It all started with this postcard ... I bought it over a decade ago on the only trip I've ever taken to Hawaii. For some reason it struck me as hilarious ... Still does. The time's never seemed right to send it to anyone -- until now. This weekend, my parents leave with my nephew on his "trip with the grandparents" vacation -- and the college freshman chose Hawaii. In honor of their trip, I've been planning a tablescape ... but Renaissance Man didn't know that when he and Little Man surprised me with this orchid for Mother's Day. He must've read my mind... Another piece of my inspiration was this Hawaiian girl plaster bust that belongs to my daughter (aka Little Man's Mommy). We often laugh about her ... Keep Reading...
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Whatever It Takes … I Guess
Most of you readers are women -- and the few men who visit here all have female friends and family -- so I decided to do this quick little post to celebrate Pink Saturday. I learned something about myself this week. I THOUGHT I was an "any excuse'll do for a party" kind of person. But that was before this cute invitation caught my eye across the waiting room. When I walked over and read it, I just laughed and shook my head... Oh, DARN! If I'd only known I could have waited one more day and joined the party! In all seriousness, that's really not my style -- but I hope the event was well-attended and that everyone had a good time. Ladies, "whatever it takes ..." be sure to take care of yourself -- for you and for your ... Keep Reading...
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The Pleasure of a Porch: Outdoor Entertaining
This post was originally published on the evening of May 11 prior to the Blogger Fiasco I told you about HERE. It's now restored here -- unfortunately without the comments that were made. To those of you who left comments the first time this was published, I enjoyed reading them all! Leave another if you like, but it's certainly not necessary. Welcome to My Place to Yours! I'm glad you stopped by for a visit ... and I'll hope you join me again. This week I'm showing you a quick tablescape from a bridal shower I hosted on Mother's Day. You may remember that the last time I was here, I showed you in THIS post how I embellished these sculptural metal plant holders to get them ready for a bridal shower I'd be hosting. Don't ... Keep Reading...
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Got Any Glue? Updating Vintage Metal Sculptures
It's been a wild and crazy week at my house, but I'm determined to post a quick something for Metamorphosis Monday. It IS still Monday, isn't it? A few months ago I found these cute sculptural wire plant holders at an auction. They'd been outside and were in less than ideal condition, but I liked their shape -- and the idea that I could use them for (almost) one-of-a-kind focal pieces during the Spring and Summer. The perfect occasion quickly presented itself, and I decided to fix them up and use them for a couple's bridal shower. Some Mod Podge... ... and scrapbook papers in the bride's favorite black and white theme were just what I needed for inspiration. Say goodbye to the rust and old paint ... Keep Reading...
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Mixing it Up for Mother’s Day
My sister and I had the joy of spending part of last week with our parents ... making new memories. Some of those memories centered around tablescaping -- so today I'm sharing a tablescape that includes a few family pieces. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've heard me say before that we don't have many family pieces -- but the ones we have, we love! With Mother's Day in mind, today's tablescape began with china that belonged to my paternal grandmother. Grandma's china was not something she got when she and Grandpa "set up housekeeping" in 1932 but rather something she picked up somewhere along the way. We chose a tablecloth I gave my Mom several years ago. It's a sheer fabric with flocked flowers. The golden ... Keep Reading...
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You Don’t Have to Like War to Be Grateful!
In the early moments of today, I heard the news. Osama bin Laden is no more. Many of my fellow Americans are waving flags -- or raising a glass -- in celebration. Rather than feeling celebratory, I find myself quietly thankful ... so very thankful. Before September 11, 2001 I thought I knew what it meant to be a proud American. I proudly flew Old Glory on patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July. The rest of the year I flew "fun" flags to celebrate the various seasons. But on the morning of September 12, 2001, with a heavy heart, I hung the Stars and Stripes ... with no intention of replacing them with "fun" again. The "fun" flags still hang in the attic -- a jumbled mix of seasons. It's probably ... Keep Reading...
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Fanfare & Wind: Trumpets & Tornadoes: Curtsies & Courage
Well, did you watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton? I certainly did! Last week I had the privilege of visiting family in Texas. While staying with my sister, she and I drove to our parents' house and spent a couple of nights with them. I wasn't surprised to see that my Mother had already "set the stage" for the Royal Wedding. We were greeted with a tabletop vignette featuring a vintage teacup and saucer (given to her many years ago by a Sunday School teacher) and a hat she wore several years ago to a granddaughter's wedding in England. Even Daddy had gotten into the act and taped one of the Royal Wedding TV specials for us girls to watch. We enjoyed that because the way our schedule ... Keep Reading...
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A Royal Heritage
Are you counting down the hours until the royal wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton? What is it about royal weddings that make some of us smile and get a little tingle in our tummy? If by some chance you haven't yet discovered Laura Ingalls Gunn's Wedding Wednesday posts at her blog Decor to Adore, you really don't want to miss them. Such fantastic royal wedding trivia, traditions -- and lots of great photographs! Renaissance Man doesn't understand all the hoopla. In fact, I think he's glad I'll be in Texas visiting my sister on wedding day. He thinks I'd want to "chat" with him about all the details. Wrong! I'd really just want to be left alone in front of the TV to soak them in ... maybe with a plate of tea ... Keep Reading...
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Resurrection Power … Still Happens
Happy Easter! If, like me, you've been celebrating Jesus' victory over death, then resurrection power has been on your mind. Last week, while in Brazil, I got to experience resurrection power firsthand. No, I didn't see a person raised from the dead, but I witnessed the hand of God as something virtually dead was given new life. I want to tell you about it. Some of you may think that's a really strange thing to say, but ... if I'm going to be authentic and have integrity with you, I have to be who I am -- viewing things through the lens of my own life experience. The reality is that one of the "puzzle pieces" of yours truly is shaped like Brazil. If you're new to my blog and are wondering What's up with Brazil?, then I encourage ... Keep Reading...
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Happy PINK Easter!
Oh, it's so nice to be sitting here at my own desk and writing my blog rather than in an airport or a hotel ... but I have wonderful news to share with you about our recent trip to Brazil -- and I'm hoping to do that for Met Monday. Today, because I'm still trying to catch up at home, I'm going to share last year's Easter tablescape with you. Keep in mind, it was pre-blog days (which means pre- learning camera tricks), but I hope you might still enjoy it. There were three of us around the table last Easter. As I told you HERE, Renaissance Man's then 89-year-old mother was visiting us from Texas -- almost certainly the last trip she would ever make to our home in Tennessee. I wanted her to once again see some of the ... Keep Reading...
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Your Refrigerator: One or the Other …
It may seem like a strange thing to think about, but refrigerator doors have been on my mind for awhile. For the most part, every one I've ever seen in a home setting falls into one of two categories. What about yours? Is it clear or cluttered? empty or embellished? bare or bountiful? void or voluminous? austere or art gallery? This is my Mother's refrigerator. It really does look like this ... all.the.time. I don't ever recall it being littered covered with anything. Ever. Most of the time, I'm right there with her! But some of you will remember that my grandson has lived near me. What most of you don't know is that Little Man and this Nonna (and Poppa when he's home) have spent ... Keep Reading...
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Tiptoeing Through The Tulips En Route to Brazil
As I write today's post, I'm sitting in the Chicago airport next to Renaissance Man -- waiting on our flight to Brazil. As my oh-so-kind regular readers already know, we're going to see the children and staff of Hope Unlimited for Children. I've told you about them in two of my favorite posts; favorites because they stretched me to share for the first time in Blogland some of my deepest thoughts and emotions. You can read them HERE and HERE if you like. When we left home several hours ago, I wanted so badly to cut a huge bunch of tulips and take pictures, but there was no time. Today's tablescape was done last week when red, yellow, and orange were the predominant colors in the tulip bed. This morning, the tulips in bloom were ... Keep Reading...
