Equestrian Decor In The Gameroom

Hello,

How are you? I hope you are doing well. 

I came across some amazing horse sketches done by my grandfather. At some point, it looks like he took drawing classes as an adult. They were tucked in an old photo album up in the closet. I know that I'd seen them before and I'm not sure why they didn't grab my attention before now. I've had my grandparents things for 36 years. I decided that I needed to frame the top horse. The bottom horse head is a tiny bit torn and I was going to just frame just the top horse but Bill took objection and said that I needed to frame the whole study.

The sketches weren't a custom size - of course. I perused Hobby Lobby to see if they had an oops frame that would work. There is a little corner where they sell the frames that weren't cut to the correct size. They are pretty heavily discounted. 

I thought I found one that would work but it was a bit too narrow. 

In the end, I had a gorgeous antique frame in my stash. This beautiful inlayed frame was hanging in my craft closet for a long time. The mat was a good color scheme and it fit the sketch perfectly.  

It was the springboard for an equestrian theme in the game room. 

This room is a little den at the top of the stairs. It's open to the stairwell and the entry. It was perfect for the kid's computer, t.v. and video games and now it's where my ugly recliner ended up after my shoulder healed. 

It also houses all the big brown leather furniture. I love the furniture in the fall and winter. In the spring and summer it's not my favorite but it's so cozy in the cozy months. 

Once I had decided on a new decor theme, it was time to round up some other equestrian elements. 

The prints are of works by Albert Ludovici.

I was able to learn that he painted scenes in London and Paris. These belonged to either my parents or grandparents. The graphics fairy had a printable that fit perfectly in the pseudo gallery wall. The placement of the thermostat and light switch has driven me crazy the whole time we have lived here. Rather than try to hide them, I've just decorated around them. 

Everyone has light switches! I hope everyone has a thermostat. 

Bill's grandmother's child size spurs are tacked into the vignette. They are so cute. 

A fox box relates to the theme. I got this from my step- sister's grandmother. She was kind enough to let me tag along to their family lunches. The trunk belonged to my grandmother. 

I remembered a tea cup and saucer with a pretty lady riding side saddle. 

The horn lamp came from an estate sale last Christmas. 

It was coming together. A horse figurine would be a finishing touch but I quickly realized that horses don't come up at the thrift stores much so they must be highly prized. According to eBay, they are. There was a pair of 80's horse trophies up for sale so I hit Buy It Now. 

They arrived but it wasn't love. That is some bright gold right there.

These are constructed the same way that lamps are constructed. 

The parts were metal and the base is marble. I bet horse trophies now days are made of all plastic.  

I took them apart. 

I decided to use the horse and the marble base. That way they could tuck into a vignette.

  I gave the horses a squirt of old gold spray paint. 

Cute! 

I layered in some buffalo check. 

I'm going to make some boot trees for my riding boots. 

Here's how the gallery wall relates to the rest of the room. 

It was very gloomy today so sorry for the pic. 

I've got a skinny alpine Christmas tree for this room but I didn't really have ornaments. 

A thrifting adventure yielded some adorable ornaments. 

The glass horse looks like it has a western saddle but I was thrilled to find it. It was made by Old World Christmas and it was $4.00. The plastic rocking horse was $3.00. The horns were 50¢ each and the carousel was $1.00.  That didn't make sense because the carousel is as cute as the rocking horse but I'll take it. The little pillow was $5.00. I already had the blue rocking horse. 

My favorite thrift store was very late getting Christmas out and their prices were really high. 

 They have a new manager who seems to discount stuff to get it out the door. We'll see if they discount Christmas stuff before the holiday. 

I'll take some pictures of the tree when I decorate it. 

This is a new theme for me. I had a hunt theme in this room when first bought the house but that was 30 years ago. I think everyone had a hunt theme at that time! If you have been around for a while, you know that I love creating a new theme and shopping my house. 

The little trophies and the ornaments are all fun thrifted finds. 

That is all for now. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and read my blog. 

Katie 

It's Time For Needlepoint and Plaid

Hi, Friends,

How are you? I hope you are all doing well.

I've been busy layering in some boxwood greens and gathering up plaids and needlepoint point pillows so that a base is set to put out Christmas. 

Let's talk about needlepoint and plaid. 

My collection of plaid fabrics and needlepoint pillows started in 1990.  My husband, Bill, brought a Victoria Magazine to the hospital when my youngest son was born. I was hooked. There was no other magazine like it at the time. 

It was the November issue and it contained a spread with images of needlepoint pillows paired with plaid. I thought it was a gorgeous combination.

Ralph Lauren Hampton Floral China was also featured in the article. If you are interested head on over to Replacements Ltd. to have a look at the value of these dishes. I've been on the lookout for one little piece but I don't think I've ever seen one in all my antiquing jaunts and my jaunts are plentiful. 

I've been very successful in collecting needlepoint with a black background. My collection isn't huge and has other background colors as well. These are pulled out seasonally or as the mood strikes. Black is my favorite though, especially at the holidays. 

Years ago, a darling cottage and church came across my path. It recently got re-framed into an antique frame that I found at an estate sale. The frame needed a really good cleaning as it was unearthed in the garage of the house but it was only a couple of dollars. Were the spiders extra? I don't know. 

Shortly after reading the article in Victoria, I found my first pillow with a black background. To this day, it's one of my favorites. Paired with the black Stewart tartan it is so beautiful. On a side note, it seems weird to have fans on our bedside tables but we're in Texas. It can be 50° one day and 90° the next. We need them all year. 

The very old oil painting above the faux fireplace goes so well with this scheme.

Simple faux boxwood garland from Hobby Lobby is a great alternative to a pine garland. It doesn't shed! 

The fabric in the oval frame is from a doll pillow that I'd had since I was a child. It was actually probably my mom's doll pillow because the fabric seems to predate my childhood years. 

The pillow was a bit ragged and torn but it was too beautiful to be thrown away. Framing a scrap seemed like a great way to preserve the remnant. It features pansies which are some of my favorite flowers.  

The Frenchy looking gold clock was thrifted at a boutique thrift store. My favorite thrift store opened another location in the next town over. The best things are sent to that store. It's beautifully staged. It's almost like an antique or consignment store. It has nicer things but the prices are higher but it's all for a good cause. 

 I've never tried to see if the clock works. It's electric but I took off the cord. I had no intention of ever plugging it in. 

Pine cones from East Texas are nestled into the garland. 

The lamp was in the office until Bill took it out. It adds a cozy factor since the candles aren't lit. 

You would think that by now, 32 years later, I'd have yards and yards of plaid. I do not. I'm picky about my tartan. The color combinations have to be right. They can't have those tiny metallic gold threads. 

I prefer to find it thrifted which also makes it a challenging but fun hunt. 

There was some thrifted yardage in my stash for years. It's been used as a tablecloth on occasion. For some reason I am reluctant to cut it. This year, I folded it in half and stitched in a rod pocket so that it can be hung in my daughter's old room. Hanging this was a beast because this is a weird short window. It took three tries to get the proportions right. I think they are as good as they are going to get. It's fun for the holidays. This room looks so Christmasy but there isn't a single Christmas item in the room yet. 

 A newish needlepoint with a blue background pairs well with a Martha Stewart quilt from Macy's. 

I found it on clearance years ago. It was a worthwhile purchase since we've used it for so long. 

I found a few little books in the bookcase. Aren't they perfect? 

We wouldn't want the t.v. room left out. 

Classic red and black buffalo check has been a little over done in the last few years but it is a classic. 

The smaller guest room got another favorite pillow. This one had a corner chewed off by the dog when she was a pup. I stitched it back together and it's as good as new. Dixie was a chewer. 

That will have to do it for this post. I was in the midst of composing this yesterday while the A.C. people were here replacing one of the coils. 

I heard a loud commotion. 

One of them stepped through the sheet rock. 

They patched it and the painters come today to give us an estimate. 

This is a small corner of the game room but it is open to the stairwell and the entry way. 

The house is 32 years old and we don't have the paint. Additionally, the popcorn has been scraped off and it's left a bit of a texture. I have no idea what they will say. 

I got a voice mail later in the day that said that they put the new coil on the wrong air conditioner. So there is still a bad leaking coil that they will come replace today. 

The scheduler said in the voicemail that he need a moment to process what happened before I called him back. I needed a nap! 

It was not a good day for our air conditioning company whom we have loved for years and years. 

I felt so bad that it had happened to them. 

That's all for now.

Katie 

Christmas In The Garden Room

Hi, Friends, 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We did. It was different but it was good. 

 I started decorating a few days earlier this year. I like to be all done and the house cleaned up by Thanksgiving. A few things are still being tweaked but we are enjoying all the twinkle and sparkle of the tiny lights and the frosty garlands and trees.  

I'm enjoying the nostalgic feel of the garden room. The garden room is always one of my favorite spaces to decorate so I thought I'd show it to you early in the season.

I hope you enjoy these images of our cozy space.

This room gets a lot of vintage plaid. 

I've been collecting plaid items for quite a few years. The time to buy seems to be during the summer. It is hard to buy a wool throw in August when it is 105 degrees but I cannot pass them up. 

They are getting harder to find. 

My husband's favorite piece of Christmas decor is the Folger's coffee can from his grandparent's house. It always sits next to his favorite chair. 

Stockings from my grandparent's house hang on some hooks behind his chair. I adore these stockings from the late 40s. The graphics are amazing. 

Across from my husband's chair is a display of vintage postcards and plaid coffee mugs. 

I'll pick those up when I see them too. 

I have this pencil post tree somewhere in the house every year. 

It is one of my favorites to put up. It's wrapped in plaid ribbon, black satin ribbon, mercury glass garland, and white tiny lights.

Vintage German glass ornaments hang from the boughs. These are from both sides of our family. 

I'm not the most graceful so a few have gotten broken over the years. 

Other beloved ornaments are sprinkled in as well.

Minimalism is not the order of the day on the dish dresser. 

It is packed with collected and heirloom plaid picnic baskets, tins, mugs and thermoses. 

The egg nog set was an antique store find last December when Bill and I had an antiquing date day. 

I hope that we can do the same thing this year but who knows? 

At night it is warm and cozy. 

Here are some room shots so that you can get an idea of what the room looks like from both sides. 

The ceiling is corrugated tin. We did this room in 2003 so we were ahead of our time on that choice.

There is a dog door so the animals can come and go as they wish. 

It is heated and cooled by a mini split. This helps cool the rests of the house as well. It's amazing.

The little fire box was a Christmas gift to Bill. It warms his feet on chillier mornings. 

 It's only 10 x 17 but we love our little sunroom.

I hope you have a very blessed day. 

That is all for now. 

Katie