One of my fav design must haves... The Garden Stool!

You see them everywhere now. Various shapes, sizes, designs, and prices.

The first one I feel in love with was of course an amazing antique garden stool in turquoise glaze. Who does not drool over the various shades of turquoise that appear to have been poured over this piece.

 I had the pleasure to become friends with... well, I will call him "E. Antiques Guru". He has shared a wealth of knowledge with me about many pieces I have been interested in. He taught me that the value of an antique increases by the story that lies behind it. Me, being new to the antiques world, may look at a pot and say" Now why is that dumb, old, cracked pot $900". Well surely E. Antiques Guru can tell you the story of how it was used, who made it, in what country it was made and now its a magnificent piece of art that I must have! Amazing, Huh! Or I am just an easy sell.

Per E. Antiques Guru, The above "...is a ceramic stool with a turquoise-colored Majolica glaze made by the Massier pottery in France in the late 19th c. The Massier firm worked in the Cote d'Azur area of France and is known today for having produced some of the best art pottery of the era. Most of their work is in museums and personal collections today. It is made in an Aesthetic Movement style inspired by Japanese and Chinese export wares that were then popular. Garden stools were bought for conservatories and used in drawing-rooms of the period. Many people in Britain and France, having lived in Colonial India or Africa, often had a room of the house that they decorated in an exotic, Eastern style."

Wow, doesn't the story really add value to the piece. Thanks, E.A.G... you know who you are, I look forward to more information you will share with me.

Majolica Turquoise-Glazed Garden Stool by Clement Massier available at Antique Swan in Austin, Texas.

 

You can easily find knock-offs available but no history behind them... Rope Garden Stool $550 www.homedecodirect.com

You can tell it's just not quite the same, but hey not everyone can afford the real thing... that includes me!

The below stool is actually what inspired me to research garden stools. It an awesome mini version of the common turquoise stools above. You can find it at Back Home with a 2wist for a stellar price of only $99. And since I work there I get the pleasure of dreaming about it regularly it really is cool.

I don't know what it is i have always had a thing for collection mushrooms, that my have trickled down from my mom I am sure.

Bird Brain Mushroom Garden Stool $99.00 available at amazon.com

Again with the turquoise, what can I say I love it! But my true favorite color is ORANGE, so here is my orange pick.

Orange w/ Dragon Motif Ceramic Garden Stool on sale for $173, wow.... www.homedecodirect.com

Target.com even has some really interesting ones for the average consumer. Check this out for only $99

Now that's far-out!

If you love the reclaimed, recycled, petrified wood look, here is the stool for you. Again at target.com for only $199

And of course with Target.com, you could go on and on and on.... and on.

Wow! Check this one out at only $59.99 at wards.com. Not my favorite but that price is unbelievable.

So let me introduce myself...

I am not a writer, I am a terrible typer and this is my first "real" attempt at blogging. So you ask why would I start a blog? I am in my late 20's. Wow 30 is just around the corner. And of course, I am still wondering "what am I going to be when I grow up". I started college early and was convinced I was going to be a therapist. I wanted to help people deal with their problems... because at nearly 18  years old I had it all figured out right. HAHA

After my first psychology class with the most monotone boring teacher I had ever had, I decided I wanted to be nothing like her. I believe she was drained of all emotion probably due to her profession. So moving on...

I decide to go to art school and study interior design. I spent lots of mula and am still paying, for a bunch of dead beat designers to teach me something that I am convinced you born with or not! Design came easy for me, I was raised by a mom who was a professional floral designer and habitual crafter. I designed and built my own Barbie house out of cardboard when I was about 10 years old. I even painted wallpaper inside. I made my own doll clothes and attempted my own clothing at times, never quite mastered that.

So lets skip to now. I am a "newly separated" mother of the most beautiful 3-year-old girl. By day I am a glorified shop girl/ personal assistant/ my self named, newest, favorite title "social networking marketer" . At least, I work for one of the most highly recommended furniture boutiques in town, have a very understanding and supportive boss. The money good and I get by and I can honestly say I like my job. By night I am MOM. I try to feed her food, she only wants candy. I try to give her a bath, she never wants to wash her face or hair. I try to get her to bed at a decent hour, she never wants to go to bed before me. But I need alone time, peace and quiet.

 So now I get my quiet time and I am here to vent life's everyday troubles and share with you my passion of design. I hope I can entertain "you" = my imaginary following for now.