Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Parade of Homes: The Mantle...

I joined Layla's Mantle Party, so I thought I'd share the mantle Josh made for the Mabank ISD Christmas Tea and Mabank Parade of Homes. 

The tickets are ten dollars. The tour starts at 11:00, with brunch at the library...

Saturday the 4th...sure hope to see you there!


This was Josh's 2nd mantle. The first was made from an old scrap ping pong table as the base, but the cat knocked it over...and broke it, so he used a plywood base for this one, but the rest of the wood and paint are from left over wood and paint from around here.  The old stove was from our house and the mirror has been hanging around the school for years. Josh finished it to match.The darker piece is an antique piece of Beverly's. Josh  put some crown molding and trim on the mantle...need to get better pics...too tired now...longer post later describing the items Suzette used decorating the mantle. 


  Flowers made by Suzette!!!

Every inch... floor to ceiling is decked out.

decorated out...
Lez








The Lettered Cottage

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Christmas Doings...

 A few      places to go      in the  neighborhood...

 In case you don't recognize the duct tape...I  stole borrowed this photo from my friend, Robelyn
She did a great post about W & T's
Christmas Show last year.

 Can't wait for Angels in America at Winnie and Tulula's, 
located in Athens, Texas...
 20 minutes from me!

What a creative group...I've posted about them here. And last Christmas I was just blown away...










The Red Shed Girls are having their Christmas Show...
                                                                     It will be dreamy and white.
Such pretty things, so if you are in the area stop by...

Go to their blog for all the information:
Here's a little peek, though...
"Mix those whites and ivories and creams with silver and glass, crystal and glitter and once again you get to the heart of what dreams are made of......."
Red Shed Antiques...

The shop is an hour from Mabank, in Grapevine...but Valerie lives in the lake area near me,
small world huh?

 The same day you can head on to  
Mabank's Christmas Tour Of Homes.

Everyone works so hard and has so many ideas, it really is the event of the year!

Here are two shots from last year...

 The Presbyterian Church



 All white and look a dog, too...

We weren't on the tour last year, but we will be this year...


At our School Christmas Tea last year we had lots of cloches... 












Our Tea last year...

We featured a paper village of our town, along with many other handmade items...my sis worked so hard...and is again this year...she will make it stunning and we try to make it odd unique, lol.


And here are a couple little critters you might see, going along with our theme this year...

                                  An exemplary stroll through a winter wonderland




Mabank's Christmas Tour of Homes...and a school~

Saturday, December 4th, 
11:00 ~ 4:00
Y'all Come, I'd love to see you!

If we've not met you in person...
be sure to say,  "HI!"
 
May all your Christmases be glittered,
Lezlee

My bloggy friends are having parties, shows, and tours all over the world. I've just posted some local ones, but check it out some hard working entrepreneur is probably having fun near you~
And if you don't hear from me for awhile, don't worry I'm just up to my eyeballs in glitter!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Play Like Talblesetting: The Place Cards...

Just playing around with ideas for place cards...at my "play like" dinner party...



The pretend meal will host the eight board members. It may be too hard to write their whole title on the chalkboard...so maybe just number the place and type their name on an old piece of paper.


An old door nob makes for a unique vase or place card holder...perfect tone for our neutral color scheme...and our theme, "An exemplary stroll stroll through winter"...memories old and new.


The plates of our old school were made in 1961.

  We also have these  whimsical little rust covered benches...this would be a good place to put their names.

We've cut,dyed, baked, and glued hundreds of these...Thankfully, the little ones have helped us!

Just because we are going with neutrals found in a winter wonderland, never fear their will be plenty of textures and bling!
If any of you have ever been on a snow covered mountain, you know it is quite Merry and Brite!



It needs a little "fluffing", 
but I'm liking the general idea...

for more of my play like tablesettings go 
here and here

And I'd love for you to see it in person!!!
Saturday, December 4th, 
11:00 ~ 4:00
Y'all Come, I'd love to see you!
 
May all your Christmases be white,
Lezlee

Friday, November 12, 2010

In His Hands

Tomorrow is Jeremy's birthday. 

Flashback:
January  2000 
 
Jeremy went on a skiing trip with his college group, Baptist Student Ministries. He was twenty years old. As he slammed out the door with  his friend, Zach, I turned to Judy and despaired, "I didn't even tell him bye!" Before he was down the road any ways, he'd returned, to give his mom a proper hug and good bye. Later, I'd wonder if God had granted me that final memory.

We were out of pocket, no cell phone, but when we got the news...we called the hospital to hear the Doctor explain, Jeremy hit his head on a tree, while skiing, and we should come to Denver. He'd had a seizure on the mountain,  been care flighted, and was in a  medically induced coma...no real prognosis, tests being run to see the extent of injury and whether surgery would be needed, as with most head injuries, time would tell.

Everyone was gathered at our home. Praying, packing, making arrangements, with no assurance  Jeremy would be alive, when we  arrived, thus our long journey began.  I vividly recall my pray of thanksgiving, in the midst of the unknown. Thank you God that you are not a God of fate, tossing us about, but a God that knows. A reassuring truth from God, when the world could offer none, keeping panic at bay during a stormy, over hour long trip to the airport.

During the plane ride, I continued to experience God's presence so strongly, flashing memories like old movies, of Jeremy's life...when he sat in the pastor's study and asked Jesus to be his Savior and explaining, to the preacher, that it meant King of his life...  Then, I pictured  strong hands cupped open, as if holding something fragile and precious, these words falling sweetly on my heart. "Lezlee, I know Jeremy is your son and you love him, but as much as you love him...I love him more! And no matter what happens to him...live or die, I have him right here in the palms of  my hands." I wanted to jump from the  seat and praise the Lord, but instead I turned and shared with William what had  happened. Then, I thanked God and begged God, all in the same breath, for loving my boy and assuring me no matter what, he was in His hands, while pleading... please God don't be preparing me for his death, but thank you God for getting us through anything...

That was the longest walk, to the emergency desk. Asking if, where our son was...

He stayed in the hospital a week, and had to take the semester off school, but has no lingering problems...other than an occasional ache in his shoulder...God loves us, regardless of what the earthly outcome might be, He is still God, no matter what!


I scribbled a journal, during my vigil, by Jeremy's bedside, that week. This was the last entry.




Blessed be the Lord, 
for He has heard the sounds of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield, 
in Him my heart trusts,
so I am helped,
and my heart exalts, 
and with my song I give thanks to Him!

Psalms 28: 6-7




I was concerned about writing this post, knowing some of life's stories have endings I don't understand...endings that try to shatter our faith, but just as God showed me on that plane, He still loves us today, with an unimaginable love and desires to hold us in the palms of His hands...


In His Hands,
Lezlee



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Play Like Tablesetting: The Goblet Cloche

Don't get too "Cloche" to the bear!

 His eyes seem to say, 
"Let me out, I want to go play!"

It fit right in the silver coaster...
THEN
~When Suzette set the bear under there 
we new it was perfect~ 

 May there always be a little rusty bling!

We're still tweaking it, but do you like it so far? 

"Clouching" Time!
(i know dorky, right)

Lezlee
Hey, Don't forget Mindy's Christmas Open House this weekend!



This little bear looking so perfect in his little habitat just tickles me pink...so I'm joining Holly's party!


504 Main

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

" Play Like" Tablesetting...

       First Moma made dolls from bread dough. She called them "well-bread", later after some people were mysteriously eaten by insects, of some sort, she made them of sculpy and changed their names to "play like". Remember when we were kids and we always played like we were someone or played like we were doing something?  Well, I am going to play like I am having a fancy, over the top, rusty, crusty, blingy, totally unreasonable Christmas dinner...just like when we were kids, without the mud pie...maybe.  When explaining it to my sister, I used the grown up word, representation, lol.

Dinner Theme: Wishing You A Season Filled With Memories...                                                                  Old and New!


First the tarnished silver...



held in an old rusty bed spring. The base is made using a galvanized canning jar lid, with porcelain intact. A little nature, with a touch of bling thrown in.  Tattered layers sharing memories of "Prior Lives".

More of the "play like" table setting coming soon! 
A drinking goblet...

"Dinner Time" is 
December 4th, 11:00 ~ 4:00, 
Mabank Christmas Tour!


Making Mud Pies,
Lezlee


Sharing  at Between Naps on the Porch...check it out!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fall Festivities in a Small Town

Mabank has gone all out decorating hay bales ~  
perfectly displaying what small towns are all about!

  Enjoy!


A black cat, but we are the Panthers, too.


This was an insurance company. They all go along with whatever business decorated them.

 a swimming pool company



there are more, but that is enough for now...I think you get the idea!



Mabank is all out festive, and I love it!

Thank you Marilyn Jones for all the pictures!

Falling for Autumn
Lezlee