Moments of Yesteryears Today

Hello!

Today I thought I would share with you some of my metal utensil treasures.

I say "metal" and not "sliver" because while a lot of what I have is silver, a lot of it is also silver plated, some are pewter, some are bone-handled and some, I really would just have to guess, because I just let the stuff tarnish beyond recognition.  However, I collect pieces here and there, and yes, I truly use these beyond just photographing them. What I admire so much about these little beauties is the weight. Something about holding them as I butter a roll, or stab a piece of meat, or spoon out a little jam, it just feels so neat to have such a weighty utensil in my hand as I do such a simple everyday task.

This is my little silver sugar bowl filled with assorted butter knives, that sits upon my counter, near the coffee area where I use these daily. I love to be able to grab them for all sorts of reason....to open up a flip-top can (my nails are too weak), to butter bread, to stir something, spread jam, you name it. I have had these for so many years, I can't count. 

Once upon a time, these utensils were brought home brand new, and with excited hands (from a bride perhaps?) they were unwrapped and carefully placed into the china cabinet drawer. Now, we can find these little gems in antique stores for only a few dollars each, depending on the quality, make, and so on. 

But in our very fast-paced world where I think most people crave to slow down, I think finding little ways to bring the past into our present helps us to remember that while today isn't bad, in fact, today is so good, we should maybe slow down so we can enjoy  our present moment all the more.

But the irony in all of this, I think, is that while I take great joy in using these old items of the past to slow me down, I am almost sure that some bride or excited wife of the past, was probably in a great rush to get these exact items onto her table, washed, polished, and ready in time for her guests.

Have times really changed that much? 

While the women of the past might have used these items in a rush just as much I try to use them to slow myself down, I feel a little happier using them.

Maybe it's the weight of them...?

Maybe it's the history...?

Maybe it's the fact that I hand wash them after I use them...?

Or maybe it is just the simple fact that I can pick and choose which pattern I feel like using...?

I think the most important thing is that these lovely little ladies are used just about daily. I personally don't "collect" just to collect. Using what I own is really important to me. It gives more meaning to me personally when my treasures are enjoyed with much use and not admiration from afar, stored safely away. 

And maybe that is it right there...maybe that is wherein my real joy lies. My joy is not in collecting, not storing, not admiring, not securing them, but rather in using and in sharing them. 

Over the years, I have been told that if I use my items, I will ruin them or chance breaking or losing them. Whether it is my very old linens, ironstone, silver, vintage clothing, and so on. 

And they were right. I have chipped a plate, stained a table cloth, misplaced a fork, and ripped a vintage top.  But with each  incident, there was a story. 

A good story. 

Usually a party, a gathering of friends, or a fun dinner with a loved one. A story that makes life the kind of life worth slowing down for.

Slowing down doesn't mean escaping. It doesn't mean looking back. It simply means being in the moment without being so concern with the next moment.

You know, it just isn't possible for most of us to just stop our lives, pack up and move to the mountains, and leave all the noise, violence, cultural white noise (as I call it), problems, and shut the door behind us. 

And if we are content and happy in this season of life, then all the more reason to slow down and enjoy this time in our lives before it passes. 

And if all it takes is using a little, antique butter knife to butter my biscuit and a French spoon to dab on some jam to put me in the moment just to the feel the weight of the utensils, and to feel how the butter just glides ever so smoothly onto the old butter knife...

...well, then being in that moment is worth slowing down for! 

I have to ask you..when was the last time you truly noticed how fresh butter really glides so nicely onto your butter knife?

If you can't remember, then I challenge you to pick up some freshly made butter, and let it sit on the counter to soften a bit, and then get some fresh bread, and feel just how great it is to slice a really nice butter knife into fresh butter and see how pretty it looks as you smooth it onto the bread.

The moment you do that?

Is the moment you realize just how good it is to slow down for the tiny moments in life and not wait for the big things like vacations or holidays. 

It is these tiny daily moments that keep us all present, I believe. I hope taking this moment with me today was worth it for you, as I always feel my moments with you are always well spent.

From my house to your house,

Porch Pampering

Short, sweet, and to the point: our porch is in dire need of a rehab. I dream of the day that I walk onto my porch that has fantastic railings, a wooden banister, and wood floors that are weathered and worn because that is my faux-finish, not because it is the real deal.

This project of tearing down our porch and building a new one has been a year-long, non-event. Last winter was wet and very cold.  Spring was constant rain, wind and about 200 tornadoes (seriously, 200) through our area, and the summer was heat from hell with triple digits that even this Texan couldn't take.

So, this Christmas, I decided that my pitiful porch needed some pampering, even if only cosmetic, to get through the cold winter. It was sort of like dressing a wet, old, smelly rat in a fur coat and trying to call it a cute little mink. It only works from a distance...and luckily our porch is tiny, and our stoop is up high from the street some, so passerby's can only look up and see only some of our sad little porch. But with one afternoon of grunting, hauling, and setting out some goodies that I found with my shopping buddies (Little Debbie and Renee), I think I will convince most people (if they drive by fast enough) that I just might have a little mink up here after all...

Here is the before...I almost forgot to take the before photos...I was so excited to get out my new-found goodies and dig out my trusty old favorites...

Before:

After:

Before:

After:


What a difference a little paint on the mailbox and light fixture can make! And I grabbed the little matt from the inside and tossed it outside and put the black one down at the bottom of the steps. I just lifted my shade up a bit to show my Belgium curtain from the inside and it has a whole new look...

Before:


I didn't get out the ladder and stood on the sidewalk and just pointed my camera up quickly, as I was excited to just get started...

After:


Now, I got out a ladder to stand on to take the photo...I was in my sweats and as you can see the sun is getting lower in the reflection on the door and neighbors are now driving by as they come home from work. They slow down to see...but I think they are more curious about the woman on the tall ladder, leaning over, with her butt sticking out, wearing slippers, and an apron tied around her neck, as it was in the way as I climbed up and I took it off and tied it around my neck as I didn't want it on the wet grass....what a spectacle! 

Now for the details....

The tiny porch got its make-over in one afternoon.  The lanterns are hung by string and I got them from Ikea...for less than $4 each!

I had white branches in storage as well as this old Swedish chair that "someday" I would re-cane. So in the meantime, it makes a wonderful "stick stand" and I wrapped white lights inside as well. 

I had this little cheapie table from a local craft store for about $22 and it is worn wood. Never really liked it. It isn't functional and so it works perfectly outside with all the other worn wood pieces! My old heavy crock holds it place.

These scrim curtains are from Ikea and are a steal! $1.49 a pair...yes a PAIR. Can you believe it? My girlfriends have them on their porch and I just fell in love with the look...detracts a little from how much my tiny porch is screaming to be torn down.

Is this a great baby bed/bench or what? Got this at the Three French Hens market in Morris IL with my gal pals. It was the perfect size for our little window. The linen pillows are from Ikea...the linen covers with ties are about $14 each and the inserts are $6. They fit perfect. My "Dream" pillow and "Joy" pillow are beautiful gifts from beautiful gal pals as well. The Christmas basket hanging on the window, as well as the glass garland, are from Whismy and Traci is the owner. I love her store! Sort of reminds me of some store I used to know.....hmmmm...wonder why I love it so much??? :-) I added some extra picks to the basket to make it a bit fuller and to match my decor...but don't you just love it?

Had this lantern a very long time...another gift!

Love this coal bucket...another goodie I snatched up at the Three Frenchs Hens market.

I had these old crates for years. The wood is perfect and we pull them out and put our feet up on them.

Remember I said I collected pinecones this year? Well, I played around with them and decided to make a few swags. Here is the one I made for the front door....

I hope you liked my little "faux mink" of a porch. It will have to do for now until the hammer gets to it and the real deal is done. I love it when I can actually complete something in one afternoon. 

I know how I am and just in case I lose track of time and I don't get back to you before Christmas....I am going to wish you a wonderful one now. I hope to get back...but you know how things go...

May your spirit be filled with peace. May your days be filled with joy. But mostly, may your heart be glad to know that you aren't the one in charge of the timing. Like the little pitiful porch...it just wasn't the right time this past year...and so we wait patiently. 

from my house to your house,

Wonderfully Worn, Beautifully Broken

Hello,


These are some areas that I scouted and are using to shoot for a project. I will share details about that project in the near future, but for now, I wanted to share a few scouting shots with you...and a couple of my thoughts...


It continues to amaze me how such worn out, old, torn up areas that have been long abandoned, discarded, and ready to be bulldozed away for new, fresher, beginnings, remain so beautiful to me.

Scraps of a lives before me, hints of secrets, and stories told again and again. Snippets of stories scattered about in scraps, shreds, and shards. While many may see filth, I see fabulous. While many may see dirt, I see age. Others may see awful, I see awesome!


So, I have to then again(again!) ask myself why is it when I look in the mirror and find yet another wrinkle, another little spot, a little fold that wasn't there they day before (I think), why do I not see beauty? 


When I feel tired or feel like no matter how much I try, my days just don't go as planned, why can't I see past the dust of the day and see the beauty instead?

Sometimes...being on the inside, looking out, we might feel like how these room look, but then we have girlfriends who see us the way I view these beautiful rooms. Our girlfriends see us as impressive...pissy moods and all... 

And if it weren't for our girlfriends to remind us just how awesome we really are, then it would be so easy for us to just work ourselves into a frenzy when we find ourselves "in one of those moods" and never really see how the scraps of our secret lives, our piles of our past and present, and how our less than perfect paths, have led us to a very amazing life.

 Since I shoot only in natural light, I sometimes find myself "fighting the light" and the time. The clouds move over the sun, the days get shorter, and as the sun moves from east to west, I must move my work around the room. It gets hard.


But then, I realize when I stop "fighting" the light, but start working with the light, and accept that the sun will always move from east to west, the clouds will always come and go, and I will always have to move with it to get a good shot...then my attitude changes.


This is nothing new or a revelation. 


But having so many doors and walls...so many obstacles, it is a good reminder...

 What I once considered an obstacle, I  now use it as an advantage. A door makes a wonderful shadow for a shot. And a wall blocks glaring light. A bare window allows in more light while a corner only allows a mere stream. 

It all depends where I stand, how I look at it, and what I am willing to accept.

I am at my most happiest with my art at two moments: 1)when my writing has moved, touched or helped someone in some way. And 2), when I am alone with my camera, my thoughts, my props, and surrounded by beautiful natural light to create images that I KNOW can only come from God because I have never been formally trained. It is a connection that I will never be able to explain.


But since I have no doubt that in those moments, when I am trying to figure out how to shoot something, how to adjust my camera, how to get the light to work with me, it is then that suddenly, I know, I am not alone at all.

Many times, as I work alone with my creative juices flowing, I feel extremely grateful for the opportunities to use the talents that God has given for me. I have never understood why He gave me these talents but I do know He uses me. I don't use Him. It is His eye that sees what clicks through the lens. It is His will that pushes my finger and clicks the camera, because I have no training. I always wonder what He wants us to see. And I always wonder what I will see when I download His photos onto the computer.

Lately, I thought I would share what I think He wants us to see...I think He wants us to see that everything will be okay and He knows every detail of our lives and He cares very deeply about every detail. I think this because He captures every detail through my lens...down to the tiny specs on the dirty floor.

I have spent hours (days actually) in complete silence as I work in the heat and alone. When I get home and download the photos I see a common theme that I didn't see during the photo shoot itself.


Beautiful cracks.


Worn pieces.


Water-stained paper.


Much like how cruel life can be lately around us. Earthquakes, fires, floods, and even personal friends passing away lately. 


Cracks where we let something slip away...


Worn relationships that cause pain...


Water-stained hearts with tears....

And yet, through all that life can toss out at us, we manage to piece back together our lives. 


And even with the peeling paint, the bit of dirt, and the glued crack, I still stop in my tracks, and admire the beauty of this simple cup. 


That is the miracle of living with God. He never gives up on us and He never gives up on providing beauty in all situations, no matter how ugly it may seem at the time.


This discarded cup on a filthy windowsill with peeling paint is probably one of my favorite photographs I have taken. It wasn't photographed in an elegant location like France, and it isn't valuable by any means. But it is fragile, made of china, and was pieced together by someone who found it worthwhile. Someone found it worthwhile to piece it back together. You are worthwhile...your life is worthwhile. God wants to show you the beauty in your life...especially when it isn't going so well, when life can get ugly...


And I think, I am pretty sure, that God is trying to tell me lately, that life is fragile, beautiful, and worthwhile piecing back together, no matter how banged up it may get. And He(God) will be there to help us see the beauty in it along the way.




I just wanted to share some of my thoughts these past weeks I have had while spending many hours alone with my camera and with the Original Creator. It is so worth my time to spend it with Him... He just amazes me with all the beauty He continues to show me through my lens.




from my house to your house,