Inspiration Thursday! Getting back to the heart... land.

I live in a city of beautiful people, surrounded by beautiful landmarks and some days my work includes creating "image" advertising. Surrounded by all this beauty, it's very easy to get caught up in what looks good - even if only on the surface - because image is important in the community I adopted 15 years ago. But last week I had the opportunity to visit my hometown and got a dose of a different kind of beauty.

My hometown is nestled in the mountains. It's a College (now University) town, cut by a river and crowned in the former glory of coal barons whose lives ended long before my family came to town. At first glance, the people seem weathered, old. The houses look much the same. Homesteads I remember having neatly clipped lawns, pristine paint jobs and overflowing flower beds are now in a bit of disarray. I can see that the economy has hit the place of my childhood hard. But that was looking with my "city" eyes.

It took me a couple days to slip back into the comfort of home - to stop being sad about what I was seeing as decay. I began to look at the faces around me and realize that instead of the perfection I've come to expect, I was seeing the faces of lives lived, hardships weathered, families built. Each line on each face is a mark of a battle raged and won. The houses that need a coat of paint still have good bones, are still markers of generations safely sheltered and new families begun. There have just been more urgent and important needs than a coat of paint.

I know that there in the "heartland" instead of throwing away that which is old, we treasure the history and the strength and wisdom that comes with age. This is a place where neighbors know each other, whose children run from one yard to another because there are multiple Mamas looking out for them. It's a place where when you get sick someone will bring you homemade granola (even if you're visiting the doctor), will offer to mow your lawn or will come over to check on you if they see an abnormal number of cars in your driveway.

And so, in a way, I remembered myself. I remembered what is important in the grander scale of life. I remembered the proud, strong spirit that fostered my youth and young adulthood. And when I returned to my adopted city, I carried that Mountaineer strength back where I resume my place among the beautiful ones. But I know inside there's another world where beauty has a different face, a giving heart and a quiet dignity that looks beyond the surface with discerning eyes - and that will live inside me no matter where I go.

Working Tuesday: A for Attitude.

In my world, having a "business on the side" usually means the last thing that gets attention is the business. And having a passion for making things along with a passion for photography doesn't necessarily translate into having a passion for taking photos of said handmade objects and listing them on my online market of choice, Etsy.

That's where the "a-word" comes into play. I may be dead tired and trying to cram too many tasks into too short a time, but I've found sometimes it's my attitude that makes things happen. I can give up, sit down and give in to the tired or I can get up and see if I can cram just one or two more things into my day. It's a little game I play with myself. I'll work just 30 more minutes and then I can sit down. I can list these things while I "rest" and watch a TV show. Some days I'm more successful than others, but I believe that's one of the things that defines an entrepreneur - the "I think I can" attitude that drives you to do just one more thing, try just one more combination, make just one more item before you sleep.

Now if I could just put this into practice EVERY day my shop would be jam packed full!

DIY Monday: Is it spring yet?

We had snow last weekend. I've been spoiled with days nearing the 70 degree mark and then - BAM - we get snow. It tried to cover the cherry blossoms and the daffodils, but they were made of sterner stuff!

In celebration of their perseverence, I was inspired to make a spring wreath to welcome guests into my home. Actually, it was to remind us of the promise of Spring as we travel back and forth to work.

Because I don't have a ton of time, I decided on the super easy version of this project. And then I went to my local Michael's to pick up my supplies:

• Styrofoam wreath (I chose the rounded rather than the flat variety)
• One package Spanish Moss (because the greener moss was way too expensive)
• Some hot glue (because I have no idea where mine is right now)
• A tiny nest (because nothing says Spring like nestlings!)
• Some turquoise ribbon
• And the thing that caused me the most trouble - tiny eggs for my nest

The first step is to attach the Spanish moss to the styrofoam wreath form with hot glue. I beaded the glue along the wreath and pressed the moss into the glue. Be careful not to burn your fingers as you're doing this.



As I mentioned above, the thing that gave me the most trouble was finding the right size and color of eggs. I'd hoped I could find some flower sprays with the eggs already attached in a tasteful robin's egg blue with brown speckles. I had no such luck. After searching the store for wooden eggs, then paper eggs and even a turn around the clay aisle (to make eggs), I settled on the glitter-laden eggs from the floral sprays in the Easter displays at the front. Since only one of the eggs had the glittery goodness, I had to walk around and find some glitter paint that would give me the same effect on the non-glitter egg that was included in the spray.

Having found the glitter paint, I spread it over the surface of the non-glittery egg to create a more uniform looks. Once that dried, I glued it into the nest and then glued the nest into the now Spanish moss covered wreath.



And that is how I now have a touch of Spring on my front door with less than an hour invested in the hunting, gathering and making of the wreath.

Vintage Wednesday: Collecting shoes.

Did you get excited when you saw the title of this post? Shoes? Yeah, not those shoes. GLASS shoes. And you thought you knew about Cinderella's slippers....

Did you know there are entire books devoted to identifying and collecting glass shoes?  Companies like Fenton, Boyd and Mosser have entire lines of these glass slippers - each with their own shape and personality. I'm not going to pretend I know the details of collecting these little beauties because I only have a couple, but I can give you a couple tips.

Glass type:
There are several different types of glass used to make these beauties. Some of the terms apply to the actual glass - such as milk, jadeite, frosted or opal satin, which are all opaque types of glass. Some terms apply to the design pressed into the glass - such as hobnail (looks like raised dots), rose (looks like roses pressed into the design), honeycomb or daisy and button (looks like the slippers pictured above).

Style:
There are several different styles of slippers still in production. Popular styles include: buckle, princess, cat, and bow.

These are the more modern styles of glass slippers - probably made since 1970. There are many other types of designs that I've seen, but have not yet explored. If you're interested in exploring more, I hope this has given you an interesting start!

DIY Monday: Locked out...

I know I'd promised to have my hook fixed by today, but we had a little bit of trouble yesterday with a certain key to a certain front door. We came home from church and running some errands when I pulled out my keys and found my front door key was missing. Somehow I'd caught it on something and the key ring it was on completely fell off the larger ring. No key. Locked door. Sophie dog sitting patiently on the other side.

While "he who shall remain nameless" went out to search the car, I sat in front of my door dumping my purse and my pockets trying to find the key. A neighbor happened to walk by and asked what was going on. I explained the predicament and asked if we could borrow his drill.

I had heard of locksmiths drilling out locks - heck, I'd even seen it done in one of the "Oceans" movies... 11? 12? 13? 148? There was no way I was going to call a locksmith on a Sunday afternoon to make an "emergency" visit to my home when I knew the Internet could fix it. One quick phone call to Mama and so could I. My neighbor was very impressed.

So if you're ever locked out of your house and don't want to call a locksmith, here's what you do: Go to a neighbor and borrow a drill - or, as we will probably do from now on, pull your spare drill out of your trunk. If you or your neighbor have it, use some WD40 to lubricate the lock - spray it directly into the part where you insert your key. I'd use cooking spray in a pinch.

Using a small drill bit (1/2" or so) on a low drilling setting, insert the drill bit into the hole where you put your key (the rounded part). Keep the drill steady and don't push too hard, use a steady, even pressure. You don't want to overheat the bit and break it (the WD40 helps keep that from happening). Pull the bit out and let it cool if you feel like this is starting to happen. Basically, you'll begin to drill through the series of pins that make the lock work. When you feel like you've drilled through all the pins, pull the bit out, insert a small screwdriver and turn to open the door.

Simple, easy and replacing the handle was cheaper than calling a locksmith!

P.S. We found the key in the floorboard of the car several hours AFTER drilling out the lock and replacing it...

Foodie Friday: The only thing I didn't ruin this week

I have a very patient husband.

Our second date consisted of my asking him to my home for a home cooked meal. For me, it was just a way to see if I was comfortable having him in my home - the cooking part was no big deal for me. For him, it was a life-changing event (because I'm telling the story). It was the first time a "date" had ever cooked for him. It was the best pot roast he'd ever had. It was the best salad he'd ever had. In short, my cooking hooked him on the second date. I was a rock star. (I promise some of this is true.)

This week, I've not been even close to a rock star. Not. Even. Close. I've ruined just about everything I've cooked. My loving husband has kindly eaten his way through my failures while I've munched on cereal. He must love me because I'd made some pretty bad stuff this week. The only thing that turned out, in fact, was a loaf of beer bread.

Ingredients I used on this batchMost of y'all know I don't bake unless it's from a box. I don't do bread because I don't like to get my hands sticky. Just not my thing. My mom, however, kept telling me about this beer bread recipe that was hopelessly easy to make and didn't involve getting your fingers sticky. I figured I could try it.

Ingredients include:
3 cups self-rising flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 bottle or can of beer - 12 oz.

Put your flour into your bowl - make sure you use self-rising because all-purpose flour just makes a rock solid loaf of bread that doesn't rise. Add your sugar and mix the two together. I then make a "moat" in my flour into which I then pour the beer. Take a fork and pull your flour into the beer until you no longer have dry flour left. You don't ever have to touch this stuff!

Take a large loaf pan and coat it with butter or cooking spray - I used Irish butter for this batch because it's St. Patrick's Day week... and because it's delicious. Then take about a tablespoon of flour and coat the butter so your loaf doesn't stick. Dump in your batter and evenly distribute it and you're ready to pop it into the oven - a COLD oven. Can you imagine? Turn it on to 350 degrees when you put it in and cook for an hour and 15 minutes. About an hour in, I put a little more of the Irish butter on the top to make the crust golden brown. When it's done, I immediately pulled it out of the pan and put it onto a cooling rack... and immediately cut myself a hot piece to cover with more Irish butter! Because this was my meal. Did I mention I'd failed at all the other dishes I made this week?

Inspiration Thursday! Small town living...

I don't usually do two posts in a day, but I think this tale deserves to be told.

There's a restaurant in my hometown called McAteer's that's run by a local Irish family. They've been there at the foot of the College (now University) for as long as I can remember. My Daddy often goes there for breakfast. In fact, on my wedding day he took most of the family there for breakfast. Even my extended family knows his love of this place.

Today, being St. Patrick's Day and all, is a VERY important day for them. It's a day to celebrate their Irishness with some corned beef and cabbage, and I hear it's delicious. The family gathers early in the morning (I think Mama said 2am!) to start cooking this traditional St. Patrick's Day meal. It's apparently a popular destination today. Daddy has been planning on meeting friends there for weeks to celebrate. Then a "wee" medical problem messed up his plans.

Mama, knowing his distress, called McAteer's this morning and told them of the dilemma. And their response? Don't worry, we'll save you a couple plates. And if you're late getting in, just knock and we'll be waiting for you. That, my friends, made my this a very special St. Patrick's Day for my Irish Daddy. And reminded me of yet another thing I love about my hometown community.

In the McAteer spirit, I wish you all a very special day full of love, giving hearts and great kindness. Irish blessings to you all!

Inspiration Thursday! This is getting real folks...

There have been times in the past week that I feel like I'm in a movie. It's that part where you're standing still and the world moves around you in slow motion and you're aware of what's going on, but you're almost detached from what's happening around you. It's quite surreal.

The news is full of pictures of a disaster in Japan that may have claimed the lives of over 20,000 people. I'm still trying to grasp the loss of life from 9-11, so the chances I'll grasp a number like 20,000 people is - realistically - quite slim. That's almost like wiping out my entire home town. Gone in less than 15 minutes.

And in the midst of these photos, the concerns about nuclear leaks, the many, many needs of people on the other side of the world, I've found out in the last week that two people in my life have cancer, a classmate from college has died, a wedding announcement arrived and a baby was born to a friend. In short, life goes on no matter how terrible the news, no matter how much the pain.  And I'm left trying to reconcile all of this. Maybe you are too?

There's been a lot of discussion this week about how to relate to the magnitude of this disaster - how to connect, how to care. I think at some points our brains turn off to protect us from further pain, which is why I have felt like there's this slow motion life going on around me. I don't have any sage advice on how to manage this magnitude of death and destruction - a generation will know and remember this week. I do know, however, that one way I'm dealing with all of it is to try to pull those I love closer to me. I'm saying prayers for those who have lost entire families. I'm watching the news to find ways to help. And I'm being thankful for the life I've been given as well as for the lives of those I love.

Working Tuesday: Life Through A Marble

Usually I showcase my own work in this space, but I found an incredible young photographer in my travels this week who I had to share. His name is Caleb Tenenbaum and at only 16 he's learned to look at life from a different perspective.

I love hearing stories of how someone goes from passion to product, the learning curve, the path of exploration an artist takes.

I'll not reproduce any of his pictures here, but click on any of the links and you'll see some fantastic photos that may change the way you look at the world around you.

DIY Monday: Behind door number 1....

This post is about getting behind. Getting behind in projects. Getting behind in fixing things. And specifically getting behind my bathroom door.

About 2 years ago we undertook the renovation of our bathrooms - documented here for all of those interested in that endeavor. As happens with all projects, when you get to the end of the project, you're ready for the project to be over. Done. Finis. And thus we are left with the picture above.

The fixtures were the first things bought for the project, but the last things put up. As we were putting hooks into a hollow core door, we were in need of some good anchors. And on this particular hook, I'd run out of the proper sized anchors. As I was behind, I fudged and used a larger anchor, pounded it into the door (because that's how I roll people), screwed in my screw and covered it up with the hook. And I was DONE. Finished. Right? Wrong.

Yup, you guessed it, on the first use, the hook ended up looking like this. And it's stayed looking like this ever since. It started out so right... see the painstaking way I'd drawn measured the placement and drawn an outline of the underplate in preparation of hanging? How I'd carefully drilled the proper sized holes for placement? But then, because I was behind, I tried a shortcut that didn't work and have been left with this for roughly two years. So I'm making this my project of the week. Hopefully next week I'll have pictures that show a properly anchored door hook. 

And the moral of the story? Even if you do get behind, it pays to do the job right the first time!

Inspiration Thursday! Sweet Paul Online Magazine

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Sweet Paul, but I did. Stumble upon him... er, it. And what I found has kept me going back.

Could it be the lovely recipes? I don't want to know if you don't like strawberries and marshmallow goodness. Maybe it was the gorgeous photographs? So full of natural light! White space! Prettiness! Quite possibly it was what Sweet Paul had to say, or show or tell that hooked me.

I'm not going to analyze this much because some things are just meant to be enjoyed.

...So enjoy.

Inspiration Thursday! I may have misplaced my inspiration...

Ever had one of those days where you just want to turn off the alarm, pull the covers over your head and stay in bed until "it" passes? That's been my last two weeks. I was in a play once in which one of the lines was, "There's been bad news on top of bad news." That's been my last two weeks. I can get on top of one piece of trouble and another comes along to try to knock me down. I'm afraid I've misplaced my inspiration. So, how do I find it again?

I count myself pretty lucky. I was raised by parents who even when times were tough they were counting their blessings. I come from a long line of "pioneers" - people who refused to let the tough times around them put them in a funk, people who forged ahead despite adversity (or an uncooperative piece of land, or "hostile territory").

This week Charlie Sheen made quite a stir, and one video clip showed him saying something like, "What am I going to go do? Cry in a corner? Grow up. GROW UP!" As much as someone has been visiting Crazytown this week, I do agree with that sentiment.

You see, we have choices in our lives. We can sit in a corner and cry about what we don't have in life, what's not been given to us, what we "deserve" to get but just don't have or how life's so unfair. OR we can get on with the life that's been given to us, breaking down bad situations into manageable pieces and finding ways to deal with what we've been given. We can stop focusing on ourselves, on what we don't have, and look around us to the people who are really struggling and try to lend a hand.

So as much as life is trying to hand me trouble, I'm here to tell you I'm one very blessed individual. And I'm getting off my duff and getting to the tasks at hand. I'm opening my eyes to the people around me who really need some help and I'm lending a hand... or an ear... sometimes a foot. I refuse to wallow in self pity. Because there's simply not enough time in life to waste it - and too many people to love, help and support.

Huh, well maybe I just found my inspiration again.