Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Magical Memory Maker

I live in Austin, but it was Katie @ Preppy Empty Nester
who gave me a heads-up on this amazing venue
right here in downtown Austin.

 Kudos to the Weston Downtown Austin
for creating this life size gingerbread house as the perfect
spot for brunch with these two cuties.


 I arrived a few minutes early to add some special touches
to the table before the girls joined me.

The Weston had covered the tabletop with the perfect plaid
wrapping paper, black napkins, and white dishes.  I added
Courtly Check chargers, red gingham napkins with tartan napkin rings, a tabletop tree, and party treats as take home favors.

 A tabletop tree from Bethany Lowe was embellished with
Courtly Check glass balls, miniature lighted gingerbread houses, tiny tin hearts, Santas, snowmen, and candy canes.

It was three days to Christmas,
and the littles were filled with excitement.

I filled pink tins from Target's Dollar Spot
with candy for the girls to take home to enjoy later.

I also found the darling 2017 snow globe with the gingerbread
boy and girl at Target, a music box that plays Toy Land.

Special gingerbread cookies in a tin and gingerbread boy
and girl headbands were waiting at their spot.

 The little girls were beyond excited with 
all the sweets and the details of the gingerbread house.

Festive boxes of caramel treats and a
Starbucks gift card waited for the "older" girls.

We ordered off the brunch menu, 
and the food was delicious!

Curren, our waiter, was both attentive and engaged.
Outstanding service!!!  Thank you, Curren!

A big thank you to Weston Downtown Austin for offering this
creative venue that was perfect for making magical memories.

They say that the best gifts to give children 
are experiences that provide lasting memories.
In this day and time when many children have an abundance
 of toys, electronics, etc. it makes sense to give a gift 
that creates a magical memory for years to come.

Joining

Continue Reading....
25 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Saturday, December 17, 2016

1950s Blast to the Past ~ Christmas Home Tour






Mid Century Modern 

Have you noticed?

The 1950s are back in vogue!




A recent holiday home tour in Georgetown, Texas

featured five homes built in the 1950s.

Aluminum Christmas trees,  Shiny Brite ornaments, and

other throwbacks to the 1950s were the style du jour.





Period cars such as this 1957 Chevy Belair

were also featured at each of the homes.




One of the homes belongs to my 

niece, Samantha and her husband, Michael,

a couple who are passionate mid century design enthusiasts.




Samantha and Michael have furnished their home

with authentic mid century furniture,

some of which belonged to my parents.

As such, I admit, I'm not as 

enthusiastic about the relics of this era.

"Been there, lived it!", as they say.




That's not to say that I can't appreciate it though.

I have much respect for my niece and her passion

for this period of my childhood.

The mid century console is from Michael's parents.




It's fun and refreshing to see her confidence

in developing a style esthetic all her own.





I remember her joy and excitement when she found

this period dining room table and chairs at a shop in Houston.

 The dining room mirror hung in my bedroom when I was a teen.




Samantha inherited the "dish" gene from her aunt.

She's definitely a girl after my own heart when it comes

to setting a table with a collected vibe. 





Placemats ~ Target

Tartan Charger ~ Arita, c1960s

Old Curiosity Shop Dinnerware ~ Royal, c1950s

Salad Plates ~ Southern Living 

Star Napkin Ring ~ Z Galleries

Flatware ~ William Sonoma

Glassware ~ Vintage



I admire the way she mixes vintage

with an unexpected contemporary twist.




The updated kitchen is an open concept

and truly the heart of the home.





Samantha loves to cook and

carries on the family tradition of baking

cut out cookies.  The cutters are ones that were

passed down from my mother's kitchen.





Glass front cabinets feature

some of the dish habit I referred to above.





 Colorful Vintage Pyrex 

produced from 1947 to the late 1960s

mixes with vintage 50's Santa mugs for a holiday touch.





Vintage Pyrex Snowflake

adds a winter motif.




Franciscan Atomic Starburst 

 dinnerware from the 1950s.




More of the Franciscan Atomic Starburst

 with a vintage ceramic tree.




Contemporary Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

 platinum-trimmed dessert set by Lenox.





This set of mid century acrylic candle holders

were found in a shop on Galveston Island.





The master is an addition to the original 1950s home

and includes a spacious, modern bath.





The added space is large enough to accommodate a king bed,

a size that was first introduced in the mid 1950s.

It's also large enough for a full size Christmas tree.

Isn't that romantic?





Retro pillows by Catstudio

add a festive mood to the bed.





The original layout provided three bedrooms and two baths.

This was the original master that included a small bathroom.





 Samantha's collection of Mc Coy pottery marches across the top 

of a vintage wardrobe that had been in Michael's family.

Vintage glass Christmas tree ornaments are nestled into 

the vases and planters produced in the 20s and 30s.





The mid century swivel bucket chair 

was from my childhood home.

Santa is a hot water bottle from the 1970s.




Down the hall are two more bedrooms and a bath,

Michael's home office and a second guest room.

The vintage Christmas stockings were stitched by one of my aunts.

Samantha rescued the blue stocking from my aunt's estate sale.

The pink one belongs to me, authentically from the 1950s,

it is my cherished childhood Christmas stocking.



A covered deck was added across the 

back of the home at some point.





It offers a wonderful outdoor space to relax 

or for entertaining friends and family.




A small table at the far end is perfect  

for alfresco dining for two.




Tell me, are you a fan of mid century modern,

or are you like me, "Been there, lived it!"

All photos by Michael Walton

Click here to view a previous post on this home.

Joining


Continue Reading....
49 comments
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)