Growing Lettuce, Tomatoes and Squash in Texas Garden in March

Shopping in Cultural District of Downtown McKinney Texas

 Shopping in the Cultural District of Downtown McKinney Texas is a hunt for the perfect find for your home.  It's only 38 miles north on 75 and 47 minutes from Dallas.  

Birds and Words offers a feast for the eyes.  The entrance has a hanging bird cage to greet visitors.

Enter the shop and see a hanging light fixture just perfect for any French Country Room. The lamp with curved features adds a interior designer ideas for drawings.

Everything in the store offers a story.  Bees next to flowers makes me think of honey.

Important words to last a life time adorn the spaces of Birds and Words.

Birds and Words a Home Boutique in Downtown McKinney has a welcome mat in front. 

It was established in 2015.

Giant swans say take me home as you visit the space.

If  you want a girls weekend or a wedding reception stay at the McKinney Grand Hotel. The lobby greets you with warm comfy leather chairs to gather with friends and family.

The McKinney Grand Hotel is next to a spa so if your there for a wedding you can get ready next door.

The entrance greets you with an elegant black canopy.

Historic paintings of bison let you know you are still in Texas.

A black bull stands in front of the bank.

A furniture store called Uptown has everything you need to design your living room.

Paintings are for sale to go with colours of your choice.  

A designer will help you make excellent choices.

Look for the perfect purse to go with your new outfit in McKinney Square.

Can't come to Texas without a new pair of designer boots.

Make a stop to find the perfect dress to make you look amazing.  

McKinney Cultural District is worth the visit.  

Estate Sales in Dallas Help You Find Treasures

Estate Sales are a fun way to find treasures.  Dallas has estate sales almost every weekend.  I look up the sales on Wednesday because they usually start Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This French Country table was a treasure for only 98 dollars.  It might be 50 percent off on Sunday.

Cabbage ceramics are a unique gift for a spring table.
 

Unique red lamps make a statement.

Unique figurines are one of a kind.  

Unique headboards with blue bedding make a wonderful asset to your home. 

Coffee tables made of trees provide a place for guests to place their drinks. 

Bring home colourful flowers in a container decorated with flowers.

Ceramic vases for flowers decorated with green and rose can be a treasure for a friend.

Chase lounge with a special pillow can be a wonderful addition to your home.

Mirrors and sculptures can be a fun item to purchase at a Dallas Estate Sale.  You never know what you will find.  Although there are usually photographs of items to give buyers an idea of what they want.

Art Retreat For Watercolour, Acrylic, Ink, Paintings and Photography

 I created an adjoining room to the guest room for an art retreat.  I bring friends over and we paint with a view of birds flying.  I brought in a portable table to display the art to get creative ideas.  I love to paint in the chair my mother recovered for me as a gift with french country fabric.  The leather blue couch we have had for years.  

I'm selling my artwork on Fine Art America.  I love to paint places we have traveled.  I've been taking acrylic and watercolour lessons at our local community college where I have met other artists.  

I painted this watercolour from a trip to Falkland Islands.  There were beautiful farms in the landscape.

I painted the red fox in a snowy landscape with two chickadees talking to each other to pass the time of day.

I give out cards with watercolour paintings to give to others for encouragement.

I painted Lake Houses from Sweden on a cruise to see Scandanavia.  

Two deer in the forest are looking for food on a winter day.

New Mexico has beautiful colors in the Prickly Pear Cactus. 

I painted this watercolour to remind me of trips we took with our sons to Hawaii.  They have amazing beaches for children to play in the sand.

Patagonia Chile has purple mountains with aqua lakes for a refreshing contrast. 

Decorating with a Coastal Theme in a Guest Bedroom

 Decorating with a coastal theme in our guest room is fun.  

I purchased artwork from Hawaii twenty years ago to remind me of past vacations.  

 I added a pillow of a photograph I took from La Jolla Children's Pool from my Fine Art America Collection to add to the coastal theme.

The adjoining bathroom has a photograph I took of Catalina.  It has sailboats of different shapes in the harbor.  Catalina is just an hour and a half boat ride from Long Beach, California.

A towel of a sea turtle hangs in the bathroom for guests to dry their hands.

A cubby in the shower is perfect for bath bomb treats and soaps.  

It's always nice to provide a desk for a guest to do their work.  I added a shelf for photos of past trips to the ocean.  

Dallas Arboretum on Valentine's Day

Fountains gurgle as water drips down the side of the almond ceramic vase.

Water flows from symmetrical shapes to make a refreshing sound.

Ducks are attracted to calm waters on a winter Valentine's Day.

Water flows over limestone rocks as pools collect for birds to take a bath.