Whatever happened with... (water bill, diet, wedding plans) and a new listing from Anne Powers!

There are so may things to tell you guys!!!

Last week, Glennis and I went to the Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.  This is one of our favorite conferences.  They always have great speakers, and the conferences are always held in really cool places.  (Remember last year when we went to San Diego, and the year before when we went to Seattle?)

Except this time it wasn't cool, it was HOT! :)

But there were tons of pools there :)

On Wednesday we went to the awards dinner, and I got an award called "Outstanding Social Media Savvy."

I was THRILLED!  Over the years Beacham has gotten a lot of awards for our magazine, our print marketing and our marketing package, but this is our first award for social media.

It means so much to me because I run the social media campaign here at Beacham, and I am really proud of what we've accomplished.  We have this blog, which was ranked #5 real estate blog in the world last year.  A few months ago we launched a new Beacham Blog, we have more fans on Facebook than any other real estate company in Atlanta, we are very active on Twitter, and we even have a new Pinterest account.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that people read THIS blog, and they remember what I talk about!  Every time it happens I do a double take.  Over the last few months I've run into people I haven't talked to in a year or so and they will say "what happened with your water bill," 0r "how is that diet going?"  A lot of times it happens when I'm introduced to someone for the first time.  I'll shake their hands and they say, "how are the wedding plans coming along?  I read about them on your blog?"  That happened to me a lot this past week in Arizona.  It made me realize two things... one, that people actually take the time to read the blog, and two, that I've left a lot of loose ends!

First thing's first... the water bill.

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Read this story to see the initial story of what happened with my $9,000 water bill.  A few weeks later I wrote this post explaining that the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management replaced my water meter and wiped away everything but $800, which they said I still owed them.  I decided to wait a few months and collect a few bills.  Every bill I've gotten has been under $50, so I clearly had one of those bad water meters that are all over the city.  Now I just have to go back before the board, argue my case one more time and hope they erase the final $800 balance.  WSB actually interviewed me about the water issue last week, but my hair looked so horrendous I just cannot post it here.  I've  since stopped using leave-in conditioner. ;)

In a huge karmic joke, I actually walked over my water meter last night and the top was off just slightly.  It slipped off and my foot fell INTO the water meter hole.  It left three big scrapes on my leg, and it's all bruised today.  I guess the water department is out to get me one way or another!

Next loose end?

The Dukan Diet.  I started the Dukan Diet about a month ago for two reasons. I wanted to lose a few more pounds before the wedding, and I was also just having a lot of stomach pain.  I did the Dukan Diet for about 2 weeks and lost 4 lbs.  I guess that's not a huge amount of weight, but it was 3/4 of the weight I wanted to lose, so I would consider it fairly effective.

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At the same time I started the Dukan Diet I also gave up gluten and dairy in hopes that it would help my stomach pain.  My friend Ginny also suggested I go see Dr. Tasneem Bhatia.  She is a holistic doctor here in Atlanta who was on Dr. Oz and went to Westminster.  I loved her!  When I went to see her I still had significant stomach pain even thought I had dropped the gluten and dairy.  I also had headaches and low energy, which was a result of all the meat I was eating.  She did a lot of test and got me all turned around.  She put me on a low acid diet, kept me off the gluten and dairy and got me some supplements.  I've kept the 4 lbs off and feel SO MUCH BETTER now.  If any of you are interested in holistic medicine I recommend her 150%!  She spent a lot of time with me and listened and really tried to figure out a way to help me.  Please email me if you have any specific questions about her.

And now a wedding update...

We did a food tasting, YUM!  The food at The Grand Bohemian is amazing.  I even liked the sea bass, and I don't even like fish!

And we picked out a save the date. We are so excited because it's orange, the best color ever.We picked out flowers :)  We decided to work with Flora in Asheville.  She is going to do a beautiful mix of succulents for me.  It was really fun talking to her.  She totally understood what I wanted.

And we will end with a house...

A few weeks ago I shot this house at 2128 Lucerne Lane.  Anne Powers has this house listed, and I loved it!

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Isn't it pretty?  The kitchen is so wonderful.  it opens to the family room and breakfast area.  The whites and greens go together so well.  The master bedroom suite is also large and cozy with a huge master bath and fireplace.  The gazebo pictures show a large common area in the neighborhood.   To find out more about this house please visit beacham.com.

Talk to you guys soon!

 

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I caught the bouquet + Cates Ridge

First up...

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If you haven't already ordered your copy of Historical Concepts' new book, "Coming Home: a southern vernacular," then you need to... now.  The book is beautiful... plus I took some of the pictures... so go get one already.  If you are feeling lucky, you can WIN a SIGNED copy of the book.  How?

Go to the Beacham & Company Facebook Page and check out our album of listings.  All you have to do is like or comment on a photo, and you will be entered to win a signed copy!  The agent who's listing gets the most likes or comments also wins a copy of the book.  How easy is that?

Good luck!

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In other news... Beacham & Company got 15 new listings last week!  We also got 21 homes under contract.  It's safe to say the market is officially hot!  If you are interested in hearing the specifics of the Atlanta Real Estate market, please check out the latest issue of "The Beacham Insider."  It is packed full of the latest statistics and market information, so take a look.

All those new listings means I have been VERY BUSY.  Can you imagine?  15 new listings in one week.  They don't photograph themselves!  Thank goodness my uncle photographs half the houses, or I wouldn't be able to sleep!

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One of my favorite houses I've photographed recently is Troy Stowe's listing on Cate's Ridge.  (Clearly I did not take this PARTICULAR photograph.  I don't own a plane.  Duh.)

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This property has one main house and THREE additional houses... plus a lake... with fish in it!  That little house in the distance there is the guest house!  The guest house is basically my dream house.

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See?  How cute is that?

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You also get this amazing view...

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and you can go the the movies whenever you want, in your own home!

Next?

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I got a new family member this weekend!  My cousin Beau married Elizabeth, and my family is so happy!  It was a beautiful wedding in Hilton Head.  I just love family events, and this one was no different.  It's so nice when we can all get together.

One funny thing from the weekend... I caught the bouquet.

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It was sort of by accident.  FOR REAL.  See those two girls in front of me?  The bouquet bounced off their hands and was flying in the air.  THIS IS NOT A JOKE.  I thought to myself, "the flowers are too pretty to hit the ground!"  So then I sort of lept for them in a very awkward/unladylike way, and BOOM.  I got the bouquet.

Believe it or not.

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It was my very first time catching a bouquet, and I was THRILLED.

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On the other hand, Jimmy looked terrified.

That's all I've got for now.  See ya!

P.S. Enter my contest by choosing your favorite listing!  Please.  I asked nicely.

P.P.S.

Charlotte's the cutest dog in the entire world.

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395 Beverly in Ansley Park

Hi everyone!  I just want to thank you all for the tremendous outpouring of support you gave me about Sister.  I appreciate it so much, and it really made the grieving process easier.  Thank you so much. I got this ring off of ETSY last week.  It's such a nice reminder of Sister, and it allows me to keep her with me.

I can't help but share these little photos of Charlotte with you guys!  She is so smart!  She learned to fetch is like 10 minutes...  I'm such a proud mom!

Here she is with her favorite ball!  She is VERY serious about fetching!

Here she is snuggling on my chest.  I am VERY serious about snuggling!

Can you see her little face?  She is upside down.  She is kind of hard to get a picture of since she is so dark :)

Moving along to more important things... Erin Yabroudy and I went on the show to discuss her starting a team here at Beacham and launching her own website!

We also took a lo0k at her gorgeous listing at 395 Beverly Road.  Built by Gail Cook, this is one of the most beautiful homes in Ansley Park.  I had the privilege of shooting the home, and I wanted to share a few photos with you.

front 1-1

This is the front, which located directly across from Ansley Golf Club.

golf course (1)

This is your view from the front porch!

main hallway 1

Foyer.  Love that detail in the hardwoods and groin vaulting.

kitchen 2

Design Galleria kitchen.

keeping room-1

Keeping room off kitchen.

Beverly porch

Beautiful porch overlooking the back yard and pond.

living room-1

Formal living room off of kitchen.  Great fireplace.

dining room-1 Large dining room with Juliet balconies.

bar to dining room-1

I love this bar area that runs between the kitchen and the dining room.  I am always such a sucker for those star light fixtures!

upper office

Office/study on the main level just off the foyer.

Master (1)

Master bedroom.master bath

Spacious master bath.master bathyub

Love this bathtub!

basement landing-1

And we end in the beautifully finished terrace level!

What doe you guys think?  I just love Ansley Park, and this is such a great example of the beautiful homes located there!

Have a great week!

Italian Villa in Buckhead

Jim Warwick and Jo Ellen Bradley  listed this beautiful Italian Villa at 1111 Crest Valley Drive here in Atlanta.

The home is actually turned away from the road, so the view above is the front of the house...

... but this is what you see from the street.

According to beacham.com, "This architectural tour de force was designed by Bill Harrison and influenced by the timeless appeal of a 16th century Palladian villa in Verona, Italy. There are four remarkable finished levels. Wide-plank flooring, soaring groin vault ceilings, five over scale fireplaces, numerous out-door terraces and porches and pool. Formerly the estate of artist Athos Menaboni."

This beautiful fountain is located in the courtyard in front of the home.

Here is a beautiful archway leading to...

... this area located to the left of the front door at the side of the home.  It is a perfectly flat yard for children to play, and there is also a pool and veranda.  You can see the beautiful portico leading to the guest house.

Here is another view from the pool on the side of the home.  It's all so Italian!  Couldn't you imagine sipping wine out here on a summer afternoon?  The porch above the veranda is located off the master suite, which we will see later.

This is a better view of the back veranda.  Isn't it lovely?

I love this photo because it shows the fireplace.  Wouldn't this be perfect for this time of year?

Here is the view as you walk through the front door.  The curved staircase, the stone floors, and the high ceilings set the "Italian villa" mood.

This is the view from the opposite direction.  Can you see the glass front door?  I love the feel of the heavy wood and the niches on either side of the door.

The central hallway of this home is amazing!  The groin vaulting is so elegant, and the archways allow light in from the front and back of the home.

Here it is from the opposite direction.  Simply beautiful!

The living room has this beautiful 2-story window that overlooks the yard and allows for tremendous natural light.  The fireplace really anchors the room.

This straight on picture gives you a better idea of the scale of the windows.

Here is the view from the window through the hallway and into the dining room.  Isn't the light pretty?

The dining room overlooks the front patio and has those same beautiful wooden doors.

Here is a view looking back toward the foyer.  Be sure to notice the ceilings.

I got so excited about this kitchen!  It's one of the best ones I've seen in a really long time.  The island is huge!  It's perfect for a family gathering.  Don't you love the beamed ceilings?

The view into the breakfast and keeping room.  I just noticed that they used the same wood they used for the cabinets above the kitchen window.  I have never seen this before, have you?

This view of the breakfast room really showcases the three doors that lead out to the back porch.

Isn't this family room unbelievable?  I really like the light fixture and the fact that the curved windows mirror the doors from the above breakfast room.

This study is also located on the main level.  It's through the foyer from the front door.  You can see those three arched windows again.  I love the color of the wood, the coffered ceilings, and the herringbone pattern of the brick in the fireplace.  They all come together to form quite a handsome study!

This is the master, which is located upstairs.  I enjoy seeing hardwood floors in masters.  I recently took the carpet out of my master and replaced it with hardwoods and couldn't be happier.

Between the master and the master bath there is this beautiful private porch.  This would be so great at night!

And of course the master bath is beautiful!  I liked the tile in the shower a lot (if you can peek into it).  It looks to me like the cabinets are made from the same material as the ones in the kitchen and the wood in the study.  What do you think?

The coolest part about the upstairs is this secret passageway.  I've only seen a handful of these in real life, and it always makes me so excited.  I'm such a little kid!

The secret passageway leads to this third level loft type area, which is perfect for kids.

The terrace offers this beautiful groin vaulted stone wine cellar...

a kitchen and dining area...

and a huge gym!

What do you guys think? Isn't this home fantastic?  If it were yours, where do you think you would spend most of your time?

It's the perfect Italian getaway here in Atlanta!

5th Birthday Beacham Bash!

This past Tuesday we had our "Beacham Series"/ 5th Anniversary party at a Bobby McAlpine home on Tuxedo Road. (Listed by Glennis Beacham)We pulled out all the stops for this party, and we estimate we got over 350 people!

Here I am in front of the latest cover :)

Did you guys know you can request a copy of "The Beacham Series" on the website?

We owe a HUGE HUGE thank you to Billy Holcomb of Liz Lapidus Public Relations.  He worked so hard on this party, and we really appreciate it.  The party went so smoothly, and he was so professional.

Thank you Billy!

Anyway, we could not believe how many people came!  And this was 5 minutes after the party started!

View from the second story looking out over the living room.

And here we are 30 minutes in!

The crowd on the back veranda.

People braved the rain to come for an evening of good food, drinks, music, and architecture!

Beautiful cheese plate from Local Three 

ummm... pimento cheese!  

Thank you so much to Heineken for sponsoring the event.

Lauren and Jason of The Whiskey Gentry were phenomenal!  I cannot say enough about how well they played.  

Everyone raved about them!  If you don't remember how much I was looking forward to them playing you can read about it here.

In other news, The Whiskey Gentry is playing a Christmas show Dec 2nd at Variety Playhouse.  You should go!  I'll be there! :)

You can buy tickets here.

So many of our agents and clients came out to support us!

Glennis and the homeowner Lisa.  Isn't Lisa beautiful?  We all agreed she was the most stylish woman at the party... for sure.

Here I am with Billy and my friend Laura Green of L. Green Studios.

Sue Newman

Donna Gardner and Ashley Czeschin 

Glennis Beacham and Meridy King

 Kim Foley and her client who owns THIS house, from my most popular post ever! 

Camille Brannon of Campbell and Brannon, who sponsored the party, Robert Orr and Wight Mixon.

Holly Street (far left) of the famed blog Things That Inspire and the amazing artist Melissa Payne Baker (second from right) 

Barry Milam and Sue Newman

One of my favorite things we got for the party was a photo booth!  I loves seeing our agents and friends cutting lose in there!

Ha ha ha.  I had to try it out!  Here I am with my uncle, who took the magazine cover shot!

See?

Margaret Harman and Rachel Farmer

Gabby Gray, Wight Mixon, Sheila Gray and Ginger Scott (all Beacham agents!)

Niki McNeill of Single Bubble Pop

Our Director of Graphics and Design (Laura) and all of her friends :)  See the sign?

Erin Yabroudy 

A whole slew of Beacham people :)

Elise Baumann and Janey Lowe with Margaret Harman

Debbie Farmer (with Guitar) and her three cute friends

Happy 5th Anniversary Beacham & Company!

So that I can keep from bragging about our own party, I am going to borrow words from Kyle Sturtevant of "The Well Composed Home:"  

What a spectacular event.  Graciousness was expressed through every detail.  From the hospitality, to the catering, to the entertainment – they even had the band Whiskey Gentry playing off to the side.  As much as I thoroughly enjoyed touring this Home, and viewing the work of  Beacham and Company, McAlpine Tankersley and Bonner Custom Homes, the event was truly set apart in a league of its own by the caliper of people in attendance.  Thx to everyone for granting me this remarkable experience.

Awesome Night, Awesome Group of Folks, Wonderful Evening.

Kyle wrote a beautiful post about the party, which I suggest you read HERE.  (It goes into much greater detail about the architecture of the home.)

Terry Kearns of Architecture Tourist also wrote a wonderful piece about the party and the home. Please read it if you get a chance!

 

 

Thank you all so much for your support of our company and our magazine.  We could not have done it without you!

Love, Blayne