Silver Trappings

DO YOU SEE THE GLOW?!?!

Do you see the glow in the sky in the Midwest? See it? The light? The radiance in the sky? It's there because I am still so blissfully content from my day yesterday! Do you want to know why? Because. Because I, I, yes I got to go inside MARY CAROL GARRITY'S HOME!!!

She is my HERO! She is hands-down the best designer in the whole world!!! No, really, I mean it!!!! And yesterday and today she had her Christmas Open House. Her house is decorated for Christmas for a photo shoot next week for her next Christmas book.

I conned, I mean asked, my husband if he would go with me. So on Thursday night, after I got home from work, we drove three hours to Kansas City to spend the night. We got to our hotel after midnight, and went to bed at 1:00 a.m. We got up at 7:30, and left Kansas City at 9:00, and drove to Atchison. Her home was open from 10:00 to 5:00 Friday and Saturday. We got to her store, Nell Hill's, at 10:15.

She had a chartered bus that was shuttling people from her store to her house and back. The line to get on the bus was half way down the block! There was a second line outside the door to her store - that line was for people just wanting to get into the store - it was so full you had to stand in line just to get in the door!

We waited for probably 45 minutes in this line to get on the bus to go to her house. And, y'all, it was COLD. The temperatures that morning were in the upper 30's, with a typical STRONG Kansas wind! And, as usual, I did NOT have a coat. I had on a shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and jeans. But was that enough to deter me? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Because she is my hero. Did I mention that yet?

We finally got on the bus. So that we could go to her house and stand in this MUCH LONGER line. I took this picture below when we had moved close enough that I could get my husband and the house in the same picture. He is the one facing toward the front of the line in white tennis shoes, blue jeans and a brown leather jacket (yes, he had a jacket), just a few people in front of that last tree on the right of the picture. Proof that he did this with me! We stood in the freezing cold wind in this line for over an hour. In all, we were in line for two hours. But, you know what, I would have stood in the snow or rain if I'd had to. Once I got to that town, nothing was going to keep me from this! I. have. been. in. her. HOME!!!! Me, yes, Me. I have been in her home! That is why you see that radiance up in the sky over the Midwest!!!

Ok, this post is already getting long. So I will leave you with a couple of picture of the inside of her home. And I will be back with a few more posts of her home and our day. And my conversation with her. Yes, I talked to her. She now knows that I exist. I think that means I am famous!!!! Because the best designer in the whole world has talked to me. Yes, I think so!

The place setting below is from her dining room. I will show you more picture of this room later.

The light below is over her kitchen table. I love it!

This is a little spot in her sitting room. I love this mix of silver, greenery and pine cones!The picture below is from her screened-in porch.
Be sure to come back for more posts with pictures of the inside of her home!

Shannon