Melissa's Remix

So my sister had been pestering me to come down to Houston to visit her for a LONG time and because of the LONG drive, I was horrible and put it off for far too long.  I hadn't seen their "new" house that they have lived in for at least 5 years... So, I felt like a big enough of a heel, finally, to drive down there this February!  I traveled down the scenic highways to get there in record time and it wasn't half as LONG as I had anticipated.

I had two missions while I was down there: 1. Scout out fabulous decorator shops (P.S. Shops in big cities are SUPER nice to decorators there and will totally work with us on prices! More competition = more deals!) and 2. to help my sister, Melissa, restyle her house to suit she and her husbands, artistic nature and tastes.

It was my neice's and my birthday that week and it was the first time we had ever spent it together! So needless to say, it was a very special week and a great deal was accomplished!

I got there, to a welcoming committee of... my sister's dog, Lou, who did not remember me and my efforts at Dog Whispering her were fruitless. (Melissa was picking up kids from school.) Once she did get home I was welcomed with squeals of delight and a flurry of hugs and kisses! WOW! Celia and Maddy, my nieces, informed me that I would be staying in Celia's room and this is what was awaiting me when I got in the room.

 

It made me laugh and smile all at the same time.  It was SO Celia... adorable! My sis had gotten me a mini orchid and a hysterical card for my birthday/welcoming.

Now, the next day, let me just say, I often use the saying, "The butt crack of dawn," in a very negative way about times of day that are ungodly to be awake, but this family wakes up... at the crack of the butt crack of dawn, and therefor, so did I! Oy!  But, my brother in law, had delicious French Press coffee which managed to wake me up, albeit slowly.  It did help that I had my nieces and silly nephew to give me morning hugs and kisses... :)

So that first morning, while my sister was out putting the kids on the bus and chatting up her neighbor, I moved the furniture in the living room.  Now let me say, my sister is rather like my father in that she isnt' a huge "reactor" like my other sister, mother, and myself.  So when she came in for the big reveal, she was quiet and contemplative... how boring!!!  But she didn't say she hated it, yet, so I took it as a lesser victory, but still a victory!

We got dressed and headed out to downtown Houston and all I have to say is that it was a blur!  We went to about 14 different places in just one day!!!  We are both alike in that we know what we want and if we don't see it, we keep moving... It was tons of fun though!  Here are some pictures of some of the things we found, liked, loved, lost, and moved on from.

Someday, when I have a bigger house, I want to collect bad portraits and do a wall like this! I have loved this idea for a LONG time!

 A chandelier Melissa and I wanted for her entry hall. Kinda crazy, kinda funky. Especially if you paint the gold lime green??? 

A chair Melissa had been ogling for a while. We just couldn't find a spot for it.

 

One of my purchases for my house! Who doesn't love a chromed Chinese garden stool? LOVE IT!!!

 A chair I found and brought back for a friend.

 A chair I wanted to bring home with me, but I SERIOUSLY didn't have a spot to put it! Sadness! I love the fabric!!!

 Melissa's dream Mad Men sofa... someday soon sis!

 I'm a chair-a-holic... what can I say?

AMAZING... Enough said.

For lunch we went to this heavenly place called Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen Restaurant.  It was amazing!  Melissa had seen it on Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  This was no dive, drive in or really what I would call a diner, simply because it was in such a ritzy neighborhood, but WHO CARES!  The food was plentiful and delicious! For an appetizer we got a sampling of their tantalizing in house pickles and for lunch, I got the philly cheese steak sandwich with sweet potato fries (top), and Melissa got the veggie burger (bottom) made up of, tomatoes, lettuce, portobello mushroom, onion, eggplant, cheese, and the kitchen sink...  I know, you are thinking, veggie burger??? Really??? Yes, really, it was delicious! This meal, no FEAST, really helped us get through our whirlwind shopping day and held us past dinner too...

The next day was an insane day... Before I left home, I was worried if I would even make it at all because the day I was supposed to leave, an ice/snow storm was going to be moving in and follow my planned path to Houston.  I left a day earlier and missed the storm altogether, however, when it did hit Houston, it was an icy miserable mess.  Our plans to go back into downtown were put on hold, which worked out in our favor because we were able to prepare for my niece's birthday party! Melissa got some balloons and I did a flower arrangement for the birthday girl!  Melissa kept saying, "If you lived here, I would make you come over and arrange flowers for me all the time..." I believe she would work me till my fingers were raw, but I wouldn't mind... it's the martyr-ish behavior sisters relish... haha... Here are Maddy's flowers.

 

We had her favorite dinner of corned beef! (They are delightfully odd children and will eat everything and are willing to at least try just about anything! They amaze me!) We opened presents and went to bed!

The next day was my birthday and I was so exhausted I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but when I became so indecisive, Melissa took charge! First, we went to eat... oh joyous food! A true blessing from God above is seafood... fresh from... the SEA! Melissa took me to Goode Co. Seafood for my birthday meal! OUTSTANDING! I fell in love with the shrimp, crap, etc... that were in the lovely plates we shared, the names of which I cannot pronounce or remember, but they were fresh and wonderful.  The one on the left was this wonderful gazpacho type heaven that we oohed and awed over.  The one on the right is this wonderful shrimp filled empanada with Cajun spices.  They were a bit of heaven on my birthday! Thanks Melissa for a fabulous day!

More shopping insued and the my birthday dinner consisted of wine, cheese, bread, chocolate covered strawberries and a cupcake from Ooh La La! YUMMY!  These are amazingly huge and artistic cupcakes! Sadly, we ate them before I could get pictures of them. 

Now it comes to the part two of my mission for this trip: restyling Melissa's home.  She started talking about wanting a different look a long time ago, but didn't know how to get the look she wanted, and didn't even know how to define her style really.  She needed my help.  As we went shopping around to 25 different shops, I began to get a better understanding of her's and Michael's style.  They are both VERY talented artists (you will see below in the pictures that I am NOT exaggerating) and they wanted their house to reflect that, but didn't know how or where to start.

One of my main faults as a designer (of which there are many) is that I get so excited about digging into projects that I forget to take before pictures.  But let me just say, that the before was nice, but not Melissa's style and it did not look like two fun loving, quirky, humorous artists lived in this awesome house with some seriously cool kids!  Here is what we accomplished in one day!

LIVING ROOM

The biggest bang for our buck was rearranging the furniture and getting new throw pillows to add color to the room.  She already had this awesome rug and amazing coffee table so there was only a little tweaking to do.

Now the bookcase is full of Melissa's, her husband's, Michael, and her kid's art! They are a talented bunch!

  This art is stuff Michael did in high school and college! He is so talented!

Melissa and I really fought it out over the fireplace... She wanted something really simple and this is what we compromised on. One of her abstract oil paintings and some decorative objects!

 Two of my sisters abstract oil paintings and one of Michael's amazing graphic designs! Love the India lamp in the corner. When it is on it looks like the starry sky at night!

My brother in law, got this amazing antique curio cabinet for my sister for their wedding anniversary.  We decided to move it into the living room and free up some space in the kitchen and make it their bar! Very Mad Men, don't you think?

ENTRY HALL

One of our Mom's awesome paintings.  We selected a great turquoise color to paint this little nook in their entry hall to add a graphic shot of color.

Love this old radio and the crazy modern art. Thought the two were a good pairing and an instant sign that artists are in residence!

ARTISTS' STUDIO

(OLD DINING ROOM)

 

Both Melissa and Michael both love cycling, jazz, art, and books... can you tell?

Melissa's nook. Before, it was all spread out, now it is more cozy and she gets tons of natural light to paint by.

 

Mel's favorite medium is watercolor. This is her latest effort, a sunflower.

We just pinned her work to the wall rather than spend a fortune framing it. I think it makes it feel way more artist's studio. (Isn't she amazing! I don't know how she gets all that detail into the paintings???)

Michael's desk with all is awesome art!

 Michael is meticulous and did all this stuff without computers!!!! I love all the colors!

 He drew this trumpet!!! WHAT?!?!?!

A cozy area for the kids to do their homework and for Melissa to respond to emails...(hint, hint, Melissa!!!)

 All of Melissa's flower paintings make me want to fall into them and snuggle down for a nap! They look so soft!  I'm so happy she is painting again!

 More of the same amazing art! Details, details... I think I'll be commissioning her to paint some pictures for my clients!

MASTER BEDROOM

 Melissa and I had talked about how to make her huge bedroom seem less ginormous and I suggested painting on a headboard. Lime green and chocolate brown are a great pairing and with the hint of red it really makes the whole look pop! She painted the vine and Michael drew out the headboard with a little ingenuity! It is amazing! Great job guys!

The reading/sitting area.  Isn't Ben a great demonstrator?

Ben had a hard time understanding that I wanted him to look contemplative, so big sis Maddy showed him how... 

 Girls, watch out! He is gonna be a heart breaker!

 *****

I feel I accomplished all my missions and had a blast in the process!  Thanks sis for an awesome time.  I promise I won't wait so long to come next time! I love you all very much.  Thanks Michael for sharing your amazing coffee that enabled me to wake up at the butt crack of dawn.  Thanks Celia and Maddy for giving up your room and making space for me in your loft dwelling! Oh and a special thanks goes out to Ben, for being my decorating assistant! Couldn't have done it without ya dude!

Melissa is assisting Ben in taking apart the old headboard from the master bedroom...

 Ben using his new drill that Marme and Doc got him for Christmas.

P.S. As much as I give Melissa a hard time about not reacting in the beginning, by the end, she was very happy and excited about the outcome! In fact, I think I have created a decorating monster! Love ya sis!