Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Breezy Briny beauty

Anyone ready

for some salt therapy?

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Harbour Island a 3mile long stretch of pink sand in the Bahamas…

is rife with colonial architecture.

colorful cottages at every turn...

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Tropical flowers dripping off picket fences

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turquoise vistas

crystalline salt-worn cottages

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One of these sweet little beauties

named

“Beside the point”...

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Is most certainly calling my name…

yes indeedy

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This

Charming 200 year old restored cottage

once sheltered pirates…and their booty.

Previous owners found gold bullions hidden in the ceiling

and 300 year old sailing equipment in the basement

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Salt air cures everything...

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…so they say

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Who’s up for seeing if it is true?

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Anyone?

Rent this little salt encrusted delectable morsel

here

I’m already packed…

Toothbrush. Check

Bathing suit. Check

good to go.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Old tired beautiful soul …

“all I can be is me, whoever that is…”

~Bob Dylan

Today we visited the home of one of the larger than life historic characters woven into our town’s history…Do you have one of those families?

Creative, imaginative, Doers, thinkers, makers

…all wrapped up in a beautiful bit of odd.

In our Town it was Waldo Sexton.His home is Just up the road.

Built without an architect…or a plan…

And as old as it gets for Florida…built in 1917.

Sexton was a man who was not afraid to render an opinion… and who never hesitated to embroider a story.

He apparently loved his martinis and women,

bells and things from the sea

...he possessed a compelling urge to create

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And create he did…and as his grandson said today…

“Any way he could make a buck from a dayum yankee…he would.”

By 1917 he had planted over 100,000 citrus trees in the area.

He helped to create McKee Tropical Jungle that had over

100,000 visitors a year in it’s hey day.

He had a penchant for old wood, wrought iron, spanish tile and collectibles.

...And would often salvage the works from his friend Addison Mizner’s spanish styled Palm Beach mansions.

His home did not disapoint

his eclectic nature was everywhere.

Pecky cypress ceilings…

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Collected…

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Homemade…

home found.

gathered.

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It is currently lived in by his grandson…and was host to a local plant show…plant arranging show.

lucky us.

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Ya know…

I am still so smitten with Florida's tropical's

right outside our door…

willing to be bent and stapled…

and still maintaining their tropical cool.

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Waldo…being the dad that he was built a tree house...

that turned into a house house

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Every bit as quirky as the main house

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So full of fun and funk

authentic.

sea swept

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No pretention.

Just

timeworn…beautiful... in that old soul kinda way

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Yep.

old tired soul character.

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My favorite kind.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Garden thoughts….

...A weekend of bliss to you…

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I hope to be at a great garden show.

***And an extra big Thank you to Kirsten at 6th street design school

for featuring our home on her blog today

...Ours? Can you believe it?!

check it out her cute blog here

Photos: Desire to Inspire

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Heh heh heh….(insert creepy laugh)

In our home

we have always had the birthday fairie…he leaves the kids a little something

at the foot of their bed the morning of their birthday.

Always. Maybe some chocolate, maybe some socks

maybe a small gift ya never know.

Somewhere…as our oldest became a teen…

he took on a bit more of a mischievous persona

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Some might even call him bit of a creeperin fact some in the house do.

But….religiously, every birthday he shows up

missing teeth and all…the first to wish them

a happy birthday.

…except the year the big black dog took off with him…and lost his hat.But that is a whole other story.

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Who me??

This weekend we celebrated another birthday at our casa…an 18th Birthday…

and the little creep…err Fairie… joined us. And even helped to make a

Coca Cola Chocolate Cake <---recipe here

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Southern, to be sure, but when you are a die hard fan of Coca Cola…as this 18 year old is known to be

then what’s a Fairie to do... but try a Coca Cola Cake.

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With all the decadent goodness of chocolate cocoa and buttermilk and Coke…

and marshmallows

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Decidedly gooey

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Decidedly imperfect…

In that perfect kind of way

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But aren’t we all?

Happy Birthday to our favorite 18 year old Coca Cola lovin’

Kidlet…

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Love,

The Birthday Fairie.

heh heh heh.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Living Room Re-Do Begins…..




**Our window...now black. Two big ones look into a small
front courtyard. Curtains will not stay.

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**Not our window...I wish...inspiration pic from I can't remember where

First off…

Painting my metal windows

Black.

Are curtains a must???



Thursday, March 18, 2010

Old vs. New…

I love a home that is old

and full of character on the outside...

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And modern and fresh on the inside.

That’s just the mood I’m in today.

Source: Marie Clair/Tunisia

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