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Monday, October 26, 2009

CAN I PICK AN ESTATE SALE, OR WHAT?



I went to another estate sale in Memphis this weekend. Although I couldn't afford to buy anything, I had so much fun just seeing this house and furnishings. So, I thought I'd take you along for a look.




Annesdale (c.1855)

This Italian Villa mansion was built by a Dr. Samuel Mansfield, a wholesale druggist, probably as a wedding present for the wife he married in 1855. In 1869 Robert Brinkley bought it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Annie Overton Brinkley, who married Col. Robert Bogardus Snowden. The two-hundred-acre estate was named Annesdale, pronounced "Annie's Dale," in her honor.

Architecturally, the house, with its square tower, bracketed cornice, round-arched porch, and asymmetrical plan, was absolutely up-to-date for the mid-1850's. Although the name of its designer is unknown, details of the exterior and elements of the plan quite possibly were derived from a "Norman Villa" designed by the Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloane and published in his book, The Model Architect, in 1852. Sloane designed one of the South's great houses, the Arabian-Nights fantasy of Longwood, at Natchez, in 1859, which was based on "An Oriental Villa" in The Model Architect.



There were gorgeous, ginormous bookcases everywhere,




Amazing painted ceilings,




Chandeliers with lots of bling,



Incredible architecture,




Gorgeous furnishings,




And ornate fireplaces in every room.




Now I'll leave you alone and let you look around and take in all of the beauty.



















I hope you enjoyed seeing this house as much as I did.


I have to show you one more thing. I WON A PRIZE! Isn't Blogville a wonderful place? I was so excited when I found out that Martha at Mid Atlantic Martha had drawn my name to win this lighted wine bottle and tassel.




Isn't that cool? I have some bottles with Halloween labels on them displayed in our bar, so my bottle light has found a place with them for now.




I was so excited when the package arrived, and I couldn't wait to get it out and plug it in. When I started opening the package, I found even more goodies inside! Just look at all of the surprises Martha sent me, and isn't her little notecard just the cutest?


Martha has apparently read my blog enough to know that I love anything Mary Engelbreit! Aren't those cute? And did you see those cute Halloween tissues and the candle (cider web-isn't that a cute fragrance name?). I know Martha thought I didn't have enough Halloween decor at my house! Thank you so much Martha. If you don't know Martha, you need to go meet her at Mid-Atlantic Martha. You'll love what you find on her blog.

As always, I so appreciate you coming to visit my blog, and I love reading your comments. laurie

48 comments:

Sarah said...

Laurie, what a fun adventure. Thanks for sharing the estate sale and this amazing place. Congratulations on wining. Glad to know you too are a Mary Engelbreit fan.
Home again and happy to be connected to the web again. LOL

Poppy Cottage said...

Oh Laurie I just love going places with you. This is such an amazing house!

Congrats on your new treasure - it's adorable!!

Unknown said...

This is a beautiful house! Bet the stuff was very high priced!!!

Love your new treasure! What a great idea for old wine bottles!

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

What a day and such gorgeous scenery...love it!!!

Your gift from Martha is darling...perfect in you bar with your other goodies!!!

Have a wonderful evening!!!
XOXO
Cathy

Silvia said...

nice post Laurie, but i really want to know how did she get a light in there???lollo.
xxSilvia.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Wow! You do pick great estate sales! Beautiful old estate, but would not want to clean that place. :) Congratulations on winning.

Diane at Crafty Passions said...

Imagine living like that !!!!!
Dare to dream.............
Loved your photos thank you for taking us along!!
To answer your question yes I did the pysanky I have been at it for some 25 years and more...I won't say how much more.... LOL
Hubby is Ukrainian, took a little course years ago with my daughter and I have been making them ever since.
Have a good week!
Diane

aimee said...

holy cow! now thats an estate sale. did you buy anything? i will check out her blog.congrats on your awesome win!
blessings,
aimee

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Oh Laurie...am I the only odd person that LOVES that toilet! I need one of those in my ensuite bathroom....too adorable!

Kammy said...

Congrats on your win Laurie !
Love the house pictures - wowza !
Kammy

artis1111 said...

I would have to leave my credit card in my car if I want to this sale. Love the painted ceilings!!!! I could not live it that house, I would be laying on the floor all the time looking at the ceiling.hehe Kathy

Anonymous said...

Oh, Laurie! What a house! Well, estate maybe! How beautiful. Did folks live here? What a treat! Love your little lit Halloween bottle.
You're the best.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

The Kramer Angle said...

What a great house - thanks for sharing your photos with us!

Kathleen Ellis said...

Be still my heart!!! What a FABulous estate! Such beauty and detail...we have truly lost the art of aesthetics in the details of newly built homes. Thank you for the tour...I feel like I owe you $$$ for a ticket ;-D.
Happy Tuesday!

Erica (Irene) said...

WOW! That must have been some Estate Sale.......congrats on your win :-)
I just came across your blog I also love Mary Engelbriet. Have a great day.

www.erica-sweetonyou.blogspot.com

Stacey said...

What a wedding gift! Can you imagine? Thanks for showing those amazing pictures.

Congratulations on your cute little win too. I love the lighted wine bottle.

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

OH OH OH Laurie!
I'm glad I don't leave until tomorrow so I wouldn't miss this post! That house just left me speechless! I would have just loved to have tagged along with you! The gifts from Martha are darling, just love that lighted bottle! I need to enter more giveaways, I'm slacking off! Hugs and talk to you soon, Cindy

Unknown said...

Laurie, Thanks so much for thinking about us and taking us along on the tour of that amazing house! Gosh, do people actually live like that??!?!?! Incredible, and that toilet, too funny! Thanks again, Sue

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Wow--wee! Now some folks KNOW how to decorate! Thanks for taking us along in your pocket. So glad that the bottle has found such a happy new home too!

ellen b. said...

Oh my Laurie! What a grand house. How fabulous to go there for a sale!! Love the lights in the bottle :0)

Salmagundi said...

What? You didn't buy anything? Well, the tour of that gorgeous mansion is reward enough. Great post. Sally

susan said...

OHHH! I wish you had called me! I would love to have seen this too--Is it in midtown? Thanks for the tour--that baby cradle takes my breath!

Heidi Pocketbook said...

Thank you for the tour of this exquisite home--the craftsmanship is great. I lol at the "throne" in the bathroom.

Congrats on your prize.

DESIGN BY CATHLEEN said...

I adore Old Homes, That was amazing! We really don't have many homes like that here in California! Although i have visited Hearst Castle, if you haven't been, you would love it!

You are so sweet, I haven't really been keeping up my blog, so busy with the real world, yet you always take the time to comment when I do! Thanks laurie your a true Blog Friend!!!

xoxo, Cathleen

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

I love this Laurie! What a beautiful home!

Mellodee said...

Amazing House! I can't imagine living there, even if I had enough "staff" to keep the place running! There's a reason why people don't have houses like that anymore! Thanks for sharing! Always enjoy your adventures.

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

Laurie, I thought homes like that only existed in Europe - wow! Linda

Ginger said...

You are right Laurie, you do know how to pick an estate sale. Wow that place is awesome.
Congrats on your win. You deserve it. You are such a great blogger.

KBeau said...

How do you always manage to find such great estate sales? Did you have to sneak the photos?

Congrats on winning the lighted wine bottle. I really wanted that, but it looks great with all of your Halloween stuff.

Kathleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathleen said...

Bee YOU tiful! If we chipped in could we have afforded anything..a dust rag maybe??
Congrats on the bottle!!
That was me above..a typo...

Jewel Sauls said...

WOW! What an estate! I loved every little detail, but then again, I'm a Victorian type gal. Thanks so much for sharing!!!! :D Jewel

Carrie said...

Your estate photos are excellent...I really enjoyed the tour. Thanks for taking us along!

Melissa Miller said...

What a gorgeous estate Laurie!
It's just a feast for the eyes for sure. ~Beautiful.

What a wonderful gift you received when you won the giveaway! Love the lights inside. What a clever idea.

~Whew! You are so right. I never thought I would still be blogging almost a year later. I didn't think I even had enough to post on. Thank goodness for events like TT and MM and so on.

I'm so glad we met along time ago on RMS. You were one of my very first comments on RMS and you were my very first follower and commentor here in Blogland. Thank you for your sweet support my friend. I really appreciate "you".

Many Blessings, ~Melissa :)

Four Paws and Co said...

Congratulations on your winning gift! It's just too cute for words!

Wow, what an amazing place to visit. I would have walked around with my mouth open going ahhhhhhhhh.... Did you buy anything at the estate sale? ☺

Anonymous said...

My do you find the bestest estate sales!!! This house is just magnificent!

I went to an estate sale last weekend while we were in another little town about an hours drive from us. It ended up being owned by the same owner who had sold us our house. The owner had passed away a few months before we closed on the house and we worked with the daughter. She was there and we had a great time of catching up. I wish I had had my camera- she was an antiques dealer and my, the china, silver, and such- too pricey for me though I did come away with a few good finds!

blessings
mary

Cynthia Moody said...

Wow!! Imagine life like that...only in imagination! Have you traveled over to Scott, AR to see Marlsgate? It's not so very far from you, and is a sight to behold...C

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

Love it! Thanks for the pix...life as we can only imagine! C

Lynette said...

WOW - what a place! The details are amazing! Those fireplaces and the arched windows - incredible - they just don't make them like that anymore, huh?

Loved your cute little present - can anyone ever have to many decorations for any holiday - ever?

Happy Wednesday to you Laurie!

SmilingSally said...

Laurie, that house contained many things I would've liked to buy. You saved me sooo much money by showing me pictures AFTER the sale. LOL

Congratulations on your unique prize!

Unknown said...

What an amazing place. I can only imagine what this place looks like in person. Is Memphis far away from you? I love the architecture, and the details in each room. What a lovely gifts Martha gave to you. I will stop by and visit her blog.

Karen

Unknown said...

Hi Laurie! The kids started screaming today..."FED EX IS HERE!!" I had to do a double take because O knew I had not ordered anything in a while. I opened the box to find a present for ME! Can I just say how exicited and happy I was to win your giveaway. Everything was so nice,thank you!!!! I must hide the candy bar now...hehe.... Thank you so very much Laurie! Susie

Tardevil said...

Congrats on your winnings! I liked seeing "Biltmore Jr."! What a house, huh?

lvroftiques said...

OMG!!!! I'm having a blog-gasm!! Sorry about the porn mouth Laurie but I couldn't help myself!! What a FABULOUS house!!! How could you NOT buy something??!! That ceiling...those bookcases....that darling french chair toilet!! Hmmm wonder if that one was for sale *winks* Anyhoo I soooo enjoyed all the beautiful details! You do INDEED know how to pick em!! V

xinex said...

OMG LAurie! How did I miss this post? I only saw it while looking for your update on Lady Katherine. That house, and all its furnishings, is to die for. So much lovely details. The house we are going to today is not quite as well cared for. The owner had the money to fix it but she did not like the inconvenience. Now I'm off to look for Lady K's post. Oh, congrats on winning such beautiful items!...Christine

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Oh my goodness..........I can't imagine getting to go to that estate sale. What a home! We just don't have homes like that here. I'd love to be able to stroll around the inside. Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. That's probably as close as I'm ever going to get to that kind of estate sale.


Hugs,
Spencer

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Laurie...

Just playing catch up...ohh my, I hate that I've been missing so much! It seems like it's harder to keep up these days.

Well my friend, I just had to comment on this fabulous post!!! The Annesdale Mansion is nothing short of FABULOUS!!! And you know what...it's just my style! This would be my dream home...seriously! Everything from those spectacular sparkly chandeliers...right down to all the gorgeous furnishings!!! I think my favorite is the ornately painted ceilings...they are absolutely breathtaking!!! Wow...I could move in and not change a thing...it's sooo ME! Hehe!

Thank you for sharing this fabulous home with us today! I would have loved to gone to that estate sale...that's for sure!!!

Love ya,
Chari

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Ooops...it's just lil' ol' me again! I wanted to tell you congratulations on winning that beautiful wine bottle light...I fell in love with it the moment that I saw it over at Martha's! I'm so happy for you, Sweetie!!! It couldn't have went to a better home!!!

Love ya,
Chari