Transforming Royalview’s Gardens; We’re Going Organic, and Native Texan!

Garden restoration by Living Wild, in Conroe, TX.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

Garden transformation day is here! Woo hoo! We’ve been super excited, anticipating Royalview’s garden makeovers .

We’ve been working with Abbie of Living Wild, in the Conroe, TX area, to give our gardens a face-lift, and at the same time, be respectful to our natural habitat by using only organic gardening materials, and also plants that are native to Texas.

We asked Abbie to concentrate mainly on the 2 front gardens, as our back garden is still flourishing very well. We did have to replace several plants in our back garden this summer, but everything is now growing very happily.

Royalview's back yard garden.
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The only work required back here was to remove all of the dyed, black mulch, and replace it with organic, native hardwood mulch. Abbie also replaced a dwarf Gardenia that we had lost.

Replacing dyed mulch with natural.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

She surprised us with 3 cute little Blue Daze plants that she popped in. I love these so much!

Blue Daze plant at Royalview.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

When I first approached Abbie about transforming our gardens, she went right to work putting together garden plans for both of our front gardens. She listened to our requests for blue, white, and purple plants, and knowing that we love seeing bees and butterflies, she came up with 2 designs that Willie and I both love.

Garden plan for Royalview's South Garden, by Abbie of Living Wild, in Conroe, TX.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

Royalview's North Garden Plans, by Abbie of Living Wild in Conroe, TX.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

I love how she showed us very clearly where everything would be planted, gave us the species’ names, and then also sent us photos of what each species will look like once full grown. Many of the plant photos also give descriptions of the types of wild life that enjoy them. I’m so happy to know that our little visitors will be happy as well.

New garden species for Royalview's front gardens. All native Texas plants.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

New garden species for Royalview. All native Texas plants.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

It’s going to be so beautiful! I love everything she chose for us, and I love that there are some evergreen plants that will look nice all year round. Having our gardens thrive, and look nice all year round is a subject that we did discuss with Abbie. Abbie explained to us that native Texas plants will of course thrive much better all year since they are native and are adaptive to the extreme temperatures that we experience during different times of the year. They’ll be able to survive and thrive, in both Texas’ extreme cold snaps and Summer heat.

After removing all the former plants and dyed mulch, Abbie and Lori began placing out all the new babies.

Royalview’s front South garden:

New plants for Royalview's South garden.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

Royalview’s front North garden:

Royalview's North garden.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

Royalview’s front South garden after planting:

Royalview's front South garden after transformation.
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https://www.welivewild.com/

Royalview's front South garden complete.
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We’re very happy with how everything has turned out. It’s going to be so fun to watch everything grow, and see how everything matures together to form the beautiful gardens that Abbie so thoughtfully and skillfully designed and installed.

Huge thank yous to both Abbie and Lori for transforming our gardens. We look forward to a continued relationship with Living Wild, as Abbie will also be checking in monthly and upkeeping all the new plants.

Abbie is a wildlife biologist and specializes in habitat restorations and native landscaping. You can find her online at https://www.welivewild.com/.

I hope Royalview’s garden transformations inspire you to find out more about the local plants in your area as well.

Till next time, follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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Native Texas Plants, Organic Gardening, Native Habitat, Garden Transformation, Conroe, TX, Willis, TX, Cut and Shoot, TX

September 29, 2025 0

Gilding Royalview’s Crown; Before and After Makeover

Gold Leafed Metal Crown. Gold Leaf Kit from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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What would Royalview be without a crown, I ask? But you know what? I never really thought about a crown for Royalview. I just happened to be scrolling through FB and saw a post a few months ago about my friend Kelly’s new booth at Rosey Opals in New Waverly, and spotted this little cutie and knew immediately it was for Royalview.

In the photo of the crown, I could tell it was weathered. Must have been an outdoor decorative piece before, but I knew I wanted to give it new life for our indoor decor.

Before pic of Royalview's crown. Weathered and rusted.
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Once Willie cleaned off the chipping paint, it really revealed a lot of rust underneath. I knew I wanted to attempt my first ever gold leafing project, but it needed a fresh coat of paint first, so I began with white paint.

Royalview's crown transformation in progress: Painting it in white.
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Royaview's crown transformation in progress: Now painted in white.
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I now had a fresh surface to begin gold leafing Royalview’s crown. (Disclaimer: I am not a refinishing professional and do not have professional advice to administer. I am learning as I go, and all items are for our personal use in our private home.) I will tell you however, that all items I use are water based, so no harmful fumes. The paint used is an indoor acrylic paint and primer.

For the gold leafing, I used a product I found on Amazon, called Wadities Gold Leaf Gilding Set.

Wadities Gold Leaf Gilding Set from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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I’m so glad I found this kit for my very first go at gold leafing. It came with everything I needed. The Gilding Adhesive, the Gold Leaves themselves, each individually wrapped in paper, the Varnish, and 2 cute little paint brushes. And as you can see, everything is water based, so perfect!

Gold Leaf sheets and paint brushes from my Wadities Gold Leaf Kit from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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I watched several YouTube videos before I began my project, just to get an idea of how it all works. Looks pretty simple, so let’s dive in!

Before applying the gold leafing, I had to apply the gilding adhesive. I didn’t want full coverage gold leafing. I wanted to achieve a worn look, so I applied the adhesive sparsely, here and there, both to the front side and inside areas, as you can see completely through the open crown. I knew that there was no way to remember where the adhesive had been applied, but I knew the applied areas would be tacky to the touch. After applying the adhesive, I had to wait for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, our first sheet is going on!

Applying gold leafing to Royalview's crown.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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It was very easy to discern where I had applied the adhesive, as it was definitely tacky in those areas. I just took a sheet and touched it to the metal, and it stuck on contact, where the glue had been applied. I then took one of the little provided paint brushes and brushed over where I had applied the leafing.

It was surprisingly really fun! I was nervous at first, but it was so easy and I was not, in any way, trying to be perfect with the application, so I just went all-in placing gilding sheets everywhere, and not brushing everything until I had all the tacky areas covered.

Gold leafing Royalview's crown.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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You can see how random placement of the adhesive made it very easy to get a distressed, gilded look. The bits of gilding that do not stick, just flake away. I made sure to go over every surface area with the brush so that there was no more flaking.

Gold leafing applied: Before the varnish.
https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG
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After brushing it all down, I let it sit for the recommended 24 hours before applying the varnish top coat to seal it all in.

Applying the varnish was just as easy as everything else in this project, and it did not have a strong smell, which is a definite bonus.

And we’re all varnished!

Gilding project complete. Royalview's new crown!
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https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG

I’m super happy with the outcome, and the entire gold leafing process. So fun, and so easy. Willie really likes it to. He gave a big smile when he came in and saw it, and said it looked really good. So yay! 2 happy customers!

And now Royalview’s crown is displayed upon our living room coffee table, filled with (faux) white hydrangeas.

Royalview's gilded crown after pic.
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https://amzn.to/4mvqjeG

Love, love, love! I didn’t know how it would look after I got hold of it, but I’m certainly glad I was brave and gave it a try!

What project are you inspired to try? Do you love upcycling too? Feel free to leave a comment!

Till next time, always follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Home Decor, Upcycling, Trash to Treasure, Vintage Finds, Before and After Makeover, Gold Leafing, Gilding, On Metal, Easy DIY Project

September 21, 2025 0

Fall Decor Vignettes at Royalview

When we recently visited Hobby Lobby for Fall decor inspo, I wouldn’t have thought that I would be drawn in by a little Cinderella carriage, but I spotted this little cutie in what looked like a Fairy Tale section (that I had not seen before), and knew it had to come home to Royalview. We have a clock that we named Cinderella, so yeah, it was meant to be. You can see the bottom edge of Cinderella just above this carriage, so they are together. To decorate this little carriage, I thought a little white pumpkin was the perfect touch – you know, the pumpkin from the story was changed into Cinderella’s carriage — I knew you knew that! I simply put a few leaves in the bottom of the carriage and then placed the white (or cream) pumpkin inside. I purchased a couple of wooden risers at Hobby Lobby, so I placed the carriage atop one riser that I had first arranged with some white leaves (with pink and cream tones). I completed the look with some of the little acorns from a larger stem I purchased at Hobby Lobby as well. I think it turned out really pretty and girlie, and fall’ish, and definitely Cinderella’ish.

One of the main Fall focal points at Royalview, is located in our dining room. I posted a while back about the beautiful vintage curio cabinet that was handmade by Willie’s father, which now calls Royalview home. It is a wonderful piece that gains most of the attention in our dining area, as it is stunning, and I enjoy filling it with pretty items, so seasonal decor is certainly going to be happening in this area, year round.

I recently purchased some gorgeous rhinestone pumpkins from our friend Kelly of Sweet Magnolia Emporium (from her booth at Yesterday’s Treasures in Willis, TX), as well as some very beautiful clear glass lamps. I knew that I wanted to put all these items together for a lovely setting. I had first thought of putting the pumpkins on our dining room table, but once the lamps came into the picture, the curio cabinet it was.

As soon as I arrived home with these, I couldn’t wait to see how they would look arranged together.

I really think they compliment each other wonderfully. I added Fall floral embellishments to the lamps and larger pumpkin.

For the smaller pumpkins, I simply placed them a tier below and added a floral embellishment behind them.

I think it all came together beautifully. It is simple, yet elegant.

And the last little Fall decor vignette I wanted to share with you is our Butterfly Wall Table. This is just in a little corner nook that sits between our utility room and kitchen. This spot sat unattended for quite a while as we were getting settled in. It was consistently used for piling boxes as we were unpacking, but now it’s getting some decor love.

I just have a little collection of cute things I’ve picked up from vintage shops as well as Hobby Lobby, and I added a few Fall touches here with the little pumpkins and Fall ribbon. The Fall leaf ribbon is a Dollar Tree find.

And I bet you’re wondering, “Butterfly Wall?” Yep, one of my experiments.

Golden Butterfly Wall at Royalview, with metal butterflies from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/47UoDaW
acrossthelake.blog Visit for links to all butterflies used in this arrangement.

I bought an array of different types of gold metal butterflies, some thicker metal than others, some pretty light, and created a little wall vignette along with a gold framed mirror I picked up at Rosey Opal’s in New Waverly, TX. I think it’s so pretty. Willie really likes it too. I’ll post the links below to where I found them on Amazon. The larger butterflies and flower were actually a set. It seems that Royalview is taking on it’s own personality. The first decor intention was to be French Country Lake House vibe, but she seems to be going more royal botanical garden, and I’m loving it. I’m loving the entire journey and just seeing where it all takes us.

That’s what makes life fun anyway, right? Following our joy and finding what makes our hearts sing.

Till next time, always follow your joy. God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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Our Amazon Affiliate Links for Butterfly Decor:

3-Piece Metal Butterfly and Flower Set: https://amzn.to/4g1dA1z

48 Piece Metal Butterfly Set: https://amzn.to/4lNPloZ

48 Piece Butterfly Set (4 different styles, and these are thinner): https://amzn.to/4mQY6Qk

I used these gold thumbtacks to hang the butterflies: https://amzn.to/425jKbe

God bless! I hope you enjoy!

Fall Home Decor, Fall Vignettes, Cinderella Carriage and Pumpkin Decor, Butterfly Wall, Vintage Fall Decor, Rhinestone Pumpkins, Willis, Conroe, Texas

August 30, 2025 0

Royalview’s Fall Floral Makeover

Fall faux floral dining room table arrangement in creme, blue and light rust.
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The leaves are already falling here at Royalview, and we are getting in the mood. We love this time of year so much, with the warmer color tones, cooler temps (not yet arrived here in SE Texas), just the whole vibe of the season.

I’ve been trying to decide what color tones I’d like to incorporate for our first Fall season at Royalview. We are decorated in mainly blue, white, brown, and greys, and I did not want to deviate too far from what we’ve just put into place, but rather, add in some warm tones to give it the Fall feels.

After shopping around for ideas, I decided to go with creme, blue, brown, gold, and light rust (with a little bling as well, as in gold glitter and rhinestone pumpkins!).

I shopped at Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Dollar General, and the Dollar Tree for faux florals. (The floral bouquet pictured above is filled with florals from Amazon and Dollar General.)

I purchased this box of very lovely faux floral in cremes, blues, and light rust from Amazon. I thought they arrived beautifully in their box. And I thought it was very unique to have the flowers separated from the stems. At first I wasn’t sure about that, but I quite enjoyed putting the flowers on my preferred stem, or leaving them off a stem to put at the base of my arrangement.

Beautiful Fall faux florals from Amazon, in creme, blue, and light rust.
https://amzn.to/45Cx4X0
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Here is the assortment of faux florals I chose from Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Tree:

Assortment of Fall faux florals from Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Tree.
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Instead of creating new Fall floral arrangements from scratch, I decided to transform already existing arrangements, with the exception of the arrangement on our dining room table (pic 1).

Here is a before picture of two arrangements from our living room entertainment center, and one from atop our grandfather clock, that I transformed/made over into Fall arrangements.

Blue, white, and purple faux floral arrangements to be transformed into Fall arrangements.
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And here is their after photo:

After photo of 3 arrangements transformed into Fall faux floral arrangements.
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You can see I kept most of their floral white and blue bases. I just took out some of the more Summery looking purples and blue frills, and simply added some creme, gold, and light rust florals, with a hint of acorns in the larger arrangement.

This was such an easy transformation, and I can do the same at Christmastime, with whatever color tones I choose then, and since I kept all the florals that I took out, I can choose to add those back in the Spring, or go in another direction. So many options, but yet keeping our base color tones in the arrangements.

I put the arrangements all back in their places, and added hints of Fall all around. With just a few subtle touches, Royalview is looking lovely, and ready for Fall.

Fall faux floral arrangement in blue, white, and gold.
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I added some of the warm florals, nuts, and berries to an existing garland atop our entertainment center.

White floral garland makeover into Fall decor.
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Fall decor, in white, brown, and blue tones.
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Fall faux floral arrangement in creme, blue, and brown.
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Here is a another (large) arrangement that I added to as well. This one has more of a Winter appearance to me, but I love this look so much, and it may become the inspiration for our Winter palette.

Large faux floral arrangement in white, green, and frosted lavender.
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I hope you enjoyed Royalview’s Fall floral makeover, and that it inspires you as well.

Till next time, remember to always follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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Making Fall faux floral arrangements, make over existing faux floral arrangements into Fall decor, Fall colors, Fall palette

August 28, 2025 0

Vintage and Antique Shopping in Willis, TX, Fall 2025

Fall Home Decor found in Yesterday's Treasures in Willis, TX
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Who’s ready for Fall? Yay!

I’ve been very excited to visit our favorite vintage and antique shops here in our area (Willis, New Waverly, Conroe, TX). Our first stop was at Yesterday’s Treasures in Willis. I follow them on Facebook and have been seeing some of their posts showing new Fall home decor items, so, come on Willie, let’s go!

Our friend Kelly with Sweet Magnolia Emporium has several booths here, and we did actually run into her during our visit, so that was definitely a fun surprise. Ms. Shirley and Stan were there as well, so it was great to get caught up with everyone.

Upon entering the store, we were immediately greeted with cozy Fall ambiance.

Fall decor at Yesterday's Treasures, in Willis, TX. 2025
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It smelled really good in here too, definitely adding to the feels.

I took a few snapshots of some of my favorite new finds, including some of the goodies I brought back with me to Royalview.

These beautiful blingy pumpkins are what caught my eye right away.

Pumpkin bling at Yesterday's Treasures in Willis, TX.
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I brought home the rhinestone covered pumpkin in the back, and the white and gold pumpkin in the front. These are from Kelly’s booth.

Kelly also just upcycled some old fans, and turned them in to gorgeous home decor items. She texted me about these about a week ago, and I thought her idea was so brilliant. Here’s one that is currently in her booth at Yesterday’s Treasures:

Here are some peeks at what you can find this Fall at Yesterday’s Treasures:

Blue glass pumpkin at Yesterday's Treasures, Willis, TX
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Fall decor at Yesterday's Treasures in Willis, TX
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Now, these beauties also came home with me. There is another set still there that is similar. So beautiful!

Vintage style lamps at Yesterday's Treasure in Willis, TX.
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Vintage Coca Cola sign with lady, at Yesterday's Treasures, Willis, TX.
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Home decor at Yesterday's Treasures.
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I hope you get a chance to visit the fine folks at Yesterday’s Treasures in Willis, TX sometime soon, and enjoy shopping all the unique vintage and antique offerings from many wonderful vendors.

Till next time, enjoy getting ready for Fall! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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Vintage and Antique Shopping, Willis, Texas, Fall Home Decor, Unique Finds, Glass Pumpkins, Rhinestone Pumpkins, Blingy Pumpkins

August 22, 2025 0

Visiting Our Friend Kelly’s New Sweet Magnolia Emporium Booth at Rosey Opals Collective Market, in New Waverly, Texas

Sweet Magnolia Emporium's Booth at Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas.
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https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/

She’s here, and all set up to go! Woo Hoo! Willie and I were both very excited to visit our friend Kelly’s new booth at Rosey Opals Collective Market yesterday. She always has the most beautiful collection of vintage and bling. I honestly do not know where in the world she finds all this gorgeousness, but I’m so glad she does!

Hey Kelly!

Kelly of Sweet Magnolia Emporium, now open in Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, Tx.
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https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/

She is the sweetest! We actually scared her when we arrived yesterday, hollering out hello to her when we turned the corner. Sorry, Kelly….

Kelly and her husband Bill also make and upcycle goods for sale. Here’s a little wooden heart that Bill made, and Kelly blinged out. This one came home with me. I love knowing that this was made by them both in a joint effort.

Wooden heart bling from Sweet Magnolia Emporium.
acrossthelake.blog
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/

There is another handmade heart in her booth that’s waiting for you to take it home.

Blinged out wooden heart handmade by Bill and Kelly of Sweet Magnolia Emporium.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/
acrossthelake.blog

So pretty! And these are solid.

Here’s another beauty that came home with me from Kelly’s booth. Well, actually, both items are from her booth (vintage mannequin and metal crown).

Vintage style mannequin/dress form covered in vintage Ladies Home Journal pages. From Sweet Magnolia Emporium in Rosey Opals Collective Market, in New Waverly, TX.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/
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These are so beautiful, and the mannequin is a perfect example of Kelly upcycling something and making it even more fabulous. She covered this really cute mannequin/dress form in vintage articles from The Ladies Home Journal. I looks like the articles are from Christmas 1894. I love this so much. She also added the beaded skirt to the bottom. This is going in my office, for sure.

Kelly loves old mannequins/dress forms, so you are more than likely to find at least one in each of her booths. There were three here yesterday, so still two more for you to take home.

Vintage mannequin/dress form in Sweet Magnolia Emporium's booth at Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, TX.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/
acrossthelake.blog

I may have to go back and snag this little cutie.

Black wire vintage mannequin/dress from from Sweet Magnolia Emporium's booth in Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, TX.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/
acrossthelake.blog

There’s just so much goodness to see in every little nook.

Vintage items found at Sweet Magnolia Emporium inside Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, TX.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetmagnoliaemporium/
acrossthelake.blog

I think I went back and looked through her booth at least 3 times while I was visiting yesterday. And her prices are always fantastic.

Here’s a picture of my complete haul. A couple of items are from other vendor booths at Rosey Opals. This place is filled with so many beautiful items for your home, plus there are fashion boutique booths, handmade candle booths, just a lot of goodness.

I’m so happy with all my goodies! I always find unique items for Royalview at Rosey Opals, and now that our friend Kelly is a permanent fixture there, it’s going to be extra fun to visit.

And don’t forget. They have an ice cream parlor! The Red Bird Creamery also resides at Rosey Opals. They hand craft creamy ice creams and Italian ices. You can take a seat and have a nice ice cream break.

Red Bird Creamery inside Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, Tx.
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https://www.facebook.com/redbirdcreamery

Ok gang! Till our next adventure, we hope you are doing very well and following your joy. God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

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antique shopping, vintage shopping, vintage bling, vintage home decor, fashion boutique, New Waverly, Willis, Conroe, Huntsville, TX, vintage haul, vintage finds, upcycled home decor

July 26, 2025 0

Third and Final Vintage Mirror Makeover; White and Blue with Wooden Appliques

Vintage mirror makeover, after photo.
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This is the final one! My last mirror in waiting, now given her makeover.

This is how I found her, abandoned in a dirty storage building.

Vintage mirror before makeover. Salvaged mirror.
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I will not go into too many details on this makeover, since I’ve already posted in length about the previous two, but I’ll show you some of the process.

Of course the mirror had to be cleaned before any work could begin. Willie took care of most of that outside, and then I did the final wipe-downs inside right before painting.

Vintage mirror makeover, before picture.
acrossthelake.blog

Willie removed the previous wooden appliques that were featured on this mirror, and I chose 2 appliques with roses for the top, and then 2 corner embellishments for the bottom.

Vintage mirror makeover, testing placement of wooden appliques.
Appliques from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/44nSFlu
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I got the mirror taped off, and then began painting. To be honest, I did not know how I wanted it painted. I only knew that I wanted it to be blue. I purchased peacock blue and teal paints, as I am wanting to bring in more of these types of blue tones into my office. I ended up using both tones of paint, along with white. I am not a professional painter, or makeover artist, I just jump in and go for it!

Vintage mirror makeover, painting the mirror.
acrossthelake.blog

I began by first applying some white paint, then swiping over it with the blue tones. I went with teal down the sides, and and peacock along the top and bottom.

I ended up blending the blues, but I just wasn’t happy with how it was coming out. But not to dismay. I decided to go back over it with white paint again.

After a little back and forth, I am happy with the results.

Vintage mirror makeover, after photo. Painted in blue and white with wooden appliques.
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As you can see, I painted all the wooden appliques using the same type of method. These were a lot easier to do than the mirror. I just painted a white base coat, then dry brushed the peacock blue and teal paints across the raised edges.

Painting a wooden rose applique white and blue. Applique from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/44nSFlu
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Wooden rose applique from Amazon, painted in white and blue.
https://amzn.to/3GzUfr4
acrossthelake.blog

I also painted a white plaster rose hanger, and an iron hat rack, using the same paints and technique.

Painting a white plaster rose hanger teal and white.
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Painting an iron hat rack teal and white.
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Now I have a cute out the door station in my office, with my purse, hats, and mirror, for last check.

After photo of vintage mirror makeover.
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I hope my project inspires you to try something new yourself.

Till next time, follow your joy! God is good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Helpful Links:

Wooden Rose Applique on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GzUfr4

Wooden Decorative Appliques on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4klT8Jn

Vintage mirror makeover, upcycled mirror, salvaged mirror, painting project, home decor inspo, office decor, Conroe, Willis, Texas, lake house

July 8, 2025 0

Dining Room Decor: Vintage Candlestick Holders with Brown, Silver Scroll Candles

Brown pillar candles with silver scrolls from Amazon
https://amzn.to/4lv488q
acrossthelake.blog

Do you remember these vintage candlestick holders from our Rosey Opal haul? Well, they have found their new home atop our antique curio cabinet in our dining room. When I spotted these, I did not even think about them matching my upcycled picture frame so well. When we got home with these, I was like, “hey…. I do have a good eye!”. I knew they would fit in. And with a price tag of only $10.00 per candlestick holder, I definitely knew I couldn’t go wrong getting these. They are very heavy and they had already been whitewashed, so perfect!

I immediately began searching for pillar candles to top these, and turned to my favorite online shopping spot, Amazon. I came across these interesting little pillars that are dark brown with raised metallic silver scroll-work.

Dark brown pillar candle with raised silver scrollwork from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/45Osc1t
acrossthelake.blog

Now, when I received these candles, they looked like they may have been damaged in transit, with some bubbling of the brown paint, and some chipping off of the silver. But you know what? I really like it! They came distressed! It’s actually better for going atop a distressed candlestick holder that’s sitting in front of a distressed frame. If I were still making decorative pillars, I would have most likely been trying to achieve a distressed look when making candles for these holders, so yay!

I really like how the brown candles gently balance everything out, and the silver is just the perfect accent for this setting.

Brown and silver pillar candles from Amazon.
acrossthelake.blog
https://amzn.to/4lv488q

I couldn’t be happier with these finds, or how they fit into our decor.

For the candles, you can follow our Amazon Associate link here. For the candlestick holders, well, they were the only ones like this at the time we shopped at Rosey Opals in New Waverly, TX. But here is a link to some gorgeous vintage white candlestick holders on Amazon, if you’d like to shop this home decor inspiration.

Till next time, remember to always follow your joy! God is good!

Johanna and Willie

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Vintage candlestick holders, distressed candlestick holders, distressed candle with metallic silver swirls, Amazon Home Finds, dining room decor, whitewashed candlestick holders, home decor, shabby chic decor, farmhouse decor, antique furniture

July 3, 2025 0

Vintage, Antique, and Boutique Shopping in New Waverly, Texas: Summer 2025

Shabby Chic, French Farmhouse style home decor found at Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas.
acrossthelake.blog — Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas

Willie and I enjoyed a fabulous day in New Waverly, along with our friend, Kelly, from Sweet Magnolia Emporium. New Waverly is the friendliest little town, just North of Willis. The shop owners and vendors are all so talented in curating their wares, and making this a fun destination spot to shop.

We first stopped in at Rosey Opals Collective Market. Willie and I have been here multiple times now, but this was Kelly’s first visit. She was smiling from ear to ear, just being in the parking lot.

Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, Texas. A great place to shop for vintage, antiques, and boutique fashions. There is also an old fashioned ice cream parlor inside.
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It’s so fun, with a Red Bird Creamery ice cream parlor in the back. Perfect for Texas Summer shopping.

Red Bird Creamery, ice cream parlor, located inside Rosey Opals Collective Market, in New Waverly, Texas.
acrossthelake.blog — Red Bird Creamery

You can sit and take a break, and enjoy an ice cream or sorbet. The lemon sorbet is wonderful, and so cooling.

Ice cream parlor seating inside Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, Texas.
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A lot of booths had festive 4th of July decor.

Shabby Chic home decor at Rosey Opals Collective Market in New Waverly, Texas.
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I love that there are boutique fashions here as well. I snagged that gorgeous pearl necklace on the bottom shelf. No worries, I saw another one there.

Boutique fashion and jewelry at Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas.
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Next, we headed across the street to the New Waverly Feed and Farm Supply, to check out their General Store.

The General Store at New Waverly's Feed and Farm Supply.
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It’s really cute in here! This was our first time visiting!

We were so happy to find a gourmet grocery inside, with all sorts of goodies.

Gourmet groceries at New Waverly Feed Store.
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There are boutique kitchen wares.

Gourmet and boutique kitchen products at New Waverly Feed Store.
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They have local honey products, and jams, as well.

Local honey products at New Waverly Feed Store.
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And in keeping with being a feedstore, there are all types of pet supplies, even for your pet chicken! Kelly got the biggest kick out of this chicken harness.

OmniPet Rooster Size Chicken Harness at New Waverly Feed Store.
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Chicken chic? Haha! She said, “Only in Texas!”

Such a fun visit, and everyone was so friendly. Willie found some new friends in their gun shop, and enjoyed visiting and conversing.

We strolled over to a really cute shop located in the same parking lot, called Mrs. K’s Findings. Mrs. K’s reached out to me on FB and invited us to stop in sometime, so we were looking forward to visiting.

Mrs. K's Findings in New Waverly, Texas.
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Such a cute shop, and you can see from the outside that she has a nice variety of items, from vintage to boutique.

Boutique fashion at Mrs. K's Findings in New Waverly, Texas.
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Kelly spotted the hat bling. There she is! She is so fun. You can visit Kelly’s booths at Yesterday’s Treasures in Willis. That’s where we met her and became instant friends.

Kelly of Sweet Magnolia Emporium.
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And look! We found another chicken!

Chicken sign at Mrs. K's Findings in New Waverly, Texas.
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What a fun time, and a great day.

We also love stopping in at New Waverly Antiques and Collectibles, but unfortunately, they were not open on the day of our visit. But we’ll be back! We love visiting the ladies there as well.

I did manage to bring home a nice little haul from our day of shopping.

Vintage finds from Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas.
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Haul from Rosey Opals in New Waverly, Texas.
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I did have to go back to New Waverly the next day, as I left something behind, so we did get to pop in quickly at New Waverly Antiques to say hello and pick out some doilies. I snapped this photo to send over to Kelly. She loves these old dress forms.

Metal decorative dress from from New Waverly Antiques.
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So beautiful!

Honestly, there is so much to see and shop in New Waverly. I hope you get a chance to take a drive up to see everyone.

Till next time, be kind, and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Vintage Shopping, Antique Shopping, Boutique Shopping, New Waverly, Texas, Willis, Conroe, Huntsville, Texas, Vintage Home Decor, Shabby Chic Home Decor, Farmhouse Decor, Antique Furniture, Gourmet Grocery Store, Boutique Kitchen Wares

July 2, 2025 0

Royalview’s Summertime Landscape Refresh

Royalview from front bridge view.
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It’s Summertime! We’ve put out the flags for the fourth!

Hey everybody!

This blog post has been about a month in the making. We’ve had a new landscaping team working with us to get Royalview’s landscaping all refreshed and looking her best again. All of our gardens looked fabulous, and bloomed all through Springtime, but some plants got a little crazy, and grew over the other plants, or died out, so we really needed some professional help.

Willie and I had been in search for a company who has a great lawn maintenance team, as well as a gardener. We decided to head to our local gardening center and inquire about any known possibilities. We were given a card for Green X Scape, located in Huntsville, TX.

We were very happy to meet Albert Tsai, owner of Green X Scape. He is a very nice young gentleman who went to school at Sam Houston State University. He began his business while he was still in college, and now hires college students.

Upon their first visit, Green X Scape got to work on our back yard garden, clearing out all the under, and overgrowth.

Albert Tsai and team from Green X Scape, LLC, Huntsville, Texas.
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They even cleared out our ivy plants and transplanted those along the back fence.

You can see how overgrown it got back there. They did a fabulous job!

There were a few plants that needed to be replaced, so Willie and took a trip to Growers Outlet, and picked out some new ones that would stay in their spots and not spread.

Grower's Outlet, Willis, Texas.
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We love visiting here. Our landscape design team got a lot of Royalview’s original plants from here as well.

We chose some Silver Star Sage, and Southern Star Blue Ruellias.

Silver Star Texas Sage, and Southern Star Blue Ruellia.
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These are so pretty! I love the purple flowers.

Southern Star Blue Ruellia in Royalview's back yard garden.
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On their next visit, the Green X Scape team planted all the new plants for us. And, we did end up getting 2 more of the Texas Sage to plant along with the others, to balance everything out.

Royalview's backyard tiered garden.
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It’s looking so much better. We do have a gardenia that doesn’t look like it’s going to make it, so Albert said he would bring another to replace it, or perhaps we’ll put some more Liriope in back here. I love Liriope, as you’ll see in the front garden pics.

Today, Green X Scape visited again. They visit every 2 weeks. This time around Albert worked on our two front gardens, getting them all cleaned out and rid of dead plants.

Both of the front gardens look much better now.

Royalview's front South garden overlooking the lake.
acrossthelake.blog — Royalview’s Front Southern Garden

Royalview's front North garden with swing.
acrossthelake.blog — Royalview’s Front Northern Garden

We are so thankful to team Green X Scape for all they’ve done for us here at Royalview. Beyond the fabulous work in all our gardens, the lawns are looking great as well.