Storybook Cottages

This past weekend hubby and I left for a few days on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.      I wanted to stop in Mobile to check out a couple of flea markets I found on line.     The only one we went to was a real disappointment….I didn’t even take pictures.    The stuff was a little outdated and, as hubby says, they were real proud of their prices!    

But the neighborhood the flea market was in was the neatest little place I’ve seen in a while.    On the one street we checked out, you could tell that all the houses and yards were lovingly tended to by the owners.   

See for yourself…..

   

  

   

 

 

 

  

    

 

 

After leaving Mobile we headed to the Biloxi/Gulfport area.     Almost four years after Hurricane Katrina, there is still quite a bit of destruction to be seen.      However, many of the residents have rebuilt and I believe have done a beautiful job of bringing “beauty back from ashes”.     Here are a few of the homes I took pictures of on the road behind Hwy. 90, the main highway connecting Biloxi and Gulf Port where there was so much damage:

 

Most of the trees are finally coming back to life.    I took this sitting in a Wendy’s parking lot.   The part of the strip mall you can see is still not completely operable….there used to be a little ice cream shop on the end of the mall where we’d get ice cream.  

 

Looking across Hwy. 90 at the gulf.    From what I understand, the eye of the hurricane came in right about in this area.

I wish I had a better picture of this home….it was landscaped so beautifully.    There was a sign in the yard indicating that a landscaper lived here.

 

 

 

 

 

You can see how much I loved this little green house….I took lots of pictures of it!

 

Hubby decided he liked the “Craftsman” style home

 

 

 

Look at this grove of old trees….

Look, honey, maybe we could afford this house on the beach!

Aren’t these trees amazing?

 

 

Cute little white cottage….wonderful swing!

   

Right after I took this picture my camera batteries died so as they say “That’s all folks”!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Memorial Day!

I’M A DOOFUS!

Today at lunch I made a real fool of myself.     My friend (Tara) from work and I were sitting at a fast food restaurant when this couple came in.    The man and woman looked somewhat familiar but I couldn’t place them.      When my friend left to go to the bathroom, the man came up to my table and asked me how I was doing.      I thought this was the computer guy that works on our computers at work.     S-o-o-o I launched into a conversation that went something like this:

ME:   My computer at work is giving me problems today.   I can’t get on line (more babbling from me)….I think Tara is having problems too.

MAN:   Oh?  (Smiles and nods head as if following this conversation).

ME:   Yeah, and I think I owe you money from when you came out to the house a few weeks ago and worked on my computer there.

Man:  (Smiles)

ME:    Have you bought the additional memory for me (for my computer)?

MAN:   We’re working on it……(turns and walks away).

 

 Tara came back right then and that’s when it dawned on me this guy wasn’t who I thought he was!     I asked her if that was “D” (our computer guy) and she said no!     I said “Let’s get out of here!”

So we got in my car and I called hubby to describe the man to see if he might know who it was.     He said no but thought this was real funny!    I worried he might be a client who comes to the office but Tara and I could not place him.    I called my boss (who was out of town) and described the guy and asked him if he thought he might know who it was…..it was all he could do to keep the car on the road he was laughing so hard!

So all afternoon I’ve been trying to figure out where I know this guy from.    Obviously he knows me since he came up to me to begin with.    I still have NO CLUE who this person is!     It’s driving me crazy!    That poor man, he probably thinks I’m a crazy lady that wants to give him some money!”

Classic Southern Charm

Nothing catches my attention more than a charming southern interior.    I recently came across the home of Charlotte, North Carolina designer Kristen Cox and her husband Craig.     Kristen and Craig’s home is awash in calming neutrals and rich woods.       Kristen says “we both love tradition, but with contemporary elements, unexpected colors and lots of comfort.”    Let’s take a look at her gorgeous home and see how she put her design philosophy to work:

 

Here’s the front of Kristen and Craig’s home

Step inside and you are immediately drawn to the soothing palette with little pops of color

Kristen used a favorite fabric on the back of her slipper chairs for a punch of color and pattern

Seagrass rugs, white slipcovers,  dark wood and built-ins….what’s not to love?

 

Look at this wonderful oversized light over the kitchen table

The walnut island offers lots of storage.   Kristen painted the kitchen area in a warm charcoal color….certainly not an expected color in the kitchen, and of course a large dose of white to off-set the dark color

She used tea-stained roman shades in the kitchen and banded them using the same charcoal as the wall color

The master bath features dual sinks sat on a dark walnut cabinet.   The mirror is an antique.    Kristen also used a pair of sconces in addition to the overhead lighting. 

 

In the all-white bedroom, Kristen used two pillows for an unexpected pop of color on the bed

I love how she used three panels for the window treatment here which adds another layer of interest to the room

I hope you got some great ideas from Kristen and Craig’s home.   I know I did!    You can see the full article on Kristen’s charming home here.

All photos courtesy of BHG.com