Thursday, April 26, 2012

Dust Bunnies, Socks, and a Picnic Basket


With our April weather being so cool and a bit rainy,
I've had a continuing appointment with my Annie Sloan paint.


The dust bunnies have officially taken over Heaven's Walk
and are now running rampant.
But I don't care.

It gives the husband something to do with his socks.


I've had this picnic basket in the basement for a while now,
but she was being pretty quiet.
I couldn't decide quite what to do with her...

until recently.

She was in very good shape.
Not a scratch on her.
Beautifully constructed and very sturdy,
but she was a little on the boring side.
She looked like every other picnic basket out there.

She definitely needed some ASCP love.



 

I watered down some French Linen
and slowly brushed it on,
letting some of it run down the sides. 

An hour later, 
I did the same thing with an even more watery mixture of Pure White this time,
letting it catch in the weaving. 




After letting it all dry,
I took out one of my favorite stencils and using a dark charcoal craft paint,
stenciled the lid,
and added a coat of clear wax to it for protection
and that gorgeous subtle shine it gives
after a little buffing.




She needed a wee bit of bling,
so I added a French cross as a reminder to

give thanks 

before breaking bread.








She was now ready for a picnic under the sweep of a romantic weeping willow tree
next to a dancing stream...




 Giving thanks for you today.


[ Blessings ]





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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Grateful...


"The only way to pray unceasingly is to do it with your eyes open."



I climb the stairs to change the bed linens
with aching back from a previous day spent weeding.
I gather the sheets from the linen closet, 
sweetly scented from an afternoon on the clothesline,
and look out over the back yard.
Grass needing to be mowed,
shrubs filling out with more bright, green leaves every day.
Peonies with large flower buds ready to bloom.
Lilacs spreading sweet scent.
Lady Slippers dancing in the breeze.
Cloud shadows race across the yard dotted with the season's first dandelions.
More weeding will be needed.

Grateful for this big, old farmhouse surrounded by green grass, flowers, and fruit bearing trees. 









The sheet floats above the stripped bed before gently landing on the puffy mattress cover.
I walk around the bed to straighten it, 
my bare feet making the old, wood floor creak
as the fan hums overhead.
I hear Maizie clambering up the stairs.
She jumps on the bed wanting to play.
I bend to kiss her soft head, she licks my nose,
and I scoop her off the bed.

Grateful for this evening when the husband and I will snuggle in a large, clean bed with linens smelling of the outdoors.



I gather up the clothes from the hamper for washing.
Lifting the heavy laundry basket onto my hip,
I descend the stairs.

Grateful for strong, sturdy legs and a body -
though aging and a bit saggy in spots -
rises to the demands I place on it.


The husband comes in the door asking me to come look at something he's found.
Jacket and sneakers on,
I settle on the golf cart seat next to him.
We ride across our property and into the woods beyond.
Dogwood sprinkling white.
Red bud trees splashing pink.
Birds calling out to one another.
Twigs and sticks strewn across the path
snap beneath the tires. 
Morell mushrooms spotted and tucked in a bag.


We turn into the neighbor's field.
Gray clouds hover over a huge meadow of purple clover and yellow wild mustard
reminding me of the western prairies.
The wind blows, making the grasses bend.

Grateful for the beautiful wide, open spaces that surround our farmhouse, and time spent with the husband.



He takes me to a pile of....discarded trash?
Tells me that I'm going to like what he found.
 He pulls out a tall, old reading lamp.
Rust has claimed a lot of it,
but the scrolled metalwork on it is incredible.
I can envision it refurbished to it's once known beauty,
and place it in the cart next to me.
We bring it home.
  
Grateful for a husband who sees beauty in a rusty lamp.


In the living room, I sit to check my emails
and gaze around the room.
White painted furniture, a pile of grain sacks, a coveted French candelabra,
and purple hydrangeas spilling out of a large, white soup tureen.
Gray shutters, an iron cross, a lettered pillow, and rustic baskets.
Clock ticking on the fireplace mantel.

Grateful for the joy found in simple decorating.

 
I pull the laundry from the washer,
eyes wander around the basement.
Heart cringes and sighs.
Such a mess.
So much work to do down here. 
So many things to start on and complete.
A rainy day chore.

Grateful for the safety of a basement during the stormy spring season.


Dark cloud gather outside the windows.
Trees, green against deepening darkness,
sway.
Maizie snores on the sofa beside me,
curled up and toes tucked under.
I hear the husband tinkering outside in his shop.
The mantel clock ticks away the quiet minutes.
The computer keys click beneath my fingers.

Door opening.
A fistful of fragrant lilacs
picked by the husband...
just for me.



An afternoon of complete gratefulness
for a blessed life
in this old farmhouse.




"The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything.
Whoever has learned this knows what it means to fully live."
~ Ann Voskamp 


 




[ Grateful Blessings ]





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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Open for Business!


Two SUVs full of Heaven's Walk treasures

+
  
3 days of pricing and tagging,
hammering and hanging,
and floofing and fluffing...

=

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

I am so excited!





Heaven's Walk is now officially a booth at Doster Emporium!




The Emporium is located in an old grain & lumber mill in the small, quaint, rural town of Doster.




The Emporium is quite an historical building in the area.  Georgina, who owns it with her husband, has books filled with original orders from grain and lumber customers handwritten in their beautiful, old script.
Old photos of past owners and family members are framed and hung on the walls.
There's even some of the original mechanisms located in the center of the shop where you can see where the grain was poured from.

 







You can take a walk around the beautiful property on a path Georgina created and lined with wildflowers and vintage railroad memorabilia.





There's even a cute little outhouse on the property that Georgina remodeled all by herself.
She's very smart like that, and is such a dear heart!




Georgina said I was "in my element" as I transformed my little white room
into a sweet, cozy, and welcoming French-Nordic atmosphere for this season's customers.
It actually gave me the same feeling of contentment that fluffing my house does.
Unpacking boxes and boxes of goodies,
moving things around (more than once),
tucking things here and there,
and then standing back and sighing contentedly.

Now I understand why all of you gals out there who have had booths for so long
love it so!

I'm praying that this new venture will be profitable,
and most importantly ~
fun!

{It definitely gives me an excuse to hit the yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores more often,
doesn't it?}

Here are quite a few some
photos of my booth.
  
{Grab yourself cup of coffee,
or if it's after 12 noon -
a glass of wine...}




Update on the Heaven's Walk sign:  It's now up on the wall!



I love making these topiaries!










This rocker was my first attempt at upholstering (with a handmade faux grain sack). The end table is a ReStore transformation.



The French lamp was another ReStore transformation.






The "seaside" corner.










Yep, I had an extremely busy and productive winter
with my Annie Sloan chalk paint, paint brushes, Mod Podge, stencils, and a continuing love/hate relationship with my sewing machine.
Ninety percent of everything you see here was transformed in one way or another by the waving of my magic wand ~

and all of the inspiration came from YOU, my beloved blog friends.
YOU fed my creativity.


So, there you have it.
My new little piece of heaven!

 
If you're in the area,
be sure to stop by to see a bit of Heaven's Walk
at Doster Emporium, meet sweet Georgina,
and come do the happy dance with us!  :)

Ok...just ignore the dorky outfit.  I was wearing my work clothes...and freezing!

The Emporium is located at 12915 Doster Road in Plainwell, Michigan.
Hours are: Wednesday, Friday & Saturday from 12-4pm.

You can contact Georgina at 269-664-3231 if you can't make it during business hours.
She's more than willing to open up the shop just for you!
Be sure to check out Doster Emporium on Facebook, too!




[ Blessings ]



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I'd love to have you join Heaven's Walk as a Linky Follower and GFC, too!