Artistic Retreat Blog

Quilting Retreats at the Iron Horse Inn in Granbury Texas

2009-11-13T16:26:00.006-06:00

We recently had the pleasure of hosting a lovely group of quilting ladies as they got together to have a quilting retreat. These ladies quilt together regularly and it was a pleasure to get to know them and be a part of their group for a short time!
I was particularly impressed with the fact that every one of these ladies was working on hand quilting - not a sewing machine in sight!

The colors, and designs in the studio for that weekend were beautiful and inspired me to get back into my own hand quilt, which I have been working on for many years now. The ladies kindly took a look at my work in progress and gave me a few pointers from their years of experience and expertise. Thank you ladies. I can't wait to have you here again soon.

Autumn display at our Granbury Texas B&B

2009-10-03T16:41:00.005-05:00

Just finished putting the final touches to our autumn display on the porch of the Iron Horse Inn. It is such fun playing with pumpkins, mums and hay bales! The colors are great and the porch looks so cheerful with this new display.

What a great tradition this is, I love to see all of the pretty displays outside peoples homes and stores. Downtown Granbury is looking particularly lovely at the moment with so much orange and brown, haybales, pumpkins, and corn stalks everywhere!
Thank you HGMA (Granbury's historic Merchants Association) for the work you do to make the square look so pretty with every season!

Cottages in Granbury Texas - in the gardens of the Iron horse Inn bed and breakfast

2009-10-02T11:30:00.014-05:00

The Iron Horse Inn Cozy cottages

OUR ROMANTIC NANTUCKET COTTAGE

Although the Iron Horse Inn is known as the largest historic bed and breakfast in Granbury Texas, what is perhaps not so well known is that we also have 2 charming guest cottages in our gardens.

Our Nantucket Cottage has a lovely four poster bed, and a separate living room with wood burning fireplace.

COMFY SEATING AND WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE

SEPARATE LIVING ROOM WITH ANTIQUE WINDOWS

This is the perfect place for a romantic getaway, you can snuggle down in this cozy cottage, play your favorite dvds, or just sit and read in the relaxing living room which overlooks the lush
gardens.

VIEW OF THE GARDENS FROM THE NANTUCKET COTTAGE WINDOW

A separate bathroom with antique claw foot tub and stand up shower completes this sweet, romantic getaway cottage.

THE GARDEN GATE COTTAGE

Our adorable Garden Gate cottage is a 1950's house with 2 bedrooms, bathroom, living room with tv and dvd player and a fully equipped kitchen. This cottage can sleep 5 comfortably and is popular for family getaways or girlfriend getaway.

The cottage has a queen bedroom with rollaway sofa, which can sleep 3 people comfortably.

QUEEN BEDROOM IN THE GARDEN GATE COTTAGE
The sweet twin room is an ideal kids room.
TWIN ROOM OF THE GARDEN GATE COTTAGE

THE LIVING ROOM OF THE GARDEN GATE COTTAGE

The Garden Gate cottage has a large living room with TV and DVD for sitting back and relaxing, while we pamper you!
If you want to self cater the Garden Gate cottage has a fully equipped kitchen.

FULLY EQUIPPED KITCHEN AT THE GARDEN GATE COTTAGE

So if the bed and breakfast experience is not for you don't forget to check out our guest cottages, located in the lush gardens with all of the hospitality that The Iron Horse is well known for, and privacy when you want it.

Pet portrait artist in Texas - Liz Van Der Werff

2009-09-30T22:30:00.009-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a talented artist who among other things, paints the most gorgeous portraits of pets. Liz Van Der Werf, is a fun person to be around and her animal portraits are really lifelike!

On her website, Liz has a fascinating animation section where you can watch a painting develop through its various stages. Check out the link below to watch the portrait of this lovely persian cat develop. http://www.aportraitforyou.com/demos/expose_persian_cat_painting_oil_portrait_step-by-step.shtml

Liz recently took a workshop at the Iron horse Inn with Qiang Huang and while the rest of the group were painting flowers, she found an old doorknob I have here(with a very interesting history!) and proceeded to create a still life with it - the resulting painting is fabulous.

She also paints wonderful portraits which really capture the character of the subject. Check out this cutie below!

Liz offers art classes and we look forward to having her offer a workshop here at The Iron horse Inn!

Unique artistic talent here in Granbury - Stacy Watkins

2009-09-21T22:23:00.006-05:00

One of the most unique artists here in this part of Texas is the very talented Stacey Watkins Martin of your Private Collection Gallery, in Granbury Texas. Stacey has created a new art form using resin, fused glass, metal and painting. Stacey describes here work as:

"The art I have composed is a blend of phosphorescent pigments and resin. The medium I use is not common. My artwork changes in the dark and is able to glow with contrast of vibrant colors by absorbing UV light (black light or natural sun light). My artwork visually evolves and is re-born with each new day’s dawn of early light. The purpose of my art is to be an extension of my faith and a reflection of the Lord’s spirit. I try and let the Holy Spirit work thru me when creating art. I hope to captivate imaginations and provoke minds to take journeys that have no spiritual exit."

It is quite an incredible experience to enter the dark room at the back of the gallery and have the UV light switched on - Stacey's pieces come to life and give off wonderful almost phosphorescent colors and light. I would encourage anybody in the metroplex area to take a trip to the gallery on the historic square in Granbury. It is well worth a visit. Maybe while you are here you could pop over to the Iron Horse Inn and take the historic tour with fresh baked Irish scones and beverages!

Qiang Huang - what an artist!

2009-09-21T00:07:00.004-05:00

This is called "Jade cup" and is one of the fine paintings produced by Qiang Huang, Texas artist

At our recent oil painting workshop with the very talented artist Qiang Huang, I was amazed at just how popular this guy is! There were so many inquiries about the workshop and so many people who would love to have attended. His workshop was really something, with some fascinating powerpoint presentations, which gave all of the particiapnts a lot to think about and try at home.

Qiang posts a piece of work every day on the Daily Painter, check out what he is producing. He also has a great video on youtube where he does a demonstration of his technique - fascinating!
I look forward to our next workshop with Qiang here at the Iron Horse Inn Artistic Retreat Center, in Granbury, Texas.

My dream of an artist retreat center and why.

2009-09-19T19:55:00.006-05:00

When I bought the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, my hope was to fulfill a dream of mine, to develop an artist retreat center. Although I don't call myself an artist, I am pretty creative and love to work with my hands, and I love being surrounded by creative people during our art retreats. We have so many different art forms here, including oil, watercolor, quilting, and fabric art and I hope to introduce a lot more, including polymer and beading.
I believe that working with our creativity puts us in touch with our souls. I believe that it is really important for all human beings to find their creative outlet, but unfortunately too many people either don't get the encouragement early on or don't believe that they "have a creative bone in their bodies" I hear this so often when I meet people at the bed and breakfast who hear about the art retreat center. I believe all humans have the capacity to be creative. Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone was producing creative works of art!
While doing my research last year to set up a series of residential artistic workshops, I was stunned at the huge number of creative folks that are out there, quietly working away at their art form. I plan to introduce some of my favorite artists through this blog, over the coming months.
The first artist that come to mind is a master of fabric art. What she produces are not so much quilts as pieces of art that look like paintings. This lovely piece was created by Lenore Crawford, and this is how she describes her work:

"After working in a medical laboratory and chemical research lab for many years, I decided to

pursue art as a full-time endeavor. Creating art is my dream job. I now walk up to my studio

in my attic and play with fabric and fabric paint for a "job"! I also travel occasionally either

for teaching or gathering more inspiration for my art. Currently I am teaching my fusing/fabric

painting technique such as was used to create Monet's Garden Walk shown above from a photo

taken in Giverny, France, in May."

I got to meet Lenore last October at the Houston Quilt Show and I was blown away by the beauty of her work. I got to visit her during one of her workshops and it was obvious that all of the participants were having a fascinating class. I hope we can bring her to The Iron Horse Inn next year to give a workshop.

This lovely piece is entitled "Birch Trees"

Check out Lenor's website to see the full range of her work.

2009-09-17T20:09:00.001-05:00

2009-09-17T19:27:00.001-05:00

Art Retreats at the Iron horse Inn Granbury

2009-08-25T20:59:00.012-05:00

We had a wonderful time here at the Qiang Huang Oil Painting retreat last weekend! Qiang is not just a talented artist, but a very good teacher too. All of the participants loved his style of teaching and said they learned far more with him than with many other workshops they have attended.

These are the two beautiful works of art Qiang produced at the workshop during his demonstrations.

Workshop participants try out Qiang's techniques.

Qiang was a really patient and inspiring teacher - all of the participants learned a lot from him.

Qiang produces a painting a day for the Daily Painter - To view more of his work visit his blog

Fairytale wedding at the Iron Horse Inn Granbury

2009-08-09T11:33:00.010-05:00

We were delighted to host the beautiful wedding of Holly and Jason Anderson yesterday. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter couple - Holly looked stunning and Jason was obviously a proud new husband!
The Iron Horse inn is the perfect setting for a wedding, with lots of space for guests in our lush green gardens.
The ceremony took place on the large sheltered porch, with guests seated in rows of chairs on the lawn at the front of our historic home.This is a picture of the stunning bride through the historic leaded glass of our porch windows. This picture of the wedding ceremony was taken from our living room window!
The lovely horse drawn carriage was provided by the Brazos Carriage company
We were delighted with the lovely singing voice of the wedding singer, Melissa Hubenak, her performancewas especially meaningful and moving as she is the sister of the bride!

Two princesses at a fairytale wedding!!

These young ladies were a perfect picture!The Iron Horse Inn - a perfect setting for a fairytale wedding!

Family re-unions at the Iron Horse Inn Granbury Texas

2009-08-03T12:08:00.004-05:00

We love to host family gatherings and reunions here at the Iron Horse Inn, in Granbury Texas. We recently had a family re union of 24 people for an 80th birthday celebration. The family had a wonderful time and we loved having them stay with us. Here is one of the lovely reviews we received from a family member - "Its a great location for a family get together. the food was fantastic and the accommodations very comfortable!"

We have all sorts of combination of family get together - this group of 3 sisters -complete with matching tee shirts - enjoyed spending time together and catching up with each others lives. they loved their stay with us and we loved having them here! We have had grandmother, daughter, granddaughter groups stay with us and many sister groups. We recently had 5 cousins stay with us and enjoy catching up with each other in lovely relaxing surroundings.

This mother and daughter getaway were a delight to host and their lovely review said - "This establishment would be great to rent out for a group or family re union, as well as a private getaway for husbands and wives or mothers and daughters"

Why not try a getaway here yourself - gather some of your close family members and spend a night or two being pampered and enjoying some special time with the ones you love.

Soon Ye Warren Workshop at the Iron Horse Inn Granbury

2009-07-28T12:09:00.009-05:00

These are just some of the comments from the participants of our Sun Ye Warren Watercolor workshop, here at the Iron Horse Inn in Granbury over this past weekend:

"We loved the class and feeling so at home here!"

"This was a wonderful renewing experience -
beautiful, comfortable place, great hospitality and food"

"The setting was delightful"

We were delighted to be able to work with Linda Watkins and Stacy Watkins of Your Private Collection Art Gallery, here on Granbury's historic square. They organized a fabulous event and brought in the number one water color artist in the country, Soon Ye Warren to teach this workshop.

We had a wonderful group of very talented artists take this workshop and all were delighted with Soon Ye's teaching technique and her incredible talent.

Some of the participants stayed here at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast and enjoyed the comfortable beds and great 3 course breakfasts each morning. All of the participants enjoyed lunch everyday in the historic house and snacks brought to the studio every afternoon. Everyone loved the constant supply of great coffee we provided!

Antiques at Historic bed and breakfast in granbury

2009-07-21T22:47:00.010-05:00

We are blessed to have a wonderful collection of beautiful and interesting antiques here at the Iron horse Inn in Granbury Texas.
The house has a historic marker and was built in 1907. What is particularly interesting about this house is that there are so many antiques here which are original to the Cogdell family who built the house over a hundred years ago.Some date to the 1880's from the original family home that burned down in 1905.

All of the light fixtures in the house are original - this is a fine example of the elegant craftsman style from the living room.

This exquisite wall light appears to be a bronze but is in fact hand carved wood and is original to this house. It is on display in the upstairs hallway.

This beautiful old bookcase with curved glass is one of the items of furniture which was saved from the original house fire in 1905. It dates back to the 1880's as does this lovely old sofa.

Guests love to hear the history of this charming old house while sitting around this 1880's solid oak mission dining room table. The entire dining room set was rescued from the house fire, and is in beautiful condition.

Guests are always amazed to see this old clawfoot tub, which is in the Cogdell suite. It is almost 7" long and was ordered specially by Daniel Cogdell, the original owner of the house - he was 6'4" tall and needed a long bath tub! We regularly have male guests tell us what a treat it is to take a soak in a tub that they can finally fit in!

This lovely example of an Edison record player was purchased by the Cogdell's in 1923 , it still has a large collection of its original records and plays beautifully. Guests love to hear it play as a special treat during breakfast! Come along and stay with us at the Iron horse inn and see these and many more beautiful antiques for yourself.

Why not take advantage of our midweek special of $99 for our rooms and enjoy a relaxing and fascinating stay!

Artists in Granbury Texas

2009-07-20T09:55:00.009-05:00

Guests who stay here at the Iron horse Inn regularly ask me if I am an artist, because I have opened an artistic retreat center. I always answer "No, I like to dabble". this is true - over the years I have enjoyed dabbling in many art forms, including dress design, drawing, painting, dollhousing, quilting, gardening and Italian figurines.

While living in Italy for 4 years, I became fascinated by these wonderful nativity scenes and was delighted to be able to take a class with two masters of the art, in Naples. Over a period of 18 months I managed to create this one. While it will never be a patch on the work of the masters, it was a real joy to do!

I have always had a fascination with miniatures and dollhouses, so when I decided to embark on this project, I was very excited at the prospect. 4 years later I had completed this dollhouse. I had a ball finding miniature items to put into the house as well as finding ways to create items for the rooms and gardens. This house is mounted on a lazy susan, and guests at the bed and breakfast love to turn it around and look into all of the rooms at the huge number of tiny objects inside!

From the time I was a small child I have had a passion for fabric and sewing. Patchwork always held a particular fascination for me and in recent years the discovery of the "art quilt" form of patchwork has been a joy. this quilt is a "watercolor patchwork" and is based on the Monet Waterlilies painting. I particularly love the work of Lenore Crawford and Esterita Austin, who specialize in creating paintings from fabrics. Esterita will be offering a workshop here in December.

As you can see, I have dabbled quite a bit over the years and while I have not become a master of any art form, I have truly enjoyed trying! That is why I am so excited about having an art retreat center here at the Iron horse Inn - I love to be surrounded by artists who have mastered their art form. I look forward to every artist who comes to stay here.

Delicious Irish Breakfasts at a Granbury Bed and Breakfast!

2009-07-11T13:15:00.006-05:00

One of the many things that our guests rave about here at the Iron horse Inn is our delicious 3 course breakfasts and our tasty desserts. Every guest is treated to a fresh baked dessert and a glass of wine or soda, when they arrive.

One of the most popular fresh baked desserts is these delicious Irish Fruit Scones, with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. Guests love them!

Another favorite with all of our guests are our delicious Irish Potato Pancakes and bacon for breakfast. This is recipe that is regularly requested.

A speciality of the house and one of Paul's creations, is our wonderful Eggs Benedict. Guests feel they are being treated to something really special when they tuck into this breakfast item!

Of course no breakfast would be complete without fresh fruit, and here at the Iron horse Inn, we pride ourselves on the delicious, nutritious and beautifully presented fruit plates. They can be a work of art on occasion!

Come along and try out our wonderful breakfasts for yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Whats blooming at the Iron Horse Inn Granbury Tx

2009-07-03T10:19:00.008-05:00

Despite the intense heat, we still have some bright and cheerful blooms in the gardens, at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and breakfast, here in Granbury Texas.

As a non-native Texan it is a challenge and fun for me to observe what plants will grow in this heat, it turns out there are quite a few really colorful ones that love the dry heat and they are in the Iron Horse Inn gardens!

This beautiful waterlily is blooming happily in our Koi pond, and the pretty succulents below are very happy in the full sun of the afternoon.

With our $99 midweek special there is no reason not to come on over and stay with us and relax in our wonderful old house and lush gardens.

Wildlife at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas!

2009-06-30T21:16:00.007-05:00

Now that summer is here, it is so interesting to watch the wide variety of creatures in our lovely gardens, here at the Iron horse Inn Bed and Breakfast. This is picture I took of a beautiful red Dragonfly that was flitting around our pond in the sunshine this morning.

Just yesterday I marveled as a Mockingbird chased a squirrel in spirals around one of 100 year old Pecan Trees! That squirrel was really scared of that Mocking bird!
A couple of mornings ago, I called our guests attention to a mother and baby Cardinal just outside the dining room window. Mama bird was taking care of baby bird who was not long out of his nest. He was still gray and fluffy, but had his distinctive Cardinal crest on his head.

Around the pond this morning I took this photo of the Koi fish swimming around.they have been taking shelter under the greenery of the pond during this past few days of hot weather

If you look closely at the picture below you will see the beautiful Heron that lives along the river on the hike and bike trail right beside our bed and breakfast. I enjoy watching him as i take my morning walk along the trail.

Wedding anniversaries at the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast

2009-06-28T20:53:00.004-05:00

The Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast here in Granbury, Texas is a very popular destination for happy couples celebrating their wedding anniversaries. This past week alone, we have had a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary (they met and were married within 2 weeks back in 1959 and are still happy together all these years later!) and a couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Congratulations to both of these couples. This charming couple in our photo, who are sitting in the romantic swing in our 400 year old live oak tree in our gardens, were celebrating their 3rd. anniversary.
We have had couples recently who became engaged here at the Iron horse inn Bed and Breakfast and have come back for their anniversary. This past week we had a couple who got married here 10 years ago and they come back to celebrate their anniversary with us.

With all of this romance in the air we have decided to include a Romantic Anniversary Package to make it even easier to celebrate that special occasion here at the Iron horse Inn. We can do all of the planning and make sure everything is just perfect for you all, you have to do is enjoy your special day together!

Check out our bed and breakfast packages and see if there isn't something there just right for you!

baby showers at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast in Granbury Texas

2009-06-23T20:26:00.009-05:00

Here at the Iron Horse Inn historic bed and breakfast in Granbury Texas, we love to have baby showers! Our separate art studio/meeting room in our garden is the perfect setting for your baby shower.

The organizers of our last baby shower did a wonderful job of decorating the studio to make it look really cute and inviting (and their snacks looked great too!)

As baby showers are something we never did in Ireland, I find it particularly fun to welcome an expectant mom and her friends to celebrate her upcoming birth.
So if you are thinking of planning a baby shower for your best buddy remember the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast has the perfect place for you!

Number one on Trip advisor in Granbury, Texas!

2009-06-22T23:31:00.003-05:00

We are honored to be the number one bed and breakfast in Granbury, Texas on trip Advisor.com
For the past number of months we have been consistently earning wonderful praise from our satisfied guests and have risen to be the number one bed and breakfast in Granbury, Texas on Trip Advisor.com. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our wonderful guests who have kindly put such thoughtful reviews on Trip Advisor.com. Their support is ensuring that our bed and breakfast is a success. We have enjoyed every one of the guests who have stayed with us at our bed and breakfast since we took over in December 2008. We have found that the folks who choose to come to a bed and breakfast are always friendly, kind, considerate, appreciative and choose a bed and breakfast for the personal touches we provide. Guests have been telling us that they are also coming to the Iron Horse Inn because of our lovely gardens, our rich history, and in particular our gorgeous craftsman style house, built over 100 years ago.
Again, thank you all of you who have stayed with us, and we look forward to meeting those of you who have not yet stayed here - we promise a very special experience from first to last!

Granbury Texas hike and bike Trail beside the Iron Horse inn Bed and Breakfast

2009-06-21T13:58:00.019-05:00

Here at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, in Granbury Texas, we are perfectly situated beside the city of Granbury's beautiful hike and bike trail.
There are over 2 miles of lovely walks, and it takes only 5 minutes to stroll into the historic square, from the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast.

Guests feel safe walking in the evening, as the track is well lit and has security cameras.

There are over 2 miles of lovely walks, and it takes only 5 minutes to stroll into the historic square, from the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast.

The impressive Volunteer Firefighters Memorial park is situated on the midway point of the hike and bike track, and there is also a fun fire truck/play ground for the kids to enjoy.

Any time of the day, you will find somebody walking their dog, jogging or just taking in a leisurely stroll, and it is always a pleasure to meet and greet folks on this lovely amenity.

Well done Granbury!

Veterans museum pow wow beside the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast in Granbury

2009-06-20T18:40:00.009-05:00

The Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast is conveniently located right next door to the new Granbury US Veteran's museum. We were honored today to have a Native American pow wow in the grounds of the museum

There was wonderful music, incredible costumes and delicious food. We also enjoyed a number of really nice art and craft stalls displaying some pretty pieces of jewelery and ornaments.

The food was wonderful - we particularly loved the Indian Nachos on fried bread - yum!
As the day progressed, it was a pleasure to hear the voices singing and the drum beating in the background as we sat in our lovely garden.
We are delighted that this pow wow will be an annual event and we look forward to next year's event!
Thank you to the dancers and singers from all of the indian nations represented here today - we really appreciate your sharing your ancient, fascinating and colorful culture with us.

Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast Granbury, Beautiful Gardens

2009-06-19T21:32:00.011-05:00

We continue to delight in our gardens here at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, in Granbury Texas. We have been working hard to develop and maintain it and we are proud of how great it is looking at the moment.
We look forward to having our next wedding here in August - this is the perfect setting for a wedding, with over an acre of lush gardens, our lovely Koi pond and waterfall, our 400 year old live oak tree, and the many lovely shrubs and plants.

I particularly love to work in the garden in the morning when the birds are singing in the trees, sometimes it feels like being in the woods, there are so many wonderful bird songs surrounding me as I work.
Guests truly enjoy relaxing in our gardens, there are so many places to explore or to sit and take it easy. For a perfect getaway from it all, the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast offers it all - lovely gardens, historic home, delicious food and warm friendly personal service. Come and try it for yourself!

Austin Plein Air artists at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, Granbury Texas

2009-06-18T14:23:00.016-05:00

Here at the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast , we were delighted to welcome 12 very talented members of the Austin Plein Air Society, recently. We had a really fun time with the group, and it was a delight to watch them set up their easels in the gardens and to see their beautiful pictures take shape before our eyes!

One of the lovely paintings by Vicki Brevel

The group had a small exhibition of their work in our art studio and the quality of their work was
really impressive.

Some members of the group included Beryl Kerwick, Vicki Brevell, Rae Andrews, Lynn Cohagan, Laura Daniel, Julie Davis, Ruth Heffron, Sue Wiley.

A scene in our gardens painted by Rae Andrews

We look forward to our next group of artists here at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, when Soon Y Warren, the number one water colorist in the country leads a workshop in July.

spring in the garden of the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas

2009-04-19T15:08:00.006-05:00

We have been enjoying the wonderful gardens here at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast in Granbury Texas. When we purchased the property last winter we had no idea of all the wonderful plants that were lying waiting for the spring to come! We are loving seeing a new plant or blossom every day.
We are also really enjoying creating a new garden at the front of the house, with its own arch and stone wall. This will be a really pretty addition to the already lovely 1 acre of gardens.
Last month we created a new rockery in the back garden, so now when you sit in the swing under the 400 year old live oak tree, you can enjoy the sound of the waterfall and the sight of the pretty rockery beside you. The perfect place to enjoy an afternoon snack. In fact many of our guests have been enjoying their welcoming complimentary glass of wine and fresh baked dessert, sitting in this lovely secluded garden.
These gardens are the perfect setting for a wedding, and it seems that this is the time for wedding planning - we are loving the opportunity to take prospective brides and grooms around the property while they imagine the perfect spot in the garden for their special day. We are proud to be associated with a wonderful cake baker Rebekah's Bakery, here in Granbury. We are fortunate to have the services of two highly professional wedding planners, at The Perfect Affair, and Dream Come True weddings

canvas by canvas at the iron horse inn artistic retreat center

2009-03-17T09:49:00.012-05:00

We have had the best fun with 6 of the members of the collaborative artists from "Canvas by Canvas"! Karen Foster, Cindy Yandell, Barbara Hackney, Connie Michael, Nancy Standlee, and Maryann Stephens stayed with us here at the Historic Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, in Granbury and spent three days painting wonderful pictures at our new Art Studio.

My dream to see artists working in the studio has become a reality and I loved spending time with these lovely women. they know how to have fun and they are incredibly talented artists too!
Every time I popped into the art studio to visit with them (it was hard to stay away - their sense of fun was infectious!) there was more of their work to delight in! I particularly enjoyed watching Nancy's flock of roosters grow as the weekend progressed - see the photo to the right of her "brood".

Saying goodbye to these ladies was hard
- I feel like we had old friends over to stay. Thanks girls for making this such a fund adventure for all of us!

Nancy Standlee is a fellow blogger and she has a really entertaining blog space. Great fun to read!

Check out their paintings at canvas by canvas and
see their unique way of working collaboratively.
Each woman paints a section of a picture and then all of the 9 sections are hung together to form one picture which will have a story attached from their many adventures together.

I can't wait to see which adventure in Granbury they decide to paint together!

A perfect getaway for artists to enjoy.

2009-03-02T22:23:00.007-06:00

I think it is important that I make it clear that our artistic retreat center at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast, Granbury Texas is not just a place to take workshops with nationally renowned artists. It is also a perfect place for artists to get away together for their own retreats, in a lovely relaxing and historic setting. Our gardens are inspirational, with our 400 year old oak trees,

our Koi pond, and the hike and bike track right beside the old mansion.

The sunsets are spectacular here as are the sunrises. The bright red cardinals flitting among the trees are georgous, our kitties basking in the sun in the garden are real models for paintings, the old mansion is a wonderful subject to paint from its many different angles, and pretty soon the red bud trees will be in blossom. Our studio is a great space to work in, with lots of light and space and two storys to spread yourselves out in!
It is possible to stay as a small group of 5 in our Garden Gate Cottage for as little as $65 including use of the studio, or you could opt for some luxury in a private room in the house, each room has a private bathroom.
During the cold weather we have the fire lighting in the fireplace for guests coming down to breakfast, or sitting reading in the evenings - very inviting.

All in all the perfect getaway for an artist - luxury, relaxation, privacy, inspiration and a great space to work too.

wedding venue in granbury texas

2009-02-27T23:26:00.005-06:00

The Iron Horse Inn, Granbury Texas is the perfect place to have your dream wedding. The old mansion is such a romantic setting, with its beautiful hand carved wooden staircase, perfect for the bride to make her entrance, and the wide open bright rooms for small receptions of up to 75 people.
How about having your honeymoon night in the Cogdell Suite, with its gorgeous sun room and 100 year old clawfoot tub, original to the house. The bed and dresser in this room were once in the previous house, built in 1885 and burned down in 1900. Many of the original pieces of furniture were saved and are now in this wonderful old home.

The gardens are large and pretty with 400 year old live oak trees, and 100 year old pecan trees. At night the lights in the trees look like dappled moonlight. A lovely setting for your wedding party. There is lots of room to set up tables and a dance floor in the garden. Maybe you would like to have your ceremony in our arbor beside our koi pond! Or sit and pose for photos with your beloved in the garden swing in the old oak tree.

The possibilities for this historic home are endless, and we are more than happy to work with you to make this the wedding of your dreams.

V.....Vaughan coming to teach at the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, Texas

2009-02-27T22:46:00.007-06:00

We are very excited to have the extremely talented V....Vaughan coming to teach at our Artistic Retreat Center, here at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas. She will be here April 6 - 9. What a great opportunity to stay at this wonderful old mansion and study with V....Vaughan for 4 whole days!

V... for Virginia, has completed a fascinating series of 365 paintings, one every day for one year depicting her last year on their family farm. The paintings are on exhibition in various galleries around the country and we are delighted that some of this series will be on exhibition in Granbury Texas, at "Your Private Collection" art Gallery.

Virginia says of her workshop in Granbury "Special lessons on sunrise and the waxing moon en plein air" She will be teaching many of her techniques at the four day retreat. A rare opportunity not to be missed!

Ancient trees at Granbury Texas Bed and Breakfast

2009-02-24T12:36:00.004-06:00

We are in awe of our wonderful old trees here at the Iron Horse Inn bed and breakfast, in Granbury, Texas. The view from the kitchen door is of our 400 year old live oak. It is magnificent and proud, and it is a delight to sit in the swing beneath it and rock gently. We have two 400 year old live oaks on the property. The other is a beauty, growing just beside our new art studio.
All of the pecan trees in the garden were planted by the original owner, Lucy Cogdell when the house was built in 1905. They still produce huge crops of nuts every year!
At night it is a delight to stroll around the garden and see the trees lit up by our mercury vapor lights in each one. Or sitting in the sun room of our Cogdell Suite you feel as if you are in the trees, with the lights all around you. A very special room!.

How much history these old trees have seen.

Rich history in our Granbury Texas Bed and Breakfast

2009-02-23T08:30:00.006-06:00

One of the things our guests are always delighted about when they come to stay with us is doing the historic tour of our old home and hearing the interesting stories of some of the family members through the generations.

This house is the largest historic bed and breakfast in Granbury Texas and it is rich in history and the most wonderful thing for me is that it has not changed much since it was built over 100 years ago. We even have many of the original pieces of furniture from the house which was built on this foundation in the 1880's! The solid oak mission dining room set is always admired by guests, as is the old four poster bed and huge 7' claw foot tub.

It was made specially for the original owner Daniel Cogdell who was 6' 4"!

This is a truly unique bed and breakfast and we would love to have you come and stay with us to experience all of the charms it has to offer! Come to Granbury Texas, enjoy the delights of a great small town and stay at a unique historic bed and breakfast. what could be more fun!

Announcing the new Tara Hill Irish Room at the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury Texas

2009-02-21T18:06:00.006-06:00

We are delighted to say that our plans to create an Irish room at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast have been realized this week! After many days of decorating and many weeks of looking for just the perfect pieces to compliment our own Irish items, we put the finishing touches on the room just yesterday. It is beautiful, with photos of Ireland taken by Paul on his first trip when we first met. The room is filled with books on Ireland, artwork, bronzes, quilts and celtic throws and pillows. Come along and stay in this special room!
We called it The Hill of Tara because this is a very special place to us in Ireland - it is an ancient historic site (5,000 years old) and it is where we became engaged!

Granbury Texas a center for the arts

2009-01-27T17:06:00.007-06:00

Granbury Texas, is definitely the place to come if you are interested in the arts. The new artistic retreat center at the Iron Horse Inn makes Granbury even more of a destination for art lovers! Amazingly, Granbury has 4 excellent art galleries, and on the last Friday of every month all of these galleries stay open for "Gallery Night" from 5 - 9pm. What a treat! The galleries include
"Your Private Collection" on the historic town square, "Studio 216" on West Pearl Street, "Lake Granbury Art Association's Shanley House" on North Travis Street, and "The Langdon Center" on East Pearl Street.

Romantic Valentine's Weekend Getaway Special

2009-01-16T19:57:00.003-06:00

Paul and I just spent a wonderful half hour sitting on our lovely old porch in our amazing Iron Horse Inn and watching the sun setting. The sunsets here at the inn are spectacular, and watching the wonder of it all, we realized that this is the perfect place for a romantic getaway! You can watch the sunset together from our beautiful Baron's Balcony suite, from either of our two living rooms, from the large porch, from the brand new art studio, or from the 1 acre garden. What a special place we have here!!

We have a romantic getaway special for St. Valentine's Day, in February, with flowers, chocolates, sparkling wine and yummy deserts. The perfect way to get away from it all with your sweetheart.

painting and quilting retreats in Granbury Texas

2009-01-11T18:47:00.006-06:00

Some exciting news from the Iron Horse Inn Artistic Retreat Center- we have just reduced our prices to very reasonable rates. It is now possible to do a 5 day quilting or painting retreat, with 24 hours of instruction with some of the best artists in the country, stay in a luxury bed and breakfast, enjoy tasty light lunches and spend as many hours as you like in the studio working on your project, all for as little as $500! Or take part in a 3 day artistic retreat for as little as $350.
What a perfect gift to yourself for the New Year or for someone special in your life who loves to immerse themselves in creativity.

Other exciting news is that we have just signed up the incredibly talented Sante Fe artist, Mike Mahon. Mike will be teaching at a 5 day painting retreat from June 22 to June 25.

quilting retreat in Granbury Texas

2009-01-03T22:45:00.006-06:00

We are getting very excited about our upcoming quilting retreat here at the Iron horse Inn, Granbury, Texas. The very talented quilt artist Lenore Crawford will be teaching her unique method of art quilting at our brand new facility. Lenore's work has been featured on the cover of the American Quilters' Magazine in the 2007 Spring issue and the 2008 January issue. She is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the Best tof Show at the Midland MI Artist Guild All Media Show, and the Judges' Choice Award at the Pacific International Quilt Festival.
The texture and warmth which she achieves from the fabric itself along with fabric painting, gives this art an impressionistic feeling that only this medium can produce.

The workshop runs from Monday January 12 to Thursday January 15. Price for the workshop includes your room, breakfast, lunch, a total of 24 hours of class with Lenore and use of our purpose built art studio for 24 hours per day.

There are still a few spaces left at this workshop, whether you are interested in staying at our beautiful old inn in one of our beautiful rooms, or would prefer to come during the day to attend Lenore's workshop. Either way, you will be guaranteed a fantastic time, with a small group of other folks interested in art quilting.

Construction has been completed on our new art studio and we are delighted with the results. We are just putting the finishing touches on the paintwork and waiting for the new carpet to be installed in the next couple of days.

Don't miss this great opportunity to study with one of the finest quilt artists in the country, save yourself having to travel a distance to take part in her workshops, come while she is here in Granbury Texas!

new year's eve in historic Granbury Texas

2008-12-26T19:58:00.006-06:00

We are looking forward to the New Year here at our historic Granbury bed and breakfast - we have lots to look forward to with the opening of our new artistic retreat center on January 12 and all of the talented artists who will be offering workshops in our new studio.

We have discovered that Granbury knows how to celebrate New Year's Eve! There are at least 5 celebrations taking place around the town on December 31st.

The Opera House, on the historic square will be holding a New Year's Eve Gospel Concert.

The Granbury Riverboat will be celebrating with a Filet Mignon dinner, a Murder Mystery and dancing.

The City of Granbury will be holding a New Year's Eve dinner and dance at the Resort Conference center

Harbor Lakes Golf Club will be hosting a New Year's Eve dinner and dance

The H6 Ranch, south of Granbury will be hosting it's 7th Waltz across the Pasture with Signature Kidz to celebrate New Year's Eve.

What better place to come and stay after you have enjoyed the many celebrations Granbury has to offer, than our own Granbury Texas bed and breakfast, the Iron Horse Inn. We will be welcoming our guests with complimentary glass of sparkling wine and hand made chocolate strawberries. Then on New Year's day we will be celebrating with a special brunch of black- eyed peas, corn bread, mimosas and all the trimmings.

What a great little town we are living in!

Architect of our B-and-B in Granbury, Texas

2008-12-22T20:01:00.007-06:00

This wonderful old house, known as The Iron Horse Inn, here in Granbury Texas is the perfect spot for our artistic retreats. The house was built by master craftsmen who took two years to complete the beautiful intricate woodwork in all of the rooms. In fact the original owner, Daniel Cogdell prided himself on having chosen all of the wood himself in East Texas, without one single knot anywhere! The house is truly a work of art, designed by the architect Wyatt Hedrick, who also built one of the finest examples of Art Deco in fort Worth - The Texas and Pacific Railway Terminal.

While researching the work of Wyatt Hedrick I found that he also built the fabled Shamrock Hotel in Houston, which at the time was the largest hotel in America, with the largest swimming pool in the world!. Sadly the hotel was demolished in 1987. It was apparently built for a wealthy oil tycoon in 1949 for the sum of $21,000,000 (or the equivalent of $200,000,000 today)!

Being an Irish woman, I was fascinated to discover that the Shamrock Hotel was opened on St. Patrick's day, had a green roof and had it's rooms painted in 60 shades of green! The original owner was of Irish descent and was known as "Wildcatter McCarthy"

One more interesting tit-bit I found on my web surfing adventures - "Wildcatter McCarthy" was in fact the inspiration for the fictional character Jett Rink in the novel "Giant", who was played in the movie by James Dean.

You never know where internet searches will lead you!

Welcome to my new Granbury, Texas, artistic retreat center blog

2008-12-20T23:02:00.005-06:00

Hi and Welcome to my new blog. I am so excited to be getting so close to realizing my dream of opening a Texas artistic retreat center!

Starting January 12th. we offer our first five day art retreat with a very gifted quilt artist, Lenore Crawford.
Lenore made this incredible quilt, which we are lucky enough to have on display at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast in Granbury Texas

Our art studio is almost completed, our builders have been working hard and are doing a great job. It will be a beautiful, bright and airy, two story space, ideal for all sorts of art work.

I have loved arts and crafts since I was a small child, in fact my mother used to say about me when I was very little - "give her a piece of paper and a scissors and she will be happy all day!" That joy of creativity has never left me, so I am delighted to be able to surround myself with many talented artists over this coming year.

Many years ago my mother brought me with her on a weekend to an artistic retreat center in Ireland, where I am from, to do a quilting workshop, and I loved everything about the experience. The fun of getting together with other women who loved creativity, the community and the beautiful old historic house and gardens. This special center in Ireland is called "An Grianain" and is run by a very interesting womens' organization called the "Irish Country Womens' Association". This experience was without doubt where I got my inspiration to open our artistic retreat center here in Granbury, Texas.

Check out our website for information about our artistic retreat center, including teacher bios, and a calendar of events for 2009. Check back regularly as we plan on adding more classed soon.