DIY Oyster Mirror

 

Good morning!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Besides a little shopping, I worked on a few projects around the house.  I was able to finish my oyster mirror!  I am so pleased with how it turned out!  However, I was not thrilled with cleaning the shells!

 

 

I ended up purchased a 32 lb. sack of raw oysters.  After my husband ate them, I cleaned them!  Individually!  By Hand!  It was a stinky smelly job!  I finally figured out that it would be easier to spread them out in the yard, far from the house, and let nature take its course for a couple of weeks!  After I finished cleaning them, I soaked them in bleach and water for awhile to remove any lingering smells.

 

 

I hot glued them directly onto the frame of the mirror.  To finish the sides, I used a large white rope that I had on hand.

 

 

Cost of large mirror 50 cents from a yard sale, $30 for a sack of oyster, which my husband loved eating!, and some free rope!  You can’t beat that!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Make it Pretty @ The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch

Project Inspire(d) @ Artsy Chicks Rule

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Spring Party @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Houmas House Garden Tour

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Welcome back to Houmas House!  The gardens at this plantation are absolutely fabulous!!  I was totally amazed when we arrived.  As you leave the gift shop, the pond is the first thing you see!  Since we had an hour before our tour began, we followed the sounds of rushing water.  This was the first of many waterfalls in this area!

 

 

The water came down this waterfall and actually flowed under the sidewalk…

 

 

and formed little streams!  Here is just one of many seating areas!

 

 

This is a tall double waterfall!

 

 

There is another seating area under the pavilion on the hill.

 

 

This is a view of the left side of the house.

 

 

Here’s a view of the front lawn, complete with wedding set up!  Originally there were 28 live oaks down the alley but after the big flood in the late 20’s, a lot of the trees were removed to make way for the levee system.  The alley of trees functioned as a type of tunnel bringing in wind off the Mississippi River and would help cool the house in the hot summer months.  Once the levee was built, all the wall was blocked off.

 

 

A view from the back yard looking toward the rear of the house.

 

 

This next view is from the area of the waterfalls.  In the distance, you can see the water spray from the fountain that is in the back of the house. 

 

Another view of the backyard from a different angle.

 

 

A view from the right side…

 

 

I so hope that you have enjoyed this tour!  I know that I really enjoyed taking out these pictures!  It was so hard to decide which pictures to use!  If you missed the first two posts on Houmas House, click on the links below!

 

Houmas House & Bette Davis

Houmas House & Fine Dining

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Make it Pretty @ The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Spring Party @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Oh, the Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper

Houmas House Tour & Fine Dining

Welcome back to Houmas House!  If you missed Part 1, click here.  Let’s continue the tour with the dining and kitchen areas.

The table in the dining room is set out in all it’s splendor!

 

 

All of the lovely plantation homes in the South has pineapples.  They are a sign of hospitality!  There is even a brass pineapple on the hearth which you can see in the next picture.

 

 

A few pieces of the original china still exist.

 

 

As we left the dining room, we walked down the hallway to a large open room which had a few more tabletop goodies!

 

 

Has you ever seen a silver barbeque pit?

 

 

It does have the look of one doesn’t it?  But it’s actually a roast beef server!

 

 

This room has French doors that exit to the back porch and beyond to the outdoor kitchen.  Here’s a peek though the door.  You can see part of the fabulous gardens though the other door.

 

 

Remember the original china?  They do have reproductions, approximately 600 pieces!  The lady to the right in the picture below is actually a server for a wedding that was going on.  She was dipping some type of soup or gumbo into cups for the guests.

 

Did I mention there is an onsite restaurant?  Actually, Houmas House is the home of Latil’s Landing Restaurant, Café Burnside, Le Petite Houmas Restaurant and the Wine Cellars of Houmas House.  For more info, go to HoumasHouse.com.

 

Latil’s Landing Restaurant

 

I hope you enjoyed this part of the Houmas House tour!  If you missed Part 1, click here.  Be sure to stop by Friday for the garden tour!  It is totally awesome!

 

Sharing with:

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace

Make it Pretty @ The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Spring Party @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Houmas House & Bette Davis

Source

 

This past Saturday, the husband and I skipped down River Road and toured a couple of fabulous antebellum homes.  We had an awesome time.  We live a little over an hour away from this area but have never visited.  After this trip, I wondered what took us so long and, yes, I am already planning another trip to see the rest of the plantations!

 

The house that I’m showing you today is called Houmas House which is named after the Houmas Indians that lived in this area.  The land to build the house was actually purchased from the Indians by the original owner.

 

 

This picture was taken in the center hall.  On the table is an antique “view finder” from the 1800’s.  The mural on the walls is not original to the house but was painted by the gardener!  Yes, you heard right!  The gardener painted this fine mural of a sugar cane field.  To see more of the hallway mural, you can check out Susan’s post on Houmas House by clicking here.  Since she recently did a post and I have a ton of pictures, I’m going to try to share different rooms.  This music box is from the 1800’s and still works perfectly!

 

 

The next one is from the parlor…

 

 

with it’s fabulous chandelier and moldings!

 

 

And the clock on the mantel, actually belonged to Marie Antoinette!  It was purchased by one of the owners at an auction.

 

 

the game room…

 

 

You might be asking yourself just what does this house have to do with Bette Davis?  Well, she’s got her own room here!  Her movie, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, was filmed in this home.  That’s it in the background.

 

Source

 

At the time, there were no other accommodations in this area so she stayed onsite in this bedroom.

 

 

 

This room is now called the Bette Davis room.  See the table at the foot of the bed?

 

 

It opens up into a desk!  Amazing, especially considering it’s a couple of hundred years old!  In the corner, there is a cabinet holding momentums from the movie.

 

 

The children’s room…

 

 

This is the private bedroom of the owner, well maybe not so private since it’s part of the tour!

 

 

The gentleman’s wig is from the 1800’s and made of horsehair.

 

 

 

Ok, I’m going to stop here for today.  To see more, be sure to check back later this week.  I’ll be sharing the dining room and kitchen area for Tablescape Thursday and the garden tour on Friday!  The gardens are totally amazing!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Make it Pretty @ The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll thru LifeOpen House @ No Minimalist Here

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Scoop Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Show Me What Ya Got @ Not JUST A Housewife

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Fabulously Creative Party @ Jennifer Rizzo

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House

Tips, Tutorials, & Tidbits @ StoneGable

Spring Party @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style 

Crabmeat Au Gratin

 

Hello, everyone!  Today I’m sharing my husband’s favorite dish, crabmeat au gratin! Several years ago, I tried quite a few recipes for this but there was always something he didn’t like about it.  So I compiled those recipes, changed and added some ingredients and this is what I came up with.

Crabmeat Au Gratin

 1 stick margarine

1 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup parsley

1 pound crabmeat

bread crumbs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

13 oz. evaporated milk

8 oz. shredded Colby Monterrey jack cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter.  Sauté vegetables.  Blend flour in well.  Pour milk in gradually, stirring constantly.  When mixture thickens, add seasonings and cheese.  When cheese has melted, add crabmeat. Pour into casserole dish or small ramekins which have been sprayed with Pam.  Top with additional cheese and breadcrumbs.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese has melted and is brown around edges.

 

 

That’s it!  Pretty easy, huh?  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
See Ya in the Gumbo @ Ms. enPlace

On the Menu Monday @ StoneGable

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Back for Seconds Social Part @ Back for Seconds

Who You Gonna Call? GHOSTBUSTERS!

 

 

A couple of week’s ago, we celebrated my nephew’s 7th birthday.  My sister took charge of planning his planning and baking his cake.  As you can see, we got very creative!  She used fondant icing to creative this masterpiece!

 

 

The marshmallow man is a hand molded rice Krispy treat covered with fondant.

 

 

The slime is a sparkle icing that she purchased.  Want to know a little secret?  The bottom layer is actually a piece of Styrofoam wrapped in fondant!  We didn’t need a large cake to feed everyone so only the top layer is actual cake.

 

 

The base is just a plastic bowl flipped upside down and glued to the cake board.

 

 

The place settings were cut out of poster board.

 

 

The centerpiece consists of an arrangement of decorated sugar cookies that she made.

 

 

All the guests were able to have one, along with a goodie bag!

 

 

The ceiling and chandelier were draped with streamers.

 

 

The banner over the doorway says it all!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ETHAN!

 

 

Who says my sister isn’t creative?  She does!  She and I are as different as night and day but I think she pulled off quite a creative little party here!  That Ethan was a lucky little boy!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Let’s Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays @ The Tablescaper

Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace