Hi Friends!! I can’t believe Christmas is about a week away! I hope you are all ready! Me? … not yet, but I did made time for a few special events!! Segreto, however has completed a lot of projects just in time for St. Nick.

This is a piece I really wanted to take to my home!! Set on antique pedestals, this SegretoStone dining table for one of Eleanor Cummings projects is ready to ship!

This console made from SegretoStone is quite the statement piece! How was it made?

My stone crew, which I like to call Santa’s elves this time of year- first built a mold and poured a concrete base.

Here is how it looks in its concrete form.

The first coat of SegretoStone is rough!

After the second coat is applied and the piece is polished, the most beautiful luster appears!! This prototype is ready for a new home! Perfect for a statement piece inside or out! We are working hard to build sinks and furniture pieces ready for pick up!! If the size and color are perfect–there is no need to wait!

Trying to remain budget friendly, we stenciled this bathroom and hand embellished it rather than created it in a mural fashion.  Although I loved how it turned out, we found there was little flexibility with a stencil. In order to make it work, this bath took more time than if our mural staff had sketched it out and hand-painted it. Experimentation is fun! I learn something every day!

This was the inspiration designer Mary Groves sent us for a paneled entryway she was doing in Bellville!

It all starts with a sample board to get the colors just right.  You can see we have many ready to be picked up!!

Still in progress, we were able to mask the grooves of the paneling by the placement of the stripes and create a space full of color and whimsy!!

Remember that raised plaster accent wall we did for designer Diana Humphrey I shared? We had brainstormed about the elevator lobby for the unit and finally came up with a design she was thrilled with.

Although the lobby walls are all white, she had colorful contemporary art that we did not want to distract from. Hard to see the beautify of it from this picture, the floating bench is made from SegretoStone!

Our mission was to create something interesting and dramatic that would both hide the elevator buttons and complement the art.

We both loved the painted inlaid horn coffee table my daughter Kirby designed for  son Matthew’s new place in Dallas and wanted to incorporate this finish somehow.

First we measured out the width and decided to paint the horn on either side of the door openings.

Segreto’s artist Daniel went to work–he is a master of so many beautiful decorative finishes!

Chris was challenged with creating a rectangular graphic in the center section to mask the elevator panel plate. We used a paint made from metal shavings creating the most interesting effect!!

We bordered both spaces with a black pinstripes and added a earthy lime green line on the doors!! Totally unique and just the right amount of impact this lobby needed! Best of all, the client was thrilled!

I took a break to teach a class for Houston Community Colleges’ design department! What a wonderful and talented group!! Sunny, who graduated from UT and went back for her design degree now attends HCC! I liked her so much she now interns for Segreto! Welcome aboard Sunny! Small world, she also is one of my youngest daughter’s Sammy’s friends!!

A dear friend who knew I needed some holiday cheer invited daughter Kirby and I to a holiday night time shopping event!! It was so fun, and I was reminded your never too old to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you wish for!!

One of my favorite parties of the year is our annual Segreto Christmas party at Cadillac Bar!  Some of my team came over to my house earlier in the week to wrap for the white elephant! Exciting news, our operations manager Isai’s family is continuing to grow. They are expecting a brother for Charlotte any day!!

Here is some of my team-filled with excitement. We did something totally different and fun this year which you may want to make a tradition of at your own family gathering.  To start the gift exchange we drew two peoples names and gave them identical empty boxes to unwrap. The catch-they had to use cooking mitts to do so!! The winner, in our case, won a grand prize, the looser got to start the white elephant- a great position as at the end, this person gets to see all gifts and do a final steal!!

I bought crafts for the kids to make during the event from Oriental Trading! Looks like these sister’s definitely have their Dad’s artistic talent!! Lots to choose from, they had adorable items which were so reasonably priced!!

Of course kids love face painting and balloons!! I used Blue Sky Fun Times for the event! I met owner Casey when I spoke to her art class about how to make a career in art! She took the talk to heart and opened her own company. Following your passions is what it is all about!

Well I loved that my family attended as well!!  From all of us at Segreto, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!! Till 2019!  xo Leslie