Designer Luncheon

What a great day yesterday! I attended an event for designers at The Sweetwood Collection and Valerianne, where we had lunch and caught up with friends. 

This is a beautiful spot for shopping.  The girls, Stephanie and Denise, from The Sweetwood Collection, are the ones to see if you are looking for unique finds, accessories, art and repurposed antiques.

Aimee, from Valerianne, carries gorgeous high-end bedding and other textiles. 

When I got home, I removed the bow from my little giveaway, and it landed right on a paint swatch on my desk.  It looked so pretty there.  It made me smile. Sort of life imitating art.

Then I noticed that it looked good with a citrine stone that my son had given me for Christmas and told me to keep on the corner of my desk to attract prosperity!

 Valerianne and The Sweetwood Collection
295 Sunset Park Dr.  Herndon, VA 20170
703-437-3500

Colorful Stories

I had a very colorful childhood.  It was a good childhood, don't get me wrong.  I have a huge list of relatives and I spent every weekend with one group of cousins or another.  I remember complaining, as a teenager, "Ugh, I can't go do such-and-such, because my relatives are coming over!"  To which my friend replied, "I wish I HAD some relatives".
I had an Uncle Bunny, an Aunt Peachie and an Aunt Baby Sister.  Baby Sister hated her siblings calling her that, so they shortened it to B.S.
I have a house full of treasures handed down to me from my extended family. I call them Grandmotherly Things. Recently, my cousin gave me this antique crib:

You see it here, in my sunroom, or as I refer to it, the Room Where Old Furniture Goes to Die.  I haven't planned how to decorate the sunroom yet, and every old hand-me-down seems to land there.

Anyway, back to the crib.  It was in my grandmother's house forever, long after there were any babies to sleep in it.  It would be completely illegal to use it now, but somehow we all survived. (There were 16 grandchildren on that side of the family.) We used to play in it every chance we got.  When we spent the night, we'd sleep in it, even though we were well into elementary school.

My cousin had it stripped and repainted and it is beautiful.  Look at the detail of the side latches.

Notice the side rails are both down.  If the side latches were to slip, that rail drops quickly to the ground and it is heavy as lead! It would take your foot off! My cousin used a strap tie to make sure they stayed up.
I don't have any grandchildren yet, and I'm not sure what to use this for. A friend said to use it for display.  Display what?

It's a little too big for my studio.  What would you use it for?  Please leave me your suggestions in the comments below.

Field Trip Friday

Well it's too wet outside for Field Trip Friday so we will pretend my trip this past Wednesday to the Washington Design Center happened today.

Check out this gorgeous chair I saw in the Holly Hunt showroom, upholstered in antique Fortuny fabric.  I knew something was up when I saw that the fabric had been seamed on the top of the chair near the back.  Home decorating fabrics made today are almost always 54" wide, making it unnecessary to have a seam on a chair like this. This seam became part of the charm.While we are on the subject of chairs (for the second time this week!) there is a special auction going on at the Robert Allen showroom.

The three chairs you see here are the same style and size, but different designers covered them in different Robert Allen fabrics.  Can you believe the difference? Ah the power of fabric and pattern!
Chair on the left by Lauren Liess,  center by Skip Sroka and right by Mary Douglas Drysdale.

Field Trip Friday - It's Back!

Finally, there was a little downtime last week and the opportunity - and more importantly, willing paricipants (!) - for a field trip.
We didn't have to go far. We went to Middleburg, VA to be precise. It was a central meeting spot for those in our group.

Baileywyck Farm and Shoppes is located on St. Louis Rd. in Middleburg. This is the heart of Virginia horse country for those unfamiliar, and even the drive there was spectacular. The shop is located behind a house and next to Golden Dreams Therapeutic Riding Center. Part of the proceeds from the shop are donated to Golden Dreams.

Before we even entered the barn that was loaded with all the treasures, we posed outside the entrance where there were lots of vintage garden items. I was in heaven already!!
We were greeted at the door by the owner, Lisa Vella. She owns the shop with her brother, Jim Vella.
Lisa is a really fun, enthusiastic person who generously shared her knowledge of the antiques she has, plus some stories about the thrill of the hunt. (The hunt for antiques and treasures, that is!)

 

This is the inside of the 4000 square foot barn, which was packed to the gills with all kinds of Wonderful. There were beautiful antique furniture pieces, accessories,  chandeliers, and even rugs, so with all the looking up and looking down, I had to make several trips around the place. Though I didn't photograph them, there were many pairs of antique doors which caused me several fits of hyperventilation. My favorite pair, from Brittany had gorgeous ironwork on them. Now to save my pennies and figure out a place for them (I can think of several!)

 



Not everything in the barn was old. There were room fragrances and diffusers. Also several new pillows.  I especially liked the one above with the double ruffle with raw edges made of burlap. There was a similar one with the ruffle being constructed of four layers of silk whose edges were not sew, but cut with pinking shears. Beautifully rustic!

The Baileywyck Shoppes are located at 21197 St. Louis Rd., Middleburg, VA 20117
The hours are  Thursday - Sunday, 11:00-5:00.  Other days by appointment. (or by chance, as their website says).

 

Upon leaving Baileywyck we headed straight for a sign we had seen for an Estate Sale. One can only imagine what we'd find at an estate sale in Middleburg! As it turned out, there was a lot of stuff, but mostly yardsale items. I took a picture of this record set and sent it to my friend, asking if she needed any piano music "in an Intimate Mood". She replied, "I'm willing to bet 'The Girl from Ipanema' is on that record"!

 

It was a hot day, and a girl gets thirsty so we ended our adventure at Cana Winery at the other end of Middleburg. It really is a pretty spot with the loveliest views. You can bring your lunch or buy snacks there. It was the perfect way to cap off Field Trip Friday!