Reason for the Season

 The house has to get ready for guests.  This year we have a special guest coming to our house.  The hostess is dressed in Santa's favorite colors, Black and Red.

White lights are the greatest accent to highlight objects in your house.  These are all around the mantel with very special cake plates in a variety of colors.

 Also, when you need just the perfect gift wrap, use lace and beads to tie together.  In this picture, I have used a while lace placemate and a red ruby tassle of beads.

 Don't forget some of those last minute gifts.  These Heritage Lace tea towels and pot holders sell for $8.00 each,  shipping for the month of December, FREE!

New Years Eve, already to celebrate the new year and be so thankful for the blessings upon myself and my family.

Fall Homes

While I am home recooperating, I am very lucky to have these top award winning chefs to prepare my food each day. My husband Jim and son David are doing a great job of keeping up my work at the house. Lucky lady.

Fall is here and nothing gets those creative juices going better than a cup of tea and reading my Romantic Homes magazine. Also be sure to check out the new items with my site at Layla Grayce.

Projects

Labor Day weekend has so many things to choose to do with family and friends! My problem begins with all the projects I want to work on and so little time.

Another way to enjoy this wonderful three day weekend, just stay home, curl up with a good book and some relaxing tea!

Do I go flea market shopping for those special finds that are just begging me to buy them or at least pick them up and hold the item in my hand. I just adore these little hat boxes! So many ways to use them and great gifts.

Do I choose to work on this chair recovering project? I love the chair, but the blue and white is really draw me in. Such peaceful colors.

On any day of this special weekend, I most surely will have a good cup of coffee.

Home Sweet Home Sale

For the month of August, we are having a Home Sweet Home Sale. Just in time to get our homes ready for the beautiful array of fall colors. Shown here are the placemats with the Papika color. Each place mat sells for $6.00.

How can you add beauty to a bouquet of flowers? Just bring some fruit to the table and in the vase. Also add pumpkins and indian corn as center piece settings for fall dining.

This is another warm and fresh wall hanging of Heritage Lace for $20.00 each.

Floating Headboard

Need a vacation? Need to update the beach house bedroom? For some quick and inexpensive change, lood at these two ideas.

Romantic Homes magazine has wonderful articles on relaxing bedrooms. A perfect way to create that floating headboard will be using beautiful lace sheers like these shown here in this photo. Mount curtain rods above the bed and add this refreshing breezy peaceful look.

This headboard treatment has been created with the use of wall hanging plate holders, french bulletin board for refreshing look at travel photos, framed with blue/white/beige decorator fabric and beige tiebacks hung on Restoration Hardware swing out rods.

Summer Decorating

With all the grad parties, a great way to put some drama on the manta is to add black. Shown here is the before.

Now the after. A fun way to dress up the mantle, great with candles galore!

One day this week while coming home in all the rain from Hurrican Alex, this little guy was there in the pool, all alone. I think he was wanting me to join him.

I love summer decorating. Sea glass is always fun to use in your table settings. Shown here are some cute shell shaped dishes.

Cool Colors

I do love those cool colors of red-white and blue. Independence Day is coming up soon. Get the flags out and show honor for our great country we live in and the freedom we have.

Hope you and your families have a great 4th of July.


Shown here are the beautiful cafe style lace curtains. $13.00 a panel.

Heritage Lace Place mats, $6.00 each. Milk glass pieces are also for sale, $14.00 each.

Father's Day

Get ready for Father's Day. Do you have a collector? Does your special person like dinner celebrations?

Shown here is a great selection for the knife collector, all Frost, a well known brand in the industry. $10.00 each, if you need gift wrapping, let us know. Month of June, free shipping.

Marketing Tools

Marketing toos are the best way to get your company name in front of your customer. You may ask, "How can I keep my name in front of the customer after I have made the sale?"

I believe flowers are an excellent way to keep your customer remembering your thoughtfulness, good product and prompt service.

Another way to keep your name in front of your customer is a Thank you note. Or shown here is a T-shirt with your company name on the shirt. These are easy to give away to your customers and are not that expensive of a marketing tool.

A great way to present your business card, slide into a clear bag(which I sell) and include some mints. A sweet way to be remembered by your customer or a new potential customer.

Air Race Classic

This weekend the Houston Chapter 99s(Women's International Pilot Association) will be hosting a Girl Scout Aviation Badge workshop. I love sharing the knowledge of flight! General Aviation has played a very important part in my life growing up and as an adult. At age 23, I worked at the Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri and earned my pilot wings at the same airport.

Today I am writing about a friend of mine, who is about to fly her second time in the Air Race Classic, Linda Street-Ely. Linda is a wife, mother, grandmother, author, pilot and a professional in the corporate world.
Here is Linda demonstrating her love of aviation with the Girl Scouts at a workshop this past December at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum.

This photo shows Linda with Husband, Mike and guest at the Planes and Pasta fundraiser for the 99s at Hooks Airport.

These photos are Linda with her favorite passenger, Mike arriving at the Hobby Airport for a Wings & Wheels function. This year Linda will be flying the Air Race Classic starting June 22, 2010.

If you would like to help with some of Linda's fuel expense, please buy a T-shirt for $10.00 and the shipping is free.

Life on the Road as a Pilot: Your attitude determines your altitude

Life on the Road as a Pilot: Your attitude determines your altitude

Enjoyed your blog. Come by for a visit sometime: www.teatimeconsultants.blogspot.com

Spring Travels

I am so ready for Spring. This week we will be going to our favorite city for some hot beignets at Cafe DuMonde. Since Katrina, we find ourselves constantly checking out the construction or lack of in our city of New Orleans.

Each year at Jazz Fest time we meet up with old friends-for seven years we get to see each other one time a year. It is a great season, just before all the humidty hits and the temperatures start rising. We love Oak Alley, French Quarters all the items reminding us of another time before we were even born.

Last year I enjoyed reading Julia Reed's book The House on First Street. Julia and husband had just moved into the house before the hurricane changed their lives. Now that I have read the book, I want to get to the house in the Garden District to see if it matches her book cover. I love the Garden District, beautiful homes.

I will try not to take so long in between my postings. Hope you have had a chance to check out my new shopping site here. I recently ordered new smocked curtain for the condo. So I will have some photos soon. April was a busy month...taxes, taxes.

Easter

Thank you for stopping by today. I have a nice relaxing treat for you. A wonderful cup of tea!

To start, you need a clean tea pot, fill the kettle with fresh cold water and heat to a boil. Pour the boiling water into the tea pot. Here you can drop you tea flower as shown or use your loose tea leaves to infuse for three to five minutes. Remove the tea.

Indulge, relax and enjoy your exquiste refreshing cup of tea!

You will be able to taste the difference. Just experiment until you find which tea you enjoy the best. I prefer the acai berry. It is a nice herbal with citrus fragrance.

Another favorite of mine are the orange spice tea leaves show here. Of course you can add sugar or as my grandmother did, add cream and lemon.

Take a break this Easter, enjoy your family and treat yourself to a cup of tea.

Spring Chic Decor

This weekend Spring will jum ahead, just like the daylight savings time. Is your house ready for the Spring? Why not give it a quick do over?

Attached is an example of the beautiful linen with daisy detail napkins, what a fresh look for your table. Looks great for those upcoming decorated eggs,Easter grass and colorful baskets.

Need a brush up on the home/office? Why not get in the spirit with the chic decor side of office accessories. These colorful memo pads and letter holders will help organize those tax papers, daily mail or just bill management.

Hope you and your family are planning a wonderful fun upcoming St. Pat's day celebration. I am looking for some St. Pat's day recipes, so if you want to share, please forward to me.