For Terramania owners Traci and Andrew Miller, the struggle has definitely been a part of the story. After Traci was furloughed in 2020, due to COVID, she began to think while she was at home.
“I love to entertain, so decorating and entertainment, and giving parties is really my first true love,” Traci says. She began to ask herself and take note of what it was about her home that people she had over loved about it so much. “I noticed it was the earth tones, and just the textures and the way I layer things and use quirky things throughout my home, so I came up with the word ‘Terramania.’”
‘Terra’ means of the earth, and ‘mania’ means crazy about. Together, they took a leap of faith, registered the name and waited. During those three months, Traci took down all the décor in their home and transformed her house into her storefront. She invited her Facebook friends to shop over champagne and food, but quickly realized she also needed to reach strangers. Her husband Andrew built her a 10x10 space for pop-ups, and people were hooked. In between pop-up shows, and maintaining the storefront at their house, though, Traci ended up going back to work. The Millers did this for about a year and a half before they were whooped.
So, Traci quit her job. The last day she worked for her company was June 30th of 2021 (remember that date). She didn’t know where she was going, yet she knew it was going to be Celina. Traci began to pray for three things: a crusty, old building, a community to serve and 3,000 square feet. And she Got. All. Three. By January of 2022, the keys were theirs. Then, exactly one year after Traci’s last day at work, Terramania held their soft opening on June 30th of 2022.
Another year later along her faith-based journey just chasing after a dream, Traci and Andrew came full circle to celebrate Terramania’s first anniversary on July 15th. Among other blessings, their staff has grown to five, and Traci says God continues to show her that Celina and Terramania are where they are meant to be.
Terramania is now selling Natured-Inspired Seasonal Home Décor Boxes to be delivered quarterly! Learn more and subscribe on their website at terramaniashop.com or stop by their store Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
1) Theme & Textile
Traci says the first step to styling a table for hosting any gathering is to pick your theme. For this tablescape, she picked a Southwestern Fall theme. Known for its earthy color palettes and rustic accents, the Southwestern style gives a beautiful homage to the rustic charm of the “wild” American West. “I’ve used everything from cowhides, blankets, or a typical runner and placemats – but I love having a textile on the table, and I chose rabbit pellets,” Traci says. “Putting that first layer down is your first step.”
2) Create Your Centerpiece
The second step is the centerpiece. Traci says she did something a little different with this centerpiece, opting for a paper mâché bowl. Where most people choose vases or several little things around the table, she loves the round texture of the paper mâché along with the stunning arrangement spilling out of it. “We popped in a few little candlesticks just to add some ambiance, too, to our centerpiece. And then, the lava rocks that are spilling out on the table – we have lava rocks in that bowl, so we thought that was a good echo,” Traci says. They also added some brass beads to the centerpiece to add a bit of glam. “I love that little juxtaposition of something kind of earthy and then something, you know, shiny next to it.”
3) Pick Your Dishes
The next step is picking your dishes. The feathers neatly tucked in with her golden silverware pays tribute to her Southwestern theme, contrasting well with the muted green glasses and moody black plates. “For fall, I chose the matte black because I thought that would look really cool popped against those really light pellets on the table but still sets that mood,” Traci says. “Picking your dishes is fun, too. It’s all part of the décor.”
4) Favor & Food
And last, but certainly not least, is selecting your food and including a party favor. “I love guests to go home with something, and what’s better than a party favor that’s made by you and thought out?” Traci says. For this setting, she went for Southwestern-themed watercolor paintings atop the rusty orange napkins as her favor and food to match. “I always say, for décor, you could just use food as your centerpiece. I’ve done that before, too.” Traci says choosing food that will be passed around is important to make sure it blends in as part of the décor, so she chose to serve earthy, darker, moodier foods to go along with fall: tomatillos, chili-lime covered mango pieces and cut up figs.
219 W. Pecan Street