Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Late Summer Sunflowers and Bees/Summer To Fall Transition

Hello, Friends,
How are you? I hope you are well. 
It's been a long time since I've blogged. I started a post in July for the Fourth but I never got around to finishing it up. 


Here in East Texas, we have had a pretty mild summer, however, I get tired of temperatures in the 90s by August. 
In the transition from summer to fall, I always pull out some sunflower decor. If you have been around for a while, you might remember that my classroom decor was sunflowers and bees for many years. I love this type of decor to bridge the summer to fall decorations in the house. 

Let's have a look around. 
I'm going to start with my cute Honey Pie. I had no idea that a honey pie was an actual recipe but in my search of images for inspiration, I actually found that there is such a thing. 
So I created a faux pie using a mini pie dish from Hobby Lobby, foam, muslin and paint. 
Don't forget the glitter! 


As far as I know, there isn't another one like it on the internet. I love making these faux pies. I adorned it with a little "prim" tag, some scraps and a cute little bee button. I didn't move a lot of my craft supplies so I've had to essentially start over. I'm sure moving a few little bee buttons wouldn't have loaded down the moving van but they did not make it to the new house. I have no idea what I was thinking except I was feeling overwhelmed with the move. 


I copied the recipe onto a bee recipe card and created a vignette on a wood riser that was made by my brother in law at  Zander Wood shop. This was a birthday gift from them. 


I added a little prim bee and a decoupaged sunflower box. This was my fourth attempt at a bee that I loved. The box was made from a Michel Design Works napkin. 

Because we never use it, the breakfast room table has become the location of some large centerpieces that are changed for the seasons. 


The sunflowers were ordered from Walmart. My collection did not survive the summer of our construction. I guess there were just a few too many Daddy Long Legs on them for Bill's liking. 
The lights came from Hobby Lobby online. 

I adore the little pillow. I used transfer paper to copy an image from The Graphics Fairy. 


This other little pillow is one in which was successfully printed directly onto fabric. 
 This is the best of the lot because it is printed instead of using a transfer method.
 It was nerve wracking experience because I didn't want to jamb the printer. 
I styled it in the gravy boat painted by Bill's grandmother. My Le Creuset pie bird is nestled in with paper shreds and a crochet sunflower. This is my second pie bird because I broke the first one. I found it on eBay. 


I usually dangle an ornament from the knobs on the corner cupboard. These are a set from The Round Top Collection. 


The theme would not be complete without some honey pots. 


The breakfast room buffet got a vignette. 


The bee hive ornament came from Hobby Lobby. I found the glass bee and sunflower garland last summer. I cannot remember where I found it but I love it so much. 


I created a couple of vignettes in the living room. 


The clock faces came from an antique mall in Sulpher Springs. More paper shreds elevate the clock faces. I got the idea from the YoUniquely Vintage You YouTube channel. 


The new little shed porch got a sprinkling of decor. 


The screen porch got redecorated. 


The potting bench had been tucked back in the new shed. It needed a thorough cleaning but I'm so glad it's out in the open again. 


The front porch got some pillows 


and a few faux sunflowers. 


Here are some more photos. 





Finally, say hello to the newest member of our family. 
Rufus showed up at the beginning of May. According to a comment on my Nextdoor app, he had been dumped or abandoned by his previous owners because they moved. He could have been hiding that day but who really knows. He showed up in the yard. I think to eat birds feeding at the feeder. Bill fed him (saved the birds) and the next day he came right up to me. He was very thin but he is in good health. We got all his shots, flea and tick treatment and got him fixed. The vet thinks he's about a year old. 


He spends a small part of the day outside and the rest we've transitioned him to indoors.


He and Caroline are getting along great. 
They love to wrestle. 



He is a keeper! 
I hope to continue blogging. It is rare, though, that I sit down at the computer. 
You can follow me on my Instagram because there I post frequent stories. That is the best way to see what I'm up to. 

Katie

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

2025 Easter Decor


Hi, Friends,
How are you? I hope you are well. 
Happy Spring and Happy Holy Week! 

We love the country so far and we are settling in.


The additions to the house are finished. We still have a few minor things to do but we've run out of steam. We are so pleased with all our new rooms and I had the best time decorating for spring and Easter. 


Decor storage was a big debate when we moved. I downsized a lot of seasonal and holiday decor but I didn't want to get rid of everything. I wanted to live through all of the seasons until anything else was given away. The attic space in this house is completely taken up with duct work and we have no garage. 
Storage for all our seasonal decor was an issue. In March our trim carpenter came back and totally redid our shed. The shed had been attached to the carport and we moved it in order to do the construction. But the facade was weird afterward. Bill did not like the ceiling height at all. 

This is what it looked like in the listing photos.


Mid move


After the move


This is what it looks like today. Bill is picking up the paint in Tyler. 


Here's all the wonderful decor storage. We'll also store garden tools and painting stuff. 


Here's the Easter decor that I promised. 

The corner cupboard is decorated with some of my favorite things. 










The Beatrix Potter collection is in here. 



Here is an Easter Basket full of faux goodies. 


One of my favorite rabbits is on the plant stand in the dining room. 


Our poinsettia leafs are changing color for some reason. 



The old dish dresser in the pantry is filled with white ironstone, some blue and white and a few Villeroy and Boch pieces. The lighting in this room isn't the best. I'm sorry about that. 
I went with a daffodil theme for early spring. 


Did you know that you can dry daffodils? I had to cut all mine before a deep, deep freeze. 








I think a strawberry theme is next up on the schedule. 



We haven't quite figured out what to do on the long wall in the mud room. 
For now, our old cupboard is overflow pantry storage. 


The top got a few bits of holiday decor. 



I love this clay rabbit and the antique post cards. 

 

I made spindle carrots last year. I thought for sure they were given away and was pleased that they weren't. 
I have quite a few things that are missing. I think they were given away accidentally. I have enough though! 



The breakfast room table got an assortment. 
We never eat here anymore since we did the new dining room. 





I adore this corner. 





That's about it. I hope I'm not too late showing off our decorations. 

I'd like to make a new home tour for YouTube but my computer is acting up. I think it needs an update. 
It was a 2020 model and I think it came with issues. 
I try to upload to Facebook stories if you are on that platform. You can friend me over there at Katie Lloyd Mansfield. Those storie also upload to Instagram but I'm not a big fan of Instagram. Right now our focus has been the gardens. 

I'll try to pop in here every once in a while. 
Katie