Dreaming in color.....green, that is...

I got these cool green totes earlier this week from H.E.B. , our local grocery store, for only 99 cents each. Not only do you no longer have to use plastic bags, but they're way sturdier (the bottoms don't burst out) and they have a flat bottom, so they hold a lot! I'm loving using them. I bought one more yesterday!

MEMORIAL DAY

One of the flags flying proudly in our neighborhood...

We remember the U.S. men and women who gave their lives while in service to our country---our heroes. It's because of them and everyone who served and serves in the military that we live in freedom today. I'm glad we have a day to honor our fallen heroes and to be thankful, because I think we sometimes take our freedom for granted.

Also, please keep our troops in your prayers! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Architectural Headers

I love "above the door" headers!


I bought this beautiful chippy white architectural pediment a few months ago from Laurie Anna's, http://www.laurieannas.blogspot.com/ one of my favorite vendors in the Arbors at Canton's First Monday Tradedays. (Her decorating is cutting edge, unpredictable, & her booth is always full of the most wonderful finds! I can't wait to see what she has each month!) This is new and made of a kind of resin, I think, but it looks like real vintage wood! I love it! It's above the patio doors in our courtyard.

Reminder: you can double-click the photo to enlarge.

This header is above the window in our master bedroom. It also looks vintage but is new. It has a fleur-de-lis in the middle; it's made of wood with cream paint and distressed to look old. I bought it in the Arbors at Canton probably about a couple of years ago.

"Believe in your Dreams" is a sign I made myself a few years ago, when taking an evening art/painting class, using vintage barn wood, which I "washed" with a burgundy paint. I stenciled ivy leaves in varying shades of green around the wording. It hangs over a doorway in our bedroom.

Flowers

Don't you love it when you find just the right spot that your plants love? The pink Impantients and Begonias are loving it here; the yellow pansies have seen better days, though. It's a blessing that they've lasted this long in our Texas heat!

TOPIARY URN

T O P I A R Y

I love this metal topiary stand we got a while back in Canton, TX. You poke it down into the urn and it lets you put a plant in the urn and in the top of the stand. I change out the plants with the seasons. We also got the purple and hot pink petunias on top in Canton. It's surprising that the violas in the urn are still blooming this late in Spring----it's been in the 90's this week. If you double-click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see a little china saucer in the urn to add a surprise decorative touch!

COOKIES!

Thumbprint cookies! Mmmmmm.......
Shortbread-type cookies with chopped pecans, with chocolate fudge frosting centers!

IT'S A MATERIAL WORLD

BLACK & WHITE FABRIC from Check it Out Design Center www.checkitoutfabrics.net. I love to "check it out" there (pardon the pun!) as often as possible because you never know what great new fabrics they're going to have! They always have bolts in the front of the store that are at really great prices! There's a quick turn-over, so they're always getting new fabrics in. And they always carry not only traditional but the trendiest! This time, several fabrics were 50% off! yeah! I got a yard of the awesome upholstery-weight black & white toile shown above for only $7.50/yard (regularly $15). (It's got sheep & goats & dogs & birds---I love it! Double-click photo for close-up but not all the animals showed up in this photo-sorry) I'm going to redo the cushion on my hope chest. The hope chest is located under a window which I'm going to dress up in a valance out of the black & white "Paris" fabric above, also upholstery-weight, for only $4.50/yard (regularly $9)! My seamstress skills are sadly lacking, so I plan to try the window "mistreatment" from The Nester's blog (love that blog!) http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/search/label/window%20mistreatments. (I already have my upholstery tacks!) I'll post photos once done! Can't wait!

DREAM BIG!

"Rusty" tin sign bought in the Arbors at Canton weekend before last. (We were so glad to learn from the vendors we talked to that they knew of no one being injured in the tornado that swept through the Canton fairgrounds Friday morning!) I can't decide where to put this; right now it's in my kitchen.

Wild Petunias

Don't you love these soft colors? The greens and the purple are so pretty together! The flowers are Wild Petunias (Ruellia brittoniana) in Mom & Dad's back yard. I went over there Saturday morning to pick up Mom to take her for a day of shopping in Waxahachie and out for a special lunch for Mother's Day, and they were blooming & so pretty, I was glad I had my camera with me. The blooms close up in the evening.

We had lunch at the haunted restaurant, Catfish Plantation, http://www.catfishplantation.com/ It was so delicious! (& our waitress, Heather, was so sweet! We asked her if she had ever seen the ghost, herself. She said no, but things she set down ended up missing or in different places than where she left them! spooky!) We had fried catfish filets, green beans, black-eyed peas seasoned to perfection, and a very tasty coleslaw that was so different and wonderful! It had a refreshing and almost apple-taste to it (was there apple juice in the dressing???); it even had finely chopped tomatoes and green bell pepper in it---YUM! It was an awesome lunch and an awesome day! Most of all we had so much fun spending time together, talking, laughing, and of course shopping!

What happened to the Bluebonnets?

You should have seen the bumper crop of bluebonnets last year! Fields and fields blanketed in bluebonnets! However, this year --no bluebonnets! As our local newspaper put it, "when the Good Lord closes a door, He opens a window", and this year He blessed us with an abundance of beautiful pink buttercups! The pink looks so pretty against the green blades of grass!

TRIBUTE TO MOMS

Sunday, May 11, 2008 Happy Mother's Day, Mom! You are the best Mom in the whole world! I hope your day is as special as you! Happy Mother's Day also to my very special Mother-in-law! She is the best Mother-in-law ever! Both of these Moms are the most caring, selfless, special Moms! I thank the Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful Mom and Mother-in-law! They are both so wonderful! I love you both!

I hope all you Moms out there have the best Mothers Day ever!

Can't wait for Canton!

Friday, May 2, 2008

(Double-click to enlarge photo) We can't wait to go to 1st Monday in Canton this weekend! It's always full of unique items and great bargains! Above are some of my finds from past trade-days: (shown clockwise) Burgundy & black tin wall pocket (in our bedroom); burgundy ceiling tin (on the wall in our dining room) , large teal fleur-de-lis above our stove-top in kitchen, chippy shelf in my bathroom, and Italian glass beads (the vendor had tables & tables of these beads outside; it was so much fun picking out which ones to buy; he had them all strung on little 8" strands; now I need to get busy making some bracelets or something!).