Vintage Paintings

While scrounging around in the my basement recently,

I came across a few paintings stacked in a corner
that I had somehow forgotten about over the years.

As I sorted through them,
I found myself smiling at the sweet memories they evoked in my heart.

This painting that was given to me a long time ago by someone who was going to toss it.
I grabbed it and stuffed it in my car.

I loved this tranquil scene with its soft edges and quiet feel.

I temporarily propped it in front of the large mirror on top of the bookcases in my studio

next to the vintage hatbox that my friend, Randi, gave me (top hatbox).

[I wallpapered the hatbox in a pretty blue floral print.]

Another painting that I rescued from the abyss in my basement was one that was created by my great grandmother, Grace Whitman.

It's approximately 60 years old.
(I think she may have had a bit of bohemian hippy in her sweet old soul.)

I always loved Grandma's name.

After some ancestory research many years ago,

it was discovered that I am related to Walt Whitman.

How cool is that?

Maybe that's where my love of writing, photography, and nature is rooted.

Three generations of my father's side of the family dabbled in painting on canvas.

My great-grandmother, Grace,

my grandmother, Lorena,

and my father, Gordon.

My Dad even helped my Mom paint a still-life once.
Dad painted his first and Mom loved it so much,
she wanted to try to make one.

I can vividly remember him sitting by her side at the kitchen table
evening after evening,
guiding her hand and patiently teaching her some basics of oil painting.

Of all the paintings I have, I treasure these two the most.
The one he painted is the smaller one on the right.
Mom's is the larger one on the left.

I feel blessed to own paintings from each of them.

This beautiful rose painting was originally purchased at the big Brimfield Flea Market,
found a temporary home with Stephanie Bradley,
and landed a forever home at Heaven's Walk.

Thank you, my sweet friend!

The blush pink rose painting on the right was purchased for a song at the Allegan Antique Market last summer. I couldn't pass up the soft pastel colors.

It's almost like a garden is blooming on the frantle in my kitchen.
The tangled prairie hearts I made lay scattered like silver petals...

"Little Girl Sitting" was painted by my father over 45 years ago

when he was a rookie student in his first painting class.

It's one of the largest of the paintings he created.

When I was just a child, I remember him saying that it reminded him of me.
It used to hang in the entry foyer of my childhood home.

"Be The Light" was another one of his creations.

I always loved this painting because of the beautiful shades of blues.

It was the main reason why I ended up getting married on the beach in front of a lighthouse in northern Michigan 29 years ago.

I also fell in love with coastal Maine when I attended a friend's wedding out there one summer,
where the Husband and I stayed in a bed & breakfast inn on the coast
and fell asleep each night to the sound of frothy blue waves crashing on the rocky shore.

History...

 memories...

and evidence of God-given talent

surrounds me in my studio.

It feels like great-Grandma Grace,

Grandma Lorena,

my mom and my dad

are right here with me.

Love poured onto canvas.

I can almost see them all smiling

as I work with my hands.
And  although I never quite captured an interest in painting on canvas,
I pour my own love into creating my dream catchers and rosaries.

"The most wonderful moment of the day is that when creation in its innocence asks permission to "be" once again, 
as it did on the first morning that ever was."
~Thomas Merton, 'A Book of Hours'

~ "Be" the Blessing ~

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Breathing in the New Year...

I took the day off today to breathe.

Breathe in being a wife and exhale the stress that has entwined itself around my mind.

Unwind.

Regroup.

Relax.

My body and mind needed it desperately.

If you follow me on Facebook, you know I've been driving two hours a day to spend the day with my mom who is now in a rehab center recovering from a recent stroke.

 It's taking a toll not only on my poor old SUV 

(which is having hiccup issues)

but on me, too.

I feel like I'm in the "Groundhog Day" movie;

getting up and doing the same thing over and over and over again, 

day after day after day.

I'm not complaining.

Really, I'm not.

The hours spent with Mom are treasured and cherished.

I need to be there to relieve my Dad and support him.

But I'm feeling frustrated with the lack of improvement I see in my Mom.

I expected her to be walking again

and feeding herself

and in the least able to hold a partial conversation with me.

So, I wait.

I hold her hand and rub her back.

I talk to her and tell her I love her.

I comb her hair and put on her lipstick.

I pray constantly.

I beg.

I cajole.

I pray again.

And I wait for God to answer our prayers.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  

I was anxious to get my house back in order after Christmas.

So I spent the day decluttering, putting away Christmas decor,

cleaning, and refloofing ~

And just breathing in being a housewife for the day.

I love doing housework.

It relaxes me and I don't stress out over it.

I found some time to hang another little chandy, too.

This one's just for looks right now,

and doesn't work quite yet.

But at least it's out of the box it was sitting in on the floor in my office.

It did my heart good to dip into my bucket of inspiration 

and create some new vignettes.

This darling little crown ring box filled with a couple tiny treasures

is one of many beautiful shabby chic Christmas gifts sent to me from my good friend and sister-in-Christ, 

Stephanie at The Spanish Dahlia.

♥

This old fruit drying crate was pulled from the abyss in my basement.

I've been wanting to use it in someway

but it continually stumped me

and I would find myself wandering blankly around the house with it.

Not quite sure it "feels" right yet, though.

This vignette may need a little reworking.

I moved to the kitchen and freshened up the table vignette.

Blush pink roses drying on the pie safe,

will soon join the dried ones

on the other side of the kitchen.

I'm breathing easier now.

A little creativity does do the heart and mind good.

I'm ready to tackle another week, too.

Ready to spend it in grateful prayer at my mom's side.

♥

To those of you who have been praying for my family,

I deeply thank you.

For those of you dealing with the same thing,

know that I am praying for you...

And may the new year bring you all an abundance of 

peace, 

joy, 

and 

answered prayer.

~ Blessings ~

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