Lakefront Homes on Eagle Mountain Lake

Being that it's a holiday weekend, we were out on the boat with family today for a few hours.  It is definitely summer here in Texas.  It was so much fun to be together!  We had our first ski of the summer and all came back exhausted and hungry!  We stopped for ice cream and officially brought in the summer! 
I came home and looked up homes on the Lake just because I was curious!  I would love to own a lake property right on the water.  Here are a few that I thought were beautiful!
What fun to have a large table that seats 12 overlooking the lake.  Imagine the view at night.  Oh, I could have all kinds of fun decorating this home!  First thing would be color on those walls.
I love black counter tops.  So classy!
Beautiful woodwork throughout the whole home.  Every window overlooks the lake.  Lots of light!
Great house surrounded by trees!
Ahhhhhhh!!!
This home sits on this property so beautifully.  The stonework is fabulous!
Stunning landscaping.
Very nice open floor plan and perfectly staged.
Fun island in the middle of this kitchen.  Lots of drawer space.  I'm sure those plantation shutters open up to the view of the lake.
Cute little green house and wouldn't you love to sit on this balcony to sip your coffee each morning.
Peaceful.
Where are you cabana boy????
This boat house is waiting for me to park my boat.
Like the balcony that hangs over the water.
Talk about a front yard! 
Now this has so much potential and man oh man could you have some fun with the outside and inside of this home!  I've already got a plan in my head for this one.
Lots of great bones.  I especially love the beams and arches.  Lots of updates needed but it's fabulous!
Happy Memorial Day to all tomorrow! We are blessed to have so many that have sacrificed their lives for our country!
Feeling blessed,
Ruthie

My Gazebo is ready, just in time for the holiday!

The building of our Gazebo has been a long process and a LOT of work.  I thank my husband each day for all that he put into this design.  He created it from scratch and I think he did an awesome job.  The Spanish tile really finished it off!  As you all know, I really wanted to use thatch but after lots of research, we found out that it has to be replaced every few years!  I'm not into high maintenance at this time in my life so the roof we chose is perfect.  NOTICE THE FINIAL at the top of the roof.  I felt like it needed a finishing detail so I found this wonderful copper finial and it made it!
Here are my two darlings staining and finishing the touch up!
This is my new place to have coffee each morning and this is where we sit and chat each evening after we have finished our day!  Very peaceful and restful!
I looked everywhere for pillows and finally found these!  Loved the colors and they go perfectly with the new umbrella I got for my birthday!
We repainted the deck too!  This is the best it will look for a while!
The lights look beautiful at night and light up the whole gazebo!
My "re-stain" job on all my chairs turned out great and look very tropical!
Added some old bark to my candle scape and love the character it adds.
Just in time for my party this Memorial Day!
This is what I envisioned.....

Now that my vision is a reality....I like my Gazebo way better!
I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and appetizers so we can relax by the pool all weekend and enjoy our space with family and friends.  No good having a home you can't share with others. 
Hope you get to enjoy some time with those you love this weekend too!
Ruthie

"All Natural" Decor

I recently went to Farmers Market to purchase some vegetables and fruit for our family.  Of course, I was so inspired by all the colors that I saw!  Our God created some beautiful colors!  Take a look at all these.  I love to fill a giant bowl with colorful fruit!  Great inexpensive way to give yourself a pop of color in any room!  The trick is to select your favorite color and use just one color!  That always makes a statement.  Here are a few!

Another way to use "all natural" items is to purchase a glass cylinder and fill it with any of the below items. 
You could layer the items and use a grouping of cylinders with different items in each one! Get creative!

Love ALL these textures!  Perfect for your kitchen counter!
With Memorial Day coming up and then Fourth of July there are lots of parties and entertaining that goes on.  What can you do with "all natural" items to make your centerpieces a topic everyone talks about?  Go to your local Farmers Market or Indian or Import store and you will have so much fun with all the colors that are available to decorate with!  The Indian Market is filled with Curry powders that are to die for.
Ruthie

Decorating tip for the day

I was at an Antique Mall today and saw this wonderful grouping of old antique bells. 
So many times I get asked by my clients "what can I hang on my walls?"   I often encourage my clients to find objects that aren't your typical wall art.  It's easy to get stuck just hanging the ordinary in your space like mirrors, family pictures, paintings, wrought iron pieces, etc.  Those are all great things to decorate with but I want to challenge you to try to find "collections" or "groupings"  to incorporate into your home.  These collections often become the focal point of a room or a great conversation piece.  They also makes a home feel like the items have been collected over time.
Love this collection of art/pictures with the same color frames.
Another suggestion for your "groupings/collections" is to create a backdrop for those items.  You could paint a square in a wonderful bold color before you hang the collection and you will find that the items pop and speak loudly in the room!
You can also find an old frame (with no glass), hang it on the wall and then put your items inside that frame. 
Wouldn't this collection be great in a little girls bathroom or bedroom?
Have fun finding your collection!
Ruthie

Hardware - The jewelry for your furniture

Every outfit needs an amazing piece of jewelry to make it complete.  Sometimes it's a ring, other times it's a necklace, earings, a stunning bracelet, a pair of sunglasses, or an incredible belt.  It adds your personality to your style.  Of course the shoes and purse can make or break the outfit too!
Adding jewelery to a casual outfit is so stylish as well.  Who said shorts can't be dressed up?
I recently bought a few rings to add to my jewelry collection.  I love large rings.  My family often mocks me for wearing such big ones but hey, I love them and that's all that counts.
Aren't they cute?

I feel the same way about furniture pieces.  The hardware that is on the piece is what makes it stand out and have character and personality.  I went shopping yesterday for hardware for a piece that I'm painting right now.  There are SO many selections and I had a blast selecting just what I wanted.
This dresser is so boring, try adding some of the knobs I found yesterday to it and you would have something totally different.

All these are so incredible and would change up any piece, creating whatever style you want.  Sophisticated, childlike, masculine, whimsical, religious or rustic.

You can make an antique piece look modern, a modern piece look like an antique, a masculine piece look more feminine, etc. etc. just by adding new hardware to the furniture.
I love following Jennifer on The magic brush blog.  She repaints all kinds of furniture pieces and almost ALWAYS adds beautiful hardware to each piece, making it complete.  She will inspire you!
I'm crazy about "quick change" so here's one for you. Go change out a few knobs and see the quick transformation!  It's thrilling to spend little and get a large impact.  Just like buying a ring, they aren't expensive but they can add some spunk to your outfit! 
Ruthie