More From Fredericksburg, Texas

Richard's Trademark Outdoor Shower

The Diamond Belle

This is such a wonderful find and is off the beaten trail and well off Main Street, which is really good because it is horrifically loud with traffic noise.

It was built by premier builder, Richard Laughlin and is situated on a small piece of his property. It also includes an outdoor shower, which has almost become his signature. I have spent a lot of time in this little cabin and can safely say it is a dream. My next trip down to Fredericksburg always includes a stay at this B+B. There are major long horn cattle in the area and there's nothing quite like sitting out on the porch and listening to them. I highly recommend this gem of a place should your travels take you to this gorgeous part of Texas.

From this B+B you can then run down to Johnson City where the wonderful Benini Sculpture Ranch resides. Located on the old hunting lodge of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Benini's have created a wonderful place to show case the work of artisans and their work.

I wish I was a little more savvy on these blogs because I would love to pop in a picture of sculptures by Russ Thayer, but unfortunately, the pictures don't match my words and that really bothers me. Hah! Too much of a perfectionist I guess. Well, at least I am working on that little issue. Russ Thayer is an artisan of the highest order and does many, many custom projects for builders in the area. The last time I interviewed him he was working on two matching lions that will be situated in the pool area of a home in San Antonio. They have holes in their mouths where the water will spill into the pool. Thayer mostly gets his work by word of mouth and there's no better marketing in my book than a good referral by other builders.

As I have mentioned before, this area of Texas is hopping in terms of its real estate market. With this comes inflated land prices and inflated building prices, however, people are still pouring into the area from California, Colorado, Houston, and Dallas. I am confident that Thayer's work will continue to be sought after in terms of his exquisite sense of art. The Benini Sculpture Ranch is definitely a must-see place while touring this area. Here's the link for more information:: http://www.sculptureranch.com or http://www.benini.com.

My next blog will be highlighting the now defunct retail space created by nationally know interior designer, Carol Hicks Bolton. Her shop was simply titled Homestead and was housed in a gorgeous old brick building on the busiest part of Main Street. I am going to have dig out all the pictures I have taken of the wonderful merchandise and visual merchandising that was apart of this store. I believe that Homestead has moved to another town within the Hill Country and will research to find out exactly where it is located for you. Russ Thayer's wife Cecelia helps Bolton design fabrics and she has merged her talents with E. J. Victor out of Highpoint, North Carolina. More to come on this place and hopefully I will locate their new digs.

Have a wonderful day people and I will be digging out my images as fast as I can. I am planning on taking on some additional work and am considering ramping up my magazine, TrendSavvy. I absolutely love writing about what I find incredible and hope you will enjoy the contents of the magazine. I hope to cover artisans and their work, people you need to know, and areas of the country that need to be visited. I can't wait to begin.

Enjoy this prelude!