Freezing Hatch Green Chiles
August is beautiful month. To me it means: Back to school (yay for school supplies!), slightly cooler weather (wishful thinking in Texas, but it DOES mean we're on the road to fall)... and hatch green chiles are in season! I mean, look at these beauties. They're...
Christmas Dinner Centerpiece
This holiday, I went with a slight variation of the centerpiece I used for Christmas dinner last year... I seem to keep getting stuck on using those gorgeous evergreens, hydrangeas (because I love them so much) and my "new" deer figurines. So sue me. Luckily, this...
JOY to You and Yours
As some of you know, this year wasn't exactly my favorite. I lost my beloved Sarah, and that pretty much made me want to skip Christmas altogether (it doesn't help that her birthday is December 28th). Every year I make a photo card with her and Lucy, and I just...
Company coming? Make sure you’re prepared!
I found one of my favorite quotes about hospitality in Food & Wine Magazine, when they interviewed Bronson van Wyck. He said, "Hospitality in its truest form was always about giving respite to travelers. If people have traveled to see you, you want to make it...
I Don’t Do PRETTY Christmas
I would like to be the kind of gal that waits until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas... but since I've been in retail, decorations at home have become less about timeliness and more about a free day to actually put them out! It's a juggle of calendars and...
5 Reasons to Shop Small Today is Small Business Saturday, and I've got 5 reasons why you should "shop small" with businesses like mine (Calligraphy Etc.)! 1. Sometimes Less is More No need to drive all over town or stroll down aisles and aisles in a big store to find...
Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes
First, what the heck is crème fraîche anyway? In a word: Awesomesauce. In reality? It's a "fresh cream" that is naturally soured (not quite as much as sour cream), and contains 30-40% butterfat (yes, I looked it up). The texture is thick, and it has the most...
Toscana Soup
It's no secret, I'm a soup lover, and Toscana soup is definitely in my top three favorites right now (the other two are Chicken Noodle and Egg Drop). It's a go-to pretty much any time of the year (if you like comfort in a bowl like I do). I first fell in love with...
Eggy Avocado Toast
I'm not really a fan of bread in the morning. I don't care for donuts or muffins or pancakes - don't get me wrong, I'll eat them if that's what's available - but it's not my first choice. My first choice will always be eggs. If I could only eat eggs for breakfast,...
When Inspiration Strikes in the Shower
Over the past few months, I've noticed that all of my best ideas seem to happen when I'm in the shower. I've tried a variety of ways to document them -from jumping out of the shower to jot them on a notepad, to writing on the shower door with "bath crayons" to...
Letterpress Stationery Love
I have a confession to make. Although I own a paper and gift store, and I've ordered beautiful, expensive stationery for many many customers... I've never ordered some for myself. I know it's ridiculous, but it seems (and is) such a luxury- and I've never been good...
Milk Jar Collection Storage
Over the past few years, I've become a collector of vintage milk jars (as if I need more quirky items to collect). I started my collection when I went to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for MusicFest several years ago. I just wanted a little souvenir from the local...
Books and Birds Halloween Party
Well, if you've been following along, you may have already seen some of the details from my #booksandbirds Spellbinding Halloween Party a few weeks ago. Here's a quick recap in case you missed all of the little details! Basically, it was literary-themed Halloween...
