Our French Rock Garden

After years of battling with growing grass in HOT Texas, we finally got rid of it all! Here are the before and after pictures.

Since we started taking out everything might as well build us a real porch.

  Lepi and his father from 817CONSTRUCTION were doing most of the hard, hard labor. I got to do the supervising ;-) and designing lol. However they were awesome guys to work with and were very flexible when it came to my many changes in the design and add-ons. haha.

After being fried in the Texas sun I suggested the guys use the 2 umbrellas we have...and work went so much more smoother...lol.

 Here comes the finished product! After many blisters and sunburns...

I used various pebbles, rock and boulders. Some pavers and retaining wall rock.

 Lepi and his dad - awesome guys. Thank you for making my vision come true! By the way - that huge root...I GOT THAT OUT ALL BY MYSELF! You know that was a battle!

 We chose mostly Texas native plants and lots of herbs like Rosemary, Lavender and Thyme, etc.

 Crepe Myrtles and a beautiful Live Oak in the middle. For ground cover we chose Japanese Jasmine.

 And here is my honey...all happy and celebrating the fact that he does NOT have to mow any more lawns EVER! All he has to do is sit on the porch and smile!

You see what I mean?! He is REALLY rubbing it in!!!! I think he is teasing all the neighbor husbands that are mowing their lawns...lol.

 

All we need now is create shade over our veranda and a couple of rocking chairs. That is the next project.

Love,

Mia

Poetry - Expressions of the heart

I thought it would be nice to mention another form of art. One that has helped ease the mind of troubled souls, expressed love and joy of the things seen or unseen, has been a beautiful way of communication: POETRY! Lets talk a bit about poetry.

Poetry came to me in a time when I was going through a lot of turmoil and heartache. God placed it on my heart to express my inner thoughts and prayers.

 

"No Fear" and "Happenstance" were a couple of those poems.

 



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4813768861559&set=a.1082292096972.2013727.1216423092&type=1&theater

 

 

Happenstance?

My heart is overwhelmed with pain,

Fear of abandonment is driving me insane;

My mind is cluttered with the same thought,

Day and night question after question an answer sought.

Oh my God, I do not understand what has happened!

I need You to speak! Please, have mercy, someone speak!

How can people be so cruel and are able to cause such pain?

It makes me look at life and find it horribly vain.

Yet I must go on living, trying to hold on and believing.

 Oh my God, I do not understand what has happened!

 In so many pieces have I been shattered,

Over and over again tides of rejection have me battered.

When will all this misery end?

How much more can I be stretched and bend?

  Oh my God, I do not understand what has happened!

 Please, Lord, help me, help me fast!

I am sore afraid that the life in me will not last.

Presently surrounded by thoughts of despair,

I could not hope, I would not dare.

Love seems to stand afar in the distance,

My Father, I am calling on You, for Your assistance!

Oh my God, I do not understand what has happened!

---------------

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you:

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned;

Nor shall the flame scorch you”

Isaiah 43:2

 To His Majesty,

 

And here are some other famous sayings and poems;

 

 

 

 

 

Today I want to encourage you to use your words in your art. And make art out of your words!

 

Happy writing and creating!

 

I love you all,

 

Mia

 



 



Glitter, Books and Burlap Dreams

It has been a long time since I got a breather to make a blog entry.

I have been sqeezing all the creative energy out for this coming holiday season. My studio was not enough room, so it trickeled out into the kitchen, too.

I am decoupaging Christmas balls and books. Tea staining book pages and more. 

                        

My kitchen was all filled with book pages everywhere. Either wet, dry or about dry. And the house had the aroma of baking cookies or something like that. Since I was baking paper in the oven. Haha. I almost fooled my husband thinking that I got an early Christmas baking tic. LOL

Well, here are some of the finished creations. And I am long from being finished.

 

Now I am ready to go and make some more.

Be inspired. Be creative.

I love you,

 

Mia

Architectual Upcycling!

I love to re-use raw material like frames of French doors, windows, random wood pieces, drawers, fabric and glass, etc...etc. Not only does it make my creative side grow but it saves the the mount of stuff goes on the landfill! It is so exciting to see what a particular item will turn out to be. I never know until I am done with it.

Look at some of these great finds:

There are so many endless ideas to make to reality. Well, here are some of the best I have come accross!

Now I need to go and tackle some of my raw materials. I will post pictures later. Join me on my facebook page to stay updated on all the finished pieces. www.facebook.com/simplyparis4701





Love and kisses,

Mia

Kitchen remodel from Retro Cafe to Cottage Chic!

A week or so ago we decided to sell our 1950's dining room table and chairs. Due to my kitchen nook being too small for it. And it actually sold...;-)

As we brainstomed what size and type of table we wanted, we came to the decision to change the whole kitchen from retro to totally cottage chic. With a $500 budget and 4 days available here is the transformation.

Thanks to the Vineyard's Antique mall (buffet $200), Lowe's (paint $80 and chandelier $96) and some friends (pedestal table $75, chairs $40) we found everything we needed inside our budget.

  

 The old chandelier.       The new chandelier.

The 1950's table and do you see all the red, purple and green? Yeah, that was the reason for the primer we had to use on all the walls.

 Pedestal table was a white with pine color on the top and now grey, aqua and light grey.

 This cabinet was bleach white and thanks to my husband it has this adorable shade of grey.

 The door is aqua with shades of grey and chalkboard paint.

 We painted the bottom kitchen cabinets from white to shades of grey. Oh, did I mention we had to repaint the kitchen cabinets because the first color of grey looked dark and gloomy.

We woke up the next morning after painting them and we both looked into the kitchen and to each other and we said that color got to go! My hubby said ;"they looked like the Army barracks green"

Even the chairs got painted from a brown chenille to a light beige. The only thing I need to add is a skirt made from painter's drop cloth.

We completed the job just in the nick of time!

Let's rest from all the painting, sanding, cleaning,..

Love,
Mia