The Best of 2013

Where did 2013 go?

Time flies when you're having fun!

And this year did not disappoint.

{Nativity Tour} and "The Earth Stood Still"

 "A teenage girl and her soon-to-be.

A simple trip far as they could see.

The sky was clear and the hour serene.

But did they know what the night would bring."

{Glittered Clothespins} & Christmas Cards

Here's an easy and simple way to display your Christmas cards.

I added German glass glitter to some clothespins. If you'd like to learn more about glass glitter click HERE.

Three {Moss Trees} Vignette

Three Little Moss Trees sitting in a pot...

DIY Burlap and Velvet {Christmas Stockings}

Rustic Elegance...that's the name my style has been given.

No matter what the name, I like rustic things 

and I like luscious and beautiful things. 

{Glass Glitter} DIY Sheet Music Ornaments

 Do you enjoy making ornaments for your Christmas tree?

Growing up, my mom would find us kids an ornament kit or craft to make for our tree, so I still enjoy making ornaments for my tree.

{Christmas Home Tour} & Handmade Decor Ideas

Welcome to my home!

I am thrilled and honored to be among 30 incredible bloggers
who are virtually sharing our Homes decked out for Christmas.

Glittery Christmas Tree {Paper Ribbon}

 Platinum velvet, jeweled silk, and paper.

These are the types of ribbon I used 

on my Christmas tree this year.

Raspberry Granola Bars

Crumbly, crunchy granola with an ooey fruity center...anyone?

These little granola bars are TO DIE FOR!

The Dining Room {Drapery}

 The Dining Room has officially been "draped"!

Can I get a Hallelujah?!?

Celebrating Life with Jennifer Carroll Review

Are you ready to be inspired?

Christmas is only 7 weeks away. Since Thanksgiving lands in the

last week of November this year, 

it's time to start thinking and planning.

How to Clean Your Home with a {Steam Machine}

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are completely mine.

HomeRight asked if I would like to try out their Steam Machine.
Oh I believe I would! YES!

Ipad Mini Giveaway

I am excited to offer you, my readers a chance to win 

an iPad Mini valued at $299. 

More {Comfort Food} and Features

The Comfort Food party was such fun!

I now have many new recipes to try out as the cooler days become more regular around here. If you missed it, click here.

Social Media {Pinterest and Instagram} Party

Welcome to All Things Beautiful
if you are clicking over from the SoMe2 Link Party!
I am so excited to be this week's featured blogger.
I hope you are inspired while you are here.

Check out a few Fall projects of mine:
1. Autumn Bunting and Mantle
2. Chicken Pot Pie
3. Book Pumpkins and Fall Vignette
4. Fall Porch Lighting
5. Fall Wreaths and Porch Decor
6. Flannel and Minky Baby Quilt

{Chicken Pot Pie} Comfort Food Link party

A cold front has finally arrived here in South Texas! 

There are certain comfort foods that come to mind when the weather turns cooler. One of those foods for me is Chicken Pot Pie.

Finding Inspiration {Marburger Farms Antique Show}

Art & Antique Hunter

Junk"ing", Flea Market"ing", Treasure hunt"ing", Antiqu"ing"...

no matter what you call it, for me it's where I find inspiration!

{Frito Chili Pie} and My Secret

It's officially Fall, so I can make my "official" Fall dinner staple.

For me, it's Frito Chili Pie. First cool breeze we are having FCP!

Fall {Book Pumpkin} Vignette

It has finally gotten a tad cooler here in South Texas!

The morning temps have been around 60 degrees, so I am celebrating!

New {Porch} in Town

It's fun to hang out on the porch on a cool crisp evening.

My hubs and I will often grab a chair and sit to recap the day on the porch, or the nearby walkway.

{Fall Topiary} Inspiration

DIY Pumpkin Topiary using faux pumpkins

Topiaries add such elegance to your home's entryway.

I was inspired by a pumpkin topiary in Southern Living magazine over a year ago and decided to make my own.

{Fall Link Party} Favorites and Winner

Fall Porch Decor

As you can see, I really enjoy decorating for Fall.

I love pumpkins, mums, cider, cooler temps, etc. etc. 

You can check out my wreaths, by clicking the caption.

{Fall Mantle} and Vignette

Provision.

That's the word that came to me when I had finished my Fall mantle.

As I was gathering stuff from around the house,

I noticed a theme...

Dream.Create.Inspire Fall Link Party & Giveaway

 Hey friends, welcome to the Fall PARTY!!

A change of seasons is always welcome. 

Here in South Texas, just ten degrees cooler makes a big difference,

 and that might begin to happen in late September. 

So I go ahead and help it along by decorating for Fall in early September!
Can't hurt, right?

{Styling Bookshelves} from Cluttered to Styled

Do your bookshelves ever get "out of whack"? 
I have 2 tall and narrow bookshelves in the Master Bedroom
 on either side of the sitting area and bay windows.

These are working bookshelves, meaning I actually use and pull books from these shelves and READ them.

How to Style Bookshelves

{HGTV}

Bookshelves...you either love 'em or hate 'em!

They are great for storing all of your books, but sometimes hard to figure out just WHAT to put in them, besides books, of course.

Fall Decor {Autumn Bunting}

Who's ready for a little change of season?

It's been a dry hot summer here in South Texas,

so when September hits, and football begins,

you know hope it's about to get a tad cooler.

{Banners and Buntings} Inspiration

Are you a fan of banners and buntings?

You probably know what a banner is, but do you know what a bunting is?

Technically, it's a "loosely woven fabric used for flags, etc."

Embellish {Candle Sconce} DIY

Do you have a plain candle sconce that could use a little oomph?

I added some fun embellishments to make mine have more presence.
Can you tell that it's a fake? 

{Popcorn Bar} Teen Birthday Party

Who likes sweet goodies sprinkled in their popcorn?

When I go to the movie, I like a bag of popcorn in one hand
and a box of Milk Duds in the other.

{Photo Booth} Teen Birthday Party

 How do you add a little FUN to a Teen Birthday Party?
Set up a Photo Booth!

Triple {Chocolate Bundt Cake}

Who doesn't like an ooey, gooey chocolate cake?

Chocolate is a favorite of mine. 

 I was deprived of chocolate as a child,

So I'm trying to make up for all those years!

Dining Room {Chalkboard} Wall

Have you joined the Chalkboard craze yet?

You might say that I've gone a little nuts over it!

My Dining room just got a new paint job, (room reveal post coming soon)

and I've always wanted a "chalkboard wall".

The built in buffet area seemed like the perfect place.

Stuffed and {Grilled Bananas}

Did you say grilled bananas???

Oh yeah!

If you follow my blog page on Facebook,

(and if you haven't yet, just scroll down 

and click "like" on the FB widget in my sidebar)

I shared a picture of grilled bananas from Pampered Chef.

My daughter raved about them from her beach retreat, 

so we had to give it a try at home!

{Succulent} Inspiration Ideas

Have you heard? Succulents are all the rage! 

Why, you may ask...

I think it's because they don't require much attention.
In other words, it's difficult to kill them!
(that's good news for those of us who don't have a green thumb)

{Tomato Pie} ain't no dessert

 Don't be fooled by the word PIE...cuz this ain't dessert!

This Tomato Pie goes great with just about anything. 

Pair it with Barbeque chicken, ribs, steaks, etc.

It's great for lunch with a salad as well. 

The {Wooden Horse} that wasn't meant to be...

I have this "thing" for horses.

Mainly, I'm drawn to the antique toy variety.

Even though, I do love to watch horses run! 

(otherwise known as the horse races)

  

Me and My Blog-UBP 2013

I'm so excited that you found my little blog!

I specialize in....

well, nothing really.

But wait, I do a lot of different things, 

it's that I'm just not an "expert" at any one thing.  

Painting,....faux, crackle, chipped, stencil, antiqued, distressed,

yep, I can do that!

{Marburger Farms} Antique Show in a Day

 Does seeing white tents lining both sides of the road

make your heart go pitter patter?

{Mantle vignette} for Spring

I am one who likes to change things up...

so when I began decorating for Easter, I decided to move my big clock

and put this lovely picture of a shepherd and a lamb in its place.

6 Easter decor ideas

Celebrating Easter has always been important for me and my family!

When the kids were little, I wanted to instill in them the true meaning

of Easter, and not get lost in bunnies and eggs.

I thought I'd compile the posts from last year

 that I did to celebrate Easter at our house.

{Round Top Antique Fair} Me and Martha Stewart Living

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Put on your cowboy boots girls...
it's time to go antiquing!

{Moss Cross} DIY Spring Vignette

When I think of Spring, I think green!

Since I don't have much of a green thumb, 

moss is my friend!

{Vellum Insert} Candle Apothecary and Vignette

 The Oscar nominations are out...

can you guess which movie is on my favorite list?

{Stacked Books} Winter Mantle Design

It's drab and dreary here today...

 been raining nonstop!

Makes me want to crawl in bed with a good book and read all day!