Have you ever had one of those friends whose creativity, talent and style INSPIRE you and make you a BETTER person??  
I am blessed to have several of those people in my life, but my girl Katie Town ~ owner of the fabulous BAUBLES by Katie ~ 
is truly remarkable in so many ways, her
‘Suburban Farm House’ in Atlanta is just the beginning…
check it out in today’s OPEN HOUSE!!

 

‘It’s hard to grasp the scale of this recent addition to our house. This armoire is a bit over 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Even friends who have seen photos and then see it in person say – ‘holy cow’. It may be my most favorite piece yet and was purchased at auction by my husband for a mere $100. Of course it cost me $150 to move it, but still a small price to pay for this behemoth vintage lovely. The wood alone is worth that! It was bugging brad how they stripped wood from it in sections – and I had been wanting to do something with the vintage cow tags I had him buy me at a farm auction years ago. So I started slapping the cow tags on the door. {Click to ENLARGE images}

This piece houses our TV equipment, my computer, fax machine and many files. Its a mini office space and I love it! My collection of various fat chickens and roosters sits atop it… I have my eye on a great folk art wooden one at a Mexican restaurant in Atlanta to go in the remaining vacancy on the top right.

On either side of this are another of my favorites. When I was planning our wedding reception I took this photo of Brad’s old 2 cylinder John Deere that I wanted to have made in to stickers to use to address the invitations to our reception. I needed it manipulated to match my red bandanna color scheme so my friend Cathryn Simmons doctored it in Photoshop. She and her partner Lori created these 2 painting as wedding gifts to us and I treasure them.’

………….

‘The stretched burlap COW is one of my favorites. Brad begged a bar owner for this piece and it remained folded in his closet back in Iowa for years. Like almost every framed piece in my house, it was done by the very talented artist Lori Buntin – who I entrust all my framing to. It says – “if you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullsh(covered by the bull horn)”. The suitcase below holds all my mom’s old recipes; the Hereford plaster bull came from the Garden City, MO Antique Mall.  {Click to ENLARGE images}

The other side of the hall is another freebie – old literature files that came out of my dad’s old office in our basement. He brought these from an old employer back in the 60’s and they were old then. (I notice I have a love of things with lots of compartments). There is another set in the basement that I would like to nab one of these days! I also love books and using books as displays. A top these books are a vintage travel suitcase with a fun kitschy pattern, and somewhat politically incorrect piece of art, a vintage poster depicting how to roll a cigarette. I think its a riot, and when I saw the bold colors, I had to have it. It is from the fabulous artist Rhett Johnson.’

………….

 

‘My iron kitchen set has been so good to me. Its so heavy, but it was FREE on the side of the road. {Did I mention that KT is a Junker EXTRAORDINAIRE??} 
I have recovered it once for my shabby chic condo and now did a fun bright print…

I also love my “The Jeweler” sign that my hubby and I spotted, also at the antique mall in Garden City, MO which where our farm is. I said “I have to have that” just as a huge thunderstorm was hitting. Our windows were down in our car, as was our dog, so we left. I went back the next week and bought it, the same night Brad came home and was so sad, telling me he went back to buy me that sign but it was gone. Yeah, because I bought it!  {Click to ENLARGE images}

The green bench {under the windows in the top picture} was another old memory. It is from Roundhill, our community “barn” tennis and swim club where I grew up and life guarded. These were the benches on the tennis courts built by a late friend of the family so they hold special meaning to me. Many a tennis match I won and lost while taking a break on this bench. It was a “wedding present” courtesy of the Roundhill board after our reception there. Mack loves to climb on it and it fits perfectly below my windows in my kitchen. Funny how new houses we move to have a way of fitting my things in a new way.’

………….

‘I love adding to my collection of T’s. My dining table I bought in Leavenworth, KS for for a bargain about 8 years ago. It was a great turquoisey stain made from old reclaimed wood. I foolishly painted it white for my shabby condo and had regretted it ever since. I took it out to our backyard recently and decided to strip it, I liked the “not completely stripped” look I was getting, along with the faded turquoise/green hues coming through so I left it. The hutch and 2 chairs on either side of it I antiqued, they were a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. My mom found them at a garage sale for them right after they got married 23 years ago, so he was passing them along to me. The 2 yellow chairs on either end of the dining table belong to that set as well, I just put $15 Ikea slip covers (made for parsons chairs) on them. I had 4 red ladder-back chairs with my dining room but recently gave them away. I’m in search of retro metal zinc chairs – that I can afford!

Of course my cowhide rug from Craig’s List works perfect in here - I think!’

………….

‘Our sun-room houses Mack’s play room and my studio space… I love this wooden piece of furniture purchased from Cactus Creek- it has served as an island in 2 homes, a TV stand and now holds Mack’s books and family pictures. The piece behind it of old license plates is always a conversation piece.

The huge wooden basket is one slaves used to pick cotton in the late 1800’s – not a bargain, but a treasure.’

………….

‘This bathroom is a hodge podge of some favorites as well. The horse collar was my father-in-laws that I had framed. The wall has an old oil panting that I bought at a garage sale for 25 bucks and I am still in love with the colors. I love unframed old canvas paintings, I just can’t usually afford them!

The winged art piece and Italian tole candelabra were gifts from my girlfriend Mel. The polka dot pottery piece I picked up at the KC Art Institute’s student sale they have every fall for under 20 bucks. I also love this chunky old dictionary. The table was from the Garden City Antique Mall for 15 bucks.’

………….

My son Mack’s room is a hodge podge too, isn’t my whole house? His wall has a decoupaged “M” that I did for him, a needlepoint of a yellow lab by aunt amy, another yellow lab pic I just liked, and a photo from etsy that a gal took of an apple orchard back east called “mack’s” – I also collect a lot of Mack Bulldog Paraphenilia for him.  The COWBOY picture is a Dolan Geiman that I just bought!

………….

 

‘This is a treasured piece – the wedding quilt my sister made us. Full of fun bright colors and I love it! To preserve it I put it on our guest bed so it will last.  I used my old display pieces from 10 yrs ago when I first started Baubles, as a headboard. The small olive chest of drawers my Mom paid 25 cents for at the salvation army before I was born.’

………….

‘Another oil painting and a great old trunk plus french enamel vases.’

** Click HERE for Katie’s GORGEOUS Baubles by Katie **

** Click HERE for more about Rhett Johnson **

 ** Click HERE for more OPEN HOUSES!! **

** Have your HOME featured in our OPEN HOUSE Series ~ just Click HERE to send pics & tales to Fancy@CactusCreekDaily.com **

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com
BLOG delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm under Love It!!, Open House and . Comment RSS 2.0 feed. Comments/Pings Closed.