the glittered nest

Subscribing

I just want to remind everyone if you want to continue receiving updates on posts on my new website: glitterednest.com, you must go there and re-subscribe. Have a wonderful day! Terri

Moving

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to let you know my blog has officially moved to :

glitterednest.com

Thank you for all of the loving support you have shown me over the years. I will continue to bring you inspiration at my new site! This will be my last post here on Typepad.

I have also created a new blog for the Austin Ridge Mops...check it out for more creativity and spiritual conversations and support. If you have never heard of MOPS and are a mother of a preschooler you must take a look for a nearby group in your area. This amazing group of women have changed my life!

Happy Fall!

Halloween Candy Bar

 
You will love this new graphics designer: Anders Ruff Custom Designs. Right now they are giving 40% off their designs on Etsy.

I love the look of the cob webs above the table.  You can achieve this look by simply buying cheescloth instead of spider web material.  I personally drape cheesecloth all over my house to make it look like an old Haunted House. 

 
 
 Can you tell I can't wait to start decorating!!!

Holiday Cookies

 
 
 
  

Large Spider Web cookies with fondant spider- 4.00 each

 

Box of 4 assorted(ghost, cat, pumpkin and bat)- 10.00 each box

Please order one week before delivery.

Contact me at : [email protected]

Special orders are welcome!  Happy Holidays!

Amazing Community

     
 This image is from Deanna Roy .

These were several fires at once over Labor Day Weekend.

We are part of such an amazing community!

Thank you for your prayers!

Yesterday Austin Christian Fellowship church and Hill Country Bible rallied together bags of food and water for EVERYONE in Steiner Ranch. 

When  a young kid came to our door with a bag we said that we were fine and weren't one of the victims of the fire.  The boy said they were handing it out to everyone to welcome them back home.

They also brought in flat beds and picked up our spoiled foods for us.

Our hearts go out to the families who lost their homes in Steiner Ranch and all around Austin.

  
The community is really coming together with items for the victims everywhere in Austin.

Here's how to help:

Make a cash donation to the Red Cross of Central Texas, who can most effectively use the money to get needed supplies and assistance: http://t.co/LoDBLXC

Most needed: bottled water, canned food, baby food, clothes, socks, dog & cat food, crates, litter

If you want to drive things out, take them to:

Rundell Business Park: 704 W Highway 71 Bastrop 78602 call: 512-332-8661

Places in town to bring things:

• The Thrift Shop at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is accepting donations for victims. The shop at 2008 Justin Lane will take donations of clothing, housewares and toiletries, which will be taken to distribution centers.
• .
• Collections are also being taken in the Liberty Hill area. You can call Chuck Licata at 512-466-7751 to help.
• Anyone in Hays County hoping to volunteer or donate water and food for firefighters or evacuees can contact Volunteer Coordinator Lidia Contreras at 512-393-7302.
• The OASIS on Lake Travis has announced it will be a drop off point for the Austin/Bastrop fire victims. The restaurant is accepting donations as well as water, work gloves, toiletries, non-perishable food items, clothing, trash bags, and flash lights with batteries. Boxes and donation jars will be in the lobby area starting Monday afternoon.
• The Austin Disaster Relief Network is currently assisting victims of the fires. Organizers say donations of food and clothing can be taken to any local food bank or charity.
• Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc. Disaster Response (LSSDR)is accepting monetary donations for the fire victims here: www.lsss.org/give-now
• Cash donations should be made directly to the Red Cross of Central Texas.
• Foundation Christian Ministries in Cedar Creek is setting up a donation/supply center on its campus located at 177 Union Chapel Rd. E., Bastrop, TX 78602.
• Catholic Charities of Central Texas will accept donations for wildfire victims on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Donations can be brought to the Diocese of Austin Pastoral Center at 6225 Highway 290 East from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Donations will also be accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catholic Charities of Central Texas in Austin at 1817 East Sixth Street. Organizers are asking for donations of the following items:
• Medical Supplies
  • BP Cuff
  • Nebulizer
  • Thermometer
  • Glucometer
  • Pen lights
  • Tongue Depressors
  • Ibuprofen
  • Gauze Wrap
  • ACE Bandages
  • Neosporin Cream
  • Bandages
• Other Supplies:
  • Sleeping Bags
  • Blankets
  • Pillows
  • Towels
  • Shampoo
  • Body wash
  • Toothpaste
  • Paper Plates, Cups, Napkins, Plastic Utensils
  • Deodorant Sprays for men and women
  • Disposable Razors
  • Shaving Cream
  • Baby Wipes
  • Size 4 Diapers
  • Baby Shampoo
  • Sanitizer
• Donations can be taken to the Click Computers of Georgetown store, located at 1102 S Austin Ave, Suite 109, Georgetown, TX through Friday, Sept. 16.
• The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is requesting assistance in the following ways: Financial donations to CAFB can be made at www.austinfoodbank.org. Funds raised will go directly to helping CAFB in this disaster response.  The relief effort will be long-term and monetary donations will be necessary for many months.

  CAFB food donations can be made at the following locations:

• CAFB warehouse located at 8201 S. Congress Avenue, Austin , TX 78745 (8-5 p.m. or leave in boxes on dock outside of those hours)North Donation Spots for CAFB
• Georgetown – Caring Place at 2000 Railroad St., Georgetown, TX 78627 — 512-869-473
• Round Rock Serving Center at 1099 East Main St., Round Rock, TX 78664 — 512-244-2431
• SVDP Round Rock — 620 Round Rock West -Round Rock, TX 78681 — 512-255-2330
• To hold a food drive at your workplace, school, church etc., CAFB has large food donation boxes available for pick up at their warehouse. Once filled please return to CAFB or call 512-282-2111 to arrange for a pick up.Most desired food donations are healthy, non-perishable items such as:

  -       Water, Gatorade

  -       Ready to eat meals preferably with pull up or pop tops, e.g. chili, stew, canned pasta w/sauce

  -       Single serving snacks such as protein or granola bars

  -       Lunchables or other single serving foods that do not require refrigeration

  -       Diapers

  -       Baby formula

• Other locations taking donations:

350 Discovery Blvd in Cedar Park

Paul Mitchell The School: 15635 Vision Drive, Ste 107, Pflugerville

Hill Country Bible Church: 12124 Ranch Road 620 North, Austin

Catholic Health Association: 6225 E. Highway 290

St. Williams Catholic Church in Round Rock

 

Steiner Ranch Fires

 
Photo from ynn.com

This amazing site above is from our neighborhood: Steiner Ranch.

We are one of the 40 fires across Central Texas on Sunday, September 4th, 2011.

My family is safe and we evacuated early so we were not one of the many who were in gridlock for an hour just trying to reach our main road to get out.

We are praying for everyone in our area and surrounding areas that they are safe and stay out of harm's way.  We especially pray for the brave firefighters who are trying to put these fires out and risking their lives for our lives and our homes.

Most of my family were frantically running through our house grabbing clothes, toiletries, leaving most of our sentimentals...but grabbing golf clubs, UT longhorn tickets(my husband did grab our valuable documents after those items...ha ha). Funny what you do in a time of panic.  I grabbed dressy clothes but forgot pajamas!

My son(who is five) was sitting on the stairs watching us run through the house with his hands in prayer position saying:

"Please God keep us safe and please make it rain".

His first thought was to pray and then grab his toys. 

This is when you stop and realize who is in charge and to turn to in a time of panic:

GOD.

And my five year old had a direct line to God that day and was trying to protect us in the only way he knew how.

This is an image that I will always remember and always keep with me in any time of panic or distress.

I thank God for my family and my life today.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Ribbon Rose Tutorial

Stop and Smell the Roses

or

Make some of your own!

 

If you love ribbon like I do, then you will love this easy tutorial on how to make ribbon roses!

I don't know about you but I could wander through a craft store looking at the spools of satin ribbon and dream of ways to use them.  I would love to go to Tinsel Trading in New York one day and just look at all the beautiful antique ribbons they sell.

I looked for ribbon tutorials on the internet and found so many of them to be too difficult or time consuming.  I finally found this easy and quick way to make a rose and use it as a pin to go in the hair, on a package or on a shirt. The ribbon I am using is a 3 1/2 inch wide French Taffeta.  I love it so much I used it on a pillow in my bedroom and added a little hair clip from The Iron Gate in Franklin!

 
Materials you will need for the rose tutorial:

wire edge ribbon(any size will do but I like using a thicker width so I can play with the petals a little more)

scissors

matching thread and needle

burlap and a litte fabric for a backing

E600 glue

Pin or clip backing(Michaels or Hobby Lobby)

1. First cut out a petal shape from whatever heavy fabric to hold the roses securely.  I chose burlap but you could easily use a heavy felt. 

 

 

2.  Cut a 12 inch strip of ribbon for a large rose and tie a knot on one end.  This is where you will start wrapping your rose. 

3.  On the opposite end of where you tied a knot, pull the wire until you have the ribbon bunched as much as possible. Leave the wire hanging because you will use this to secure the rose once finished.
 
 
This is what it will look like once you have pulled the wire  bunched the ribbon as far as it can go.

4.  Next take the knotted end and wrap the ribbon with the bunched end facing down around the center of the knot. Don't worry too much about the shape of the petals yet.  You can pull and fluff them once you are done wrapping.

5.  Once you have the ribbon wrapped all around the knot, take the wire that is hanging and use it to wrap the base of the flower to hold it together.  
 
Here is a finished rose.  Can you just see 10 or so of these little roses glued to the base of a lamp shade for a little girls room?  If so, stop here and just go for it.  If you want to use it on a package or even on the top of some fabulous high heels then move on to next step.

The only thing that would make this look even better is an antique rhinestone cloche glued to the center of the rose!

6.  I decided to secure it to the burlap with a few simple stitches before gluing onto the pin just to make sure it would not unravel. Since sewing is not my strong suit I took a piece of fabric and glued it over the back of the burlap so you couldn't see my mess of stitching before gluing to the pin.

 
7.  The last step is to glue the pin to the back of the fabric with E600.  This is the best glue for this project and will keep the pin in place. 

 How easy was that?  After you make your first one, you will be hooked and want to find ways to use these pretty roses!

 
 

 


 

 

The Art of Giving

"When I give, I give Myself"

Walt Whitman

Life is crazy busy and it is so easy to forget the little things like inviting a friend over for coffee even if it means your house is not perfectly clean and you have laundry sitting in three baskets with good intentions(yes, embarrassingly enough this is me).

How about making(or buying) some muffins with your children and walking them over to a neighbor?

I have been reading a book titled "Lifegiving" by Tammy Maltby and it has reminded me that God has made women to be unique and beautiful spirits.  We have the gift of sharing our souls, our laughter and our homes.  We are designed to enrich the life of others around us through comforting acts of kindness and hospitality. 

My mother n law is a Lifegiving women and loves to make these strawberry preserves and give them as gifts.  When I visit I am always secretly hoping she has made a batch of this ruby red goodness!  Have you ever known a friend who makes you feel better just being around her?  You feel accepted and loved NO MATTER WHAT?  You want to go to her home not because it is fancy but because you feel her kind spirit and love when you walk through the door?

Think about being a lifegiving woman this week.  How can you spread the love God has given us unconditionally to another?  I would love to hear how you like to give! The recipe below is from one of my favorite bloggers: Elyse of Tinkered Treasures

Just enough Strawberry Preserves

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled, and sliced or chopped
2.5 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
Less than a pinch of salt

In a pot, combine the strawberries, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil and cook, stirring frequently for 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool and serve. Keep refrigerated. Probably keeps up to 1 week (if it lasts that long)

 
 

Learning to Pray

 CONFESSION:

I'm not very good at praying. 

How silly does that sound?  Is there anyone out there in blog land that feels the same way? I have wanted to post on this subject for a while now but embarrassed to actually type these words out.

Is there anyone out there that would rather run a 5K in the Texas heat than pray out loud in front of a group for fear of not saying the right thing like me?  Do you have a specific time you pray so you don't forget to?  Our dinner prayer is: God is Great, God is Good, let us thank him for our food"...seriously it's time for me to break out and really talk to God and teach my children to connect with him in their own way.

Why is  praying out loud so hard? 

I recently went to the MOPs international conference where I attended a session on "the melody of prayer".  Jonalyn Grace Fincher was our speaker and I encourage you to click on the link to follow her blog.  She was such a nice and calming spirit to listen to in the midst of a large conference when we were on the go from session to session. 

Her tips for prayer were simple:

You can find peace in nature and music to help keep you centered on God. Jonalyn says to pay attention to things you naturally notice in life and start praying about those things.

 I don't know about you but I often have little thoughts creep in like...Dear God, thank you for giving me my health today(oh gosh...did I start the dishwasher before I left home) also thank you for giving me strength to keep calm when my 5 year old wrote with a sharpie all over my cabinets today(oh yeah...that really happened!)

I find myself picturing something happy and calming when I talk to God:

 
My favorite summer vacation with my family is always at the beach.  This is what I like to picture.

Sometimes late at night I will play a sound machine of the ocean and pray.

Familiar or favorite smells also help me feel calm and ready to pray.  I like to light a candle when I want to connect to God or just center myself when life gets crazy and fast moving. 

What centers you as a prayerful woman, mother, child of God?

When I hear beautiful worship music at church on Sunday it always makes me feel like the gap from this world to god is a little bit closer (which can be hard considering the place we all live in these days).

This will be an ongoing journey for me and I would love to hear your thoughts on prayer and what helps you to make the connection.

 

The Knot Austin Event

 
The Knot and Events by Decisions hosted a beautiful wedding vendor event at the Vista on Steward Hill Tuesday night.  I went and oogled over all of the desserts on this amazing dessert bar by Stardust pastry.  The three tiered rice crispie cake was a fun focal point for the whimsical bar studded with novels and trays of wine corks and fancy tea cups. 

 
I love this idea of using paper from novels to make flowers and cover the base of the cake.

 
This table had a very "Anthropologie" feel with the use of books and the wine cork displays.

Even  Summer Pruett of Stardust Pastry carried a wine cork tray with little shot glasses of white russian with a chocolate chip cookie sitting on top! Save up those wine corks for some whimsical ways of showing off your food for your next party at home!

 
 
I love the way they wrapped these peaches and added string.  They were sitting in a wood tray from Target(I only know that b/c I have that tray!!!!)

Here is another fun use of rice crispies with a little peach on top.

 
Here are little take away treats tied with red and white baker's twine.

 
Cookie pops with cute little hearts.

All of the beautiful china is from sistersvintageparty.com

 
These cute little silver mushrooms are available at Anthropologie. 

 
Every hour they served a fun cocktail.  This one was my favorite:

Cantaloupe & Basil or a Watermelon-Mojito Drinksicle.  This was a genius move considering it was 100 degrees at 7:00 here in Austin!!!! I almost grabbed three off of the waiter's tray as it flew by me. 

Everyone in this industry just amazes me with their creativity. Event designers are having fun adding furniture to venues for casual little spaces.  Bringing indoor furniture outside is so fun and creates an intimate area for conversation.

 
Provencal Home supplied most of the furnishings at this event. 

This was my favorite part of the party(except for the dessert table of course)..

look at this amazing table with chandeliers hanging from the tree above.

 
 
Can you picture having your wedding party sitting at this beautiful table under these chandelier lit up at night with a swanky band playing?  The swanky band playing here was: Courtney Sanchez and the SWAY.

 
Here is the stage where the band played lit up at night.  You can't see it here but there is a beautiful fountain in the middle of the stage.

 
The dessert bar had it's own little area that had little mason jars floating above with candles.  There was no detail missed at this event.

 
My wonderful friends: Shannon Gatlin(Stella & Dot Jewelry)

and

 Shannon Bourland(owner of Events by Decisions...amazingly creative woman who designed  this event!)

The fabulous Vendors at this event:

Vista on Steward Hill

CRAVE catering

Courtney Sanchez and SWAY

Events by DECISIONS

Geoff Duncan Photography

Liv by Design

Greenbelt DJ

ILD Lighting

Paper Place

Premiere Party Central

Provencal Home

Sisters Vintage Party Rental

Stardust Pastry

STEMS floral design

Uptown Valet