Front Porch Floofing.....

So, how does a gal

 

who lives out in the country

 

entertain herself during another

cold, dreary, drizzly weekend

 

here in Michigan...?

 

(Yes, I'm still considering building an ark...)

Everything outside my windows 

 

is so green and lush.

 

Happily blooming and reveling in the cool, wet days we've had.

Tree peony

White lilac

Million Bells, Licorice plant, Lobularia

Great for the gardens.

Not so great for this gal.

So...beneath the shelter of my front porch

I floofed.

Last year I had a pale blue boho-printed pillow set on the loveseat 

which I really loved 

 

 

 

but I needed a change.....which is nothing new if you know me.

So, I packed it all away....

until I change my mind again sometime in the future.

 

This year, since I was going for more of a sophisticated Jeanne d'Arc look in the gardens,

(neutrals and white)

I took a hemp linen grain sack from inside the house, 

stuffed it with a king-size pillow for the backrest,

and tucked a freshly washed painter's drop cloth around the

seat cushions on the loveseat.

Another more rustic style flea market find grain sack became a pillow for the rocker.

Then, I dug out an old floral down-filled pillow from the vast pillow collection in my basement and plunked it on the porch swing.

coffee table: flea market, pitcher: IKEA, loveseat: Pier I, rocker: flea market

Hubby, who was working in the garage at the time, 

with eyes rolling nonetheless,

watched me scurry in and out of the front door,

my arms laden with various and sundry items

needed for a proper floofing.

 

I was in my glory.

The cheap round tables have been painted white

and I draped one with a piece of burlap 

and topped it off with a piece of windowpane check linen.

bottle carrier & bottles: flea market

vintage iron lamp: flea market, clock: Pier I

bucket:  Doster Emporium & Antiques: vintage picnic basket: garage sale

 

 

I felt it looked less fussy,

cleaner,

and brighter.

 

 

Yes?

 

But does it need something else?

 

Is it missing.....just....something....?

(A seat cushion for the swing or some French red toile, maybe....?)

Whatcha think?

Escaping inside before another rain storm blew in,

I started floofing around in the kitchen.

 

I moved the beautiful art print I won from Gina's giveaway 

(thank you, Gina!)

at The Shabby Chic Cottage

to the top of the pie safe next to my French pitcher collection.

It added depth and dimension to that corner of the room.

Dee and Kelly at Red Letter Words created this beautiful 

typographic cafe mount art print

with one of my favorite scriptures.

It's the first thing my eyes fall on when I walk in the kitchen.

It comforts me.

Dee & Kelly create inspirational art that "connect people to the unchanging truth of God’s word and reminds them just how much God loves them. Red Letter Words takes its name from the words spoken by Jesus in the New Testament, 

which appear printed in red in some editions."

 

They do beautiful work.

Visit their studio and I know you'll be blessed.

 

A little floofing took place earlier this year in my studio

vintage French pitcher: Dreamy Whites, fan: flea market, vintage frame: Doster Emporium & Antiques, twine ball/scissors: LaurieAnna's Vintage Home

where a little vintage French country vignette fell into place

with twine balls, burlap, glass containers (from Farmhouse Wares), 

and a vintage French inspired twine can (from LaurieAnna's Vintage Home).

Floofing completed for the day.

It's still raining

 

and more is predicted.

(sigh)

Time to gather wood for that ark....

Hey, honey....where do we keep the nails.....?

So, when you're not building your ark,

how do you spend your rainy days?

{ Hugs }

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Just click on the buttons, join in the fun, and meet some new friends!

Where peace begins....in my garden....

"When no one listens to the quiet trees

When no one notices the sun in the pool

Where no one feels the first drop of rain

Or sees the last star

Or hails the first morning

of a giant world

Where peace begins

One bird sits still

Watching the work of God..."

Miniature birdbath:  Katie Brown @ Meijer's

Flowers: Dichondra, Million bells, Lobularia, Trailing verbena

Climbing rose on arbor:  Zepherine Drouhin

 "One turning leaf,

Two falling blossoms,

Ten circles upon the pond..."

Sweet woodruff, Bleeding heart, hosta, peony

North side of house looking east toward back of property

Dwarf Alberda spruce and Catmint lining the brick walk to the deck

"I am under the sky.

The birds are all silent.

But the frogs have begun singing their pleasures in all the waters

and in the warm, green places where the sunshine is wonderful."

Verbena, peonies, and catmint surround the pond

Trailing verbena on vintage bench (eBay)

Pitcher:  Hobby Lobby;  Vintage soda box; dumpster diving

The view from the back of the barn into Apple Meadow

Apple Meadow

"My worship is a blue sky

and ten thousand crickets

in the deep wet hay in the field.

My vow is the silence 

under their song."

~A Book of Hours

{ hugs }

Joining the linky parties located at the bottom right of my sidebar.

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Finding peace...

I don't know whether it's the nice, warm weather this week
that's been reminding us of our vacation in Florida,

or because we left our hearts on the beach down there
and they're calling to us to return....

return to the beauty,
the warm, salty scent,
the ocean whispering to us in our sleep ~

Debbie and I have been commiserating with each other
and are really yearning to return to our
beloved Sanibel.

We miss her so much.

We've been looking back over the photos we took
during our two weeks there with our hubbies a couple months ago.

Remembering each and every day we sat with our toes in the sand,
listening to the rolling waves,
the hot sun on our heads,
and feeling oh so close to God.

Even hubby and I have been discussing more and more
our shared dream of leaving the cold, dreary Michigan winters behind
and escaping to the warmth of Florida...

someday...


I looked back and re-read some of the entries I made in my journal.
I shared one with you a little while ago.
Here is another one...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I found peace.

I met God on the beach today

and heard his voice in the rolling waves.

His whisper called to my heart in the

tinkling of the shells as the waves pulled them back on the wet sand.

His sweet breath touched my face in the warm ocean breeze.

I lifted my face to the hot sun and felt his touch.

I found peace.

Ocean blue

sea green

creamy white sand

driftwood gray

clear azure blue sky

The crunching of tiny shells beneath my bare feet as I walk along the ocean's shore.

The warm sand shifting and sifting between my toes.

Sandcastles

seagulls

dolphins

sandpipers

I found peace.

Yes, I met God on the beach today... 

and He was beautiful.

~excerpt from my "Sanibel Beach Journal" - March 2011

Needless to say
we are all counting the days
until we return
to claim our hearts

once again.

{ hugs }

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A Little Vintage Goodness....and The Winners!

I scored a little treasure last week

as I helped my friend open her antique shop for the season.

I happened to spot this little guy sitting in the corner

on top of a huge, old safe

next to a much larger version of himself.


{I almost fell flat on my face

as I tripped over a rug in my sprint to pick him up.}

So, of course...

he had to come home with me.


A girl can never have too many cute little fans, you know.
 {*wink}


I will admit, though...

 it's a little dangerous for me to be "helping out" in G 's sweet shop,

Doster Emporium.

My radar cranks up a couple hundred notches the second I walk through those old doors ~

and I always walk back out of them at the end of the day

with some treasure clutched in my sweaty little hands.

It never fails.

(sigh)

What's a junking gal to do....?

I've also been doing a little floofing around the house

since we've been having

one rainy day after another...

after another....

after another.


I've seriously considered building an ark.


So, to pass the time between the rain showers ~

(after spending the necessary 45 minutes every day on my new elliptical trainer
and burning 500 calories every morning....woo hoo!)

Sorry.....I digress.



So, to pass the time
(because I reeeally wanted to be outside in the garden)~

I floof inside.

I took one of my favorite Sanibel seashells carried home with me this year

and nestled it next to a sweet little nest

among some white tulips

on top of a vintage grain sack

in a old wire basket.


I adore the rough, white texture of this old shell.

In fact, I prefer this type to the perfect, shiny ones.

I did some rearranging of the vignette on the top of the bookcase in my studio

(I'm calling it my studio now, instead of office.  

It's just a little more....ummmm....blog-appropriate....? hehe!) 

showing my

strange new love of string and twine....

(added a little texture with this photo)

Grassin twine can and twine ball with scissors:  LaurieAnna's Vintage Home; Glass canisters: Farmhouse Wares; Vintage clothespins: a gift from Amy at All Things Home

A girl can't have too many twine balls, either....
can she?


The kitchen buffet table now sports a simple wire egg basket

spray painted with Krylon's 'Rubbed Bronze'

and a sprig of springtime lilacs tossed in for good measure.

Egg basket:  Hobby Lobby; Picture frames: flea market

There's just something about the contrast of the dark bronze with

soft white that I love.


There are some sweet, red strawberries tumbled into an old ironstone bowl

sitting on the kitchen shelf.

Strawberries: Faded Plains; Vintage ironstone: Goodwill

 Vintage beaded goodness

that look so real

you can almost smell them.


(Fooled you, didn't I?)

Ok.

I won't keep you waiting any longer.

I know you want to know who won!

First, let me thank ALL of you

who entered my first giveaway!

Your sweet comments left me with a 

smile on my face

and a song in my heart!

♥

It was so much fun

that you can be sure I'll be doing more of them in the future!




The winner of the Beach Blue Giveaway is

Victoria from Slightly Shabby

and

the winner of the Shabby Pink Giveaway is

Susan from Writing Straight from the Heart!

Congratulations, girls!
 

I'll drop you an email!

{ hugs }

{Winners were randomly drawn by my hubby}

{I'll be joining with the rockin' linky parties located on my sidebar!
Just click on the buttons and they'll take you there for all the fun!}