As I was looking at the pictures we took over the weekend this one caught my eye!!!
When I was a young girl .....(the "period" now known as "Mid-Century"!)......I had the idea that I would have a little girl who sat in a chair and looked perfect! She would never get dirty and always act like a young lady...
This all began with THE unique light fixture!!! It's "life" started at the shop where Erica works. She and the owner, Connie, never felt it "fit" the shop's image. So, when they found a replacement last summer, I commented that I could find a place for it. They were more than happy to hand it over........
I was sure it would look great over our kitchen table .....and it did! But..... we had an electrical problem! As the electrician explained....the frequencies it threw off were so "loud" that it caused the circuit boxes in the garage to "pop"!!! The fixture was unusable!!
......Oh Boy.. I could buy another chandelier!!!! By now you all know how I love that!! It took hardly a day to find it's replacement.
I was determined to use the chandelier from the shop somewhere. A chandelier not finding a "home" is too hard for me to accept!!
Bobby, Carla, Giada, Erica and Adam were here this weekend. When I had a quiet moment (rare this weekend!) I asked Erica where we could "hang" it?? It didn't have to "work".....just hang!
Erica looked at me with those sparkling eyes of hers and said: "Grandma, I think I have it"!
Enter Master Carpenter.....we had to figure out how to hang it and not have it look like a chandelier! He remembered the "arms" were movable and placed them in a half circle. He then figured out how to hang it ...
Presto .......
I can't promise how long the "vase" will remain, but for today's photo shot it will do. The plant stand came from England on the ship Grandma's father traveled to the States in the 1800's.
The "Girls" did find time this weekend to do a little shopping. Saturday we ventured to Senoia. Erica found a hat! Just happens that Master Carpenter has one just like it !!
Giada looks better !!!!
(if you look closely, you can see the new chandelier over the table)
Master Carpenter is at work in his "shop" ......he started the Wall Units!!!!! Can't rush him, but I hope we have some progress soon to show........
But......when I got my Birthday present from our Son, Steve and his family, I started to "Think Christmas"!!!
Steve thought he was sending "Live" greenery and fruit for Fall. But, in reality, the wreath and garland are silks. He was so upset. I have reassured him that it got my mind churning and it is a FABULOUS gift!!
I didn't have enough ornaments to "decorate" our new home and a large tree. All the fabulous silk magnolias, greenery, and fruits I now have ......... well.........I can't wait to get to work!
I have no idea what I will do, but I'll have a lot of fun. I'm thinking of all the different ways I can adorn the live, flocked, white, tree we will buy. We haven't had a live tree since the Tacoma Christmases!!
This is going to be Great.......
Will start after Thanksgiving. With a live tree, I can't do it too early.
We needed a clock...... We went shopping...... We found a clock..... ......and...... We can read it!!
Eventually the famous "Family Clocks" will be hung. That needs to wait until Master Carpenter constructs the valances. I have to actually "see" the valances to know the desired "height" of the clocks.
I will say one thing......we will know what time it is when we are in the kitchen......
Two years ago tomorrow Patty's Epiphanies began!!!!! I have been know to love the Holiday Eves as much, if not more, than the Holidays themselves. So....I choose today to make my Celebration Post.
This is the First Post of Patty's Epiphanies. I thought it was worth repeating.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Welcome to my World of Design
As an introduction to this blog, I first want to thank my Granddaughter, Erica, for the suggestion that I start this adventure.Most of my family and friends know that my passion in life is Interior Design. Even as a small child, I remember picturing rooms in different colors and forms.It has only been in my later years that I have been able to express this passion. I have had the benefit of being associated with two designers, one a very talented unknown and the other a very well known celebrity in the Design World. Both have encouraged me to pursue my passion.Through this blog I hope to share all my thoughts (epiphanies). I have been known to change rooms at 3 AM ---just about whenever an idea comes to mind.I am not sure what format this blog will take on. I might let it just fall into place and evolve like design does.
Over the past two years, you all have gotten to know me and my family....especially ...MASTER CARPENTER.... Without Master Carpenter this blog would not exist. He calms me down when the computer goes hay wire, does ALL the technical "stuff" and most of all ......HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF FABULOUS IDEAS....AS HE DID YESTERDAY WITH THE REPOSITIONING OF THE DINING TABLE ......NOT TO MENTION THE PROJECTS I HAVE ASKED HIM TO DO.....and............HE HAS DONE THEM ALL AGREEABLY!!!!
I have also had my Granddaughter, Erica, at my side (by computer) to give design aid ....AND.....CREATE ALL THE FABULOUS PIECES OF ART AND BEDDING!!!!
Without these two wonderful people Patty's Epiphanies would not exist.
You have learned that I am not quite "Normal"!!!!! Certainly not the typical Grandma as my Granddaughters relate to their friends. I am impatient and I admit to that to everyone......This trait has gotten me into many messes, but in the end they work out.
This blog has been read all over the world. Can you believe that people in Odessa, Ukraine; Penang, Malaysia; Hyderabad, India; Canakkale, Turkey; Casablanca, Morocco; Groningen, Netherlands; and even Telkon, South Africa .
Thank you one and all..........for all your support over the past two years. It has been a ball for me and I hope you have enjoyed reading about my "crazy" ideas, life and antics!!!!!!!!!ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER POSTS.
Friday afternoon, Master Carpenter and I decided to revisit one of our favorite places, Senoia.
The town fascinates us .......just three years ago it consisted of rotting old buildings! Today, Main Street is a thriving street with fun, shops and restaurants. With new camera, in hand, Master Carpenter shot these images .....
In addition to the rebuilding of Main Street, the town has a history of being one of Hollywood's favorite places to shoot movies, Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy, Sweet Home Alabama, Broken Bridges and about 15 more..plus the Drop Dead Diva show.
RECOGNIZE THESE FROM "FRIED GREEN TOMATOES"?
"DROP DEAD DIVA" USES THIS HOME FOR INTERIOR SHOTS STUDIO PUTS FAMILY UP IN NEIGHBORING TOWN, TEARS DOWN WALLS, COVERS WINDOWS. HOLLYWOOD TRAVELS 3000 MILES TO DO INTERIOR SHOTS HERE. WHY???
THIS CHURCH IS USED FOR MANY FILMS.
While finding these "famous", fun locations we happened upon some gorgeous homes.
CIRCA 1900
SITE OF SOUTHERN LIVING IDEA HOUSE 2010
This one is for SALE!!!!! Hmmmm What I could do with this.....
Now everyone hold your hats (especially Janet and Linda!)....it's a "little" out of the budget!!! Just "playing" with you!!!!
NOTHING will change our Bucket List House....... and it is coming along fast and furious. Today they put up the drywall. We have real walls and rooms!!! It was too muddy from afternoon showers to walk through, but will tomorrow. Will share pictures soon....
Master Carpenter and I were so happy to catch up with Tess and Steve this evening. They drove back into Atlanta to start their long, long trip home. We met them at their hotel and enjoyed a lovely farewell dinner.
It was so great to have had the opportunity this week to do a little bonding with Tess and to catch up with Steve. He has so much going on in his life, we can't figure out how he knows where he is or what day and month it is.
Friday night, Steve and Tess drove into town on their first stop of a fun filled week of touring Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Yesterday we spent the day in Atlanta. Toured The World of Coke . Great afternoon. The place is fantastic! I was especially impressed with a 3D movie feature that was up to par with a Disney "ride"!
Of course we did a little Mall stuff at Lenox. Had to check out what Santa might be bringing Tess from the computer world. So many choices...
Then, before returning to the apartment we checked out the Bucket List House. The siding is up and the pillars!!!!!! The siding has yet to be painted white and when the door and shutters are up and painted black, it will really look like what I have imagined all these weeks! I'm pretty sure we will be having our pre-dry wall walk through this week.
Over the last years, Steve has prepared Tess a special pasta dish during their visits. Last night Master Carpenter and I were able to share in their Tradition!! The meal was excellent, has a secret ingredient .....Do think Master Carpenter picked up on what it is and can add it to one of his special dishes. It's amazing.....all the men in the family love to cook. Who would have ever guessed that?
Sadly this morning ....they left. We met them at their hotel for breakfast and off they went...... Tonight they should be at Patti's.....
I am hoping that we don't have to wait another year before we see them again. It's so hard having family so many miles away...........
I have more time on my hands in this limbo stage than you can imagine. Sunday morning I was imagining where I would put my trio nest of zinc tables. But......I needed to measure the depth of the largest one.....
No problem, so I thought!!!! I would just find it in the warehouse and measure it. To my dismay, it was against the back wall of this fabulous 11'6" x 12'10" room. This space has saved our move! There is no camera shot I can get that shows the extent of the space. Plus..........there is a large walk-in closet filled with stuff I can't even remember!
I was determined......I could get to that back wall....
I started by removing the wing back chair and two stools. Then I started the "climb". One leg over another stool, a few feet down to a slipper chair, over the back of that to the French chair....I was almost there! I had a few boxes to reach over and the glass console, but .....the zinc table was in sight! Finally I could reach it..........
Not so fast! I had my tape measure (thanks to the wonderful Christmas gift from Kenneth) but....my eye glasses were GONE!!!!!! I could measure, but I couldn't see the numbers!!!
So what does a person do in this situation? Go back.........The voyage back was a little more of a challenge, but I was successful and returned to the starting place. I looked all over the rest of the apartment for my glasses, NOWHERE.
You guessed it.........I figured it had to be back in the warehouse! So, I repeated the course. Again..........as much as I searched no glasses! How in the world can a pair of glasses, especially mine .....disappear? The trip back was easier this time. Getting used to the obstacles!
Back in the living/dining/kitchen I tried with all my effort to find these disappearing glasses!! I couldn't find them! Where in the world were they?????
Now, I know I am a little "crazy", but I figured I had to go back, yes back, through the maze.....and find them! You have to realize that for some silly inane reason, each time I return, I put back the wing back chair and the two stools!!! Don't ask...I don't know WHY??? So each time I returned, I had to move them back out!
Again I repeated the process. Again no luck.
I am getting a little smart and this time I didn't put the wing back chair or the stools back. I had an EPIPHANY!!!! Maybe, just maybe......... they dropped on the FLOOR!!!!
Now, if you can imagine this, I got on my hands and knees and looked through the maze of legs and boxes .......AND GUESS WHAT.....I could see them!!!! They were under the French chair!
The PROBLEM.......being able to contort on the floor between boxes, art and chairs to reach under the French chair and retrieve them. The only way........remove more stools which allowed me room to move the slipper chair a few inches. This gave me just enough space to reach under the French chair.........
AND.................
SUCCESS.........I GOT THEM.............AND I AM NOT STUPID.....I REMEMBERED TO HAVE THE TAPE MEASURE WITH ME!!!!!
FINALLY I MEASURED THE TABLE........................
Climbed back, put everything back in place. I had my measurement and after looking at the floor plan, realized the table would not work in the space!!!!!
Just a typical day in the life of a CRAZY LADY!!!!!
AND.... MASTER CARPENTER.............WHERE IS HE???......... HE'S STILL IN BED.....SLEEPING!!!!!!
Master Carpenter and I saw Charlie St Cloud this afternoon. It is a fabulous movie....!!!! Don't miss this one!!!!!
Will not give away the plot, but it is a beautiful, romantic story. We loved it!
BUT.....the BEST PART......Claire's name is in BOLD PRINT half way down on the credits. The credits don't move fast so you can see it for a few seconds. It was such a thrill to see CLAIRE WIHNYK up on the big screen. And it was spelled correctly!
The young, female lead, Amanda Crew, is a dead ringer for Claire.....Looks just like her! She plays Tess, with the so, so adorable Zac Efron, who is Charlie St. Cloud. I see now why so many love this guy. He's what we used to call "A DOLL" !!! Kim Basinger plays Charlie's mom, Claire St. Cloud. Her role is a very small one and is only in the first few minutes of the film.
You must make it a point to see this movie. It surpassed our expectations. Breaking our record of not seeing a movie since 2007 was a very smart move. We remembered what that movie was......Very Ironic.... THE BUCKET LIST !!!!
My Niece, Claire Wihnyk, works for the Producer of the new Zac Efron Movie, Charlie St. Cloud. The entire family is so proud and excited because her name is on the film's credits.
Assistant to Mr. LeBoff........Claire Wihnyk
Please one and all.....stay to the very end and look for Claire..... See you at the movies.....
One year later.....different house....different "BASH".....
Thanks to my Brother Bobby's, Patch, suggestion... we enjoyed a toast in our new Dining Room to celebrate our 51st Anniversay... It was fun. Thanks Bobby for the idea. We had a ball!
This is a candid shot, Master Carpenter took of me without my knowledge. I am having my First conversation on the phone in our new home. The lucky caller was our daughter Patti.
Master Carpenter and I had a wonderful visit with our daughter, Patti, our son in law, Mark and our granddaughter, Maggie. A six hour drive is so worth the rewards of the visit and being with them.
I can't believe this, but the HIGHLIGHT of our weekend was Friday night. Patti and Mark were not sure we would be interested, but they got tickets to the Greensboro Grasshoppers' baseball game on Friday night. They are in the Minor Leagues. The last baseball game I attended was in the summer of 1955, just months before I met Master Carpenter. It was Pee Wee Reese Night at Ebbets' Field, Dodger Stadium, in Brooklyn, New York.
I must admit this was more fun!!! I had never been to a Minor League Game, but they are fun...REAL FAMILY FUN!!!!
Look at the Bat Boy!! His name is Yogi Berra! Too funny and was the highlight of the evening!
Just for "Patch", I followed Grasshopper's #14 .... The final score was 10 to 4 ...Grasshoppers winning over the Asheville "Tourists"!!!
#14 was the only Grasshopper player that didn't get a "hit" ....was only on First for the shot I did get from a "Walk"!!!
At the end of the evening there was a 15 minute fireworks display that was on par with the ones that we saw during Norfolk's Harbor Fest......and they do this every Friday night!!! It was announced that 6000 were in attendance. Overall, it was so much fun!!!! Thank you, Patti and Mark for arranging this great evening.
OK, click on to the May post, scan down and see what day you chose and where you are today in the contest!! Some are pretty near the bulls eye!!!!! Who will it be????
Master Carpenter and I ventured out one day last week to take our minds off the stress! We drove to one of our favorite new finds, Senoia, Georgia. It's a fabulous Historic town, about a 30 minute drive from Sun City. I think I wrote about it in an earlier post. Oh yes, it's the place I found my great new painted console piece!! (AKA....MY GOLF CLUBS)
That day we were informed that Southern Living Magazine was building a small development of different lifestyle homes. The Brownstone Section would have an end unit they were designing as their 2010 Idea Home. It opened June 12th!!!
No hesitation.... we were heading there......Maybe get some "ideas" for our Bucket List House!
Master Carpenter decided to do his favorite pastime, Geocaching, leaving me all the time I wanted in the Idea Home!! We both had a ball!!!
The home was filled with absolutely gorgeous furniture and accessories in a gracious Southern Design!!! Thoroughly refreshing !!!! A switch from my usual Transitional-Contemporary! It made my appreciate how lovely all of Grandma's pieces were. I am glad I managed to save some and hand down the rest.
There was one feature that stood out!!!! So simple ...I almost didn't see it! The home has a wonderful long covered porch off the family, dining and formal living rooms. To protect the porch from sun, they installed a roll-up awning. EPIPHANY.....EPIPHANY.....The Bucket List House has a covered veranda off the kitchen and great room. The PERFECT place for such an awning!!!
When Master Carpenter met me later, I walked him around to the side of the home. He thought it would be just the right thing for our veranda!!! So, we now have our first Epiphany for the Bucket List House. Hopefully we will be able to have it "approved" by the powers that be (The Sun City Peachtree Architectural Committee) !!!!!
While I am on the subject......Master Carpenter will be building two of his world renown custom shelving units on either side of the fireplace. This home has identical five foot niches on either side of the fireplace! He says the one he did last summer was his "practice" unit! I guess that means these will be "New" and Improved"!!!!! That will be the FIRST item on his Honey Do List. It holds the TV!!!
Below is a link to the Southern Living Idea Home. It will be featured in the August issue of the magazine that will available in a week or two.
Before two years had gone by.....both Master Carpenter and I could no longer take all the stairs......so you know the story.....................
Without too much trouble, being that I kept up on newly built condominium developments , I had Master Carpenter in the model of what was going to become home #25. The deal was (as always) we had to sell where we were, this time, the three level condo...... I think Master Carpenter expected it to take months.
I sold it in one day!!!! Didn't hurt that after being the Site Manager on the project, I had a list of buyers who were waiting for a resale of our model to come on the market. One phone call ......and I had a contract in hand! Carried it over to Master Carpenter, who was at work, for his signature, and put him into shock!
So ...Linkhorn Bay Condominium became our next adventure.
We were planning our first cruise to celebrate our 40th Anniversary. The plans went like this:
Booked Cruise to Europe
Cruise Canceled
Money Returned
Bought New Furniture With Money!! Simple
Enter Bill Shaver.....We headed out to buy our new furniture and Bill was the first person we saw after entering the store. We gave him an idea of what we were looking for. He made a visit to our home and then we set to work. Started with a curved Sherrill sofa and chair, two silk needlepoint rugs and a great bed. The rest is HISTORY!!!!!!!
With Bill's help the sofa, chair and iron bed made a fabulous 40th Anniversary!
Loved the Kitchen ....Black tile floors, black granite counter tops and white cabinetry
PIERPOINTE CONDOMINIUM #27....Norfolk, Va.
Really can't put a reason on why I was itching to look at something else, but I was. I had heard about a great new project in the Historic section of Norfolk. I took a trip over to the site and knew we would be there some day!
The trick was selling Master Carpenter on moving to Norfolk!!! It took awhile, but with some strong convincing I was successful.. We sold our condo in about three months...not one day, but still in a reasonable length of time. The problem was now there weren't any units available in PierPoint. They were sold out!!! The third building was just starting construction and was about a year out from completion. We rented an apartment and decided that we wanted to live in that neighborhood and would look at any, and all, condominium buildings that had units that would come on the market. I am counting the apartment as #26 because we moved into it not knowing where or when we would buy our next home! We thought we could be there a year!!! I am not counting it into the title of this Post though because it was not really our choice, just a holding place!!! After two months, a unit in the second building of PierPoint came back on the market................you know the result ...signed a contract for #27.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!
The project consisted of three buildings. They were built on a 100 year old pier. The Wisconsin Battleship was docked on one side of the pier and an Asian Pagoda and Gardens were on the other. The middle shot was taken during a Harbor Fest weekend the first June we were there.
This was a great period of my Epiphanies. (with Bill's help) I would describe an idea, he would tweak it and Master Carpenter would do the work!!!! Except for ONE project that Bill did. He loved to faux paint and we asked him to do the surround on the fireplace wall. It was a day that the three of us would always remember and a special day that Master Carpenter and Bill shared.
The Great Room With Bill's Touch of Genus
MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALLS
MIRROR BACKSPLASH AND ITALIAN GLASS TILES
This was the period of GREAT PAINTING!!!!! Bill pushed me to go "outside the box" ... try dark colors.... and paint ceilings!!!!! We had a ball. The unit was so, so dramatic! Don't know what was more striking....the Decor..or the View!!!!
THE FIRST OF ERICA'S ART WORKS
OUR SECOND ERICA CREATION
Now...you say what in the world would prompt me to look further........ A developer introduced a spectacular new high rise ....unbelievable 32 story condominium with a concierge, doorman, and amenities one would expect a Trump building to have!!! The design resembled the Empire State Building and I was taken in 150%!!!!! So.....our PierPoint unit went on the market. We had plenty of time to sell. The ' Empire State Building', AKA, Granby Tower, was a good three years from completion. In fact, all that existed was an empty lot, a gorgeous mock-up of a model, and a beautifully appointed Sales Trailer. It took one year and 6 months, but we finally got a contract on our unit.....BUT..... no sign of anything with Granby. The "talk" was that it would never get built !!! It was the beginning of the down turn in developers getting financing. It was 2007 and we had signed our contract in late 2005!!!! So again we had our home sold and no place to go..................
GRANBY TOWER...STILL A DREAM
TRADEMARK CONDOMINIUM #28...Charlotte, N.C.
EPIPHANY HOUSE NUMBER ONE
Being that I had my heart set on a high rise with Trump amenities....I searched the web and discovered Charlotte, North Carolina. Within a couple of days we were again under contract. We bought a unit on the 17th floor and dreamed we had our home in the sky!!
This was the setting of the birth of Patty's Epiphanies ....... please go to the archives ....all of the pictures of our masterpieces while living here are there.....
We had no idea that this would turn out to be the worst mistake of our lives. The building was acceptable, the views were amazing, the unit OK (all 1100 sq.ft.), but we lived with aliens.......our neighbors were all under 30, hip, and party people! Now can you see us in this environment??? The unit was on the market after nine months! I was a mess and Master Carpenter announced it was his turn to find our "resting place" and a 55+ Community..................Sun City Peachtree
We are about at journey's end! One more to go.................................
