Fifi O'Neill And Mark Lohman... And Me

What a beautiful day at the home of Burlap Luxe, Dore and daughter Hannah Callaway opened their home on Thursday, August 23rd 2012 to the not only beautiful but inspiring Fifi O'Neill founder and executive editor of "Romantic Prairie Style" along with a number of beautiful cottage industry flea market style inspirational reads on our magazine stands.

Mark Lohman photographer extraordinaire who's wit and charm excites the rooms he photographs. Mark Lohman works closely with Fifi O'Neill's projects, flying in from Florida to Los Angeles then Northern California again back to Southern California to shoot our home where do they find all their creative energy, while holding our hands through the whole process, what a team they make.

Fifi creates a world we all want to live in. When I received her numerous emails and a confirming phone call one stating not to worry they will handle it all and not to stress over cleaning my home. Well of course I would clean my home, and stress was at the top of the list it was the famous Fifi O'Neill and Mark Lohman that were coming to shoot my home, and everything had to be perfectly imperfect for their arrival. They warned me that the process can be quite disheveling, a bit messy...A welcoming mess that I would do again and again. Excuse this mess, Fifi and marks beauty is soon to be seen.

I would love to show you the beautiful shots Mark Lohman took of the different rooms of our home, and the styling Fifi O'Neill does so effortlessly but it's top secret until their release. Thank you Fifi and Mark for gracing our home that shelters with your beauty.

Frayed And Tattered And Built

A Royal Inspiration, Union Jack is all the talk. After visiting inspiring friends I had to join in and make one of my own. Taking time to sew and create will add a sense of calm, and a peaceful passion for the creative artist in you. I was not only inspired, I was driven to create one of my own, frayed and tattered, white and grey.


Our home is of mild tones, white, natural, and grey, it made sense that my Union Jack would be exactly those tones. I taught myself to sew after sewing lessons in school home ec class. My Mother always made clothes for my siblings and me when we were little, sitting and watching it's no wonder it's in my blood. I would make bits and pieces, and in later years started sewing up a house filled with moppy-ness and fluff.



Britain's Union Jack scene is this years inspirational look, we will be seeing a lot more of Jack on everything from clothing to furniture to our favorite textiles. By changing things around in my daughter Hannah's room and adding a Union Jack pillow case sham with a plump feather insert it made it feel like a new room.


While enjoying our Union Jack tea cookies from London England I was also busy creating a much needed nightstand for Hannah's room. One that toned down the elegant pieces by adding rustic elegance in distressed white.

I wanted a piece to convey that it was brought in from the yard, shed style, and the designer in me wanted one to be original but seeking out to find one this size I knew would be next to impossible. I started to design and build one out of salvaged 2x4's and oak ply for the top planked style and making sure the wood used was in a damaged less than perfect state increasing a rustic French farmhouse feel. 30" in Height 22" in Length 13" in Width. An old lamp of sorts will light this corner up perfectly.

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Inspiring: From sewing needle's to building tools.

A Brocante Piece With Undeniable Strength

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mise en scène, French term for arrangement of scenery put in the scene, I am the director and producer of the placement of pieces and props in my home and shop.

A piece hard to let go of, but better suited for my shop. When life at the Burlap Luxe home went from formal to elegant rustic it all fell together like relaxed wrinkled linen modestly living with pieces that evoke all things euro-French by adding the best pieces of old only adds to the charm of living in deep comfort.


When shopping in my shop I want it to reflect well lived pieces with gentle imperfections that nothing is meant to be that cared for.



Pieces well-worn have history and strength, this was a strong piece, and a piece most would turn away, (local thrift shop find) This piece told a whole different story one of 1980’s where it housed a monster of a TV. with cabinets, and drawers below flawed with years of use, and I knew it was a piece I wanted to take on.

By removing old out-dated embellishments, to then strip off and sanding down it's age this piece started to show me what it wanted to become.

Setting aside the doors and drawer faces for other projects and adding much needed shelving and a solid back to it makes for instant impact to this beauty that was once a beast.

I listen to the story of each piece giving it the right paint treatment and much needed distressing richly rewarding it with a new purpose in life while becoming there new caretaker, a gatherer of pieces until they find a new destination.


Great tall side cubbies that may hold your platters and silver serving trays, along with country French vintage cutting breadboards.


The art I painted to the discarded doors that once closed off the on looking of where the TV was housed. They now show off what they have become, French panels artfully painted in tones of washed whites and shades of grey.


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Another door face solid oak from a French china hutch I hand painted and may be seen in my etsy Burlap Luxe shop for purchase, Vie Belle (Beautiful Life)


This once beast of a piece has excited the makeover of my shop readying it for fall, and the treasure it will display.