Designer Profile #2

You know how some songs are so musically great that you don't have to know the lyrics? You just hum along happily and enjoy the tune. Modern Country is that kind of blog. Aina is Swedish. Some of her posts are translated, and some are not. Don't let that deter you. Enjoy the photos and just hum along.











Aina is a talented decorator, who sews beautifully. If you already miss Cottage Living and Country Home, you must check out Modern Country.

Design Blog Profile -- Monday

As I mentioned, with the demise of so many design magazines lately, I would imagine most people are like me and getting their eye candy and design tips from other bloggers. I've decided to take this week to profile five design blogs that are my "go-to" places for inspiration or advice.

I was torn between putting my favorite design blog first or saving it for last. I've decided to put it first, mostly because it was really the first design blog I started visiting on a regular basis.

A lot of bloggers, including me, are bloggers who happen to enjoy decorating. Joni, of Cote de Texas, is a designer who blogs. Her blog is full of eye candy. If you need nothing more than a little inspiration, Cote de Texas is a great place to visit.

I love her French country style, which is the perfect blend of rusticity and formality. I could move into her house and feel right at home.

If you're willing to spend a little more time, however, Joni will teach you the basics of design, as well as the intricacies. Seriously.

Joni's posts are thoughtful, thorough, educational and entertaining. If you like the "Something's Gotta Give" house, there are several posts on Cote de Texas that will walk you through the design specifics.

If you want to know about the latest trends, Round Top Antiques Fair, the latest popular designers or where to the get the look for less, you will find it at Cote de Texas. While Joni has done the legwork for you, be prepared to spend some time. You won't want to miss a single post. As design magazines fall by the wayside, make Cote de Texas part of your design food. You won't be disappointed.

On a different note, new blogger friend, Mary over at St. Mary, has bestowed an award on Canyon Wren Cottage.

"This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to some bloggers who must choose some more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Mary, thank you for this special award. Please visit Mary, a designer who moved from sunny California to chilly Wisconsin to convert an old church to a home. You'll find yourself cheering her along and waiting for every new little update.

Now it's my turn to pass this award along to some other deserving bloggers...

One of my favorite bloggers is Julia at Hooked on Houses. Her blog is full of great decorating and design but with a twist. Julia is an excellent writer with a keen wit and sense of humor. She's also one of my first blog friends, and I appreciate her and her blog immensely.

Have more time than money? Top Design contestant, Eddie Ross, will show you what you can do with thrift store finds. Not only is his blog chock full of great decorating ideas, but when you leave a comment, Eddie is quick to reply -- by email. He's extraordinarily talented and generous with his time.

My friend, Amber over at Blue Mango, is a friend in real life, but we met over the internet nearly ten years ago. Blue Mango follows Amber's life as she balances motherhood, marriage and working and maintains a true center of self. Plus, she's a self-professed Michael S. Smith fanatic.

I met Sharon at Serendipty over the internet, nearly as long ago as Amber. Sharon is a wonderful decorator with a talent for sewing. Well that, and you can see her talent with my new blog header. She bought a fixer-upper cottage, and you should see all the progress she's made so far.

Finally, Katie, at Making this Home, is a new blogger friend whose blog profiles this young American couple's life in Germany. She and her husband have maximized the space in their kitchen, and they strive to live green every day.

Check back in tomorrow for another wonderful design blog profile.

Saturday Catch-Up

I've been asked about the vinyl floors in our living room. The brand is Cryntel, which is made by and sold at Lowe's. Sadly, it has been discontinued in spite of its popularity.

There are other brands out there, and the price range is as varied as other types of flooring. I did a lot of research before purchasing the Cryntel, and what I learned is if you have a cement slab, you're better off going with a self-stick tile that adheres directly to the slab. If you have a pier and beam foundation, Home Depot sells a line of planks that adhere to each other and not to the floor underneath. Homeowners with slabs were not always pleased with the result if they'd installed that type of tile and vice versa.

I've also been asked about the rug in the living room. It is an indoor/outdoor, sisal-look rug purchased on clearance from Ballard's. We love it. If you have kids and pets, it's immensely more practical than a natural rug, and it looks like the real thing.

My friend, Penny, from the Comforts of Home has asked about the hatch green chili burgers at Shady Grove. Hatch chilies are grown only in/near Hatch, NM. They are harvested in late summer and slow roasted to reach a subtle flavor with a slight tang and a bit of a bite. They make nearly everything taste better.

Have you noticed my new header? My good friend, Sharon, over at Serendipity is considering getting into the biz of blog design, and Canyon Wren Cottage is her first guinea pig. Did you notice that the design incorporates an antique postcard of downtown Austin? I love it! (Thank you sweet friend). If you are in the mood for a little blog redo, please see what Sharon can do.

Finally, next week, I will be profiling my favorite design blogs. Canyon Wren Cottage covers a range of topics, but the main focus is decorating, and with the decline of so many design magazines these days, a girl's gotta find her eye candy somewhere. Have a great weekend!

Hooked On Fridays and a Cocktail

My friend, Julia, is hosting a "Hooked On Fridays" party, which means we can just blog about whatever we're hooked on. I figured this would be a good excuse to promote one of my favorite Austin restaurants.

There's a road in south Austin called Barton Springs Road, and there's a stretch along that road with some great and somewhat historical eateries. My favorite is Shady Grove.

Shady Grove opened in 1992, but the building appears to be older than that. While the stone facade is intriguing, of the many times I've eaten there, I have never sat inside.
The patio, featuring a flagstone floor and outdoor bar, is HUGE. The centerpiece of the space is the very old and large live oak tree. Campy Christmas lights string out from the tree in a hub and spoke fashion, so the outdoor atmosphere is great during the day and fun and festive at night.


As for the food, we like the hatch green chili burgers. Yum!

Now on to today's Friday cocktail...

I first heard this Austin-based band, nelo, perform on a local morning news show last summer. If you like bands like Sister Hazel and Hootie and the Blowfish, you'll like nelo (rhymes with yellow). Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Before and After Party

My friend, Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality, is having a blog party featuring great before and after projects of 2008. We're still working on our media room, so that one will have to be a 2009 after. The best thing we did in 2008 was replace the flooring in our living room...
(Excuse the clutter in this pic. It was taken shortly after moving in).





What's even better about this before and after project is that the flooring looks like hand-scraped wood planks, but it's actually vinyl. It was also a snap to install. If you would like real wood floors but don't want the expense of them, or if you have pets like I do, vinyl has come a long way, baby.

Home of the Week

In a buyers' market, many home sellers are offering cars in addition to their homes for sale. The lucky buyer of this luxurious Austin home will receive a Bentley Arnage, and there's a four-car garage to house that puppy.

The listing for this lavish home says: Old world styling with exquisite finishes throughout including unique ceiling treatments, travertine flooring, Venetian wall finishes and custom stained glass windows. State of the art gourmet kitchen has Wolf stove, 2 Sub-Zero style refrigerators, 2 dishwashers, warming drawer and center island with sink. Fabulous living areas: media room, game room with full bar, 2-story library, wine and cigar room and sauna. Resort-like landscaping, outdoor kitchen, pool, spa, waterfalls and fire pit. Separate guest casita. Stunning views.

The Barton Creek estate has 10,511 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 7.5 baths and is listed at $4,950,000.

Doesn't this room's ceiling remind you of this home of the week's kitchen ceiling?













Finally, you may remember this home of the week back in October. It's at a place in the Texas Hill Country called Dead Man's Hole. I didn't know it then, but it happens to be Lance Armstrong's home. Read more about that here.

Out of the Closet

I have a confession. When I read about bloggers who are cleaning out closets and getting organized, I get very envious. I suppose I could clean out my own closets, but there's not much point.

While our Amarillo house had a much smaller footprint than our current home, what sold us on it was all the storage. The utility room was about 6'x 10'and had a whole wall of built-in shelving and cupboards. The master bedroom had two, large, walk-in closets. I miss all that storage.

Canyon Wren Cottage has woefully less storage than what we're used to. You've already seen the laundry area. That's a far cry from what we used to have. This home has just one walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and it's square. That's a problem, because the center of the space is completely wasted. It's also not that big. I can't tell you how many boxes are still packed away in the garage just because there's nowhere to put stuff. Thankfully, the master bedroom is large, and one of these days, we plan to build two walk-in closets and convert the current one to a walk-in linen and coat closet, accessible from the other side (the kids' hall).

Even though I don't have a great closet to organize yet, it's fun to look at inspiration photos.




As I was looking up closets, I recalled having seen Mariah Carey's mammoth closet on an episode of "Cribs" several years ago.She needs lots of space for her shoes.


Other celebs have extravagant closets, too. This one belongs to Paula Abdul.

This is Jewel's closet. It doesn't seem all that huge or fancy, does it?

We Texas gals need our blue jeans. Eva Longoria has many pairs and a great place to store them.

We don't have to be big stars to organize, though. Are you in the organizing mode, too?