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Avocado Margaritas

Posted by James on May 5, 2020
Posted in: New Home, Recipes. Tagged: Avocado Margaritas, Cinco de Mayo Recipes, Medori Recipe, Tajin. 3 Comments

If you’re like me – and I’m willing to bet that you are because you’re reading this – you more than occasionally enjoy a refreshing adult beverage.

Have I got a great one for you today.

Avocado Margaritas.

Avocado MArgaritas from the Cavender Diary Boys

You read that correctly;

Avocado….

and Tequila….

Blended together.

All the Ingredients for Avocado Margaritas

Here’s what ya need for one margarita, but double it and make 2;

  • 2 Ounces White (Blanco) Tequila
  • 1 1/2 Ounces Melon Liquor
  • 1 Ounce Orange Liquor
  • 1 Ounce Agave Nectar
  • 1 Ounce Fresh Lime Juice
  • 1/4 Soft Avocado
  •  About 1/2 Cup of Ice
  • Tajin (Spicy Salt)

Add the first 7 ingredients into a blender and pulse until well blended.

Blending Avocado Margaritas

Takes about 5 seconds.

Now, my addition to this recipe is the Tajin.

Tajin is a slightly-smoky, lime/chili seasoning salt that’s pretty popular in Latin countries sprinkled over chilled fruit. If you live in Texas, like we do, most liquor stores have at the cash register. (It’s also popular sprinkled into a beer with a squeeze of lime.) If you don’t live in Texas, you can find it on Amazon.

My dear friend Sonya, who’s from Guatemala, brought us some Tajin last summer when we hosted a baby shower for a coworker. Sonya made a fruit salad with cucumber – I know, CUCUMBER in a fruit salad – and left me the jar so I could replicate the taste.

I enjoy it sprinkled on pineapple.

I haven’t seen Sonya in a while and hope she’s doing well.

Rub a third of the glass rim with a lime wedge and roll it in Tajin. It’s the perfect compliment to the cool, creamy avocado.

Rim the Glass with Tajin Collage

Trust me.

And please try this drink.

It’s a great way to use that Medori you’ve had collecting dust in the back of the liquor cabinet for the past 20 years.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

And, as always,

You’re welcome.

 

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Bandanna Republic

Posted by James on May 2, 2020
Posted in: New Home, Projects. Tagged: Framing Basics, Ralph Lauren Bandanna, The Colorado Kid Bandanna, vintage bandannas. 8 Comments

When I found this red bandanna,

the colorado kid ralph lauren bandanna

I knew right away that I’d frame it.

I’m certainly not going to use it to blow my nose…

Just one more oddball thing that I think needs to be in a frame.

I had no doubt that I wanted a black carved wood frame – a little reminiscent of a hand-tooled leather western belt, with a slight nod to the paisley in the bandana. It took about 20 seconds to find the perfect one.

But how to mount the bandana????

I tried it several ways,

With a white background;

white mat under the bandanna

With a white mat over the bandanna edges;

white mat over the bandanna

Looks clean and crisp, and I usually like that, but it’s still not right.

Maybe the white is too much.

So then I tried a black background:

black mat under the bandanna

…and a black mat over the edge of the red bandanna;

black mat over the bandanna

I thought the black mat might extend the color of the frame.

But it still just wasn’t right.

Maybe I should scratch the idea of a background/mat altogether.

And do something like this.

black frame pushed up to print

Better, but the print in the scarf and the carved wood details in the frame still need some air to breathe – just a little space.

some space between bandana and frame

That’s it!!!

That little red edge makes all the difference.

See,

IMG_6123

Way, more much better.

Now if we only had the empty wall-space to hang it in.

 

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Playing Header Games

Posted by James on April 19, 2020
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Header, Home Improvement, Home Imrovement, Our Living Room. 14 Comments

Our entryway used be a tight, awkward little hallway,

Stupid Pony Walls in the Entryway

…with useless pony walls on each side. They just visually tightened an already small space.

The pony walls went to the curb within a month of moving in – a small task that made Jamie a little nervous. Especially when I bought a crowbar and a sledge hammer in front of him at Home Depot. If I recall, his exact words were,

“Why did we buy this house if we have to change it?”

I know, that was 10 years ago. He’s singing a much different tune these days.

In fact, I came home from work one day to find that he had already removed the pony walls… by himself.

But it took us another 9+ years to remove the odd header that hovered over those little walls. At one time, there were decorative “cage-like” railings that sat upon said walls and stretched up to the header. If you’ve ever watched HGTV’s House Hunters you know what I’m talking about. It was an attempt to make a small house look like she had an actual formal entryway. You know, without closing it off too much.

1972 solution = bars. In case you’re wondering, a cage is never the solution…

Anyhoo, there that header has sat – or hung – over our heads for 10 years. With standard 8 foot ceilings, we need all the visual clearance we can get. After making sure it wasn’t load bearing  (I learned that phrase from HGTV too) I set about ripping it down.

Remember, I still had that crowbar and sledge hammer….

Header in Living Room

And I used them to do this…

Header in Living Room with Drywall Removed

Stripped off all the drywall to see what we’re working with.

Sure, we like “industrial”, but this is just a little too rustic.

Thick Header Boards

Over the course of a few days, Jamie will tell you it took several weeks, I gently removed the massive boards and patched the four inch wide hole with smaller boards, a run of drywall, and then a layer of drywall mud.

Repairing the Ceiling

Then I sanded,

Followed by more mud, and more sanding,

And eventually even more mud, and, you guessed it, even more sanding……

Where the Header Was

When I was fully satisfied with the texture, I wrapped grocery bags around the can lights and gave the whole ceiling several coats of ceiling paint white.

Have I mentioned that you should routinely paint your ceilings? Because you should.

First thing.

It makes a tremendous difference reflecting light in an old house. (Especially an old house that was built when smoking was popular.)

After Lots of Sanding and Ceiling Paint

IMG_4565

Eventually we could hardly tell that there had ever been a header there at all.

New Ceiling in the Living Room

If you didn’t know to look for it… you’d never know what used to be there.

I know, I’m impressed too.

Did a fairly decent job of matching the texture on the walls too.

Added Crown in the Living Room

Notice that I took this time to add crown molding in this room too. Used the same technique as in the master bedroom. I can’t stress enough how much it cleans the edges of the room. Do it!

On to our next project.

Lord knows we have time…..

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Zucchini/Carrot Bread

Posted by James on April 16, 2020
Posted in: New Home, Recipes. Tagged: Easy Zucchini Bread, Vegetable Bread, Zucchini Carrot Bread. 7 Comments

Zucchini Carrot Bread from the Cavender Diary Boys

Bored,

Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored……

In the past couple of weeks we have done everything we can to keep ourselves busy; we’ve cleaned out the garage, every closet, every drawer. I’ve painted art, made candles, taught my dog a few new tricks, built a wood storage box for the bathroom, and revamped an industrial pendant. We’ve taken long walks and watched everything there is on Disney+ and Netflix.

EVERYTHING.

Everyone on the Face-Space seems to be baking banana bread.

But we don’t have any bananas.

After a quick survey of the kitchen, we do have zucchini and carrots.

So today we’re making Zucchini/Carrot Bread.

Dry Ingredients

That’s right, now I’m making bread with leftover vegetables.

Here’s what ya need:

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
  •  1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2  Cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Cup Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Honey
  • 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
  • 1 Cup Shredded Zucchini
  • 1 Cup Shredded Carrots

Shift together the first 6 ingredients – flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder – into a bowl and set asside.

Add Nutmeg

In a separate bowl use a kitchen mixer to mix together the next 6 ingredients – sugar, brown sugar, oil, honey, vanilla, and eggs – on low until well-blended.

*Here’s a helpful hint. Measure the honey in the same measuring cup you use for the oil. The light coating of oil will help it to slide right out. You’re welcome.

Mix Wet Ingredients

Electric Mixer

Now to grate the veggies.

Carrots and Zucchini

If you happen have a food processor, aren’t you lucky?

If you’re like me, and don’t have a fancy food processor, just use a regular cheese grater over a bowl.

Be careful of those fingertips – no one wants any extra strips of protein.

Grate The Zucchini

Grate the zucchini first and then squeeze out as much of the water as you can.

Not need to do this with the carrots. They have almost no liquid. If you’ve ever juiced one, you know this already.

Grated Zucchini

Two 8-inch veggies will make just about a cup shredded. There are no exact measurements here. If you want more, then add more.

Gratted Zucchini and Carrots

Roughly chop a cup of pecans.

Why pecans and not walnuts?

Because Texas, that’s why.

Roughly Chop the Pecans

Mix the shredded vegetables and about 3/4 of the pecans into the wet mixture.

Stir in the Chopepd Pecans

Then slowly fold in the dry mixture with a spatula, about a 1/2 cup at a time.

Slowly Stir In the Dry Ingredients

You want to make sure everything is mixed well; no clumps, no dry pockets.

Mixed Bread BAtter

Divide the mixture into two 8-inch loaf pans. I sprayed them down with a butter flavored cooking spray first.

Two Loaf Pans

Now bake the loaves at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes.

(After 50 minutes, your house should smell like heaven. Insert a toothpick into the middle of one. If it come out clean, they’re ready. If not, pop them back into the oven for another 5 – 10 minutes.)

Let the hot bread sit-in the pan for about five minutes then gently slide them out and let them cool on a drying rack.

Two Loaves Cooling on the Rack

I smear a big layer of cream cheese over the top of the bread and sprinkle it with the remaining pecans.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

Zucchini Carrot Bread 2

Zucchini Carrot Bread 3

It’s a dense bread,

Almost cake-like, but not too sweet.

Give it a try sometime…

What else are you doing?

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Ronan Farrow’s BIG BOY Apartment

Posted by James on April 15, 2020
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Definitely Woody Allen's Son, Frank Sinatra Love Child, Mia Farrow Son, Ronan Farrow, Ronan Farrow Apartment, Woody Allen Son. 10 Comments

Genius spawn of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, Ronan Farrow, has a new address. (At least he did 5 years ago when I wrote this.) The boy wonder recently relocated to his first apartment on west 60th…. and man, it’s a stunner.

Not sure where he was living before this, let’s just assume it was with Mom in the Dakota.

Here’s the before:

Ronan Farrow's Living Room Before

Ronan Farrow's Dining Room Before

Ronan Farrow's Kitchen Before

Stunning views, but other than that….ehhhhh,

I’m more a fan of acquired decor and not “decorated”, but even still, with the aid of BHDM design, Ronan transformed the space into a relaxing, masculine retreat in the sky.

And here’s what BHDM did for poor Ronan:

Ronan Farrow's Living Room 1

I know. BA-BAM!

These vintage highway signs are just calling my name.

Ronan Farrow's Living Room 2

Ronan Farrow's Living Room 3

Ronan Farrow's Living Room 4

Ronan Farrow's Living Room 5

Ronan Farrow's Dining Room 1

Never thought of framing Rorschach ink blots before…… but I sure want to now.

Do y’all see a slaughtered bunny rabbit?

Or is it just me?

Ronan Farrow's Dining Room 2

If someone breaks in a steals this sketch of a mustached gent…. it may possibly have been me.

Ronan Farrow's Moustached Man

The kitchen bar area was simply updated with a few mail-order bar stools from, get this, From the Source.

Ronan Farrow's Bar Counter

How great is that reclaimed industrial red pendant next to his bed?

Ronan Farrow's Bedroom

Ronan Farrow's Bedroom Desk

Most everything was purchased online, even the vintage chairs.

Just found this post hidden behind 80 other drafts in my WordPress and thought it was worthy of a posting.

Hope y’all enjoy.

Stay safe.

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Candy-O

Posted by James on April 4, 2020
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Alberto Vargas, Album Art, Candy Morre, Candy-O, David Robinson, Mount 'N Ride, New Wave Album Cover, The Cars, The Cars Candy-O, Vargas, Vargas Girl, Vargas Pin Up. 8 Comments

I’ve always been fascinated by album art. A single twelve inch square image conveys everything you need to know about the artist and the music contained inside the folded cardboard.

And sometimes, it does nothing more than intrigue. Like this one hanging on my wall.

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People are always asking about her, so here’s a little background;

Candy-O is the second studio album from the American new-wave band The Cars.

The Album cover was painted by pin-up artist Alberto Vargas with a technique that combines watercolors and airbrush. Vargas gained fame for his illustrations of scantily-clad young ladies in the pages of 1940s Esquire magazines; many of which were used as inspiration for the nose art on WW2 bombers.

Vargas WW2 Bomber Nose Art

Unfortunately, his artwork was also a pain in the ass for Esquire. The magazine was denied a second class postal permit by the US Post Office for distributing his “pornography”. Esquire took the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Even though they won the case the magazine still dropped Vargas as a contributing artist; keeping the usage rights to his proper name, “Varga”.

In 1957 Playboy magazine published a retrospective article about Vargas that prompted Hugh Heffner to personally reach out to the struggling artist and offer him a job as an illustrator. From ’57 to ’74 Vargas’s work blossomed and he painted 152 paintings for Heff and Playboy magazine – only now with an “S” added to the end of his name. Sadly, it was his wife’s death in 1974 that forced him into a deep depression – she had been his model, his business manager and his muse in every way – and he retired from painting.

The idea to hire Vargas for the Candy-O album cover came from Cars drummer David Robinson, he was the band’s artistic director and also an avid collector of vintage pin-ups. Robinson had recently been given a copy of Vargas’s 1978 autobiography and was surprised to learn that the artist was still alive and living in Los Angeles. Of course the 83-year-old Vargas had no interest in a rock-n-roll project (How could he have known that this would be his most recognized piece of work?) and had to be persuaded to take the job by his niece, who was a huge Cars fan.

Vargas selected a young dancer named Nancy Beth as his model and suggested a dance position Nancy Beth referred to as the “rose petal”; her arm draped demurely across her forehead and eyes like a petal. Unfortunately, Nancy Beth wasn’t prepared for the modeling session to be in the nude – or semi-nude; there was, after all, a sheer leotard but nothing else. (This was a step-up for Vargas models. In the past they had always been completely nude with clothes only added to the final portraits). When she declined, Elektra Records hired actress-model-whatever Candy Moore – the name “Candy” was purely a coincidence. She had been a child actress and even played Lucile Ball’s daughter, Chris Carmichael, on The Lucy Show in the early ’60s. To create a photo that Vargas could use as a guide, Robinson set up a photo shoot at a Ferrari dealership in Beverly Hills and had Candy drape herself across the hood of a Ferrari 365 GTC.

Candy Posing on the Ferrari

There must have been quite a lot of chemistry that day because she and Robinson dated for a little while after.

I found a short interview with David Robinson about the experience.

It should come as no surprise that Vargas’s first version of the painting was rejected by the record label. Apparently, there wasn’t much of Candy’s anatomy left to the imagination….. if you know what I mean. The old man was used to illustrating for X-rated magazines, not for record bins at Tower Records.

Candy-O was released on June 13, 1979. Sex sells, especially in the music industry, and the album cover garnered way more attention that the actual music – which, in my humble opinion…. is just ok. (It’s my least favorite Cars album)

There’s no doubt that it was Vargas’s buxom babe – there’s no mention of the band, or even the album’s name, on the cover. In fact, there’s barely even a car; just an outline. – that helped Candy-O go platinum in eight weeks.

Shortly after the release, Vargas, then in his 80’s, was invited by the band to see them in concert. When asked about the artist’s impression of the band, Robinson said, “He just said it wasn’t his kind of music. But he was impressed because he could see that we worked really hard and he said there were beautiful girls all over the place.

He liked that very much.” 

I’m sure he did.

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Artist Profile, Jon Flaming

Posted by James on March 19, 2020
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: Bad Guy Art, Cowboy Art, Dallas Artist, Jon Flaming, Jon Flaming Art, Modern Cowboy, Texas Art. 1 Comment

I’ve been using Art & Frame Expo on Mockingbird Ave. for years now.

Professionally, and personally.

I can’t stress enough the importance of a professional framer in your life. Sure, any slob can tape a picture they ripped out of a magazine to the inside a $6 Ikea frame. But a professional framer will size the perfect mat, select a frame style that enhances the subject matter, and even recommend a glass that will keep that magazine page from fading over time.

Christine goes out of her way to accommodate my bizarre requests; like making 3-sided burl wood frames to trim shelves, or cutting thick mats just the right size to cradle a Life magazine, or even making empty silver frames that I used to trim the glass insets of a room divider. I’m never your ordinary customer.

Just the other day the ordinary customer next to me was framing a print of a Texas swing band – 5 western hat wearing musicians in a blocky, almost elementary school style. (I’m always curious about what art other people decide to frame.) I knew the Artist right away; Dallas’ own – Jon Flaming.

We excitedly exchanged our thoughts on Jon’s work, how much we loved his Instagram feed, and then we both agreed that he was the “Cowboy Matisse”.

See for yourselves;

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Jon-Flaming-pic-Jon-Flaming-Plano-Magazine-cowboy-red

Jon Fleming Collage 1

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BIG-TEX-FOR-SALE-YELLOW

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MODERN-COWBOY-WITH-RATTLER-SCREEN

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d7hftxdivxxvm.cloudfront.net

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Technically, Jon Flaming has only been a full-time working artist for the past few years. Self-taught, he works with acrylics, oils, water color and even found objects. It’s his early memories of small town life in rural America (farm equipment, horses, oil wells, cattle, and especially the working men) that left a lasting impression on him and translates into everything he does. Although he briefly considered a career as an architect, Jon graduated from Texas State University with a degree in design and for the past 30 years has done just that. His Dallas-based graphic design firm has created logos and branding for big dogs like Neiman Marcus, Pepsi, and JCPenny. Jon’s art style may have evolved and changed but everything he does is still easily identifiable as his work.

He may not be a native Texan, Jon was born in Kansas and moved to Texas when he was 5, but I’m pretty sure he’s accepted as one of us…

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…and he certainly knows how to rock a Stetson Open Road with a Canadian tuxedo.

Be sure to check out Jon’s journal page  to purchase painting/prints, read his press, and keep up with details about upcoming shows.

OOOhh, and do not miss the collection he designed for the John Wayne Brand.

(Ya’ll know I’ve already ordered a t-shirt)

Love this guy.

Love his work.

The “Cowboy Matisse”.

 

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10 Years Ago Today

Posted by James on February 26, 2020
Posted in: New Home. 22 Comments

Ten years ago today, Barack Obama was President.

There were no iPads, Uber, Instagram, Airbnb, or Teslas.

Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Prince were alive and well.

And Jamie and I closed on the Cavender house, (jump starting a blog about the experience).

I thought it might be fun to see the original listing pics compared to how she looks today.

A3876D38-56E1-4C65-A714-66961284F674_1_105_c

Drastic changes to the curb appeal;

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It’s easy to see the new paint (from pea soup to chocolate bar), beefier porch columns, new roof, turquoise fountain, mailbox, under-eaves lights, shutters, landscaping and a sexy, sexy new door. (Goodbye ugly fiberglass stock door from Lowe’s).

The backyard is even better. Before;

D0902425-F27A-4168-A87B-965F1D5DCB76_4_5005_c

And what we live with now;

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Yeah, that deck was the best decision we’ve made yet.

This was billed as the dining room;

IMG_0877

We currently call it our living room;

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It’s probably more of a library.

Here’s what was described as a “chef’s kitchen”,

IMG_0878

Tile countertops, a black sink, black appliances, florescent lighting?, much too-short upper cabinets…. and why am I looking at the side of the microwave?

Not anymore;

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The space is much improved with granite countertops, industrial faucet, stainless appliances, and cabinets that reach up to the celing to make use of every available inch space.

The Den looked…. spacious, at least,

IMG_0880

Now it’s more full, which is always better. Right?

Jamie started painting that fireplace black 10 minutes after waking into the house for the first time. We still love it.

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The other side of the room wasn’t much prettier,

IMG_0876

Now it’s more the focal point of the room, with a tv hidden in all that junk somewhere,

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The guest bedroom was pretty….. austere.

To say the least.

IMG_0883

Not any more. Now it’s cozy.

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The master bedroom certainly wasn’t selling anything, except maybe “Moroccan Ikea”.

IMG_0882

Now, it’s my favorite room in the whole house, hands down.

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The wood headboard wall was one of our first projects.

The main bathroom was the only bathroom picture shown on the listing, for obvious reasons.

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It’s much improved now…

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I’ll have to go deeper into detail on this one later.

And I will, promise.

10 years down.

Hard to believe but we couldn’t afford to buy in this neighborhood now.

No worries because we don’t ever plan on moving.

Not without a court order anyway.

Happy 10 years of the Cavender Diary, Everyone.

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This is 2020!!!

Posted by James on January 1, 2020
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: New Years Eve 2019, Times Square. 2 Comments

NYE 2020

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That Thing I Do… Holiday Edition

Posted by James on December 22, 2019
Posted in: Christmas, New Home. Tagged: Ralph Lauren Bears, Ralph Lauren Christmas, Retail Christmas Windows. 33 Comments

I’ve been working in retail creative for almost 30 years. Half of those years have been with Ralph Lauren. 

The easiest way to explain what I do is that I create the window displays. It’s not a career that I ever dreamed I would have…. or even knew existed…. but it’s the perfect blend of my love of fashion and style, combined with my design and construction skills. 

I don’t do any of this alone, I work with an amazingly talented team of people. Together we tell elaborate stories with a few yards of fabric, a carload of barn wood, glue guns, flood lights, garland, spray glitter and always 5 or 6 trips to Home Depot. 

We make “retail art”.

Every October through November, for the holidays, the magic is turned up a bit and we really shine. 

These are always my favorite windows.

Our inspiration could be Christmas at Colorado cabin, or in an art-deco penthouse, the backstage at the Paris Opera, or even a party for elegantly dressed teddy bears.

I don’t usually show these off. 

To me, they’re never finished. There’s something I could always tweak a little more; lighting to adjust, garland to fluff, silver to polish….

But I’m proud of them, and the work that we put into them, and wanted to share some of my favorites from the last couple years….

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Holiday Opera 2013 Piano

back stage at the PAris Opera Collage

Holiday Opera 2013

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Holiday Bears Collage

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Deco Small Windows

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IMG_5221

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Houston Antler Wreath Collage

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Window 1 HP 12-19

Hope y’all enjoyed this glimpse….

Merry Christmas.

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