May 18, 2012

Jonathan Adler’s second Texas boutique is officially open for business today in Austin.  Swing by 101 West 5th Street for an instant dose of design inspiration from the prince of pattern-play.  You’ll want more than a few minutes to browse this store—all 3,500 square feet are packed with beautifully designed vignettes oozing with home décor accessories just dying for a new home.

Jonathan Adler’s second Texas boutique is officially open for business today in Austin.  Swing by 101 West 5th Street for an instant dose of design inspiration from the prince of pattern-play.  You’ll want more than a few minutes to browse this store—all 3,500 square feet are packed with beautifully designed vignettes oozing with home décor accessories just dying for a new home.

May 15, 2012

Stop by the brand new location of StellaDallas tonight at 7pm to celebrate their grand opening!  Not only will you be able to enjoy live music and tasty treats, but the store will be offering 20% off all night long in honor of their celebration.  To recap: fresh merch—like the Dallas-exclusive Lilly Pulitzer Home collection—discounts and drinks. Stop by tonight for a chance to win a one-hour, in-home design consultation!

May 12, 2012

Our Red withdrawals are finally coming to an end!  The Fredericksburg Best Store has been hard at work since Monday completely redesigning their store.  We’re still expecting the same country couture style we’ve grown to love, but with a few more modern lines and—by the looks of it—a fresh color palette.  Stop by sometime this weekend to check out the new look!

May 4, 2012

The brand-spanking-new Jonathan Adler boutique on Dallas’ McKinney Ave. officially opens its doors today! The chic new digs reside at 4525 McKinney, to be exact. The opening comes not a moment too soon–just in time to get mom a sassy little gifty (and a few for yourself too, natch).

April 24, 2012

Skip the design mags for inspiration in your new space and stop by the Design Fair at Lawndale Center in Houston April 25–29.  Rather than hunting down that hard-to-find loveseat you saw in a photo spread last month, shop everything from vintage-modern objects to the very best of contemporary design during fair days April 28–29. The preceding days will be filled with free lectures and special exhibitions. Be on the lookout for exhibits from Coquette Boutique, Howl, ph Design Shop and Reeves Antiques, to name a few. For a full breakdown of the week’s events, click here.

April 16, 2012

Dallas’ favorite quarterly handmade & vintage market–The Dallas Flea– is making its spring return to South Side on Lamar this Saturday! $5 gets you in to shop discounted goods from local vendors like Southern Fried Paper, Abi Ferrin, f. is for frank, Fuzzy Hippo, Sarah Briggs and many more.

April 13, 2012

We couldn’t be more excited about local charity Dwell with Dignity’s latest endeavor: Thrift Studio. For 30 days, a showroom of designer-curated home decor vignettes will be set up in the Dallas Design District, and everything you see will be for sale–at deep, deep discounts. Participants include TLC Contract, Container Store, Horchow, Michelle Nussbaumber, Melissa Woody, David Cadwallader and Wisteria, among others.

Proceeds benefit Dwell with Dignity, an organization of volunteers and interior designers that create inspiring interior spaces for families who are struggling.

The shindig starts today and goes through May 12, but we all know that with events like this, it’s best to shop as early as possible for the best selection…

April 4, 2012

Goody, goody, goody!

We’ve just gotten official word that the prince of pattern-play, Jonathan Adler, is opening two Texas boutiques–one on Dallas’ trendy McKinney Ave. (late April) and another on 5th St. in Austin (opening date unconfirmed).

This is thrilling news for design enthusiasts and fans of Adler’s chic-with-a-sense-of-humor aesthetic (we fall into both categories).

March 20, 2012

Just to clarify, that’s mother-of-the-bride, not some new up-and-coming hip-hop star.

On our recent dash up to Canton First Monday Trade Days, we ran into the most lovely woman who was buying some rustic-looking wreaths. Naturally, we inquired as to what her plans for said wreaths were, and she told us they were going to be part of the decor for her daughter’s upcoming nuptials at the family ranch, just outside of Mineola, Texas.

-One of the completed wreaths, decorated with handmade burlap roses-

“Score!,” we thought. You see, we’re always on the hunt for insiders who can give us firsthand tips and info on throwing a true Texas ranch wedding. We told her to stay in touch and send photos of the finished wreaths (secretly hoping for photos of the whole shebang), because we’re nosy like that.

Lo-and-behold, Nancy sent us photos of the wedding last week, along with some vital tips on throwing a rustic ranch wedding:

-Signage created with old pickets, found at Canton Trade Days-

Secret decor source #1 (obviously): Canton First Monday Trade Days. Nancy purchased the aforementioned wreaths, old pickets for signage and more at this goldmine.

Secret decor source #2: LaurieAnna’s Vintage Home, where Nancy found burlap wine sacks to use as gift bags for guests.

-Centerpieces-

Secret decor source #2: Kitchens, a hardware store in Mineloa, where Nancy sourced wire apple baskets for centerpieces and the like.

-Burlap-adorned lanterns were hung in trees on the ranch-

Secret decor source #3: Wal-Mart. Yep, good ol’ multipurpose Wal-Mart. This is the place to stock up on mason jars (a must for any ranch gathering), votive candles, burlap (again, a must) and other craft supplies.

-serve-yourself bottled sodas in metal buckets-

-Grass door mats embellished with the couple’s initials-

Secret decor source #4: Lowe’s. Purchase simple grass door mats, and using a stencil, spray paint the initials of the couple right onto the mats. Place them at all the ranch doors.

-Cowbells, ready for the taking for the newlyweds' send-off-

(Not-so-)Secret decor source #5: The internet. You can find extras like cowbells and sparklers for the newlyweds’ send-off at bargain prices. We’re fans of Save on Crafts.

Dreaming of a ranch wedding, but don’t have a ranch? Check out our Top Ten Wedding Venues in Austin and Central Texas!

A huge thanks to Nancy, her daughter Sarah and her new son-in-law Lane for sending us these great tips and wedding inspiration!

March 14, 2012

Last week we had a hankering for some vino, so–obviously–we made an impromptu lunch run out to Grapevine, the wine capital of North Texas. On a recommendation from a friend, we decided to drink dine at Winewood Grill, the latest concept from the folks who brought us Bob’s Steak & Chophouse and Mi Dia. Being Texans, it’s never too early in the day for red meat, so we noshed on the Tenderloin Bruschetta:

Yowza!–was this a treat–flaky bread topped with tenderloin, tomato jam, pine nut pesto, Parmesan cheese and balsamic reduction. We have to admit, it took a fair amount of restraint not to lick the plate.

Not ones to eat and flee, we decided to check out a few new hotspots along with a couple of old favorites on the Grapevine shopping scene.

First off, Great American West Gallery:

It has the largest gallery collection of Western Art and is situated in the old Grapevine Sun building.

Next up, we spied Morgan Dane Art Gallery & Studios next door to Best Store VETRO Glassblowing Studio & Gallery in the train depot:

This place presents an eclectic collection of fine art as well as some pretty cool jewelry.

Last–but never least, we stopped in at Best Store Red Shed Antiques, where one of our editors snagged this metal vanity set for just $85:

We’re strong believers that every woman needs a vanity. It just makes life fancier.