Category / art

by Bethe

Shop Update & 30,000 Hits!

Every time there’s a change in seasons, it’s a great excuse to do a little house cleaning, change out the wardrobe, and freshen things up. And maybe it’s because I’m finishing up one job and getting excited to start a new one, but I just felt like it was time to freshen up the shop a bit too.

I’m happy to show you a few new prints, plus a few more that are perfect for this time of year. Such an inexpensive way to update your home. Click on the image to be linked back to the item in my shop.

with thanksgiving

You know I love bunting. And scripture. And making a joyful noise (emphasis on the noise part). This print makes my heart happy and will be making its debut in my home this fall. This would make a wonderful hostess gift for that relative hosting Thanksgiving this year.

Rise and Shine

Speaking of bunting – this is one of the songs I sing to Wrenn in the mornings. I sing to her all the time because she smiles up at me and gets so excited. And so I do it all the time. This print is in her honor.

Family Tree 8x10-gray-yellow

I decided to bring back one of my best-selling custom prints ever – the family tree print. But now, the colors and SIZE are fully customizable (hooray!). I’m only offering it as a digital download, which means I can offer it at a better rate and YOU can print it to whatever size you’d like. A 5×7 and a 16×20 cost the same. Wouldn’t this be cute on the sign-in table at a wedding, or given as an anniversary present? Last year I had one customer purchase a print for every couple in her family, wrapped them and put them under her tree for Christmas morning. I wish I could have been there when they all opened it!

adventures - bicycles2

Mr. Right and I love our matching cruiser bicycles and regularly take them out on picnics along Trinity Trail. Or, that is, until we got pregnant and had Little Bit – now it’s time to invest in one of those bike trailers so that little Wrenn can hitch a ride on our little adventures. This print is available for a digital download and I can customize the wording to anything you’d like.

thankful2

And of course, don’t forget about my other fall/Thanksgiving print – it’s an old favorite that is perfect for a fall mantle.

Also, as promised – I’m doing a fun give-away next week in honor of my 30,000th hit on the blog this year. You won’t want to miss it – it involves clothes, and who doesn’t need something new and cute every once in awhile?

————————————————-

Other places you can find Texas Lovely:
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/texaslovelyshop
On Instagram: texas_lovely
On Etsy

by Bethe

New in the shop – Ruffle Butt Onesies & a New Print

I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for a baby with a ruffle butt. I just can’t help myself (also – that smile! makes a mama melt)…

ruffle butt

Which is why I’ve decided to make a few ruffle butt onesies for the shop. These particular onesies are size 0-3 months made of organic cotton and perfect for a baby gift for that next shower. I added a few yo-yo’s to the front because besides chevron and ruffles, well, yo-yo’s are one of my favorite things.

turquoise

(link to listing in the shop)

yellow gray

(link to listing in the shop)

Everything on the onesie has finished edges, which means no fraying. If these sell quickly, I’ll be adding some more, but they’ll be slightly more expensive.

Also, if you’re in the market for a baby gift, don’t forget this print, which is available for instant download (which means no waiting for shipping):

Quiver Full2

Now excuse me while I go kiss on my baby model some more…

by Bethe

Be joyful in hope

About a week ago, during one of my many hormone-induced tearful meltdowns, Mr. Right kept asking me what was wrong, what I was upset about, and I couldn’t even verbalize it.

In our house, we call that fracturing from reality.

Does that mean I’ve officially punched my ticket to the crazy train? When you’re sobbing and you can’t even explain why you’re upset? How do you give words to that crazy cocktail of fear and nausea and exhaustion and frustration with not feeling like yourself for ten weeks in a row. And I think there may have been a discussion about childcare in there somewhere (which I can’t think about right now – it’s too hard).

And then, as Mr. Right did his best to talk me off of my cliff and bring me back to reality, he did that thing that drives me crazy in the moment (pitfalls of marrying a minister) but really gets me thinking later. My husband is incredibly wise.

He asked me to tell him one thing God has been teaching me through all this.

Which is totally the right question – how has He redeemed the past ten weeks of nausea and complications and sitting on my couch watching 13 seasons of Law & Order SVU while sipping on red Gatorade?

What made it worse was that I had no good answer. I don’t know. I can’t see it yet. After being so sick as a newlywed, I was able to look back and see so many things God taught me. But right now? Right now I just can’t see past right now.

It may take awhile to be able to answer that question. But in the meantime, I will choose to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.  And Baby Right, as tough as this is, you’re worth it.

Scripture print available here

by Bethe

New Texas Lovely Print

I’ve been busy hibernating (and staring blankly at the television) and haven’t had much time to create anything, but today I was inspired to try something new. As I start to think about new, fresh art for our nursery and the rest of our home, I thought that this is a verse that I definitely want celebrated in my house, as a reminder of who we serve.

Available here

by Bethe

Etsy Shop Update – Thanksgiving & Christmas lovelies!

I’m trying hard not to just pimp my shop on my blog. That wasn’t the purpose of this blog and never will be. But it’s also a big part of my life right now (and with launching Mr. Right’s real estate business, a huge help financially), so I want to be sure to remind you that it’s there.

I only have a few Thankful prints left. Once they’re sold out, I probably won’t print any more until next fall. So if you’ve had your eye on this for a little while, be sure to pick it up before it sells out!

I can’t believe it, but we’re going to blink and it will be Christmas. I’ve still got some hand-sewn Christmas cards available in the shop (only available through Nov. 15, then I’m discontinuing them), but I also have these new photo cards if you prefer something a little more economical. Just click on the picture to link to the shop listing.

With these photo cards, you can either purchase the art file, ready to send to your printer, for just $20, or for an additional cost (and if you don’t want to mess with finding a printer and envelopes), I will be happy to print them for you (prices range from $1.20-$1.50 each, including envelopes, depending on quantity ordered). If you have questions, just leave me a message in the comments section of this blog post.

 Also, I am offering a limited number of custom Christmas card designs. Price will be $50 for the design, plus the cost of printing if you want me to print them for you. If you’re interested, just leave me a message in the comments section of this blog post.

And finally, I’m working on a Christmas quilt or two that will end up in the shop. Follow me on Instragram (@texas_lovely) to see sneak preview pictures. The last few quilts I made were “sold” before I ever listed them in the shop because folks saw it on Instagram and staked their claim. I’m perfectly happy to pre-sell again, so let me know if you’re interested in having a warm Texas Lovely Christmas quilt in your home!

Love you all, my friends!

by Bethe

Yellow & gray diamond baby quilt

My wedding colors were yellow and gray. My shop branding is yellow and gray. My never-ending yo yo quilt I’m making myself is yellow and gray. My last baby quilt was yellow and gray. My “You are my Sunshine” print is designed in yellow and gray. (Come to think of it, so is this one and that one).

So I’m sure you’re totally surprised that I finished yet ANOTHER yellow and gray baby quilt. What can I say? Those colors make me happy! And quilting is supposed to make you happy, which is why I keep going back to it. There will probably be more gray and yellow quilts in my future.

Say hello to my yellow and gray diamond baby quilt.

I continued with my streak of triangle quilts. As you can see there are so many different ways to arrange them to make them look completely different.

I didn’t have enough of that gorgeous gray fabric to finish the back, so I added two rows of patchwork squares with the same fabric as the front. I bound it with a retro yellow and gray border featuring tiny tulips. I’ve got a little bit leftover and can’t wait to use it again, it’s one of my new favorites.

I love how well you can see the quilted design on the back – such pretty diamonds!

I hand-bound the whole thing, which took me more hours than I’d like to admit (okay, at least 10), but it was worth it because of the delicate, clean lines it created.

This quilt is going to one of my Baylor Theta sisters, Amy, who just had another baby girl. I love getting to see babies use my quilts, as that’s what they’re created for – to be loved on, cuddled with, drug all over the house, and otherwise USED. I hope Baby Lily Reese gets much enjoyment over the next few years out of her little yellow and gray piece of my heart.

Stay tuned for ANOTHER quilt post TOMORROW. Yea!

by Bethe

Summer – what an adventure

Available in my Texas Lovely shop
What an amazing summer. I think every summer is wonderful but this one was particularly great – Mr. Right and I got to enjoy a carefree couple of months that didn’t involve much travel or any major projects (except for the patio) and it allowed us to just LIVE.
We did pretty well on our summer bucket list, but we also lived some unexpected adventures. We built a patio and the world’s largest urban vegetable garden (or so it seems). I started a new business. Mr. Right changed careers. We got not one but TWO handsome little nephews. 
It was definitely an adventure.
So without further delay, here is my FINAL tally of our Second Annual Summer Bucket List Success:
Eat dinner on a patio
Have a picnic on Trinity Trail
Learn to bake a pie 
Take a moonlit walk with Mr. Right on the beach
Wear shorts and heels
Ride my bike
Plan a secret date for Mr. Right

Hold my new nephew
Go to a Rangers Game
Kiss Mr. Right while watching fireworks
Learn to sew something new
Finish my husband’s quilt
Host a dinner party
Dip my toes in the ocean
Marry off my dear friend Katie
Do something spontaneous
Get a mentor
Cook with vegetables from our garden
Get a pedicure
Eat a sno-cone
Take a road trip (We just barely squeezed this in – a last-minute trip to Midland to meet our nephew)
Make one of the recipes from my Pinterest board
Eat a candlelit dinner at home
Finish writing Chapter 1 of my book

Visit a state park

Take a photography class
Go to a museum
Pre-plan all my meals for one week
Go to a festival
Dance with Mr. Right in the kitchen
Finish making the Christmas wreaths for my mantle

Get a new dog
Have a fish fry
And that, my friends, is the Summer of 2012 in a nutshell. I am actually quite proud that I didn’t accomplish ALL of my goals, because one thing my mentor told me was that I tend to put too much pressure on myself – I’m a perfectionist, and frankly it’s exhausting. So it’s sort of a relief that I left a few adventures to be had this fall, which officially starts tomorrow, or maybe whenever that Texas heat dips below 100 again, and I get to debut my beloved fall boots. 
Then again, we Texas girls tend to dress for fall long before the weather requires it.
To purchase this piece of art or any others, visit Texas Lovely on Etsy.