February Winter

But winter has yet brighter scenes, 

he boasts splendors beyond

what gorgeous summer shows.

                                                               William Cullen Bryant
   


Because it is doing this today

 

  

  

I guess I will be doing this

While eating this

What do you do when the snows flyin'?

A Ride

Yesterday mid-morning, I gave a young woman a ride.

She was walking a near by road in flimsy lounge wear covered in a sweater, one thumb stuck out in the air, the other wrapped tightly to her body.

It was cold (teens) and the wind was icy.

I came upon her quickly and passed her by, realized what I had done, and turned back, turning again to pull beside her.

She barley looked up, but I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.  Her thin body was shivering as she climbed into my truck.

I blasted the heat to help warm her.

I asked where she was going, waited a little longer and asked if she was o.k, REALLY o.k.

She gave me a grateful weak smile and said, " Yes, it's just been a really BAD morning."

"Yeh, I've had a few of those, too," I reponded.

Giving her a few minutes, I then discovered she had already walked close to 3 miles from the local college, before I'd seen her.

I drove several miles to her home and wished her well.

Upon returning and relaying the story to my family, they were chock full of questions.

"WHAT?!  You didn't ASK her?!""What REALLY  happened?"

  "Surely she must have lied to you. She couldn't have walked all that way in the cold"---

and then THEIR stories began.

" It was her boyfriend. They had a fight and he threw her out of the car."

"She couldn't call because the school is locked up tight."

  "Maybe it was a friend--what kind of friend would that be?"

"No, she's psychotic and was lying about the whole thing."

On and on ad nauseum they continued, looking at me with disbelief.

I had not gotten her story.

I had not pried into her personal pain.

I had allowed her the right to her own story, not to be taken by a curious stranger.

Why do we need to KNOW??

Is it so that we can package things up tidily and put them on the shelf?

So that we can opinionate (is that a word?) and judge?

Did I want to know?   Darn tootin' I did!

But,  I think sometimes we need to remember it's NOT about US.

It's not about KNOWING.

It's about BEING--just being there--quietly, firmly, yet gently---available.

I'm not SURE that was all she needed, but praying as I drove, it felt right.

 I don't know her story.

I don't know her name.

She's been on my mind this morning. I pray she has a much better day.

annie

Have a seat

So leave everything and sit down prepared for a long siege in the 
shape of a bundle of nonsense from friend E.
                                                                 Emily Dickinson





Have a seat, grab a cuppa' and finish perusing this room with me.
It's lengthy. I'm sorry.

Starting at the top ---

this room is in a local mansion that has seen better days.

I had limited time and budget to do a "showcase" room.

I spent days hand sanding peeling plaster walls to get the soft 

look I wanted, but the ceiling was a lost cause, so....

I bought a surplus parachute (huge), attached it around the ceiling

and tacked it up in quadrants with big velvet  "buttons" to give some interest 

and a quilted look.

(thank you sweet Monica for helping once again)

It looks saggy in the pic, but it really looked like soft puff.

A beautiful imported chandelier drops from the center.

(I had ONE electrical outlet in the room that worked---

2 days before opening,  I was told the electricity couldn't be fixed in time.

Please disregard all the extension cords, etc. you'll be seeing)

 

12 ft. ceiling!

Each bedroom has it's own sink with running water---rare in late 1800's

Servants would be notified, one would go to the basement and pump

water to the bedroom as necessary.

I covered the sink niche, floor included, with maps from an 

antq. 1800's atlas---cut, ripped and pieced.

Hung a vintage chandelier,

(ignore that wiring that had to run down the wall, thru a door,

and out a window to the next room)

attached a burlap skirt and SCRUBBED that sink.

(it looked SO much worse)

 

Nearly everything I used in the room was antique or vintage.

All found and put together because they were appealing to me.

A closet converted to dressing room

Walls painted in freestyle blocks of color

Mirrors, early 1940's fashion sketches

A brass thrift chandelier painted black and hung with

wood billiard scoring pieces

 

  

Marble fireplace 

Found metal table top--hand painted clock

Aluminum and steel ship's cot with

vintage french bolsters

Vintage stacking tables covered in Korean newsprint

Very used paint tarp piece used as rug

Desk with doorknob pull

Chair with hand sewn scraps on silk

Antq. framed leopard print bulletin board

Vintage painting on vintage easel

  

  

  

 Large antique apothecary jars 

hanging with greenery

BIG windows, BIG jars

Antique steel shelving

original paint

 

Personal paintbrush collection

Antique hand painted screen section

Vintage Woddard loveseat--upholstered in tarp

Zinc top table I made

Antique pier mirror with

antique door knob hooks

Antique cabinet used as sideboard

 

  

Thank you for sitting through all these

(if you're still here...)

This is exhausting!

Below are snippets and overviews....

have a wonderful day!

annie

  

 

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

 

  

  

  

 

 

Mansion Memory

I was taking a stroll down memory lane.
Here are just a few shots of a funky
room I did for a designer showcase.
I'd like to be in that room today...

17th century Spanish maps tacked on the walls

Antique apothecary storage

Numbered drawers

 Small sitting area

Vintage, antique, and pieces I put together

The zinc top table is my fave.

Perhaps I'll  share more when time allows.

Enjoy your day.

The SUN is OUT---YAYYYYY!!!!!

annie

Glass Half Full

What is my fascination with glass??
I thought it might pass a few years ago,
but the clear sparkle still calls to me.

I put glass  IN  things,

 

 

  OVER  things,

 

AROUND things,

and   ON  things.

When I'm out and about, I can't resist it.

I've sold more pieces than I can count and yet

it STILL beckons me.

Ooooo---the shape, the size, the imperfections,

the myriad of uses....can't pass it by...MUST pass it by.

Oh, and let's not get started on old ironstone...

What's beckoning you these days??

Have a lovely one!

annie