Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Girl talk, kolaches, antiques & a wedding

One of my cousins got married in Houston a few weeks ago and my Mom and I decided to make it a mom-and-daughter quality time trip so we could finish a few conversations we had been trying to have for the last three and a half years. We got so much talking accomplished in such record time that by Schulenburg we ran out of things to talk about so we stopped for a kolache. It was almost as fun as stopping for a "cup of coffee and a piece of pie" like my Mama always liked to do.


We struck out early Saturday morning, armed with a list of must-see shops recommended by Joni on her Cote de Texas blog. We were inside Loop 610 and on Dunlavy by the time shops were opening at 10 a.m. First thing, I fell in love with these lamps at Boxwood. They would be perfect in our bedroom because the ceilings are so high and everything always seems so out of scale when anywhere else it would be fine. Actually, I fell in love with quite a bit in that store.



See what I mean? I love it when I find something as clever as this fabulous chair. If I was to buy this chair, it would make me happy every time I walked by it. It's hell having La Crema taste on a St. Genevieve budget.

In the same shopping strip is The Country Gentleman (3829 Dunlavy), where I spied this yummy little green chest. The owner there, Larry Bahn, is delightful and the store is crammed full with fabulous antiques from all over the world. If you love religious artifacts and statues and crucifixes like my little old Catholic self, you will love his shop.

This corner piece was so fabulous. I think someone I know needs to buy this for her new house.

Back at Boxwood, I loved these glass apothecary jars and this rustic brown cocktail table. If anyone is interested, I know a crusty old Kingsbury craftsman who could make this for you, so strong you could dance on it.

As luck would have it, my camera battery crapped out and I had to run next door to the Fiesta Food Mart to buy a disposable camera before I could venture on to Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy. So you'll just have to wait until I get the pictures back like we did in the old days. As a consolation, just take a look at these two little cuties:


Our spiral staircase freaks out a lot of people. We installed a baby gate at the top, but once C&C got reasonably steady on their feet we figured it was safer to teach them to maneuver it. So far the only ones to almost break their necks have been much older (say for instance me).

4 comments:

cotedetexas said...

HI!!! I'm glad you liked the stores!! I was there last Saturday, lost my credit card in the parking lot and had to send my husband to retrieve it from Mona. Where he bought me two antiques from her! yah!

JOni

Painted Groove Girl said...

That's the way to work it, Joni! I loved the shops. Boxwood was my favorite and we ran out of time before we could venture to their sister store...Foxglove I think. I'm sure you're familiar. Anyway, thanks for helping us plan our itinerary!

Anonymous said...

Greetings,

Thank you for taking Joni's advice and planning your itinerary around
the shops on Dunlavy. It is great to have a destination where you can find unique things and where the shops have an identity of their own.

I appreciate the comments, as I have worked hard over the the last 25 years to make the Country Gentleman a unique place, always making it a place where you can expect the unusual.

As President of the Houston Antiques Dealers Association, I, as well as the other members of our organization value someone like yourself,who knows and appreciates fine antiques. I invite you to attend our next HADA event which will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, September 19-21, 2008.

Sincerely Yours,

Larry N. Bahn
The Country Gentleman

Lavender Chick said...

Thanks for the tour. I sure wish I had been on that trip with you and your mom! Especially for the coffee and kolache!

I think I need to talk to that Kingsbury Craftsman... I need a little coffee table just like that; I have the perfect spot for it. Let's talk....