New Beginnings (. . . as trite a it sounds)

So, it’s been a while—like nine months—but who’s counting? 

Me, I am counting. 

I am terrible with remembering dates.  l know the year I was born, the year I got married and the birth year for each of my three children—for any other date, my eyes roll back in my head as I either add or subtract from hear of those significant years.   But my shortcomings or perceived failures—they’re locked in.  Nope—never forget those.

Anyhoo, while there are many things I will never (did I just type that—adding the italicized emphasis, too???) go back a “do over” (a curly perm, my middle school years and being a shop owner come to mind), I am pretty sure I will keep trying to revive this blog.

To start with, it has served as a sort of journal for me over the years.  (Reference the first paragraph where I expose my short term memory challenges.)  I have come back to this blog time and time again to refresh my memory about rather remarkable events in my life; it has also served as a handy recipe receptacle, too.  Just the other day, I used the handy-dandy search option to find the recipe for our family favorite Pumpkin Cookies.

I also find that I am actually motivated to do things—to tackle projects, to try recipes and to, basically, explore and delve into other shenanigans as opportunities arise—just so I can share them here.  Basically, it’s a public journal.

So, here I am, blogging again.

A quick update . . . we have had made some serious changes in our lives since March—not the least of which was to sell our beautiful, historic home and move to the panhandle of Florida, but more on that later.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that I still write two weekly columns for Clarksville, Tennessee newspaper, The Leaf Chronicle.   One of those columns is a lot like a blog entry—I just write about things going on with my family, home improvement  and decorating projects. I find that, occasionally, I want to include more information and photos than the printed paper can allow or subscribers care to read/see.  So, I’ve decided to stat using my blog to (1) supplement my column and (2) share some of my experiences as I, once again, attempt make a house into our home.

And, since I just hit “send” for my most recent column submission; and, since in that column I direct readers to my blog for more details on my most recent project, I thought I better get to it.

And there you have it.  If you are new to my blog, I welcome you.  If you’re a tried and true friend or fan, welcome back!  I hope to hear from you often.  Thanks for joining me here.

Fondly,

PS—I’ll update my photo banner later—first, I have to remember how to do it!

PSS—if you’re here to read about my newly painted front door, stand by—it’ll magically appear here this evening!

Put Casters on It

This is a philosophy I developed for just about any piece of furniture I had at the shop—put casters on it.  That way, when the mood hit me to move things around—generally, just before closing time so Patty would walk into my typical chaos the next morning—I could move the large pieces of furniture by myself.

While I had become pretty adept at loading large pieces onto a four-wheel furniture dolly all-by-my-lonesome, the casters were much easier on the back.

Unfortunately, I didn’t come-up with this brilliant philosophy until I was just about ready to close.  I had thought of it for large pieces which, ironically, remained rather stationary—like my check-out desk.  But, especially on the pieces I had custom made, I started asking Jeff to put casters on those.  It made delivering those items easy and, should the clients desire, they could be easily removed.

So, when I went in search of a piece of furniture to fill a void in our newly renovated laundry room, I was surprised that it took me a while to figure out what to do. 

I had this space . . . and heaven forbid it just remain “space.”  So, the space was screaming for something to keep it company.  My first fix was this:

You can see (just barely) the almost ideal table—it is an absolutely darling little metal table (on casters) which I had at the shop and just couldn’t let go.  It’s made its way around the house and I am determined to find the perfect location in this house (or another).

In the meantime, however, it didn’t work here.  It was way too long to allow us to open the refrigerator door.  And, though it is on casters, I didn’t want to scoot it out of the way every time we need something from the fridge.

Then, while out shopping with my mom, sister and daughter, I came across this:

 

As you may have already inferred from the background—I brought it home.  It’s a large crate which had been divided into cubbies of varying size—which made it perfect for my junk of varying size.  (Did you notice that wonderful blue-green paint on the interior?)

As you may have also already inferred, it is too large for the space, too.  It is not as wide as the other piece, but it is close.  Yet this pieces had so much more to recommend itself for this space that I decided I must make it work.

So, I scooted it down as close to the door jam as I could and proceeded to load it with junk (those cubbies on the right are the perfect size for wine bottles).  The refrigerator door opened, but I couldn’t access the crisper drawer on the bottom, right-hand side.  Oh well—I could make do without it—this is, after all, our “bonus” fridge.

Then it occurred to me . . . put casters on it!  And that I did.

When you are adding casters, you need to make sure you get the correct size and construction for your needs.  This crate is fairly light weight, but with all of the stuff I planned to load into it, I need to consider the weight capacity.  I also decided on a rubber wheels, as opposed to plastic or metal, since it would be rolling around on our new, vinyl laminate flooring.

I emptied the crate and flipped it over to expose the bottom—picked off the mounds of dog hair which had already attached there—and began marking the holes for drilling. 

 

(This is one thing I have to make myself do—pre-drilling.  It is much like prep work for painting—a necessary evil.)

And here we have the final product—all loaded down with junk for storage (those wine bottles I mentioned and a portion of my cookbook collection) and display.  (I’ve gotta learn to control that flash!)

Bonus:  it is ready to roll out of the way to allow access to that all important crisper drawer!

Are you a fan of casters?  Have you found a unique use for them or a place where you could not do without them? Do tell!

Thanks for your indulgence,

Blackberries and book folding

I’ve been thinking about having some girlfriends over for dinner and a creative activity, but couldn’t manage to put the plans together.  On Tuesday, I had the thought that I really want to put together a window display in support of the Clarksville Writers Conference.
Quickly, the thoughts converged and I sent out a quick facebook message asking a few friends to join me to dinner and book folding.  As the request was last minute and people tend to make plans in advance, I was only able to entice a few to join me. 
So, thanks to Taylor, Kate, Kendall and Hunter for helping me create a substantial creative display for our windows at Hodgepodge.  If you’re in downtown Clarksville, I hope you stop by to see. 
If you want to learn more about the conference, visit their website here.


I’ve written another blog about using vintage books in your decorating, as well as page/book folding; I am really drawn to the artistic qualities they offer.  I encourage you to try one on your own.
I recently found this blog with some great patterns and tutorials on the craft.  Click the picture for a link to the blog.

Oh, I almost forgot the “blackberry” reference in the title of this blog . . .
Just in case you’re thinking, “Note to self—don’t accept an invitation to spend an evening of creativity with Paige.  She will work me like a dog just to get her windows decorated!”  Let me entice you with a photo of the platter of appetizers I offered . . .

Sure, I overcooked the steak for the salads, but with this platter at the center of the table, I believe I was forgiven for the hard labor and burnt steak!  (A special thanks to Amy for sending me a link to the recipe—it arrived in my inbox yesterday morning!  The moment I saw it I knew I would be fixing it for my friends.  I will share the recipe later.)
One, very important thanks I neglected to mention earlier is for our son, Haedyn. He cleaned-up the dinner dishes and regaled us with his multitude of talents all the while we created book art.
Thanks for your indulgence!

garden trellis

A few weeks ago I mentioned, in my column for The Leaf Chronicle, the fact that I had assembled a pyramid-shaped garden trellis using some inexpensive, pre-made trellises.

Here’s how you can make one, too.

You will need:

Three rose trellises

one 8” terra cotta pot

plastic tie straps

shovel

a good friend, flown in from Norway and her adorable daughter

vine seeds and water

First, ask your friend to hold the first two trellises in position, while she is also attempting to explain to her 3 1/2 year old why she must wait to attach the plastic tie straps.

Quickly mark position for the points of contact  for each of the trellises in order to “plant” the ends in the ground.  This will give the structure additional stability when it “runs into” your 90 lb dog.

 

Once you are sure you’ve got the three pieces positioned correctly (check to ensure it relatively level—I used a brick to level this one), then pack the dirt around the points of contact.

You can then turn the three-year-old loose with the strip ties.

I also used basic “L” shaped stakes to add a little more stability.

Plant seeds and enlist the help of someone interested in topping-off your efforts with a little water.

Add an inverted flower pot to the peak of the pyramid.

I have a finial for the top, but wanted to make sure the contraption would withstand the typical elements of the area before I topped it.  (I think the storms tonight will give me the opportunity to find my answer.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your indulgence,

changes are afoot

there are few things that get me as jazzed about being a shopkeeper as doing a BIG switch-a-roo at the shop.  we have new things rolling into the shop, so my creative juices have been flowing.   it takes  a while to build-up to making such a big change, but once i decide the major pivot points—so to speak—we start the shuffling.  we move the small pieces off of the display furniture, reposition the furniture and start putting it all together again. 

we work the new merchandise into the displays and show new ways to use and display the items we have had for a while.  what better way to show folks that we offer home décor that they will use year ‘round?  i mean, when you decorate for the various seasons you choose to celebrate, you don’t move all of your existing furniture and accessories out of the house—you make additions (along with a few subtractions).

I hope, if you live nearby, you will come in for a “look-see” yourself, but here are a few pictures to show you a few of our changes.

 

I will be posting some detail shots of the inventory and displays later this week, but as I said—I hope you plan to come for a visit soon.

thanks for your indulgence,