Getaway Details

This week has totally flown by for me. I've been working on a couple of redesigns, and I'm not sure where all the time has gone? Since we are staring another weekend in the face, I guess it's appropriate to share some details of my weekend excursion (last weekend).

We went to Highlands, North Carolina and stayed at the Old Edwards Inn.

Highlands is a simple drive from Birmingham, and we took advantage of it. If you have never been to Highlands, it is a must see. The Old Edwards Inn is one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. It is beautifully decorated, and the service is amazing.

One of the biggest treats for my husband? The Dove bar. Yes, an entire bar of vanilla ice cream dipped in dark chocolate - Open 24/7 with no limit on the number you can eat! Well, let's just say they lost money on my husband!

We were treated to champagne when we first arrived Friday afternoon! Such a treat for me (way more fun than Dove bars)!

OK a totally random picture. I've been working on a project where we are considering a longer version of cafe curtains on windows and french doors, and I was having trouble finding a example to show my client. I turned the corner and there it was. Love this look if you need a bit more privacy but still love the idea of lots of light.

Saturday morning I took off to check out the sites in the area (thanks to Lisa of Lisa Mende Design who was gracious enough to share her favorite haunts with me). I only had the morning since I spent the afternoon in the spa (only do this on vacation, and it was so relaxing). The town of Highlands is so quaint - look at all the shops.

I stopped by Mirror Lake Antiques and got a fabulous antique lesson from the owner Stan Cochran on Majolica. I will be sharing the details of this with you in a later post.

He had some marvelous examples for us to discuss.

I also stopped in and met Laura of the Highlands Gem Shop who is going to be sourcing some gems for me to use in a DIY client project I will be sharing with you soon.

She and her husband are owners of a wonderful little shop! Stayed tuned for more on this project - can't wait to show it to you.

And last, but certainly not least, I ran into James Farmer (huge smile here) If you recall, I posted about Mr. Farmer here. He is a mover and shaker in the landscaper/design/entertaining world. Here's how it went down - I was in a different shop when I saw his most recent book at the checkout counter and starting chatting with the salesperson about it. The salesperson said, "You know he's down at Acorns today signing books." At that moment, it was all I could do not to run - I quickly made my exit and race walked down to see him.

He was such a southern gentleman, and so gracious to entertain my complete monopolization of his time. He is working on his fourth book as we speak which I hope is out in time for Christmas so I won't have to think too hard about what to give everybody this year.