Equestrian Decor

You don't have to own a vintage 18th century house in the country to pull off "equestrian decor" (but it does not hurt).  I've collected some photos off Pininterest, where the horse or equestrian theme can be seen in the decor. This is not "primitive" or "folky" decor - which is just not my style.  Take a peek at few examples:

This uses classic antique pieces with just two or three horse items to make this entrance hall look like it's been here for 150 years.  The blue urns are lovely as is the art.  You could easily do something like this by scouring the antique stores.

I love this look.  Tongue and groove on the walls (easy to do), toile drapes, a great red color for the walls, a few chippendale chairs, some silver, a fox head here and there, and some equestrian art. Voila!

This dining room just uses one large equestrian print or oil as its main focus. And it works!

 I believe this bar is from Badgley Mischka's house in Kentucky - they ride.  I love the bar, the black laquer walls. 

 This stairway looks great doesn't it?  There is a lot to work with here with the light, the windows, the great green shade. I love the white walls.  No need for color here.  And the cute Roman shade!

This one is pretty simple.  Some art, a few vintage trophies picked up at the local antique market.

Love, love, love this wallpaper!  That's all you need in this room!

Now, if we all had a stairwell like this at home!   Enough said!

 This is in Middleburg, VA.  An old barn.  They painted the door in their farm colors and the jockeys are in the same colored silks.  My barn does not look like this! Color goes a long way.

 

 Would you not love a fun old barn to turn into a studio?  How cool is this?

I am off to Warrenton, VA today to a horse show.  Then a fun weekend with friends here in Virginia, then the US Open in New York.  I will be reporting as I can from my travels. Have a great Labor Day weekend where ever you are! 

It's Hampton Classic Time

If you live anywhere near the Hamptons you probably have already made an appearance at the chicest horse show in the US if not the world.  Now through September 2nd mingle with the rich and famous (not to mention the horses) at the most social show on the US circuit.

Did I mention also that it's uber competitive?  You'll likely see Georgina Bloomberg and probably Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld's little one, among others.  Go to the US Open by night and the Hampton Classic by day and you've got a perfect sports weekend!

The show has been around a long time!

Don't forget to pick up a shirt or two!

More Equestrian Stationary

You've probably guessed by now that I still use snail mail and love fine stationary.  You can never have too much "good paper" on hand.  While I love monogrammed stuff, I also like really fine paper from Mrs. John L. Strong and Dempsey & Carroll among others.

There are some great deals right now at Dempsey & Carroll.  Some great deals, possible Christmas gifts??

This is a close-up of the engraved saddle on one of the cards below.  

Some patterns are on sale for $15!  I love the blue cards, although not equestrian, but you can't go wrong with any of these patterns.  The fox cards come with lined envelopes in different colors. Lust! 

Have a great Wednesday! 

More on Baby April

Does she look happy?  13 months of being lame, on and off, in two different feet.  Now she is sound.  Her coat is shiny, she's dappled and soon ready to roll. 2013 here we come!  April is back, finally.  Do I sound happy?

Baby April Update

I received the very best present today, quite unexpected too.  Baby April is SOUND, finally.  The last time she was sound was June 2011.  It has been a LONG road to recovery.  Her ligament injury has healed and her unexpected lameness in her front left foot has turned out to be an abcess.  

She jogged sound today for the vet and we'll give her another week or two and back to work she will go, slowly.  I am a happy owner today.  More photos to come. Her coat is very gold, dappled, she even looks happier!

Weekend in Winston

We had a great summer weekend in North Carolina, attending the second annual Winston-Salem Open, the last warm-up before the US Open which starts today at Flushing Meadows.

Thomas Berdych played a close match with John Isner, who is from Greensboro, about 30 miles away.  Needless to say, he was the hometown favorite.  Berdych is ranked number seven in the world.  Isner is number ten. That is Berdych in the blue plaid shorts.  He is from the Czech Republic. He beat Federer at Wimbledon a few years ago.  Very good forehand, handled Isner's server pretty well. 

 It was a great match, very close, going to a third set tie-breaker that Isner won 11-9, saving three match points.  The match could have gone either way. 

Isner used his serve when he needed it most, serving over 20 aces.  He had one serve that clocked in at 141 mph.  Many serves were in the 130's.   That is Isner in the black shorts. He is like 6'9.

We watched a little bit of the doubles match. 

It was a fun weekend.  My parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary and we had a nice dinner with our neighbors.  This picture was taken on their deck.  It was a great weekend.  Cannot wait to go the US Open in eight days (and counting). Enjoy your Monday.

Rural Pennsylvania Tobacco Barn Project

I fell in love with Richard Keith Langham's redo of an old barn in rural Pennsylvania in the Sept/Oct issue of Veranda.  Check out the an article about it here.

This is one lovely barn that a couple had remade into a large guest house.  Invite me over please!  I simply LOVE the cornice boards.  What a great idea.  The curtains are burlap. The owners apparently scoured markets with the decorators and architects to find old wood and other pieces to put in the barn.

The barn is whimsical, blends the old with the new, is folksy but too much so, and so inviting.  Love the Schumacher print on the sofa, called Fox Hollow (no wonder I like it).

The pavilion by the pool is just so over the top.

Love the red toile lantern and the wood behind it.  What a great pattern. Who would have ever thought to have done that?

Not sure where the farm is, but my guess is Bucks County.  Love it!

Beautiful Virginia Morning!

It is a lovely morning here in Virginia.  I took these photos this morning on my to the barn to feed the horses.  It's days like these that I treasure and say thank you for living in the most beautiful area in the world.

 Alfie and Sega taking in a few more bites before breakfast.

 Sporty is also enjoying the lush green grass. Aren't we lucky?

This is Sega's "dry lot" - where she will spend next spring when the spring "founder" grass comes out.  We've been doing some needed maintenance on a few of our outbuildings.

This is our much improved "chicken coop" that will now house lawn mowers, tractor attachments and maybe a truck.  New roof goes on soon.  You should have seen what this used to look like.

This is a building that houses an old set of scales that are used to weigh cows.  The storm in late June did some damage to it. We painted and patched the roof.

This is the end of our chicken coop. Room maybe for a tractor and a truck?  Not sure yet but we will fill it up.  

Enjoy your morning, wherever you are!