Perspective.

I'll be honest here, I've had a pretty awful few months. 

And it won't be getting better any time soon.

Inside my heart has been a strange, intense brew of 

excitement, fear, joy, rage, and anxiety.

For many reasons that I won't go into here.

But isn't it funny how right in the middle of it all, 

right when you think you just can't take another moment 

of the unrelenting emotional burden,

you find yourself awestruck by the sublime, stark nakedness of a cold winter day. 

And it takes your breath away.

It makes you stand back from your life a bit, and take in the largeness of the 

regal simplicity that surrounds us.

The history of things that have seen tremendous tragedy 

cozied up to unspeakable joy.  

And yet, still they stand. 

Etched with stories lived and the promise of stories yet untold.

It helps you understand that our lives are small in comparison.

That as time passes, things and circumstances begin to fade with a worn grace, 

a statement of tenacity and endurance thru the storms,

a tapestry of the unique way life weaves itself into us and our surroundings. 

That the cyclical nature of the seasons are just the way of all things, 

and even in the passing on of the old, 

there is immeasurable beauty and elegance.

And hope for the new yet to come.

There is the acceptance that in all things, this too shall pass

....and will come 'round again.

That new perspectives are always just around the next corner.

That an expanded view can bring fresh understanding,

 more appreciation for the simple contrasts that exist 

within the same frame of our lives.

How things that are past being 'perfect' are much more worthy of adulation and a soft glowy focus of remembrance and appreciation just because they continue to BE.

These things remind us that life goes on.  

And on.  

And three weeks, three months, three years from now...

...the landscape of my life right now will gently fade 

to pixelated, grainy snapshots, like old newpaper clippings.

A stark testament to an incredible, messy, difficult, glorious season of my life.

Lived.

These images were captured quickly, 

with the intent of simply documenting the grounds of my daughter's upcoming wedding venue. 

Instead, I was later astonished to find imprinted upon my memory card some rather inspiring shots,

and felt compelled to share how they shaped my heart and breathed on my spirit 

this dark December day, 2011.

cindy

Linked to Laurie Anna's Farmhouse Friday
Katharyn's White Wednesday
Debra's Vintage Inspiration

Reflecting.

I've been taking a break from blogging this week to get some stuff in order. (thanks for the emails checking in on me!) I do this every so often because I love change, love re-evaluating, and love tweaking.  I also love not being sick, and I spiked a wicked high fever hours after everyone left my daughter's party last week.  Spent much of the rest of this week recovering.

I'm sure you'll see some fresh changes around here soon.  I've just finished a course on identifying my energy type, and want to begin reflecting some of that on the blog.

Speaking of reflecting, though, I wanted to finally show you the mirror collage and some other projects I did to prepare for all the company last week.  None of these were hard projects, but they did take time and planning.  Hubby helped me move quite a bit of furniture around too, but that will be a different post.  And today I even cleaned up my cra(p)ft room!  Be amazed....

Ok, remember this fella?

He's now flown the coop, and the piece looks like this:

I'm not totally happy with it yet....need to add some kind of flourish under the 'Est. 1986'.  Then I want to glaze the whole ding dang thing to match the frames on all the other mirrors and pictures I did.

Here's a horrid tutorial.  I picked fonts I liked, and sized it on the 'puter.  Then I used tracing paper and a pencil to trace around all the letters.  If I'd been a smart person, I'd have done it in mirror image, but I'm not so smart sometimes, so I had to do an extra tracing on the back.....so there'd be pencil lead to 'lay down' on the wood from the backside.

Then I laid it on the painted wood where Mr. Eagle had been and traced over the letters/numbers again.

Next I outlined it with a black sharpie pen, then filled it in with a paint marker...which I noticed later was a fabric paint marker.  Ooops.  After it was dry, I sanded it all down and distressed the edges.

Again, not perfect yet, but getting close.
Here's another frame I painted.  It used to be a dark espresso brown.  I have a couple other florals like this that also got the treatment, but my pictures were stinky, so you'll have to wait to see those.

And now here's way more pictures than necessary to show you my stairway mirror and frame collage.  And the lighting is way obnoxious because I've been fiddling with one of those halogen light things, trying to bring more light to my pictures without using flash. 

This is the one where I removed the cheesy picture in the top and replaced with with a piece of burlap and stenciled our last name's initial on top.

This is a big, cheap frame from some picture I had in the attic.  I did the paint/glaze treatment on it then decided to stick in another 'H'.  I mod podged some left over textured wallpaper on the letter, then painted and glazed it like the frame.

These are just two frames I had that I put up there as an afterthought....that space needed something.

I wanted an old-fashioned chain for this bevelled oval mirror, so I went to JoAnn's and found some silver chain in the trims department, then spraypainted it oil-rubbed bronze.  Hubs cut it to the right length.

Some of the mirrors are truly vintage, others are new, and most have cheesy plastic frames.  The paint and glaze treatment harmonized them all.  This trio came from Hobby Lobby's Christmas clearance.  I added some matching neutral ribbon.

This was a solid wood frame with a cool mat, but a ridiculous picture.  Both got the paint/glaze, removed the picture, then I picked up the mirror at the Dollar Store in the candle section.  I hotglued the same ribbon as above trio to the back and between the frame and mat.

This is an old mirror my mom always had hanging in our house.  I had painted it and used it for my dining room, but redid it for this collage.

The tall mirror at the bottom is a vintage mirror....there's silvering and hazing on it, which I love.  I wanted it closest to the bottom so others would see these details.

It really did help to use the patterns.  I ended up switching it around a little, but it mostly stayed very similar.  It was a challenge to get it to look 'random', but not messy.  I wanted some symmetry, with a predictable 'flow'...but still have lots of different shapes and textures.  I also used some of that yellow sticky tac to hold corners down...my boys race up and down these stairs, and I don't want them to come crashing down!

So how'd I do?  Have you ever done a picture collage or other type of arrangement that needed to strike a balance between 'random' and order?

I'm gonna party this week.  You'll find me here:
Best DIY Projects of the Month (Beneath My Heart)
Make it for Monday (::cottage instincts::)
Thrifty Treasures (Southern Hospitality)
Met Monday (Between Naps on the Porch)
DIY Day (A Soft Place to Land)
Timeless Tuesday (Paula Grace Designs)
Trash to Treasure (Reinvented)
Get Your Craft On (Today's Creative Blog)
The Power of Paint (domestically speaking)
Show and Tell Wednesday (Blue Cricket Designs)
White Wednesday (Faded Charm)
Transformation Thursday (The Shabby Chic Cottage)
Frugalicious Friday (Finding Fabulous)
Show and Tell (My Romantic Home)
Saturday Nite Special (Funky Junk Interiors)

White Wednesday #37

While in Naples, my mom and I hit several thrift, consignment and antique shops.  One of my finds was a beat-up old white scale.  I used it to stage the photos for my newest batches of soap, as well as some of my white pitchers, dishes and vintage linens.  And of course, as my soaps are al 'a natural, they are all shades of white too.....these pics are all 'vintage-fied' with Picasa, and I love the different textures and shades of the whites in a warmed black and white setting.....

  

  

 

 

 

My mom, a breast cancer survivor, for whom I began making soap.

 

Visit Kathleen at Faded Charm for more White Wednesday bloggers.  It's one of my favorites!

And, of course, if you're interested in purchasing my soap, visit:
the real soap co.

okaybye.

White Wednesday brought to you from Naples FL

The heavens parted today over Naples, and we spent the day at the beach.  Lots of white!

Swirly white sea foam chills the toes....

A sailboat with wispy white sails underneath wispy white clouds....

 

Myriad shades of white glisten in the long-awaited sunshine...

A white heron (mom calls them 'Feathers')......

The bubbling white surf crashes into a jetty...

Two pristine white shells being inspected by Mr. Googly Eyes....(don't ask, suffice it to say my hubby is a determined shell seeker)

A creamy collection of shells gathered in my mom's apothecary jar....

 

A new sterling bauble to go with one of my white cotton tops...

A study in sepia...

The waiter in white......

Brought me this white wine....

That left me very happy in my favorite white linen blouse...

 

'Twas a perfect ending to our getaway trip....sunshine, shopping, surf, sand, shells, scallops, sips of white wine....ahhhhhh.

Hope you enjoyed the white goodness of Naples Florida.

Join Kathleen of Faded Charm for more White Wednesday friends.

 

okaybye.