handmade recess

more on moving.

2011-09-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hi.

I'd love for you to follow me on over to the new handmade recess site.

It's chock full of goodness.

New product photos.

Clean margins.

Fun colors.

And new posts about other bloggers and shop owners and pancakes and life lessons and pretty much the same old randomness.

You might have to do this, though. If you're in a reader, unsubscribe to handmaderecess.blogspot.com.

Then! Add www.handmaderecess.com. And then you'll get my new posts delivered right to your reader.

It works if you use your blogger dashboard as a reader, too.

I've got Google Connect set up if you want to make it really easy.

Annnndddd. If you'll come over there today and subscribe, join, connect, whathaveyou...I'm sharing a coupon code for this weekend.

new address

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi. I've moved. Come over to www.handmaderecess.com and say hi!

i take heart

2011-09-08T13:35:00.004-04:00

When life feels so heavy that my arms might buckle, I take heart.

I've failed as a parent.

I've lost my temper.

Been impatient.

Lacked grace.

I've failed as a wife.

Raised my voice.

Responded with impatience.

Ignored boundaries so that all I have is leftover energy.

I've failed to dream.

I've failed to take risks.

I've avoided hard things.

I've given into fear.

I've been too shy to speak. Even God's gracious Word over others.

And all of these failures wrap around each other, hold tight. My big burden like a rubber band ball. Ever growing.

But I take heart.

Because I can lay aside my burdens: "Let us also lay aside every encumbrance" (Hebrews 12:1).

Every burden. Every heavy weight. Every hindrance.

I can lay it aside.

It's not who I am.

I take heart.

Because I want to run: "And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).

And running, at its origin, is free and rapid progress.

And so I lay aside.

So I can run free and fast.

sashes, part three

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

So. This week Jessi and I are continuing on with tips and tricks learned from our own experience in endeavoring to use our gifts to bless our families.

One thing I know about myself very well is that I am horrible at time management. Just horrible at it. I'm very easily distracted by another cup of coffee or an hour reading blogs or a few minutes on facebook or any other thing than work.

I've learned to work by this principle: a body in motion stays in motion. I don't have dedicated work times everyday but on the days that I do, I take a shower and get completely ready before I drop my older two children off at school. And when I come back home with our youngest, I eat a quick breakfast and try to stay moving.

The truth is that if I sit down to savor the funner things first on work days, an hour has passed and I've forgotten much of what I needed to get done that day. So I try to stay in motion. Unload the dishwasher. Fold laundry. Get packages ready for the mail. Take a walk with a kidlet. Anything that's at the top of my being intentional list for the day.

And then when it's time to work, I can just work. I don't have to shower or do maintenance kinds of things. I can just work for my allotted time.

I've had to accept this way of living bit by bit because the truth is that even though I'm an early bird, I love to have a slow morning. But too many slow mornings lead to total chaos in my brain, heart and house. The beauty of this whole shift is that sometimes, some glorious times, I get to have a slow morning anyway because I've made the most of my time. Also. I always make sure I have a dedicated quiet morning around once a week.

A few encouragements for you:

1. Get ready very first thing in the morning.

2. Try to stay in motion. Set a timer if you have to.

3. When you think you're done. Try to do just one more little thing. Just try.

I can't wait to hear from y'all. Will you try to stay in motion? Do you already stay moving? Share if you'd like!

weekends and new products

2011-09-02T15:26:00.003-04:00

Hi. It's Friday. I ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A. I had a salad. With chicken strips. Fried chicken strips. That balances out right?

I've got a new product to show you today. It's called the Janie and I hope you're going to love it.

It's a clutch with a totally removable wristlet option.

Thirteen inches by ten inches of space inside a very graphic and modern bag. This bag is all about being bright, quirky and utilitarian. It's not frilly but it is fun.

Look. You can fit a wallet. And a small zippy bag. And lots of other things. I hope y'all like it as much as I do. Find some here in my shop.

Here's to a lovely long weekend full of some fallish weather. And. My husband is about to come home and let me go off. No plans. Just me. Some music. My swagger wagon. And a bit of fall shopping for our girlie girl.

what do you think: music

2011-09-01T07:39:00.005-04:00

photo taken this summer on Main Street by our friend, Lynn Evenhouse

I've shared here before how much I love music. I come by it honestly, having grown up listening to Paul Simon (Graceland, thankyouverymuch) and Linda Rondstadt and James Taylor and Lyle Lovett. Jackson Browne is still the soundtrack of my childhood. We'll blame it on my father who played guitar and had long hair when my mom married him. My sister and I grew up singing along as my dad picked and strummed.

And now I've got this girl. And she loves music. Very much. She picks up on lyrics justlikethat. And then she's singing them until forever comes. She doesn't just sing them, though.

She wants to know what they mean. What they're about. And so I've found myself singing at the top of my lungs to Hall and Oates' "Maneater" (I. am. not. ashamed.) and I've heard her little chirpy voice asking, "Mama? What is this song about?" You try explaining that song to your six year old. I ended up saying something about it being silly and changed what we were listening to.

I've become super sensitive to what we'll listen to with my children. It's mostly myself I have to worry about since Tom is a sports radio type guy. It's not an over protective thing so much as it is wanting to preserve her childhood for just a bit longer. Because she is a girl and I don't know if I want her taking in lyrics about relationships and broken hearts and teenager type stuff. Yet.

I most certainly want for her to be able to relate to others. No question about that. It's why I feel more not yet instead of not ever in some cases. I don't think I have to elaborate too much on the fact that there are many artists that I may never be on board with.

I also love good music and I have a short attention span. I'm constantly flipping through stations and cds. So, in an effort to at least be intentional I loaded up our cd changer with music that is uplifting and not about love stories and broken hearts but also has a good beat and is just plain good music.

I'm wondering what y'all think about music. Do you feel like some of it rushes growing up like I do? Or do you think it's less about that and more about what we teach at home?

I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about putting this out there. I know I may come off as too absolute or extreme. I also know my tendencies in that direction. But. I think more that beautifying others lives has a lot to do with being intentional about our choices. And I just wonder about yours.

fresh starts and white spaces

2011-08-31T16:20:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year. Where crisp mornings mingle with summer hot afternoons. Where golden afternoon light filters into lazy afternoon houses.

It's new school shoes and mystery novels. Because mysteries are always best when the night is chill and the leaves, having fallen, make the most wonderful crackle.

And even though it's still hot as all get out. The wind is blowing. I can feel it. There is so much change coming in my life. Some I can't wait to share with you. But right now it feels like I am the very last bright copper oak leaf dangling from the limb. And the wind whips. I'll be falling on new ground and it feels awful far right now, with all of the logistics and the busyness.

And I think about how Nester wrote not long ago about margins. And all of the sudden I seem fiercely loyal to mine. In this time where there is something to do at every turn: a decision to be made, a shuttle to run, a place to be. It's all new and fresh and exciting. And my margins must not be forgotten. White space. Not filled with one thing. Space to simply be. Without it life is just keeping up. And keeping up is not good enough.

And I remember that we never really wrapped up trading up: saying no to being ruled by someday in order to enjoy today. And I know that this is the best place to end that talk. At the infinite beginning. May your white space go on forever.

sashes, part two

2011-08-30T07:07:00.004-04:00

The first and foremost purpose of sashes will always be to provide biblical encouragement to all women. Our second purpose is providing tips and tricks and lessons learned the hard way (maybe the easy way) for women endeavoring to do something big on their own. Bloggers, small business owners, crafters, photographers, writers, endeavorers of all kind: our heart is for you.

Today, Jessi shares about her first local show and gives some insight on first times.

Last week's open studio.

Some backstory: I tried a few years ago to start doing graphic design work from home. The customers weren't there, the time wasn't there, the inspiration didn't come. My designs were bad and the whole thing was frustrating. When Glory was in the hospital this past spring with epilepsy, the idea for the Psalm 46:5 print came to me and it was the first I made. A few weeks later, I got brave enough to put some on the etsy shop and my hope was that maybe I'd sell a hundred in a year. I didn't anticipate selling 100 in a month and I was so encouraged by the whole thing!

Then, sweet Ellen offered to let me do an open studio with her! A chance to pool all our communities and show them what we had for fall. I thought, "sure, why not?!" and had no idea what I was getting into. The first time Ellen and I met to discuss it, I was blown away with how little I knew. I hadn't though about business cards, display, signage, receipts, having change... shoot, I hadn't really thought about ANYTHING. I spent the week before the open studio scurrying around like a chicken with, you know. Printing a gazillion prints, picking up last minute supplies, etc. etc. etc. And this was just a casual-at-home-open-studio! I can't imagine if I had been prepping for a show or market in the real-world!

But here are some valuable lessons I learned, that I hope are a blessing for you.

1. Do your first debut with an encouraging friend.

I don't have any friends that are straight up discouraging, but it was incredibly beneficial for me to walk through this with someone who absolutely believes my prints need to be sold. And likewise, I am a massive fan of her work. I would absolutely encourage anyone I know to spend money on the items that she makes and I know she would say the same for me. We still oooh and aaaah over each other's new things and it's not superficial. I would highly suggest praying for and finding a friend like that, and moreover, BEING a friend like that to someone else if you're endeavoring something on your own. Or even if you're not.

this is Lauren, not Ellen. She is also encouraging!

2. Define success in realistic AND optimistic terms.

I had two different mindsets about the open studio and honestly, I needed to function in both of them. My super optimistic lady in my head said something like, "pray that you'll sell out and make xxx amount of dollars! plan accordingly! prepare for business boost!". The nice little realistic lady in my brain said, "get excited to show people your product and stand behind it, thankful for what He's done in you! minister to those who come to the open studio and be glad for each and every word of scripture that you have a part of putting in someone's home!". Of course, the actual outcome of the open studio was a combination of the hopeful and the realistic plan. I had some sales and it was a boost to my business, but I had to let the wise and realistic voice coach the optimistic voice off the couch the next day. I could've been discouraged that I didn't make a billion dollars or sell out of all my product, but instead I was overly greatful that I'd exceeded my realistic goals.

I think we need both those ladies in our head and heart. Dream big in the faith that God can use your endeavor however largely He wants to, but celebrate when He does it in realistic, tangible, normal ways as well.

3. Determine that the work of your hands is profitable. BEFORE the doors open.

I've really wrestled over proverbs 31:18 that says "she perceives her mechandise to be profitable". I love my little prints, but I worry that they're not as good as I think. I've had assurance from the Lord time and again that He wants me to make them, but I think I still really readily look to others to answer that question for me. Unfortunately, I think I went into our open studio with a big question mark on my heart.

"is this work good? is my merchandise profitable?"

My only true regret of the night was not standing on what the Lord has done and giving Him glory for what He is doing through my business. I had a hard time letting close friends actually PAY me, and I wanted to write off compliments and encouragement. In hindsight, I wish that I'd looked at the work of my hands and seen: this is something the Lord has done. Creativity that He has given. If people want to pay for it, that shouldn't make me balk or want to hide! It's His work. My hands. Done & Done.

So, those are tips from a newbie.

- Get a good friend (and be a great friend).

- Shoot for the stars & keep realistic goals all at once.

- Conside that work good, sister. Cause it is.

behind the curtain

2011-08-26T13:16:00.005-04:00

Do you know what I think? I think y'all are the most generous people ever. The well for sharing has been shallow lately and y'all continue to come here and read and encourage and it makes me soul happy.

Soul happy but scattered and so. Today. It's just behind the curtain stuff.

I need a haircut. I trimmed my own bangs. And my stylist is my dear, dear friend. Last night I told her. All was grace. I'm so blessed in my friendship with her.

Today we signed our youngest up for a new preschool. It was a last minute call and it means leaving a little school we've been in and out of for seven years now.

The best part of this story is this: I was without vehicle this morning so I decided to walk since the new school is just shy of a mile away. I strapped said snaggle toothed, Star Wars obsessed three year old into the stroller and hoofed it over there. Not a minute before I was at the doors to school, I realized the check had blown out of the stroller. So I hoofed it back-one mile-looking this way and that hoping to find the check on one of the four days a year when the wind actually blows in this town of mine. And, what do you think I did? I made it all the way home. Called my husband. Decided what to do about the lost check. And hoofed it all the way back over there. I must have been a pitiful sight because they shared two Freeze Pops with us and sent us on our way. Another mile back home. But. Preschool spot procured. So. Happy ending, right?

Big fat, toothy grin.

All the stories stacked up in my life seem to have the same awkwardness to them. It used to make me fell so less than. Sometimes it still does. I don't have a pretty bottom line for that.

Except to say that I am learning that God is not limited by me. And I mean really learn it so that my actions and fears and confidences are changing.

new things and working and sashes

2011-08-23T06:03:00.001-04:00

Today Jessi of Naptime Diaries and I are so excited to bring you something new. Encouragement, community, shared experiences: our sashes.

I wonder about us women. Why we don't have more grace for ourselves. Why don't we?

Mostly I've been feeling that tug on my heart about work. Whether we work in or out of the home. Whether we work for real, actual, paper, big girl money or for hearts and souls and blessings for our family or for both. It's all important. I've been a full time working mom and a part time working mom and a full time stay at home and a, well, I don't even know how to describe myself now.

I want us to have grace for ourselves about our working. I want us to learn to be like the excellent wife of Proverbs 31 who "works with her hands with delight" (v.13).

What if we let our working at home and working for home and working from home and working away from home be a delight?

A delight but not a definition.

It's going to take understanding that each woman's calling is different. It's going to take saying no to comparison. It's going to take disinviting perfectionism. It's going to take dethroning lists so that they serve us instead of us serving them.

It's going to take the grace of Christ in every inch of our being to find delight in our work. Not another reason we're not good enough or as good as. Not another reason we won't ever get it right. Not another reason for discontent. Not about payment or recognition or worth.

Just a delight. Just a way to bless our families. Just a way to be good stewards of what we have. Just a way to use the gifts we've been given.

Just a delight.

Will you? Will you seek to delight in your God-given, whatever it looks like work with me?

shop things

2011-08-19T11:19:00.003-04:00

Slowly but surely I've been adding a few new things to my shop. It's not as stocked as I'd like it to be. See yesterday's post. I'm working on productivity :).

I have even more colors coming in these bags. They're hand-dyed. And then I do something magical so that some of the dye is drawn back out. They're random and lovely and they have SUEDE! wrapped handles. Yesterday I went into an actual leather store wherein I bought a whole hide of suede. People. I wanted something smaller but that is how they sell it and I just can't drive all the way out to Random Fabric and Craft Store to find that they are out or I have to stand in line for 20 minutes. I'm not really that impatient. But I hate. to. stand. in. line. I will always wish you were faster when I am behind you. I'm sorry.

So. I'm hand wrapping this suede and just generally having lots of fun figuring this thing out. And I am loving this price point. Very accessible.

Hi. This bag is the most adorable thing and I heart it and I want to have it always. But instead I will sell it to you. :).

Maybe you like pink and orange and white and ikat and flowers and very, very bright. Me, too.

If I don't lose my mind trying to think of the exact name for some hardware I'm looking for, I might just finish these new wristlet/clutches/what have yous. Plan A did not work. And I see Plan B in my mind but I don't know where to find it??

And so I'm sure that this weekend will find me at a home improvement store saying things like, "No. Not that exactly," and "It's sort of like this and a little like that and just a little bit tiny and it has to be brassy!" They love me there.

Hope it's lovely for you!

P.S. Next week I'm having a little open studio so my shop will be in vacation mode starting on Wednesday. Scoop it up now, friends :).

on the horizon

2011-08-18T06:00:00.003-04:00

***INTERNSHIP FILLED! THANK YOU!**

This year I'm dreaming a bit bigger. And I could use some help. I'm looking for someone committed and full of initiative. You MUST be available to work either a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning from 9 to 12 (ish). I'm willing to share my experience with social media, sourcing, fabric and just general businessy and creativey things. And I'm setting aside a bit for a stipend.

Are you interested and local? Email me: ellen (at) handmaderecess (dot) com and tell me:

1. Any experience you've had with social media, online shop keeping, creative endeavors, sewing. You don't have to be skilled in any or all of these areas; just be passionate about some of them.

2. Your availability.

3. A bit of information about yourself and your work history.

Maybe this isn't a good fit for you. But, do you know someone who might thrive in this internship? Pass it along!

if you were here live and in person

2011-08-17T15:11:00.005-04:00

I'd serve you up a big old bowl of this ice cream and tell you

1. that the last two mornings have not gone swimmingly and sometimes I feel like I REALLY am in the running for worst mom, and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way.

2. I'd also tell you that I'M OKAY. Okay? I'm okay. I'm better than okay.

3. I'd tell you that it's because I know about grace and I've been learning so much about faith and hope. I'd tell you how much I'm soaking up the fact that hope is there for me in every aspect of my life even if I can't even see it, smell it in the air, hear its faint jingley song.

4. And I'd tell you about the time that my youngest locked me in the downstairs bathroom without one way of communicating with the outside world and no other human being within earshot. And I'd tell you that I couldn't talk him through opening the door and so I finally settled on the fact that I'd have to climb out of the window that is over five feet off the ground and jump down into a bush so that I could walk around the outside and through the front door to retrieve that kidlet who was very distraught. And I'd tell you about the absolutely jovial response the maintenance men for the children's home had when they came to fix the very broken door and heard that I had climbed through the window and jumped out. It made them very happy. Oh, they laughed something good.

5. And I'd tell you all about the dreaming and changing and all that stuff that I've been doing for my business. And I'd show you that even though I never seem to accomplish a shop update quickly, I am actually working on things.

6. And I'd tell you that you're awesome. And that I want you to know that hope exists for you. Believe it. And that I hope you'll stretch yourself soon. Even if it makes you sick to your stomach. And that failures are less about us and more about Who picks us up.

small joy: friday night drives

2011-08-16T09:05:00.004-04:00

Well. School started back yesterday. And I am going to try to get back to my normal routine. I'm not going to lie and say that we were loathe for school to start. We were ready for some outside activity. But. I did have a moment of missing this morning. Thankfully I have a three year old shadow who loves for me to put guns in lego men hands over and over again. He keeps me company real good!

Last Friday was our last day of freedom. And, my three, they ran me ragged. Between trying to get some work done and play with them and go to a school meet and greet, when 5:30 rolled around dinner and cooking and I were not friends. So we took off over the river to the west part of town. It's one of my favorite parts of town, an area that was booming in the 50s and 60s and the architecture shows it.

Will you forgive my car drive by shots? I'm still a chicken about being that camera lady.

Listen. If you don't know this already, we are not faincy people. We like a good, local, greasy(ish) spoon, divey type place over any other thing. And this is one of our favorites. It's a pizza, spaghetti, subs type restaurant that's been open forever. I was craving their spaghetti with meat sauce.

And then afterwards we tortured our children by driving around town looking at various and sundry things including a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser. Please tell me sometimes y'all just drive around like little old grannies and gramps. We did a drive by on that thing three times until we finally pulled over so that my husband could inspect it. It needs a new engine :(. But my husband needs a new car. And it has to be a good hunting, trashy type car that can also get him where he needs to go. It was quite the beaut and if you must know how awesome my husband is, he has been driving my worn out mini van since we were able to get a newer one a few years ago. Yes. We drive two mini vans.

In fact, he takes that van hunting. And puts dead things on top of it. He's a good, good man. I am more of a pacifist when it comes to cute little woodland animals but I love him and his provider self. And now I will be scouring Craigs List looking and looking for a good hunty type vehicle.

So. What about y'all? What's an average, summer's almost over, just need to get out Friday night like for you?

small joy: let's just be honest.

2011-08-10T14:41:00.002-04:00

This.

Totally happened.

Last week.

Y'all still like me right? There are only two silver linings.

1. Little people (and big people) make a mess. And people are good.

and

2. It always gets better after it gets worst.

That's what happened. It got a whole lot better.

My house was the location to shower a sweet friend and her family who just put their arms around twin four year old girls.

When my house needs to be in show mode, I don't do too much of any cleaning until the morning of. It's just going to get dirty again. I always start with the best of intentions to at least pick up everyday so that it doesn't feel so dirty. But, then! Then, my curtains absolutely must be swapped out and my kitchen table needs to be sanded because I got lazy and only sanded some of it and now it looks sort of like the wood version of a cowhide rug and it is Friday afternoon, the day before the shower, and a storm is coming and it's 103 degrees and I am frantically sanding in the backyard as sweat gets all mussed up in the dust and the dust gets all over my totally precious Forever 21 shirt and my three year old is running around without shoes or a shirt and one front tooth. So, yeah. It was real purdy.

So. That's how it happened.

But this also happened.

A verse she prayed as they waited. And that is beautiful.

let's play the what if game

2011-08-04T08:03:00.004-04:00

Hi. Why are y'all so awesome? Thank you so much for the comments, emails and tweets about my last post.

What if I told you I let my shop dwindle down to the point that I just had to close it for a few weeks? What if I told you that summer kicks my creative tail? What if I told you that inspiration finally struck and I made that bag up there?

What if I told you I have more colors?

What if I told you I'm working on a larger zippered bag with a removable wristlet option? What if I told you that I think removable should really be spelled removeable? Why do we sometimes drop the e?

What if I told you I'm hoping to stock my shop next week with new fall and winter products?

battle by battle

2011-08-02T07:38:00.002-04:00

I've been holding on to this post for over a month now. It's finally time to hit publish. I feel a burden. A burden for us women to fight together instead of against each other. Is someone better at something than you? Does she have something you want? Take joy for her and trust that a good gift is in store for you, too. Know, too, that her life has pain and not good enough moments. Is someone struggling? Stand beside her. Steady the rigging for her. Fight with her.

That not good enough someday mentality touches every arena of our lives. Sometimes it's deeply personal.

It's 6 am on a Saturday morning and I'm bleary-eyed in my running shoes. I'm about to turn around and go inside. It's too early. But the summer's heat is starting to encroach this early June and if I get up just early enough, there's still a slight chill to the air.

This? This is my daily battle. To just give in? Or beat my body?

Because I've bought every lie the world has sold me about my appearance. It's a war I've been fighting my whole life. This body that isn't mainstream. Always making me feel like an outsider. I've been warring since I can remember and I'll keep warring until I can't remember. It's what's been given to me. It's my fight.

I've bought every lie the world has sold me. I'm Snow White and, even though I've been warned, she comes in different clothing and I always open the door to the world's Wicked Queen and finger her life-stealing baubles.

I refuse pictures. I agonize over appearance. I tear myself down. I have a husband who adores me. My beauty. And I can't even receive it sometimes.

But this is war. And I will fight. White knuckled. Teeth bare. Because I have a daughter. And this is not her heritage. This is not her heritage.

This is not your heritage. You fight. The discontent. About yourself or your home or your life or your family or your job. You fight. For the healing and the growth and the freedom.

Because this is a real war. And real wars are won in the small battles of what you can and what you can't do. You fight white knuckled, too. You do those little things you can do. You fight harder. And you draw back, too. You know when to tuck your weary bones in and under the shadow of Bigger wings.

Because real war is won and lost in the battles.

You dream. You hope. You fight.

I'm fighting, too. Putting one foot before the other at 6 am on this early June morning.

it's probably why i can eat a whole box of pop tarts in one sitting

2011-07-28T19:15:00.004-04:00

True confession? I'm not a couponer. I used to try to coupon but it became a stewardship of my time thing versus a stewardship of our money thing. And time won out. Which is not to say that I think couponing is not well worth anyone's time. It's just that I don't think in a straight line and it was just really hard for me. My husband just finally told me that it's ok that there are people in the world who are really good at clipping papers and spend only $35 a week on their family of 11. Or something like that. At least that's what my little performer/perfectionist brain makes it out to be. I'm just not good at it.

But. I do try to be respectful of our budget and also our health. Over the past year, I have almost completely cut out processed and prepackaged snack, lunch and breakfast foods. Except for pretzels and waffles (I buy Van's Organic) and the occasional Honey Nut Cheerios when I'm just feeling devil may care, I don't buy any bars or crumbles or mixes or cubes or chips or crackers or cookies.

I've been trying to actually make-as in, prepare from scratch-every snack I offer and push fresh things like fruits and vegetables. And I have to say that my kids have been awesome about it. My husband, too.

This change doesn't mean that we don't enjoy cookies and cakes and salty treats. I just try to make them so that I can control what goes into them and spend my money as wisely as possible. Sometimes? Total fail. I'm not going to lie.

But! I have been on a Smitten Kitchen kick and I haven't found a recipe that's a fail yet. I know I'm late to the party. I'm sorry.

Last week we made these thick and chewy granola bars. And then my darling, darling friend came over and I made these scones, except I didn't have raspberries so I used blueberries (pictured above). And this lemon cake? It's divine. Also, this mushroom lasagna will change your life.

The thing I love about all of these recipes is that they are easy to change to suit what you have on hand. And I love, too, that many of them have a whole wheat base. Because I am not delusional about the health factor.

Also! On a somewhat related note, my daughter has been desperate to make Thundercake. We did it but I didn't take one picture of the process. It was a fun little rainy day activity that I highly recommend.

P.S.-In the interest of full disclosure, sometimes I feed my children ice cream for breakfast (thank y'all for the twitter support this morning!). So. There's that, too.

trading up, practically speaking

2011-07-26T05:23:00.010-04:00

We've been talking about trading up on somedays here for a little while. About how sometimes the worship of a someday thing can steal the joy from the everyday, right now things. It all started in my kitchen.

It's easy to get into a someday mentality with our homes; our physical surroundings. Just the other day, I was in a lovely suburban neighborhood with a beautiful pool overlooking a serene lake. I'm not going to lie. It started to creep in. Someday it would be nice to live in a neighborhood with children. Away from a busy street. And cars always turning around in our driveway. Is it true? That someday it might be nice? Sure. Do I have to have it for my happiness? Does it mean that there isn't anything beautiful in right now? No. And that's our someday line.

Someday worship is at times about a season. When I'm married or when I'm working or when I'm a mom or when my children are older or when I have more money, then happiness will come. Don't squash your dreams. But don't let your dreams squash you.

Summer seems to be one of those seasons for me. The kind were I begin to stack up all of the things I'll be able to do once we are back into the routine of school and what have you. You've probably noticed that I haven't been here as much over the past two months. It wasn't intentional.

It's just that last summer, I made a huge list of things we were going to do and we skipped doing any kind of summer camps and I got all excited about a slow summer. And then we got into the thick of it and my heart was wrong and it got very overwhelming and I wasn't able to find small joys as easily.

I've been working on that.

Not serving a someday mentality, being totally present in today, requires a few things of me. I thought I'd share them because maybe they are for you, too.

1. Simplify or change expectations.

When I am limping through the last weeks of busyness in a school year and I'm so ready to have lazy mornings and I anticipate every morning being a quiet morning? It's just not realistic. By 6:45 AM, my youngest is sitting on the steps wanting to come downstairs. So. 7 AM is the beginning of my summer day. I've just surrendered to it and this summer it has made all of the difference. We get up and go. Even on a quiet morning when we're doing things around the house, I've set my expectations. And I've simplified them drastically. I'm just not going to get as much done creatively or business wise in the summers. I've learned to be ok with that. It's not really my first calling anyway and so I'm learning to treasure nurturing these relationships right in front of me.

2. Be intentional with time.

I used to think I was a details person. But the truth is I am an experiences person. My habits confused me. I am very allegiant to my habits but that doesn't mean that I am good at details. This is going to be hard to believe for those of you who are detail oriented: I can forget every bit of what I wanted to get done if I get caught up in a moment. All of the sudden I'll be on the other side of my day and I remember all of the things I should have done. So. I'm learning to be intentional with my day. To set my course first thing and revisit it often. I certainly don't feel beholden to it but it helps me to focus on what really needs to be done. I've really been challenged in this area of my life and I'd love to share more with y'all next week (humbly).

3. Protect quiet.

It's my job to teach my children to quiet their hearts on a consistent basis. I'm still maintaining a few quiet mornings for us a week. It's good for everyone involved. Look, I've shared before that I am resistant to us being found hither, thither and yon all the time. It's a choice. I'm learning to say no or maybe later. For me, quiet times are an anchor. Slowing down means I see more.

4. Build in rewards even when it's hard.

Sometimes? Sometimes I've just got to stop everything and do something fun and creative and quiet. It's refreshing and rewarding. Even if it means that the sink is full and the laundry's wrinkled and the vacuuming isn't done. If I've got something to look forward to-to work toward-then I'm more likely to enjoy right where I am. It's true that I have to be guarded against shaking my fist and demanding that time. But planning for it sure is fun and it helps me to regain my perspective.

Well. What do you think? How do you maintain a perspective of joy in the right now? And what are your somedays? I'd love it if you'd share!

don't let today's beauty be lost on you

2011-07-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

When someday rules it's second nature to forget all of the little things that we CAN do. So let's shift our thoughts. So we can't be that, have that, do that. What can we do?

This summer I'm focused on doing little things that brighten our days and our surroundings. Changing our views doesn't have to be cost prohibitive. And it doesn't have to be exhausting.

Last week, I shared this small change I made.

The chalkboard: an old but well framed picture that never quite fit in our house. I spray painted the whole thing with chalkboard paint. Even the frame. Because I was lazy.

The portrait: a watercolor of my great grandmother given to us on our wedding day by my great aunt.

The shutters: $2.50 from the salvage yard of a local thrift store.

The pottery: my oldest's sculpture work from school this year.

The driftwood: from a walk on the beach last summer.

All these things collecting dust, their beauty lost on my someday clouded eyes. Stories. Already all around me.

Let's do this: let's step back and see what we can do right now to create beauty and thankfulness in today.

Share if you'd like!

this and that around the house

2011-07-08T16:06:00.005-04:00

Whenever I use the blender, I always think of Rudy and Cliff Huxtable. I grew up on that show and I love, love, love the ones when she was younger. Like the one where she and Peter used the blender and destroyed the kitchen and totally denied it.

Would you like to make this smoothie? It's super easy! One(ish) cup of almond milk, one banana, a few good shakes of flax seed, a tiny bit of honey, a few tablespoons of nut butter (almond is good but sometimes I use peanut butter if I'm out) and ice. It's so yummy.

I have been rearranging a bit. Moving things around. I took the mirror off the mantel because it wasn't reflecting anything but the stairs, which are pretty but not so picturesque. I just swapped it right out with this chalkboard. And then I fouffed with some things from around the house.

We have a little playroom/sunroom which I've never shown you. Basically because it sucks joy out of me. It was always messy and dirty and covered in legos and other tiny little toys. I've been on the look out for a modern looking dresser with big drawers so that everything would be hidden. I found this one recently at one of my favorite thrift stores.

I had two requirements: mod looking legs and no painting. I just don't feel like painting anything right now. And! It was cheaper than something new at IKEA. It makes me very happy.

And we filled up the top drawer with all of the little, teensy, tiny lego things. Totally filled to the top.

Tomorrow morning I'm doing a little sewing day with some younger women (? That totally makes me sound grandma.) in our church. We'll be making this little pillow. I'm a little nervous and trying to make sure I've got all the ps and qs covered. Hopefully they'll leave feeling empowered to just try and not worry about perfection!

Hope y'all have a lovely weekend! We'll be back to business next week, I promise.

an everyday update

2011-07-04T07:19:00.002-04:00

The tooth didn't make it. It turns out the root was cracked and it began to look very, well, unnatural. We now have a three-year-old snaggletooth. I'm sorry it happened but it's so cute.

We took off for the beach last Thursday.

One day I spent 12 hours in my bathing suit. It was glorious.

I forgot the camera. So I don't got no pictures.

We spent an afternoon in downtown Charleston. I was kicking myself for the no camera thing. We basically just wandered. It's been a very long while since we've putzed around Charleston so we were a bit off on our sense of direction. Honestly, there were frustrating moments. But it turned out to be a fun evening.

Even when things don't go exactly the way you pictured they would, you can still make memories. Okay? That is becoming my golden family rule.

Otherwise, we have been walking (my parents') dogs and riding around on the golf cart and making multiple trips to the Pig here. We've been playing baseball in the ocean and making pools in the sand. And being unplugged.

And we went to church here. Our church is, well, big. There's a contemporary service and lots of groups and even a class for single 20 something girls. We love the preaching and we love our church family. It was sweet, too, to be here and see a choir of 10 singing a good, old hymn and to drop my 6 and 3 year old off in the same room for Sunday school. The sanctuary was packed. Tom and I both grew up in small to mid-sized churches and sometimes it is good to feel that again. Do y'all go to church when you're on vacation? Just wondering. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. It's always a blessing when we do, though.

I hope you all have a lovely Fourth today! We'll be soaking up this last day here: watching a military fly over and splashing in the water and just plain being a family. All that messy and sweet stuff.

It's 7:37 AM and my kids already have their suits on.

trading up: the heart

2011-06-28T06:45:00.004-04:00

Before we talk about filling our minds, would y'all mind if we talked about our hearts?

It's funny, this topic. When I took some time to reevaluate my blogging at the beginning of the year I read something that encouraged setting myself up as an expert. I laughed. I'm just so far from being expert at anything.

But then we talked about waiting. And I've done my fair share. And now here we are talking about someday and I've lived for that in my life. Working. Not working. Settling. Moving. Pregnant. Not pregnant. Married. Single.

It's just our habit to live for what's next.

And that is why I have to reiterate that if you want to break free from the desperation of grasping for someday to BE in the right here, you have to confront your thoughts. I wrote more about that here.

And then I was thinking about my heart. Because it goes it's own way, too. Because maybe I just don't feel grateful right now.

But gratefulness is where we start to turn our thoughts. What we fill our minds with.

Did you know that even David told his heart to praise?

So. Let's do that. Let's tell our hearts to be thankful. Let's start with the bare bones. Kathryn touched on it in her comment last week. Be thankful for health. For life. For people. If you've got to dig with your dirty fingernails until you just finally scratch onto one tiny thing you can be thankful for. Start there.

Let's start with just being thankful for the simple things. Tell our hearts to go there.

Our hearts will follow.

the discipline of trading up

2011-06-24T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hi.

Alright. Let's dig in to this trading up thing.

But, first. I just want to be so clear about the fact that we are not talking about that good kind of dreaming that gives you something to work toward and a little hope that life will be different someday.

No sir. We're talking about that someday that overshadows every moment of joy in the right here. It's the kind of someday that makes you feel like you'll never be happy until. You're bigger. Brighter. More decorated. Less decorated. Skinny. Polished. Like her. Or him.

That is the someday we're trading up on. Ok?

And I have something to tell you about this process. You're not going to like it.

It's going to be hard work. We're going to have to develop some discipline.

Y'all still with me? Let's talk about our thought lives.

Did you know that you don't have to wander down that someday path? You can choose to take your thoughts captive.

And if it doesn't have an ounce of gratitude for today? If it's sopping wet with comparison or bitterness or discontent?

You. Can. Say. No. To. It.

Don't you just sweep it under the rug. Don't fool yourself into thinking you'll deal with it later. Don't convince yourself it won't do much harm.

1. You stop.

2. You say no to it.

3. You snatch it up.

4. And you throw it out.

Next time? Let's talk about replacing those thoughts.

a public service announcement

2011-06-20T07:31:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when you combine a three year old and a Publix sale on Nutella.

I was so touched by your responses to my post last week on somedays and the joy they steal. I didn't want to let another day go by without responding in some way to your thoughts! I think we will talk more about this subject since it seemed to resonate with y'all and I continue to fight for a focus on daily joy instead of far off wishes.

Last week was slap full of everything topped off with dental work and this three year old. We are trying to salvage a baby tooth that got knocked out of position. One afternoon involved me holding him while it was reset in the right position. Seeing as just last night he and his brother were being boys and there was blood coming from said tooth, I'd say the chances are slim.

trading up on someday

2011-06-09T07:39:00.003-04:00

Last night I was cooking up a fun little dinner in our tiny kitchen. It included some of my favorite things like asparagus and shrimp and red potatoes. And it also involved running my oven at 425 degrees.

Which always means that the smoke alarm goes off. Every time. Without fail. Because our kitchen is old and our stove is old and the fan on our range barely works.

And I found myself living for someday. When I have newer cabinets. And a stove that is from a recent decade. And a fancy range hood.

Oh, someday. You steal all the joy from this day. There's a fine line between dreaming a bit because you know what you like and trading in the small joys of today for some hazy longing that may or may not be fulfilled.

I always seem to teeter totter off that line.

Someday is not about what you have right now. What you dan do right now. Someday is about what you don't have. Which, for me, always ends in comparison and longings and discontent.

I am trading in my someday for some specific goals. I am choosing to focus on what I can do. I am choosing to celebrate the sweetness of what I already have.

What about you? Will you trade up with me?

make it: sweet baby bib

2011-06-07T07:02:00.003-04:00

It's such a treat to give handmade gifts. I've got a quick and easy one for you today.

I worked on this at night so forgive the lighting.

Here's what you need:

A free bib pattern found here.

Some fun cotton fabric.

Terry cloth.

Felt.

The first letter of the baby's name printed in a large font.

Snap kit (any kind will do, I just had the pearl one on hand).

Cut both your cotton and your terry cloth placing the pattern's straight edge along the fold of the fabrics.

Pin wrong sides together and stitch leaving an opening for turning. Once you've stitched, make small notches along the curved edges being careful not to clip the seams.

Turn right side out, iron very well and top stitch. Make sure you fold under the opening to line up with the rest of the bib and catch it with the top stitching to close it.

Cut out your letter and trace it on the felt. Be sure to trace it backwards so that your tracing lines won't show when you place it on the bib. Sometimes I forget.

Pin the letter on the bib and use a straight stitch all the way around. Attach the snap. I like the simple kits you can buy at any sewing or crafting store. You simply use a hammer and a spool of thread to set the snaps.

i made this and you should, too: savory grilled cheese

2011-06-02T14:23:00.003-04:00

It's the first official week of summer. My knees are sunburnt and I've got a stomach bug.

But! I have a treat for you today. It's my special, faaaiinnnccy feeling sandwich. It's perfect for those days when you feel plum worn out.

Let's all just pretend that I actually put brown sugar in that little cup.

Spread a bit of brown sugar on one slice.

Layer thin slices of swiss cheese.

Spread a bit of brown sugar on the other slice.

Put it all in the pan with a bit of butter. Yes, butter.

Brown it up real nice.

And enjoy your faincy grilled cheese. I promise it won't disappoint. Some fruit would be nice, too!

I had planned to share a little personalize bib tutorial today but the pictures were less than average. What do you think? Would you like to see that later this week even if the pictures are a little bleh? Would that be off-putting?

you, i thought i knew you

2011-05-31T20:19:00.004-04:00

We chased the sun down that yellow lined asphalt this weekend.

A weekend for remembering what freedom has bought for us.

I took my chippy orange nails on a boat ride.

All the way out to where the blue meets the blue.

And as I was driving off the island today, I thought of you. I turned on the radio and "Nightswimming" was playing. I was driving by my favorite house. Ever. In existence. I think it's the black and white stripes. I just have to know what's happening on the inside.

And I thought of you. Because "Nightswimming" was playing and I remembered that yellowy transparent tape and how I wore it flat out. How I listened and listened to that song. And how I was so full of dreams about my future. I wore my heart on the outside but only because it was so, so big. I longed to be loved and feared I never would be. And that wish was a long time coming because God was saving my heart for just one man (did you know that I only eeeever dated Tom?). So there were times when the fear ruled me and the dreams were bigger than this world could hold.

And now my huge heart is crammed full of happiness and joy and heartache and loss and sacrifice and too, too much. And I thought about you. I hope that this space is more than gingerbread eaves and black striped curtains. I hope that you can see my old, teal Ford parked right up in the middle of all that pretty. I hope that you can glimpse the inside from time to time.

My never good enoughs. My almost made its. My loss filled moments. My bad hair days. My ache as time passes. My silly laughs. My clumsy stumbles.

I've gathered up so many memories. So much freedom. In so many ways I'm not the woman I dreamed I'd be. My dreams never met the lonely or the loss or the awkward. But I wouldn't have the memories to unpack without it.

This freedom bought for me.

shop talk: a summer update and coupon code

2011-05-26T20:16:00.003-04:00

This week? It's done wore me out. As we like to say around here. Tomorrow is the last day of school. And I left half of the teacher gift supplies at the checkout counter of a store this afternoon. So I am improvising a bit.

I am feeling summer coming on like nothing else. And I took some time today to update my shop with some bright and happy things.

Like this little zippy. I just love that trim. And! If you have a small point and shoot this makes a perfect case for it.

Neons are big right now. I know because someone else told me so. I double dog dare you to google neon fabrics and see what you come up with. That trend has not quite hit the pretty fabric world yet so I was so glad to find this pretty print. Otherwise it's that orange fabric that you use for hunting vests and stuff. And, I don't know. Somehow it just didn't speak to me.

Happiness is an aqua and raspberry flowery wallet.

Unless citrusy colors are your thing. Then happiness is a limey blue wallet peeking up at you out of your big old purse.

Hi. I'm a messy contradiction of prints and colors. Love me.

Rainbow sherbet. That is all.

I just like y'all so much. And so I thought I'd have a little sale in my shop on all of these new goodies. How about you use the coupon code SUMMER11 and get 20% off your purchase? Until Sunday. How does that sound? I've got some more new goodies in my shop that aren't even pictured here. Head over, if you'd like, and do a little school's out for summer, winter's been chased away, lazy days celebratory shopping.

But! Before you do that I have something else to show you. At my last indie craft fair I met the amazingly talented Sara Lee Parker. She hand prints the most wonderful and graphic designs using earth friendly inks onto sustainable fabrics.

I kept wandering over to her tent and looking at every. single. thing. And I humbly whispered the thought of collaborating. She said yes.

I've got four (for right now) limited edition minis in her beautiful prints. I didn't want to obscure her artistry on these so instead of ruching the fabric, I layered a messy swath of my grandmother's lace over the top. I'm hearting these big time.

And they're special. I think. I hope y'all agree. Take a look:

You'll find these bags in the limited editions section of my shop. And because they are so limited, I can't offer the coupon code on these (I'm sure you can understand!).

small joy: weekend goodness

2011-05-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

Do you know what I haven't done in a while? A weekend photo dump.

My oldest just finished regular season baseball. Their team made it to the championship game. He's never been in a championship game. Ever. In his life. And I was glad that he was chattering on about that when the sun had set and he was all tucked in. Because they lost. It was a tiny bit of a heartbreaker.

Partly because they had an awesome coach. Who's also my husband. He has coached every season our big guy has played (here they are at third). At first it was hard on me because I had a teensy baby and then a toddling baby and then a toddler plus our girl. But now I have a preschooler who sits with me and cheers his brother on while his sister plays. Even though it was hard for awhile, I couldn't imagine it any other way (although, sometimes I did grumble). My husband is a coach. He lives and breathes it and it makes him happy. And it makes our big guy happy.

On Saturday we had awards ceremonies and a quiet afternoon. I made this dinner. It was reel guuud. I think I'll add more paprika next time. And, then? We got all crazy and decided to go for ice cream. Mostly because we had a gift card. And instead of going to the easy, shopping center ice cream place, we decided to go to the one downtown. And I took some pictures of our drive.

Would you like to see a tiny glimpse of my town?

We live in the capitol city. In fact, we really live in the city so we are minutes from our statehouse. We drive by it all the time. But my children have never been on the grounds. I think that will be on our summer list.

This little section of town is called the Vista and I love it but I hate it. Parking is impossible. But it's fun and funky and it's just on the edge of our city before you cross over one of our rivers. But parking is IMPOSSIBLE. Our tiny little miracle was a space. Right next to the ice cream shop.

All weekend I've been walking past this print that my friend Jessi made for me. The first time we got together, we were talking about some heavy things I've been walking through this year and I shared that this was a verse I've been clinging to. She remembered and made me a print! She's awesome. Do you feel confused, hopeless, at the end of yourself? Take hope. God knows what is in the darkness. He is light. And He is a revealer of deep, deep Truth.

Sometimes he's a cowboy. But mostly he's a baseball player. He put this on while I was making dinner on Sunday. He lives to dress up in his makeshift uniform.

He's got the stance and the hands down. He can even hit the ball from time to time. And I have to laugh every time he comes tearing down the stairs in this get up.

Sequined, bedazzled, beady bauble shoes. That is all.

How was your weekend?

small joy: summer seeing

2011-05-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

I measure summer by the late afternoon light that bursts through the tree line behind our house and pours over the fence. Everything in my backroom kitchen is bright and airy and flawed. There are smudgy fingerprints and silly bands spilled across the floor and flour sprinkles from the dinner I've made.

And it's that wonderful late afternoon light that is perfected by the sound of children playing in the backyard well past dinnertime: the cries and laughs that rise up over the dish water running; the green and lush air of early summer where fireflies shed their shy winter selves.

In that light? It's easy to see the smudges, the spills, the sprinkles. That's life made by hand. By time and by love. It starts to feel heavy; all of the work that must be done. Day's last burning brightness reveals it all.

But. Maybe it wasn't Created to illumine work, work, work. Maybe that final flare of clear sunshine that makes it's way into my backroom during it's last hours is showcasing something else. Not just the smudges, spills, sprinkles. But what's made them. Life made by love. Life made by hand.

And so I will press on. Finish strong. And step outside into that glorious shiny sun, that love life.

How do you measure summer?

saying no to comparison and perfection

2011-05-17T07:40:00.004-04:00

1. I cannot believe I'm doing this.

2. Of course. It's 72 degrees today here. But don't you worry. It will be 90 by next week.

3. I need someone to hold my bangs to the side for me.

4. I just couldn't make it through the whole thing without coughing.

What do you think? I'd love to hear from you! Do you struggle with comparison? Perfection chasing? Is it keeping you from doing that little creative thing?

shop talk: business planning

2011-05-06T10:37:00.009-04:00

Every successful business has a business plan. It's true.

There's one important question to answer when you begin a business:

Why am I doing this?

Are you doing it because you love it? Because you need some extra money? Do you care about making money or just covering your costs? Because it's a gift you can't contain?

Before you can begin to plan for your business you have to know what you want to get out of it.

Business plans can be large and very specific and typed up all professional. Or they can be scribbled on a notepad and tacked up to your wall. Don't be overwhelmed! You can do this on your own and very informally.

The Right Brained Business Plan

Here are questions I use to shape my own plan from year to year with some possible answers:

1. How would I like to grow this year?

-make X amount of sales {or}

-increase my monthly profit to X amount {or}

-build more community around my brand {or}

-participate in a large craft show and build a local business presence

2. How will I change or not change my product line?

-refine and rework current designs {or}

-develop a new product that seems to be lacking {or}

-entertain new colorways and patterns

3. What media avenues will I use and how will I use them?

-blogging: grow my community or post more often or simplify design {or}

-twitter: tweet shop updates or interact more or post daily {or}

-facebook: ask more questions/surveys or post shop and blog updates or post photos

4. What new thing would I like to work toward this year?

-open up an online shop {or}

-participate in a local show (organize one!) {or}

-sponsor a blog or two {or}

-attend a conference of some sort {or}

-comment on more blogs

6. How will I spend my time?

-blog X amount of times per week {or}

-work X amount of hours a week {or}

-post daily to other social media {or}

-update online shop X amount of times over year {or}

Think long term and short term goals. When you know where you want to go, you can make better decisions.

What do you think? Do you have a business plan? Would you consider making one?

the quiet morning

2011-05-03T06:09:00.007-04:00

Most of my days are spent in a whirlwind of making lunches and carpool lines and errands and just hither, thither and yon. The longer I am away from home on a given day, the more anchorless and restless I feel. I am not gifted at being busy outside of the home.

Lately, I've been scheduling one quiet morning a week.

A quiet morning is not seeing the sunlight until the chill has been knocked off. A quiet morning is still wearing your Christmas pajamas at 10:00 am and even though it's already 80 degrees and sticky air outside. A quiet morning is the hand painted rainbow mug your girl made you.

Kids at home. No kids at home. It's possible. I give you permission. To do this. Without condemnation. Ok?

Here are my absolute five essentials:

1. Another cup of coffee.

2. Lamplight.

3. No appointments or errands until after 10:00 am.

4. A list of those daily things that tend to overwhelm.

5. No huge, perfection chasing expectations. This is about being quiet, not perfect.

And then I get to it. I savor that second cup of coffee and still being in my Christmas pajamas. I tackle the over and over again tiny parts of my day that don't like to be neglected: laundry, the kitchen, the junk drawer. Whatever it is that I loathe to do but that will be a heavy burden uphill until I do it.

And then I put on my fresh clean clothes and I fix up my hair and put on my favorite lipgloss and I go out into the world. And I smile. And I usually go somewhere everydayish like Target or the post office. But sometimes I don't.

I've had my quiet morning and my anchor is holding just a bit tighter; my soul less restless.

i made this and you should too: rhubarb upside down cake

2011-05-01T16:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday afternoon! Will you kindly please ignore that somehow I managed to focus on a fork in every single photo I took of this delicious cake instead of the actual delicious cake?

Because. It is. Delicious. The recipe is found over at Cooking for Seven. And it will make you very happy.

Unless you don't like baked fruit type of things like 3/5 of my family. But! If you are one of the 2/5 that loves that kind of thing-which I am-you will be very, very happy you made it.

P.S. I didn't have maple sugar so I used brown. It came out just fine.

be who you were made to be

2011-04-28T17:28:00.003-04:00

Last month I was able to share with a group of moms at our church about creativity. It was awesome. And also scary. I wore a mic. Which was a tiny bit weird.

I'd love to share what I've been learning here in bits and pieces.

So. It's true. You were made to create. I promise.

Here's the thing. I believe creating originates with God. He made all of these beautiful things around us. And we're made in His image. So we were made to create. Each of us has in us a way to reflect artistry.

And in His creating, the Lord has been very diverse. The beauty of the seasons. Beautiful and unique bird songs. Delicious foods. He's not limited.

Each of us has been woven and spun in a uniquely individual way. We are created things; planned and purposed to the core.

And if God was so diverse in creation around us, then our own reflections of artistry will be diverse.

So.

Don't slump your shoulders because you don't think you have that gift. Seek it. Seek to know what's been purposely place in you. And know that it's beautiful.

Sometimes we limit creating and artistry to visual arts or performing arts or fantastic writing. But artistry is everywhere. In the kitchen. In the garden. In corresponding. In organizing. It's all beautiful.

So. Be who you were Made to be. Seek who you were Made to be.

a local presence: craft fairs and the like

2011-04-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

First things first, if you're going to build a little bit of local business and you're looking to get into the craft show circuit, you've got to decide what your show philosophy will be.

In my mind, there are two ways to approach shows:

1. You can take part in every local craft show, vendor market, street fair and cultural event.

2. You can decide to limit yourself to a few, larger and customer specific markets.

When you are just beginning, it's a good idea to try as many as you can. Over the past year, I've really limited myself to certain types of events.

So, how do you find out about these events? First, let's talk about the many different types of venues where you can sell your goods:

1. Church bazaars.

2. Street fairs (think holidays like Christmas, Fourth of July, St. Patrick's Day).

3. Cultural events.

4. Holiday markets.

5. Charity events (these often have a vendor fair attached).

6. Local Farmer's Markets (I'm talking about the very small but very refined kind).

So, how can you find out about these events?

1. Ask people. I know it seems elementary and sometimes scary but if you are going to be doing this you're going to have to get comfortable with asking questions. Be willing to tell someone what you're trying to do and ask them if they know of any events that might be a good fit.

2. Search. You could call your local chamber of commerce or just google upcoming events in your city or state. Also!! Keep your eyes peeled as you are out and about town. It's almost impossible to find one site or office that keeps tabs on everything happening in your area.

4. Groups. Join a site like craftster or find a street market team on etsy for your area. You're sure to find out about upcoming events.

5. Email lists. Listen. If you miss out on an event, just get on their email list. It's disappointing, I know. But put your pretty little email into that online form and you'll be among the first to know about what's next for that event. Plus, if it's an indie/crafting specific event, the organizer will be a wealth of knowledge about other events and will probably pass on information.

6. Be willing to travel. Do you live in a small town? Do some research on the next largest city. Or state. Or metropolitan area.

Eventually, you should be able to develop a philosophy on which events you'll take part in.

I've become more and more picky about what I'll apply to do. First, because I have three young children at home and I can only do so much. It takes time, too, to build an online presence. And, after almost three years of doing this business thing, I've been burned a bit. I've learned by mistakes and triumphs where my customers are and how to get in front of them.

As I've been typing this, my frantic little brain keeps whispering, "Business! Plan!" Let's talk about that next. Then we'll cover some ideas for setting up your space in a show and setting up wholesale accounts at local stores.

What about you? Do you have a few things to share about building a local presence? Have questions? Share in the comments!

at this very end of april

2011-04-25T13:31:00.003-04:00

We had the loveliest Easter. I wish I could show a picture but I took nary a one. I've been in a picture taking drought.

It's coolish here today and the wind is blowing. The sky is a shimmer of bright blue and stark white clouds. Everything is green again. Even the air. And the gardenias in my neighbor's yard keep wandering over here with their thick, summery scent. I'm happy.

I didn't really have a plan for this space this month. Spilling out all of that saved up, waiting and wanting heart stuff was so good but it also left me wondering if I could start something like that all over again so quickly.

Still, this week I'm looking forward to our conversations. I've got more on building local business and something to say about rhubarbs and cake. I'd also love to share some thoughts about creativity; where it comes from and what it means for us.

I'm looking forward to our week here together!

in my very core

2011-04-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the Church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Colossians 1:17-18

Christ before all things.

Christ in all things.

Active in our lives.

Holding us together.

Firstborn from the dead.

And first place in everything.

Risen indeed!

on getting started

2011-04-21T15:50:00.002-04:00

So. You have something. Something you want to do. Something to share with others. Something to gingerly place out in the vast marketplace.

What do you do? You list that pretty thing on etsy. And you wait. And you wait some more. And maybe you sell it. But maybe you don't.

Getting noticed online takes a good bit of work. I'm still navigating that world, not sure that I'll ever feel like I've got it down. Etsy is a great and low risk way to get your stuff out there!

But do you know where it all started for me? It started with a few very loyal and biased friends and a huge nudge to just try it already.

Building a reputation right where you are is a great way to test out this pretty thing you want to do. To know if it really is as wonderful as you think it could be. Plus, you get the benefit of interacting with your customers on a very personal level. Here's how to do it in a very cost-efficient and baby steps way:

1. Get something on paper. I'm talking about business cards. Whether you print something from an easy and inexpensive online printer or go all out, you need to have all of your pertinent information in an easy to hand out form. For the first two years, I used vista print. This year, I'm using tiny prints and I am so, so, so happy. It's a splurge but it's worth it.

My business card next to my friend Carrie's. I think Carrie used moo.com.

2. Establish an online place to tell about yourself. Whether you use a free site like blogger or you pay someone to set up a web site (which is NOT necessary at first, I promise!), it's nice to have an accessible place to give a bit more information about what you do and how to get in touch with you. In my opinion, it's very nice to have a simple and straightforward place that is separate but connected to your personal blog or journal. A page or a place that gives a quick and comprehensive view of what you do.

3. Now it's time to find a few very loyal and biased friends to carry your products. Give them each a handful of cards and ask them to use your products as much as possible. It helps if they are bigger fans of what you make than you are. I really lucked out in that department. The BEST way to build buzz locally is word of mouth.

4. If you're ready, it's time to think about taking part in a show of some sort. I have to confess, at first I had a hard time finding the right festival or market for my products. Of course, getting in on a market or show that's already organized is fabulous and we'll talk about that in another post.

But what about trying something on a smaller scale yourself? I got together with a few other moms who work from home and sell goods and we organized a holiday show at one of our houses. It's been three years and with each year we change it up a bit. For me, it works best to move toward artisans and handmade goods. My customers care about that and I need to build an environment that attracts them.

If you see someone with something that looks handmade, ask them about it. Maybe they made it and would be willing to work with you. Or maybe they can direct you to who made it. The best way to make connections is to ASK QUESTIONS. Even if that feels risky to you.

Don't fret! I've got more to say on this topic. What would you like to know more about? Leave your questions in the comments and I'll try to work them in to my upcoming posts!

naptime diaries print winner!

2011-04-21T15:34:00.002-04:00

Time to announce a winner! Random.org selected number 4.

Which was:

Hooray! So excited for you Emily. Email me: ellen(at)handmaderecess(dot)com and I'll get you in touch with Jessi!

small joy: connecting and a giveaway

2011-04-19T06:00:00.003-04:00

This giveaway is now closed!

Do you know what? The internet can be a beautiful thing. It really can.

But I am learning that the beauty only goes as far as I am open to it. Do you know what I mean? It's easy to quietly read along in anonymity and never wave our pretty little hands to say hello.

I am on a quest this year to make more connections. And today I have a beautiful one to share with you.

Today, I'm giving away one print from my {new} friend Jessi's etsy shop.

I actually have just about every connection with Jessi that I could possibly have but I've never met her in person. And for a few years now I've been quietly reading her blog. Recently, her family has been through some health challenges. I just decided that enough was enough. Time to introduce myself.

And I'm so glad I did. Will you take on this challenge, too? Introduce yourself to someone new? Maybe once a week? Or more if you're up to it!

So. Jessi has opened this shop:

And today you have a chance to win a print of your choice. I am in lovesies with this one:

But I also really like this one:

Apparently I am having a thing for soft pinks and corals.

Do you want to win one? Here's how:

1. Visit Jessi's shop.

2. Come back here and leave a comment with your favorite print.

3. For one extra entry (keeping it simple!) tweet about this giveaway and tag @handmaderecess and @naptimediaries in your tweet.

4. Come back here and leave another comment about your tweet.

5. This giveaway is open to US residents and will close at 6 am on Thursday, April 21st.

6. I'll announce the winner in a separate post on Thursday.

random fun and later this week

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I've got some wonderful things on tap for you this week.

First, though, I wanted to let you know about two internet/networking things related to my blog.

I've added the button to my sidebar but I've failed to mention that I am part of the FaithBlogs community. I am really humbled to be included in this growing community of bloggers whose writing is informed by who we are in Christ.

FaithBlogs is exploding.

Sometimes. When I'm avoiding my housework. I click on one category and explore new to me blogs.

Did y'all think we were about to have a Mary Catherine Gallagher moment?

Next! I've been using Pinterest for a couple of months now. You can find my boards here.

I have to say that at first I was not in love. I still liked using Tumblr to brain dump lovely things I see on the web. But! Pinterest makes it so easy to go back and find all the little happy things you want to remember.

This week? This week I've got a sweet little giveaway from a new etsy shop lined up.

And then I thought we'd talk a little business talk. Did y'all know that I really started on the local level? I took part in a local craft festival this weekend and I thought about you all.

Would you like to talk a bit about your business and getting noticed right where you are, increasing your word of mouth buzz and setting up a happy booth at a show? I'd love to share some of my hard and fast rules on local business! While it's a bit of extra work, don't forsake building a great reputation right where you are.

So. I'll see you here tomorrow. Where you may or may not win a little something from naptime diaries. Just go over there. And be here tomorrow.

two new shops and some business talk

2011-04-13T12:19:00.003-04:00

I just love the friends I've made through blogging. As I said in my last post, y'all are just lovely!

I wanted to share in particular today about two of my friends who have been incredibly supportive.

First, my friend Mae, who introduced herself to me in an adorable email. She's listened as I've bounced ideas and she's cheered me on as I've taken steps to grow. She's also really funny.

And now Mae has an etsy shop: Life's Candy. She makes beautiful napkins, pillow covers and coasters. I even saw some in progress wooden and fun looking napkin holders on twitter the other day.

I think these are my favorite ones. I had a hard time choosing, though. We've been using less and less paper products as my kids get older and we've switched almost exclusively to cloth napkins. I'd love to have some fancy ones like these beauties!

And. Two words: Mother's Day! Great gift, right?

Then there's Carrie. We met at the Nester's slipcover day last spring. And even though I talk a mile a minute and ask annoyingly personal questions and say all the wrong things, Carrie decided to still be my friend. She's been so amazingly supportive. And she's so incredibly cool. Really.

Carrie's also opened up a shop in the new year: Carrie Loves. It's full of flowery rings and bobby pins.

This one's my favorite. I just love that bold and true green.

Are y'all thinking about graduation presents? Carrie's products would be perfect!

Just in case you are wondering, neither of these lovely ladies asked me to blog about them. I just think they're awesome. And they've been so supportive of me. And I love what they're doing and want y'all to know about it, too.

Finally, I just wasn't able to get a new flax chevron tote together before tomorrow. But! I've put up a listing for one to be made upon purchase. It'll mean I can't ship it out until next week at the earliest but I wanted to give y'all a chance to use the coupon code I mentioned. This listing will be up for 24 hours. I'll hopefully be ordering more of that fabric early next week and be able to list more later this month.

the almost finished touches

2011-04-11T16:37:00.002-04:00

This is the last post in my series on waiting, wanting and working with what you have. I have so loved your comments as we've explored what it looks like to wait without letting wanting eat us alive. You can find all of the posts by clicking on the handy waiting button in the sidebar. I also loved that y'all were down with going camping. Which I don't do. I just love Leslie Knope (and Ron! Swanson!) and I thought it would be fun. Y'all are just lovely. Do you know that? Things have been crazy and I haven't been able to respond to comments like I like to. Just know that I think you are fabulous.

Over last week I put a few almost finished touches on our dining room.

Here's where I started:

I began by gathering every thing I had that could go on that empty wall. I had some plates and platters, some pictures and some other wall ornamentation that I was able to use to draw this wall into the room.

And I settled on this arrangement.

I have been saving and moving and rearranging this upholstered settee for three houses now. It's something that I know I want to use but I've been unsure about just the right spot. I had convinced myself to wait until I could use my slipcovering skills to transform it.

I got a wild hair. I decided not to wait. I had that lovely kelly green fabric stashed around and I swiped it for a few pillows to detract from the shell and peachy print. I just sewed on two pieces of navy duck cloth for kicks.

And then I decided to try out some different lamps just for fun.

Here's what I had on hand when I started this process:

Table (my grandmother's)

Settee

Fabric

Pillows

Buffet (my grandmother's)

Chest

Every last bit of wall ornamentation

Curtains (a Christmas gift from a few years ago)

Chandelier (my grandmother's)

I bought:

A thrift store mirror

Paint supplies

Lamps

That's it. Just a little bit of elbow grease and a little extra sewing money and I was able to make this room serve us better.

winner! and a discount code

2011-04-09T07:55:00.004-04:00

Good morning! I read every single comment for my spring giveaway post :)! Thank you all for your kind words. At first, I thought I might randomly pick a few comments to respond to but it started to get overwhelming as the entries poured in.

So. I am responding here. I love using my gifts to help our family and bring beauty into other people's lives! It's so much fun. And I so appreciate your encouragement about what I make.

Before I announce the winner, I want to address one thing. I did sell my chevron brassy tote the day of the givewaway. But! I'll be listing another one this week. I promise! I have one in a grey and white colorway, too.

If you didn't win, I'd love to offer you this coupon code through Thursday at noon: SPRING10. You'll get 10 % off.

On to the winner of the $75 credit to my shop. Hooray for commenter #41, Kimberly Allen Anderson!

Kimberly, email me: ellen(at)handmaderecess(dot)com! I'd love to work with you to fill up your cart with $75 worth of goodies!

hos-pi-tal-i-ty : a soothing salve

2011-04-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

1. the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.

2. the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.

Did you read that? Really read that?

Hospitality. Let's talk about what it's not.

It's not about perfection. Your house doesn't have to be finished and sparkly perfection. In fact, focusing on that is the opposite of hospitality, warmth and comfort.

It's not about you. Or how you are perceived. It's about how your guests feel. It's about letting them see the real parts of your life. Connection. Being accessible and available. Sometimes perfection chasing and self focus are a wall that is too daunting for others to scale.

It's not about apologizing. I've just finished Julia Child's My Life in France. She wisely admonishes not to blurt out our sorries when the food isn't just right. It's the same for our homes. The truth is that others probably don't even notice all of our perceived flaws. And all we do is draw attention to them when we are constantly apologizing for them. Which, makes it about us again.

Hospitality IS about loving others. Meeting them where they are. And it can come in the midst of our everyday lives. We don't have to drop everything and spit shine it all. It's ok to let others into the rush and chaos and failures of everyday.

I have to confess. Hospitality is something I have to be deliberate about. It does take some detail oriented planning. But, I long for connection and community and so I am working towards practicing real, biblical hospitality.

And I'm finding that it's a soothing salve for my wanting and waiting heart. Being generous instead of focusing on what I don't have? Being thankful for what I have instead of pointing out the lacking? A soothing salve.

What about you? Are you naturally hospitable? Have you discovered it's beautiful qualities?

spring giveaway day

2011-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Come back on Saturday to find out who won the shop credit!

Good morning! We're going to take a little break from our series today because I have some fantastic news!

I am so excited to announce that I am currently a sponsor of Nesting Place. Which means that I get to participate in the spring giveaway day Nester's got going on today! If you're coming over from Nester's, welcome! You can read more about me and handmade recess here.

So. What's up for grabs? A $75 credit to my shop.

And I have added so many fun and springy new items just for today!

I've got my trusty little Zippy pouches; perfect for a wallet or change purse or cards.

Let's talk about giving. These are a wonderful little graduation gift. Maybe with a gift card stuffed inside? Of course, they're perfect for corralling the loose change and tiny things floating around YOUR bag, too.

And I've got a few of my dependable (and cheery) Trudy wallets. Y'all, these wallets are workhorses. You can stuff in all of your cards and your cash and your checkbook. And! You'll feel happy when you pull it out in the checkout line.

Wouldn't you to love to give your mother a Trudy and a coordinating Zippy for Mother's Day this year? {My mom uses both and loves them :)}.

I've got some lovely and flowery Mini zipped pouches stocked, too. These are always my best seller as they are so versatile. I use mine for makeup. But, they're also great as a clutch, a perfect little point and shoot holder or a happy sunglasses and lipgloss case.

They make a great teacher gift, too! Just fill them up with summer essentials like fun lip gloss, sweet treats, a summery scent or sweet makeup and you're good to go.

I have two new products debuting in my shop this month. First, the Doralee work sleeve, which comes sized for 15 inch and 17 inch laptops. They're also great for keeping track of important files, travel pamphlets and even magazines for those long car rides.

The Doralee would make a great high school graduation gift.

Last, is my new brassy tote. I know y'all are going to love it. And it's really just a treat for you.

I've got chevron.

And nautical stripes.

And canopy stripes, too.

These Brassy totes have so many fun details: chunky hardware, vintage inspired lining, a double pocket in a bright fabric and a handle with lots of texture.

So. Here are the rules for today:

1. This giveaway is open to US residents until Thursday, April 7th at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Saturday, April 9th right here on my blog.

2. To enter: visit my shop and leave a comment here listing an item you'd love for yourself and an item you'd love to give to someone. Duplicate comments will be deleted.

3. Unless you tweet about this giveaway and tag @handmaderecess in the tweet. Then I'd love for you to come back here and leave another comment letting me know you tweeted and your twitter handle for an extra entry.

Guess what? The goodness doesn't end here! Head on over to Nester's where you can find about all her sponsors' giveaways today.

paint::working with your furniture

2011-04-01T13:49:00.005-04:00

Here's where I started with this wall.

I knew that I wanted to paint this piece to break up all of the wood tones in the room. Here's my philosophy on painting: if it's really old and really valuable, I usually don't paint it. But. If it just isn't working for me and a change in color would help me love it more, I usually go right ahead. I AM NOT an expert on painting furniture. I just kind of do what feels right.

I decided I wanted to take the scroll work off. I used a screwdriver to wiggle it until I could pull it up.

And I had to lose the pulls because several of them were broken.

Sanding. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. My basic rule is that I err on the side of sanding where I can. I use a little power hand sander that I got for $20 at Wal Mart. It doesn't get turned legs and such very well and I just don't worry about it. I also don't sand down to bare wood. I just sand enough to knock the sheen off and give a texture for the paint to hang on to.

Next up is primer. I am sort of two minds on primer. Sometimes I use it. Sometimes I don't. Generally, if a piece is very old with an oil based stain or I'm painting something that's going to get lots of use, I use an oil based primer. I hate using it because it's smelly and hard to clean. But. Those tricky stains will seep right up through your paint. If I can get away without a separate primer, I really like to use Behr's paint and primer in one. But. I was lazy this time and didn't feel like driving all the way to Home Depot when Lowe's is closer so I bought normal paint and used my Kilz primer. I used Valspar Orange Maple for this dresser.

I like to use an angled 2 inch brush and a 6 inch foam roller. The roller has changed my life. I can cover almost everything and there are no brush strokes in the finish. And because I am so lazy, I usually just use a cheap brush and roller for the primer and throw them away (just the roller part, not the frame). Which is not very eco-friendly, I know. I'm sorry.

We don't have a great outdoor space for painting, so once I've sanded I find a tucked away corner in the house to paint. I lay out an old sheet and put cardboard under the legs (the paint sticks more to the sheet).

It's a great idea to put a topcoat of poly on anything you paint. I'm too impatient. I did sand off some of the paint and primer which I haven't done in a long time. It's very hard to get that worn look without it looking robotic.

I bought my new knobs at Hobby Lobby during a 50% off sale.

And here's where I am today.

I have one more change to show you in the dining room and one more post in this little series; I'll share both of them next week. And, then? I have no clue what I will write about. I've thought about pulling a Leslie Knope and making y'all all go camping with me until someone comes up with a new idea.

small joy: island memories

2011-03-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

There is an island off the coast of South Carolina. My parents live there. By 1:00 on a Friday afternoon our wheels are burning down I-95.

This island. It isn't sparkly with beach clubs and cabanas and sanctuaries. It's chippy paint and shrimpers parked in creeks and mattresses hanging from trees. It's green canopies from one end of the beach road to the other. It's a salty sting in your nose and a neighborly hello.

My childhood summers are peppered with mini vans loaded down with mine and my sister's puffed up suitcases and morning departures that never happened fast enough. Turtle walks. Shell excursions. Putt putt courses just limping along. Geechee. Gullah.

It isn't the sea entrenched island where I met my first love, despite all of my movie-like shimmery hopes. That story would be saved for a hot, windless and muggy city I still call home.

It's the place my children will walk the marina looking at the boats in the slips. It's sitting on the screened porch until you can't even see the loved one you're talking to anymore. It's joyful shouts as you watch dolphins cut through the sound.

And it's listening to my own dreamers wishing to touch. Just once. That dolphin. Slicing through the brackish sound water just like my memories.

to quote socrates (i think) in the waiting

2011-03-25T10:00:00.001-04:00

Know thyself.

So many of you have already touched on this in the comments. Let's dive in a little further.

The best way to cultivate a personal and storied home is to take your time. Waiting, whether you choose it or it chooses you, only makes the soil richer. You gain direction and insight. You have a better understanding of what you like.

I love to look at blogs with all white furnishings, so light and airy. Love them. They are so peaceful. I also know that I cannot live without lots of color. That's probably obvious. So instead of going out and buying all white, beachy beautiful stuff, I have to think about how I can achieve that feeling but still be me. With all of my color explosion.

Even more importantly, I think you need to know what you want your home to be. Waiting is the best time for you to define that. Here's what I want from our home:

1. It has to be a place of rest and rock solid security. My children and husband need to be able to be wild or hurting or rebellious in the safety of our home. They need to be able to tear through here with light sabers and fairy costumes; watch March Madness with their feet up. It cannot be stuffy. It cannot be don't touch that. Don't sit there. It has to serve them. And I have to choose them. I cannot be consumed with getting everything just so because then it's more about how it looks than who they are. That doesn't mean that I'm not tempted to get caught up in the just so-ness. I just have to know that I don't want to choose that over them.

2. It has to be easy. The truth is that with three young children who trampse around in cowboy boots and baseball cleats and with crafty visions crowding their heads, I cannot keep this house shiny clean everyday. But it's nice to be about thirty minutes away from picking up for those surprise visits or play dates. I stopped putting the sparkle on my house for play dates a long time ago. It's dirty again within five minutes. The things I have in our house have to work hard and stand up to dirty fingers and ketchup crusted mouths.

3. It has to be storied. I majored in English, taught English. I have always loved to read. And I love stories. And so my eye feels good when it looks around and sees layers and layers of things that have personal meaning to me, even if I bought them brand new. This house houses us and I want it to feel like it.

What about you? Do you know yourself? Do you know your house? What's important to you?Share in the comments!

more on working with what you have

2011-03-24T21:41:00.004-04:00

This week flew by, didn't it? I had a little open studio at my house last night and I'm hoping that will result in some treats for y'all in the shop tomorrow! I have a new laptop/work sleeve and a new tote(ish) bag to list and show you here. But tonight I am tired and I hope y'all will be happy with a progress shot of two walls in our dining room.

Also. My husband is out desperately searching for a dolphin pillow pet because he has promised and because a certain gidget girl turns six tomorrow. It's 9:47 pm. I think we should all pray for him. UPDATE! A dolphin pillow pet was procured at the 24 hour Walgreen's.

First, the buffet wall. I wanted to simplify and actually be able to use this space.

And this thrift store mirror fit the bill. My favorite local thrift always has a stack of these mirrors that have been detached from old dressers. If I remember correctly, they wanted $20 for it.

Having found a permanent home, it was in need of a little caring for. I used Rustoleum Painter's Touch in Navy Gloss, pulling a deep blue from the curtains (which I do not have pictured in this post). I just taped some brown craft paper to the edges. Although, I feel sure that I've read that it doesn't really matter about taping because most of the paint can be easily removed from a mirror.

I'd really love to replace the lamps here.

And this wall. I didn't even know where to start. I think that half of it was actually a central fireplace before heating and air were installed and so it juts out about half a foot right in the middle.

I scootched my dresser over and spray painted the frames from the buffet. I traced them along with some plates that have just been sitting around waiting to be hung so I could play around with placement. Look! There's one of my little people!

Not quite right yet. I needed to change out the busy paper for white mats and move the painted lady up. She's actually a watercolor portrait of my great grandmother that my great aunt gave us for our wedding. There are the neon paint chips that led me astray. I started by wanting to paint our dresser a true, true persimmon red. It turned out a neon orange.

I just want to emphasize that everything here is stuff I already had on hand. Serving platters. Dinner plates. I think one of them is an ashtray.

Will y'all be satisfied with a partial picture of this wall? After I finished my dresser, I thought about how a designery person would have a big modern print hanging over it. The next day my gidget girl brought home her artwork and I switched it out for my great grandmother.

So. I'll be back with more of this room next week. And I promise to talk about painting furniture. I am not an expert but y'all have questions and I'd be happy to share my own approach.

four ways to work with what you have

2011-03-22T13:40:00.004-04:00

I hope y'all had a lovely weekend! Still. I am loving our conversation here. I'm going to go a little backwards today as I'm going to show you some almost after shots of my dining room; all just working with what I had on hand. I promise I'll go back and talk through some of the process later this week and next. I think I've got at least one more waiting and wanting post in me to mix in with working with what I've got.

Today the Nester is hosting a risk link party. It's a place to link up about small and big risks you've taken recently. It doesn't have to be home related either. I hope y'all will jump over there and click on a few of the links. Maybe even leave a comment? That sometimes feels risky doesn't it?

Let's talk about four ways to work with what you've got while you're most likely waiting and wanting.

1. Bring the outdoors in to freshen up space. And it doesn't have to be a pretty, looks effortless but really isn't bouquet of flowers from your yard. I clipped this green stuff from a waxy bush in my backyard.

2. Frame and hang unexpected things. Driftwood from the beach where my parents live always makes me happy. Our daughter brought home this piece of artwork and I switched it out with my painted lady. I've had the same watercolor portrait in that frame for years. Did I dare to change it? I did. And I'm so happy.

3. Transform a cast off. This thrift store mirror just needed a few coats of spray paint. Navy to be exact. I've been known to spray paint a whole large framed picture that I didn't care for with chalkboard paint. It lives here.

4. Put a fresh coat of paint on an old stand by. This dresser has been following me around since early college and it was in need of lots of love. And when you paint? Will you pick a color you absolutely love and not be afraid of the consequences? Even if it doesn't work out, you'll discover something you love even more in the process.

Hooray! I can't wait to hear from y'all. Will you take one of these steps? And will you tell me how it worked for you?

when you shouldn't wait

2011-03-17T14:00:00.001-04:00

I'll just keep it real with my snippet of home today. Even though there are teeny tiny legos all over my house and a million other things to clean up, I stepped outside with our youngest today for a little walk and play time. It's warm here and it felt so good to sit with the sun shining its warmth down on me. Also, my gidget girl is up in her room singing at the top of her lungs. She's on a Mary Poppins kick and I'm hearing "Tuppence! Tuppence!" Because I feel accountable to y'all to live out what I'm writing here, I've been putting them first even when good old performer me fights it. It's amazing how wonderful my home feels when I'm really loving the ones who live here.

Sometimes waiting is necessary and appointed for us, that thing we have to struggle through. But sometimes waiting isn't for us. There are times when we shouldn't wait. Times when waiting becomes a game of putting off and chasing perfection and maintaining status quo. Let's talk about those times when you shouldn't.

1. When it just feels easier. I cannot believe I even typed those words. But. It's true. Sometimes when you've waited for a good, long while, it's just easier to keep waiting. To keep things just the same. Because change is hard. And even though waiting is hard, too, you can get used to it. But change is even better. Because it is fresh and new and growing.

2. When you are scared. Maybe you are scared about what others will think of your way of reflecting beauty. Maybe you are scared of making a mistake. Maybe you are scared of failing. But, all those things? They just make you understand even more who you are and what you want to have around you. You might fail. I do. I just painted a chest neon orange. On accident. Even though I had the paint chip taped to it for weeks. It happens. And I even had friends over before I could repaint it. It's ok for people to see you not get it right. Or for them not to love what you have done for them. Remember? Your stuff works for you. Not the other way around. And not for other people.

3. When you are chasing perfection. It's ok to work with what you have for right now even if it isn't exactly like that picture in a magazine. And it's ok to have to hang and rehang things until your eye likes it. And it's ok to have family things instead of swanky things. In fact, I have to tell you something. I look for family things in other people's houses. That is where the story is and that is what I want to see. So. Stop hiding those in your quest for perfection. And. Please, please read what the Nester wrote about this issue earlier in the month.

A house that is lived in and loved in is so much more welcoming than a house that oozes perfection and don't touch that and I'm sorry this isn't sparklier. It's true. I promise.

What's your not time to wait story?

two kinds of waiting

2011-03-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

When I set out to write this series of posts, I was scared. Scared to put my heart fears out there because sometimes they have felt silly. Y'all have been so kind and so encouraging and so thoughtful. I just love the discussion we've been having here about waiting and wanting.

Guess what? I've got more to say. I'm guessing you do, too.

In my mind, waiting takes two forms. There is loud waiting. And there is quiet waiting. Loud waiting is daydreaming and whys and if onlys. Loud waiting is slipping that one little qualifier in: I'll wait but only until. I'll wait but only if. I'll wait but only when. Loud waiting is trying to magically conjure that end of the rainbow with a billowy poof even before the rainbow exists. Loud waiting is song and dance numbers.

And quiet waiting? Quiet waiting is ceasing striving. It's coming to a place of not needing to ask over and over again. It's surrender. Quiet waiting is not not wanting. Quiet waiting is acknowledging that, yes, I want but I don't need that or that right now or to that be happy. I. Will. Be. Ok. If. I. Have. To. Wait. I will be.

Some of the steps we talked about last week will help us move from loud waiting to quiet waiting. Let's talk about a few more.

1. Take an internet fast. Keep your little corner where you write. But take a step back from everything else. For a day. Or a week. Or a month. Can you do that? I've done it and its been more than hard at the beginning. This blog world is so full of inspiration. But it also runs at a dull hum. Which can turn into that roar of more or not enough. That goes for facebook, too. I am so thankful for the connections it provides but when you are in a wanty, waity place it can breed comparison. What about just taking a break from the news feed? Just for a few days. And when you come back? Don't try to play catch up. Mark everything as read in your reader. Don't keep going to older and older posts. And just start fresh.

2. Put people first. And I don't mean in a generic way. I mean order your day so that you focus on loving those around you first. If you are a list person, put them at the top. Or make them every number. I've found that when my day is ordered around what I can get done, I start to notice what I don't have or can't do. But when my people are first? My heart is set right. And my things just look different. When I've spent a precious half hour reading with my cowboy toddler, the one foot long rip in the upholstery on my couch where we were sitting just looks different. Those things serve me and my family and my friends and my community. I do not serve them. I do not serve them. Put things at the bottom.

Well, what do you think? Are you in for quiet waiting? And what does it look like for you?

perspective and some practical talk

2011-03-13T14:10:00.002-04:00

After talking about perspective last week, I just can't go on with my regular posting without expressing my sorrow for the people of Japan. My heart is heavy for them as many people face uncertainty and a lack of basic daily needs. Perspective. People matter most.

It is ok, too, to want to make a peaceful and reflected beauty place for your people that matter.

Let's talk about the practical. In all the waiting and wanting, what about just working with what you have? It's free. And yours.

When we began this year, I was focused on our bedrooms but I ended up tabling them because, and this is something I want to say before we get too far into this thing, we ended up ordering a new couch. I don't want y'all to read all of this and then read that here at another time and think we just ran out and bought one. We've been waiting for a while (years) and saving our pennies and in February we found out about a really good sale at my favorite home store and we forked over those saved up pennies. There is a time not to wait, too, and I hope we'll get to talk about that this week.

On to the practical. I wanted to work through this with y'all and encourage you to look again at what you have around you. To think about how you can make it work for you.

Let's take a look at my dining room just a few weeks ago.

My mother in law gave me fabric for the curtains last year for Christmas. And the table, chairs and buffet were my grandmother's. My parents gave them to me two years ago. The chandelier was also my grandmother's.

It's a lot of wood in a very dark room but I've promised on my life that I won't paint anything since they are actual family heirloom type pieces.

I have been wondering about how I can break things up. I started with a door I found on the side of the road and some thrift store artwork.

This wall is opposite the table and it doesn't even look like it's part of the room. I wanted to bring this wall into the scheme.

And I've always struggled with these bookshelves.

First, as y'all can probably tell, I emptied everything and put it all on the table. I decided to let go of some things that I just don't use. I called a friend to see if she wanted the shelf. I like it but it hasn't been working for me for a while so she's going to use it in her office.

I found a place for all the things I wanted to keep. Will I ever need this many candles?

Then I took everything off of the buffet and started to think about what I wanted to achieve in this room. It's really more of a large pass through than a strict room. I wanted to find a way to unify the two sides and brighten it up. No painting the walls. Some people here are still opposed to that.

Next week, I'll show you a few simple steps I took with furniture and accessories I already had to move this room toward the room I want it to be.

a tiny preview and a guest post

2011-03-11T12:55:00.002-05:00

I'm guest posting over at my friend Tiny Twig's today. Tiny Twig is a lovely friend I met when I went to the Nester's for Slipcover Day in May of last year. I think you'll love her blog! She has a heart for being intentional and making deep connections with her family that is such a blessing to me!

Tomorrow (hopefully), I'll be back to chat with you about working with what we have. I've got a room that I'm going to try to sparkle up with mostly things I've got around the house and I can't wait to share the process with y'all! I started by making piles and piles of everything in the room.

I'm loving hearing from you so far! I've been slowly working through comments and visiting your blogs and I'm hoping to finish that up this weekend!

what to do with the wanting

2011-03-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that it's ok to want to create beauty around you? I just wanted to make sure. With all of this talk about waiting and wanting, it's easy to misunderstand. There's a balance and I hope that by the end of this chat, we'll have drawn closer to it.

Even though waiting is almost always best for us, wanting does not like to be quiet. Sometimes it is little whispers throughout the day. Sometimes it is roars of not enough and others have more. Wanting, when left unchecked, can easily distort our reality.

All of the sudden we cannot see our blessings. We cannot see the beauty in the everyday of actual life happening around us. People. Hearts. Those matter more.

So, how can we handle the wanting?

1. Table it. Walking away initially is a discipline I've learned out of necessity. Sometimes you still want. But sometimes you realize that you didn't need it after all.

2. Make a list. I know this sounds silly but if I think I'd like to have something fresh and new, I write it down. I pray about it, too. For discernment. Then, I don't have to think about it. It's written down. I've acknowledged that I want it. I usually don't put something on my list the first time I walk away. I wait to see if I keep on thinking about it. Sometimes I even set a date: it's on my list and I'll revisit it another time. After time has passed, sometimes I cross things off without accomplishing them because I've realized they weren't that important after all.

3. Reduce daydreaming. Now, y'all, either I'm crazy or a lot of women suffer with this. I used to love to sit around and think about when I would have the perfect house. And it would look like this. Or if I could really decorate this room, I'd do this. Or if life looked a little different, then I'd be able to do that really big thing. I'm not talking about dreaming. Or planning. I'm talking about that kind of daydreaming that feeds your ravenous wanting, or even worse, lulls you into thinking you've quieted it. Just. don't. do. it.

4. Reach out to others. I want to talk about this more in depth in another post. Until then, here are a few suggestions. Open up your home. Serve in the community. Step up in your church. Volunteer at the soup kitchen. Get some perspective. I will never forget the first time I heard someone wish they were in my place. It hurt. Because I wasn't even in a thankful place.

5. Stop comparing. Wanting? It loves comparison. It feeds on it. The truth is it's hard not to look around at what others have. But. But. If you can learn to take joy in what others have, you'll start to learn the freedom of waiting and the freedom from wanting. I promise. I've been there. My husband could write novels. Take joy and stop there. No wishing or qualifying. Just take joy for them.

I loved what y'all had to say in the comments for my last post! So thoughtful and real. And I'm so glad to know that you identify with this whole struggle! I invite you to share here, too, how you deal with the wanting.

Waiting is universal. But it's also biblical. And appointed for us to grow. I hope it won't be wasted time.

why waiting is sometimes best

2011-03-08T13:00:00.003-05:00

Maybe you are a newly married girl or a newly single girl or just out of college and you are looking around at all the people who are settled and have accumulated lots of stuff. Maybe you are a married woman with lots of life under your belt. Maybe you rent. Maybe you own. Maybe your husband is in ministry. Maybe you both work and just barely scrape by. Maybe you know a big change is coming and you feel paralyzed.

The reality is that 99 % of us have to wait on some of the things we really want. What I have learned over the years is that waiting and creating a personal and inviting home can coexist.

And the truth is that waiting is almost always best. Do you want to know why?

1. Waiting can help you separate what you really want from what you kind of want. And, more importantly, it can help you separate what you really want from what you really need.

2. Waiting can diminish wanting's hold over you. Sometimes going without that thing you really want makes you realize that you don't really want it that much after all. Or, as a sweet friend put it recently, making sure that you aren't drawing life from it.

3. Waiting allows you to know who you really are. I think we all have things we've rushed out to get only to realize that we don't really even care about them.

4. And! Waiting makes room for you to be creative. Chances are that you already have something that you love-that has a story-that you can use.

I used to feel silly and self conscious about my found decor. I wondered if my home would ever have a welcoming appeal to it. I've found, though, that taking my time and gaining a healthy perspective has allowed me to settle into what feels right to me. Not too much or too soon or too somebody else. Just what's best for our family.

I'd love to hear from you all. What benefits have you found in waiting?

small joy: my waiting story

2011-03-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

This little person is the best place to start about my own waiting story. He came in a whirlwind, a total surprise.

And there we were. A public high school teacher and the director of an inner city golf ministry. Seeing each other in the pink early morning light and not again until dusk was long gone. We decided to make a change.

I quit my job. My husband waited and sought wisdom on what was next. He was offered a job at the children's home where we are now. They offered us housing. We sold our little house.

The heart deep truth, though, is that the wanting everything right now and all pretty was already a raging rapid just underneath. When we were first married, we were a teacher and an inner city missionary. When we bought our first home, we were the same. We bought a new couch and a tv armoire. Everything down to the tv that went in that new armoire was given to us.

I wish now that I could have seen the blessing in that. But, instead. Instead, I worried what others would think. And then we moved into a house that wasn't ours with decades old carpet and all of my mish mash belongings. And the wanting got stronger. And the comparison ruled me.

We've been in two other rectory/parsonage houses since then and all of them have a few things that I can't change. Things that used to keep me from showing hospitality. That used to scream out about not being enough.

In the past three years, we've watched as people around us have lost jobs. Homes. We've grown to love places with indoor outdoor carpet in the bathroom and cavelike kitchens because we've come to see how much we really have. We've learned that everyone has that closeted, closed off room in their homes and in their hearts.

And I have learned. I've learned that sometimes I don't really know what I want. What I need. Who I am. I've learned that wanting isn't so bad after all. That waiting is a discipline well learned.

What about you? What's your waiting story?

march: a theme on waiting

2011-03-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

As I'm writing this post, it's a Saturday morning. The day hasn't broken from the chilly morning's grasp and my children are cleaning the playroom, which sounds a whole lot more like playing. And here I am writing a post that seems awful scary for me. In the end, it's not about anything overly personal but it is a step in a different direction and so I fear the unknown.

Recently, I've noticed a trend in the blog world toward simplicity, waiting and delayed gratification. Now, that? Something I've learned the beauty of. The truth is that we have learned the value of delayed gratification out of necessity since my husband took his current job and we moved into a rectory. I've had to learn to wait across the board, sometimes even permanently. I'm not immune to the struggles of wanting, though. I know the difficulty and freedom of saying not right now.

There are so many dimensions to waiting; it has its effect on every part of our being. For the next few weeks, though, I want to talk about our homes. Our environment. How we build, decorate, personalize and maintain atmosphere. How we keep and make them. How we compare, tear ourselves down and become paralyzed by perfection, too.

I want to talk about the disciplines of waiting, wanting and working with what you have. The truth is that surrendering to the idea that you can't have or be everything right now is sweetness. It's also true that a thing fought for is often much more precious than a thing easily gotten.

That is my March goal. To sweeten and beautify by sharing here how to wait beautifully, deal with wanting and enjoy what you already have.

small joy: new eyes

2011-02-28T17:25:00.004-05:00

Did you know that even though some things that I make turn out pretty, my life is still just as messy as the next person? Sometimes when I survey it with my beady, squinty, scrooge eyes, all I see is a list of one thing after another that I didn't get done. Things left undone. Messy. Dirty. And it starts to weigh. And I start to get that failure feeling.

It's like I am a brand new drinking glass. All shiny and new and shimmery. And try as I might, I can't keep myself shimmery when I'm drinking from the water of life. Children. Husband. Community. Others who just need five minutes of my love. Do you see that? The smudges. My scrooge eyes squint and condemn my smudges.

Do you know what, though? I am a rebel and my grace eyes rise up in me. And they tell me to turn it all on its end. Instead of looking to stay shimmery and shiny and untouched, what if I made it my solitary vision to get as messy as I can? To be filled with that water of life over and over again and to drink from it. Lipstick stains. Smudgy fingerprints. Water residue from being poured out. What if that meant a good day? And I mean deep down where I tear myself down. Where I look with my scrooge eyes.

Because my boundary lines are good and pleasant.

What do you think?

new products in the shop

2011-02-25T08:14:00.005-05:00

Good morning! I don't know what it's like where you are but it's a gray and rainy morning here. Plus, my husband had all four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. So I'm sticking close to home for the start of this day. I'm also trying to be a good caregiver. It's not something I'm really great at, keeping up with medications when and how and gauze and other things. All the while, my bit o' baby, cowboy preschooler is watching Davey and Goliath. Man, that Pastor Jack was a beatnik!

I'm still so excited because today's the day I get to show you some of the new things I've been working on for my shop! At the end of last year I started to feel done with all things ruffly. I was feeling a pull toward something that still has a lot of texture but even more depth and layers.

I stalked etsy vintage shops looking for anything that still fit with my subtitle, if you will: modern accessories::vintage twist. Enter vintage trims.

You'll still find messy ruching and a fun mix of patterns. I love that the texture has taken over the whole bag (almost). And now both of my zippered bags-the mini and the change purse-feature a fun, vintage trim running along the front.

Per my mother's suggestion, I jumped up an inch on the length of the zipper on my change purse. Now this little zippered beauty will hold credit cards, gift cards, IDs, paper money and change with room to spare.

Last fall, I made a change in the stablizer that I use for my bags. I think it makes all the difference. I use Pellon Peltex 70, which is an ultra firm stabilizer. That means that these bags hold their shape so much longer. I think you'll love the body of these bags.

The mini bags are still large enough to hold your make up (with a 9 inch opening) or a camera or keys and other goodies but not too large for a cute clutch. Look at that flocked ribbon!

The little change purses now have a six inch opening and a four inch depth, perfect for a small wallet, if that's more your style!

All of the trims on these bags are vintage. I love that raspberry trim!

And, sometimes you can find a match of sorts. While I never repeat the same combination of zipper color, main fabric and trim, sometimes you can find a few that are similar enough to compliment each other.

And I'm still using vintage fabrics where I can. That butterfly is vintage. And did y'all know that honeysuckle is this year's color?

Speaking of color, the buyer for a local boutique here that carries these bags has been pushing me toward brighter colors. I'm so glad for her advice and expertise! I just love all of these happy colors.

All of these changes do result in a change in my pricing. I wish there were a different way to say that. These beauties are listed in my shop right now!

I'm still working away on new styles and I can't wait to show you what's next!

a few blogging resources

2011-02-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

When I took some time off at the end of last year and the beginning of this one, I spent some time asking myself about why I blog and how I blog. I read everything I could get my hands on about blogging. I don't want this to be an empty or wasted space in my life. Even here there should be purpose.

Today I want to share two resources that I found invaluable as I questioned where I would go here as I move forward.

If you are a business or lifestyle blogger trying to build a brand, I think that these videos by Grace Bonney of Design Sponge--part of the Biz Ladies series--are invaluable. In a little under twenty minutes (split between the two videos), you will find expert advice on how to build a credible blog and take it to the pro level. While it's not my intention to go pro, I WAS looking for some guidelines for how to be more limited in focus. I found lots of jewels in the videos, even though I'll never blog as frequently or as comprehensively as a site like Design Sponge. She helps you think about your time and how you can better use it for blogging. She gives recommendations for how to keep your blog posts varied and consistent. And! She conquers the topic of social media and gives some very helpful guidelines for how to use it. I watched them at least twice. And took notes. I found the information about keeping an editorial calendar most helpful.

For a more in depth look at blogging intentionality, I highly recommend Rachel Meeks' e-book Simple Blogging. Rachel writes at Small Notebook, one of my daily reads. There is a small cost for downloading the book, but I think it is well worth it. Rachel's book helped me ask the right questions to refine my purpose. This book pushed me into seeing writing my blog as part of my job; in a good way, not a compulsion type way. Rachel gives great tips for time management with a family focus. I was thankful for the fact that she encourages family time first; your blog can still be successful if you focus on them first! If you are interested in getting noticed or building more community, she has sections on those, too. Even if you are blogging to keep a record of your life, you'll find grace and guidance contained in pages of this e-book. It's probably obvious, but this one took a bit longer for me to take in. I actually read it from start to finish first and then went back and re-read the parts that spoke to me most. And I took notes.

I should say that neither of these ladies have a clue who I am. Not a clue. This is not a sponsored post, which is why I'm sending you to their sites instead of posting any content here. I'm just so glad that I took the time to think about this space and what it means to me and I wanted to share what was most helpful to me. I hope y'all can tell a difference here!

I'm wondering, what are your thoughts on blogging intentionality? And have you found any helpful resources?

small joy: my little corner

2011-02-21T17:15:00.002-05:00

So many happy things in this tiny space in our house.

A plaid chair and ottoman bought from a friend before Christmas. We've never had an ottoman. And now we are faincy. This is where I sit to read. Pray. Worship. Blog.

A prayer copied from a friend's blog.

Camelias. Blooming right beside our yard.

The button string.

A crooked lampshade. Because imperfection is beauty. And life.

My little thrift store table.

A cell phone. Because I am no professional stager. And I had been texting with a sweet friend who has wonderful news.

house stuff: what's next

2011-02-17T12:45:00.001-05:00

So. We had this bed in our room before the big makeover. We weren't sure what to do with it. But then we decided that since we only have three bedrooms and our daughter's room becomes the guest room when we have guests and we only had a very old 3/4 bed (smaller than a full) in her room that we should move it in there and set it up as a full bed.

And because I just love to paint me some stuff, we had an explosion of paint and beds and mattresses and box springs. I still look for that twin box spring every morning when I get out of bed.

We are still in the during stages. Lots of little things left to do.

Here's where we started with her room.

And then I painted our old bed yellow and the side table white. I gave some of the pictures above the bed to my sister for my niece's room.

And I moved that random green chair from our bedroom in.

But, oopsy! Did you know that a queen is actually five inches longer than a full? So. Even if you have a convertible bed frame, you still have to buy the full rails. We didn't know because we're shorties. Correction, I am a shorty. My husband is a very good and normal height. Just in case he reads this, which he is wont to do just to rattle me.

I absolutely could not let go of our very old, very heavy 3/4 bed. And that started a change in our boys' rooms. They share because we only have the three bedrooms.

Here's where we started. I apologize for not thinking to take the picture until I was almost done taking down the crib. Homey, isn't it?

We took that whole set of IKEA bunk beds apart. And stored them in our attic. And if you have ever assembled anything from IKEA then you know. You know.

I painted the 3/4 bed a peacocky blue, brought a twin bed from my in laws' home and painted it, too.

They have a huge bedroom. So there's room for both beds. But! If we ever move again-for the sixth time-I have the other twin bed. My father in law slept in those beds when he was a boy.

My daddy made that little desk for me when I was a child. He's still awesome. Please excuse the random pillows underneath it.

My parents gave us the dresser awhile ago and I painted it gray. I've bought new pulls but haven't gotten around to putting them on yet.

So. There's a good bit left to do. Bedskirts. Pictures on the walls. My boys don't even have comforters.

I just wondered if y'all might like to be included in the process? I have no idea how long it will take me to get more finished on these. I'm trying to be patient.

On a sort of related note, when someone offers me furniture, I say yes 99 % of the time. No one has a budget that allows for furnishing a house with all brand, sparkly, new things. Over time, you start to see how you can make those old, storied things yours. And! Everyone knows to ask you if you want their old furniture.

a peter kind of love

2011-02-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

I learned something last week. Something transformational. Something that pings all the way down to the core of my heart.

Do you know what it means to love deeply? Like what Peter encourages in his first letter? "Above all, love one another deeply for love covers over a multitude of sins" (1Peter 4:8). I got to be under some teaching about that verse last week. Some good teaching.

A love that is deep is a love that is stretched out. And as I took in that teaching, I was picturing my favorite sweater all loose and out of shape. Just changed. Not the same.

And that is how I want to love. It's starting at home. Changing how I discipline. How I respond to my husband. How I order my time.

Because I want to be that favorite sweater, all worn thin and not the same anymore. Even if my fibers don't give that easily.

heart day: a repost

2011-02-14T14:25:00.002-05:00

I wrote this last year on our ninth anniversary. Still, a year later, I feel the same. My story. It is good. Our story. It is growing and sharpening and laughing and crying. Good.

Once upon a time I was a sophomore in college and I was squeaky clean behind the ears in New Life. I met a boy. A sports-loving, sarcastic joke-making, girls are silly type of boy. I rolled my eyes at him.

Once upon a time I was a junior in college and I was fresh home from a summer trip to Europe where I became extremely sophisticated and bought a scarf to tie around my neck (at the Gap! what?). When I wore that scarf to lunch one day, there were many, many comments. Made by sports-loving, girls are silly type of boys-one in particular. I rolled my eyes at him.

Once upon a time I was a senior in college and I was very serious about my schoolwork and my future. I became very studious. Somehow I found myself helping that boy from sophomore year on projects. He served alongside me in ministry. He still loved sports. And intramural t-shirts. I rolled my eyes at him.

Once upon a time I was a graduate student and I made a trip to Texas for a conference. And there was that boy. And his heart was strong and true. And we became friends. And I stopped rolling my eyes at him.

Once upon a time I was a newly minted teacher headed to work in an inner city neighborhood and my heart surprised me with new, fresh love for that same old boy. And he loved me back. And he let me in. It was beautiful.

Once upon a time I was dressed in white and I was walking down the aisle to my unexpected joy. To the one person I never dreamed would capture my heart. And God smiled. And I learned to laugh more and love more and give more.

When I woke up this morning it was nine years later. I still wonder at this marriage and this family that God dreamed up. It is sweet and good. He is still my once upon a time boy. And I am still his once upon a time girl.

small joy: we finally got to meet her

2011-02-14T11:19:00.002-05:00

My little niece, Althea Grace. She stayed with us last week. We. were. in. her. face. constantly. Isn't she beautiful? She smiles all the time. Happy, happy baby.

how to: a flanged envelope style pillow cover

2011-02-13T14:15:00.003-05:00

Let's talk about how to make an envelope style flanged pillow cover. Once you learn the ease of the envelope technique, you'll be making these right and left. And! Flanges are super easy to do.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I'm covering an 18 inch pillow. Pillow shams are perfect for the envelope technique, too.

You'll need your pillow, fabric and some interfacing (an optional step I'll cover later). Since I'm covering an 18 inch pillow and want a tiny flange, I've got a 20 inch by 45 inch piece of fabric. I've allowed one inch for seams and one inch for my flange.

First, square off the front piece of fabric. I've cut a 20 inch square. Ignore that other square!

Now it's time to cut the two pieces which will make the back. I think I good rule for these pieces is to cut the first piece 1/3 the amount of your cut front width (mine was 20 inches) and to cut the other piece 3/4 the amount. You want these to overlap a good bit and be able to match your front piece. Also. I'm lazy and cheap. So. I used the selvedge on one piece.

The reason I use the selvedge is because each of the back pieces needs to have one finished seam along a longest side. If I use the selvedge edge on one, I only have to iron and stitch one seam. To create that seam, fold over 1/4 inch of fabric and iron. Fold once again to cover the cut egdes. Iron!

Stitch that seam down.

One option for getting a flange that stands up well is to add some interfacing along each side of the front piece. I usually cut one inch wide strips (match the length of the piece; so for this pillow they were 1x20) and iron them on to each side before I piece everything together.

Now we're ready to piece the cover together. Can you believe it? It's so easy isn't it? This is the part of the process where spatial intelligence is very helpful. But! Don't fear. I can do this and I have ZERO spatial intelligence. Place your front piece right side up. Now, overlap your two back pieces so that their outside edges match the outside edges of the front. Pin. Notice that I have my lazy selvedge piece on the outside. That's because I want it to be hidden when I put the whole thing together and wrong sides will match wrong sides.

See how they overlap?

Stitch a 3/4 inch seam and trim the corners. Turn the cover inside out and iron.

Here's what the back looks like now.

It's time for your flange. I wanted a tiny flange on this one. I think it's easiest to identify a marker on your machine or lay tape down for the edge of your fabric to run along. In this case, my measurements on my plate worked perfectly. At each corner, measure back up toward your needle the width of your flange and place a pin. When you reach the pin, leave your needle down and lift your presser foot. Turn the fabric and sew down the next side.

Once you've done all of that, you've got a flanged pillow cover. Just slide your pillow in!

I used this technique for the shams on my bed. Here, I had a two and a half inch flange. It's a simple formula: measure your pillow, add one inch to length and width for seam allowance, add the desired width of your flange to get the measurements for your front piece. Your back pieces are 1/3 the width of your measurements (same height) and 3/4 the width of your measurements (same height).

Now, y'all, I am not a seasoned tutorial writer. So. I'm sure I've left something out. Just ask.

bedroom wherefores, whys and hows

2011-02-08T13:39:00.005-05:00

When my husband and I got married he worked for an inner city golf ministry and I taught English in a public high school. We lived in a 700 square foot apartment. For the first year, we borrowed a beautiful and old full bed from some family friends. And the the market was all about first time homebuyers and we bought a house. And my parents bought a new bed and gave use their old bed. We've been using that bed for nine years now. We've just never been in the position to invest in a new one and when chunks of money came along, they went to buying things like cars. I'm not going to lie. There were times where I wanted to rush out and buy a brand new bed. A brand new anything. Almost everything we have has been given to us. But! Reason and my husband won out.

Now! I waited. Ten years. And i finally got a new bed. And you all left such lovely comments about it. I've tried to respond to all of them. I've still got a few left to go. Thank you!

As promised, here is every jot and tittle that I can think of pertaining to my room.

1. the bed

-First, my dad and I decided on scale. We decided that four and a half feet from the top of my my mattress would be nice and dramatic. And then he did a bunch of math and made a template, which is really dependent on your size and design. If you would like more information on that, please email me.

-Next, we chose the wood. I wanted something vintage and worn looking. In my dad's words: I chose tongue and groove wall paneling. You can get this at Lowes or Home Depot. It's pine or fir, and I liked the grain in the boards, as well as the lack of knots. The tongue and groove feature made it easy and more stable to stack the boards on the frame. You wanted the random plank look, so I did a couple of sketches to plan how to use the 7 or 8' planks. (Be sure to check them for warping...I missed one board and had to go back to Home Depot).

-On to the frame. My dad laid out a frame of vertical boards with three main supports: one 2 by 4 in the middle and 2 2x4s on each side. He strengthened those by adding a 2x4 across the back of them. He also used two intermediate supports-between the center and sides-of 1x4s.

-For the assembly, in my dad's words: I used a compressed air nail gun, and nailed the horizontal planks to the frame boards. The first one is a little loosey-goosey, because there's no structure, but it gets better as you go up. I just laid it down on the cement driveway. A nice feature of the tongue & groove boards is that you can nail the boards where the next board laps over the one below it, and the nails don't show. We decided to make the boards somewhat random, to look kind of like barn siding, and this really depends on how you want it to look. You can't be too random, though, as you have to nail the planks to the frame, and there are only 5 vertical frame boards back there. As you are nailing the boards, you need to occasionally lay the template over the emerging headboard, and measure out from the center how wide each of the boards needs to be. Finally, you need to tape the template to the fully assembled headboard and trace around the outside shape. Use a sabre saw to cut out the shape at the top. At this point, it begins to look like a headboard.

-For the moulding, he decided to use resin moulding. You give them the specifications and they send it to you already shaped. Resin moulding is not cheap! I'm guessing this was one of the biggest costs. If you don't use resin moulding, you have to soak wood and try to shape it. Which sounds hard. The source for the moulding (in my dad's words): Flexible Moulding Concepts, 201 Old Airport Road, Fletcher, NC 28735. (www.resinart.com) The style number for your moulding is C-EC289-P. These guys are "commercial lumber supplier guys,"so it would be best for anyone inquiring to first browse their web site and have a pretty good idea of what they want before calling. They will probably say that they are "wholesalers" and refer callers to local suppliers, but that's OK, as long as one is persistent about getting the name and number of a local supplier.

-One more note about the moulding: it has a ledge on the back which just sits on top of the wood so that everything is flush along the backside of the headboard.

-Finally, my dad laid out a queen bed frame and pre-drilled the holes for assembly.

-He had one caution which I totally agree with. If you live in a two story house, measure your stairwell. We got that beautiful headboard inside and there was a moment where we weren't sure if it would make it upstairs in one piece. It was a matter of inches!

-Cost: he didn't keep the receipts but he thinks the whole shebang cost around $200.

2. The bedding

-My duvet cover is a discontinued item from Pottery Barn, called the Eliza. It's from their organic cotton collection. I got mine at the Pottery Barn Outlet.

-The two 24 inch paisley pillows are also from Pottery Barn Outlet. I couldn't find a link to them online. But! I did find a link to the embroidered pillow cover.

-I made the shams in the back. They are an envelope style with a flange. I bought the greek key fabric at Jo Ann. It was located with the $9.99 home decorator fabric that is on a square cardboard ream. I believe it is 45 inches wide and it's always in the back. Not too fancy but I like the look of it. I plan to show you all how to make them at the end of this week. Guess who taught me? My mom. Yep. My parents are awesome.

-I kept the same coverlet and bedskirt.

3. Paint and finishes.

-My dad used a Minwax water based stain which he had tinted to Slate. He brushed it on and then wiped it off to show the grain of the wood. On the moulding, too! He sprayed a clear poly on top.

-My table is painted Divine Cream by Valspar. I didn't use a primer since it was already painted and I hadn't use any poly on it.

-The lamps were clear. I spray painted them with a primer and then three coats of Rustoleum Painter's Touch in Lagoon. I found it at Home Depot and haven't seen it anywhere else. It is a satin finish, so I bought a can of glossy enamel to shine them up some.

4. Other miscellaneous items.

-The side table was given to me by my parents a good while ago.

-We bought the dressing chest at an antique store (before I was brave enough to thrift) about five years ago.

-The print on the wall was made for me by my great aunt.

-The trays were my grandma's and the books came off my bookshelf. The driftwood is from Edisto Island, where my parents live.

Well, my fingers might fall off now. I hope that I've given y'all as much information as you need!

We didn't spend very much money here. With the gifted bed and bedding, using paint and furniture I already had and moving decorative accessories around, I'd say we spent around $200. Even if you add in the bed and bedding, we're still looking at around $500.

And now I will crawl into a little cocoon and rest my weary eyes for a few minutes. If I left something out just ask, m'kay?

small joy: a tally of sorts

2011-02-07T15:49:00.006-05:00

Last week:

1. They took away my broken dishwasher. Just took it away. And left a big hole in our kitchen.

-10 points

2. I stood outside in my stripey socks and was the caller for races across the back yard.

+20 points

3. My husband and I disassembled IKEA bunk beds. Oh, it was for real a total blast.

+100 points

4. I have no idea how we will ever get them back together should we need to.

-100 points

5. You all left lovely, lovely comments about my bedroom and even posted about it.

+a million points (because I am insecure and need for you to like me and tell me so)

6. I did not take many pictures which is why I'm posting an ooolllldddd photo from Halloween.

-1000 points

7. But they are so cute! A baseball player, Belle and Jack (from The Magic Treehouse).

+a bajillion points

8. I yelled some. Didn't clean. Let the ironing get out of control.

-a bunch of points

_____________________________________________________

I'm horrible at math so we'll just call it a full, wonderful, blessed, sharpening, humbling, happy, sad, just plain old everyday life kind of week.

february sweetness and beauty

2011-02-05T08:48:00.004-05:00

to sweeten: to make mild or kind, to soften; to make fresh; to enhance the value of.

February holds so many opportunities to sweeten the lives of those around me! On Monday, my husband will celebrate his 35th birthday. He loves this apple pie. I'll be making it for him. And he loves a honey bun! So, I think I'll try this recipe my friend, Lori, shared for breakfast. Tomorrow we'll work on little notes for him and try to figure out what in the world he would like.

What do y'all do on Valentine's Day? My mama always had little (and sometimes big!) treats for us. I always struggle with doing something beyond just candy and sweets. We do love to get a dozen assorted doughnuts on special occasions.

I've loved the Valentine's craft ideas over on Flower Patch Farm Girl and I know my gidget girl would love to make that heart garland. Crafting is her love language.

Our big guy has $15 dollars left over from Christmas and I was thinking about wrapping up the extra $5 to make enough for him to get a new game for his Nintendo DS. He has one game for it. And, I'm not going to lie, it's nice to have sometimes. We aren't huge on video games but we do pull it out on car trips and for a little bit over the weekend.

And, finally, our Boots McGee. He is obsessed with Lego People. There's a toy store here that sells a random bag of them that I'd love to get for him. The problem is that they sell out of them lickety split.

And! I'm hoping to do a better job of entertaining friends and new acquaintances. Boy howdy, am I being challenged on the new acquaintances front.. I've set a goal to do that once a month starting this month. A have a sweet friend who is such a wonderful hostess. Maybe I can follow her lead?

to beautify: to make beautiful; adorn; embellish.

I think y'all know where my focus is this month on the beautifying front. I feel good enough about our room and am turning my focus on our children's rooms. But! I don't think beautifying has to be about spending money! It could be setting the table with all your finery and cooking up a special meal just because. My daughter loves it when we do that. She loves to drink out of my crystal water goblets. Drinking wine, she says.

As a rule for me, beautifying can't be about spending tons of money. I knew that we would have some costs associated with all of this rearranging and so I asked for one small thing for Christmas. But! I asked for it with the hope that I would be able to purchase a few things like bed skirts and curtain rods and other little finishing touches. And paint things.

Do y'all have any plans for making things fresh and pretty around you? In your home? For people around you? I'd love to hear!

I've recently finished reading Elizabeth Prentiss' book Stepping Heavenward. The goal of sweetening and beautifying is a concept presented in her book.

bedroom redo finale

2011-02-04T12:35:00.004-05:00

I have been a busy little birdie! I think I've reached a stopping point for now on our bedroom. Although, these pictures reveal a few things I'm going to want to change at some point.

It is a gray and gloomy day here. So I turned on every single light. Also? I'm super duper nervous about posting this. I don't know why. I just am. Actually, I do know why. Because pictures of my bedroom are still pictures of my bedroom.

Here's where we started:

I had my daddy build a headboard for us and my mother in law gifted us some bedding (I made the geometric shams in the back). I decided to use cream burlap for the windows and I used the Nester's trusty hanging treatment for now. Curtain rods are on my list but I got tired of bare windows.

Another before.

And for some reason I didn't replicate that exact shot. But I did close the bathroom door and hide my ironing pile. I'd like to add some color over here by way of a punchy throw pillow. I took pictures while I was making this little pillow and I was thinking I'd post a little tutorial if y'all would like. It took less than 45 minutes to make. So easy!

I left the dressing chest and painted a table that was in our daughter's room white.

I actually spray painted our lamps. I was pretty nervous about it but I wanted to include an unexpected color and I figured they'd be a great place to do it. My husband has lots of little things that he'll fill that try up with. Keys. Post its. Change. And more change.

I had a few oil rubbed bronze pulls left over from another redo and I put them on this table instead of the original scrollish handles. I have no idea what I'm doing with the books and the driftwood. Just trying to cover up my ten year old phone with something.

This screen print by my great aunt was on the mantle but I brought it up here because I thought it complimented the lamps. The tray was my grandma's.

I'm thinking I need to get some color and pattern on that bedskirt. Somehow.

So. I was thinking that next week I'd give some sources (including the moulding on the headboard!) and budgety type details if y'all are interested. And, then? I'll give you a peek of what's been happening in our other two bedrooms.

I hope y'all have a lovely weekend! We'll be celebrating my husband's birthday with his family and enjoying NOT having to move beds back and forth while I paint. Because. I'm. Done.

business talk: a shop sale

2011-02-01T14:33:00.006-05:00

Hello! By the by, I am making splendid progress on my bed rearranging. Yesterday I disassembled the crib. This is the first time in eight and a half years without a crib in our house. It's weird.

Guess what? I have been back into sewing full swing for about a month! And I have some new designs to show you! But before I do that I wanted to let y'all know that I am listing some of last season's bags at a 30-40 % discount in my etsy store. Just look in the sale section!

Just in case you like green ikat.

And fancy red Elvis cars.

Or icy blue flowers. I have some more that are less patterny in navies and blues in the shop, too! These are listed at almost 50 % off my normal price!

And what about a bright and cheery change purse?

Or maybe you like a more subdued and feminine look.

Or something bright and punchy? I'm listing these later on today at $7 each!

And this little beauty. That ruffle is vintage! And I'm listing her (later today) for $16. As always, they're fully lined and the huge bags have a divided pocket. And! I'm giving y'all the jump on facebook and twitter.

small joy: life sprinkles

2011-01-31T09:07:00.004-05:00

Sometimes a certain nose-picking, boots-wearing toddler in your house turns three. And all the taped up seams of your paper heart stretch and give and fall apart again because you know there is a time limit. There is a time limit on hearing things like: "You pix this" and "I play yegos" and "I sit in your yap." And the kisses and hugs. They are unrivaled.

But you are suffering from a flu like death cold. And you have been for days. You are not ready. Because, let's face it, you are so that mom at Target mere minutes before birthday parties buying presents and wrapping paper and things like this tend to sneak up on you. Especially when Christmas just happened.

And so you look at your husband and tell him to just buy something. Anything. And you give that toddler his present in a plastic Target bag. Because you aren't that eco and green when you're sick.

And your husband buys the perfect doughnuts with sprinkles. Because everyone needs a special birthday breakfast. But there are no candles. Anywhere. Nowhere in your house. So you sing anyway.

And when you are finally feeling better, you walk into the dining room and entertain eating a doughnut because you totally lost like five pounds being sick and measly and you want a doughnut. And you notice that every single round, sprinkled, happy treat is marked by a three year old finger sized hole.

And you are so thankful for your life sprinkles. Colorful and happy and protective and sweet and huggy and growing up sprinkles.

bedroom redo and life snippets

2011-01-28T15:54:00.005-05:00

Last week I came down with what I like to unaffectionately call Flu Like Death Cold 2011. I am still recovering. And so I got a little stalled out on my bedroom makeover. All I have to show you this week are snippets. Like:

spray painted lamps

and white painted tables with new knobs instead of particle board tables

and a ten year old phone (why do I still have this?) and space that I don't know how to fill and a screen print I'm going to hang on the wall

and a tray that I might hang underneath it

and a twin box spring. In the middle of my room.

Also. If you must know. My dishwasher has been broken for two weeks. And an animal has died somewhere in our attic or walls. AGAIN. City life. With vermin and such. It happens.

I promise to do better this weekend! I will paint that final bed so that musical beds will be over and done with and that box spring will be out of my room. And I'll hang that picture and finally dress my other window in the room. And maybe some other stuff, too.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I am hoping to spend some of it loving on my girlie gidget girl. We had a doozie of a battle over pretzels about an hour ago. And I didn't give in. Even though I always wish I did. And I think this time I should have.

So we will make a button necklace just like Laura and Mary do in their dugout on Plum Creek. There will be 100 buttons. Because next week marks the 100th day of school. And we will build "patterins" with blocks. And I will tell her how awesome she is. How fearful and wonderful she is. And, also? I will give her the pretzels.

Sorry for the rambling. It's a good sort of thing. I promise. New things being worked out in my heart.

at home in the uncomfortable

2011-01-25T11:40:00.003-05:00

About six months ago, I took a huge step outside of comfortable. I'll never forget that stomach in the throat feeling as I drove to meet new friends for the first time.

God has given me a heart for single girls. The challenges to their virtue? And wisdom? Aggressive. And, so, following my heart, I began serving in our singles ministry at church.

It means I don't see my husband for part of our Sunday mornings. I've been challenged to open my house up to them once a week.

But I'll never forget the first time I went to meet them. My heart and head trying to make it about me. Would they welcome me in? Let me earn their trust? And then, like an icy early morning breath, I was reminded that it's not about me. If they like me. If they love me. Doesn't matter.

I'm just supposed to show up and love. Open up my home and love. It doesn't have to be fancy or cute or complicated.

It's a penultimate fear, to be vulnerable and in a new place. But there's also the blessing of new. New friendships. New growth. Less you.

What about you? Have you been outside of comfortable lately?

small joy: my brown eyed girl

2011-01-24T12:34:00.003-05:00

When I was a younger mom and my girlie was a baby, I used to think that I would never be that woman with the messy girl. She would always match and her hair would be brushed and she would not be wearing a well-loved summer dress on a winter's day. Ah, younger me.

Younger me had not met five year old her. She is definitely asserting her creativity in the apparel department. But! She is in love with pigtails and earmuffs right now. So it's sort of even steven despite the fact that brushing hair is a daily battle. So, no, if it is a snow day and we are just playing in the yard and I am tired and she is not, I don't make her brush her hair right away. But look at the earmuffs!

master bedroom redo: phase one

2011-01-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I have been hard at work on our master bedroom and I can't wait to show you what we've gotten done. Today I'll show you the new bed and bedding.

First, though, I wanted to speak to a few things. While I would have loved to overhaul the whole room, there were a few things that I had to compromise on. I would really like to change the paint color, as the one we have is warm and seems to darken the room. But my husband would really like to not paint. And so I will live happily and gratefully with my paint color.

I also need to replace my white coverlet but that is low on the list. Maybe next year?

I started with this room (I don't know the source, sorry!) that I really love. It has some feminine touches but not too many for a hunter gatherer like my husband.

I also loved this headboard from Ballard Designs, especially the grainy stain. And after seeing this project on Design Sponge, I wondered if we could marry the two.

And, so, this summer while we were staying with my parents, my daddy and I looked through all of the photos and came up with a plan. My dad can build just about anything. I'm spoiled in that way.

Here's what he came up with:

I will try my best to tell you everything he did! I think the wood panels are actually tongue and groove wall paneling. We decided to stagger the joints. He ordered the molding and I think it's foam. I'm pretty sure he ordered it already curved but it's entirely possible that he curved it once he got it. Honestly, I don't know exactly how he assembled it but I can ask if y'all want to know more! Instead of staining it a typical color, I really wanted gray. This is a stain with a gray tint. He applied it and then wiped it off to allow the grain to show.

He even signed the back! Isn't my dad a pretty amazing carpenter? I left him with a few pictures and a general idea of what I wanted and I think he got it spot on. They actually strapped this big old thing to the top of his car and drove it here on Christmas morning.

On to the bedding. Since I knew I was getting a new bed for Christmas, I asked my mother in law for some new bedding for my gift from her. They live near a Pottery Barn outlet and I figured that was my best bet for finding something affordable and beautiful. The only drawback to that plan was that I had to make a quick decision. No poring over pictures and catalogs. I had one shot.

In the end, I ended up picking a duvet that has cockateels on it. I know. But I love it. It's chintzy and looks like a paint by number. It's definitely bold so I decided not to do matching shams. The paisley pillows and the counterpoint pillow are also from the PB Outlet. They were in the the throw pillow section.

And after all that, it still felt a little flat. I've used this greek key fabric (from Jo Ann's!) before with a vintagey fabric and I knew I liked the way they popped against each other. I bought a few yards and made some envelope style flanged pillowcases.

And that, my friends, is all for this week! I'm sort of posting as I go so next week I hope to show you what I replaced my side table with and some other accessories.

Well, what do you think? I'm really nervous showing it to you. I like it and I guess that's what matters but I'd love any suggestions from you.

small joy: he loves inspite

2011-01-17T08:53:00.001-05:00

I think we should all say a prayer for my husband. It had been too long since I had painted something. He walked right past that becoming yellow full bed set up in the middle of the dining room like he had always lived that way. And now I am a bed and two tables down with two beds to go. We are in the midst of all kinds of rearranging upstairs.

I have to tell y'all a little something. I became that mom on Friday. Sick children before Christmas. Sick me after Christmas. Snow and ice. And another sick child when we could finally get back to routine. I would now like to apologize to my parents for any and all drama that may or may not have accompanied my sick days as a child. I see y'all trying to hide a smile.

When my husband called to check on me, I was scrubbing down the kitchen closets in a very Lady Macbeth way. He called in the reinforcements, otherwise known as the grandparents, and Friday night I ate dinner whenever I wanted to. I cleaned. And Saturday morning he went to a garage sale with me. And now I am almost done with the two tables and ready to set up one of the beds. And then I organized my studio. And then I went to Target. By myself.

I'm sort of ashamed of it. But I'm also so thankful that he stepped in.

P.S. Tomorrow! I'll show you phase one of the bedroom makeover process.

in the kitchen: a fresh and healthy salad

2011-01-14T12:11:00.003-05:00

After all of the holiday parties and food, I've really been drawn to fresh, healthy salads. And I've got one for you today! Unless, you don't like beets.

For this salad-from the Everyday Food cookbook-you'll need lettuce (arugala is suggested but we've been iced in. haven't you heard? green lettuce was all i could find.), walnuts, red vinegar, olive oil, orange juice, canned beets, goat cheese and a shallot (which I forgot to photograph).

First, toast your walnuts in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Don't burn them!

While they're toasting, dice a shallot and place it in a bowl. You could use garlic or a red onion if you don't have a shallot. I've totally left it out, too. The salad turns out just fine!

To that bowl, add two tablespoons of orange juice.

And then add three tablespoons of olive oil and two table spoons of red vinegar. Season to taste with salt and whisk it all together.

Drain your beets and pour some of the dressing over them. Beets are hard to photograph. Reserve the rest of the dressing for the salad.

Form the goat cheese, or chevre if you're fancy, into one inch balls and coat them with the toasted walnuts.

Assemble everything and drizzle with the reserved dressing. The salad serves four but no one in my family will eat beets. So. I make as much as I can ahead of time and keep it ready to make up for my lunch. It's delicious!

a budget friendly, handmade filled bedroom makeover

2011-01-11T09:00:00.002-05:00

This year for Christmas I commissioned my dad to build a bed for me. Seriously. I don't need anything. And they still want to do for me at the holidays.

We've had a perfectly nice room. Bland but nice. You'll see in the pictures that I haven't done much to put my touch on it. I can't wait to show you how adding one fun, anchoring piece changes so much!

Today I'll be showing you before pictures. Next time I'll show you the bed and bedding and then in the next two posts I'll fill you in on little accessories that pull the space together.

I'll definitely be replacing my side table!

The dressing chest will stay. It's one of my favorite pieces.

And now I'm wishing I'd closed the bathroom door. Oh well. There's my ironing pile. It's a constant.

Tom gets this teensy closet and I get the bigger one. The chest was my grandfather's and it's staying, too.

I can't wait to show you what a little bit of help and some elbow grease did for this room!

small joy: it's all about the boots

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Someone got cowboy gear for Christmas. And he won't wear anything else. Even if the boots are on the wrong feet.