Carolyn Westbrook: Live from Zapp Hall

Come One, Come All to the Greatest Show on Earth!

I am talking about the Roundtop Warrenton Antiques Week that only happens twice a year, my friends. I will be debuting my new book!!!!! and you can get an autographed copy, hot off the press. For those of you, who may not know, this is one of the best antique, junkin shows in the world. If you cannot find it here then you can't find it. The show lasts for 10 days beginning officially Friday Sept. 25 at Zapp Hall in Warrenton Texas, but I just came from there and people were already set up and selling. AMAZING. Marburger Farms opens Tuesday Sept. 28th and I will be doing a book signing and a presentation on how to shop French at Marburger Farms, which is absolutely fantastic and inspiring. I am always there for early shopping, racing to my favorite dealers as soon as the fence drops.

My official signing at Zapp Hall, will take place at my good friends Theresa Cano's booth, right outside the door at Zapp Hall, Sunday the 26th, at her fabulous blog party and I believe it starts at 6pm. Check out her website which is Garden Antiques Vintage. I will have books at the Carolyn Westbrook Home booth for signing.
The book made the Publishers Weekly list for fall. Woo Hoo!

We just had a wonderful book signing event at the Creative Connection in Minneapolis and it was super successful thanks to Kevin Haas with Ryland Peters & Small and of course Marny, who keeps me straight on where I am supposed to be and when. Jo Packham and Nancy Soriano put on one heck of an event, and it really was a fabulous gathering of creative women and very inspiring. If you get the chance to go, you should. Minneapolis was beautiful. I have never been and the weather was cool and what a welcome change. I saw pumpkin patches with huge pumpkins and geese all over the place. Thanks to our new pals, the Red Shed girls, Val and Michelle for carting us around to the Junk Bonanza and having dinner with us at the Creative Connection. These girls own a travel agency and an antique business, and they take tours to France. From what I have heard, the tours are fabulous and after being with them, I can assure you that it would be the trip of a lifetime. They are located in Grapevine Texas: The Red Shed.

O.K. I had better see each and every one of you this week at my space at Zapp Hall. I am working hard to make it inspirational and really want all of you to get a signed copy of the new Carolyn Westbrook: The French Inspired Home. We are debuting new bedding, pillows, and home accessories. Bring a truck for loading up, and do not miss this! Come see me and I will give you the best places to shop!!! Be Here:

Zapp Hall
Warrenton TX.
Opens: Friday Sept. 24th-Oct.2nd.

I will be looking for you!!! xoxo Carolyn

Carolyn Westbrook: LIve from the Plantation

Good Morning Everybody!

I walked outside yesterday and the weather was beautiful and 74 degrees and no humidity…amazing! Quite a change from 107 degrees and tons of humidity. I know it is really hard to keep up our pinky swear promises to enjoy summer, but I have really tried, this year. There is much going on… and look what happened! So, you all know that I bought the pair of Sterling doves for the store event and brought them back to live here at the plantation. We had put a nest in the cage and they had laid two eggs. Unfortunately, those were not good and never hatched, but two days later, two more eggs appeared. These little birds are busy. She has sat on these for several weeks and one day, I noticed a teeny tiny little thing in the bottom of the cage, shivering. It was a baby bird and they had knocked it out of the nest. I went to put this little thing back in the nest, when a bigger version, with some gray fuzz, pokes his head out from under the mother bird. I could not believe my eyes. They had two babies and evidently had been there for a few days. The one tiny bird did not make it, but the bigger one is thriving and so precious. The kids love to see the mother bird feed him.
Nick and Nora (the proud parent birds) are very good parents and take very good care of this little birdie.

It is the end of summer, school is about to start and Nick and Alex wanted to go somewhere, so that they felt like they had a summer vacation. I am always up for a road trip and asked them where they wanted to go. My son Nick is 14 and he is a big Saints fan, so he wanted to go to New Orleans. I told him that we took him there when he was four and he had no memory and Alexandria was six when we had been, she said that if she could not remember it, it didn’t count.
The kids laughed and told me that most parents plan a vacation a month or so in advance. We decided to go on Sunday, did some laundry packed and were out the door, Monday morning. What can I say, I am a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl. As we backed out of the drive of the plantation it was 94 degrees that morning. We hit the road and made our way to New Orleans. I told the kids that they had a choice…we could stay at the Hilton on the water or the more historic, quirky hotel. The Hilton has all of the amenities, but the same old-same old. They voted for the historic quirky hotel and I love that about them. They are my kids you know. As we walked into the lobby, I wanted to make off with the chandeliers…fabulous. We wanted a bigger room, with teenagers, so I asked to see a suite. The doorman took us down a brick hallway, out into the brick courtyard that looked like New Orleans should look, with the fountains and the gigantic French doors and windows opening on to the courtyard, and we went through a breezeway and around the corner into a hallway with a massive old staircase leading up to our room. Don’t get me wrong, this place is old and the plaster is peeling from the walls, leaving exposed brick, the kids thought it was a bit creepy, but it made my heart go pitter-pat. I love old. We made our way down the hall to the room and when the door was opened, we all just sort of stood there.
Unbelievable. The ceilings were like 20 ft. and I could see the huge French doors in the bedroom that were probably 14 ft tall with their elaborate window treatments and an enormous marble fireplace. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was a little quirky…the water wouldn’t come on in the shower and when it did it was blazing hot, but we made due and for us, it was just what we wanted. There was a room that was a full kitchen and chandeliers and a gilded armoire…very cool.

As we walked out the door, we were right in the middle of it, so we walked all around New Orleans. We went to Jackson Square, the cathedral there, Café Du Monde and Alex shopped her way through New Orleans. We had dinner overlooking the water, listening to jazz and we all had a great and memorable time. We headed back and even stopped at Cracker Barrel. Now, you know it is not a vacation unless you stop at Cracker Barrel. Breakfast for supper…YUM!

Now the kids are back in school and things are crazy busy as we are in production for Roundtop/Warrenton Antiques Week and about to start the book signing tour. I leave for the Creative Connection, three days before I leave for Warrenton and our signing at Marburger. We added a new company to our production team and there have been a few wrinkles, while beginning our licensing program, and heading that up is Mr. Robert Van Dyk. He is a great asset to us and very exciting, but things are crazy busy.

This weekend, I was in the throngs of mothers trying to get the last pack of pencils at Wal-mart and it reminded me of how I used to love getting school supplies. It always reminds me of fall. Even though it is still hot, when you get your school supplies and head to the Friday night football games, it makes me want to move into fall. Is it too early to start decorating??? I do love the change of seasons. So, let’s make a pinky swear to enjoy the holidays…how about that?

But first, I want to hear from all of y’all and let me know how you kept your promise to enjoy your summer…sort of a what I did on my summer vacation. I cannot wait to hear from you.

Talk again soon. xoxo Carolyn

Carolyn Westbrook: News from the plantation

O.K. y'all... It is getting harder and harder to keep our pinky swears about taking full advantage of summer with it over 100 degrees every day. We are just going to have to enjoy the outdoors in the morning and take full advantage of the whirrrr of the ceiling fans and the air conditioners in the afternoon. Preferably while laying across a feather bed, with the fan blowing directly on you, while flipping through your favorite magazines. Speaking of which, loved Jacqueline Demontravel's story of giving birth to her son, in this month's copy of Romantic Homes. She is a fabulous editor-n-chief and know that she will make a fabulous mother, and sounds like she if off to a good start, and I am proud to call her my friend.

O.K. now for the big news...just found out that the new book, was chosen for the publisher's weekly list. So, I am thinking, I guess everyone's book is on that list, but still exciting.

Then Marny called to inform me that only one book from each publisher made the list and I honestly could not believe it. There is no way that I could have done it without the help of so many talented people and I love you all.
I cannot wait to see the finished product and they spoke with me today, from London to say that I should get one copy of a very few preview copies on Monday or Tuesday. I will be waiting out by the side of the road for the courier, even in the hot sun. I wish that everyone could be here and open that envelope with me. Since we cannot do that, next best thing...meet me at one of the book signings, and we can all enjoy the moment together. Hoping that I make you proud. Check my website for locations, dates, and times for signings all over the U.S.
XOXO Carolyn

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

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

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

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