Random Thoughts on a Very Deer Season

I fell in love one day over the holiday season.....again.

I walked into Anthropologie in San Antonio and sitting beneath one of their fabulous groupings of trees were two reindeer. I know they were just waiting for me.

I know it.

A few days later, low and behold, there were two more waiting for me to pick them up at the Austin Anthropologie when I took my daughter to the airport.

 Textural, whimsical, made of recycled fabrics - a little bit funky with

a whole lotta charm.

Most of all, they make me smile from ear to ear, which is my most important criteria when bringing something new into my home.

 

They fit right in with my velvet pumpkins on the dining room table - love these pink and green pumpkins, which clearly are not JUST for Thanksgiving -

 

and they are wonderful colors! 

LOVE.THEM.

Here are just a few more shots of holiday decor around my house............

 

My stone fruit took up new residence with a glitzy tree and some magnolia leaves for the holiday season.

Love my old bottle brush wreaths and trees, with a few old glittery German candy containers and some old tree toppers.............

and some old Christmas boxes collected over the years, which I adore!

Who, but only my very dear friend, Barbara, would think to give me a box full of tree fungi?

 (Look, Joan!!)

  I almost began hyperventilating when I opened the box. Beautiful colors and shapes and sizes..........and a whole bunch of them!!

Being a nature lover and totally crazy about animals, I would never have killed these lovely creatures. But with marriage comes compromise, so if they have to hang on my walls, may as well dress them for the festivities, right?

At the end of this third year of part time, random blogging, I would like to say.....

thanks for reading my casual and often erratic ruminations,

thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with me when you comment,

. 

and may the new year bring you happiness, good health 

and lots of FUN with those you hold 

deer to your heart.

P.S. I swear we did not stage these last two shots for this post. This is the kind of thing that goes on at my house all the time!

More Amazing Fredericksburg Talent!

 Sprout, a local gift and flower market, owned by friends Rhoda and Michelle, consistently surprises and pleases me with their creative and unique merchandise.  Actually much more than your average gift and flower shop, Sprout creates amazing floral arrangements for wedding and other occasions.

Photography by Q Weddings/Svetlana Photography

Aren't those boutonnieres wonderful?

If you've not read about Sprout on this blog before, go here to get the inside scoop from my interview with Michelle.

Photography by Sprout/Q Weddings


Of course you remember the velvet pumpkins from Sprout, one of my all time favorites!

My dining table last fall when I first went crazy for velvet pumpkins!

 This year's velvet pumpkins. I am dying over those blue ones!



So, the latest absolutely fabulous things from Sprout come from two local artists.  I am so excited to share them. 

Local artist Candace Morgan created these wonderful acrylic paintings on  5/8 inch blocks of wood. Candace, the mother of four girls, is a very talented graphic designer, AND she also  happens to be the designer of the brand identity of both Sprout and The Flower Bed.

  The Flower Bed is a most charming bed and breakfast that Michelle also owns and operates upstairs in the same building as the market.

These paintings are from a collection Candace calls the New American Landscape. I love her choice of colors and the texture one feels just looking at them.


Angie Cross, another local artist, entrepreneur, and very busy mom,  has a new line of pillows that are made from silk dupioni, hand embroidery and a vintage button. Aren't they wonderful?

Full of charm and color, they just make me smile!

As always, I am inspired and awed by the local talent in my little town of Fredericksburg.  I feel honored to live among so many gifted people, who also happen to be the warmest and kindest folks you'll ever meet.

I hope you will visit us if you find yourself in the Texas Hill Country,  or  plan a weekend trip of it. We promise good ol' Texas hospitality, and a ton of great art and design!

 For information on any of the mentioned products or just for fun, visit Sprout here .

Velvet Pumpkins

Last year I posted here about a wonderful shop in town called Sprout, owned by local friends, Michelle Hodges and Rhoda Reynolds. I love everything that Sprout does, but I especially love the velvet pumpkins they sell in the fall.  I just got an update that this year's pumpkins have arrived.

I am in love with the gorgeous colors and had to share!! The names are lovely, like curry and lagoon.....

The pumpkins come in all sizes and are made with the softest velvets and real pumpkin stems. They are beautiful in a group or just placed individually on a stack of books, on your coffee table, or in a mix with other treasures.

Aren't they just beautiful?

Art, Flowers, and Velvet Pumpkins

One of the things I so love about Fredericksburg is the abundance of creative people who have chosen to live here. I can count shop after shop of individuals who have a special gift for creating their own niche in our wonderful town.
While Main Street is the obvious locale for a lot of these special spots, I continue to stumble upon "hidden treasure". One of my favorites is Sprout, created by Michelle Hodges and Rhoda Reynolds. Sprout is not hidden by any means, but has evolved over the last few years and is now tucked into a wonderful old German house just a block off of Main Street.

Peeking in the door, one can see beautiful fresh flowers and wonderful vignettes of vintage accessories and local art.

I love the mix of vintage items, art, gifts, and flowers, each in beautiful composition.

My favorite

find on the day I visited were the velvet pumpkins, made with with gorgeous velvet and real pumpkin stems in an array of yummy colors.

I love the colors, with names like harvest, merlot and rose.



Without further ado, I'd like to share my visit with Michelle, one of the two creators of the wonderful Sprout.

Cute Michelle, working on a custom arrangement, was most accommodating and happy to share her story!

When did you first begin selling flowers? What was the original concept and will you describe the setting you began with? (I am thinking of those days I would see you or Rhoda sitting on the porch swing next door to the Peach Tree, but that may have not been the beginning....)

Sprout began in 2005 as a simple flower stand that was open a few days a week--initially on the porch of a vacant building and later in the courtyard outside Rather Sweet bakery. Both settings were quite picturesque, but only when the weather cooperated.

How did the original concept develop?




I've always been inspired by the appreciation Europeans have for fresh flowers. Even in the poorest countries, it is customary to take flowers when going to some one's house for a meal. I love the idea of seeing them almost as an essential part of daily life rather than a luxury. This appreciation has led to some incredible flower shops as well. I lived in England for a bit and in the nearby market town, which was similar in size to Fredericksburg, there were three flower shops within two blocks of the High Street--each very unique and very busy.






How has the concept grown over the years and what other services/products do you provide?

A flower stand has its limitations, so when a space became available, we expanded into more of a flower market which enabled us to carry more product and eventually we added gift items as well. The first week we were open, we were asked to book a wedding and that has now become a large part of our business as well as offering arrangements for special occasions and events.

How did you begin having art shows in the shop?

We have always had art on display at Sprout. It was just part of the aesthetic that I wanted in the shop. When Fredericksburg began promoting a monthly art walk, we joined in. We don't necessarily have a show every month, but we have had six in the last year and I've really enjoyed seeing them come together. Most of the artists have been local and I love being part of such a creative community.


What is your favorite part of the business?

It has to be shopping for the flowers. Yes, its about the customer and the end product, but going into the flower cooler always makes me happy. This may sound a bit cheesy, but I once saw a movie where Christian Slater delivered flowers. When asked why, he said because of the expression on the people's faces when they opened the door--that's pretty good too.

Are all of your customers local?





Our walk-in customers tend to be local, but most of our wedding business tends to be people from out of town. Fredericksburg has become quite a popular place for destination weddings.

Sprout is also available for custom arrangements and multiple flowers for special events, be it a small dinner party or a huge fiesta! Love the flowers shown here.........


Sprout filled tin cans from a Mexican grocery store for a Mexican themed dinner party.



Aren't they fun!


Of course, with access to this fabulous old rock building, Michelle couldn't let the upstairs go unused, so true to her creative nature, she opened the most charming bed and breakfast, called, what else? Flowerbed!


For more information click here.

Thank you so much, Michelle, for sharing the story of Sprout with me.

Oh............and did I mention that a few velvet pumpkins came home with me? Just perfect for the season, don't you think?