Jefferson General Store 2019

On our way to Memphis, Tennessee for our Spring Break this year, we made a small detour to Jefferson, Texas. I should declare that leaving Texas is always half the trip to wherever you're going because this state is just monstrous.  

The lovely little town of Jefferson is your typical small town in Texas: blocks of businesses, many antiques and museums, a small courthouse, tiny little traffic lights, and cute little planters on street corners. But Jefferson definitely had a New Orleans vibe to it. Iron wrought balconies with just the right hues of downtown NOLA. Archways, brick, and courtyards were also noticed. It was strange to see in Texas, but entertaining nonetheless.

We stopped at 113 E. Austin St. and parked in front of this building with an old Ford truck and some Red White and Blue pleated fan flags out front. The vintage hand-painted signs were just eye-candy fabulous. The window displays were super cool, too. 

YES. This store was the exact detour I love. I knew I was going to blow my Spring Break money before I even left Texas. Dang it.
Straight through those squeaky, wooden doors, was a man making home made pralines which tasted like 'jamoncillo' from Mexico they always sell at checkouts in grocery stores, but better because it was F R E S H!

Halfway through, we all simultaneously needed to find a bathroom and it was amazing.

Kinda reminded me of the Dublin Bottling Works bathroom with its chalkboard wall 😃

And look here, we even saw a very short John Wayne! 

The place was absolutely cluttered with novelties and merchandise in every nook and cranny. Everything was old, vintage, antique, modge-podged, grimey, and cool. We grabbed a few things, candies, and made sure to get some of their Bluebell Ice Cream before we hit the road again.

If you're ever passing through that way, make sure to stop by Jefferson General Store. The entire town has lots of other attractions too! Next time we head to Memphis, let's stay a little while longer okay babe?! 

Here's the link to visit their website: https://visitjeffersontexas.com/attractions

Next up, posting pictures of our adventures in Memphis. Stay tuned! 

Handmade Teacher Gifts

Teacher gifts have become a special time mainly because I want to give these wonderful people something meaningful for their efforts in being my children's educator.

In previous years, I had Gary cut out a small wood board and I painted a little saying, "It takes a BIG heart to teach LITTLE minds" and they loved it.

This year, I took the time to individualize their Christmas gifts. I know they will cherish them since all of the teachers sent me personal thank yous. I had fun making them now that I don't really paint and sit down and spend time in the studio anymore. 

I made 5 gifts, but honestly needed to make many more. These were for my sons' homeroom teachers but admin and other elective teachers deserve a small thank you too. 

Obviously there was a floral theme 😀. One of the teachers mentioned their favorite flower was an orchid and I have never painted one, so I was a bit overwhelmed. Painting on the wood plank was very forgiving and easy, I didn't even prime it because I wanted the grain to show through. 

All of them were painted with acrylics. I especially loved the floral Christmas ornaments because of the freestyle I used. I also used some 'inspiration' from Marisol Ortega floral lettering for Jonah's teacher. 

I ended up finding the awesome white shadow frames from Hobby Lobby and removed the glass. They were perfect. 

Pretty soon, Teacher Appreciation Week will be here and I like to give little plants to them. Not as personal to each teacher, but it gives me an excuse to go plant shopping 😉