VACATION

I am going to be visiting my family in New York for two weeks. We only get to visit once a year. We look forward to going "home" to where we grew up. We will eat NY Pizza, NY bagels and eat the sweetest peaches that will be perfectly ripe while we are there. We will catch up with our extended family and just generally, take a deep breath of summer and family. AAAHHHH! My etsy shop will remain open for purchasing. I will be mailing everything upon my return on August 18. Thank you so much!

My Book Wreaths

I have the best time making my vintage book wreaths. I choose a book that has the size pages that I want, a lovely font and here I go. I get my hot glue gun fired up, scissors and plenty of glue sticks. ( I go through a lot) I usually turn on HGTV and sit for hours composing a new book wreath. It really does take hours. I have such a sense of satisfaction when it is done and I stand back and think...."cool! I love it!" I have given them as gifts, sold them on etsy and scattered them throughout my home. Today's wreath is especially sweet! I found an old Little House on the Prairie book and decided that it needed to become a beautiful wreath. I finished it off with a tattered Shabby Chic roses rosette and ribbons. The colors are soft and soothing and neutral. My wreaths are so cool because they are vintage but modern! They look like they came from an Anthropologie display or from the windows of West Elm! I also will confess that I burn my fingers many times as I compose these wreaths. My freshly painted nails get wrecked from gobs of hot glue! When, I am done, I am always so pleased. Each one is different!

Linen Hearts

Couldn't resist sharing a new item from my shop. I love how they turned out! Hope you like it as much as I do!

I feel Pretty!

I just love antique books~falling apart, tattered, written in, covers falling off, yellowed pages, beautiful fonts,lovely photos, thick creamy old crispy pages.....can you tell that I love OLD BOOKS? I have an especially beautiful stack of really old and really tattered books that are missing their covers. I bought them for a song because I think the store owner thought they were JUNK! Can you imagine???? Be still my heart!

I also love hydrangeas. I have some growing in my yard. They are lovely. I also have a local source for the most beautiful dried hydrangea bunches. Every spring and every fall, I pay a visit to a lady with a wonderful green thumb. She sells bundles of dried hydrangeas tied with twine for a couple dollars a bunch. This spring I also bought fat pussy willow buds from her too. Sometimes she has Sweet Annie as well. I love to replenish my hydrangeas with new ones. Above is the result of a photo shoot I did with my OLD BOOK STACK  and some dried hydrangeas! Pretty!!!

New HUGE Giveaway

This lovely shop is doing a huge giveaway and you should drop over and get in on the fun! Best wishes!

Just Because

I worked on these little vintage-inspired hearts last night while watching HGTV's Next Design Star. I sorted through my favorite tin of antique buttons to find just the right ones to stitch onto these linen hearts. (what did you all think of the "white box challenge"?) I used an expresso colored thread to hand stitch each sweet button in place. The buttons are just sensational. They came from an estate that had been bought by a historical society and was sorting through the treasures and selling some. They are truly antique buttons from the late 1800's. ( a couple are a bit newer) I added snippets of vintage lace taken from an old bridal gown. I tea-stained it a tiny bit (added a bit of Tim Holz grunge) and added some extra sweet surprises....including a handful of whole cloves inside! (notice the pearl pin...it "needed" a bit of sweet elegance) You can find this item in my etsy shop.  The lovely photo of lilacs in mason jars.....(swooning) just because they are beautiful and discovered on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Weeds

Some see WEEDS......some see WISHES!

We are having a heat advisory this week in the midwest. The heat index is 114 degrees. It is hot and muggy. People who have outside jobs cannot work. Central air is great but after awhile, even then you start to feel the heat and humidity.  I was outside at dusk last night. I was watering my plants and getting bitten by mosquitoes. I was contemplating some things in my life and started to feel sorry for myself. Then, the thought came to mind...."Instead of complaining about what you do not have.....be thankful for everything that you do have." For some reason, that seemed really profound to me, even though I have heard it said in  many different ways, many different times. Sometimes we read other people's blogs and we think, "they are so blessed. They must have the best life, they have more followers than I do etc."  We start to compare ourselves to others. There will always be someone with more.....more talent money, beauty...... etc.    I see moms of all different ages comparing their kids to each other. It starts in pregnancy and then when they are infants. "Who is already sleeping through the night, who is potty-trained, who gets straight A's, who got a full-tuition scholarship, who is getting married, who is more successful and on it goes." When those comparative thoughts seep into my heart and mind, I often have to tell myself to STOP and count my blessings. There will always be someone with less....someone lonely....someone dealing with grief....someone with unpaid bills, someone facing marriage troubles....someone struggling with depression etc. We all live in this world and we all do the comparing game. But, we need to STOP, and instead of seeing WEEDS...........see WISHES! Be thankful and reach out a helping hand to someone who needs it! Someday it may be your turn to need a hand. I love this quote: "Be kinder than necessary, because every person you meet is facing some kind of a battle." And lastly, be kind to yourself! Stop beating yourself up! Be a friend to yourself! :O)

From My Heart to Yours, (stay cool and drink Iced Tea )
Debbie

Growers Daughter Giveaway

Hollyhocks

There is something that I really love about hollyhocks. I love the way they stand up tall and reach for the sky. I love how they look great just growing wild and free without needing to be tended. I adore their bumpy round seed pods and how they look beautiful fully open or fully closed in a bud. I love watching big fat bumblebees bury down into the center of these beauties and be so busy gathering up pollen that they don't notice or bother you. I would love to have an old farmhouse with a white picket fence with lots of these growing helter-skelter against it. Oh yes, I love how you can save your seeds and share with friends.

The above photo reminds me of an old-fashioned seed packet!

 I added some texture to the photo above and I think it looks like an antique postcard image!

This last photo is just so vibrant and pretty! Enjoy!

Peace

"Worry is an option.....not an assignment." ~ Max Lucado.

Worry is thoughts and images of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. (wikipedia)

Philippians 4:6-7 The Message

 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

"Give your entire attentions to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34  The Message

REMEMBER

In the crazy schedule of our lives, sometimes we NEED to take a moment and take a deep breath and remember the past. Our past is part of our present! The good and the bad, the happy and the sad....it all combines to make us who we are. If we let Him, God takes all of it and makes our lives into something beautiful and precious.
On my dresser, I have a picture of my grandparents. In this photo, my grandfather was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The look on his face is a little uncertain, but my brave grandmother is holding his arm as if to help him and maybe protect him. When the photo was taken, we didn't realize that he was sick. My grandmother took such good care of him and protected him and gave him dignity.  She didn't tell anyone until his disease progressed and we needed to know.
Each time I look at that photo, I feel a little emotional and think about my grandparents the way I remember them when  I was a little girl. Their life was not an easy one. They went through the depression and lost a child. But, I choose to remember so many sweet things about them. My grandmother always had a candy dish filled with silver-wrapped Hershey's kisses. They were her trademark. She called us honey and my grandfather would wrap his long, lanky arms around us and give us a rough hug. They were sweet and I miss them in my life. I would love for them to know my children as they are now.

When I started this piece of artwork, I had a general idea of how I wanted it to look, but then, as usual, my heart took over and it became a statement and not just a piece of art. I hope it speaks to you and encourages you to take time in your busy world to remember the good memories from your past and know that TODAY you are creating new ones! 

Upcycled Dresser

I found this cute idea on the HGTV website. I just love the look of this dresser and I love the soft whites used in this vignette. I will definitely use this idea in my home! Here is what the article says:

Damaged furniture doesn't have to be thrown away. Marian Parsons suggests hiding imperfections on furniture with decoupage. She used aged sheets of music to hide imperfections on this neglected dresser, while also giving the all-white bedroom a shabby chic look. Other items great for decoupaging furniture are maps, book pages, letters and postcards. "The treatment will hide gouges, water marks, missing veneer and other signs of abuse on furniture," she says. Decoupaging furniture will also add dimension and distinct style to a room.

Happy Birthday America!

How do you plan to celebrate our country's birthday? Our plans are simple. Homemade pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, lots of veggies and homemade balsamic dressing and sandwiches from our local shop. Beautiful photo-finding walk along a lovely walking path through the woods. Sunshine, laughter and making memories. Grabbing a blanket and some sparklers and heading to the 10PM fireworks display. Take a moment from your celebrating and thank a soldier for their bravery and selflessness. Freedom is never free! Someone has paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We have the opportunity to picnic and play because of their sacrifices! Enjoy each moment with your family and friends. Life flies by and we don't often appreciate the little daily moments! Live in the moment!