Vintage lifestyle, home decor, crafts, movies, reviews
First, I’ve had the extreme good fortune to be allowed a sneak peek at the new Mai Tai Manifesto recipe book from Tiki Torches band members J. Edward Preisman (writer) and R. Hamilton (illustrator). Second, I had recently seen and heard them play at my first Texas Tiki Round-up and was instantly smitten with their […more…]
Shumard Oak, Maple, and Pecan trees stood naked against the southern winter backdrop. In contrast, the eternally green Live Oaks looked as if they were wearing party dresses to a wake. The sky hung heavy in shades of fresh erased chalkboard, threatening rain. But for the moment, only a northern wind sent a chill through […more…]
Remembering Mama It’s been two years since I lost my mom and I still want to pick up the phone and ask her about a recipe, tell her about the kids, or just whine a titch like a little girl. Which brings me to today’s blog post. My mom could cook, from scratch, and I […more…]
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the idea of being a character or someone different, plus it has all the fun festivities as Christmas without all the stress of gift-buying, party-going, and in-laws. Over the years I’ve tried to cull my decorations to have a vintage Halloween motif. I try to stay away from the […more…]
I’ve been living in Texas for six years, and I had no idea we had something this cool in our backyard. Well, not my backyard, but in a big beautiful backyard in Austin, Texas to be exact. A friend of mine invited me to go to The Texas Tiki Round Up, hosted once a year by […more…]
Fruit and Luggage Labels for Vintage Backyard Decor by Tam Francis I don’t know about your part of the world, but here in the southern U.S. the weather is turning warmer, and people are planting and sprucing up their backyards. I wanted to share one of my favorite projects. How to make a boring wood fence […more…]
Hemingway Book Club Cocktails and More with Vintage Flair by Tam Francis When I first moved to my small Texas town, everyone was plenty friendly in the way that Southerners are, but what I mistook for friendship was mere politeness, and it took me over a year to figure it out. I love to read […more…]
The approach of spring brings thoughts of warmer weather, summer plans, and vows to get in shape when the weather breaks. With this on my mind, I thought it a swell time to introduce my blog readers to one of my favorite bloggers, Carolyn Ekins. When researching WWII rations for my vintage fiction The Girl in […more…]