Category: Decorating

Cooking · Decorating · Family · Food · Shopping

Heading Home

sweetteaandmysisterLeave a comment

On my way home, I stopped in Houston to see my daughter. Nothing puts a smile on my face like Lacey. We had dinner at one of our spots called James Coney Island. The memories we have made eating hotdogs there will always stick out in my mind. Thanks for another memory Kiddo!

 


I stayed a couple nights so that I could also get a chance to see Amber and Chris. I am so excited…they get married in January!! So proud of these two and the amazing future they have together.

 


I headed to downtown Houston so that I could go to James Avery and do some shopping. I love their jewelry and always find something for a gift or myself when I go. I picked a few things and headed over to Central Market.

 
HEB is a Texas chain grocery store and their specialty stores are Central Market. I wish Florida had an HEB, let alone a Central Market. The fresh squeezed orange juice puts all others to shame. You will find five or six different kinds of potatoes to exotic fruits in their produce. My mind just goes crazy with ideas when I am there. I want to take it all home. They have a butcher shop on sight as well as fresh seafood. A bakery and freshly made foods to take home, all kinds of spices, coffee and teas are just the tip of the iceberg of what you can find. I fill my basket with all my favorites that I can’t get anywhere else and spices galore. I think I picked up at least 4 lbs. of Texas Pecan Coffee. If you ever get a chance to shop at HEB, you will love it. And if you get a chance to shop at Central Market, bring a cooler!

Central Market 1

 

After my little shopping spree and lunch, I headed over to Half Price Books in Pearland. I love the book store and lose time when I am in there. Then I made a stop at my favorite antique store there in town, Brows’ Aroun’ Antiques. They have been there since 2001 and I have been going there since they opened. I love finding new little treasures when I shop, and they never disappoint.

 
I had to make this visit short, but I will be back again soon. I made a stop in Port Allen LA on my way home to stock up on my Cajun favorites for cooking. Bergeron’s Boudin and Cajun Meats is where I pick up my tasso and andouille. Wait until you see what I cook with them!

Baking · Cooking · Crafts · Decorating · Family · flowers · Food · Party · Wedding

Ashley’s Shower

sweetteaandmysisterLeave a comment

Shower 8 Front Sign

We were home late on Sunday from Massachusetts and I was back on the road by Tuesday heading to Texas. It’s shower time y’all!

I arrived Wednesday at the little house and unpacked before heading up to my sister’s. My car was loaded with wedding decorations including the bouquet. Talk about a nervous drive trying to make sure nothing got screwed up. But I was glad I was able to bring it out and now we can focus on the shower.

 

We hit the ground running when I arrived. Reviewing through the menu and getting our lists together of what we still needed to buy. Decorations have been accumulated and it was time to start getting them up. Marie’s house is looking amazing and all the work being done for the wedding is really paying off. I can’t wait to show you all the work when it is done.

 

Thursday is a day of decorating, getting our nails done (mine look horrid after all the crafting), grocery shopping and of course the liquor store. I have things to do! Ashley comes in to try on her dress so that I can get an idea of what needs to be adjusted. Oh my, her dress is beautiful and all lace! And it needs to be taken in quite a bit. Holy cow!!!

 

 

Friday I am deep into my cooking mode so all worries about alternations will have to wait. I make my Sangria using a Llano red wine and a berry brandy. Llano is one of my favorite Texas wine companies. They also have an amazing port I highly recommend. So here was the menu for the shower. I had to make up the chocolate bread pudding for the dessert tamales and prep the rest of the menu. Luckily the beans, rice and tortillas came from Rosa’s and would be picked up before the shower along with a few other things. We had a few last-minute decorations to make and were so glad Beth and Carla came over to help. Chairs are delivered from Borrowed Treasures. I love the assortment they brought and can’t wait to see what they do for the wedding. Our brother Chip and his wife Noemi arrive with our niece Anita. Woo hoo!

 

Saturday as Marie is rushing around running last minute errands (our brother too) I have Anita working those arm muscles helping me with the two sauces for the tamales. The cookies as gifts were so adorable from Back Home Bakery. Long story short, it was great! Everything went well for the shower. We had over 50 people show up and Ashley was happy. We took care of the food and venue so that Havalah and the rest of the bridal party could concentrate on the bride. Noemi and Beth worked hard helping me with the food and clean up. My brother cooked the meats and jalapenos and Clarinda was the photographer. Michelle made the red sauce, yummy! I am so grateful and thankful for everyone’s help!

 

Sunday was a day spent finishing the headdress for the flower girls, taking in the wedding dress and chatting with my sister. Ashley will be a beautiful bride and I know that when I go back before the wedding, more alterations may be needed. The wedding is just a month away…

 

Bridal Shower Menu

Catching Dreams
Boho · Crafts · Decorating · Party · Vintage · Wedding

Catching Dreams

sweetteaandmysisterLeave a comment

Remember in our post ‘And We’re Off…’ when I talked about projects I was working on? Here is an update on Ashley’s wedding decorations I am making.

Taking them apart is a lot easier than putting them together. Catching dreams here.
Oh the mess people! Work in progress here.
Sammy helping with the dream catchers

I started off taking apart dreamcatchers my sister had purchased. The feathers and all did not work with the vision of the wedding. I had feathers floating all over my house after that. Sammy even got into the fun for a while.

dc12
Hoops in the trees

My neighbors by now are used to coming home and finding things hanging in my trees. One day I will break down and make myself a paint tent but until then, my trees will have to do. Some of these are macramé hoop and some are hula hoops from the dollar store. I removed the beads inside and stripped them of the covering if I was able too. Then hung them to be spray painted. When you are working with light colors you want to make sure that none of the dark shows. I even covered some in white tape to help with string get a better grip on the hoops because sanding wasn’t doing it for me.

And the winner is…
This is how we wrap
Some of these are too big for the lap.
Plastic needles for the sewing
It’s a start

I use Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton string/yarn to cover the hoops. It works great and won’t damage the doilies when you attach them. Some of the macramé yarns are rough on them. After wrapping the hoops, I attached the doilies using the same yarn. We bought some of these at Antique Week in Warrenton and I had quite a few already.

 

High Bar
I got two…only 15 more like this. But then there will be more!
Got it going on now…
Hoop de doo
Give it a swirl
So close…but not done.

Then it is to the stringers. I have everything from vintage lace and ribbon to yarns and muslin that I am using. I try to get an assembly line going so that I can focus on each stage instead of having chaos in my office. My husband made me a bar to hang things from to work and it made it easier when I got to the stringers. But now I have taken over my dining room. I see new tables in my future for my office and a little rearranging in there too.

Got it going on now…
Love it
Rack and Stack
Tatting never looked so dreamy

I am not finished with these beauties yet. There are feathers and so much more to be done but so far, I am pleased with my progress. Tomorrow I will sit and work on the pompoms and tassels for a while. This is love ladies and gentlemen. My niece would tell you I am not known for showing emotions, but there is a lot of love for her in each twist and turn I make. It warms this Mimi’s heart that she will know she is surround with nothing but love.

Dreamcatchers 0706-04
Little more organized…

When I am done, and they are hung at the wedding I will update you on these beauties. Until then, look at Pinterest at some of the great ideas people have come up with on dreamcatchers. See y’all later, I’ve got to get back to work!

Decorating · flowers · Food · Gardening · summer

Not Quite Decked Out

sweetteaandmysister2 Comments

 

Front Entry

I missed the spring planting season. I have everything ready to have an above ground garden but was too busy to get anything planted. (I went to Antique Week in Texas instead of planting). Marie taught me about the cattle feeding buckets and how well they work for growing plants. So, we picked some up a couple years ago from a project my husband has designed. With my little pineapple growing in the yard it has given me a little hope that maybe I can get fall planting going this year.

 

Sweet Treat
Above Ground Gardening

 

My deck was missing some color too. When I picked furniture for the deck I went with a bring red (one of my favorite colors). And we got the outdoor kitchen all set up and our hot tub up and running a while ago. It still needed that touch of softness and color that comes from plants. I picked up some hanging plants from Home Depot as well as couple house plants. I already had five pineapple plants growing in tiny pots and picked up two lemon trees while we were in Texas. My aloe had bloomed several times and out grew its tiny pot so that had to be divided and replanted. I picked up a few herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, mint, rosemary, lavender and sage. My succulents are doing amazing in this Florida humidity and rain so no need to change them. I added a couple blueberry plants to my front yard too. After losing trees with the hurricane my yard is more open and needs a few more plants.

 

Deck In Progress
Back Yard in progress
Bar Area
My Wicker Chairs

 

I went to At Home to pick up some new planters for my trees. I also need a few umbrellas for my patio area. Luckily our deck helps with the hot Florida sun, but you do need the cover of shade in the middle of the day. I had already purchased a couple chaise and chairs and cushions early this year from At Home to go with my deck furniture. Our deck was finished last year, and I am still slowly working on it. We got an amazing outdoor kitchen from Lowes. Now I need color, or more color and décor to be exact. It is hard to find things that go with our taste. At Home has great products but not exactly what I am looking for. We have a love for the Spanish décor. My house is full of Mexican furniture and our entry area with the rocks and my metal cactus go well with it.

 

Blues
Relaxing Reds
Quiet Retreat
Relaxing in Red
Blue Chairs

 

I broke down and picked up a couple tomato and okra plants for the red tubs to begin our garden area. Better late than never and in Florida it is still good for an early fall harvest. I have four of the eight tubs planted and ready to go. Eventually where my veggie garden is located will have fencing around it to protect from the deer. Hopefully they leave my lemon trees and berries alone, but we will see. I am going to keep my other pineapple plants in pots this time. Add a few more plants for the deck and patio. I take my time and little by little I will get it feeling more welcoming out there. I want it to be an oasis for my husband and me. We enjoy our hot tub and grilling out together.

 

Trapped! Tree down after hurricane. One of many!
Future veggie garden
Empty Spots from Dead Trees
Tomatoes

 

 

What do you think?

Lil’ Bit of Decorating
Decorating

Lil’ Bit of Decorating

sweetteaandmysisterLeave a comment

It has been so busy the last couple of weeks that I haven’t even had time to sit down and write.  I’m not much of a writer anyway.  I have always wanted to journal.  Every time I start, it just doesn’t last very long.  I don’t know why.  I tried to journal when I went to Haiti a few years back and I only wrote down my thoughts a few times.  So if you read my blog, please excuse the grammar and punctuation mistakes, but I hope you enjoy what you read.

Since my house has just gone through a bit of a remodel in the kitchen and painting in the living room,  Misha and I quickly added some of my paintings and decor back to the walls before the graduation party a couple of weeks ago.  I am still deciding on what to put up in places but so far I like what she and I got done.

06CEB0A2-76F0-4BAD-BF53-1C09415A00CA

 

In the living room my favorite wall so far is the one by the back door.  Misha suggested we put all the pictures with blue hues in them.  So I have a beautiful canyon painting by Cal Gaspard and also the watercolor of ducks is a Cal Gaspard original.  Little Duck picture was done my mother-n-law.  I love all 3 together.  And I think the cotton in the glass jar adds nice height.

84229628-0808-47CD-A719-3D7FE1A2001B

I always decorate my wood burning stove for the holidays.  So out came some of the summer decorations.  I think I need a different plant in the star box.  My ivy just doesn’t do it for me.  Maybe something a little more vertical? What do y’all think?  We hung one of my favorite paintings that my mother-n-law.  I am always drawn into that painting, wondering where the path leads.

4719240A-02CA-438A-B903-A291576865D9

We added some color to the couch with some fun holiday pillows we found at Pier One.

9C3BC8DE-29B5-4EC2-97B2-2CEE3E04CF94
There is one of my dogs Bevo. He is our old man … 15 years old

 

This wall is still in the works.  It is a large wall and I usually group all my paintings together there.  But it was time for a change.  So my paintings have been put to use throughout the room and we hung the shadow box I had done for Jeff as a Christmas gift.  It is his father’s sailor suit from the Korean War.  I love the picture of Bob.  He was such a good-looking man.  And that is the flag from his funeral.  The buckboard bench, I think balances out the wall.  I am going to hang black and white photographs on this wall.  I have a little start with the ones of Jeff’s parents and grandparents.

4BC21046-F727-4F78-8BC4-F9819FC11D5E

How should I put up other pictures?  Should I use only black frames or should I do some black and some white frames.  I think I want all the pictures to be black and white though… what do y’all think?  I really could use some help on this one.

 

I’m sorry I haven’t posted.  I feel bad.  You would think that summer would slow down…but I have a busy little 13-year-old now.  Biv turned 13 on Monday.  My last teenager.  Will I survive?

08C6761A-4A73-4C1C-8E75-82FBE49E1049