Lifestyle Archives

TroysArt’s Ten Christmas Gift Ideas for Him, + One.

Last year, Ellen and I had a whole conversation about gifts. In a debate about what she might get Christmas, my answer was, of course, wine and Yankee Candles. At a certain point, people become impossible to shop for. My friends and family are not only capable of buying what they want and when they want it; they're also very particular. And I think that men are more difficult to buy for. What do you buy for the man who has everything? A nice tie no longer passes muster, and Isotoner slippers from Kroger seem very much an afterthought. Here are some ideas that Ellen and I came up with, along with links in red to the products. But keep ...

By Troy Broussard|2025-12-08T08:30:15-05:00December 5, 2025|Entertainment, Lifestyle|

Ellen Bland: a few personal thoughts on her passing.

I met Ellen Bland in 1989. Ed Perrault and I attended an art event at Meredith Long Gallery and we had barely gotten a glass of wine when approached by Betty Bland. She reminded Ed who she was and introduced her daughter, Ellen. And as Betty engaged Ed in conversation, Ellen just looked at me and asked, "You a coonass?" I said yes. And then she asked, "You like pralines?" I said yes. The earliest picture I can find of us is in formal attire on our way to the Museum Ball in 1990. A week later Ellen dropped by with pralines and a friendship was born. It was the holiday season, because Betty's praline business was full ...

By Troy Broussard|2025-10-17T19:42:14-05:00October 17, 2025|Lifestyle|

The Art of Christmas Cards and Christmas Card Etiquette

2024, pencil drawing for DWR card. Is the tradition of sending Christmas cards lost or passe'? In an age of emails, texts, and the US Postal Service hemorrhaging $11 Billion in 2024, is snail mail a forgotten tradition? Researching the dos and don'ts of Christmas Cards is tricky. There is not enough written about sending cards. And often what is said is antiquated. This post explores the art of Christmas Cards and Christmas Card etiquette. I make my own cards and have for decades. There were years when I would hand paint or draw every one of them. In recent years I have made the image, designed the layout, and had the cards printed. It is a lot ...

By Troy Broussard|2024-12-14T14:01:58-05:00December 12, 2024|Lifestyle, TroysArt|

The Thirty Day Diet Challenge: losing weight with healthy choices.

The Thirty Day Diet Challenge No bread, pasta, or wheat products. No fast food. No fried foods. No snacks or chips. No sweets, candy, or dessert. Diets are tough. Fitness gurus advise against diets and rather advocate healthy lifestyle choices. That's well and good but sometimes body fat gets the better of people. It's easy to gain weight and tough to shed it. Follow the Thirty Day Diet Challenge with me and see how we do. At restaurants stick to salads. (Monarch, Galveston.) June 18: 183.6 / 25.6 The scale can't lie. Weigh daily and write it down. Weigh first thing in the morning, naked, ...

By Troy Broussard|2024-10-26T11:24:50-05:00July 17, 2024|Lifestyle|

Camping is just code for drinking under the stars

March 2018, Guadalupe River State Park - Walking the dog, I gaze toward the heavens to watch Southwest jets in airways that traverse the city of Houston and I imagine what destinations are in store for the passengers aboard. I yearn to visit new places, but travel is not always about boarding a plane. Travel can be just a matter of picking a place to go. So in conversation with my friends Skip and John, I mentioned that I was overdue for camping, to which Skip reminded that it had been nine years and a dog ago since joining them. Given my urbane deportment and urban existence, some might be surprised that camping appeals to me. But camping is just ...

By Troy Broussard|2018-04-28T12:42:41-05:00March 8, 2018|Destinations, Lifestyle|

Another exciting Best Friends Brunch benefitting aniMeals

Troy Broussard & Delta Dawn, 2016 Best Friends Brunch benefitting aniMeals. My dog should be an international socialite... Once again this year Delta Dawn rocked the ballroom of a fancy hotel! The occasion was another exciting Best Friends Brunch benefitting aniMeals on Wheels at Houston’s fabulous Hotel Zaza. aniMeals on Wheels, a division of Interfaith Ministries Meals on Wheels program, was conceived after Interfaith administrators for the Meals on Wheels program questioned drivers about what they were learning on their routes. Seems recipients were not finishing their meals in order to save portions for their pets. The aniMeals program was created to provide pet food so that home-bound seniors would not feel compelled to share their limited food. Delta ...

By Troy Broussard|2016-02-20T12:04:37-05:00February 20, 2016|Entertainment, Lifestyle|

Remember that time I was on TV? The Big Switch

Troy Broussard of The Big Switch, cover of OutSmart Magazine, November 2002. Does anyone remember that time I was on TV? The Big Switch was a home design challenge sponsored by Houston PBS KUHT, Houston Chronicle, OutSmart Magazine, and Bassett Furniture. Emmy award winning Ernie Manouse hosted the two day challenge in which designers Jennifer Lowe and myself transformed the interiors of neighboring Habitat for Humanity homes. Not only did we have two days but we had a budget of $1,500, part of which we had to use at least one piece of Bassett furniture. The Big Switch was the most watched original program in the 2002 Houston PBS broadcast season. Incidentally, after the show aired I was ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-11-22T02:54:23-05:00November 22, 2015|Entertainment, Furniture & Design, Lifestyle, TroysArt|

The art of yachting Puerto Vallarta

Kirk Longmire, Troy Broussard, & Kristy Phillips toasting on a yacht in Puerto Vallarta. Paraphrasing Carly Simon, I walked into the party like I was walking onto a yacht… and I was walking onto a yacht! It was a party too. TroysArt readers know that I recently spent time on the west coast of Mexico and this as promised is the second of two posts about the adventure (see: TroysArt – Our swank soiree in Sayulita) specifically dedicated to the art of yachting Puerto Vallarta. But first a refresher of our cast of characters. We were all guests of Rob Taylor and Kristy Phillips celebrating Rob’s birthday in Sayulita. Also present were Rob’s son Trey Taylor and his girlfriend ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-10-20T02:35:36-05:00September 26, 2015|Destinations, Lifestyle|

Our swank soirée in Sayulita!

“Dinner with great friends and this memory" by Raj Kalra, Sayulita. Though I had never heard of Sayulita, Mexico, I jumped at the opportunity when invited by Houston attorney Rob Taylor and his beautiful girlfriend Kristy Phillips to celebrate Rob’s birthday. A variety of photos and tags went up on social media over the past week followed by an avalanche of questions. So naturally this TroysArt post is about what to expect and where to go based on our swank soirée in Sayulita! But first we must define the motley crew assembled for the occasion. The group included: Rob’s son Trey Taylor of Houston and his girlfriend Elizabeth from Orange; Rob’s daughter Lacy Taylor from San Francisco with her boyfriend Scott Tukel; Arkansas attorney Bob ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-09-26T10:58:25-05:00September 24, 2015|Destinations, Lifestyle|

In memory of Sandra Prather Broussard

August 6th, 2015 – Today would have marked the 69th birthday of my mother Sandra Fay Prather Broussard. This special TroysArt post is dedicated to a life that touched so many and a life that ended too soon. 1952, Sandra Prather The daughter of Bob & Fay Prather, she was born in New Orleans and grew up in downtown Jennings and with her sister Charlotte was third generation in the Prather home on Nezpique Street. As a youngster Sandra was known as a firebrand with pigtails, coveralls, and her notorious bag of marbles roaming the alleys off Main Street and the yards of the Victorian mansions that once lined the block, somewhat of a Scout Finch. But she morphed ...

By Troy Broussard|2021-05-27T11:16:10-05:00August 6, 2015|Lifestyle, TroysArt|

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