Heather Bullard

Country Living Fair in Austin

The Country Living Fair is coming this weekend to Austin, TX! It's not too late to grab your friends and spend a day shopping the amazing vendors, grabbing some serious bbq and seeing all the great venues and guest appearances.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Gray Miller will be there to sign your favorite Country Living book or magazine.

And Brent Ridge from The Fabulous Beekman Boys will be sharing his adventure of moving from the big city to a small town farm.

And if you still need a little incentive...
Here are the Top Ten Reasons to visit the Country Living Fair!  

 

Organizing

Hello, hello! I hope you had a great weekend! I spent part of mine cleaning, purging and organizing the endless amounts of stuff I've managed to tuck away in all the nooks and crannies of my home. I'm not a big fan of clutter, and in my line of work the "props" can pile up rather quickly, not to mention all the treasures I drag home from the flea market.

I pulled everything out of my Swedish cupboard and sorted through all of it. Only keeping items I absolutely loved or knew I would use on a daily or weekly basis.

Tealights were put inside an old shipping crate along with a couple boxes of matches. And a few platters were stacked for easy reach.

I've been hoarding antique grain sacks for years because whenever I find a dealer selling them, they say...."that's the last of them" or "we can't get anymore for years". So I pile them high due to the peer pressure. This is just a teeny, tiny bit of my inventory. Maybe I should start some sewing projects and learn let go of a few. 

 
And I always like to have a few vases handy for a quick trip out to the garden to gather flowers for the kitchen table. I found the blue one in Paris for 5 euros and I've had the other one so long I forgot where it came from. 

The faded blue stripe canvas is what I use for picnics and as a tablecloth for our large outdoor tables. I think the colors are yummy.
 

 The metal boxes hold cd's. Remember when we used to play them? Ahhh, those were the days. I still like to buy them on occasion. Like when I feel risking my $13 on the chance the whole album will be great. All things Adele fit in that category.

This is my torn and tattered mexican blanket. It's the perfect tablecloth for taco night. One day I'll show you it's full glory. It's a riot of happy color!

There we have it. All neat and tidy. This should last a few months. Or at least until my next trip to the Rose Bowl.
Have you been busy spring cleaning and organizing? Love it or hate it?

Library Ladders

I've had a long standing love affair with rolling library ladders. This one belongs to my friend Judi Powers. Isn't it amazing? I couldn't resist taking a quick photo the last time I was visiting. I just love how tall those bookcases are and how they're perfect next to the large window.
We have very high ceilings that would accomodate just such a design and I've been bookmarking places to buy library ladders like here, here and here. And even better the supply kits to make one for yourself. I think The Man could do this. If not this house, most certainly the next!

Judi also has this charming built-in bookcase in her kitchen. It's such a great use of space and so handy for all those yummy cookbooks! 

My Favorite Find

This Monday, March 19th, my friend Serena will be launching her brand new venture, My Favorite Find! 

What is My Favorite Find, you ask? In Serena's own words...
"My Favorite Find is like a virtual show-and-tell. You can search for, find, and share great shoppes and events such as antique shows, craft markets, estate sales and more anywhere in the world, and then show-and-tell your finds."

And here she shares her inspiration behind creating My Favorite Find:

"I'd been receiving a lot of mail from readers all over the world, wondering how they could find great shoppes and events in their area and from others wanting help in promoting their own shoppes and events. I soon discovered there wasn't anything out there to connect them and decided I just needed to create it myself. That's how My Favorite Find came to be."

Isn't this exciting? A place where everyone can go to find a great antique store, estate sale or event and then share what they found there! And it's global...the entire world!  

I've had a behind the scenes look at the website and it's navigation and functionality and it's truly amazing. You are going to love My Favorite Find! 

My Kitchen Corner

It's been a long time (2 or 3 years) since I shared any photos of my kitchen. I suppose it's because I don't like to go over the same room again and again. Sometimes that can be a bit stale and boring for me. But on the flipside, I end up not sharing things for years. I think I need some balance...somewhere betweeen "one time only" and "overboard".

This little corner shelf is probably my favorite spot in my kitchen. It's near the large (and only) window where I keep a few plants and cut flowers. We use the shelf for our everyday dishes. It makes it very handy to just grab a cutting board and a plate or bowl for meal prep. I often change the vignette out with the seasons and right now, it's citrus season in California!

Many of you know about my obsession with bread boards. Some women collect shoes...me, bread boards. I've had them shipped to me from as far away as Belgium. It's a sickness I tell you. 

I bought the wicker basket tray years ago from Pottery Barn. But I'm sure they still have similar ones available. I love the warmth and texture that wicker and wood can add to a space.

My old glass candy jar is from the Alameda Flea Market. I purchased it from one of my favorite dealers, Grenouille. They have the best finds! Probably much of the flatware is from them as well...and the cafe au lait bowls.
The art piece sitting next to the jar was a gift from the amazing Junk Girls. It's made from salvaged trumpet pieces and the top part is a clip to attach a note, postcard or quote. (Note to self: should have put one in before taking this photo!) The Junk Girls gave up corporate life to pursue making art. And they have the best sense of humor and wonderful spirit. Adore them!

The metal relief wall piece is actually a candle holder for the table. See how the flowers have openings for candlesticks? I think it makes for pretty wall art. :-)

Most of my ironstone is from flea markets or antique shops. Hard to pass it up wherever I am!

I keep my shallots and garlic in a gravy boat. I love that it has an attached plate. The lid was missing when I bought it. Luckily, I also love a cast off piece without it's mate. 

Most of the utensils in the crock are mis-matched pieces. I keep jam spoons, butter knives and a few other utensils at the ready for making a quick breakfast of toast and tea or coffee. 

I hope you liked visiting my favorite little corner. Some of you have been here before (3 years ago!) and to you...I'm sorry I didn't have you back sooner. Terrible manners! Thanks for sticking around all this time. And to those of you who are new...welcome. So glad you stopped by!

From Medicine Cabinet to Built-In Shelf

We have an upstairs guest bathroom that rarely gets used and because of that, it rarely gets updated or finished. Most of the builder grade amenitites have been hanging around for years. Recently, we decided to do a few minor changes and replacing the old medicine cabinet was first on the list. So we tore it out and The Man replaced it with an open built-in shelf.

We figure most guests don't unpack their toiletries and place them in a cabinet anyway and we can hide necessities under the counter. The open shelf provides a way to display a few decorative objects along with cotton balls, Q-tips and such. To keep the mostly white room from being too stark I added in a mix of colored glass and natural, textural elements.

Bella's favorite addition to the room was the jute runner. She wrestles with it every now and then and leaves the crumpled remains for me to straighten out. She's very nice to chickens but not so nice to small area rugs. Maybe she knows she can win that battle.

And lastly, I'll leave you with the Before & After. You can see how such a minor change can make a big difference in a small room....

 Resources:
Jute Rug - Marshalls
Wall Paint Color - Cottage White by Behr
Mirror - Lowes
Switch plates - Lowes
Green glass bottle - antique
Wicker top glass jar - Marshalls
Hand towels - World Market
Wicker basket on shelf - Paris flea market
Perfume - Jo Malone Orange Blossom (one of my favs!)
Milk glass light fixture - Martha Stewart for Home Depot
Any other items not listed...source unknown or antique.

24 Hours Antiquing in Portland

The adventure started with a phone call on Friday from my friend Serena.
It went something like this:
S: What are you doing tomorrow?
H: Ummm, errands and stuff. Why?
S: Want to go to Portland?
H: Sure!
And before you knew it we were both flying to Portland early the next morning!
Our first stop was the Junk Salvation show where I picked up a few treasures...



I found a couple bread boards (my ultimate weakness) and really wish I could remember the vendors for you. The cute candles were from Roost and because I'm completely infatuated with these trophy cups...I bought one for myself from Ormolulu.

Next was lunch at Mothers Bistro which was delicious. Their place is amazing...loved the decor! After that we hit Monticello Antiques where I picked up a utensil crock and Madison Park where I bought the wood drapery rings and the barber shop bottle. I'm going to use it for oil or vinegar. We also stopped by Stars Antiques and a new favorite place Marguerite! Sorry, no photos or website but imagine all things French in the best possible way.
Real French. Not the pretend stuff. ;-)

And because this wood pedestal bowl was HUGE and heavy...I couldn't fit any more in my carry on bag. Which pretty much ended the shopping fun for me. 
The next morning we headed to the airport and were both home by noon.
And so goes the tale of our spur-of-the-moment, 24 hour antiquing adventure.

Have you ever gone on a spontaneous adventure with your friends? It kind of reminds me of my college days where we'd head to the beach at 1am. I'm too old for that now. But I could do 1pm...anyone game?

PS. The 5 Country Living Magazine winners are announced here!

Trophy Cup Utensil Holders

At one of my recent shoots, the homeowner had a collection of antique trophy cups lined up on her windowsill filled with wooden utensils, pastry brushes and other kitchen items. I thought it was so clever I had to take a pic to share with you! Don't you just love finding useful ways to incorporate vintage into your home?

Making the March Cover!

I can't tell you how excited I was to get the news that a home I had scouted, produced and styled made the March cover of Country Living! It was such a fun shoot to work on with Lisa Romerein, who shot the lovely photos. This issue is all about What's Country Now, featuring the best of country style...and this home certainly fits the bill.

You will love reading about their kitchen filled with vintage appliances, colorful pottery, clever pantry storage and a farm to table lifestyle. Not to mention those amazing tree stump stools! 

To celebrate, I'm giving away 5 copies of the March issue!
If you'd like to enter leave a comment answering the following question:

What's Country Now for you?

I can't wait to read your answers and see what speaks to you now in terms of living with and decorating in todays country style.
Winners will be announced Monday, Feb 13th.

Congratulations to the following winners:

judy said: congrats!!! country to me is comfort ...simple beauty...living with things you enjoy...and not ever pretentious

Lisa Gottenborg said: Love it! Country is relaxed and comfortable,natural and useful,worn and warm. White dishes and furniture and things you love that tell a story,it is never stuffy or formal. Thanks for the chance to win!

R. Justus said: Country for me right now is embracing my wide plank pine floors which have gaps in them by chinking them with cotton cording instead of putting down new floors. Loving the contrast between the golden honey color with the off white cording! Sealing the cording to keep it that way!

Emily said:Congratulations on you cover. Country is something with character. A piece or a setting that can tell a story - that has a history. It is a glass of lemonade and a warm summer night. I love country.

 

Jenny said:Congrats! Well done! For me, I love the thrill of the hunt and re-using/re-purposing affordable vintage finds.!

 

Please send me your addresses so I can get your copies in the post! Congratulations!

Rue de Lillie Antiques - The Gardens

Continuing with our visit to Rue de Lillie Antiques in Summerland...here are the patios and gardens. All of the outdoor spaces are so lovely and tranquill. I especially adore their aviaries. 

I think I may ask The Man to make me one someday. Do you remember seeing Martha Stewarts aviaries from a while back? She shared them on her show and in her magazine. She had brightly colored parakeets on her porch but I think I'm more partial to doves and their sweet, soft cooing sounds. 

Rue de Lillie also has beautiful pots, containers and vintage garden elements. I love their large collection of antique urns and statuary.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour and make plans to visit one day. It's such a wonderful place and their location is one of the most beautiful and quaint California beach towns.