Savannah, Georgia - Spring 2009

Our first fun stop on the trip was Savannah, Georgia. We didn't plan on visiting Savannah, but we were pretty hungry at the time we were driving by it, so we had Mr. Garmin route us to "Cafe Ambrosia".



It's right across the street from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

I had their "Baguette Blanche". A delicious turkey sandwich, filled with grilled mushrooms & onions, herb cream cheese & pesto. My Mom had the "Honey Chicken Salad Croissant". Which was made up of chicken breast, walnuts, celery, red flame grapes and a delectable sweet honey mayonnaise.

After lunch, we strolled down the street with our smoothies. I had Peach/Raspberry, and Mom had Peach/Mango. We stopped at "The Paris Market", a couple of blocks down from Cafe Ambrosia.



I remembered that Country Living had featured their shop a while back, and was anxious to see what was inside. The window displays were beautiful...

Don't you just love the picket fence covered in old book pages?
Makes me want to cover something with them too!

I didn't take any photos of the shops main floor, but I couldn't resist snapping some downstairs. Just look at this place...

These green bins drove me wild!

And the antique bookcases, brimming with books that all had the same color spines, were amazing. The strings of light bulbs adds so much charm. I may have to steal the idea for my Reading Room. :-)





The table and chandelier in this next photo were incredible. And I love the mood the whole vignette creates.



It conjures up images of a Tuscany...breezes bending their way around tall, straight cypresses...olives darkening with oil...grapes ripening on vines. Hazy slopes dotted with colorful distant hill towns. (sigh) I really need to take a trip there some day.

Here is another vignette I fell in love with...

The dusty blue "sideboard" behind my mom was incredible.



I think I may have to re-do my linen press, to make it look more like it. :-)

I'll be back tomorrow with more photos of Savannah. It was my favorite city we visited on the whole trip, and I can't wait to bring Kevin back there in the Fall.

Oh! And thank you so much to everyone who left me Birthday comments last Friday! You guys are the sweetest! :-)

Layla

HGTV Green Home Photos

I'm still reeling from our serendipitous trip to the 2008 Green Home on Friday. I almost feels like a dream. (Mom- did I really get to see it in person?)

It's currently up for sale, and the asking price is $589,000.

My obsession with this house runs deep. I've had this photo set as my desktop photo on my monitor for quite some time now...

And I have a recurring dream about this antique piece of furniture designer Linda Woodrum used...



The antique brass picture lamp on the middle of the tabletop is amazing. And check out the galvanized wire baskets in the lower right. (Those came from Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta, I believe) The combination of galvanized metal and milky-white china stops me in my tracks every time!

I was able to take a picture through the glass on the front door, and what used to look like this:



Now looks like this:



The windows on the back side of the house were heavily tinted, so I wasn't able to snap any photos of the Kitchen, Living Room or Dining Room (boo). I was really hoping to see this stuff...





...but the house has been re-staged and put up for sale, so none of the things I was excited to see were there. I heard through the grapevine that the woman who won the house last year wasn't able to keep the house because of the high property taxes she also "won". So sad. :-(

There is a big body of water behind the house:



We spotted an alligator out in the middle of it:



Do you see him out there? If not, here's a closer look! Scary!



Here's a photo of my Mom in the backyard:



I'll never forget our quick visit to the Green Home...




It was such a magical moment in time for me!

2008 Green Home Video Tour

I'm back!

Hello!

I had a wonderful time in Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington and Jacksonville.
I took so many photos, and an entire video tape full of footage.

One of the unexpected highlights of the trip was when we came upon a billboard that read "2008 HGTV Green Home - Next Exit". Poor Mom didn't know about my intense fascination with the 2008 Green Home, but she quickly became fully aware. I'm not sure if it was the hyperventilating that gave it away, or the rate of speed at which words were flying out of my mouth, but I think it was pretty clear that this was a very special moment for me. :-)


I took several other photos of the property, and will share them here tomorrow. Til then, it's off to beddy-by for this one. It's late, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Zzzzzzzzzzz......................

Lettered Cottage - Guest Bedroom Reveal

We're back!

And our Guest Bedroom is finally ready for it's close up.

It's first of many, I'm sure....yes, I still have other big plans for the little room. (You didn't think I would ever actually be done with it, did you?) :-)



- I used a very fine netted drape on each side of the windows in the room. I wanted to created a breezy look, and the drapes ($4.99 for two at IKEA) did just the trick.

- The large, cream-colored cotton area rug on the floor beneath the bed is also from IKEA, and was just $39.99.

- The oar hanging above the bed is from World Market, and cost $19.99.



- The matchstick blinds are from Lowes, and it seems like they were around $9.00 each.

- Curtain rods are from Walmart and were a steal at just $5.92 per rod.

- I picked up the bedside table at a flea market, and paid $25 for it. The ticking stripe driftwood sailboat is from White Flower Farmhouse, it was $22.



- The wicker plant stand I'm using as storage for extra pillows and blankets was a gift from my Mom. She bought it at Eastbrook Flea Market for $25.00.



- The starfish strand hanging on the wall is from HomeGoods, and cost $7.99.
I love the navy and natural-colored twisted rope!



- The black metal fan in the window was purchased a long time ago at TJ Maxx for $9.99.



My estate sale dresser (a gift from a friend) finally has something pretty to reflect!

Seashells sprinkled throughout the room add more coastal charm...



Remember the vintage "Big Ben" alarm clock I got at Eastbrook Flea Market for $1.00?
Turns out it does work, and it also looks quite handsome sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, don't you think?



The bed belonged to Kevin's parents, and all I had to do was paint on some of the same black I used on our Kitchen cabinets. To give it a distressed look, I simply scraped parts of it off with my fingernail before it dried...



The bedding was all purchased on Ebay. It's all Pottery Barn bedding. The quilt is "Blue and White Ticking". The accent pillows are "Kristine", and the lumbar pillow is something with the word "Sripe" in it. (Sorry! I can't remember the exact name!) The white Euro Shams are "Pickstitch".



We hung what we're calling the "Lettered Cottage Collection" on the planked wood wall, next to the bed. We'll be launching a website within the next 2 days if anyone is interested in purchasing any or all of the items shown in the collection.

Here's a video we shot last year, the day we uncovered our planked walls. For some reason the music doesn't work anymore. :-(



And that's it! I can't wait for my Mom to come up on Wednesday and see it. She and I are going to visit my nephew in North Carolina this coming weekend, and we're stopping off for a night in Charleston, South Carolina. I'll be shooting lots of photos all the while, so check back if you're interested in reading about our travels.

And don't forget to visit Melissa at the Granville House blog today! She asked me to participate in her "Favorite Paint Colors" series, and I've posted updated photos of various rooms here at the Lettered Cottage in my guest post over there.