Saturday, July 24, 2010

Carolyn Westbrook: Last Day at Carolyn Westbrook Home

Happy Summer!
Today is the last day, for those of you, who have not made it out to the Limited Engagement: Store Event in Dallas. It has been a great time, getting to meet many of you, sign some books, and sell some beautiful things that will find good homes to enhance. Today will be the last day, and we close the doors at 5p.m. so if you are looking for wholesale priced bedding, pillows, trying to create a room or just refresh one, then we hope to see you there. The store is located at

5211 Bonita
Dallas, Texas (Right off of Henderson)

I know it has been crazy hot this summer, but we are managing to stay cool with trips through the sprinkler, and if we stay in the shade, then it is actually nice, when we catch a breeze and the trees are rustling, and the locusts humming. We were outside the other evening, after the sun had gone down, and the kids were making smores, and it was really wonderful. Nightime is so different. The toads came out and were hopping across the back porch, thankfully chasing mesquitos. Victoria had candles glowing across the table, and a few bottles of Pelligrino, with lime and crushed ice, and mint. Delicious and so refreshing. I love things like this. The lightening bugs were out and we could here those bullfrogs croaking loud from both ponds.


When we opened our grand opening at the store, we had a wonderful handcrafted bird cage, which we still have for sale (by the way), and we decided to buy these beautiful Sterling doves. They are a pair, husband and wife, now named Nick and Nora, and we hated the thought of leaving them at the store over the weekend, so they now reside at the plantation. The day after I bring them home, my mom decides to put a little nest in there. The nest was not even real, it was one of my 'for sale' nest. Anyway, the two of them got in there, and to all of our surprise, the next day there was an egg. Nora laid an egg. UNBELIEVABLE.

The day after, there were two. I could not believe it. We were all so excited about the thought of seeing baby doves, right there in our home. So, it has been a week and she pushed one of the eggs out and it cracked, and nothing formed in it, so she obviously knew that it was not fertile. Nora is still sitting on the other, and we are watching everyday to see what happens.
t Here is a photo of one of our outbuildings, the Dr.'s office, as it was originally in the 1800's. This is where my studio is housed and inside is where we shot the "Where Women Create" book. I do love the porch, which is where we do our potting and re-potting. Right outside this on the lawn is where we had our smore party the other night.
I hope you all are having a wonderful summer and making lots of memories. Here's to not even having to leave the house to have fun. Just a box of graham crackers, a Hershey's chocolate bars, and marshamallows, will do the trick.

xoxo Carolyn
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Carolyn Westbrook :LIfe at the Plantation


It is blackberry time! Yea!!! Nicholas has been busy plucking blackberries from the vine. It seems that Nick and my other son, from another mother, Brian found a plethora of blackberry vines over by the big tank, loaded with juicy, sweet blackberries. We promised him that we would make blackberry preserves, if he would bring us back a bucket, and he did. He put on the rubber boots and gloves, as you always have to worry about the snakes in the blackberries, hopped on the four-wheeler and a while later came back with these. We were able to get 16 jars of preserves and some of the best that I have tasted. Nicholas and his friends gather here most mornings for sausage gravy and biscuits. That is one thing that I do love, is to have a whole house full and we are the go-to house on the block. I even taught Nick how to make gravy and biscuits, in case we are not here. Now not many 14-year-old boys could make homeade biscuits and gravy...girls I am telling you, he will make a wonderful husband someday!
This morning, I woke up to the smell of hot buttered biscuits. Seems Nicholas rose at 6am to make a pan full of biscuits, for the wonderful jam that we made. I think he loves it more, because he picked them. So, I go downstairs and Nick and his friends CHris are sitting in the kitchen having biscuits and jelly...priceless!

So, trying to live up to our pinky swear promise by enjoying summer. I have to say this...on the way home on July 4th, we stopped and met some friends over by Cedar Creek lake. We went to this little hang out by the lake, walked in and were invited to take part in the food that was all caught or grown locally at the lake. There was fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, a fabulous pasta salad, sliced tomatoes, onions, a little chow-chow and the best garden peppers that I have ever eaten. Not hot, just the right pepper taste. I made off with some of those for the seeds, so that we could plant some next year. Joe and I were talking, that there is not many places that you could go and be invited for home cooking, by people that you have never met. So, we filled our plates, got ourselves a beverage and went out into the parking lot, overlooking the water, and were able to see about 25 different firework shows going off at the same time!
How's that for a fourth to remember!

Let me know how your keep enjoy summer pledge is going! Hope that it will be one to remember! xoxo Carolyn




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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Carolyn Westbrook: Store Opening

So, after all of the confusion about when our whirlwind store opening would be, we had our opening party yesterday and it was a wonderful time. I appreciate all of the support from friends and clients. Now, for those of you who have not made it out...it is at 5211 Bonita Dallas, TX.
Open Tuesday-Sat 10-5

A wonderful wreath by Rebecca Dejohn from Heaven and Earth. Come see her amazing creations at Wholesale Prices.

Food, Friends, and shopping!!! Does it get any better???

More gorgeous florals!!

Hope to see you all there! xo Carolyn
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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Carolyn Westbrook: CHANGE THE DATE


Dear Friends,

Please note that we have changed the date of the store opening from Thursday to Tuesday the 6th from 4-7pm.
There was an error in the Dallas Morning News coverage that stated Tuesday instead of Thursday, so since we are not able to have a
do-over on that, we decided to change the opening. Hope this will work for everyone and cannot wait to see you all there!

xoxo Carolyn
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