11
Apr
Meet American mom Christine living in Dallas
My name is Christine Visneau and I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband Steven, a fashion photographer. We have two beautiful girls, Miette 6 and Amelie 3. I am co-editor of Small Magazine, have a girls clothing line called Baby Bean Vintage and we just opened up a kids shop in Dallas called Little Bean. I grew up in New Jersey and lived and worked in NYC for about 10 years. Love brought me to Dallas and I adore living here.
What kind of house do you live in?
We live in a small brick cottage built in 1952. It has an amazing feeling to it and has a huge backyard, which is why we bought the house. In the warmer months we spend most of our time out on the deck drawing, playing on the jungle gym and listening to music.
Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
We live in a small house so every room is set up like a family room. Our kitchen was built with lots of counter space so we can cook with the kids and our dining room table is an old one they can craft on without worrying about the glue and markers. Our children’s room and playroom is a group effort from the whole family. It’s a mixture of art I have purchased from Etsy, Strawberry Shortcake posters, leftover party decorations and family pictures.Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
Design Sponge, BKids, Minor Details, Fine Little Day, Nest Explore Design, Simple Lovely, Sweet Fine Day (I could go on and on!) and of course all the amazing artists we have worked with for Small Magazine. A friend just lent me a book called Paris Family Style published by Paumes and I adore the lived in but decorated feel of these artists homes. It makes you feel better about all your Ikea furniture. Plastic and wooden toys can live harmoniously together!
What are your children’s favorite items in your house?
The dress up box! It is a mixture of princess dress ups, some of my old dresses and hats and amazing Wovenplay costumes. Every night we sit on the couch while the girls dress up and put on a wonderful performance. Our living room is their stage.
What's it like to raise a child in your town?
Dallas has a fantastic art community so we are always going to The Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art. They often have scavenger hunts so the kids can learn about each artist while having fun. We also live about a mile from White Rock Lake so feeding the ducks with their grandfather is a daily occurrence.
Are you a crafter or DIY person?
Well, I am always sewing clothing for my shop and I feel it is important for our children to know that they can make anything. Miette just designed and built a swing for her baby doll with her grandfather.
What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?
Drawing, painting, photography & coloring are what we do most. Their imagination is so inspiring so I love to just sit down with them and create art. In the summer we crank up the tunes in the back yard and roll out my husbands used photography background paper and make a huge family painting. My husband is a photographer so they love to take pictures!
Are there musical instruments in your house?
We have a lot of toy instruments and always play in our family band! My husband is a drummer so music is very important to us. My 6 years old Miette really wants to play the flute so I scored about 5 flutes at an estate sale so we have been playing those. There is a terrific kids rock and roll music school here called Zound Sounds and we just signed Miette up to start taking keyboard and drum lessons.
What are all time favorite books for the children?
This is New York, Madeline, Uncle Andy, The Velveteen Rabbit, Freckleface Strawberry, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, If You Give A Mouse A Muffin, Joseph Had A Little Overcoat.
Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food’ lover or both?
Both! I love to cook and I am always trying new recipes. Amelie my 3 year old loves to cook as well so she helps me cook dinner every night. Last night we made pasta from scratch.
Every summer we rent a beach house for a week with entire family in Surfside, TX. It is a small, quiet beach town on the Gulf. We often go to Austin, TX for a quick family getaway weekend. The girls LOVE Austin. It is an amazing city for kids!!!
..Baby Bean Vintage..
..Little Bean..
..Small Magazine..
LOVE the print in the kids room! What a wonderful post!
Posted by: tokketokpress | 04/11/2010 at 09:53 PM
Lovely mom story. Even though she describes her house as tiny, it's packed with personality, charm and style- of course! As well as just visiting my sister in law in Dallas, this post is making me want to see more of it.
Posted by: chelsea horsley | 04/11/2010 at 11:20 PM
i ****LOVE**** the "quiet" sign over the dining table... need one of those!! :)
Posted by: Dee | 04/12/2010 at 01:54 AM
what wonderful mix of vintage and modern !loved it
what cute little girls...
Posted by: heidi | 04/12/2010 at 06:14 AM
So lovely! Beautiful home. My Dallas family needs to hook up with this Dallas family - she sees more in the city than I do I think! xo
Posted by: Brooke Fish | 04/12/2010 at 08:03 AM
I adore Christine...she's amazingly talented and cool and has a fantastic family!
Great mom story!
Posted by: joslyn | 04/12/2010 at 11:51 AM
Hi Brooke, I was thinking the same, you guys should hook up, both your styles are great!! irene xx
Posted by: Bkids | 04/12/2010 at 05:43 PM
Again, a very nice house, beautiful!
Groetjes uit België!
Posted by: Mme Zsazsa | 04/13/2010 at 10:16 AM
Love hearing more about Christine! Seems like such a cool lady...
Posted by: michelle LeBlanc | 04/14/2010 at 12:53 PM
Christine: Always new you would do something great with your life. I love what you are doing. Good for you. You have a beautiful family and house.
Posted by: Monique Claudio | 04/14/2010 at 07:47 PM
thank you all for the lovely comments! I had so much fun with this. Thank you Irene! xo
Posted by: christine visneau | 04/15/2010 at 09:09 AM
Where did Christine get that great sisal or jute rug in the living room? Looking for something similar! Great home, really inspiring to see!
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Are you always vexed about wearing what kind of dress at a banquet?
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Normally I wait until I have the newspaper in hand on Sundays before working on the large puzzle, but I peeked at it on the computer last night and couldn't stop until I'd finished! I didn't even check it here till10 a.m., just slept like a log in total bliss...
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