Christmas at red

Photo redinfred.blogspot.com


She's been written about numerous times by bloggers - Mrs. Blandings, Garden Antiques, and design sponge - to name a few. D'Ette Cole is a favorite around these parts, a friend and supporter of our local design shop, red. Most of you probably read the article on D'Ette's creative and wonderful home in last month's Cottage Living. From uncommon objects in Austin to clutter at the Round Top shows to all kinds of other venues, D'Ette's creative spark and energy is contagious. Her bottle tree is just one example of clever Christmas decorating - in fact, I'll bet it's not Christmas at all, just one of her many fabulous creations!

photo - Cottage Living

The same quirky, incredibly creative energy is evident at red. You won't be surprised to know that Nikki of red, and D'Ette are friends. I had not been in the store in a while and stopped in a few days ago. Upon entering I was overwhelmed by the amazing colorful displays at every turn. The shop still has the great furniture and accessory selection as always, but this time of year it really sparkles with Christmas cheer.

Still carrying a wonderful selection of bella notte linens................

Lush towels and beautiful hour glasses....................

and here we go with Christmas...............................

wonderful vintage and new decorations of every kind and color..................
and lots of pink!! lots of pink!!


......what a cute tricycle!!



I love the use of industrial pieces for display and practical use, too.

Wonderful - mixing white and green pumpkins in old bird baths......................



.................creative display around every corner.................

Too tempting...............fun jewelry made from vintage beads and buttons.........................

To see more stockings go to redinfred.blogspot.com.......................

................what a good looking suzani print pillow....................


I think these might be my favorites - fish and pinecones..................great color!

Oh these are scrumptious!! What gorgeous coral and gold ornaments.

Had to add a little pop with these folky pillows...............and what a cool bin/coffee table.






Of course I want the whole deal - not just the tree. Someone has got to have the birdbath, the silver balls and the tree!! Stunning!

Thanks again to red for allwoing me to snap so many pictures. If you are in the area, you really should stop by - guaranteed to make you smile with holiday spirit!!

My Friend, Alice

My friend, Alice, and her husband, Byron, knew the charm of Fredericksburg long before I did. Byron used to travel here on business and has fond memories of that time. Little did any of us imagine that years later my family would move here permanently.............and that Alice and Byron would follow 14 years later!!

What began as a weekend getaway became a favorite escape from the big city. Over the years were lots of conversations about building a house in the country, retiring "someday" (the always elusive "someday").....................loving their life in Dallas, but with nagging thoughts of living somewhere pretty and peaceful..........and finally, the stars aligned, all fell into place, and............ they are here!

They have settled in a beautiful home that sits on acreage overlooking the hills. They have learned about snakes and scorpions and cutting hay. They have become a two dog family (they used to be a no dog family).................and I think they are having a blast!

The whole story of how they found and bought their house is very circuitous and fun! It involves another set of friends, also with a great house, and a much longer post..................for another time.

So, the topic today is Alice's bedroom. Alice and I share a common passion for great design, color, and whimsy. We both get excited when we find something great, and sometimes buy before we think about the big picture. I know this won't shock you if you have seen my very eclectic house. Nevertheless, we buy what we love and somehow it all comes together to our liking.

When our friend, Carolyn, opened red, we both began to visit her regularly. Alice bought a fabulous new iron bed at the new store and along with the bed, fell in love with a Denyse Schmidt quilt. She had some great art and accessories that she wanted to incorporate into the room, and also wanted to bring a little red into the bedroom. I was flattered when she asked me to pull it all together for them!

With chocolate, pistachio green, and red I knew I was in for a fun project. I found a lovely "plummy", chocolate matelasse spread at Homestead Fine Linens in Hendersonville, North Carolina. I designed a bed skirt in a black and cream stripe with accents pulled from the curtain fabric. This photo gives it a weird "swooshy" look, but it is actually a simple straight skirt with a band of the same stripe on the bias along the bottom. Alice learned from our favorite pest control man that scorpions can crawl up a bed skirt, so I was instructed to have it hemmed one inch above the floor! He swears that if it doesn't touch the floor they can't get to it. No puddling bed skirts or curtains here! Some might call it skimpy, but I call it smart!


Alice had some European shams that she wanted to use on the bed, so we blended those with some others from red as well as a small custom designed pillow, also from the curtain stripe.


I chose a big green and cream check for the custom slipcovers for the chair and ottoman, crafted by our local talent Debbie Phillips of Simple Slips fame, and I designed another little custom pillow for the chair.


We used the existing iron curtain rod for the new curtains (also designed by yours truly and created by Debbie Phillips) .

The fabric is a crisp red and salmon pinstripe that pops against the pistachio green painted walls (Benjamin Moore "warren acres") I found the bed skirt fabric and the curtain fabric at a new shop here called Threads, owned by friend, Margo (it's a small town). It is a wonderful fabric shop specializing in custom bedding, pillows and vintage accessories.

The floors in this house are stained concrete. We wanted to soften them a bit, and used a Pottery Barn seagrass rug trimmed in cherry. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve - new lamps, and a new painting perhaps...........oops, Byron are you reading this?!

All in all, I think the bedroom looks very pretty and look forward to having more fun with this very unique house in the Texas hill country! I think you will be surprised to see the architectural design of this home. It is very special.

I will post more as we progress.

Meanwhile, Byron and Alice, Welcome to Fred!!