It's Taken A Year...

     It's taken me a year to adjust to the loss of a friend and the closing of a business. When you're young, a year can seem like a LIFETIME! Now that I'm older (ahem), I hardly realized that much time had passed. I began to notice it this week- when I woke up, I somehow felt 'lighter' inside.
    Maybe it was the beautiful sunrise I saw from my   
   window...

    Maybe it was that my daffodils and pansies were finally 
   blooming...a sure sign of Spring

   Maybe it was that I finally had the energy to start on my 
  laundry room- barnwood wall and all!

   Or maybe it was just that I finally allowed God to do 
   what he does best.... grant me peace of mind!
                                (Gratitude is a wonderful thing!)

Someone New....

      It's been several years since Norm and I have had a dog. We lost our friend 'Cowboy' to a hit-and-run driver on 4th of July 2006, and were devastated. Since then, we've tried not to become attached to another animal, but it seems the time has come....

    There's a new addition to our little family!

Meet Mitsie...

She is a Bernese Mountain Dog, with the sweetest personality you could ever hope for in a new companion.

She's 5 years old. 

  

 So far, she's loving the    fields around our house,

exploring mole holes, checking out the creek and getting a snout full of blackberry brambles... 

...But I really think she much prefers hanging out inside,  right next to my work table. 

(where any good 'shop dog' would want to be - of course!)

We love her already...

A Few Pics from Portland...

So, things are getting back to normal around here- construction, crafting, painting, garden rehab.....the usual stuff. I thought I would post a couple pics of our space at 

the Hillsboro Show outside Portland.

 (still working on getting that new camera, 

I'm sure you'll see why!)

These are some of our "French Pastry" pincushions; stuffed with lavender and embellished with old lace, silk ribbons and German glass glitter pins. Quite a few found new homes in Oregon!

This is a fun old dresser that brought a touch of Spring to our winter-weary friends!

My favorite piece of salvage art.... an old handle from a friend's new place, in a carved, crackled frame. ( I was hoping it wouldn't sell so I would have a reason to keep it! So far, it's still mine...)

...And that about sums up our latest escapades in the great state of Oregon. We did find a really fabulous Mexican restaurant where all the locals ate- could NOT believe the prices and the amount of food we had! Might be worth the trip just for that....hmmmmn 
In the meantime, watch for updates on our next show in Tacoma- 2nd Saturdayz! Gotta love it!

 

A little time at home...

       It's amazing what you can accomplish when you spend a little time at home! Seems like I am so busy these days, I never get a chance to just SIT and look at what I would like to get done for US.
       My wonderful friend Debbie just finished reupholstering my fabulous little sofa- (I know it's really a loveseat, but trust me, this loveseat has a 'BIG SOFA' complex!)

    This is the start of my Bohemian Style front parlor...I haven't added the pillows yet; but I just love how it turned out! The picture below is my room inspiration. (I cannot find the source for this photo, seems like I've had it for over a year now, so if anyone knows, please comment so I can give proper credit)

       As you can see, I have a LONG way to go. My intention is to do something nice for our home, in between doing nice things for other peoples homes, getting ready for shows, working on the shop and garden areas, and a bit of volunteer work in the community.
    Wishing you all, the time to find balance in your lives my friends.... 

Always,
           Victoria

   

Loving Life!

 I consider myself blessed in so many ways....

 I love where I live!

   It may not be ideal for everyone, but it's perfect for us. It's a place that stirs my imagination and helps me to explore the possibilities. It connects me to the land and keeps me grounded.

I love what I do! 

    I really enjoy working with my hands and creating the things that come into my mind. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... nevertheless, I am always so surprised and flattered when something I've made actually sells.

Voila'! Patisserie Francaise!

This is the most recent picture in my head- and this is how it started: I love velvet...I'm crazy about pincushions, and old lace, ribbon trims, vintage jewelry, glitter, lavender, and Paris! Wonder what would happen if I put them all together?

 

French Pastry, but with no calories and fat free!  (can you tell I've been dieting, lol?)

A variety of these goodies will be going to the Junk Salvation Portland Show in Feb.
  www.junksalvation.com

I love who I love, and who loves me!

  

 I am so fortunate to be married to the love of my life; a man who truly 'gets it' and supports me in every aspect of our lives together. We are a perfect team. It has not always been this way...nooooo; but over the years we have found our way and have arrived at the place we were meant to be. Rock solid in our faith, our love, and our shared dreams!





So... as I look back over this past year, I find, once again, that I have been truly blessed. That does not mean we've had no problems or difficulties this year, it just means it's all about the perspective we choose...

It's a 'glass half full' or 'glass half empty' kind of thing! 

Which are you choosing for the coming  year? 

   

That's a Wrap!

Doesn't it just seem that after you've finished a wonderful show....someone should call out "OK, that's a wrap."???




 There should be a huge party with lots of  pats-on-the-back for a job well done, and cocktails, and cute little finger foods!

Well, none of that happened after our latest Junk Salvation show in Puyallup; but we DID have the BEST time...soon as we finished freezing to death on Friday night!

Having a 'Winter Wonderland' theme on one side of our space didn't help to warm us up -Soooooo

We headed on over to the 'Western Fall' side where things were a bit cozier!
All in all, it was another great show and we loved meeting some new customers and visiting with our old friends.

Next stop: Portland Show in Feb.! Don't miss it!
 
 

Things are happening....

      It's been awhile, but I think things are beginning to calm down a bit. Who knew that when we began this unexpected journey last May, that so many new ideas and friendships would come into play!  
      Our little shop is taking shape. Plans are growing and changing into better things than I could have imagined.....       

                                        Funny how that works out.

 Our new floor is in and just waiting for sanding and staining.

 We've gone from this......

                                                            ....to this! 

   The new outdoor garden area is a blank slate, waiting for flowers and statuary.

Many thanks to a wonderful friend, who really knows her way around a Kubota!