HAPPY 4TH OF JULY~GOD BLESS AMERICA

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Beautiful words from one of America's favorite Patriotic songs.
I hope everyone enjoys a beautiful Independence day as we remember the many men and women who serve to keep America Free.
We thank you for the sacrifices you make everyday so that we may enjoy a weekend of BBQ's and fun in the land of the free and home of the brave!.


Blessings to you for good health, happiness and much love.
Happy 4th of July!
Hugs from Texas, Celestina Marie

Tea For Two~Cozy Morning Devotional for Tea Time Tuesday

Welcome to my tea for two. This morning our tea is being served with a tea pot and cup collection by Thomas Kinkade. I love cottages and this set has a cottage on each piece including the saucers. The tea pot says, "Home Is Where The Heart Is" and the cups and saucers have a painting of "Moonlight Cottage"

Tea Pot Cottage~

Cups and saucers cottage~


Irish Breakfast is our tea for this morning, along with a cinnamon roll ring fresh out of the oven. Please join us as we could never eat all these rolls alone.



How cozy it is to have tea and curl up to read a morning devotional. Notice the cross stitched bookmark. I collect bookmaker's and this one was cross stitched by my mother and it says, LET GO, LET GOD! She added pretty pink ribbon to each end and it is truly my favorite made by her sweet and talented hands. Added to the table, a picture of my hubby and I from our vacation last year. A yellow garden rose completes our cozy setting.


From a page in one of my favorite Thomas Kinkade art and inspirational books, is this poem by an unknown author.


Home is where the heart is,
The soul's bright guiding star.
Home is where real love is,
Where our own dear ones are.
Home means someone waiting,
To give a welcome smile.
Home means peace and joy and rest,
And everything worthwhile.
Author unknown

Thank you for joining me for tea.
To visit more wonderful teas, visit Sandi of Rose Chintz Cottage our lovely hostess for Tea Time Tuesday.

I'll be back with my recent bathroom redo to share. But today, I am knee deep in the studio swinging paint brushes and putting some final touches on my studio for the upcoming Where Bloggers Create studio spaces third annual party. The tour takes place July 15th and for more info refer to my right sidebar at the top. Click there to visit or join the fun with the talented Karen, from My Desert Cottage.



Have a wonderful Summer day,
Celestina Marie

New Treasures, Signature Rose Designs

Welcome Weekend!!
This week sure flew by, don't you think? My family and I have been on vacation days and enjoying the pool and day trips around Texas. I am off in a few minutes to visit one of my favorite treasure hunt stops in Fort Worth, Texas, but before I am out the studio door, I wanted to share what is new this week.

My studio is busy as always and giving fancy to a few new signature designs ready to fill the shelves HERE in my etsy shoppe.
This grouping concentrates on storage solutions for supplies in the art room, sewing room, bath, kitchen and more.
Thank you for taking the time to visit and I will be back soon with a new redo to share from a second floor bathroom called Neapolitan Inspired!! Can you guess the colors? Let me know what you think the new colors might be?






Here are a couple pics of the before bathroom as the process continued. I can tell you the walls are NOT YELLOW now!


Here is a Sneak Peek of the Finished After ~~~~~~~~~~


My ride is calling for today's trip, I'll be back to visit you all as my vacation days come to an end. Thank you for coming by this week and your kind comments.
Treasures are waiting to be found.

Have a great Summer's weekend!
Smiles from Texas,
Celestina Marie

~author unknown~

Join me for~A French Toile Afternoon Tea

Welcome to a French toile tea party. I thought it would be fun to revisit a tea party from a past post when my blog was all brand new nearly 4 years ago. This tea featured my french toile tea set that I display in my french toile art studio. It is not a vintage set, but gorgeous just the same, featuring a country scene with roosters all in black.
Thank you for stopping by to join me. I am linking today with our hostess Sandi from Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday. My tea today is being served on a gorgeous black toile tea set with an assortment of teas of earl grey, raspberry, black teas, English breakfast and served with mini chocolate bundt cakes filled with vanilla creme and gourmet chocolates. Layered with Waverly chintz style luncheon plates on black check napkin place mats. I have set two tea pots to coordinate with matching sugar and creamer. Each black handled cup with saucer is delicate and dainty. Lace napkins for each setting are held with porcelain white dove napkin holders. Ivory and black toile lap napkins are displayed over each antique style black chair to tie the whole setting together.



The large pitcher is holding an arrangement of garden mini pink roses and a top sits a pretty little bird to greet guests. Pillows grace each chair for comfort and my favorite is the one that glitters with the word "Blessed."



Thank you for coming to tea today and I invite you back soon as I will be featuring many new items freshly created from my studio. It has been a busy few weeks with the beginning of Summer this week and the start of Christmas creating on the drawing board.
I am excited and so happy to be working away. Taking breaks to go to the pool, all the perks of being self employeed and working from my home studio. Thank you God!

Visit Sandi, to view the list of participants for Tea Time Tuesday and enjoy a wonderful first week of Summer!
Happy Times,
Hugs from Texas, Celestina Marie

Faithful Followers and Father's

Happy Father's Day and all good wishes for a special day blessed with time to enjoy, relax and reflect.

This day has me missing my own dear Father, but I know he is safe in the arms of our Lord and I can forever hold close his wonderful memory. God Blessed me, not only with a dear devoted dad, but a wonderful beloved husband, who is an excellent father as well. To this day, I gives thanks to the two hero's in my life. First my Father and then my hubby who I so loving refer to as, My Best Guy!

Best Friends my dad and I, right from the start.

Sharing a laugh and fun times.

Our Christmas holiday tradition to visit Santa together.

Always working on a project for our home.

Retiring after 33 years with the Ford Motor Company.

Teaching his grandson, my son, how to do some wood working.

Just as My Best Guy has always worked and built our life and home.

Sacrificing to go back to college while working, raising our family and graduating with two degrees.


And a proud and faithful Father when our son graduated from college.

Just as my dad was so proud of him and the wonderful way he has always taken care of our family.

With all made possible by the grace of God and HIS prayerful direction. Two wonderful men blessed from above to be Fathers and Faithful Followers of God.



The above picture is December 1997, our last picture together with my dad. He would pass away 10 months later, my dear mother only 22 months longer. Life changed completely from that point on, but the love and learning's will stay with us forever, as we are so thankful for the memories that sustain us, till we all meet again.
Happy Father's Day to the great men in my life and to the greats in yours.


Blessings and Blue Skies Always,
Love, Celestina Marie

Tea Time Tuesday~Afternoon Break

Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday, hosted by the dear Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage.
Today I would like to invite you to tea in my kitchen as I take an afternoon break from a very busy creating day. Summertime gives way to lots of breaks when the temps are soaring and while it is 100 degrees outside, it is cool and cozy inside.

I have set my table with a gorgeous vintage set given to me from my mother, when I married. She enjoyed it first in the 50's and then passed in on to me when I married in 1973. Called Luster ware, the design is so pretty and hand painted on each piece including the teapot, cream and sugar, cups and saucers. The china is thin and nearly transparent. The colors still brilliant after all these years. I remember how proud I was to display this set in our first little apartment 38 years ago. And, I am still just as happy to include it in my decor today. It is a sweet reminder of the love my mother had for me when she took the pieces off her hutch and passed them on to me.

So let's enjoy tea with my pretty white rooster and my fresh picked flowers from my garden, just for you!

Recently, I added two little bowls I had for some time, with two of the cups and saucers making a trio which I love together. The tea set has 4 cups total, so now I will be on the look out for 2 more bowls to add.

Love the floral tea cup design.

Love, the pretty bowl pattern.

The markings on the tea set from Japan and the bowls Pegasus, made in the USA.


With our table set and a rooster pillow for your comfort, let's enjoy Earl Grey tea and my banana tea bread topped with strawberries.



In my treasure hunt recently I found a set of 4 very pale pink water glasses. They are in perfect condition and I wish they had more, for I would have snapped them up.

Here is my recipe for the banana tea bread. I have been baking this for over 30 years and it has always been a hit.

Tea Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons veg. oil or canola oil.
1 1/4 cups milk~ (I use skin milk)
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped nuts optional (I have used pecans, walnuts and peanuts at different times and all give an individual flavor)
Ready to be baked this way or by adding the bananas it changes slightly~~

For Banana bread as I have made today, decrease milk to 3/4 cup and add 1 cup mashed bananas, about 2-3 med. I have learned using 3 average size bananas makes for a more moist bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured tube pan or loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.
Makes approx. 16 slices.
Also freezes very well.

Thank you Sandi for hosting our Tea Time Tuesday. To visit more participants, travel HERE to Sandi's and view the list of more tea parties to attend.

I'll send you off with my bouquet of flowers and many thanks for coming to tea today and taking a break with me this beautiful afternoon. As I put away my tea set in my kitchen hutch till next time, I hope you enjoy a beautiful rest of the day and all good blessings be yours.


Smiles from Texas,
Celestina Marie