Scenes from the Country - No. 2

I snapped this on my way out to work one morning. The mist was still hanging and the sun rays were pushing through. It was such a perfect moment that I just had to stop and take a few pictures. Before I knew it, I was backing up traffic. Yes, I'm not the only one who lives in the country here!

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and 
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine

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Repurposing a Vintage Blue Voss Wash Tub

The other day my husband came in and said, 
"I got you a surprise today." 
My reply, "Oh, yeah, what is it?" 
"You'll have to go see. It's in the back of truck." 

Well, it took me about 5 seconds to get out there and what I found made me smile from ear to ear...an old galvanized wash tub and it was blue! I ran inside, squealed, jumped up and down, hugged his neck and said, "It feels like Christmas!" It was a really good surprise. I've been on the lookout for one ever since I saw a lady using a double wash tub next to her front steps holding big ferns. It was gorgeous.

Now the dilemma, what to do with it? There are so many options, but here is where it has settled, for now.

After trying it out as a planter by the back door and as a storage/table in the kitchen, I finally chose to put it in the sun room.

I added an asparagus fern in a white enamel bucket with read trim. This way it is still versatile. All I have to do is remove the plant and I can quickly use it somewhere else.

It will hold ice and drinks at my next outdoor party and may even hold my Christmas tree this year.  The base is very sturdy and has a nice decorative design. 

I'm still excited...excuse me while I go jump up and down and squeal some more!

 

P.S. I'm very thankful I don't have to wash my laundry in my new wash tub!

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. 
Exodus 14:14

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine

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Place of my Taste

Scenes from the Country - No. 1

I'm beginning a new series today entitled Scenes from the Country, in which I'll share snapshots of the life around me, wherever that may be. 

This first photo was snapped in my backyard. I absolutely adore sunsets, as I've told you before and will probably tell you again. It's that point in the day when things begin to get still and quiet and all the stress and busyness starts to fade away. It reminds me that no matter how crazy life gets there is still order in the world. The sun still rises and sets regardless of my circumstances and God is still in control. It helps me regain perspective. I'm not the center of the universe and life doesn't revolve around me. It's not about me. Who knew? :-)

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine


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Rooted in Thyme

Restoring Our Old Farm House - No. 6 The Guest Room

Several people have asked to see the front of our house and since I am looking at the guest room today, it's a perfect time. The guest room is on the front of the house and underwent several major changes during the renovation. Here is the exterior of the guest room today...

 

...and this is how it looked the day we started cleaning out the house...

 You'll notice we had two front doors. One leading into the living room and the other leading into the front room, aka...the guest room, which we removed. The room had no wall space. It had the door leading outside in the middle of one wall, double windows in the middle of two walls and another door in the middle of the fourth wall and no closet.

This is me, 10 years ago, on day one of our house journey...flattering, huh? Funny. We walled in the door behind me and relocated the old front door into my bathroom, leading to the laundry room.

I had a few masked bandits as side kicks! Look at those dirt dabber nests above the door.

Here the room is empty. The door leading into what is now the dining room was right in the middle of the wall. We moved the door to the far left of that wall and added a closet to the room. Old homes are not famous for their closets.

As you look through the doorway today, you see the location where I was picking up trash.

This is the iron bed I slept in while growing up.

I searched and searched until I found a match. It's not exactly the same bed, but pretty close. We don't have overnight guests very often, outside of our son and grandson, but when we need to, we just push the beds together and have an instant king size bed for our guests. I think two twins are much cuter than a big giant king size in a tiny room.

We reused all the original solid wood doors throughout the house and ordered new working hardware that was similar to what was original to the house. All the hardware was rusted to the point of being useless. So we updated, but kept the feel.

Mark used molding to create these crowns for all the doors and windows throughout the house. It was a lot of work, but it's the little touches that make it special.

I hope you are enjoying this tour of our restoration. Only two areas left to share.. the bedroom and bathrooms.

Here's a Heart Rock for our Pocket:
For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine 


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An August Trip to the Flea Market, Canton, TX

I've been going to Canton, otherwise known as First Monday Trade Days in Canton, TX, my whole life. A lot has changed over 40 something years, but one things hasn't... It's still great fun and the best place to shop! You can find anything under the sun here, from fancy, high end antiques, to rusty old farm tools, to clothes and jewelry, to chickens. They have it all! ...including this adorable camper!

This was the most fun thing I saw this weekend... but it wasn't for sell. Me & Betty Sue had brought this into their booth for decoration! It was certainly luring shoppers in!

A trip to Canton is not complete without a visit to LaurieAnna's, which is why she was first on my agenda for the day! She has the greatest shop, well, see for yourself! It is full of wonderful gift items and Laurie and her team provide such great inspiration with their creative displays. I love it and you will too! You can also visit LaurieAnna's and shop online.

 Next up was The Gypsy Pearl. They have a mix of beautiful old furniture, hand crafted jewelry and a great gift shop, as well as, creative ideas. Look below at the old lamp shade frame with an old lace slip draped over it. Too, cute!

I also visited Harvey Girl which has a great mix of vintage lace, burlap and buttons for a feminine style. They have lots of great items that would be perfect for a vintage style wedding.

I love the le vie la Junk booth. They always have great vintage items and such shabby style. I can always find a little something here.

Now for my favorite part of Canton...the outside junk area! The place that I get to hunt for those perfect treasures to be turned into my own fun creations! There is one booth that I call Coach on the Corner. The same family has been on this corner for 30 years and I've bought my fair share from them.

Seeing all this junk laid out makes my heart race! We had a great time and I brought home lots of treasures!

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine

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Touring a Historic Cemetery

Today I'm sharing beautifully engraved stone elements from a historical cemetery in my hometown. I'm always drawn to old cemeteries and find them to be peaceful. They reveal so much about the people who settled and lived in a particular area and I enjoy reading the old markers and seeing the beauty of the memorials created in honor of someone's loved one. 

I'm always impressed at the craftsmanship and skill that it took to create the headstones. They stand as a reminder to each of us that our lives on Earth will not continue forever, but they do continue. Death is not an ending, but the beginning of forever and we get to choose where we spend eternity. 

I hope you enjoy this quick tour of Leesburg Cemetery in Leesburg, TX, established in 1870.

 

Such beautiful detail brought to life by a dusting of green moss...what a great patina.

 

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine

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Feathered Nest Friday
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How to Create a Unique Handmade Vintage Gift

I'm going to show you , step by step, how you can make a creative, unique object for your home or to give as a gift. For this project, I used an old vintage silver tray picked up at a garage sale. You could use this technique on just about anything with a flat surface.

I painted the inside with chalk board paint.

The first coat looks pretty bad, but don't be discouraged. Each coat covers more and more. I used about 3 or 4 coats letting it dry in between. If you are in a hurry, you can use a hair dryer or heat gun to speed the process up. 

Next you will need to decide what to write. My tray is going to be a wedding gift and I am using the scripture that the couple used in their invitation. I went to the website www.canva.com and created a template in the shape and font I liked and printed it.

Once I created this, I used chalk to completely cover the back of the paper. I then turned it chalk side down onto my tray and traced over the lettering.

The chalk transferred to the chalk paint. It looks messy at this point, but no need to worry.

 

If I were making this for myself, I would trace with a liquid chalk pen that way I could wash it off and change the wording when the mood strikes! But since this will be mailed and chalk can smear and rub off, I've traced it with a white paint pen, which is permanent. Once the paint dried, I rubbed lightly with chalk to cover the background and wiped with a cloth to even it all out. An adhesive hanger can be added to the back or it can be displayed on a shelf or mantle.

I love the use of a vintage item in a new unique gift! (Even if it is a gift to myself!)

Here's a Heart Rock for your pocket:

An so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them. 

I John 4:16

Wishing you God's Best,

Elaine

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A Barb Wire Wreath & Mandevilla - Beautiful Opposites!

I had always wanted a barb wire wreath and when we bought the dairy there was one here! Explanation: When a rancher or farmer tears down a fence, they roll up the old barb wire and often drape it over a fence post. Years of exposure give it a perfectly aged, rusty patina that can't be duplicated. I immediately hung this one on the dairy ten years ago and it has been there ever since.

In May, I received a beautiful Mandevilla for my birthday and planted it in a bucket beneath the wreath with hopes that it would grow up onto it like a trellis...and it did!

I love the hard and soft elements together... beauty and the beast... good vs evil... the delicate and the harsh... total opposites living in harmony.

The delicate tendrils wind through the wire making a lovely contrast.

Birds have nested in the wreath every year since it's been here and you know how I love a bird nest. Right now there are two empty nests hiding in it.

The Mandeville began to creep around the side of the dairy so I placed my old iron headboard against the opposite wall and it is moving next door, which is okay with me. I'll have a totally different view from each side of the building.

This headboard belonged to my great-grandmother. She used it as a trellis in her yard. I'm just carrying on the tradition.

The Mandeville won't survive the winter here, but I will definitely be replacing it next spring!

Here's a Heart Rock for your Pocket:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

Wishing you God's best,
Elaine


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The Dedicated House

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