Dear Santa...

I have been very good this year.  Except for when I yelled at my kids (a couple of times), took a store bought cake to the Fall Festival cake walk and told my husband a tiny white lie about the cost of something I bought at auction. It was a teeny one, really.


All that aside, I really want a crock pot and a dish rack. 

Yes, I know, tall orders, very stylish gifts that every girl dreams of.  But, I am going to step out of reality for a sec and send my fantasy wish list all the way up to the North Pole.  Think of it like Oprah's favorite things, only sanctioned by Birds of a Feather (which is clearly just as popular).  While you're at it, just like Oprah, can you grant all of these wishes to our readers too? Just a friendly elf-like suggestion. 


So, if you decide to forgo the crock pot and dish rack, then perhaps you could place a couple more things under my gargantuan tree?


When all of my Christmas gifts magically appear, perhaps I could store them in this lucite trunk? I know, it is not cheap, but this is my fantasy...

This, I could put just about anywhere and it just makes me happy.  

Every girl dreams of a doll house. You remember...Barbie Dream house, complete with Ken and pool? My seven year old found this one and passed it along. What designer doesn't want to play house in a mini replica of a gorgeous mid-century modern. Think less play house, more "architectural model". See it here!

The thing I love about this house is that all of the people are made out of wood. As I explained to my seven year old, they are, therefore, pretend. Which of course, means that they cannot spill red Kool-Aid on the tiny white Eames style sofa. Isn't it fabulous?

In all seriousness, I use my IPhone for everything. Clients get tired of me showing them fabrics, furniture and finds on my tiny IPhone. Having recently discovered the "Mark On Call" app, I could use this new IPad to show off room designs, layouts, floor plans and more! Right there on the job site. Or look up recipes for my new crock pot. 


Santa, don't you want me to be more efficient? You could use one too! I am sure there is a "Naughty and Nice" app.

If not the IPad, why not the Galaxy Tablet by the Droid people? 

Does anyone know which is better? Pros and Cons?  

I like to call myself a "Mac-head" because it makes me sound artsy and cool."Droid-head" just doesn't have the same affect??

The latest book by style icon, Jonathan Adler is being called "part style bible, part decorating guide, and part self-help book". Let's be honest, I could use a little self-help. I feel better already just looking at the cover! 

Order a signed copy here!

Finally, this is a must have. I could wear it in my new bathroom.

It is from Garnet Hill and is a little pricey, but it is 

Eco-friendly cashmere and is described on their site as... 

So stylish you could wear it as a long belted sweater during the day, so exquisitely soft you'll want to snuggle in it all night long. 

Really? I could wake up in it, belt it and off I go? And, I would feel so carefree, I could juggle Christmas ornaments.  

Bye bye birdie, 

~H

Credit to: ElementsofStyleBlog.com, Brinca Dada, Mecox, Apple, Jonathan Adler, Garnet Hill, Samsung

Open House!

Holiday Open House!

Host: Ann Schutte & Hooper Patterson

When: Sunday, December 5, 2010

Where: Ann's House

So,  we sent out Open House Evites to 150 of our closest friends this week... If you are in Wilmington and you didn't get one, you were supposed to but after a few hours trying to master Evite and add to facebook (but not all 300 friends) my A.D.D kicked in and I abandoned the cause.

But anyway... YOU ARE INVITED! We are so excited to showcase the talents of many of our friends...

Jen Griffin makes these beautiful totes and so much more...flower broaches, hair pins, leather earrings... She is a great friend of mine and so talented. She is a photographer and can take a stick and make it look like art! Can't wait to see what she brings to open house!  You can find Jen's shop Remnants on Big Cartel....

 You can also check out her blog Fotojenik (on our blog roll)

 Melissa Tyson Upham is another friend... we went to art school together (oh the stories I could tell...) and she is an amazing jeweler. Jeff- if you are reading this I will be oh so kind and go ahead and purchase everything I want for Christmas.  To save you the trouble because that's just the kind of thoughtful wife I am...

check her out... http://melissatysondesigns.com/store/

(Ring size 6 ...please...)

Shellie Jernigan is a talented soul... her shop is Pillow Happy on Etsy and she is a busy woman! Her pillows are beautiful and in demand! I could fill a room with her fun designs...

Heather Jernigan has Sawgrass Candles on Etsy. She makes these lovely soy wax candles scented with essential oils. They are beautifully packaged and  make great gifts! I love pretty candles, can't wait to see her new scents!

*We will also have Jay loves Lou (Etsy), all natural soaps, Soundside Carpentry Frames, Christmas wreaths, message boards and a great offer from Blue Whale Portraits (blog roll)if you come to our Open House!

It should be a good time!

 Now I'm off to clean my house with a leaf blower! Does that seem weird? 

See ya there!

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A & H

credit to: Fotojenik, Etsy, Melissa Tyson Designs

Christmas is right around the corner

"Elfie" has arrived. With Christmas 25 days away, Santa's helper is perched with a view of my sweet little sugar plums ready to report back to Santa every night on just who has been naughty and who has been nice. 

This morning, I overheard Hutson deep in conversation with our little elf.

"Hi Elvie, it's me, Hutson. I just want you to know that Graham has been very bad this year. She is bossy and mean and pushes me a lot."

With all of the Christmas chaos about to start, I wanted to share some pictures that will warm your heart and bring it all back to a time when things were really simple. Wrightsville Beach Magazine (a great read from our neck of the woods), has inspired me with an old-fashioned Christmas. 

Click here to step back in time and may your days be merry and bright, even if your little elf has nothing but bad things to report.


                          Bye bye birdie,
                                ~H

Credit to: Elf on a Shelf, Wrightsville Beach Magazine

What would I do...

Are you so tired of seeing this furniture... I hope not, because it is AMAZING! Just needs the right family. I have always wanted to do a fun modern space and just have complete freedom to create.... let's just pretend for a moment you gave me that freedom ...what would I do with this furniture?

Here goes....

I would put this dresser and headboard in a guest room in a carriage house for a young couple... In an old carriage house with dormer windows and sloped ceilings and wide, uneven pine wood floors... (are you with me?)

white walls, thick white molding and tons of light...

I would layer the bed with white... texture and lots of pillows....

 Definitely toss in a little zig zag....

Hooper put these in a clients home and I have been loving them ever since.... These would be the bedside tables I would choose...

And I am so sorry to kill the budget with these $600 paper mache artichoke lamps but really... don't you just NEED them?

Because I am mindful of budgets...this would be another great option & $160.  Less sculptural then the other lamp but still pretty cool... In fact I'm starting to like it better... a little cleaner, very pretty shape! If I was Oprah I would give you one! Lamps for all!

Above the bed would hang Target 1974 by Jasper Johns (in honor of my birth year...)  With all that white wouldn't this be perfect?

Of course.... there would have to be some hide underfoot.... Isn't this just the right look for those plank floors? If your guest happens to be a card carrying member of  PETA, you might want to have a backup rug in the closet.... A faux hide perhaps?

Throw a little chair in the corner.....

Put some wooden tops on the dresser (You can never have enough wooden tops!)

and...Voila! You have a rad guest space!

So... if you are that young couple with a guest room in a carraige house with sloped ceilings and pine floors...Give us a buzz and we will mack it out!

May all your design dreams come true...

Bye, bye birdie,

~A

Credit to: West Elm, Shades of Light, BoConcept, Art.com, Overstocks, Premier Prints

Give Thanks

Ahhhh.... Thanksgiving.... One of our favorites (and not just because of the food!)....

Don't you just love....

The beautiful colors...

 

Fall foliage...

 

Can I get a shout out for acorn squash....

 

Pretty tables...

 

Being old enough to sit with the adults...

In all things give thanks...

We hope you have a wonderful holiday enjoying Friends & Family...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

The Schutte Family

The Patterson Family

(Bye ,bye birdie...~A &H)

Credit to: Southern Accents, Country Living

A finely finished project

So after a lot of interest in the bathroom renovation, readers asked to see more projects. 

 Here is a recently completed job that reflects both of our work. The home is wide open and has tons of natural light. We played off of that and added pops of color. 

With 3 boys and one of the way, the client wanted casual spaces that could hold up to... well, 4 boys.  Fabrics are either treated or furniture is slip covered. To add more interest, Ann worked her magic on the walls. You may have seen the powder room before in other posts, but we thought you might enjoy the rest of the house. Check it out and let us know what you think!

The pair of cabinets flanking the entrance were bought for next to nothing at auction and repainted in a French gray with a glaze.

Giant (and very heavy) Ballard mirrors add almost a third window... you should have seen us trying to lift them onto the 8' tall mantle. Not pretty.

Ann painted a mural of cherry blossoms and yes, one little bird. I was going for Hermes' orange on the walls and a smoky blue on the ceiling.

This all came about because the client was afraid to let us "go crazy" in the entry. We compromised on the powder room.  The ceiling is chocolate lacquer.


The story of the mirror is quite funny. The previous home owner doesn't want to sell it to my client or leave it with the house when she moves and my client moves in. Previous homeowner later changes mind and puts it in a local yard sale. A friend of my client buys it for her house and decides it isn't the look she wants, so she calls my client who was in need of a powder room mirror. It coincidentally makes it all the way back home. We added a bright yellow lacquer for a fun face lift. Any mirror that has been through all of that deserves one!

 The "kid's den" has tons of built-ins for stashed toys and bright fabrics for a punch.

Ann added Rugby stripes that will grow with the boys...

The escape for a mother of (soon to be) 4... Hope you like it!


Bye bye birdie,
~A&H