Category / Texas Lovely

by Bethe

Thankful

I am thankful for cool breezes and open windows and the ability to sit and work on my back porch with a new album (Imagine Dragons) playing in the background.

I am thankful to have gotten to spend the morning with girlfriends, eating girly food and wearing sparkles and pointy heels. Sometimes it’s nice to feel glamorous, even if just for a Saturday morning wedding shower.

I am thankful for Mr. Right who took me on one of my favorite dates last night. We’ve found a hole-in-the-wall sushi place that we have made “our place,” and paired with a movie it provides for the perfect, no-stress Friday night date night. Avocado and cream cheese and shrimp tempura and snuggles from my man have a special place in my heart.

I am thankful for a good night’s sleep.

I am thankful that our sweet little nephew Jack is doing so well in the NICU. Feel free to say a prayer for him this morning.

I am thankful for new seasons, not only with weather but also with work. Mr. Right’s last day at the church was last Sunday and it has been exciting to see him spend this first week studying so hard for his real estate license. I am praying for refreshment and new opportunities for the both of us.

I am thankful for the way God has already blessed my little shop and given me the opportunity to stretch my creative muscles in a way that is really good for me. And I am thankful for friends and family who have been so encouraging during this process.

I am thankful for a God who is sweet, even in times of waiting, and resting, and hoping.

I. Am. Thankful.

by Bethe

Yellow & Gray Chevron Baby Quilt

Goodness knows I love yellow and gray – they’re the colors I used for my wedding, and the colors I’ve used for my never-ending yo yo quilt. And so of course when I stumbled across this fabric, I just HAD to make a quilt with it.
Oh yeah, and I’m obsessed with chevron. It was a match made in heaven.

I’ve never pieced a back before, but for some reason the mood struck me (and I was trying to save a little of that gorgeous gray and white fabric), and I love the way this turned out. I may have to do this with my other quilts since I (a) stink at math and always have pieces left over, and (b) it makes me happy, and quilting should ALWAYS make you happy.

I never sell my quilts – they take so much time and energy (and materials) that I only make them as gifts. Until now. If you’d like your very own Texas Lovely original quilt, then head on over to my little shop and make this girl’s day.

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.
by Bethe

My life verse

Most people know that I LOVE scripture, like LOVE it. What better way for a weak-hearted girl to be tough and bold and confident than to have scripture to rattle off during life’s most worrisome moments? And one of my very favorite scriptures in the whole entire world is Jeremiah 32:27 because it reminds me that NOTHING I encounter is too big for my God.
No trial will ever worry him.
No challenge will ever overpower him.
No sickness will ever be more than he can heal.
No unexpected crisis will ever catch him by surprise.
If you’d like a copy for yourself, visit my shop over at Etsy – Texas Lovely.

by Bethe

Last-chance sale

You guys sure know how to make a girl blush. I’ve had so much interest in my little shop, Texas Lovely, and I am having an absolute BLAST fulfilling orders! My special buy-one-get-one-free sale on all of my scripture art ends tomorrow (Friday) at midnight, so if you have your eye on something and want to get an extra piece free to give as a gift, be sure to place your order.

I have been a busy girl… stay tuned for pictures of TWO new baby quilts – one for my brand-new nephew Jack, and one that’s going up in my shop. That is, unless I decide to keep it for myself – the more I look at it the more I love it, so I’d better finish it and list it before I change my mind.

by Bethe

Stability


Y’all, I don’t like change. It stinks. I also don’t like it when I lose control. When life throws me things that I wasn’t expecting, when my little world that I’ve so carefully crafted gets turned upside down. It’s the pits, I tell you.

I bet you can relate.

Which is why I ADORE this verse. Like, I love it so much I might get it tattooed on my forehead. It’s that great. But since I’m too much of a whimp to get a tattoo, instead I made it into a poster, which I plan to proudly display in my bedroom next to the place where I have my morning Bible study.

Life may get crazy, y’all, but I am thankful that my God can provide me with the stability that nobody and nothing else can seem to offer.

To purchase this or other scripture art, check out my online store, Texas Lovely. Remember, I’m offering a buy-one-get-one-free until the end of August so you can keep one for yourself and bless someone else who might be in need of a little love.

by Bethe

Friday needs a little sunshine

As a young child, my parents used to sing this song to me, so as an adult this song still makes me feel warm and fuzzy and safe. (No, not fuzzy because I forgot to shave my legs – the good kind of fuzzy.)
And so what better way to celebrate the end of a gorgeous, sunshiney end-of-summer week in Texas but to add this new poster to my Etsy shop.

Don’t forget – until the end of August I’m offering a buy-one-get-one-free on all posters, so you can keep one for yourself and bless someone else with an unexpected gift.

And PS–my sister posted a blog about the birth story of her miracle baby. If you need a good happy cry, go pay her a visit to see how she got her baby even though doctors said it wasn’t possible.

by Bethe

First Sale

I did it! I sold my first pillow. Two, actually, to one of my sweet relatives in Oklahoma. Today on my lunch break I dropped her package off at the post office and just like that, I’m in business.
I wish you could have seen how excited I was when I found out I’d made my first sale. I squealed, and smiled a big smile and basically skipped over to Mr. Right to tell him my good news. If you ever happen to purchase one of my pillows, just know that you’ll be making this girl’s day, and there will definitely be squeals in your honor.
Here’s the pillow Aunt Ginger bought:
Ruffle Pillow
I love these because they’re neutral enough to go with just about anything, and the ruffles create such a gorgeous, girlie texture without being too loud. I will quickly replace these now that they’re sold out, along with a two-toned variation that I think is going to be really chic. 
I also made two pillows out of Ethan Allen fabric samples – I love these pillows because they’re quilted (right now I’m not selling full quilts because the cost is so high that I’d have to charge a ridiculous price to cover my costs – which I’m just not ready to do). So if you’re in the market for a Texas Lovely quilt, then these are a great start – not only are they one-of-a-kind, shabby chic, but the striped pillow has some really fabulous texture combinations – velvet and fuzzy and slick and ribbed fabrics. It’s just… interesting. I like pops of the unexpected in my house.
This one reminds me of the beach…
14×14 Quilted Pillow

This one has some really gorgeous fabrics, with each triangle is individually quilted.

14×14 Quilted Pillow
Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about my little shop (and this little blog) – soon I’ll be doing a give-away to say a proper thank you.
Until then, have a lovely day.
by Bethe

The longest day EVER

Yesterday I worked a full, action-packed day, then had a full extra day to go shopping and hang out and sew. How?

Well, that’s what happens when your day starts at 2:00 a.m. and goes until 10:00 p.m. And that’s why I don’t have a job in morning radio.

Okay, full disclosure – there’s several other reasons why I don’t have a job in morning radio. Like, nobody has asked me. And my voice isn’t that great. But I think the number one reason will always be that I don’t want to set my alarm for 1:55 a.m. ever again.

We hosted the area’s most popular news/talk morning show at the hospital on Friday, and it was one of the most fun experiences of my PR career. I work with a lot of reporters and producers, and this team was probably the greatest I’ve ever worked with. Everybody was professional, but laid-back, ON TIME, no drama, and delivered much more than they promised. It was a really fantastic experience.

It’s also very strange to have a conversation with someone who has an iconic voice that you’ve heard on the radio for years – it’s kind of like their lips are moving but the sound doesn’t match up.
After putting in a full 8-hour day, I went home and crashed for two glorious hours, then woke up and it was only 1:00, which left me feeling like I’d somehow snagged an extra 3-day weekend for myself. What a treat.
And what did I do with my spare time? Sew pillows of course – you can check out the new additions in my shop. I also picked up the rest of the fabric so I can finally start my nephew Jack Henry’s baby quilt. I’m down to just two months until his arrival so it’s time to get scootin’. His mama (my sister-in-law) picked out a couple fabrics she loved and I’m supplementing – can’t wait to share it with you. I’ve changed my mind a dozen times on the pattern, but in the end went with a slight variation of what I had wanted to do all along. I can’t wait to start cutting.
by Bethe

Etsy Shop NOW OPEN

I’m happy to announce that my little etsy shop is officially open for business. It’s super small and I’m still working on some new products, but I’m doing a very soft launch to work out the kinks.
First off – the name & logo:
Link to Texas Lovely on Etsy

I chose Texas Lovely because it’s just pretty, and made me smile, and is, well, lovely. And I hope that I’m a lovely person. Who makes lovely pillows, and quilts, and things that make me smile. If you’d like something to make you smile, let me know and I’ll be happy to custom create something for you.

Right now I’m working on some quilted pillows which should be in the shop very soon, made from scraps of Ethan Allen fabrics. They’re so cute, I may snag them for my own couch.

In the meantime, head on over to my shop and see if anything interests you.