Special Place...special things!

We have had a family cabin in Ruidoso, NM since 1982.  Before that,  for several summers during the horse racing season,  my parents leased a summer home.  I have been going to Ruidoso during the summers since 1968.  I hold many special memories and have made many more through the years with my daughters and now Paul.

Memories that I cherish....the reason why I have found special decor pieces to add to the place we call home on our Five Acre Woods!

One of our first pieces of furniture brought home from Ruidoso was a bench made from reclaimed wood.  We found it in one of our favorite shops on Mechem Drive called Casa Decor.  They carry beautiful southwestern furniture and decor.  I, first, tried using it in the clubroom but found it looked better between the dining room wall sconces.  Speaking of the sconces, they were high quality antique brass and were left by the previous owners.....we used the rustic textured spray paint from Walmart and gave them the old, rusted aged look.  Between the sconces and above the bench,  I recently purchased a mirror that adds a pop of elegance to the dining room.  It has a center mirror surrounded by heavily antiqued small rectangle mirrors.  I, actually, found the mirror at the Market in Tulsa but went internet surfing and  saved $$'s....yippee!

Our dining table has turned legs and planking on the table top with hand carving on the top four corners....this, too, was found in a furniture store in Ruidoso....however, I did some online surfing and found I could order it online and shipped free directly to our home saving $$$$'s....that was a big YIPPEE!   Using the dimensions, I cut and laid out paper, including the dimensions with the chairs, on the dining room floor to double check to see if it would not be too large or too small.  I think Paul thought I was playing "over the top", but that's just how I am.  

 I guess you can say our decor is eclectic.....on one wall of the dining room, I have a contemporary picture.  It is something I have had since living in Tulsa.   My house in Tulsa was more California contemporary.  I always loved the mix of colors in this picture.... as I mentioned earlier, I used one of the red shades for the main accent color of the dining/kitchen area.



In order to bring a little more rustic elegance to our dining room, we added our antler chandelier above the dining room table.  We found it while shopping in Ruidoso at Kaw-Li-Ga's......on our 3rd anniversary trip.  This shop on Suddreth Drive is a haven for people looking for the lodge look.  Our chandelier was handmade by the owner using natuarally shed white tail deer antlers and the light bases were carved from cactus.  After visiting with the owner, we found he knew my father, and was familiar with some of his racehorses, trainer and track friends.  The owner has been in business for 20+ yrs. and named his store "kawliga" after the song recorded by Hank Williams.  I believe our antler chandelier truly adds a bit of coziness and rustic elegance at its best to our place called home on our Five Acre Woods.