Happy Memorial Day Weekend...Strawberry Cake

I have been eyeing this cake and blog post from The Smitten Kitchen all week!  I looks delicious and so festive for the Memorial Day weekend.  I am going to try this out today and will let you know how it turn out!  The recipe and more photos are here.

I hope you all have a safe and happy long weekend.

{photos via The Smitten Kitchen}

Etsy Friday Favorite

Instead of throwing rice, blowing bubbles, etc... Allison and Blake decided to leave the wedding reception under a bridge of sparklers!  This looked great and as a parting gift we designed special matches for the guests to take home.  We found these on Etsy and just loved them!

A + B

A PERFECT MATCH

You can personalize your matchbox by selecting your pattern, color and text.  They arrived very quickly and added a custom touch for our guests to take home.  Check out Lil Missi collection on Etsy.  She is out of Redondo Beach, California and has precious things in her shop.

{Photos via me}

{Video via Jonathon Link Studios}

Love...Mia Linnman

I came across this Swedish artist when reading "a perfect gray" blog.  Mia Linnman loves to paint large, colorful abstract horse images on large canvases.  One of these would certainly fit into my home!

Mia Linnman has an eye for the aesthetic––the pages or her blog Solid Frog are filled with interior design and fashion spreads that will not fail to fill any reader's head with inspiration for his or her own home or wardrobe.  I'm so happy to have found her blog and art.

{photos via Saatchi Online}

First Impressions

Fresh flowers, fresh paint, and a well groomed yard give your home an amazing first impression!!

I just love all of these homes and the lovely curb appeal they have.  Whether Fall or Spring you can maintain color and neatness in your yard.  The plantings can be simple or ornate, but just by keeping it well groomed leaves a wonderful first impression to your home.

{photos via houzz}

Fort Worth Charmer

After spending the day in my home town of Fort Worth yesterday I decided to check out some of the local real estate.  This one caught my eye right off the bat!

This great home is in the beautiful Rivercrest area of Fort Worth.  A two story on great street with mature trees! 3 bed, 3 baths up. All baths have been remodeled, kitchen completely updated with granite tops. Breakfast room with wall of windows. Den plus library. Nice yard. I love the large windows and bright light coming in through the back yard.  To see more pictures and information go here.

{photos via here}

Happy Weekend!

We are supposed to have a rainy weekend, so this picture really brightened my day.  Have a great one!

Etsy Friday Favorites... Welcome Bags

We had a vision in mind of how we wanted the "Welcome Bags" to look and what we wanted in them   for out of town guests and relied on Etsy for several items.  The water bottle labels, Hershey kisses sticker and Kleenex tissues turned out precious and added such a personal touch.  We included our  own custom map and a salty snack as well.

1. "Hugs and Kisses" stickers,  Ladybug Labels
2. "Love" Water Bottle stickers, Natalily Designs
3. "Tears of Joy" Kleenex Tissue, Tiggagator

We received numerous compliments on our bags and were very pleased how it all turned out.  The flower girl dresses, bride and groom chair signs, jewelry and parting gifts also were bought on Etsy.  I will share those in the coming weeks.  (ps...Aqua Fina water bottles worked great because the center, where the label is placed is smooth.  Many bottles are bumpy!)

{photos via me}

Beautiful Bride!

I have been planning our daughter's wedding since October and the cute couple was married two weeks ago.  Here is one of our favorites from her bridal portrait session.

We couldn't have been more please with our photographer, Jennefer Wilson, and the beautiful quality of work she does.  Finding her was a real gift!  Check out the rest of the photo session and I'll share wedding pictures as soon as they are available.  

{photos via Jennefer Wilson Photography}

Dining al fresco: blues and whites

The weather here has been fabulous and will surely not last long.  These table settings inspire me to serve dinner outside and take advantage of the comfortable temperatures.

I love the crisp feel of the blues and whites and how each setting is so unique.  The lush backdrops aren't bad to look at either!

{photos via Everything Fabulous}

Love...Brad Ellis

 Dallas artist, Brad Ellis, has paintings in local galleries as well as Neiman Marcus.  I love the texture of these and the large pieces that he has done.

Brad Ellis works mostly with the encuastic paint technique. Encaustic is a labor intensive endeavor but one that can render exciting results. The paint is heated into a liquid state, applied to the surface and then fused with a heat source for proper bonding. The paint can be mixed and applied in a very transparent or opaque manner resulting in a glass-like smoothness or a rough, heavily textured surface. As well, encaustic may also be combined with oil paint and collage materials. 

If you live in the Dallas area you can also see some of his work at the Craighead Green Gallery.

Make your bed

Hello.  I have been busy these past few months planning and celebrating the wedding of our daughter.  The wedding was a week ago and I'll share some pictures with you soon.  We still need to update and redo her bedroom and I received a new catalog that is very inspiring.  Serena and Lily!

There are so many wonderful options in bedding, fabric, furnishings, etc... that I just couldn't post them all.  They have a link that allows you to "Make your bed".  You can experiment with hundreds of bedding combinations until you find the one you love.  You will find lots of inspiring ideas at Serena and Lily for your living room, rugs, furniture, paint, kids rooms and gifts.  Be sure to check them out soon.

{photos via Serena and Lily}