8/28/10

Between The Moments

Hello....it's me.
While I stepped away last week, I've been searching for original photos and piecing back together most of my original posts.
Many are my favorites about The Southern Charm of Lee Bailey, Train Travel On the Orient Express, running Barefoot in the Bluegrass, Hidden Treasures, afternoon walks through Lexington's Historic District, Collecting and Care of Silver and inspiring stories about many of You!
The talented photographer Cig Harvey sums up the situation so well with her incredible self-portraits.
 
By the way, don't ever delete your Picassa Web Albums!
 Seems that is where my publishers were storing the photos used in my blog posts!  

So, dear readers & faithful followers, I hope you will be patient while I untangle this silly mess!
Before you go, I want to share this great article about Cig, her dedication to her craft, her filmmaker husband Doug and the life they live together on the coast of Maine with their dog Scarlet Snacks.


Visit her portfolio here.


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
 

8/23/10

Two Adobe Houses

When people think of adobe, they most likely picture traditional Pueblo style ruins crumbling back into the desert floors of Arizona and New Mexico.
Adobe courtyard Where I grew up, many friends and some family lived in elegant Territorial-style adobe haciendas ― with creaky floors, period artwork, and furnishings that reflected the regional Arizona style.
dusk in the desert
Back then they just seemed like really old houses.  Today, I have a whole new appreciation for these homes, many on Historic Registers, with their five-foot thick walls, exposed beam ceilings, cool tile floors, and mesquite wood-burning fireplaces.
 Los Luceros
I love traditional architecture and every once in awhile I see something old that has been beautifully transformed into something new, or something new, skillfully designed in the old traditional style.  Here are two beautiful adobe homes that I would like to share.
Sabino Canyon and Santa Catalina Mountains
The first Adobe built in 1957 is located in the beautiful foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina mountains. The transformation is by Studio Encanto.
Studio Encanto is an award-winning interior design firm founded in 1985 by Christy Martin who specializes in Spanish Colonial Revival, Santa Barbara Mission, Contemporary, Santa Fe and Old Ranch interiors.
Tucson Adobe 3
The bones of the house had not been disturbed and the location was perfect for a fresh take on an old style.  A large wall that once divided the living room and dining room were removed.
Tucson Adobe 2
Red quarry tile was tiled over with ungrouted travertine squares, set running bond.  All the knotty pine walls were covered in a clean, cool shade of white.
The kitchen is a calm, cool, confident mix of contemporary and traditional.
Tucson Adobe 4 Brilliant use of space to store & show-off simple white everyday dishes.
Tucson Adobe 5 The soft texture of whitewashed adobe bricks is a subtle reminder of the original "good bones."
Tucson Adobe 6
Paired with a neutral palette, this residence feels like a spa in the desert.
Tucson Adobe 7 All 3500 square feet of it!
Tucson Adobe 9
Christy Martin’s passion has served her well. In 2004 her work on Linda Ronstadt’s Tucson residence was featured in Architectural Digest, in 2005 she was featured as one of the Top 40 Designers in This Old House magazine, and in 2006 Phoenix Home and Garden honored her as “Master of the Southwest."
Christy Martin of Studio Encanto Ms. Martin currently has offices in Santa Barbara, CA, and Tucson, AZ.
Click to visit Studio Encanto
photos by Robin Stancliff
This next house sit's on twelve acres next to a tree-lined arroyo in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Living a bit of a Bohemian life these days, Ryannan Bryer de Hickman and Designer-Builder husband, Jim Hickman, have called Santa Fe, New Mexico, Montecito, California, Boulder, Colorado, and the Texas Hill Country home.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman For more than 20 years, he built custom homes in Santa Fe using the traditional Pueblo style of architecture. However, being big fans of Modern Mexican Architects, Ricardo Legorreta, and Luis Barragan, they decided to build their last two homes there in the Modern Mexican style.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Hand troweled plaster tinted with pigments from Italy give a beautiful finish to the walls.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman Clean lines, open shelving and two islands make this beautiful kitchen a pleasure to work in. Not to mention the Thermador Range and Sub-Zero Refrigerator! Take note that in both kitchens, valuable workspace and storage have been integrated deep into the thick adobe walls.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Concrete sinks in the bathroom.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Double adobe walls and radiant heat in the concrete floors throughout.
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman These houses are very comfortable during the cold winters and the hot summers. An added extra, probably my favorite part...this property had a small old adobe one-room house on it when they bought it. Ryannan turned it into a little art studio. Love the exposed adobe brick walls.
  Inspiring!
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
The photographs of this beautiful home are compliments of Ryannan Bryer de Hickman.  She is a fabulous photographer whose portfolio varies from The Santa Fe New Mexican to The New York Times. 
Ryannan Bryer de Hickman She is also the author of Sotto Il Monte, a Lifestyle Blog about Food, Wine, Architecture & Interior Design, Gardening, Viticulture (winemaking...I had to look it up), Art and Travel.
click to visit Ryannan Bryer de Hickman I urge you all to visit Studio Encanto & Sotto Il Monte and have a wonderful weekend.
Adios!

8/18/10

forty-sixth at grace

I like this.
Nikole Herriott
 "happy for the stripes on my feet..."
Nikole Herriott

8/14/10

Bedside Guardians

Returning home from a busy day or from a long journey always has me longing for the comfort of my very own bed. My bedside guardians are a few favorite things that rest on my bedside table.
breakfast in bed by James merrell  James Merrell
The best bedside guardians are open windows, the smell of flowers, lights for reading and comforting children.
unwinding by Holly becker Unwinding by Holly Becker @ decor8
Piled up books, unfinished diaries, telephone numbers...
pink cubby vi Lonny issue 2 Lonny
special mementos & pictures of the family as suggested below by author Monica Rich Kosann.rise-and-shine-to-fave-things via The Fine Art of Family
Bedside guardians hold letters, the remote, lip balm, a watch or wedding ring at the end of the day.
bedside lavender
Small boxes or a pretty little dish take up just a little bit of space while holding and hiding all sorts of things.
simple bed via Pure Style Home
Pure Style Home
Some bedside tables are just for show. I think the little round landing is just perfect for the nautical cabin below.
cabot cove yacht club via Coastal Living Coastal Living
These few details make even the basics a pleasure to wake up to.
kimdimsunshine Kim Dim Sunshine
Utilizing her reading material for added height works so perfectly for this lovely bed draped to the ground in fine linen.
linen by James Merrell James Merrell 
More stylish ingenuity! I love how he used bricks to lift his Louis Vitton to just the right height!
LV
Houzz 
This beautiful bedside vignette belongs to Catherine at her lovely Country Farmhouse. Before you know it, it will be graced with a couple of mother-of-pearl teething rings.
via A Country Farmhouse blog
Joe Ruggiero Sr. makes his guests feel right at home at Thanksgiving with a beautiful bedside table complete with fresh-cut flowers from his garden.
Joe Ruggiero prepares for Thanksgiving Guests
My Mr. does not wake me with flowers from the garden but he does bring me my first cup every morning.  I know...he's a keeper.Monday isn't So Bad by Holly Becker Monday Isn't So Bad by Holly Becker @ decor8
Before I head off to bed, I wanted to mention that I have a wonderful new bloggy friend, Tricia White. When she's not treasure-hunting in Calgary, or running a half marathon in Napa, or playing with her daughter on the beach in Del Mar, she is at home in Houston Texas writing the most amazing blog, *Morning T*.
Lisa_and_T_sitting
Tricia shares her love of travel and inspires with her wonderful style. But her passion is being at home with family.  I love that!  She just returned from a wonderful journey, but before she turned in she had this to say... 
*Morning T*
"I'll settle with laying in my comfy white bed, just in front of my pretty white shutters, and studying page after page of 'At Home with White', while sipping on white wine." *Morning T*
Thank you, Tricia, for joining me here & adding your wonderful touch at TLPC. I look forward to reading more!
 *Morning T*
The kids are calling me outdoors now to watch the meteor shower so I'm wishing you & all my friends a good nights sleep & wonderful weekend!
I love America LP 50px