Oh how I heart Fall!!!

There are no words to explain how giddy I become when we get that first "cool spell." That's what my Mom and grandfather always called what they also called the first "cold snap." For my entire life, I have been in love with September, for so many reasons. In fact, if I was the type to do such a thing, which I certainly am not, I should have named one of my daughters September.

I guess it all started when I was born in September. Every year, regardless of where we lived, a special package would come in the mail from my grandmother in Seguin. It was always something fabulous, and usually, a really cute outfit to wear in the fall. One year when I was about seven, the birthday package contained some dark purple bell bottoms -- in velvet. There was a lighter purple blouse, and a purple vest that went over the shirt. I'm telling you, I rocked that outfit as often as I could, until I wore the velvet off the knees. As you might imagine, I love fall and winter clothes much more than summer clothes. Plus, I'm modest, and prefer to leave something to the imagination, as in "clothed." I also was born to wear fall colors because of my brown hair and hazel eyes.

And then there was the start of school, which always meant school clothes! When I was growing up in Alpine, August and September were heavenly (still are!). Warm days fueled thunder storms and cooling rains. By September 25, my birthday, the temperatures would always cool down so I could wear whatever school clothes we bought at the mall in Odessa -- or at Joske's in San Antonio. This year, Mother Nature was a couple days late, but she remembered my birthday and sent some cooler temperatures all the way to Seguin.

So what does this have to do with my painted groove, interiors and design? Well, I've noticed it's not just me. Cooler temperatures signal something in us, beckoning us indoors, turning our attention to nesting and fixing up the interiors of our homes. Whether cooler weather gets us to thinking about the holidays, a fire in the fireplace, cozying up the place, I don't know, but it dependably happens.

At this very moment, I am scheming to revamp my girls' bathroom, searching for curtains for practically every room in the house, and still praying for that cream shag rug I have requested for my birthday and Christmas for at least two years. (hint, hint)

I loved this room designed by Wisteria. I generally am a color girls, so the red and black appealed to me. But the cream and gray grounds it and lends a restful quality. I have a dresser I could probably "faux" to look like that little gem being used bedside.

And I love these windows and this rolling shelf in this kitchen -- from Restoration Hardware. Why do I suddenly hate cabinets? A lack of cabinetry, definitely uppers, appears to be all the rage. Sure, upper cabinets close me in and offend my delicate sensibilities, but a kitchen like that is only practical if you have a huge butler's pantry, (which I don't). And in this particular photo and most kitchen photo shoots, you can see the faux family has no plastic Tinker Bell sandwich holders or Lisa Frank lunch boxes drying on the island.

My need for change extends to almost every room of the house. For example, I want to throw out all my furniture and get two of these chairs, in this exact color. Oh my God this would be fabulous in my house, with the cream-colored shag rug. The only problem is, I'd have to throw out my sofa and all my other furniture because they would not seamlessly mesh. Oh well.

This room below, from Restoration Hardware, is a little fancy for me and my life, but I loooove the linen-covered sofas and the warm tones coming from the fire. And four tall floor lamps at the corners of the living space? Brilliant. I love it.

Of course in my house, those lamps would fall to the tune of "timberrrrrrrr" probably in the first week. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whaterver ... we're pretty casual around here. And, there would be Littlest Pet Shop animals strategically placed all around the bases of the side tables. Now you can understand why I am somewhat insane.

So am I alone here? Is anyone else looking inward, with an eye toward spoofing up the nest?

How to find heaven while still on earth ...

Have you ever thought about what heaven will look like? We decided last week it looks like this niche. This is the kind of thing that makes me happy. It blows my skirt up and floods me with thankfulness because I am so blessed to be able to work and make money doing something that beautifies the world.

While beautification and transformation are the underlying principles in practically everything I think about, it's not that way for everyone. Sometimes we get clients who just want faux finishes because the people down the street have them, or because they saw them at the Parade of Homes. We do the amazing job and they're happy, but not in a profound way. It's more like: "Okay, I can check that off my list."

But other times, we suggest color changes and make improvements that change the way our clients actually "feel" when they are in their homes. In this house with the heavenly niche, our client was absolutely ecstatic about the glorious changes we were making in her home. She thanked us profusely, and meant it. She was the most joyful person: funny, genuine, thankful. She was a blessing to us!

Back to the heavenly niche: You must know it was a collaborative effort. My very talented angel painter friend Mary Hulin started it by skimming out the monterrey drag texture (blek!). Monterrey is just hell on fine faux finishes, but Mary made this niche as smooth as a baby's bottom. Then, a day or so later, with my neck in a permanent right-cranked cramp from the dining room ceiling, I begged to do the plaster. A straight-ahead niche was a welcome break.

It has become our new favorite finish.

Across the way, this is the dining room ceiling that right-cranked my neck and later wiped Mary out. Here's the before:

Poor little boring thing is just begging for something to be done so it can stand out and shine! You know this upgrade feature wasn't cheap and so far wasn't living up to its potential!

And after! So pretty and elegant. And worth all the paint, plaster and aggravation.

If there's a moral to the story here (and isn't there always a moral to my stories?) it has to be this: Please go find your special purpose. Whatever blows your skirt up. It may take you the rest of your life, and it isn't going to be easy, filled with nothing but peace and love and puppies. But I promise that if you look and listen you will find it.

Next up: a dreary little bathroom that has become an embarrassment.

A jig, a job, an online garage sale ...

Let's just say my painted groove has taken a jig and a jog, and a long break from blogging. An obsession with simplicity has emerged. My taste in faux finishes has changed. I want less stuff, no clutter, manageable spaces, and using our monetary resources in other ways than we have been. It's a new day and it's exciting.

In the interest of time, here's the short version: I indulged my long-time passion for painted furniture last year and began selling vintage and antique pieces at Back Alley Antiques in San Antonio. Then I met a new faux finisher friend and started collaborating on jobs with her. This made me too busy to paint furniture on a speculative basis. So earlier this week I brought all my leftover treasures home.

Now the old me would have kept them all and incorporated them into my home. New me wants to sell everything at a huge discount. That's why I'm telling y'all. If you like it, it's yours. If you need measurements, just let me know. If you like the piece but it's the wrong color or you have a better idea, you have come to the right place. I can fix it for you.

After this, it's going up for sale on craigslist, up for grabs to those "other people."

An estate auction find. Alphabet Jumble Table in metallic silver, antiqued finish $98

I am still a huge fan of Back Alley Antiques. In fact, I think it's critical to respect and incorporate older furniture and accessories in our lives because they add character and a rich energy into our homes. Nothing makes me crazier than new houses full of nothing but new furniture. But then that's another subject for another post.

"Half a Table" console with faux dark chocolate leather top $125

When my new friend Mary asked me to consider painting with her, I was a little leary. Most of the time, at least in my world, art is not a collaborative process. And, other people can get on your nerves. That's why I do what I do. I like to think, create, pray and transform -- on the job. For me the work is regenerative. I didn't want to mess that up. But as it turned out, Mary has been the best blessing. She works so hard, and is very talented. And, we laugh a lot. I have seen the error of my ways.

I really don't want anybody to buy this. $150

Petite pink, gold & chocolate antiqued side table with leopard spots $89

As a freaky perfectionist who wants to do everything, and do it perfectly, my painted furniture and antiques endeavor was nagging at me, and making me feel like a loser because I wasn't giving it my best. If there's one thing I have learned it's this: If something is bugging you, get to the bottom of it and change it! Prune it and free yourself to grow in new areas. And read Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson.

Cool mirror from an estate auction $50

3-tier spooly table. This is just way too cute. $80

Martha Washington sewing cabinet, $40. The legs are a little "off" but it stands straight.

Princess Pilar's Naughty Chair, $50

Of course this isn't everything. I'll charge my battery and take some more pics. Leave a comment if you're interested!

The stars aligned but we forgot coats & cameras ...

Sometimes the transformer -- that would be me -- needs some transformative rejuvenation. Sometimes she needs alone time. But other times she needs to renew the creative energy with laugh-your-ass-off girlfriend time amidst mountains and beer joints.

So a few weeks ago, the stars aligned and I was actually able to sneak away on a quickie trip to West Texas with two of my old, old, old best friends, Deb and Lisa. They're not really all that old. We've just been best friends since the olden days. One of us actually just turned 45, but I'm not saying who.

Why is this blog worthy? Because I am just floored and amazed and blessed to have such creative and amazing friends. Does your average girl has such talented friends? It has nothing to do with me. I'm just fortunate. Anyway, more about that later. This is a tale about weather and mountains and old friends. You know, the usual.

Leaving Fort Stockton, we could see the windstorm/cold front in the distance and realized we forgot heavy coats. But it looked a pretty long way off. There is nothing wrong with this sentence. It's perfectly normal to say "a pretty long way off."

Here's Deb, the creator of a lavender body care line, getting gas in Fort Stockton, looking just a little bit too much like Cousin It. We were experiencing the cold front hitting first-hand. Then we realized we forgot our fancy cameras so my handy iphone filled in.

You know how the stars aligned and these three incredibly busy women were able to get away for a whole weekend? Well that's just part of it. Our other old, old, old, friend Dara actually met us at the White Buffalo Bar at the Gage on our first night there. Lisa had not seen Dara in probably 25 years. It really was just like old times, except the wine was much better!

Remember that I'm kind of obsessed with mountains? Well, this little pointy mountain is called Mitre Peak. There's a tragic Girl Scout camp at the base of it (tragic only because I'm not the Girl Scout type and I went there one year and they made you wash your own dishes. I thought I was on vacation. I mean seriously. And, they wanted me to sing. Please). One day, it would make me so happy if I could see lava oozing out the top of Mitre Peak. Doesn't it just look like that's bound to happen? Someday?

So what do three creative chicks in need of artistic renewal do on a free Saturday with no agenda? Ride around. And take pictures. We spent our entire youth doing it and it's really effective for solving the problems of the world and soaking up the energy of the beautiful West Texas landscape. When we called Dara to see if she wanted to go with us, she said she was perfectly happy in her warm house, out of the nasty cold wind. We understood. She gets to see these mountains every day.

When you're fortunate enough to be a lucky girl from West Texas, this is what you get used to seeing out your front windshield. This view struck me so powerfully. It was like a whack to my head that said: "Do you see this? Do you realize how blessed you are?" I got it. I get it.

But you know, in between beautiful mountains, there's a town here and there. And as you might imagine, if you're on a drive around the countryside, you might happen upon a bar. This one is in Marfa. It's called Padre's and it's located in the old funeral home. I don't know the address but it's on the south side of the railroad tracks, right near downtown. You can find it, real easy.

Here are my creative friends, who are also kinda gorgeous, bellied up to the bar. Really, their bellies weren't even close to the bar because they don't even have bellies. What's significant here is I love the chandeliers: the juxtaposition of the dark, edgy bar-ness, with the luxury of the chandeliers bringing light to the darkness. After gazing upon the cactus painting, I decided I'd better get busy painting because I could so paint that. Lisa cautioned she thought it was painted by somebody famous, as a way of telling me maybe I shouldn't say that out loud. Whatever.

Here's the entry area leading to the restrooms ... old velvet paintings paired with crystal.

I will be impressed with your bathroom if you've got a beautiful chandelier for lighting, and even more if you pair it with old-school floor tile. Love it!

While in Marfa, we decided we'd better go stop in at Mando's and determine whether their food is as good as it was back in the day. We were not even close to being hungry, but it was good enough to entice my gluten-free self to eat a flour tortilla. Pretty decent, and the green sauce was as good as it used to be.

Lisa (who's kind of an amazing photographer of famous people), spied this interesting vignette out the window of Mando's. She told me to take a picture with my iphone because she left her camera in the car and didn't want to go to the trouble of getting it out. Ok ....

Then, on the way back to Alpine, I made Lisa pull over so I could take a picture of this sign at Paisano Baptist Encampment. Such a beautiful scripture, but I like the NIV version better.

I lift my eyes up to the hills -- where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. -- Psalm 121:1-2

I needed rejuvenation, and God's "help" came in the form of some time with my girlfriends, in my own personal heaven. Pay attention: Your help might come from a really sweet snuggle with a wiggly five-year-old. Or, a suggestion from a friend, that's really hard to hear. Help is out there: in the mountains, in the sky, in your friends, in the little things that become big things. We found it in all the energy of the universe, in hellish weather that included wind, hail, rain, and God's promise of a rainbow over Iron Mountain.

It doesn't have to be elaborate, or expensive. Sometimes you need to get away and see things from a different perspective, and that's when you might just get the "help" you need to grow and develop and renew yourself.

I'd like some wine and cheese with my whine, please!

I have stress-induced ADD and here's why. I am stressed. Why am I stressed, you ask. Life is good. I have faith, blah, blah, blah. Well, the main reason I am stressed is because my house is dirty. You think I'm exagerrating. Truthfully, it isn't just messy. It's a filthy pigsty. Unorganized. Cluttered. Bordering on disgusting.


Oh, I'm sure many of you would think it's fine. None of my friends, mind you, but some of the other people who read this blog. Ha! I want to assure you that I am not dabbling with hyperbole again. It is seriously bad and my chi has left the building. Here's a look at my daughter's closet, the other day before I made her clean it. That was the other day. It's right back to this:

I once read it's not good to shame your children, but I think she should be ashamed. Notice I'm only showing your her mess. I'm not about to give you a peek at my own personal nightmare.

So anyway, the reason my house is a pigsty is because I've been busy beautifying the houses of everybody else. Yay! Business in a recession! It's all good. But it's making me crazy. Right now I have a work-at-home day, but I can't concentrate BECAUSE THERE IS TOO MUCH CLUTTER EVERYWHERE AROUND ME. There is no peace & love in this house. So I'll blog. And show you the homes of other, organized, happy people:

I did some touch-ups at this beautiful house in the country. I wanted to go to their house for Christmas dinner, but alas, I was not invited.

I ventured to the Valley to beautify the entry ceiling of this bank. If you ever need a bank, I would suggest Texas Community Banks because they obviously have good taste and an appreciation for beautification.

Right after the bank I got a another job out of town, to antique the cabinets in an enormous kitchen makeover, whole-house remodel. Even though it was two hours away, it's a beautiful drive:



One foggy morning it looked like this.

The silence on a long drive is a good thing.

Before I started the job, the cabinets looked like this:

And then after I did my magic, they looked like this:

But wait! Here's what they look like once they got all dressed up with their "jewelry" on:

Who wouldn't love to have this refrigerator?

Or this super-sweet stove?

Love these pulls.

Wouldn't it be great if my house had its own personal dumping ground like this mud room? I bet if I had these cubbies, my house would not be as messy because I have three kids that would use them. I'm sure of it.

It was a huge job. And it's not finished. Now a sample for crown mold in the kitchen is pending approval. And we wrapped up a black stain on the upstairs cabinetry Monday. I haven't even managed photos of that room yet. And all this reminds me that I need to call the clients and tell them about the sample. So for now, I'm going to go whirl away on another tangent, which sadly does not include cleaning my house!