Fancy T. Taylor

I don’t normally buy antique sewing baskets but this one reminded me of my collection of Mexican bateas & Ransburg pottery 🌼🌺 and it will make the perfect vessel for Kleenex as a new option to a box 👍🏻

Stone wall installation 🙌🏻

Picked up these re-upholstered cushions yesterday from and they are perfection. Check out her Instagram & the chair they reupholstered for the movie Killers of the Flower Moon. Their work is outstanding.

We have sent a lot of cowhide customers to Rowzee Upholstery over the years and always with rave reviews! Also thanks to Nell Hills for the perfect fabric for this space 💚

We visited Nell Hills today 💚💚

Saturday morning in City Market ☀️ Cubans & Bahn Mi at - get the homemade chips! Then a quick run through the market for cookies, babaganoush & dried mangos. You never ever know what you might find here. Today they were having a vintage clothes market 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Apartment: Cabinets are painted 👏🏻 dining room table is delivered 💥 cabinets hardware (I went with black not gold) is waiting to be installed.

Currently our old vintage sink is being used on top of the cabinets until our countertops arrive. QUESTION on countertops… would you go with the white slab (4th pic) or black slab (5th pic)??

Full disclosure: I’ve already ordered the countertop from .stone.north (shop there, they are awesome) - but just out of curiosity which would you have gone with, white or black?

The countdown to graduation ❤️

“I adore his smile, I cherish his hugs, I admire his heart. But most of all I love it that he is my son.”

Gunner Edward Smith

Photo dump. After four straight weeks of holiday fun - food - shopping - basketball games - doggie cuddles - late night brownies - snow - movies - and school delay after school delay, our 2023 holiday break is officially over. Thanks for the being the very best kids ❤️ lym

Apartment Update : we have cabinets 🙌🏻 this week we went from a blank wall to a room full of wooden boxes to a full set of cabinets. Big thanks to Pro Builders and their outstanding team. Next comes paint!

I’m continuing to work through the biographies of our POTUS and Andrew Jackson was seventh in line. He was the first president to come from nothing, an orphan at age 14, and rise to the prestigious role of United States President. His footprint in our history was marked with an equal measure of love & scandal - faith & hypocrisy - and an unyielding commitment to our country that was both life giving, and also brutally tragic. One line in the book summed it up completely - Jackson was a man “torn between tenderness and wrath”.

That’s how I’m left after reading this book. My heart is tender for the boy who grew up and gave his whole life to our country. But animosity for him can be easily argued. He fought in over 100 duels in his lifetime, evidence of a heart that was never quite settled. I’m not sure to what extent a conflicted heart can be an excuse for unfortunate behavior.

This morning I found this quote and I’ll leave it here: “Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.” - Andrew Jackson.

(Unless it’s )

After a quick illness we lost our sweet dog Waylon. He was the best, most loyal, loving dog to me & the boys ❤️ He greeted us at the top of the stairs every single day for 10 years. When the boys would be gone and get back home Waylon was there with his little tail going a million miles an hour just waiting to see who would be ready for cuddles first. That’s all he ever wanted - to be loved on, and to give us love in return. If he wasn’t with us then he was with my mom Jojo where he always got the royal grand-dog treatment. Waylon was a steadfast comfort to all of us, no matter what was going on outside of our peaceful little home.

Waylon was also my co-pilot and hiking buddy. He could travel in a car with me for 12 hours straight and never get restless; and up until a couple of months ago his little legs could still go on a six mile hike even though he was at least 13 years old. Maybe 14, we never knew for sure.

Waylon came to us from my friends Dale & Steven who are sadly gone now. My junking buddies know how much Dale & Steven loved their dogs and Waylon was one of their many rescues. In 2013 I told Dale our family was ready for a dog but it needed to be a little older, house broken, and apartment sized. They had found Waylon a year prior to that and felt like he would be a good dog for us, so we set up a ruse. I told the boys we were going to dog sit for one week only - I wanted to make sure we could really handle a dog. On a June afternoon we drove to RE and met Dale & Steven and brought Waylon home for the “trial period”. That night Gunner was in the middle of our kitchen floor holding Waylon’s face and saying “I love you so much”. That was it, the trial period was over, Waylon was in his forever home.

I think Waylon was the last of Dale & Stevens dogs still living; I don’t know what Heaven looks like but sending him home to them gave me tremendous comfort - he will unquestionably be getting the endless & eternal cuddles he deserves. We couldn’t have asked for a better dog ❤️

Late but making it count. Gunner Edward Smith turned 18 last month & we celebrated as a family with our closest friends but I didn’t get it onto here ❤️ Gunner you are going to do big things in a quiet way. I love that about you. Ever since you were born you have given the world serious looks that spontaneously turn into the greatest smile I’ve ever known. This next year is a big one with graduation - then college - and then you get to soar and I can’t wait to watch you go do your thing, go slay all the dragons. LYM mom

It was a great first day of Candlelight Homes Tour ❤️ thanks to everyone who came by to say hey! We will do it again tomorrow from 2pm till 7pm. But the shop opens at 11 if you want to come early to shop 🌲🫶🏻

CANDLELIGHT HOMES TOUR starts one week from today 🌲

This week I got home from a quick trip and the walls were painted - and the lights were hung - and after a couple of days of settling in we have our home back ❤️

Tonight the trees start going up and by this time next week it’ll be an actual Christmas miracle 😅 I hope you come to see what we’ve done so far - it’s a solid first draft.

Go to my shop website for links to tickets, etc etc etc. www.CactusCreekShop.com

APARTMENT UPDATE: Which can lights are best?
10 days till the apartment tour during Weston’s Candlelight Homes Tour! Once the painting was complete the can lights were installed.

My friend Kathi from is literally the BEST lighting designer there is 💡. She recommended these Halo can lights from and they look great. But most importantly you don’t really notice them at all. And that was the goal.

More can light advice I’ve received during this project:
- You can’t have too many
- Make sure they are all dimmable
- 4 inch led.
- Color temp 2700.
- White trim.
- White baffle.
- Because it’s critical I guess I’ll repeat this one: DIMMABLE

APARTMENT UPDATE: 11 days till the Homes Tour!
The painting is done - including that duct/vent work we voted on a few weeks ago.

I went with white - I had some very talented people give me lots of different advice - but at the end of the day I wanted that duct work to melt into the ceiling and that’s exactly what it does. It’s a neutral blank canvas for the art & vintage collections to take center stage.

I hope you’ll come see it on Dec 2 & 3 during Weston’s Candlelight Homes Tour! It won’t be done - no cabinets yet - but it’s a good first draft ❤️🌲

We have found J.W. Cox’s signature on the back of several pieces of the baseboards during this apartment remodel. On this one it says “Doppler Job”. This building was originally built in 1910 by the Doppler family. They lived here and operated the Doppler Mercantile downstairs.

I know some of my Weston friends can tell us about JW Cox 🤓

THREE WEEKS FROM THIS MORNING! Weston’s Candlelight Homes Tour starts - come see the apartment and our progress 🩷 a lot will come together between now and Dec 2&3. Grab your tickets at www.Westonmo.com

This week the cabinet guy came and it looks like cabinets won’t be here until January. Between now and then we at least have our old sink & all of the other things anyone needs for a cozy happy holiday🌲 it’ll just be a little more rustic than planned this year…,

APARTMENT UPDATE: It’s time to pick white paint. How do you pick from a wall of whites? I asked my paint advisor and she said this: “I prefer warmer whites not blue tones - those make things look sterile and cold”.

Metropolitan is the same white we used when the shop was painted a few years ago and I’ve been super happy with it.

I may not love having everything white in the apartment as well, but the stairs & other living spaces have been shades of yellow with last ten years so right now my goal is to delete all of the color. I want a blank canvas & then we can add textures, art & more.

Less than 4 weeks till the Weston’s Holiday Candlelight Homes Tour & the apartment is on the tour if you want to see our progress in person 🌲❤️ Tickets are available at www.Westonmo.com

The Boys 💙

🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

It’s been a beautiful couple of days out at Weston Bend State Park. The leaves are nearing peak fall color & if you let yourself get lost you can find some hidden gems ☀️ INCLUDING Weston’s new yurt lodging which looks like a great place to sneak away and feel like you’re out in the wild - but you’re still just a hop skip & a jump from Downtown Weston ❤️

There are a lot of decisions to be made here. Where do I want this plug, this light switch, can lights, should these lights be on the same switch, can you have too many outlets? How far apart should can lights be from one one another? What kind of bulbs should you use in can lights? Do you prefer yellow light or white light? 😳

I have spent a lot of my time in the last couple of weeks over analyzing how and where I plug in my devices, where a trash would be most conveniently placed, and whether or not I want built in sconces.

My ongoing mantra is “we are only doing this once so let’s get it right” and in the same breath “whatever is easy is great - I can make it work”. It’s overwhelming and fun and I’m just so grateful and excited to finally be seeing the vision come to life 🙌🏻❤️

I need your help / vote on a renovation question. Many years ago I painted the duct work in this apartment dark orange. It was funky and I loved it but time for a change. All of the walls will be painted white soon… what color should be on the duct work?

1. White to blend in
2. Black to make a statement
3. Orange to stay funky
4. All of the above (j/k but other ideas are welcome)