Lately I’ve been imaging injecting my house with a more rustic, lodge� look.� Maybe I’m just tired of battling my stone wall fireplace (you’ve seen it, right?) or maybe I’ve been inspired by all the western boots in stores or maybe my style is changing again.� Either way, I’ve been appreciating dark leather, worn wood and, of course, my beloved Ralph Lauren Polo Green.� If I had any hopes of moving quietly past this phase in my personal style, all was lost when I saw this picture of the boys.
A few weekends ago we went to a birthday party at a ranch.� The boys loved it and, as usual, I brought my camera and took hundreds of pictures of them playing with the animals and riding the ponies.� I was happy with many of the pictures, despite the background noise present in some of them (SUVs, people, houses, etc.)� This one I loved because you can’t see any of the activity happening directly to the right–and, yeah, that’s why Mikey’s feet aren’t really in the picture.� Kind of a bummer, but I liked the sun coming through Nicholas’s hat enough to overlook my other child’s footless state.� Long story short: I saw potential in them and emailed Tristan straight away and begged her to employ her insane editing skills on a few of the pictures.� (She is crazy good at post processing images.)� Plus, she has been working on developing photoshop actions for Besotted Brand, so I knew she had some tricks up her sleeve.
The above picture is the result of her post processing, using a photoshop action that will soon be available in the shop.� I knew she wouldn’t let me down.
Unfortunately, she did send me down a rabbit hole of ranch and lodge and frontier inspired design.
The hole is so deep, I asked Nicole to design our toyroom/den around a series of these photos, a la Jenifer Altman’s darling triptych of her daughters.� I’m going to blow up the pictures and frame them with the large barnwood frames I have hanging in the living room.
Then I went a little deeper into the rabbit hole and thought, hey, why not design the whole house around the great estancias (country estates or working ranches) of Argentina?� I’ve always wanted to do that, but haven’t wanted to seem obsessed with Argentina.� Oh well, I’m 37 now.� In a few years I’ll be wearing a red hat and a purple dress.� Might as well turn my house into a dude ranch.
So I decided to play around online and see what I came up with.� You know, how hard could it be?
VERY.
I don’t know how design bloggers do it.� The sourcing.� The images.� The cutting and pasting.� And then you find something you like that changes everything and you have to start all over again.� After several days and countless hours I was ready to toss my computer in the street.� But I kept plugging away because by now I was completely invested in this stupid thing.� And, since I can’t work photoshop and iphoto crashes every time I open it because my separate hard drive thingy isn’t accepting the 11,000 pictures on my computer, I decide to use Polyvore.
Things were going along okay (aside from the fact I couldn’t upload everything I wanted because I HAVE NO IDEA) until I tried publishing my polyvore set and instead lost it.� OH MY WORD I thought the top of my head was going to blow off.� But then…somehow I found the set?� I don’t even know how I did that, if you don’t count saying 12 rosaries.
Of course, when I uploaded it to my 1997 version of photo shop elements I noticed that some of the pictures were off.� That’s when my eyeballs slipped out of my head, flipped me the bird, and rolled off into the bedroom in disgust.� Since I can’t work without my eyes, you’ll have to enjoy my half-finished, crooked attempt at a fun diversion that almost killed me.� I have posts on Modern Estancia/Argentina inspired kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, and backyards started.� You should expect those sometime in the year two thousand and NEVER.
Sources
- Map: 1800s Map of Argentina, Chili, and Peru (reproduction)
- Blue Chair:� Astrid Chair in Tarkashi print, Anthropologie
- Chesterfield Sofa: Kensington Leather Sofa, Restoration Hardware
- Art: Palermo Roto, Llama Designs (still out of stock!)
- Wool Blanket: Italian Military Surplus blanket, Cheaper Than Dirt (I am not even kidding.)
- Throw Blanket:� Colossal Cable Throw, Anthropologie
- Mirrors: Roost Burl Slice Mirrors, Velocity Art and Design
- Console: Richardson Reeves Console, Sundance
GASP! I love of it! And I can see it now … you, lounging on your sofa, sipping a New Age – Tincho, naturally – listening to Bajofondo … when the Mister comes in … in a smoking jacket … and … you dance …
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh my god Jules! I am in LOVE with this. That couch is divine. I can just imagine laying on it wrapped up in that throw blanket reading a good Twilight book. Well, okay maybe not Twilight, but a good book. This is just amazing. You have such great design taste. You are an inspiration to me!
Darn it! I got so invloved in that couch I completely forgot to comment on the picture of the boys. It is darling! That needs to be framed and hung in a very important place. This makes me want a bunch of little boys!
I swear, bloggers make it look so easy with these inspiration boards. Like they casually whipped it together while sipping coffee and painting a wall simultaneously. I’m relieved to hear that you had a trying time with it as well, as it proves I’m not the only one (I’m pretty sure I divorced my computer while trying to make one of these things).
This was one of my favorite posts, my favorite part? when your eyeballs flipped you the bird and walked out of the room. OH MY! You did a great job and I have been wanting a sofa like that since ‘Nam. Love it!!!!!I love the map, I love it all can’t wait to visit your Estanica. It’s going to be gorge!
I will ever understand why it is so hard to put stuff like this together! I feel your frustration! I know all these savvy peeps who throw these things together in their sleep, but it completely evades me. But yours really looks great. Hopefully the process will not suck so much next time. And your cowboys are adorable.
you make it look cool – something I wouldn’t think was my style!
Stop! This is so gorgeous. I am dying to move to Argentina. Can I afford an Estancia?
Jules, that’s how it starts. I had found a really neat map of Cuba and it just melted my heart and since my husband has always been a Tommy Bahama style kind of guy, well the rest is history. I am warning you…LOL . When I am home it just reminds me of where I came from , thank goodness Tommy is available, and it is really neat stuff. Buena suerte ;) = Good luck !!!!
Such pretty pretties… on the photo collage front — polyvore.com makes them really easy and saves on the photoshop wrangling.
I’m working my way through your old posts. I just saw the inspiration board where you found something at Cheaper Than Dirt. Did you see these hides in the gift section there? They look like they might work in your modern estancia. And holy moly, you can’t beat the prices.
Muy bueno!!