The Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wisc.

Several years ago when my parents were renovating an old farmhouse, my mom found a new bathroom faucet at a yard sale, plopped it in front of my dad and said, "Here. Build a house around this!" That tells you something about how popular Kohler's famous ad campaign was. Alex and I had just finished touring the lovely botanical gardens at the American Club in the Village of Kohler, Wisc. last Thursday when we decided to stop by the Kohler Design Center and see if there was anything of interest. I could not have *dreamed* how much fun this would be!



You know how we tea types always refer to Anna Duchess of Bedford and that "sinking feeling" she got just before teatime? Well, I must confess I got a "sinking feeling" of my own in Kohler, and now it's blossomed into full-fledged sink lust! This pedestal sink was my favorite. I think. There's a pink one that is a close runner-up, but I somehow forgot to get a picture of it!

And though this sink is a bit modern for my tastes, I still love the hip, contemporary look.


This blue sink was another one I just loved.



And after my Wisconsin wildflower discoveries the day before, I was delighted to see this Prairie Flowers of the Midwest sink. There's the Vetch! And the Field Thistle!

We went upstairs to see what other Kohler goodies were on display for the public to see.


One of the first bathrooms we visited had a very spa-like feel, and I loved the aqua toned tiles on the square bathtub. But wait, what was that in the background?

Oh yes, a tea set! You don't know how hard it was for me not to pick it up and see who the maker was! The thought of bells and buzzers possibly going off made me keep my hands to myself, however.

Kohler's bathroom vignettes were just incredible, and I'm afraid my little pocket digital couldn't do justice to them, but trust me when I tell you the pink-paneled bathroom with the fireplace, inlaid marble floor, chandelier and sunken tub was To. Die. For. My favorite bathroom, however, was this elegant one with a skirted tub.

Here's the console sink across the room. Gorgeous!

There were kitchen vignettes as well, including this grotto-style one that my husband especially liked. If you read shelter magazines or watch the cooking shows on TV, you know that it's become popular to have water sources right at the stove. This swing-arm faucet would make it so easy to prepare pasta! But what actually caught my attention here were some familiar tea tins.

Yes, that's our beloved Harney and Sons on the shelf! So Kohler gets points for that as well.




I've spent so much time on that amazing design center, I'm going to have to cut it short and share a few garden photos without comment, which is very hard for me!

And finally, we stopped by one of the Kohler shops, Kohler Gardener, where these small teapot-shaped clay pots had just been marked down from $8.95 to $2.25. If I'd been in the car, I would have bought all they had. Since I had to stuff them in my burgeoning tote bag and lug them on the plane, I got just four and am happy to report they made it home safely. What great mementos of a fun day -- even if my husband is a tad worried I'm now in hot pursuit of a new sink!

Visiting Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls, Wisc.

The flowers I saw on my Wisconsin trip last week offered a surprise at every turn. Their lushness (in July!) was quite the surprise, but it was also fun to see so many beautiful wildflowers I don't see back home, like this Spotted Knapweed.

And though we have lots of White Clover, this Red Clover (which really looks pink to me) also struck me as quite lovely.


The plant I found most unique was this blue wildflower. I noticed it along some of the country roads around Elkhart Lake, and it was still on my mind when we got to the lovely little town of Plymouth, which was a shopper's delight! While I checked out the Sewing Basket quilt shop and an antique mall, Alex had explored on his own and, as requested, located a bookstore, Book Heads, that had a nice selection of local gardening books. The pleasant lady there, who happens to garden herself, was kind enough to look at the photos on my digital camera and tell me that oh yes, this is chicory! I like chicory flavor in coffee but not in tea, and I had no idea its famous root was attached to such a beautiful flower!

The wonderful book she recommended, "Wildflowers of Wisconsin" by Stan Tekiela, had information on chicory and about 200 other wildflowers, which is how I was able to identify the ones above as well as the ones I would see later in the trip. Tekiela has written lots of state guidebooks for flowers and birds, including a bird book for Georgia that's now on my wish list.

In addition to the bookstore, I was happy to visit the Sewing Basket and find some great fabrics to add to my stash. (I think they're really supposed to be "coffee" fabrics, but since they don't actually say coffee or have coffee beans in the design, I decided they could join the tea fabrics.) This was one of several places where I was politely asked, "Do I detect an accent there?" I later learned from a Wisconsinite that my husband and I talk fast for southerners, so I guess that's a good thing!

My favorite find in Plymouth, though, came from an antique mall where I found some vintage booklets about Spode, Royal Doulton and Haviland china. At first I thought these old books must have been aimed at shop owners, but as I read them, it seemed they were offered to the general public.

Later I'll try to share more of the fun stuff I'm finding in these booklets, but I was so fascinated I had to scan this inserted page from the Spode booklet because it has such great information about what was going on in china sales during the WWII years. (Double-click on the image if you want to read it.)


The afternoon concluded with a stop by picturesque Sheboygan Falls.


This Crown Vetch covers the banks there in an absolutely gorgeous display.

I spotted this Field Thistle there too, which was quite fortunate since I would be seeing both these flowers in an unlikely place the very next day, and thanks to my new wildflower book I knew enough to recognize them!

Tea and travels in Wisconsin

Most of last week I spent in Wisconsin, where my husband and I were enjoying a nice leisurely visit with my stepdaughter and her husband and exploring the local sights, which to my delight were more than I had even hoped for! The fun included some great tea finds at antique shops and quilt stores, lunch at a unique tea room, a visit to the Mecca of bath fixtures, and even a personal tour of a small dairy farm! Today, I thought I'd tell you about Elkhart Lake, where we enjoyed a nice visit before heading on to stay with family. The historic Siebkens Resort was our home base, and I loved it immediately. After all the hot, humid days we've had lately, I could not get over how pleasant it was there.

I would like to have taken one of Siebkens' frilly iron rockers home with me, but I couldn't figure out a way to get it on the plane. (Legally, I mean.)

Here is a back view of the newer rooms, which were later additions to the resort. The flowers in the foreground mark the entrance to a public walking area to the lake, whose name comes from a wonderful old Indian legend you can find here.


I am still just stunned that it looks like the height of spring in Wisconsin while, back home, the flowers are drooping and the people are too! On the walk back to the hotel, I was impressed by the giant white mophead hydrangeas and the blue-eyed daisies, which I'd never seen before.


The next morning, my first retail stop among all the quaint shops was a place my husband actually scouted out online, Gina's Custom Framing and Specialty Prints, which offers more than 100 varieties of tea. The shop had a great selection, and I bought a couple of new iced teas that looked yummy. (Just got home last night and haven't had time to try them yet, so the tea reviews will come later.)

I found two different kinds of tea soaps I'd not come across before, including these Tea Leaf and Wild Honey travel soaps from Lucia. (I got extras for future blog giveaways!)

I also got a box of Botanicus green tea soaps, which smell divine!

Next to Gina's is the old Elkhart Lake train depot, now restored as an antique shop called Mix & Mingle.


It was there I found a vintage tablecloth with embroidered teapots on it for just $6, and I was pretty happy about that!

And finally, at Nordic Accents I saw this beautiful Russian teacup. Naturally I *needed* a good teacup souvenir from Elkhart Lake, and I decided this would be the one breakable I would carry back home on the plane. The shop owner wrapped and boxed it extremely well, and when I thanked her, she said, in her delightful accent, "You're VEL-come!" We don't talk like that back home, y'all, and the fun was just getting started!