Tag: texas

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Springtime Around Texas… Blooming for you!

French Ethereal
Every spring brings beautiful blooms around the globe and I think especially this spring we need some beauty to brighten our days. Here in Texas blue bonnets are popping up along the state’s highways and locally in neighbors’ gardens. Let’s check out Texas’ spring flowers…



Ethereal iris  bloom in my neighbor’s garden just next to their mailbox and the Bradford pear trees which grow so well in Texas bloom in our opening photograph (shooting upward at our local firehouse…).




More neighbors’ yards clothed in whites…

Were would we be without spring’s first roses??
Moving down to Central Texas a flock of 20 Canadian geese begin our tour of Corsicana and Ennis’ “French bleus”…
March means bluebonnets!!!

Taken from inside my car.
Drifts and drifts…
I pulled off the highway and traveled the side road a bit until finding these beauties. The highway department doesn’t really even have to reseed as all the wildflowers seed themselves year after year.
Just lovely! 


Then back to my own backyard…
Wildflowers at our neighboring elementary school…
And I leave you with a look through my front window…
Inherited azaleas in my favorite color!!!
💞
Even if these are uncertain crazy times ~ a little of God’s beauty that we can still enjoy all around us. 😊
Sharing with
Friday at the Fire Station ~ A Fireman’s Wife


Happy spring! 

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Places to Shop ~ A Visit to Emporium 1905

French Ethereal
Emporium 1905 is located down in the heart of Corsicana, Texas, in the revamped old-town district. It is a treasure trove of fun goods to wear and home decor goodies to add to your home. I will be heading down to Corsicana this weekend for an IOOF event and will definitely be stopping by! Let’s see what I found for you this past fall…



Emporium 1905 is fun vintage dress and housewares shop owned by two sisters who have went in business together after both retired from their previous lives. Finding themselves a little bored with retirement, they decided to open their shop five years ago to meet new people and do something fun. The name itself comes from the age of the building when it first opened.
🙂



Emporium 1905
323 N. Beaton Street
Corsicana, Texas 75110
903-602-5255

Located next to another favorite shop I found last time I was down in Corsicana ~ Victorian Sample Florist (and jeweler) ~ and also talked about in this other post ~ Tom’s Secret Garden. Emporium 1905 holds all kinds of vintage dresses, hats and shoes for anyone looking to dress up for a special occasion!



Of course there is a good selection of Texas goodies in amongst the mid-century canning jars, books, embroidered tea towels, bakeware and such. I love stores like this, don’t you? They are fascinating to browse and you just never know what will strike your fancy and have to “come home!”

Look at the chickens!!! I still love chickens ever since my grandmother
Helen had so many lined up above her kitchen counters…


The two sisters also have a surprise Christmas room!



Christmas anytime of year? Yes, please!

I know many of us love vintage Christmas decor so this is a must-stop shop for you if you are ever down this way. I found those little cotton elves like my mother used to collect plus vintage Golden Books with Christmas themes for children (and adults!). 



Just look at this sweet Santa! “Take me home!” I clearly heard him say…


On this day I found a 1950’s style hat for my friend Laura and a pressed metal scrolled vanity mirror to use in our bathroom.



If you are ever in the area, do stop by! These two ladies are a hoot and know much about the history of the area. They will also gladly tell you about the goods they pass onto you.
💝



Sharing with
Hearth and Soul ~ April J. Harris
Share Your Style (here!)
Spread the Kindness ~ Shelbee on the Edge
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Friday at the Fire House ~ A Fireman’s Wife






Happy spring to you, my friend!
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Places to Shop ~ Victorian Sample Florist, Corsicana

French Ethereal
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of a day off and an afternoon free to explore in Old Town Corsicana, Texas. That day I visited three shops: a thriftstore, the shop next door named Emporium 1905 (an upcoming post!), and this incredible florist shop named Victorian Sample Florist. Let’s step inside…


Victorian Sample Florist
325 N. Beaton St.
Corsicana, Texas 75110
903-874-3115

Very southern, elegant, classic and French, this jewel of a shop was such a find which I am totally happy to share with you! The inviting exterior with its potted plants are what drew me indoors and once inside… 

Eye candy in the form of rentable chandeliers for events, incredibly beautiful handmade jewelry created by shop owner Tom Adams himself, plus ethereal urns, glassware for creating stunning floral arrangements, small statues, candles and some antiques gobsmacked me as soon as I stepped inside!


Gorgeous pieces all one of a kind… Very upper left pink necklace is made
from pink coral. The two lowest necklaces on the table and to the right
are made of tiger eye.
Mr. Adams’ necklaces, earrings and bracelets are made from semi-precious stones, metal bits and bobs, and only the finest Swarovski crystals. Created for a clientele looking for something as unique as they are, Mr. Adams’ pieces are one-of-a-kind. I found several pink jade and pink coral pieces which reminded me of the necklace my grandmother Helen bought me when we went to Maui as a child with my mother.
Recently I shared the gardens Mr. Adams began putting in alongside his shop since Victorian Sample opened in 1986. A destination visit to this florist shop/jewelry store/antiques shop and gardens is worth a drive through Corsicana.

Mr. Adams has “done events for” both Presidents Bush as well as President Clinton, according to the bio on the Victorian Sample Florist website, and it shows. I was blown away at how beautifully curated this store is decorated and the florals in the back being put together for an upcoming wedding were simply stunning. I am sorry I didn’t get a photograph of them for you!

This stuffed peacock caught my eye with its bird’s nest light positioned just above it and that’s when I asked if it would be alright to take some photographs. Unfortunately this peacock was the reason why I didn’t capture any of the bouquets… 

Our summer mantel with its peacock feathers.

This is just one photograph from the post I wrote
called Tom’s Secret Garden in Corsicana.
I love peacocks and their feathers and somehow I got busy talking with the store manager (who was a lovely southern gentleman who didn’t wish to have his photograph taken, a shame!) and he told me about Mr. Adams creating the gardens when the shop was quiet over the years.



Between just admiring all the jewelry (the tiger eye and baroque pearl necklaces captured my attention!), the chandies, the hand-painted floor with its green and yellow pinwheel design and the French style furniture… Well, I was on sensory overload… But in a good way!
😉

Rich dark moody jewel tones played splendidly with the chandeliers’ light bouncing around the room. Music played softly in the background as I recall and the whole atmosphere left one feeling relaxed and comfortable ~ perfect for anyone stopping by to choose and arrangement or a lovely necklace for an upcoming event. 

Brides-to-be would instantly be put at ease to choose from Victorian Sample Florist’s selection of faux or real blooms.


Just look at this gorgeous tiger eye and wooden shell piece!

I did find a pretty bauble to bring home with me… Mr. Adams calls his jewelry “lost treasures” and I’d have to agree. Chunky necklaces have been calling my name and I haven’t any before this piece… Plus you know I love pearls! 


(I am justifying, I know!)




The Fair Maiden will be happy…

😉

Love love love the Renaissance and Steam Punk style of
this chunky necklace which is why it came home with me.


My friend Laura whom many of you know from her blog Decor to Adore invited me to the DFW Costumers Guild’s next get-together and it is to be a Marie Antoinette-themed event. 

I think this will fit the bill if I hurry up and finish the green dress…



When you come to the DFW area sometime, do make the hour+ detour south of Dallas to Corsicana on your way to Houston or Galveston to visit The Victorian Sample Florist and the other shops of Old Town Corsicana. The area is up and coming and I know you’ll enjoy the hospitality of the people here and find something unique to take home for yourself!
🙂


Sharing with
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Blogging Fifty


Bisous,
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Out and About ~ Neighboring Gardens + Upcoming Visits

French Ethereal
Just a  little out and about today and a mini tour of our neighbor’s side garden…

Planted  where we can easily see the garden beds from our kitchen window, this garden sits between our two houses and is lovely to look at throughout the day.  Two long flower beds have changed flowers like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace ~ with fanfare and applause!

Earlier at Easter time several types of lilies were in bloom. Now just the summer yellow lily is still flowering but it has some companions who have since sprung up! These feathery fronds with blue-topped tips co-mingle in this front flowerbed. 

Since I am still learning about plants which bloom in Texas and perhaps this is a “nepeta?” 

Not sure but if it is then it takes the summer heat and humidity! Would be good in our yard…


Aren’t these blue beauties pretty as they bob in the
windy late afternoon sunshine?
I haven’t been to any big gardens this year unlike when I visited
the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens a couple of years ago with former neighbors from Wagon Master RV Park.



Or the Japanese garden, also there.

Or the incredible rose garden of the Biltmore Estate…

And I need to remedy this soon! I have been spending way too much time at home but next week I’ll be heading down to visit our daughter for a belated birthday visit (her birthday is today, actually). 

More of our neighbor’s front bed in the late twilight…


I should be able to persuade her to come with me to visit a couple if only for short visits…

Like the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center  or this public garden called the Sunshine Community Gardens.

Until then… A short visit to the neighbor’s will have to do.
😉






Happy gardening,
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California Move + Update

French Ethereal
March roared in like a lion for me with a whirlwind drive to California as you know to meet our movers, pack everything up, then beat feet back to Texas…

Packing the last things out of our right-hand storage unit.

California Leaving…

Six big guys came with Ron and Kari Hanson, our movers with Oakley Relocation out of San Diego and Riverside Counties. I am really impressed with all of their resourcefulness, professionalism and care with our household goods! I highly recommend Oakley Relocation as Jerilyn and Alex who run the call center were helpful in every aspect of our move. 

BTW, did you know it is cheaper to move in the winter than in the summer? Peak season costs more. 


Turns out my husband is a major pack-rat ~ we have more Ryobi drills and other tool things that were hidden away! And we were over budget by 4500 lbs. at 22,100 lbs. total weight.  It is all getting moved and then Mr. Ethereal can figure out where he wants to place everything and what we need to sell or donate.
🙂

The beginnings of the donation pile.
The next day I worked on donations… Here are part of the items we donated plus a lot of furniture went into this Salvation Army pile, too. SA ended up taking all the furniture and some boxes of household goods they knew they could sell. After they pulled out I went and rented a U-Haul and loaded the rest heading to Habitat for Humanity late in the day.

Thankfully even though HFH had just closed (4:30p.m.) they ladies working the donation area that day opened since I was moving out of state the next day. 

One of the fun things about moving (not!) is that anything chemical related and considered as hazardous waste cannot be transported on big moving vans. I tried to drop off things I had no room for in my Sequoia but the location was closed.

Pulling out of a rest stop along the California-Arizona border
somewhere.  The weather was perfect all the way home!

Heading to Texas

The young man who checked in the small U-Haul truck I rented took those things, yeah! He said he needed the motor oil and could use the other things in his apartment and on his car. Two plastic jugs of 10W-30 were in my car already so I was more than happy to give him the other; it feels good to help others.  🙂

Saw this trucker bringing home this cutie for a special child.
Isn’t this adorable? Love it!!!
Heading back to Texas

I stopped at some nice rest stops along the way and one in Las Cruces, New Mexico just above the city was very nice! And had the most spectacular view from the top of the mountain… I shared a video and photo or two on my Instagram of that rest area.
Photo actually taken by Mr. Ethereal. 🙂
Mr. Ethereal worked really hard while I was gone moving things out of our trailer and then cleaned out the new garage. He staged some of our things plus a shelving unit left by the previous owners here in the garage.

He also moved and put many things away in our spare bedrooms ~ such a sweetheart!

Mr. Ethereal also organized the built in cabinet ~ a new beginning for us!

Tomorrow our household goods will be delivered and then we will be able to take our time putting things away. 

Until then I’ll be in and out. We are still in our Prairie Home trailer for a few more days then it will be cleaned and put up for sale.


Riverside County Parks, Lake Skinner and the Tecolota mountain
range ~ four years ago when we began our trailer life adventure.
Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes with our move ~ I do appreciate it!




Marching is thankfully ending like a lamb,
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A Look Back, Scheduling Movers + Looking Forward…

French Ethereal
A look back  at our last home in California and the furnishing which will be making the journey in the upcoming weeks to our new home here in Texas!

I have been talking with moving companies for a week now getting quotes and sending inventories back and forth. Whew! It’s a tough nut to navigate and I still want to drive out to bring back some of the really fragile things but now I am rethinking carrying a few of the mirrors back with me…

Maybe it is better that the movers crate them…

What do you think?…


A heavy mirror I shipped back on Virgin Atlantic from England in 2005.

I’ll be leaving later this week driving cross-country and actually my Sequoia is in for servicing yesterday and today. The brakes needed some special master cyclinder-type thing as it is failing. Glad this is getting done even though 2 bills are being spent…

Don’t want to be involved in a major crash because of brake failure!

Have you ever shipped long-distance and how did your mirrors, prints and family portraits survive the move? Did the movers crate them? How about your furniture ~ how did your case goods hold up?

Thank you for your thoughts! 🙂 I am worried and I know I can’t do anything about them, plus they are just things as people say. When I moved with my parents some jewelry was swiped on two occasions and we lost a box of Christmas things, mainly my baby stocking and velvet stockings I made for Charles and myself when we were first married. 

I need to remake those… 😉 
Maybe this fall… 

My big birthday present from 4 years ago ~ a 4’w x 5′ tall pier mirror.

We will have a quote later today from a carrier I regard as trusted ~ hope it is a good one and something we can afford. We will probably go with this moving company as they can schedule a pick up around March 6th, just when I’d like to the packing and loading done. The estimate is for 16,000 lbs. 


Here is the pier mirror as I found it in the consignment shop in Citrus Heights, California.

And another gesso mirror I found in Murrieta at another consignment-antique shop several years earlier.

Here’s a link to the story I wrote about finding the pier mirror and one very similar to this dresser mirror above.

So excited to share all these lovelies with you in their new home in the upcoming year…

Have a great week!
Sharing with
Dishing It and Digging It ~ DIY 180
Keep In Touch ~ Let’s add Sprinkles
Feathered Nest Friday
Thursday Favorite Things
Sweet Inspiration
later this week…


Hugs and blessings to you,
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A Victorian Dickens Tea at The Lasker Inn

French Ethereal
Every year a tea is hosted by Cheryl Adams Palmer and a few friends at the beautiful, historic antibellum home-turned Lasker Inn just a few blocks from the beach in Galveston, Texas.

Come along with me and share in the day’s repast!


The Lasker Inn
1019 16th Street
Galveston, Texas 77550
reservations ~ 409.497.4318
My friend Laura had sent me an email way early in the year telling me about this tea down on the island of Galveston and would I be interested in going? Well, of course! as I love going to tea and have with all of my friends in California during the almost 20 years I was in the Victorian Tea Society.

Friends Gloria and Sandy and I went to Barbara Ann’s in Ontario, California at her Queen Anne home turned tea parlor and to the Chocolate Angel Tea Room in Richardson, Texas, about an hour away from where we live now.

So driving 6-8 hours down to Galveston would be a fun road trip plus this would be during the Dickens Festival, which I had never been to one before and this one is BIG!  More on that in the next post…
😉

These lovely gentlemen greeted us at the door and Frank, the gentleman on the right, sat at our table this evening.  I believe Frank is Cheryl’s husband as he was telling me how she also makes corsets for women to wear and attends festivals as she is part of a costumer’s guild in the Houston area, which is how she and Laura met.

Oh! Did you know that many men who participate in costume guilds often sew their own clothes?  I want to say that Frank sewed some of his outfit but later he said he was joking.  His wife helped make his costume, and the other gentleman had his tailor-made and custom fit.  Beautiful craftsmanship!  

Often, costumers will use old techniques and that means a lot of hand-sewing.

Cheryl’s bio for the tea talked about how she was first an event planner in the oil industry but began a second career “designing and making historical costumes.”  We are sooo glad she did!  This is their third year hosting the tea.

Ms. Laura in her Marmie Civil War era wool dress.  Perfect in every detail! 
Laura Ingalls Gunn (who writes Decor to Adore) graciously loaned me a small hoop skirt, a lovely Christmasy skirt and a Peter Pan collared blouse to wear, along with a garden bonnet made over
by yours truly…

Here I am ready to go back at the Four Points Sheraton.  My room overlooked
the Galveston seawall and beach. It was heaven in the mornings!
The Grand Victorian Tea Reception began at 3:30pm
with many people just coming straight from the Dickens on the Strand Festival ~ including myself.

These women sewed their own dresses from antique sewing patterns… Absolutely perfect details!
Each of the rooms was decorated with a Christmas tree and the parlor was the first room off to the left here at the Lasker Inn.

In the adjoining tea room guests mingled while one of the hosts sat writing out part of a speech given later in the evening…

Images of weddings held at the inn adorn the central hallway walls and up along the grand staircase ~ ethereal, indeed!

I am sorry that a few of these photos are blurry and appear double imaged. I goofed and changed a setting on the camera and this was what happened… But I did want to show these guests and host as I loved their costumes!


Then we were called in to tea…


Wait staff from the inn brought out tall tea servers with the first course of several types of scones and a selection of teas from which to choose.


As this first course was finished tea sandwiches appeared along with acorn soup in the sweetest two-handled bowls.

Frank told me how the previous year another type of bowl was used and that the owners then went shopping for the correct bowls to serve for this year!  The attention to detail was period perfect for this lovely afternoon tea.  

Here’s a fun little video on how to make some scones or “rocks” as this chef likes to call them.


“Marmie” played mother to the table pouring tea for us and for the family with whom we sat.  Again I am sorry for the blurred photographs. The man on the right is Desi and he was very excited to tell me he was named “like I Love Lucy.”


He also really liked roast beef as that was one of the fillings in one of our sandwiches. Also part of the fare were cucumber sandwiches on rye but these had a bit of heat to them, which was really fun!

Most of the tea sandwiches served were gluten free except for the pumpernickel bread {the very dark sandwich on the bottom tier’s plate}.  I didn’t know that pumpernickel had wheat in it ~ good to know.  

There was a discussion about Celiac disease then and many other topics including talking about different kinds of teas.

I have to say that conversation is one of the things I relish about attending or hosting a tea ~ there are so many things to think about and you always learn something new! 


We all had a lovely time and this was a special treat for everyone but especially for these young men!

We were blessed to sit and take tea with them.
🙂


The dessert course was next and everything was created by the owners’ daughter who is a professional baker.  

Here is the wonderful chef who baked all of the truffles and macarons!
She wore a dress decorated with her favorite blooms ~ sunflowers ~ all
hand-made by her mother Cheryl.
🙂

She told us later as we sat down to an after-dinner conversation in the main parlor how she made the macarons and that their success is very dependent upon the weather!
These are the two hostesses ~ Cheryl Palmer is on left and Amanda Vermillion of The Tea Mistress, LLC.
Amanda’s talk was about a particular tisane bloom which when brewed is one color but changes color with the addition of another item.  Her talk on this wonderful transformation is appropriately called “Accidental Alchemy” and everyone enjoyed participating and seeing the change!

Everything was so beautifully done!

Frank and Cheryl Palmer
I hope you have enjoyed this visit and tea!
Sharing with
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Dishing It and Digging It
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Share Your Style #188




Happy tea to you,
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Christmas Wishes and Christmas Trees…

French Ethereal
A warm fire blazing  and the glow of candlelight. The sparkling twinkle of white and colorful lights on the Christmas tree bright…

Memories of Christmases past and present mingle together in a merry reverie…

Every year  the Christmas trees lovingly pulled from their boxes may be a little different but the thoughts and sentiments are always the same ~ glad tidings to all and best wishes and prayers for family and friends.

In our last home  my daughter would help me decorate by stringing the lights and as she got older she began decorating the tree, too. It was a fun family event and we would pick a theme of all whites and silvers or just family ornaments.
 Those trees became our most favorite ~ special for their simplicity and the memories they each recalled.  

Our first Christmas in our first trailer spent at Lake Skinner.

The blue star  atop the one tree was one of the first Christmas ornaments my new husband and I bought for our first Christmas tree together in our first apartment. The year was 1989 and he had just come home from his MOS job training in South Carolina and was just beginning his first tour at Camp Pendleton, California.

These little Christmas trees were ones I fashioned and bleached as gifts for friends in my Victorian Tea Society group and also for my coworkers and teacher at school that year.  I have been making little Christmas trees and now French Snow People ever since.
Our tree this year is the same one used last year ~ a nice 4 1/2′ tree I found
right before Christmas from Sam’s Club for $24 or $27.  A wonderful bargain
with realistic looking needles.  🙂
This Christmas  I am keeping it simple with just the one Christmas tree set up on the tall nightstand again and a simple window vignette.

A bit of a mess but that’s real life, isn’t it?  Presents to be wrapped up on the
sofa and a pillow and mugs to put away.  Mr. Yoda is enjoying
his new dogbed.  :)’

The fireplace decorated with the snowmen and little trees.

This little pinky tree was created by Laura last year as part of our Lone Star bloggers gifts and I just love it!

The little pink Christmas tree reminds us of the real reason for the season…
That Jesus came to this earth fully man and fully God to give us eternal life.

This is my favorite photo of the season…

I have fallen in love with beautiful vintage religious santos and relics and have been looking out for them in my thriftshop trips.  This sweet Mary and Baby Jesus must have been a Christmas tree ornament as it has a small hook at its top but I think it is better as a table display.
🙂

Our Christmas tree looks lovely at night with its sparkling lights, pearl strands found in the wedding section of big box craft stores like Joann’s and sweet gift tags created locally.


And a little daytime view…

Sharing with
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage

Hope you have enjoyed this little
Christmas tree tour,
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My Little Texas Home ~ Fall In Love With Texas blog tour

French Ethereal

Happy Fall  to y’all and welcome to Texas!  Such a beautiful state all year round but in the fall it is especially lovely with all the farmers harvesting golden fields into giant rolls of hay bundled for winter livestock feeding.   Leaves on the crepe myrtles, red oaks and sugar maples are beginning to show their fall colors, and the days and nights beginning to cool off after the heavy heat of summer.  
Welcome!  I am happy to share my little slice of Texas with you as part of the Fall in Love with Texas Blog Tour…

We are so happy you are here!  These next five wonderful days will be filled with true Texas grit featuring much lovely fall decor and gardens decorated for the autumn season featuring bloggers from all across the state.  

We are sure y’all will fall in love… 
🙂

Grab a cup of tea  and let’s get this party started!  If you are new to my blog and are stopping by from Katie at Let’s Add Sprinkles ~ welcome!  🙂  As always, I am happy you are here! 

An evening tea party with scones and English Breakfast.
Above is a favorite look I shared last fall that I loved creating~ hospitality is my thing and I love having friends in for tea luncheons and for dessert.   Our home is in Sanger, a small town in North Central Texas.  We have some rolling hills here in Denton County and we are currently situated up on a plateau looking down towards Dallas and Fort Worth, about an hour to the south and west of us.  We are also just about 40 minutes from the border of Oklahoma so we get a lot of wind and cold weather here in the late fall and winter, then a whole lot of heat in the summer off the Gulf of Mexico ~ such a dramatic change from the weather we had in sunny and warm Southern California ~ but we are loving the changes!

Make a fall centerpiece with a faux pumpkin vase.
Setting a beautiful table is something I really like to do to show  my guests that they are truly appreciated.  For fall I like decorating with real and faux pumpkins then using some of my real china even though our Prairie Home is a giant fifth-wheel.  It is truly more of a glamper than a camper! Most folks when they are camping full-time tend to use plastic plates and cups ~ and we do use those too ~ but I love having real china and have several sets with us.  

These two plates I picked up at HomeGoods and similar ones can readily be found there and other stores this time of year.  Dressed with sweet paper napkins {a snowy owl in a purple crown!} and silver tableware this table is all fall elegance.


I went for a less cluttered look this year still using flowers but the faux variety instead of dried.
This year I changed up our fall decor a little by adding in this sweet whitewashed tobacco basket with wine, rust and navy velvet pumpkins.  I’ve actually redecorated this window a couple of times and am having fun tweaking this vignette a little more each time!  Do you like to do that, too?  Someone recently said she thought she had “decorating ADHD.”  I’m borrowing that thought, lol!


Here’s the latest window styling I finished sharing a tutorial on creating a small chalkboard ~ love its addition to the holiday decor with its frame’s lovely antique gold patina!


Shall we go outside  and check out what’s blooming for fall?  I am still getting used to gardening with Texas’ wide swing from cold + dry winters to hot + humid summers, so… I lost three roses this year but two have survived and are ready to share their blooms here now for you.  These are English roses Sceptre d’Isle and The Generous Gardener by David Austin Roses.  I am not sponsored but I love these roses and thought I’d share a little more about them today.  

Ever since we moved two years ago to Texas, everyone has told me that only Knockout roses grow well here and they are right.  You’ll find these lovely single petaled dark pink and red blooms all over the Dallas area, but I am on a quest to get English roses growing in my garden.  Many species of roses do grow beautifully in East Texas where the weather is less humid.


Replanting those pots I brought in some more of that lovely deep fall color I have indoors with these sweet mums ~ really loving them every time I wander in or outside!  Try popping a few mums in with your usual garden plants for a burst of color.

My usual color of choice is a much lighter pink in flowers but this year I’ve been drawn to these deeper colors.  Guess I’m wishing I could see some of New England’s fall colored leaves like I used to when visiting my now-deceased mother and father at their last home in Connecticut ~ Oh, Happy Columbus Day to you, btw!!!

Our leaves are beginning to change here on the crepe myrtles, oaks and maples up here in Sanger but really they won’t get going until November.

Last of the evening light falling gently on this colorful trio of gourds.
It was fun finding all these different colored pumpkins and just playing outside figuring out where each would look best.  Really love this deep orange speckled pumpkin this year ~ it’s a new type for me.  For some fun information on pumpkin types, check out Growing Produce.com.


One last look in the waning light ~ can you find the forgotten sticker??  😉
Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you’ve enjoyed my little home and garden tour.  I hope too that you’ll wander over and visit all of the ladies on this week’s tour. Feel free to stop back by to follow their links throughout the week.  

Laura of Decor to Adore is next up in the Fall In Love With Texas blog tour and I know you’ll enjoy her home and features.  

Here is the list of who is hosting each day ~ just click on each link.

A great photo for you to pin!  Thank you, Katie of Let’s Add Sprinkles!

Monday 


Tuesday

Wednesday 

Thursday 
White Spray Paint 

Sharing with ~
Sundays at Home ~ Maison de Cinq
Waste Not Wednesday ~ Faeries and Fauna
Style Showcase ~ Shabbyfufu
Friendship Friday ~ Create With Joy
Hearth and Soul ~ April J. Harris



Happy fall and enjoy the tour!

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Places to Visit ~ The Historic St. Anthony Hotel {Pt. 1}

French Ethereal

The St. Anthony  hotel in historic San Antonio, Texas is breath-taking with its crystal chandeliers, antique baroque and Egyptian furniture, and incredible oil paintings and statuary ~ a hotel well worth your visit!…


This was  our view from our park side hotel room overlooking Travis Park in historic downtown San Antonio, Texas ~ pretty with sunburst walkways into the center of the park and set with its tables ready for visitors to picnic at or play a game of chess or two.
🙂


We arrived late on Friday night due to holiday weekend traffic and leaving town late due to things that had to get done so I didn’t get any photos of the room itself except this little hallway entry table.
Loved the set up and lighting switches were set up to let staff know if you wanted the room cleaned or wanted privacy as well as a nightlight at a push of a button.


The antiques downstairs

The pool on the 6th floor had lovely views of neighboring hotels and business buildings, most historic, and was over-filled making it a fun place for kids to play along the wide steps walking into it.
The weight room with treadmills and stationary bicycles was really nice with large mirrors so you could see yourself lifting and correct your form… But even though I partook of the latter I really was gaga over all the priceless antiques inside the St. Anthony’s lobby and upper museum gallery areas!

This was my cup of tea!

Beginning with  this beautiful hand-laid tile doormat at a streetside entrance declaring the year the St. Anthony opened
I was enchanted!

Coming in from that entrance this famous “little” painting of an eagle ready to fly off a cliff is one of the first things one notices in the Grand Salon and entry area.
The walls of this French inspired space were decorated with numerous oil canvases, many from famous painters, as well as ethereal antique furnishings and reproductions of the original pieces.

I loved this sassy lady playing cards with her friend or sister and what looks to be her mother ~ the scene just says, “We are here to have fun!”  A motto to which this hotel also subscribes.

Isn’t this sitting room beautiful?
Tea and coffee are set out on this desk every morning for guests along with travel cups to take out for sightseeing the city.


I wish more pieces of furniture were out there that the common person could find… Wouldn’t this be a lovely desk in one’s
library room or office?
Sadly a number of the paintings are torn and are in need of restoration ~ this one was sweet of this family’s children and their beloved spaniels.
🙂

Well, the computer is telling me my post is full so I’ll have to share some other photos with you another day…
I’ll be writing a post next about our walking trips around downtown San Antonio and the Alamo site so please look
for that post soon!

This post was featured at
Thursday Favorite Things ~ An Artful Mom
Thank you, Pam!!!
🙂


Sharing with
Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Katherine’s Corner
Style Showcase ~ Shabby Fufu
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Waste Not Wednesday ~ Faeries and Fauna
Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Make It Pretty ~ The Dedicated House


Just lovely,