one is rare in that it has it’s original leaf and accompanied by four Sears and Roebuck Oak Catalog Chairs from the 30’s painted black with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and distressed.  Two tiered black accent table painted in chalk paint.  There’s a 1920’s ice bucket and several ice cold beverage pitchers.  The lobster platter hails from the paper machiere era and compliments the wooden serving accessories.  There are six snack plates with pineapple serving bowls and a few platters.  These would be great pool side or porch.

I have tons of linens made by my grandmother that have been embroidered and crocheted.   Table cloths, round and square, dish towels, pillow cases and even towels are there.   Next to the linens is an old iron bistro table and double shutter in red.

…A better glimpse at the bistro set.

An 1800’s armoire, with dove tail drawers on the left and cedar lined hanging clothes area on the right,  still has it’s very own skeleton key.  The chairs are cained and painted with white chalk paint.

Come visit The Irish Lady at Hermann’s Antique Mall, Downtown Brenham, Texas.

Hermann’s: What’s New?

Posted on by TheIrishLady in Designing

Have you ever been to a place, not a house, but a store and just feel at home?  That’s how I feel about Hermann’s in Downtown Brenham.  It’s the anchor of our historic little town and sits diagonal from the courthouse.  I’m proud of the place, how it has stood the test of time through the generations, in one family.  I love the people there, too, because they love what they do and it shows.  Every inch is filled with beautiful ideas that they are so willing to share and it changes daily.  Quite literally,  I have seen something I want, come back the next day and there is a whole new way presented to me to place the piece in my home.  With a full in house design center that includes the largest selection of fabric swatches that I have seen since the Houston Design Center, they guide you through your mind’s eye to make your home what you want it to be.    Come See!  Be Inspired! Decorate Your Life!

HERMANN’S VIGNETTES

Notice the concrete finials:  I can see these on a veranda, a buffet, the floor in your foyer, the bath by the tub, fireplace, kitchen island…

So much to see!  This French inspired dining is appealing with soothing salmon colors.  They think of everything!

Speaking of thinking of everything, take a peek at these unique table accompaniments.  The place mats, napkins, serving pieces are fun and chic all at once.

Brightly colored, whimsical is what I think when I see this bedding ensemble and pillows.   There’s a lot more in that photo than the bed…see how many unique and different things you can take in at a glance.   (Oops, I left my purse and fabric on the bench…don’t notice that.)