Timeless Rooms

The finishing touch to this elegant family room is found  in the beautiful silk fabric!  In making them, I also used a good quality lining and inner lining.  This makes the way they hang look full and luxurious!  I enjoy working with silk fabrics, not only for the finished look they bring but the feel of the fabric is wonderful when sewing!  This client moved and took the curtains with her and we just hung them again......each time with a unique look!  If you find something you really love in a fabric, don't be afraid to splurge....you can take them with you as she did!  Neat!

The dining room featured here is my own~these curtains I actually made for a client who moved and so we decided together that I would hang them in my dining room!  One of those moments when work is rewarded in a beautiful way!  One truly does not know what a day may bring.....so enjoy your day and look for moments when you can accept plans made by a loving Heavenly Father just for you.  "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." Psalm 127:1  Look to His Word for how to live.  Wait for Him to bring the wisdom and guidance you need!  Thank Him for the amazing blessings He brings into your life!  Most of all remember that You are cherished!  Whatever talent or gift you might possess.....use it for God's Glory!

Chosen......

One of the nicest things about decorating a home is choosing the furnishings, colors, and important treasures we appreciate and value.  Opening the door to your own home,  hopefully gives you a gratitude and calmness that can only be found when your are fully accepted within the walls!   As we enter our home, we should sense love and comfort and find well-being.  It doesn't matter if we are poor or rich, those we love are near!

Todays decorator has a vast selection of stores and venues to select just the right look desired.  Beautiful furnishings can be found almost anywhere today and it is always fun to look, even if you aren't in the market for something new.  It cost nothing to look except a little time. Family dynamics usually play a big part in decorating a home.   I hope the interior of your home radiates a passion and reflection of your inner spirit.  If you love color, then obviously selecting colors that you enjoy is important.  I love a pop of color but I also love the serene and warm neutrals.  Furnishings must be as meaningful as they are decorative, so finding a balance is always important.  I think it is wise to begin with one nice anchor piece, such as a sofa or large chest or cabinet and then find pieces within your price range to decorate your home.  Impeccably fine pieces do not have to be in your home to make your home beautiful.  Empty rooms can be beautiful if a loving spirit is there.

I have found a young new designer whose style I really like.  You can check  out one of his decorated rooms below.  I love the lived in feeling of this room!  It's a family room so maybe that is why I like it!

The Bible reminds us in John 15:16-17 of how precious we are to Jesus.  We are much more valuable than a house or any decorating style.  Jesus validated us as worthy when He chose us to belong to Him.  How precious that thought is to me as a Believer.  The Lord wants to be with me.  The Lord wants to be with you.  He wants us in His Presence.......even when He seems to be silent.  Silence before the Lord is okay.  His Word reads....."You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  This is my command:  Love each other."  You  and your loved ones who know Christ have been chosen for the Glory of God!  I hope you feel worthy my friend......for you truly, truly are!  Enjoy your day!!!

ABUNDANCE........

This is a glorious time of the year when our thoughts begin to turn to the many blessings in our lives that we are so grateful and thankful for.  Each day has blessings that we can offer up with thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father!  The farmer has harvested his crop from the growing season and the cooler weather, for us, means more time inside to spend with those we love and want to fellowship with!  God blesses in abundance!  The new mother who is seeing her baby for the first time at birth, a son or daughter returning home from war, the good news that  someone's illness has been healed!  Yes Christ, whose glory fills the skies allows our joys to be abundant!   "I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me."  Psalm 13:6   We can also celebrate our common blessings!  Sunshine and water, a blue fall sky, the first smile on a baby's little face, and the joy and happiness of hearing the voice of someone we love walk through our door!

This small basket on the table, which has been prepared for a fall dinner is simple, nothing  is in the basket, because I wanted my guest to fill it with their thoughts of the abundant ways that God has blessed them in this year of 2010.  Each morning, He welcomes you.  His arms are open.  His mercy and love for you are endless.  You can rest in His powerful and safe presence.  You can hide in Him and let Him take your fear away.  He surrounds you as you take refuge in Him.  As your day begins and ends, I pray that you will pause to think of your own life and your home and no matter what you possess or how your home is decorated the God of Glory dwells with you....... if you invite Him in.  What an abundant blessing we have been given~  "Jesus then came and took bread and gave it to them......"  John 21:13  He offered as a visual thanksgiving for the abundant bounty and provision.  Lord, may our homes be as generous toward all who enter!  Blessings to you to dear friend in this new season.

A Pink Room

Today my thoughts have been centered on a new project I am  soon to assist with!  Someone very dear to me will soon be moving from a crib to her own little room!  Little girl's rooms are so sweet because who can think of a little girl without thinking of PINK!  Of course, not all mommies want their daughter's to be invaded by pink but to me, it's such a sweet part of being a girl and adding a tender and soft feminine side to life.  I have some experience with girls since I am a mother to four daughters!  They all loved pink, early on..... and each one shared or enjoyed a pink room sometime during the years they were growing up in our home.   Little girls add a symphony to our lives!  In just a few words, they can express themselves very cheerfully but strong!  They listen,  but  in turn, we should always listen to their advice and especially their dreams! What a wonderful way to live.....dreaming!  Our job is just to love them and to show them the world is a glorious place because they are a part of our world!  I am thinking pink for this little girl~we will have to see what her Mommy says!  That is what counts!  I'll just listen......and then go to work!  The bottom picture I snapped at The Plaza Hotel on a trip to New York last year and the pink room is one from a magazine  that I just couldn't resist!  Sewing for children brings me much pleasure......little angel's wrapped up as gifts from Heaven touching our hearts forever and ever!!!  Yes....."children are a gift of the Lord!"  Psalm 127:3

A Home Defines Your Style

Decorating for Shelly is a collection of antique finds, expressions of her art, her books, and her travels!

Creative in every venue~a true artist~with HEART and SOUL!

Shelly finds creative ways to store any collection!

New York, Savannah, Los Angeles, Belgium, France, England, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, and .............

numerous other places of interest~this young woman has lived and traveled!  She is the essence of an artist~a beautiful person inside and out and a heart for all things creative and beautiful.  Her kind and gentle spirit flow from her like water flowing from a spring..... naturally.  She has and always will be the life of a party, walking to her own heart felt beat!  She is truly loved and she inspires all who know her.  She earned a degree with highest honors from Savannah College of Art and Design  a few years ago and the story is still unfolding in beautiful ways!  Her home in the photos above definitely defines STYLE with her own signature everywhere!

All  five of our children growing up had their own style and bents.  Each one, I was blessed to mother and enjoyed each and every day that God gave to me when they lived under our tent~so to speak! Be prepared to learn as much as you teach in life!  I would offer six A's that children need to survive and grow (adults need this too)~this was shared with me years ago and it's so true!

1.  Acceptance
2.  Affection
3.  Appreciation
4.  Availability
5.  Accountability
6.  Authority

Children will be different!  Wise and loving parents  will embrace them with encouragement!  I pray you have a day where you are encouraged.  You are valued and you are worthy!  Psalm 139:14 "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well."

Wow!  What an Artist our God is.....He made you and you are wonderfully made!  Enjoy your weekend!!!

God's Garden

God's Garden

The Lord God planted a garden

In the first white days of the world,

And he set there an angel warden

In a garment of light unfurled.

So near to the peace of Heaven,

That the hawk might nest with the wren,

For there in the cool of the even

God walked with first of men.

And I dream that these garden-closes

With their shade and their sun-flecked sod

And their lilies and bowers of roses,

Were laid by the hand of God.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,--

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

For He broke it for us in a garden

Under the olive-trees

Where the angel of strength was the warden

And the soul of the world found ease.

Dorothy Frances Gurney  1858-1932

I was blessed to spend a few days in Savannah, Georgia visiting my daughter, Shelly and her boyfriend, Jeremy.  Kacie, Luke, and Isabel went also with me and we had such a fun and joyous time.  Shelly is such a GIVER!  When we arrived she had her artist touch everywhere in her home!  She was waiting with open arms and shared her home so graciously.  Right up the street from her home,  I spotted this beautiful garden and it became a place I walked to each morning just to look!  I am hoping to recreate something similar in my own garden.  Right now, my garden is still looking like a wilderness!  I found this poem today and the following verse and wanted to share  them with you~ "He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord;  Joy and gladness will be found in it.  Thanksgiving and the voice of melody."  Isaiah 51:3  To me, this says.....when our lives are like a wilderness, that is when God is able to create a garden like Eden, providing beauty and everything we need, He will provide for us and take care of us in a magnificent way! We will find joy and gladness!  I hope that your life is full of joy and gladness but if you are waiting for the garden to grow, be patient......look to Him each day in the morning in the garden!  He has something beautiful, noble, and grand waiting for you~

Lovely

This lovely dining room does not say formal.....to me it says, "Come in!  I'm so glad you're here, I have been waiting for you!"  Can you imagine being greeted in that way when you arrive at a friend's home or when your guest arrives at your house?  We should, for truly when the focus is on the other person that person is made to feel very special.  The table is set with fresh flowers, most likely from the garden, the glasses are ready for a festive drink and the colors are cool and relaxing!  This photo is from~you guessed it~House Beautiful!!!  I hope you have times of refreshment because times of true refreshment come from the Lord!  Acts 3:19

Today, I have had that sort of relaxed and special day.  Sort of a day off from the normal things that I would be working on,  but one that has brought a joy and restoration within my soul.  Today is the birthday of my daughter, Kacie Elizabeth!  We enjoyed lunch together, laughing at the enormous amount of Sushi that we ordered for two people and talking about her blessings of family and her special friends and how much they mean to her.  We had as much Sushi to bring home for dinner......but it was fun and enjoyable to be with such a precious person, a privilege for me because when I am with someone I care about, it is a time of refreshment.  We even had a few minutes to browse a couple of antique shops~such fun in a short amount of time.

Our lives are full, for sure, but it takes just a few minutes to make someone feel special and to say, "Come in!  I'm so glad you're here, I have been waiting for you!"  That is the way Kacie made me feel, even on her own birthday!  What a gift she is to all who know and love her!  Happy Birthday sweet Kacie!

Philemon 20 ........."refresh my heart in Christ."

Life With Benefits.......

Imagination can bring a smile to the face.  Hopefully, we all have a few moments each day to imagine something outside the box of an ordinary routine day.  We can learn to appreciate these ideas by putting them on paper, if we are writers. However an artist or a photographer is especially blessed because their imagination can come to life on canvas!

Each person who is born has a specific purpose designed by a loving God, just for them!  When my children were little and sometimes things were not going as I had hoped and planned, I would quote the verse in my heart, found in the Bible in Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will fulfill, his purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever~do not abandon the works of Your hands."  I would substitute the "for me", with the child's name giving the prayer a personal claim to God's involvement in my child's life.  It always helped!  God stands ready to intervene in our lives in miraculous and amazing ways.  He has a timetable and a divine purpose for each precious life.  His desire is to give us a life with benefits.  Benefits are anything that helps our life be better and fulfill our destiny.  We are asked to pursue righteousness and love if we want to find this life  that He so, so, so desires to give us according to Proverbs 21:21.  There are actions we must take as we walk in His ways and The Lord encourages us to write them on the tablet of our heart-WOW!!!  He knew we would need to keep His words deep within our souls.

Now....to my picture of Clay.  On the day of our daughter, Kara's wedding, Clay was one of the Ringbearers.  The photos from the wedding arrived and when I saw this one that the photographer had snapped, I knew immediately that life does indeed come with benefits!!!  This photo is one of those assurances that says, "LIFE IS GOOD!"  ~ especially in the smile and eyes of a precious eight year old boy.  It was a spontaneous moment.  Dear God~give us all, I pray, more spontaneous moments in our days!  Yes, dear friend, life can and does have benefits!!!  Trust God to give you a good and happy life.  Happy Labor Day weekend to you.  I hope you find time to use your imagination and to do something spontaneous........

An Angel......from my Prayer Garden

Praying today for some special people.  Most all of us know people who have or are presently suffering.  Suffering is painful, perhaps the most difficult type of pain, for  both the heart and soul are involved.  Truly, those are the saints and angels we are honored to know in this earthly life.  All of those people teach us many truths about our Mighty God and how His Hand moves in difficulty!  Every day there are people who suffer and are in situations dependent upon God's hand to move. Their lives teach us how praising God and waiting and watching for Him to turn things around can become part of our own personal prayer lives and draw us nearer to Him as we seek His answers in their situations.  "We......have to remember that His timing is not ours.  God's timing is perfect.  Praising Him helps us to rest in that."  Stormie Omartian

God has promised in Psalm 31:15 that our times and our lives are in His Hand.  "Oh, how great is YOUR goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of men."  Yes, earthly angels are those who suffer, reminding us that when "You pass through the waters, I will be with you."  Isaiah 43:2..... Both blessing and refreshing!  God cares for those who suffer.  "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you."  I Peter 5:10  Let us remember trials are temporary in light of eternity!  Looking forward to Eternity with the Savior!!!

Home.....

An idyllic country garden provides a beautiful backdrop for this afternoon lunch!  It inspires us all to get out of our comfort zone and invite someone over for a peaceful and relaxing visit!  We can enjoy being at home, after all it's where our soul is restored, refreshed, and renewed!  "Home is a spa for the soul.  Where else can we feel this happy, where else can we putter about among our favorite things while enjoying our family?"
Alexandra Stoddard

Love and Kindness

This beautiful house is just down the street from where our precious daughter Kara  and her groom, Phil, live!  Can you imagine just walking down the street each day and passing this beautiful place on the River Wensum in Norwich?   It was in the heart of someone to build this home in the 1700's and even today, 200 years later,  people pass by and are in awe of the beautiful surroundings.  It is named after John Pull, who operated a ferry and Inn there from1796-1841. 

What is in your heart today?  I hope some love and kindness creating lasting moments of influence for someone your life will touch.  Since it is Sunday, truly our thoughts turn to the Lord of Glory!  It doesn't really matter what is behind us or before us, because the encouraging words found in Ecclesiastes 3:11 in the Bible assure us, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."  Those words include every circumstance and every situation you are praying about!  Each one!

Each day, we are given twenty-four hours of time and depending upon our age and individual circumstances, determinations are made on how we will use those twenty-four hours.  There are responsibilities we have and must complete and often there are limitations we must accept if we have others who require our attention throughout the day.  Some things we cannot control, but thankfully, we are given the control  over our thoughts and influences throughout the day.  We can determine to seek to please God in all we do, say, and believe and truly, each day can be like a Sunday when our thoughts are focused on HIM!  This can start each morning with PRAISE!  Just by speaking the words, "I praise you, Lord of Heaven and earth!"  When our thoughts are focused on the Lord of Glory and the realization that He is the Light of Glory, it's going to be a good day!  In Luke 18:27 Jesus spoke the words....."The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Psalm 63:3 says, "Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You."  Go ahead, try it and see, even lift your hands and see.....He will pour out His blessings on your day!  Look expectantly for gracious and goodness in your day and trust Him at His Word that "He will make everything beautiful in its time."  EVERYTHING!  Such an awesome promise to you and me!

A Beautiful and Simple Change

The Lord knows our names, the number of our days, and where we are to spend each one of them!  Sometimes it seems He just gives us too few days to spend with someone dear to us.  "The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want.....He guides us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."  Psalm 23

I admit, I am a sentimental person.  It's hard for me to part with people I love and care about and it is hard for me to let go, but I do and usually, it's finding something productive in my life that helps me to move forward and exclaim....."everything will be okay."  Change is good for all of us in our lives.  The ocean is a wonderful analogy of change......it is constantly moving and the tides and waves roll in and out and bring a freshness and a calmness that change can be beautiful if we take the time to stop and look and especially listen.  It's almost soothing and can lead us in those paths of righteousness that David was speaking of in the 23rd Psalm.  There is a renewal that accompanies change.

Change brings me to this picture.....someone needed a change and decided to part with this table!  Can you believe it?  My husband has an eye for vintage and antique furnishings that he knows I will bring back to life, of course with his help.  When he first brought this table home, it was cracked across the top, two legs were broken and it looked like it had seen it's better days and where it would spend its future, discarded...... While furniture comes and goes......it seems it rarely does with us!  We find something, and decide to  try and make something beautiful out of it!  Swedish furniture is often times painted and it seems that we have really been into painting furniture lately!  Painting does cover the unsightly blemishes of something with a bit of age, plus it gives the piece depth and detail. This is exactly what we found with this table and every detail appeared as we painted it for the ultimate dinner table for entertaining.  I've prepared the table for an early dinner with a wonderful friend.  As you see, it doesn't have to be an elaborate production to be a beautiful evening.  Something small and modest can be very nice.  Yes, simple can be lovely.  Entertain your family and friends for truly, we do not know how long they will be in our presence!

I leave you with a beautiful thought by Mother Teresa. "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God's kindness."

Goodness

Today I have been thinking about many things......good things.  Goodness is described in Websters as a condition of being good and goodness is described as being better than the usual or average kind.  Something in good condition is pleasing or satisfying...... at least a little more than ordinary.  In the Bible, when God created the earth in  Genesis 1:10 the words read, "God saw that it was good."  Men and women have been described as good and God even goes on to tell us, "That every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  James 1:17  People can do many good things.  We can prepare a dinner for a new mother and this is a very good gift.  We can share good words of encouragement and hope with someone who going through a difficult journey.  The Bible even says that sometimes we can suffer for doing good......now that is a thought.  But I love the words of Exodus 34:6-7 "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin....."
In other words, because of God's goodness, He never throws us out!  He is merciful and patient with us and forgives us of our sinful nature.  He is able to make something new, out of a tattered and torn life, daily!  Psalm 31:19 declares "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear you, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!"  God's love for you makes His face to shine upon you daily and His spirit draws you close to His heart to learn of this goodness that He desires to share with you and with me.  This brings me to share this picture with you.  An old chair, discarded, ready to be thrown out and trashed but I saw the beautiful lines and possibilities!  So I waited until I had some extra time and began to sand it down, tested just a teensy dribble of paint and a whisper of a brush stroke.  I continued to paint it, it was good, I blessed it too.  I found some discarded fabric, decided how I wanted it to look and begin to create!  So you see my finished project below.  It is such a privilege to be made new again~daily in the presence of the Mighty Hands of God.  Often we take goodness for granted.  I hope tomorrow that I remember "God is great, God is Good, let us thank Him......."  Have a blessed and wonderful weekend~may it be GOOD!

Inspirations

Who or what inspires you on a daily basis?  Is it your family, your job, your friends, your fitness routine, traveling, or your love for the Lord?  Scripture encourages us in Jude verse 21 to "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  It is certain, that our lives truly are short on this earth when we stop and think about eternity.  We are truly blessed in our nation with freedoms and choices that other countries do not possess.  One of our freedoms used to be called "the American dream", buying a home and then furnishing it over a lifetime.  Today, more than anytime in the past few years, people are spending more and more time at home.  Our homes are arranged for comfort, for rest,  for workspace, and for entertaining after we finish our work.  In a nation, where many people are striving to make ends meet because of job loss or cutbacks, it is important to find something we can do that brings us happiness apart from just making and spending money.  Those things are short-lived.  Our life doesn't consist of just work, although that is an important facet of who we are as a nation and as a people.  I have had jobs outside of my home.  I taught school, I worked for a non-profit cancer foundation, I worked as a coordinator for a large school district assisting in training volunteers to work with children who were behind their peers in reading skills.  All of those were important jobs for me personally, but my greatest rewards have come from helping and serving others in whatever the need might be, especially in my own home.  Development of what one is called to do in life can be attained through many avenues.  Some of those might be actual educational pursuits, such as a teacher or a business professional but other skills are learned in the daily living of life.  Regardless, the feeling of a familiar and comforting home at the end of the day is emotionally fulfilling.  Coming  home after a long day is wonderful!  My husband has long been the provider in our home and he has shared with me many patient moments as I have sought to find what I really want to do!!!  So.....with that said, I am enjoying the decorating skills that I've developed over the years.  We are now offering these beautiful French Trumeau mirrors that my husband is making, finding old mirrors and then fashioning them into ones similar to the ones found in antique shops for $2000 or more.  His re-created ones are much less expensive, but just as beautiful.  They are going out of his shop as soon as he makes them! This started as a hobby for him and he enjoys creating them in the evening after his regular "job"!!!!  I am also offering pillows to add a change for any room.  A blend of quiet hues and a mix of shapes and textures create a comfortable and stylish touch to any sofa or bed!  Enjoy your home and be wise with your time and your talents. Learn something new........it can be lots of FUN!

Missing This Girl

I miss this girl on several levels!  Her beautiful face, her infectious laughter, her sweet snuggles, her listening ear, her wise counsel, her cooking, her "wine" downs, her magazines, her fashion statements, her exercise routines, her encouragment and just having her walk down the stairs and smile............ 

Even though I miss her, I am so happy for her that she was blessed to find her soul mate in Phil, the love of her life!  I do wish that he had been on this side of the pond but one of the gifts we gave our children beside the investments of their educational goals was their love of travel and the love to travel the world if possible!  I know that she is brighting up her corner of the world!