Jump on over to Watercolors to "win an original" watercolor painting!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Bright Gift Tags
Stylish gift cards are a great final touch for any gift!
These are adorable!!
Visit Prudence Octavia to purchase these adorable tags
for your next gift!
Tea Towels
These tea towels are so sweet. Who needs Martha?
These are practical enough for everyday use &
beautiful enough for company.
Please visit la Marquise des Anges's shop for more great handmade housewares and home decor!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Kenna Foster Photography
My friend, Kenna is hosting a TWO-PHOTO-GIVEAWAY this weekend; one to be awarded for Saturday and one for Sunday. Saturday she will be giving away "After the Rain" .
Sunday, she will award the lucky the winner the photo of their choice from her Etsy shop.
Make sure you click here to check out Kenna Foster's great giveaway today! Have a wonderful weekend!!
** Jump over to my Watercolors blog for the "Win an Original" giveaway! **
Friday, May 29, 2009
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Originally uploaded by lauratrevey
1. Fashion Week, 2. Best Friends, 3. Connections, 4. Beach Chairs, watercolor painting
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Le petit fleur key chain
Isn't this the cutest? I love this key chain! You may purchase it here!
I hope everyone is relaxing and enjoying their evening...
Just Beautiful...
I hope you have had a lovely day... and I hope these beautiful shots bring a smile to your face!
Please visit Shannon's great shop for more here!
Bright and Cheerful
Bright and cheerful! This handmade card is made of recycled fabric with colored pencil details. Receiving this card would make my day!! Please visit kelleylivingston's Shop for more!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
TABLESCAPE THURSDAY – A LUNCHEON ON THE PORCH
Hello and welcome to the Tablescape Thursday blog party. If you are a Cote de Texas reader who is not familiar with blog parties – this is how it works. One blogger will host a party around a very specific theme which other bloggers will then write about. For instance, each week, the popular blog Between Naps On My Porch, hosts a blog party on Thursday centered about beautiful tablescapes. If this is your first blog party – take the time to visit blogs listed here who are each hosting their own Tablescape Thursday – you will be sure to get a host of new ideas for entertaining, either your own family or dinner party guests. By the way, if you are wondering where the blog name Between Naps On My Porch came from – just take a look here! This surely is what all porches should be – comfortable, cozy, and beautiful.
Are you ready for a Cote de Texas Tablescape Thursday Party? Enjoy!
Since it’s not quite scalding summer hot in Houston yet, I thought I would set up the table for lunch here on the courtyard, where I usually blog away at my iron table and chairs from Wisteria.
Everything is so green now, the flowers are at their peak – in a few weeks they will start to get that parched summery look, but for now, May is proving to be the prettiest month on my courtyard. Even more miraculous is the fountain is clean and clear for a change. Once it rains a time or two, the water can turn a little murky. But today it’s crystal clear, so eating by the fountain will be particularly nice and atmospheric.
The pink, fuchsia, and white impatiens were planted over a month ago and they are really filling out.
My favorites though are the caladiums. One summer I had all giant white and green caladiums and each year they get pinker and greener it seems. In another month, the beds will be a riot of tall, thick caladiums – I can’t wait!!!!
One of my favorite spots in my courtyard is this bench with two antique urns on pedestals. The entire vignette is actually my sister Cathy’s, but when she moved to a high rise, I inherited the lot. She is back on terra firma now, but it’s hard to return this to her, although one day, I’m sure it will be back with its rightful owner. A few minutes after I took this picture, the skies opened up and it started pouring. Think about that monsoon scene in the movie “The Year of Living Dangerously” – that’s exactly how it is in Houston. One minute the sun is hot and it’s a beautiful day, the next minute, its raining bucketfuls – not just a little shower, but a hard driving downpour that can deposit inches of water in a short amount of time. Needless to say, I need to change the lunch plans, and quickly.
So, instead of eating on the courtyard, I set up the Tablescape Thursday blog party on the covered porch. Can you see the table hiding behind the plants?
I used an old bamboo folding table between the two white wicker chairs. The blue and white garden stool is from Wisteria, now discontinued which is such a shame!
For the tablecloth – I repurposed a Dash and Albert rug from Olivine, in Uptown, and layered over it, a classic linen placemat edged in blue scalloping.
Lunch will be gazpacho, a chilled soup, so I decided to use two small tureens - from my collection of antique Mason Ware - instead of traditional bowls. Since each piece of Mason Ware is hand-picked, I don’t have a pair, but instead, chose two that blend together. Pink roses fill a silver vase and everything else is made of glass, including the tall dessert stand, used to bring some height to the tablescape.
This Mason Ware tureen in the Japan pattern, is mostly cobalt blue and white with orange flower accents.
And this tureen is green and white with accents of cobalt blue and orange. This piece still has it’s bottom plate, which is really special.
Besides the cold soup, we’re going to be having salad – which will be served on the blue and white transferware plates that I collect. I have just two pieces in this pattern, one of my favorites. It’s such a romantic scene, with urns and a balustrade and columns. Underneath the transferware is a white china plate with a scalloped edge.
Getting hungry…..where’s the food??????? Nobody told me I had to actually cook to participate in the Tablescape Thursday party!!!! And where’s my guest?? Anyone? Maybe my springer Georgie would join me, but she is so scared of the camera.
Everything looked so pretty and elegant on the porch for a change, that I kept it like this all afternoon, just flitting about and admiring it – yes, I am that weird. I had actually forgotten about the “party” set-up all together until Ben came home from work, walked outside and saw me sitting there with my computer on my lap, blogging away – with half our dishes outside. He said - with one eye half cocked – “what is going on? Why is this table all set up?” “Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry about it. It’s for the blog” I dismissively tell him quickly. Except he was not about to be dismissed so quickly. “You know you are a very, very strange person, you DO know that, don’t you?” Not really. I don’t think there is anything even remotely strange at all about setting up a table for an imaginary party and splashing pictures of it all over the internet, do you??????
To see other Tablescape Thursday parties, go here and scroll down to the end of the post to reach the entire list of participants!
Turquoise for Summer
I love Turquoise.... with a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans! I really love this jewelry made by maximeboldeau... please check out all the great pieces here!
Bold Shapes, Bright Colors!
This cheerful lime will remind you to add a TWIST to your day!
I love the bright colors!!
...find YOUR twist with this bold piece! Please view more of Christy's Bright, Bold, and Beautiful art here!
Crocheted Chainmail Bracelet
Whether it's beading, crocheting, knitting or sewing,
it all has one thing in common, the thread that holds it all together.
Here you'll find unique pieces and designs for both you and your home decor.
Teacher Appreciation
It is that time of year! Don't forget to give to the people who nurture and love your children!
I am on a roll with the paper goods. I can't help it, I just love receiving hand written letters!
Please visit KandRdesigns's Shop for wonderful handmade paper goods.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Personal Touch
I hope that note writing does not become a lost art! There is something very special and personal about a handwritten letter. These handmade notecards are so great! You may view more here.
Summer Travel
Check out jackandbees for handmade bags, pouches and accessories.
A great place for life on the go!
Travel in style with this sweet passport cover.
The pocket style makes it super easy to pull out your passport for customs, and once your on your way close it up securely with an adorable pink button and fabric loop closure.
Spot your luggage with this great tag.
Perfect for your gym bag, back pack, school bag too!
Some Best of BBB you may have missed:
Beautiful Living: Outdoor Lighting
Itty Bitty Booklets
For your endless lists. For those notes you need to jot down in the middle of meetings. These are so cute!!
Please view Red Otter for the entire collection!
Simple Things
Sometimes less is more. I just love these earrings named
Elegant hoop earrings, perfect and light for spring and summer.
Made from a delicate gold-filled hoop, 14k gold plated component and 10k gold plated earwires.
Please visit Sophie's great shop for Handmade jewelry for the discerning lady.
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Tanglewood Redo, Chapter II
The family room then.
A few months ago I showed you a project I was working on – The Tanglewood House. The clients were living in an older house in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Houston. The debate was whether to tear down the house and rebuild on their lot OR completely gut and remodel. In the end they compromised and did a smaller remodeling job than originally planned, with their sights set on perhaps rebuilding sometimes in the future. I was first contacted by the client, a reader of Cote de Texas, to help pick out finishes for phase one – a gut job of their master bathroom. Out of the space, a new master bathroom was created, along with a new powder room. As work went on, the job got larger, as is always the case. First we would do a minor redecorating of the master bedroom, along with a minor redecorating of the family room. Much work was also to be done outside. In the end – a new roof was put on, outdated dormer windows were replaced, the facade was painted, new shutters were built, new landscaping was installed along with new gates, and on and on. Inside, all the doors were replaced and painted black to give them some presence, and new hardware was purchased. Most of the inside of the house was painted. Plans to restain all the wood floors were put on hold until this summer.
In the family room – we purchased all new furniture, covered with pricey fabrics. Also, a large built in was designed to hide two computer desks for the children. We added woven shades and curtains at the French doors, along with a large seagrass rug. All new accessories were purchased to fill the many added shelves. In short, the minor redecorating job had turned major – as is always the case. The clients’ initial budget was increased too many times to count. When the family room was completed, the clients were very pleased with the results. The furniture arrangement worked perfectly for their TV watching and the new computer desks were functional and in use, day and night. Extra meals were eaten on the gate leg table that doubled as a work space. All in all – everything was wonderful. Except for one thing – well, two things exactly: the living room and the dining room. Both rooms were still as dated as the family room had once been, and with that room now looking so fresh, the front rooms looked even more tired by comparison. Added to this was the fact that I had robbed the living room of two club chairs to be used in the master bedroom redo.
The two new arm chairs swivel for easy TV watching in the family room.
My client, the wife, knew that something had to be done to freshen up the front rooms and quickly – the eldest son was graduating and out-of-town family was arriving for a weekend of celebration. In the middle of April, she asked me – could we possibly redo the two rooms, by graduation day in four weeks? And could we keep to a strict budget – pretend we were on some HGTV Makeover Show where an entire house is transformed for $500 in 24 hours? Sure – no problem!!!
Actually, I liked the challenge. I knew if we worked fast, used what she already owned, picked out reasonably priced fabrics, paid a rush fee to the upholsterer, and bribed Monica – my partner who facilitates all the soft goods – that we might possibly be able to transform the two rooms in a few weeks time, bringing them more in line with the already updated family room. Miracles do happen, don’t they? Here is what we had to work with:
Living Room Before: There was a nice sofa, in a green velvet and two English styled chairs.
Facing the sofa was a pair of French styled chairs covered in velvet. A bay window – with shutters – lets in the only light in the room and to top that – it’s a northern exposure, which means the room sits in a dark shadow 24/7.
The dining room was painted red, so chic ten years ago. The table was beautiful – a metal, baker’s table style base with a glass top paired with typical French rush seat chairs. There was a gorgeous antique armoire in the dining room that stored all the china. The small window, like the adjoining living room, had plantation shutters and, again, a northern exposure.
The plan: everything would be slipcovered. The floors in both rooms would get large, custom cut seagrass rugs to unify them. Both rooms would be painted in a rich, dark caramel color that would blend with the family room. The three cushioned sofa would be remade with one bottom cushion and two back cushions only. Curtains would be fashioned alike for both rooms to tie them together. A new, larger dining room light fixture would be purchased. A mirror from the old master bathroom would be painted antique gold. A collection of antique egg prints would be framed. All the small accessories, lamps, tables, and what-nots would be sold. There was one end table and one trunk that we would re-use. The only piece of furniture we would buy would be a new coffee table and we would add a larger skirted table.
Since everything was getting slipcovers except for the two red English chairs, keeping fabric costs down was imperative. White linen can be one of the most expensive or cheapest fabrics you can buy, depending on where it’s made. And white linen is also one of the best looking fabrics there is. I found some at Glicks for $16. a yard! Pindler and Pindler came through with an Ikat and a printed cotton for just pennies more. In fact, the fabrics were so inexpensive, yet still trendy and up to date – they were the deciding factor in getting the green light for the entire project. The amount of yardage needed was large and if we had chosen something in the price range of even $25 a yard – the whole redecorating job would probably not have taken place. By choosing great looking, yet inexpensive fabrics, the price tag was very reasonable.
And so, my client and I tallied up all the expenses, the guesstimates and estimates of what is was going to take to totally transform these two rooms. She presented her husband with the figures and we waited for his final approval, knowing that the deadline of the graduation festivities was fast approaching. About a week later, I got the phone call that all was ok-ed by the “big boss” (thank you Mr. P.!!!!) and I ordered all the fabric to be shipped overnight. Here is what the two rooms look like, just a few weeks later:
NOTE: open your browser to full screen to see the photos at proper size. Thanks!!!!
The living room today.
The green velvet sofa was upholstered in muslin, then slipped in white linen. The three cushions became one bottom and two backs for a trendier, more up-to-date look. The red English-styled chairs were upholstered in the Pindler and Pindler Ikat fabric with an exaggerated nail-head detailing. A large mirror was repainted in an antiqued Italian gold and surrounded by white ironstone, picked up at The Gray Door at the Urban Market. White garden stools from Wisteria double as side tables. The oval coffee table, the only piece of furniture bought for the room, was slipped in the white linen. A large seagrass rug was custom cut a few inches from the walls, which were painted a rich caramel color. For side tables, we used an existing Spanish styled, dark walnut stained table, and an Oriental, black trunk on a frame. The crystal lamps are from Restoration Hardware.
Facing the sofa is a large skirted table, topped by the Ikat fabric. The two French styled chairs were slipped with a large scalloped detailing in the white linen. The other Pindler and Pindler fabric, a cotton print, was used for the curtains. Two large urns from The Garden Gate were planted with palms that thrive in low light interiors.
The view facing the entry hall. In the entry hall, we painted the banister black to match all the new doors which were also painted black. An antique gate-leg table was placed there along with four botanicals moved from the master bedroom, now with new ivory mats and newly painted black frames.
Accessory Details:
Old alabaster grapes and books covered in music paper accessorize the coffee table. The piece de resistance of the entire room, to me, is the serendipity of the burlap feed bags. The feed bags were originally purchased on Ebay and made into pillows for my own house. I decided the pillows didn’t look good on my sofa, so they went into the no-man’s land of my garage. For my client’s living room, I had ordered pillows made out of the Ikat fabric. On the way to the installation, at the last minute, I grabbed the feed bag pillows just in case they might look good in the living room. Once the white slipcovered furniture arrived, there was no question in my mind that the feed bag pillows would look spectacular – and in the end, they actually “make the room.” The Ikat pillows? The upholsterer forgot to make them. Sometimes things work out in ways you never planned or ever imagined! I would like to say these pillows were specified from day one, and perhaps I should!
On the skirted table, I used a coral rose I had bought for the client at Urban Market, along with some trendy antique spine-less books from Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy. At Olivine, I picked up the metal finial in a rusty finish.
The Dining Room:
Since the two rooms are connected, it was important that they flow visually. To achieve this continuity – the walls in both rooms were painted the same caramel color and both rooms have seagrass matting. Also, the curtains in both rooms are identical.
The Pindler and Pindler print was used for both the curtains and chair slips. The large chandelier comes from Aidan Gray. The gorgeous burled wood armoire is the focal point in the room.
Facing the window. The curtains, made identically to the living room, help to connect the two rooms together visually and also soften the room. By hanging the curtains right under the molding and out past the window’s sides – the window actually appears larger. Additional ironstone plates and platters purchased from The Gray Door at Urban Market pop against the deep caramel walls and further tie the living room and dining room together.
And the view to the butler’s pantry, onto the kitchen.
A close up of the slip covers. The slips come in two pieces. The top piece has ties that run down the middle of the chair’s back. The bottom piece has a down cushion built into it to make the chairs more shapely and luxurious looking. A skirt with double ruffles is attached to the cushion. Ballet slipper ties run down the back legs for extra detailing. The client and I have discussed one day replacing the glass top with a piece of stone – yes/no/maybe?
Let’s take one more look back at where we started four weeks ago:
The living room with an area rug, green velvet sofa and red chairs. Certainly nice – certainly pretty, but ready for an update after a decade’s time.
Once the club chairs moved to the bedroom, the living room needed a change.
A few weeks later, the same room with the same furniture and just a few new accessories and rug.
The dining room – painted red, with a too small chandelier, no curtains and bare dining room chairs. Again – very nice, very pretty, but ready for a freshening up.
The dining room today – flowing into the living room – creating a cohesive look between the two rooms. The dining room’s slipped chairs soften all the hard edges, making the room warmer and cozier. The larger chandelier is more in scale with the armoire and the curtains add additional softness to the room.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Chapter II of The Tanglewood Redo. And I hope I have shown you how much change can be accomplished with a little paint and a little (well – a lot) of fabric. Another important key to successful redecorating is editing. These rooms were filled with numerous small tables, lamps, art work, and accessories – all built up over the years. By clearing it all out and using just a few key pieces, what is left became more visually attractive. And, most important to remember when redecorating - you don’t always have to start all over. Consider what you have and how you can reuse it. Just by making slipcovers and reupholstering two chairs – we were able to achieve a totally different look.
Look for this house’s master bedroom and bathroom, and powder room remodeling in the next few weeks! To read the original Tanglewood Redo story, please go here.
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