new orleans hospitality...part 1

so, my hubby and i are having a lovely stroll through the "garden district" in new orleans and i am in birthday heaven!! i absolutely love, LOVE old houses and gardens and this area was doing it for me! oh, yea baby, baby! i mean i really do love old houses and go on every house and garden tour that i can and i've been known to walk my dog at night, just in case somebody is nice enough to let me see inside. oh come on, i know you do it too! so, we find ourselves on this cutey-patooty street and the friendliest lady pulls up in the front of this house, immediately engages us in friendly banter and invites us in!! now, mind you, we are total strangers, my hubby carrying his "guess what, i'm a tourist" backpack. and me, toting my camera of course and drooling at the mouth from all of the cuteness surrounding us..........


and yes folks................she invited us in!!!!!!!!!


not just "in",



but "come on in, take as many pictures as you want, "southern accents" magazine will be shooting here next week, sure you can go upstairs " in!!


so, with my camera snapping away... our new friend, paulette (at least that is what my hubby recalls her name to be, cause i was too excited to recall) flitts around turning on all of the lights and proudly gives us a private tour of her fantastic, light-filled gem of a house!!



sit back and enjoy the tour.........



i know i did!


and oh, by the way....



you are looking at 17th century antiques here folks!!

there's paulette reaching for a vase for the red tulips she bought for the office.



i love how she combines antiques with modern artwork.

paulette apologized for the mess out on the back courtyard...after all mardi gras was just last week!

yes...that IS indeed an antique sideboard sitting outside.

cozy courtyard here with creeping Ivy....

and creeping fig.

the collection of mirrors was unbelievable..........

there's the happy birthday girl in the reflection.

lovely fireplace........

ugh! that reflection yet again!

sweet little landscape paintings in the office.....

there's paulette in the newly refurbished kitchen making sure nothing was out of place!

cute shoes!!

looks pretty darn perfect to me!

at the top of the stairs we find the housekeeper in the laundry room.

love the floor to ceiling paintings!

ooh la la. this vignette is gorgeous... love the lampshades

i believe this was an office upstairs.

love the rug!

and i really love the nice calves on that guy with the tourist backpack!
well, needless to say, this was a

happy, happy birthday treat!

i have many more pictures to show you.

stay tuned!