Patina Green Home & Market Blog

Our Day with Rachel

 Okay, okay!  Everyone keeps asking for photos and stories from our special day spent with Rachel Ashwell.  Sorry to keep you waiting so long!

 

Rachel Ashwell, founder of Shabby Chic Couture, designer, author, tv host, and retail professional can now add innkeeper to her many titles.  She recently purchased and refurbished a bed-and-breakfast, The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, in my favorite little TX town of Round Top.  

Last fall, mom and I were among 35 other lucky bloggers (thanks to the Hidden List) to join Rachel at her B&B for a luncheon (provided by the fabulous Bud Royer of Royer's Cafe).  Rachel lead us on a tour of the property including inside her house and private quarters.  We were also among the first to shop in her new on site boutique.

It was a day to always remember, filled with beauty and inspiration.  Luann took great notes, which has allowed me to include Quotes from the Prairie Girl.

 

Quotes from a Prairie Girl:

On her 22 years of designing . . . “Life has been my school and my inspiration.”

Regarding Texas Primitive Style . . . “One must remember, life has a practical side as well as a creative side."

 

 

The Prairie is composed of multiple historic outbuildings, cabins, barns, and preserved cottages.  The setting is in the beautiful  hill country of Washington county with rolling green hills and fields of wildflowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The on site shop sold enticing beds made with layers of dreamy bedding.  We were surrounded by a soft palette of colors, peely paint furniture, faded floral patterns (found on vintage wallpaper , TX flag pillows, sheets & pillow cases)  Gorgeous, sparkly chandeliers hung from the bead board ceiling of the historic cottage. 

 

Quotes from a Prairie Girl:  

Why she opened a store in Round Top, TX (population 31) . . . “I wanted to walk my talk . . . I love this place.  Sure it would have looked better on my bags to have a store in Rome or Paris or San Francisco or Chicago . . . maybe this store won’t be busy 365 days a year but it serves a purpose.  I remember when we were all sitting here talking about wanting a store and how to make that happen, and the next thing I knew, Danny (her “everything guy”) sends me a picture of a wide bed truck with a house on it!  He says, “I’m going to drop off a house on your property for the store”  That’s how it works in Texas!  In New York, you can’t hang a sign without a committee!  I love Texas people.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel gave us a tour of her private quarters, where she stays when living on the Prairie.  It was not only an honor but also a wonderful peek into her life to show how truly simple and down to earth she really is.

 

Quotes from a Prairie Girl:  

Regarding her wagon wheel chandelier (not something she would have chosen, but was in the B&B when she purchased it). The chandelier reminds her of a certain time of her life when things weren’t going well, “I broke down and burst into tears and looked up and said and I have a wagon wheel for a chandelier!  One of her workers replied . . . oh Rachel, it will be all right, tell me what you want, we will put flowers and ribbons on it!  So now it serves as a reminder of that period of time and how we can get past obstacles in our life."  

And, her favorite place on all the property….”the laundry room!”  (Just imagine the softest, fluffiest clouds of beautiful cotton and linen all swirled together, heavenly indeed!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite part of the day was getting personal insight of Rachel and her business as a designer.  I enjoyed studying her inspiration boards and seeing her picks of shabby furniture from Texas flea markets.  On the front porch of her own house, I was pleasantly surprised to find a collection of gilded antique furniture and accessories.

 

Quotes from a Prairie Girl:  

Her finds from Round Top shopping this year . . . “We bring all our things here and get to see them, enjoy them, and live with them a few weeks before sending them to the other stores.”

How does Italian Florentine pieces work with Texas Primitives??  “Every room (and every person) needs a little unexpected sparkle!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I loved the most?

Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic Texas Prairie Girl . . . 

She’s real, she has an authentic style, she has a story, she’s beautiful . . . that’s exactly what we look for when we are shopping for vintage pieces . . . something real, with our authentic style, with a story to tell, and aesthetically beautiful!

Those things remain forever cherished  . . .  

 

Thank you Rachel for a lovely day on the Prairie, from two authentic Texas born girls!

England Antique Shopping

 

As much as we loved be tourist in the English countryside, the real reason we traveled so far away from our little town in McKinney was for the antique shopping!

We shopped antique malls, stores, warehouses, and flea markets for many days.  Each morning we awoke with the wonder of what treasures we would find. 

 

Images of the Shops and Warehouses: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images of the Flea Markets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images of the Treasures:

 

 BELGIUM WINE BOTTLES.

 

 
 

ITALIAN OLIVE OIL JARS.

 

 

 

FRENCH DRAPERY HARDWARE & CHANDELIER CRYSTALS.

 

 

 

ITALIAN HAND PAINTED CERAMIC TILES.

 

VICTORIAN GERMAN STUFFED TOYS. 

 

 

120 YEAR OLD FRENCH STUFFED BULLDOG TOY.

 

FRENCH BRONZE FARMER MEDALS. 

 

FRENCH WOODED PLANTERS. 

 

ENGLISH TERRA COTTA POTS. 

 

BELGIUM TULIP CRATES. 

 

 

HANDMADE CHICKEN COOP.  (WE SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THIS!!!)

 

 

FRENCH POTATO BASKETS.

 

HANDMADE TOOL BOXES. 

 

ENGLISH METAL SHIPPING CRATES. 

 

FRENCH WINDOW SHUTTERS. 

 

ITALIAN TERRA COTTA POTS. 

 

ENGLISH BRONZE DOOR HARDWARE. 

 

BELGIUM SCIENCE STUDIES. 

 

 

ENGLISH PHARMACY BOTTLES.

 

 

ENGLISH CAKE/PASTRY CASES.  (I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THESE!)

 

 

 COPPER ARCHITECTURAL PIECE.

 

GERMAN FEEDSACKS.

 

 

FRENCH LINENS.  (LUANN IS HAPPY!)
 

 

BELGUIM BUILT IN CABINET DOORS. 

 

GORGEOUS!  BELGIUM BOMBAY HUTCH.

 

 

 WOODEN ENGLISH LOCKERS FROM A YORKSHIRE COUNTRY CLUB.

 

SWEDISH FURNITURE!

 

 

MORE SWEDISH FURNITURE!

 

 

AND MORE SWEDISH FURNITURE!

Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

I had this fantastic dream . . . 

It is perfect TX afternoon with clear blue skies, and I am in the middle of the beautiful hill country.  I am sitting at a table outside surrounded by not only nature, but lovely historic cottages and old barns.  At the table, I am joined by a wonderful group of creative women, and we are enjoying lunch together.  Across from me sits the always inspiring, always fabulous Rachel Ashwell and we are sharing our junkin' stories.

 On my lunch plate (my very favorite) there is a grilled shrimp BLT, a large iced tea, and a slice of homemade chocolate chip pie from Bud Royer's kitchen. 

After many laughs and shared stories at lunch, my new friends and I take a tour with Rachel on her gorgeous property.  We end up in her new Shabby Chic Couture store and get to be one of the first to shop, with it's grand opening being the following day.

 

Could this dream be real?!  Yes!  It is! 

I am one of 35 LUCKY bloggers who will be having lunch with Rachel Ashwell at her Round Top B&B, The Prairie in less than 2 weeks!

Lunch will be catered by the o-so-famous Bud Royer and the delicious Royer's Round Top Cafe.

Even better, a portion of the luncheon proceeds will be benefiting Dwell with Dignity, a non profit group of Interior Designers and volunteers that are dedicated to creating soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty.

 

 

Of course I will post photos and details about my experience, but here are a few photos of The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, so you know why I am so excited!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Kelley at The Hidden List for making my dream come true!  

 

The English Countryside

  
We are back from a very successful shopping trip to England!  Our container is full, on the water, and headed this way.  I can't wait to share our treasures with you! 

While we were gone, we missed one of the hottest summers Texas has ever seen.  We came home to a horrible drought and sad brown fields, completely opposite of our recent gorgeous English countryside views. 

I will post a few times about our England trip, but I wanted to start with the sights . . . Our tour lead us through the countryside of Lancashire, the purple heather covered hills of Yorkshire, to the Robin Hood castles of Lincolnshire and then glimpses of the North Sea.

As we had imagined, the countryside consisted of rolling, green, lush hills with layers of white specks of sheep.  The historic villages were filled with inspiring architecture and dreamy English gardens.   I fell in love.

 

       

 

  

  

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel in love with the historic English architecture . . . this manor was built in the 16th century . . . it was amazing . . .

 

  

 

 

I fell in love with walking the streets of the small villages . . . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVED shopping in their "antique malls"!  What an experience to shop in an retired grain mill . . . a historic mansion . . . a gothic cathedral?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                 

 

 

I loved dreaming of England's magical past of cathedrals and castles . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 


 

Brocantes!!

Our European trip was planned around flea markets and antique shopping.  As we traveled throughout Belgium we stopped along the way at road side junk piles,  antique shows, and city design centers.  In England we scoured flea markets for unique treasures.

 

This market was on the downtown streets of Brussels.

 

 

 

Vintage treasures lined blankets on the pavement of this parking lot.

 

Robert and I enjoyed digging through this vendor's collection of old brass parts.  There were not only door knobs & hardware,  but appliques that had been lost from furniture or house moldings.  My imagination was going wild as I studied each piece!

 

What a great find!  We quickly snatched up these train station stop signs.  These heavy metal signs are going to be gorgeous grouped together (we bought all of the white ones!!)

 

 

In England, I was amazed at the quantity of old concrete garden statues.  They were all individually beautiful with their patina and English moss.

 

 

 

I wished we had taken this bull to Texas!  We passed on him the first time and then I dreamed about it at night and went back the next day, and he was sold!  I should have known better than that!

 

European Pharmacy bottles are so unique and we had a hard time deciding which ones to take home!

 

Our final decision . . .

 

 

 

I just loved this vendor's collection of vintage suitcases.   I can't wait to see the set of white ones that we purchased!!

 

 

These are mother of pearl Victorian French buttons.  They are sewn onto card boards with a thin sheet of tarnished silver on top.  Really Beautiful.  I was shocked to find out the dealer's price,  this collection was $250!

 

 

 

These next three photos were taken in Durbuy, "The prettiest town in all of Belgium".  This home design store definitely caught my eye as I loved everything about it.

   

 

 

 

This retail shop was in the Brussels design district.  I am crazy about it's exterior design.  The large zinc awning. . .  the simple block print logo . . .  the weathered paint on the front door . . .  the glass store front windows and arched doorway . . .

 

   Come see our unique finds and European Treasures at our

Big Reveal!

Saturday, October 16

10 am

 

 

_{^{Patina Green Home and Market}}

_{^{116 N. Tennessee, Suite 102}}

_{^{Historic Downtown Square}}

 

  

 

Back from Europe!

We had a successful trip to Europe, both personally and professionally!  We had a great time being tourist in the beautiful country of Belgium and we did some great buying at the fabulous flea markets of England.  We are so excited for our container to arrive to unpack all of our treasures, hopefully sometime at the end of September.

 

I will blog a few times about this trip, but I thought I would start with gardens and delicacies! 

 

In England, the fields appeared to be purple due to the growing patches of wild heather.

 

 

In Belgium, we found gorgeous flowers everywhere!  I know understand why so many of the cut flowers sold in stores around us, are imported from Belgium. 

 

 

 

One of the best things about being on vacation in Europe is eating all of the wonderful seasonal foods found in the markets and off of the street.

 

The picture above was taken at the morning fish market in Bruges.

 

I just loved this country man selling his house cured meats at a small market in the Belgium town of Han-sur-Lesse.

 

   Boucheries were on every corner in the French region of Belgium.  Many of our meals consisted of these cured meats paired with local cheese and fresh bread from the patisseries.

 

I took this picture at an olive oil market in the cutest little town of Durbuy, Belgium.  I was inspired by their concept of  picking out your own bottle and then filling it yourself with their house-made oils and vinegars.  

 

 

Another one of my favorite food markets was this old mustard shop in Ghent.   Tierenteyn Mustard is made from a confidential 1790 recipe of ground mustard seeds, vinegar, and salt. It has a unique flavor, powerful with a slightly spicy bite.  Unfortunately, you can only purchase this mustard at the shop, where it is hand poured fresh into a crock.

 

 

 

 

 

It was interesting to see the unique produce in the local food markets. 

 

These were tiny wild strawberries!  We ate them whole, green stem and all.  They were juicy and sweet and a perfect afternoon snack.

 

This picture quality is not great, but it is still very clear at the amazing colors of these heirloom tomatoes!  We found these as they were being dropped off by the farmer to be used in the kitchen at this little restaurant in Durbuy. 

 

 

We couldn't miss the famous Belgium Waffles!

I really enjoyed the plain Belgium waffles.  Served warm, they were sweet and crispy and didn't need all of the fancy toppings, they were perfect.

 

 

All around Belgium, we found "biscuit" shops full of cookies and butter biscuits like this one in Brussels called Dandoy.  The have been making their treats since 1829!

 

 

These next two photos were taken at a local honey shop.  Every product in the store was made using their local honey.  There were food items as well as bath products.  I took some fabulous soap home . . .

 

 

And, of course, there was Belgium chocolate . . . a store on every corner!  It seemed as if we tried them all, and I am now convinced that they are correct, and Belgium does make the best chocolate!!

 

and . . . the best beer!  So many Belgium beers!! 

 

 

  Some of our favorite Belgium beers that we tried were crafted in the small towns that we visited.