The Gift of Time

This was my Leaf Chronicle article for Nov 27th—unfortunately, there was a mix-up and it wasn’t published, well, at least not under my byline.  Then they ran it last week—so it’s actually two weeks old.  Regardless, I’ll share it with you now:

 

As I write this, there is a lovely sunrise on this cool, clear day. I am repositioning my writing table so I enjoy it. Still not a direct view, but I can see it reflected in my neighbor’s windows.

Today, I will head to the shop early to prepare for what I hope will be a busy day of shoppers and visits with my Hodgepodge friends. I hope to hear stories of Thanksgiving successes and mishaps. I also hope everyone is in the frame of mind that this season should bring--a season of love and sharing.

We shouldn’t be stressed-out about the holidays. We should be able to enjoy it and not dread it. Actually, I’ve never dreaded the holidays, but I have been stressed. This year, I am determined to be stress free. Already, I’m noticing things don’t feel rushed.

I feel that we’ve been given some extra time this year. Thanksgiving was early--we still have nearly a full week of November left. So, there you go--the gift of time! A little extra time to prepare--to do your shopping, to plan your menus, to decorate your home. You’re welcome.

No, really. I want you to have it.

Okay, so the gift wasn’t from me, but it’s for you and it’s what you’ve always wanted:

More time.

 

 

Today, I’m going to attempt to map-out the rest of my year. I have a calendar full of appointments with clients, volunteer meetings and various other obligations, but I haven’t figured out when I will decorate our house for the holidays. Today, I plan to put that on the schedule.

This weekend the kids did me the huge favor of prepping the storage area for easier access to the Christmas decorations. They went through our storage boxes full of clothes to determine what could be donated and what could be handed down to cousins. They loaded six--no, more than that--of those lawn-sized garbage bags into the car. I haven’t had the opportunity to go see, but I am sure that opened-up a huge amount of space in our storage area. (I will try to leave it open--I tend to fill those spaces far too easily!)

So with that chore out of the way, we should be able to get to the decorating right away. That was the goal of my youngest. She wanted to start bringing down the tree and decorations on Thanksgiving day! Nope, not ready for that!

I will, however, allow them to set-up the tree and determine the status of our lights, but no ornaments. We may go ahead and set-up the smaller trees, too--those we can decorate.

Some folks have had their Christmas decorating schedule down in their books of traditions since time immemorial. I envy those people. They know when their trees will be decorated, the presents purchased and Christmas cards sent. I’ve never been one of those people. I get a lot done, but it’s not on any predetermined schedule. It just happens.

It happens in between the hours spent at the shop, the husband’s new work schedule and the kids’ school and activities. Somehow it all happens and we have fun getting there!

That wraps-up the article.  I wrote the follow-up article yesterday—to be published this Sunday.  It’s a great counterpoint to this one.

Thanks for your indulgence.

Vintage Black Friday/Saturday

A day late (thanks to my inability to deal technology).

Our cabinets . . .

a bunny blackboard . . .
vintage frames (transformed into a cork board) and companion . . .

vintage sugar bowl--now a lamp . . .vintage mill for french cut green beans . . .

my long sought-after kitchen aid mixer . . .

shelf/display . . .

vintage stamp (lousy photo) . . .

not so vintage, but black . . .

These are pictures from my kitchen. We painted our cabinets black when we first moved into the house. The accessories—decorative and useful—are often black. These items combined with our tin ceiling back splash and recycled desk-turned-island, make my “vintage black” kitchen my favorite room in our house.

Remember to visit The French Cupboard to view the other submissions.

Thanks for your indulgence!

Paige

worth remembering

So much to write about, so little time . . .

Really, I think about this blog all of the time--the things I want to share--mainly so I can remember them later! (I've read several past posts and thought, I wrote that? or I barely remember that! Thank goodness I found the time to write it down here or it could be gone forever!)

So, the things I want to remember from recent events include:

(1) Meeting CindyKay at the Nashville Flea Market--visit here blog here. She was so down to earth it was refreshing. She, unlike many in our business, was completely open and willing to share her ideas which have contributed to her success. Liked her a lot!

(2) We delivered several pieces of furniture to a new shop in Murfreesboro. Some of our best customers are starting a venture of their own--a ladies boutique on the square in historic downtown Murfreesboro--and they purchased a good deal of their display pieces at Hodgepodge and ARTifacts! How flattering! I'll keep you posted on their plans so you can drop in to see them when you're in their area.

(3) I have an incredible staff working for me--at Hodgepodge and ARTifacts. I am superfluous! They are amazing, talented and competent and I am so very fortunate! Patty and Jennifer run Hodgepodge like it's their own, providing the best customer service I've ever seen. They both have an unfailing sense of style and work merchandise into displays that rival the famed department store windows in New York. Jill is a master of framing; with her creative eye she can make works of art come to life with her selection of mats and frames. Plus, she jumps in and provides customer service throughout the shop whenever needed. Anna and Martha are my darlings for taking on the jobs that no one wants to do. Martha tagged nearly every Christmas ornament that hit our sales floor and Anna has the thankless task of counting what was left over, as well as the rest of the shop! Plus, they add an international flair to Hodgepodge. Then there's Kendall running the show at ARTifacts. I had an idea and we had the space to make it happen--the rest has been Kendall. I'm so fortunate to have someone I like so much as a sister, too! (Sounding like a Hallmark sentiment . . .) Ashley, too, is wonderful--not only one of our talented displaying artist at ARTifacts, Ashley is also an amazingly efficient and friendly sales associate. Everyone always comments on how much they like "that young girl working upstairs."

(4) We got the claim check for the renovations to our home! Let the games begin!

(5) We had a great time having some of the folks Darren works with over for dinner. To make it even better--one of the NCOs is married to a friend I've met through the shop! I've missed being part of an Army family--glad to be back.

(6) Fillings are better (and cheaper) than root canals.

(7) Hunter earned a scholarship to study art at APSU!

(8) Old cars breakdown, but great mechanics make it hurt less--less than a root canal for one, a little more so for another.

(9) I like working on the floor of my shop and with customers much, much more than working on the computer.

There you are--a few things I wanted to be sure to remember.

I will for sure post again this week--not going to miss black friday again!

Thanks for your indulgence.

vintage black friday

Found this new blog--frankly, I can't remember how--but of all of the colorful weekday inspiration ideas I've come across (white Wednesdays, and the like)--this is one that I thought I could commit to for several reasons:

(1) I love black--I wear it; I decorate with it.

(2) I'm a business owner--I'd LOVE to be in "the black" (any day of the week!)

(3) I love vintage

So, I thought, what could I do for my first post?

It didn't take long. Thanks to our recent house fire, everything in the bedroom of our 130 year old (vintage) is covered in soot (black). I was discussing the appearance of my bedroom with a friend yesterday. I'm obsessed with the look of my walls right now. The places where all of my vintage florals used to hang have created an eerie kind of art gallery.

So, here you go, my first submission for

Vintage Black Friday floral in acrylic over German village scene with over-flowing window boxes in oil

almost-a-yard-long floral over the three-door headboard

three florals over a vintage french mirror

restored photo of my grandparents over a charcoal drawing of me as a child

a beautiful floral in oil in a stunning frame

yard-long-floral over the door



Some additional "Vintage Black."

once-white vintage Italian chandelier with porcelain roses

no view through a bedroom window

the vintage summer cover for our fireplace

(no damage to that--but vintage and black!)

Now, scoot on over to The French Cupboard blog and take a gander at other Vintage Black Friday submission. Let me know if you decide to join in so I can promote your blog here, too!

Thanks for your indulgence!