austin cottage is now jvw home!!!

Just an update on my other blog: austin cottage & style....
I have now simplified my life & it takes me awhile to get this process down, but I'm learning!
As part of my simplification process, I've now changed the blog address of the austin cottage & style, to this new one with a new name:
jvw home

My website is also under the jvw home and so I felt that having the biz and blog all the same name , made the most sense.
I hope you'll continue to follow my blog, under this new address:
jvw home

And my logo will be switched back to the jvw home once I tell my sweet web designer Natalie of Modern Sugar. She has the patience of a saint working with the "always changing" me.......we will be tweeking the website as well this wk, cuz alot of changes will be happenin' on the site!

All the best on this new day of November!,
jvw

Austin Cottage is open!! Check out the blog and stay awhile!

Austin Cottage & Style is up and a runnin'!!! I'm having those writing moments where I truly wish I had so many more hours in the day to share so many different stories on my new blog. But my poor hubbie and family are probably tired of me being glued to this computer....sooooooo, until then, please check out the new blog....oh, and do forgive me, if there are any errors cuz i'm writing at the speed of light!
I WILL get back to JVW BEACH eventually...promise! So, please keep me on your feeds....but I invite you to check out the new Austin blog too & add to your faves/feeds too! Keep in mind that I will have a huge VARIETY of homes/interiors/fashion,etc.....so, you never know what type of story you'll get!
We have a saying in Austin, "KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD"....
and now my blog motto is:
"KEEP AUSTIN IN STYLE"!

Check it out and holla back at me!
www.austincottagestyle.blogspot.com


All the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JVW

New blog update!!!!

I'm taking some time off from writing on my JVW BEACH blog, closing up the "beach umbrellas for the winter"
......but hope you'll keep "jvw beach" on your RSS feeds, etc. cuz you never know when the "beach bug" will hit me again and I'll throw in the occasional winter beach story!!.....
I'm focusing the next few months on my other, NEW blog:
www.austincottagestyle.blogspot.com

named: austin cottage & style

My new blog is about fashion & interior design in Austin, Texas, my hometown.
I do hope you'll check it out and pass the word.....I'm on a writing roll with this one and can't wait to start sharing our vibrant, creative town! I've got loads of great abodes to share cuz we have some really great houses here with incredible interiors of soooo many various styles.....and I love SO many styles, therefore I will be reporting on loads of variety.
Plus you will love the fashion & "happenin's" that Austin has to offer, and just some of the creative stuff my fellow Austinites come up with, wild !! Austin is this huge melting pot of incredibly talented artisans....whether their art is music,design, fashion, etc., there's lots to share about this interesting bohemian community......well, it did develop from some very interesting hippie types & great native Texans! Stick around and I hope you'll make my blog a fave....
Have a great weekend & all the best,

JEANETTE

Costa Rica Chica

I'm finally back at the computer after a summer sabbatical! Well, it's been a full summer and it's the time of the year when I love spending time relaxing without schedules. Too many schedules during the school year lead Mom's to needing r & r....kind of like school teachers need a break, right?!
I'll start with the first part of our summer, our family vacation in Dominical, Costa Rica. We stayed at the beautiful and very chic Paradise Breezes. Later this week or next , I'll take you to other places we visited this summer.

First on Dominical: Our family loved this place because it's still laid back and not absorbed with hotels and commercialism, ...yet. The beauty of the gorgeous ocean against the lush green mountains is breathtaking. The whole feel of this place reminds me of Hawaii meets Mexico (before commercialism took over both). Dominical is a very bohemian, surfer town, just the place we love. The beaches are a grey sand with alot of ocean rock, but still beautiful in their unspoiled way.You can drive over to Manuel Antonio (about a 30 minute drive) for a day at the beach and it's a charming town as well. The beach on Manuel seems to be more white and smooth, not as many rocks and I preferred that beach. Here you can also rent a chair for the day and a waiter will stop by and offer you cocktails/drinks. Manuel is more populated but still quaint and close to the local airport. Many vendors are along the beach offering great souvenirs. You will find just a few vendors in Dominical but still in a very understated , charming way.
You can also rent surfboards in both towns, of course!A few restaurants offer this incredible view over Manuel Antonio.


Alot of Americans are moving to Costa Rica to enjoy a simpler life.
Here's a beautiful mountain side home of a real estate developer from the states.
(notice the beautiful rainy clouds coming in for the evening?)
Above is their gorgeous pool (pics don't do it justice).....notice the cabana with the hand carved posts? Costa Rica has many gifted artisans for unique building details.


We were pampered where we stayed though, in Dominical, and I highly recommend this compound of 3 villas: Paradise Breezes. Our villa was Villa Exotica and we coined it our "rock star villa" because it was beautiful and equivalent to any 5 star hotel.
Pictures don't do it justice on their website or on my blog, more beautiful and luxurious in person. Villa Exotica (and all the other villas on their compound) have an incredible sound system, modern furnishings, luscious bedding, great lighting systems in all rooms, private pools and outdoor jacuzzis, spectacular views from all rooms, and an incredible staff. You can also hire the private Chef for a wonderful dinner in your own villa. We loved this gated compound and would definitely recommend to anyone, Paradise Breezes is a sweet destination!
One thing about the area , is that some of the roads are still unimproved roads, making for a bumpy ride in an SUV daily. SUV being a must! The roads though have "character" and many potholes, so driving into town was always an adventure, but somehow you adore those roads when you're in a magical ,laid back place like this!

I love Costa Rica also for it's cleanliness. Even stopping in "divey" type towns, the bathrooms are always clean. The people are so welcoming and sweet also. Our family speaks Spanish so it definitely helps , but alot of places there do speak English.
Also, we were there during the rainy season, which I highly recommend. We had glorious sunshine everyday til usually 3-5 pm., then we'd have great clouds come in. Since we've had a parched , hot summer in Texas, seeing the pouring rain daily in Dominical was truly a treat for all of us. Plus, Villa Exotica has wonderful balconies to sit and enjoy the rain show.
You can view for more info on Dominical and Paradise Breezes by going to www.paradisebreezes.com. (beautiful sarongs for sale in Uvita, Costa Rica....but you can find these in all towns)

I'll be back soon for the next stop we made in our summer schedule. Not a beachy place , but a spot I want to share with you: Fredericksburg, Texas. (well, you know the "beach" girl in me has to have water around at least).....the place I'll show you next in Fredericksburg is one of the rare B & B places in "Fred" with a pool. The pool is beautiful and simple , built to resemble an old 1800's cistern, because this place is an old 1800's homestead turned into a B & B. Stay tuned to the next blog and I'll take you to Fred soon, to visit the charming "1865 Homestead" !

See ya soon, but please check out Paradise Breezes and let them know I sent you!
JVW

ON THE ROAD AGAIN.......

jvw beach is on the road again....this time we've loaded up the truck and have taken our inventory to BRAXTON in Rockport, Texas! We feel our merchandise is better suited in a coastal town. We're excited about it too and look forward to being a part of the Rockport art community! BRAXTON is a great "antique mall". I love their store and chose it for our site, because it's a mix of antiques, reproductions & apparel. Braxton is owned by a charming Rockport decorator, named Braxton. Braxton has his own great selection of antiques that he's refinished with great paint finishes, but also features his own fun , custom creation reproduction furniture. He manages estate sales and therefore has first hand access to alot of great finds in the area. Rockport is a charming seaside community where artists have resided since the early 20th century , and has been rated one of the nation's 100 best small art towns. For that reason, you can stroll through many art galleries and creative boutiques. Rockport is also great for fishing too and hosts many fishing tournaments. This coming weekend is a FUN festival celebrating their 13th year, called the Rockport Festival of Wine and Food. You can stroll under the tents , just next to the Braxton store, on Austin Street , and sample wines and delicious foods. Check out this website for more info: www.texasfestivalofwines.com
Charming real estate in Rockport, along the historic older areas , bay or canals offer great places for vacation or retirement homes. We chose this charming town for our new store because of the quaint shopping it offers along the water, in the old "downtown " area on Austin Street. We just set up our store this past weekend & my husband Steven deserves the accolades because I couldn't do this type of work without his support and help. He is my creative genius who generously helped me set up the "shop" within Braxton's shop. Setting up this type of display looks easy, but it's actually alot of work...but we had a great time getting it all set up and then took a deserved break & kicked back in Port Aransas , just the 2 of us without kids , for a fun weekend in charming Port Aransas! I adore both Rockport and Port Aransas & they are approximately 15 minutes apart....you have to ride the ferry over to Port Aransas. You'll spot dolphins , large redfish, and entertaining coastal birds while riding the charming ferry.
When you're in the area, check out our shop within Braxton. We have our jvw beach banner displayed. And I've included some photos of what we currently have in the booth.
Also, check out the cute store down the way named Rockapulco (great apparel & home accessories). I hope to feature more Rockport stores with more photos, later in the summer......

My First Blogger Interview!

I'm really thrilled because I was chosen for my first blogger interview. The VERY talented Annie Bierma, of Dot and Line Home, also a fellow blogger, asked if she could write about moi. From time to time, Annie chooses different artists/ designers in her blog , when she's not busy doing her lampshade & pillow design work. I first met Annie , when I commissioned her to make a lampshade for a project. Here are some pics of a lampshade she created with my custom fabric. I've attempted to cover lampshades myself with coordinating fabrics for a room, and never have gotten the craft perfected. As you can see in the next photo, her details of lining that shade were excellent quality. Annie has a BA in Theatre with an emphasis in Lighting Design & creates beautiful work. She will custom make lampshades, but also sells her own creations on Etsy.
Here are a few of Annie's other creations:
Thanks Annie for including me in your blog and I look forward to many more projects with you!!!
You can find the interview & more about Annie & her work, at www.dotandlinehome.blogspot.com
If you don't see it, then click on the area called "artists profiles".

"Beached" at Warrenton, Texas

jvw home & jvw beach are now set up at the Texas Rose Show in Warrenton, Texas. (Read my older posts to find out about this FUN antique week in Texas!!)
Check out the sign above that we have displayed at the booth, created by our sweet Austin friend, Neville Stewart...he has an incredible CAD wood milling machine that makes the design...I wish you could see the detail of the engraving up close, it's beautiful work... love it!....Thanks Nev!!

My fave items at the show are the lighting. Here are a few examples and they will also be featured soon on the website, if not sold at the show. But if they do sell, we always find interesting different ones, so always check our website for updates.
Check out this one of a kind FAB, lighted, seahorse & starfish pot rack we have in our booth. Comes complete with yellow & white coral chandy sleeves(if you're interested, let me know & I can email measurements, pricing & shipping, before it sells at the show) ....too cute for that coastal cocina!

Also, we have , of course, our trademark turquoise chandy's with different colored sleeves. We also feature a CUTE vintage tole daisy chandelier with green & white polka dot sleeves, fab , again for a girls' room or a sunny kitchen.

We have our Deborah Cavenaugh art at the show, framed. You can see her art on our website, up close....it's really cute and colorful.We're also selling a great floor lamp (below) with a modern shade. You can barely see it through this picture, but I'll try to get a new picture this week. The lamp base is painted in Maine Cottage paints with a coordinating Maine Cottage fabric . The base is painted in the "porch" paint and the metal vine trailing around the base, is painted in "hot lime". The fabric is a bold rose print on a modern style shade. A crystal ball finial completes the modern lamp. The lampshade was custom made by the VERY talented Annie Bierma. Annie also has several premade CUTE shade on etsy.com.

This is our first time to be a seller at the show, and not a shopper! Business this past week has been SLOW because we've had weird ,typical, unpredicting, Texas weather. We've had hot & cold days , then VERY windy days to rainy, "tornado watch" days! Scary when you're under a huge tent with aluminum poles , in open farm fields, and the wind is whipping the tent, chandeliers are tingling their crystals and water is starting to drip through little holes in the tent like Green Acres....

and you're praying that the electric fixtures and the art don't get a drop of rain! You can't see the tarps we've had to race and throw above the chandy's to prevent this disaster or the heavy side flaps of the tent that go up and down depending on our weather !.....but the show is fun because of the great people you meet from all over & "die hard " shoppers trek through the muddy grounds in their "designer" rain boots .... I've been attending this show with my DH (dear husband) , Steven, for the last 10 years. DH has been my collaborative partner in many house remodels, design projects and home buildings . He has this great creative eye for design. DH and I always have a great time while at the show because we've always had a "project" to hunt for ....this is the first time we don't have some remodel going on, but we still enjoy walking the grounds looking for new treasures. If you read the blog: Cote de Texas, you'll see how the author mentions, "behind any designer, is a great DH" or something like that....and it's VERY true! Only DH's have the patience to persevere through design projects that are a constant. I'm sharing a booth with the cute & charming LeAnn Stephenson of Vintage Laundry. LeAnn too, has a great DH named Scott. Together, Scott and Steven have been an invaluable support to us throughout the show and we thank the great DH's for being there!

Back to the show....I'm sharing a few photos of our "store" out in Warrenton....and if you and your DH would like a romantic drive, then take a drive out this weekend, and check the internet for really romantic great inns such as The Outpost Inn , you will love all the varying cottages they have, all decorated with romance....the fields of wildflowers , bluebonnets and the Texas starry skies will awaken your senses!
Here's a tiny sampling of the cute cottages at the Inn.....
The Outpost Inn also has a very cool, vintage, Airstream Land Yacht....pictures do not do it justice....trust me, it looks like Ralph Lauren decorated the interior & yes, it's romantic too.

And speaking of romance...."Romantic Country" magazine came out a few days ago and shot photos of booths within our tent!


I do love a trip out there with DH but then I also LOVE to take at least one day trip out to the antique week with a good friend or group of girls....it's a GREAT girls' trip. Finding that precious time to gab with a GF (girl friend) is rare since most of us are busy with our families or careers. Driving out from Austin , it's a 1.5 hour drive and that gives you and your GF plenty of time to catch up on the latest gab, while driving to/fro the show....plus all that shop talk in between, it's just a great time to nurture those friendships. I know alot of girls that travel from all over and stay in the cute inns around there for several days . Seasoned antique week girls KNOW they need more than one day to cover the whole area. Alot of girls go early, to attend the Junk Gypsy's Prom Night party .....It's a crazy night where everyone wears crazy old prom stuff , favorite "gypsy" look, or just their colorful, "Round Top " look with loads of fun jewelry , a great hat and a great set of vintage boots!
Junk Gypsy's colorful booth of vintage finds mixed with cool t-shirts and of course, great boots.
Included in their great displays are 2 different old trucks. One is a pale pink old Suburban with "Junk Gypsy" painted on it....the other is this one pictured below....drive along the main highway that runs through the antique week and you'll be sure to spot their great old trucks!


..there are 1000's of booths up/down the main highway that runs between Round Top & Warrenton , Texas. The famous Marburger Farms starts today and most booths end either Saturday , April 4th or Sunday, April 5th. Marburger is just across the street from our tent, Texas Rose Show. Marburger carries a wide variety & it's all GOOD stuff! Be sure to check out the Country Living magazine booth . Marburger brings out the "beautiful women" of the Texas state.....seriously , stop while eating your lunch , look around and I know you'll agree....another reason our DH's love to join us, right? Seriously, there is "eye candy" all around, whether it's the pretty women or the treasure trove of goodies you'll encounter , there's something for everyone.

Whether you visit Marburger, Warrenton , Texas Rose Show or any of the umpteen booths all around, you will have a good time. Even if your budget is tight, just go to get out of the house, enjoy the beautiful farms in the area, take pictures in the bluebonnets, and witness this HUGE event, it grows every year . God's glorious landscape and being with other "creative" people is free & good for the soul. Get some inspiration on how to paint an old brown antique you have, or discover a new way to create a room....there are ideas all around....some booths are set up in little vignettes, like going into a model home.
You'll at least be inspired to go back home and recreate something you already have, even if you can't spend a dime right now.
Although you CAN find some great buys at alot of booths....I bought a GREAT vintage mexican dress from LeAnn & luxurious silky satin pillowcases (they're vintage ,but look like Bella Notte fine linens), & she has CUTE things & they're all priced right.

Kids have fun at the show too ! Bring the kids out and enjoy a different weekend outing....or come during the week when it's less crowded....most booths are open 9-6.

Oh, and those "designer" rain boots are above on moi! Mine are actually wild leopard ones that I found a few years back. The sun finally came out this day , but when it's rainy, those boots are a must! You can find other funky, cute rain boots down the road at the colorful, Pinky's! Pinky's is a fun , eclectic store from San Antonio that is a "must stop"...I'll try to remember later this week to shoot a photo of their store because it's a fun , colorful one.
I don't think you'll need the rain boots for the rest of the week, because they're predicting gorgeous Texas weather til the end of the show. But do wear comfortable shoes because you'll want to trek many miles because there are tooooo many great booths to check out. From the highway, look for the pink market umbrellas LeAnn puts out everyday.
Stop by our booth , we'd love to see you!
Or email me if you're interested in the pricing for anything you see pictured above!
info@jvwhome.com