D - Lovely

Down on D street is the gateway to another world. A gorgeous world - a world where all my troubles melt and I am surrounded in loveliness everything I go in there.
... Come see for yourself.
(You can click on the photos to enlarge them)


Dreamy, isn't it? I would be hard pressed to find something ... anything in this shop that I wouldn't take home with me - and right away. I even want the props... especially those behind the mirror! Since I want to that beauty home, I'll just have to go find some props of my own in order for that zinc mirror to look as good in my house as it does in this favorite shop of mine, don't you agree? (Say yes - although I can talk myself into anything, you saying yes will make it all the more fun)


As if this vignette needed anything to make it even more swoon worthy - but there it is - a Bobo bricklayer table.... I wish the little living room in Museville were big enough to hold it!



Christmas was being sprinkled throughout the shop by the talented shopkeeps as I wandered in bliss -- and for the first time all week my mind emptied and I was totally in the present - just taking in all the beauty - through sight, touch, and smell - the burning candles and oils intermingled in a graceful slow dance - speeding up and gaining intensity each time the door opened and the cool ocean air spun the perfume dancing off in another direction.


I watched as these beauties were put out on a table next to me and of course, they were singing my heart song -- old... worn... french... books...


Poetry, no less... could it get any better?


It could - and it did. Little surprises that could hold big secrets. Book boxes... the prettiest I have seen yet.


I truly do apologize to the people that never got to see them, because no sooner had they been put out, they were in my arms and bound for Museville.


...where they now reside in my house, next to my new baby globe that came in a care package from Artie - which is another post for another time, and so are the rest of the photos I took of this shop that takes my breath away. ...stay tuned.

Back to work I go - the projects aren't going to finish on their own.
xo Isa

All photos by me =)

Autumn in All Her Glory.

As the days grow shorter and the darkness creeps in earlier and earlier, Nature's fiery Fall wardrobe of brilliant reds, warm oranges, saffron yellows begin to slowly fade towards magical golds and earthy browns as the season prepares to once again, turn.


There is stunning beauty all around you - from the autumnal gemstones brought to full glory in the last light of day...


To the faded grandeur exploding with its own type of beauty that only Autumn can offer...


I am in no hurry to see the Fall go, and will watch as it gracefully, and in it's own time turns towards and then succumbs completely to Winter. Until then, I plan on reveling completely and totally in its beauty.


While Christmas is coming early to many shops, I plan on celebrating the remaining treasures of Fall, and later this week, these Autumnal beauties will be making their way into Greyfreth...


Stunning metal botanicals to twist, bend, and arrange to your liking.


Candlelight held in fabulous gilded lotus blooms make the light even more beautiful


and mercury glass, once the substitute for sterling silver to the bourgeois, is now a beauty in its own right and serves as a glorious holder of candlelight...


telescoping magnifying glasses ... the better to see you with?


Jute rugs of Antique feedsack reproductions to keep the cold at bay as you walk along the cool wooden floors while winter knocks on a distant door...


Gorgeous leather and wicker baskets that remind us of the harvest...


and rustic wooden Neem balls that look fabulous any place, any season...



Many seasonal treasures are still coming in, and much is still to be discovered while Fall is here, no matter how hard Winter is trying to crash the party.


Slow down - enjoy the Season of the moment. I am.

Wander on over and see the new finds which will be on the shelves over at Greyfreth next week.

Search for the Great Pumpkin

Late. It's my claim to fame since taking on Museville. So, 4 days before Halloween, I take on the task of digging through the shed - the shed that is the temporary dumping ground for things that have no permanent place yet - to find all of my Halloween goodies.
Meet Edgar.



Isn't he fabulous? He smells like candy, too. I bought him online year before last, and I kept him up through Christmas because I loved him so much -- everyone though I was nuts, but I just couldn't put him away nor stop smelling him. The woman who made him doused him in a spray of candy scented fragrance, and I cannot tell you how unbelievably good he smelled - like a childhood candy shop!

Well, he put me in the Halloween mood - so I grabbed the dogs and royal sonshine and we headed out to Valley Center. Destination - Bates Nut Farm.




I always forget just how beautiful it is out in Valley Center. It's amazing - you can drive 30 minutes in any direction from where I live (well, not west, because after a few blocks from Museville you'll end up in the Pacific Ocean) and be in a completely other world.



Bates Nut Farm used to be a walnut farm long ago, but now it's a really cute farm with a general store full of old fashioned goodness. It's a seasonal must visit - with the pumpkin patches, the Christmas tree acreage where you can cut down your own tree, hay rides, petting zoo, hay mazes - the works. We've been coming here for trees, garland, pumpkins and goodies since royal sonshine was a toddler. It's a great time for the little ones.



They cut the pumpkins from the vines for easy transport - all you have to do is pick out your favorite...



Or favorites! They have squash, and corn stalks - everything you would think a farm would have. I'm so glad I made the trek. I needed to get away and just settle into the simple things - a gorgeous day, a gorgeous drive - and the biggest decision was what pumpkin to pick up. A nice change for the chaos.
Very nice.



Now I just have to decide what exactly I'm going to do with these 12 pumpkins. Yes, I said 12. Big, small, orange, white and some in between.

SO what did you do (or if you are a procrastinator like me this year, "going to do") with your pumpkins this year?



Here are a few inspirations I ran across... I absolutely love this:



...and this



This is right up my alley - simple and beautiful. I have these urns, too ... somewhere.



Mums look awfully good in a pumpkin - maybe I'll have time to do this quick and pretty planter...



How cute is Max?



Do you have big plans?



Show and tell.
xo Isa

Help Me Light My Way...

There is nothing more lovely, enchanting or mesmerizing as candlelight. It's soft and sultry glow permeate all of Museville...


and as lovely as this is...



...and this


as dreamy as this is ...

Image from Josephine Ryans's book "French Home, scanned by Trish of Trouvais

...and no matter how much this takes my breath away ...


It really is high time that I procured some lighting for the exterior of Museville -


that doesn't include candles...


Because as pretty as it is --


Since painting, there is something missing from my porches! Light fixtures ...


I don't have a more recent photo (I am SO far behind on catching you up!) since we finished painting, but this one will do for the purpose of showing that I need lighting at the garage-turned-guesthouse, at the front door over there, and as you can see above - for the front door of the main house.



Now - I can't seem to make a decision about exactly what lighting I want. I have wrestled over it for over a month, and the more I look, the more I can't decide. Please ... somebody help me.

The residents of Museville have picked out these various styles and I put them together in numbered collages so you can help me :)

Lanterns

Alabaster/craftsmanesque


and because we're by the beach, I liked the seafaring industrial sorts, too.



I'm leaning towards these two choices below --
the first being these gorgeous stone and alabaster light fixtures -- the one on the left would go by the front doors and the sconces on the right would go on each side of the garage door (nestled into the climbing rose that is now there) instead of a light above ... one resident of Museville thinks it's too modern looking.... what do you think?


These seafaring industrial sorts (and they won't be these exact lights, but just the style) with a big gooseneck over the garage door and the light on the right at the front doors ...



So, I'm having a difficult making a choice, can you help me? What do you think should light up the exterior of Museville, I really do want to know! It doesn't have to be limited to the choices above, feel free to offer your own choices, I'd love to hear what your choice would be because at the rate I am deciding, I won't have exterior lighting for another 6 months!

So much to do, so little time in the day!
xo Isa

Good Company

I spent the day in LA yesterday - my first stop - The fabulous Framm & Company in Santa Monica to visit with Framm and her shop keeper, Lonnie, and to fill their shelves with my cross bottles. Everything about this shop makes my heart pound. Nestled underneath the canopy of a tree lined Main is the doorway to another world -
the beautiful world of Framm Phillips.

Framm's storefront.

"As the world speeds by us faster each day, it becomes harder to find that unusually brilliant object, that perfect surprise, that genuine article. Framm brings a lifetime of experience in clothing design involving vintage, antique, and modern fabrics to her latest venture. She has transformed her exquisite storefront studio on Main Street in Santa Monica, California. Now, walking into Framm and Company is like stepping through a portal into her imagination.


Immediately upon walking through the door, you know you are somewhere very special.

Antiques, Custom Furniture pieces, found objects, obscure art discoveries, collectibles, pillows that truly evoke the notion of dreaming, hand-made from her collection of old and new fabrics, these are the kinds of things you’ll find at Framm's.


Some of Framm's beautiful pieces.

Framm, herself, is a beautiful tapestry - rich in color and wonderfully unique - Born and raised in Eastern Connecticut, Framm studied Fine Art at the University of Connecticut. She then moved to NYC and attended the New York School of Design and the New York Sculpture Center. This while working in high fashion and advertising as a stylist for some of the most important photographers in the world. She moved to Los Angeles in 1978, continuing her studies with courses in color and design at UCLA.


The amazing crewel work on one of Framm's pillows.

Through those years, Framm developed a love for fine, collectible fabrics from the past. In 1980, incorporating her conception of Old Turned New, she created her first collection, and opened the sweetest little studio you ever saw, just around the corner from the 2667 Main Street space you’ll find Framm and Company today.


Totes by Framm - beautiful, isn't it?

Her clothing designs evoked impressions such as Opulence, Elegance, Whimsy, Ultra-Femininity, and always a hauntingly nostalgic beauty. One could always be assured of genuine one-of-a-kindness with a Framm original.


Through the looking glass. Brick walls, hardwood floors - so dreamy.

Framm’s work has appeared often in Movies and TV. Her dresses have made their way down the red carpet of many Award events, and major awards have been accepted by women wearing Framm designed gowns.


A fabulous antler and suede stool.

Her work has appeared in publications such as Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, and People. Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel’s, and other major stores have carried Framm originals."


I would LOVE to have this in my house!

There are so many originals in her shop that I wanted to carry home with me - The tiny shop is filled with treasure upon treasure - I could spend hours perusing it all... well, that is precisely what I did yesterday.


Antique wooden hat forms -- I put one of these on my list to Santa.

Piece after beautiful piece revealed itself - begging to be brought home. It was hard not to oblige... to ALL of it! Put a bed in the shop and I'll just move in. It is truly that special.


Antique shoe forms on iron stands.

It is almost like a living faerie tale within those vintage brick walls -- you can just see the cobbler making exquisite shoes... Can you tell this place is heaven on earth to me?


A sweet antique iron crib.

I have my eye on this beauty above for a prop in Greyfreth - wouldn't the crib be lovely stuffed with vintage grainsack pillows? ...another goody on my ever-growing list.


My new treasure.

I just couldn't leave empty handed, so this gorgeous working clock of found objects (of my favorite kinds) is the newest resident of Museville. It was just too difficult to resist!



So the next time you are up in Santa Monica, be sure to stop by Framm's. You will be oh, so glad that you did ... tell her Isa sent you!

Quoted material and photos courtesy of Framm's website.