He Is Risen

 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side,

clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted.

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified:

He is risen.

He is not here.

Behold the place where they laid him.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,

and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

but he that believeth not shall be damned.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them;

he was received up into heaven,

and sat on the right hand of God.

Mark 16

Happy Easter.

Office

 For months, nay, years...I have marked this page in the Pottery Barn Catalog.

I dreamed of having an office like this one day...

 They have moved it around, given in different configurations and parred it with different accents.

They even offer it in a different color, but I love the white (but you knew that).

I've saved up to buy it, twice, said I was just going to do it...

Couldn't bring myself to spend the money...not when I knew I could do it myself.

I present to you, my version of the Pottery Barn Bedford Corner Desk.

Only, I like mine better...see, it is bigger...

 And, cost a fraction...a tiny fraction, of what Pottery Barn would have cost me.

The drawers are oak file cabinets, one was in my basement, we've had it since we got married...
the other I found at Value Village for $10.
The top is three pieces bought at IKEA for about $70 total.
The two-shelf bookshelf was made by my ever accommodating husband from wood we had laying around. 

 (Ok, I wasn't going to share, but I have to share because maybe it will help someone else have a new train of thought today). If you look closely you will see that the middle shelf of the bookshelf has writing on it. 

This is because it is a subway sign, a custom order, that was ordered from my Etsy shop. It was one of the first I sold and when the gal got the board, she didn't like it. She said I did inferior work and wanted a refund. I. Was. Stunned. I offered her the refund, which she of course graciously accepted...until I asked her to send the board back. She wanted her money back and thought I should let her keep the board. As our communications went on she got nastier and nastier and I realized this was not about the quality of my work, it was about her trying to get something for nothing. I thought about quitting right there. I was ready to pull down my Etsy shop. I was scared that these type of people were out there...I didn't want to have to deal with those type of people. Then, I decided, with the support of my husband that she was one person amid so many other wonderful people. After 100+ orders in my Etsy shop and so many people emailing me how much they love the pieces I have created for them, I am so glad I did not let one person stop me. AND, I asked my husband to use the board for a better purpose, to help me remember that for every one person who might have something negative to say...there are 100+ others who think you are great!)

The boxes, baskets, and fun wall decor was gathered over several months. 

Mostly from TJ Maxx and thrift stores.

The metal cabinet on the desk was a find at Value Village.

It was one of those things that I had no idea what I would do with it but it spoke to me.

I know I have mentioned it before but say it again...

BUY those things that speak to you.

I painted the numbers on the drawers and the little drawers are perfect to organize receipts.  

The vintage chair was just $8 at Goodwill.

The window covering is poor man's linen (Home Depot drop cloth) and the rod is a branch from the woods near my home.

I figure for the desk itself I spent under $100.

To buy it from Pottery Barn, in this size and configuration, I would need to add a zero!
Not to mention the satisfaction of saying, 'I made that.'   

It's great to have a place for everything and feel like everything is organized.

 And because everyone likes a good before picture this is what the room looked like as I moved my son out of it...

And put said little boy in a room with his brother so that momma can have a room of her own.    

Hold them Close

 Happy Valentine's Day

 Hold your loved ones close.

 Tell them you love them.

  Smile at them.

Give them hugs and kisses.

Take a minute to look in their eyes,

 listen to what they are saying.

 And laugh with them,

   until your belly hurts.

Love Week

It is Valentine's Day this week...

 I'm sorry, can someone please explain what happened to January?

You know that month that comes in the aftermath of Christmas

but before you get use to writing the new year on your checks there are hearts everywhere

and you are arguing with your children over what kind of Valentine's they are giving their classmates.

I lost it somewhere between two children having birthdays,

 a soul-searching, heart-wrenching trip to Texas to say good-bye to a dear friend who was taken too soon and leaves behind a sweet family of five children

 and being asked to lead a young woman's group of 300+ youth for our church 

(read as 'part-time' job)

which has filled up my weekends ever since...

 oh wait, I think I see now where January went.

Lucky for me, I have creative, crafty sisters.

 And one of them sent me pictures of how love is adorning the walls of her home this year.

Thanks Lacey! 

And Happy Valentine's Day all...before we know it we'll be toasting the luck of the Irish!

Peace On Earth

 One week since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary.

This piece on our Christmas tree means something different now.

 This means something different now too.

May your Christmas be full of hope and a resolve to do something to make the world a better place.

And when you hold your little ones close on Christmas morning, please say a prayer for all the families in Newtown, CT who have one less to hold in their arms, but will hold forever in their hearts.

Peace on earth.

Christmas House Tour 2012

Jennifer Rizzo is having her annual Christmas House Tour so I thought I would join. Always a good reason to get this year's decorations photographed and documented.

 I parred way back this year on decorations. Lots of decorations felt heavy this year for some reason.

 Just wanted mostly greenery with pops of red.

 Whitewashed a framed window and painted Merry Christmas on it.

 Framed vintage artwork, one of the few things I pulled out from last year.

Really, half the boxes stayed in the garage this year.

Love this piece I created for my Etsy Shop.

The kitchen always gets so little decorating love.

 There are three reasons for this. There is zero wall space, the cabinets although beautiful and new, are not really me, and this room is all about utility. This is the heartbeat of the home, where the table doubles as homework central and my work bench in the same night. I promise myself I will get around to doing more with it someday...

My Target Dollar Spot Reindeer also made the cut from last year.

LOVE the simplicity yet they sparkle too.

You can read all about my Christmas mantel HERE, but I wanted to add a picture of our silver pine cones the kids and I created last night after reading the The Legend of the Silver Pine Cones.

Our tree is different this year...we chopped it down ourselves. It is from a tree farm, but we picked a new-to-us kind, a Grand Fir. 

It's more spastic than the Douglas Firs we are used to, with branches poking out here and there.

I LOVE how fresh it is though! The branches are so soft, even after three weeks in the house.

 I hand-stitched these little stockings year ago...I still love them.

(or maybe it's just I spent so much time on them I have to love them!)

Hallway...the pops of 'red' here are a rusty red.

I thought about painting all the bells white, 

but my son started complaining everything was white.

Not sure why he thinks he gets an opinion, 

but it saved the bells from being turned white.

 It is the season of  'wonderfulness.'

Hope ornament also made the cut to find it's place among the greenery.

A gift from a friend. It is also a season of hope.

Christmas Table

These paper trees are super easy, a fun project with the kids.

Cut squares from vintage books or sheet music. 

I found Handel sheet music at a second hand book store. 

Start with 4 1/2 inch squares and work down by 1/2 inch increments.

Cut 4-6 of each size for each tree.

 I used a small hole punch before popping them on the dowels (cut to the length you prefer).

Be sure you don't use a hole punch with a wider diameter than your dowel.

Hope you enjoyed this peek around the house.

 

Come Visit the House Walk 2012!