My reader's home was featured in a Christmas magazine!

This adorable photo came to my attention via email from one of my readers. She sent me this picture to share how she had decorated her home for Christmas and it ended up being featured in a magazine! Look at this room! The fabric on the club chairs feature staffordshire figures, and the room looks amazing with the wreaths that have plates centered in the middle of them! I have never seen that before, have you?
This is the kind of story I love...don't you wonder how a regular person has their home photographed for a magazine?? I do and I just had to share it~Wait til you see the rest of the house, it has so many great decorating ideas for Christmas too, so lets get started~

This is Elizabeth's home, so picture perfect. I love the stone facade, the front door and the iron gate! She and her husband built this English Country style home in 1995.

I share her love of pretty colors and the lighthearted decorating she prefers. Blues and pinks mingle in the fabrics, and I think the walls are painted wide stripes in in blue and cream. Her daughters, Molly and Amy are just adorable too.

Pastel vintage ornaments hang from ribbons below the mantel attached with cup hooks. You can see into the sunroom through the french doors.

This is my favorite picture! I love this kitchen~the bank of windows, the fabulous wire chandelier that Elizabeth hung teapots and pitchers and creamers from. She loves to have a theme in her decor and the fabric hit the mark for the cornices. Even the wreath has a group of teacups suspended in the center by ribbons.

source

This is the magazine that Elizabeth's cheerful home was featured in. I read these magazines whenever I see them in the supermarket check out line. The surprising part to me is that it was 1998! So much of her decor still feels current. The photographer was Jon Miller, and the article was written by Judith Friedman with Linda Stueve.
Now, how did Elizabeth get in this magazine? Well Elizabeth tells it like this:

"OK, to start at the beginning I had a favorite house from the magazine Traditional Homes....one day while shopping in a local antiques shop I spotted the woman who's house I lusted after !

I got so excited and approached her ( my mom and sister were embarrassed and hiding ) Her name is Suzy Stout.

I recognized her from her photo (she lived a couple blocks away from me.)

I walked up to her with a big smile said hello and told her I loved her home and had the magazine on my nightstand. She COULD NOT have been more warm and friendly ! It was like meeting an old friend.....I'm not sure what I expected but she was just so sweet and friendly.

One thing led to another and I asked her if she would come over and help me with my sun room and some fabric for curtains. After a few months and lots of fun we completed my sun room and she helped me select fabrics for some window treatments and I pulled her into EVERY room in my house picked her brain.

I really just LOVED her so much I kept in touch and eventually she suggested my house to a magazine scout that she knew in the Chicago area. They were looking for a house for the Christmas issue for one of the mags. Suzy suggested my house, I got a call from the girl who scouts and sent them some photos.

They decided to come out and see it, and we did the shoot just after Christmas ! "

So that is how Elizabeth ended up in the magazine, and she ended up in others later on too. So you just never know when you might bump into someone like Suzy Stout. Lesson of the story is don't be shy!!

One last thing I just HAVE to share with you is this photo~and it is also from a house Elizabeth lived in, the one they moved to after the one we just took a tour or (and now they are in a yet another house). Well, this house has a pretty kitchen too, and lots of windows with wreaths and really adorable roman shades in a teacup fabric...and look what is hanging over the table!! A blue opalescent antique chandelier! You know I have a chandelier fetish, and this one has the same blue drops that my designer friend, Betsy Speert's chandy has (and that she bragged about on her blog). I think it is super fabulous!