Littlest Angels

It is with a heavy heart, and a tear much too quick to come to the eye, that I prepare for Christmas in these past few days since the senseless tragedy occurred in Connecticut. The glitter of Christmas has dimmed and I have found it difficult to post about decor and things that seem so trivial in light of what has transpired. I hope that all of you out there are still celebrating this splendid time of year and dealing with the tragedy in whatever way you and your families see fit. We are...and trying to push aside our somberness of adulthood and understanding of what it all means in order to help our children feel safe and to feel that the whole world is not a big bad place. 

Our hearts ache for all of those families affected, both young and old, and our prayers are sent upward to help heal all involved, both on site and around this grand old country.

With Love,

Meg

Cute little Place card Holders

December 11th

I am back! The preparations for the last Barn Sale took me away from my computer for a couple of days (and away from completing the decorations of my own house). The barn looks so pretty, I wonder if the kids would mind if we moved all the festivities up there? I can just see their faces now as I ask them to get on their coats, hats, gloves, scarves,  (oh...and the long underwear for the barn lacks heat) before they open their presents Christmas Morning. Hmmm...don't think that will work.

I did however manage to make these cute little place card holders. You could also use them as a menu holder or a picture holder. I have a collection of old silver that I have picked up at various flea markets over the years so I thought this would be a a neat project to use them in. 

1. Paint the small terra cotta pots white. These took 3 coats. (you could also use them au natural) Let dry

2. Coat top band of pot with tack glue and then sprinkle with crystal clear glitter.

3. Cut florist foam to fit the inside of the pot and stuff in the pot. 

4. Insert fork into center of pot being careful not to pull it out and then put back in again. You don't want to make a large hole where the fork was inserted.

5. Use a glue gun to glue down a clump of moss on top of the florist foam and carefully arrange around the fork.

6. Dab a paintbrush into some white acrylic paint and lightly pat the top of the moss to give it a snow covered look.

7. Sprinkle some of the clear glitter in the moss and viola, you have a cute little table accessory!

I stamped blank gift tags with a Christmas image for the sale but you can use place card holders to insert in the prongs of the forks.

2 Weeks until Christmas Day! I better finish my house (and maybe start the shopping too!) Shhh...don't tell my kids!

Meg

Thank you!

December 7th

Give thanks to all of the great things in each and everyone of our lives!

A huge thank you goes out from the bottom of my heart for those of you who came out today to benefit both the Montgomery School and the The Mommy's Light Organization ! (and who got to nibble on these beautiful Springerle cookies that are almost too pretty to eat!) The weather was not the best and the barn took a chill on that those old stone walls would not let go of. That did not stop those who came out to shop so that we could give back to a wonderful school and to an organization who celebrates the lives of mom's who have left their families way too soon. 

Thank you and hope to see more of you at our Christmas Open House this Sunday!

The barn will be open from 10-4 with tastings of some festive Holiday fare. 

Joining us will be:

Alvare's Artisanal Breads

Batter; who concocts yummy cupcakes and cakes

Laura's Biscotti

Twin Valley Coffee

and those beautiful Springerle Cookies from the Springerle House

along with hot mulled apple cider

Tomorrow I will post some of the projects that I have been working on that will be added to the already bedecked barn! 

I am thankful and grateful...for you!

Meg

Simple Ways to Use Greens

December 6th

I have 12 minutes left to post a blog tonight to make it before the hand strikes midnight. I said that I would post once a day with little Holiday inspirational tips. The day has gotten away with me but it is a promise I made to myself and one that I would like to withhold so here goes a quick one!

Evergreens...such a beautiful decorating element that does not cost a cent! You can go out in your own backyard, a friends backyard or the woods and cut to your hearts content.

String them together to make a garland. 

Add sparkly white lights and a figure or two.

Tuck some into a basket with pinecone which also can be found everywhere!

Tuck them into a "tree" of pinecones".

Tuck a couple of sprigs into the ribbon of your packages, behind your mirrors hanging on your wall, into a ribbon or piece of jute tied around the stem of your wine glass....anywhere that can use a simple "sprucing" up of green for the holidays! 

Go out and cut yourself a basketful!

Meg

Simple Tags

December 5th

Today I would like to share with you a simple idea for creating handmade gift tags.

Print out a vintage image on heavy cardstock. I found this image on the Graphics Fairy Website. They have some fabulous images...for free!

1. Fill a shallow plate with the glitter color of your choice. 

2. Coat the edges of your cut out image in a thin layer of glue. 

3. Dip the glued edge in the glitter, turning it slowly to cover all glue surfaces. Don't worry that the glue is not even. It is the imperfection of it that looks handmade.

4. Shake off excess glitter over the plate so that way you can dump back what you do not use into the container of glitter.

5. Lay out to dry and then punch with a hole punch to attach a string, a piece of ribbon or jute.

Stay tuned to see them on a gift wrapped package as well as others that I will highlight!

PS Kids love to do the glitter part!

Happy tagging!

Meg

Believing in the Magic of Christmas

Where has the time gone?

The 4th of December it is today...I was hoping to get this blog up by the 1st...I can always hope!

My 14 year old son said, as we were driving to school today, "It's kind of sad when you don't believe in Santa anymore, like you used to." I knew who he was referring to... the cool teenager who casually dismisses his non belief in public, but yearns for that magic that believing in Santa brings. We all...former believers...yearn for that magic, don't we?

 After he made that statement I replied with probably what is the standard retort for this kind of thing which went something like this; "I still believe! I believe in the idea of Santa and the goodwill that he brings, the way people seem to be a little nicer to each other during this season, the special feelings that surround us during this season. I believe in the beautiful decorations and how they uplift the spirit upon viewing them. I believe in the Advent season and getting ready for Jesus' birth...on the inside and the outside. I still very much believe in it all!"

 I believe in all the sights, sounds, smells, preparations, books, TV shows (oldies but goodies are my faves), celebrations with family and friends, and the  hustle and bustle that comes with the Christmas season. Yes, it is chaotic, frenzied at times...but exciting and meaningful. If you feel like it has gotten out of control, step back a minute and take inventory of what is really important to you and your family. What absolutely cannot be let go of and what might be able to be dropped in this year's preparation?

 From here on on out, I will be sharing a little tidbit each day leading up to Christmas that celebrates

"Believing in the Magic of Christmas." 

December 4th

Who fostered this love of all things Christmas ????

My mom and my dad, who created special Christmases for me and my four siblings as we grew up. When I look back on those memories, it is not the gifts that we received that I remember (except for the year that my younger sister got a really cool coat but I did not) but the feelings that were generated celebrating this Holiday together. We are all truly blessed to still celebrate this Christmas when all four of my brothers and sisters come home to my mom and dad's house to gather together. Lots of laughter is generated and none of us would miss it for the world! 

Who did I just spend the beginning of this Christmas season with? Who came to my aide sawing, drilling, painting, and even hot gluing? I had a deadline to meet and all of my partners in crafting crime were busy including my oldest son.

My mom and dad stopped by to pick up something...at this point I don't even remember what it was, but after they asked, "What are you up to?" and I told them what I would be working on night and day to get finished, my dad pitched right in and began sawing. After sawing, he dove right into the screw gun and we assembled the bases. My mom helped give another coat of paint to them and made dinner for the kids. After another evening of their help, where my dad was even caught on film using a glue gun (he usually prefers much manlier tools), all 30 of the birdhouses were ready for their dressings! 

He even brought over a kerosene heater because the artist studio where I was decorating them in has no heat and it was freezing. It is amazing how quickly stone buildings trap the cold and never let it go! The caveat was that you had to wear a mask to breathe...details, details. And he called me first thing in the am to see if I had survived the night working in the stinky warmth!

Anyway, after their help with the base assembly I was able to bedeck all 30 with their finery that night and deliver them the next day.

Magic is often created with the help of others! We don't get to spend a huge amount of time together, for between our busy schedules, both my own and my dad's work, our long amounts of time spent together are few and far between. This was special, it felt like we were working on one of my late night science projects again like when I was a kid and a teenager. He was the go to guy for helping with those hands on projects and very creative in doing so...hmmm....know anybody like him?

December 4th...Believe in the Magic of Christmas

Meg

Christmas Open House - December 9th - 10 -4 pm

Holiday Show and Sale

While I am crafting it up and making a huge mess getting ready for our Christmas Open House on December 9th, I thought I would share with you some photos of our last Sale before they get revamped as well!

Enjoy!

I like to interpret many colors of the season so of course I am going to start you off with some blue hues

I then moved on to some neutrals with dark brown tones.

Cannot forget the dining room table!

This beauty found a new home!

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

The weekend definitely did not "go to the dogs" but we had our share of them available.

Could not forget the horses!

Nor the addition of holiday greenery, both inside...

and out!

If you missed us last time, come visit us on December 9th from 10 am until 4! If you were able to join us, we have some new offerings so we would love to see you again!

You might even be able to grab one of our Rewind candles that are handmade and poured into old wine bottles in South Carolina. They make a great gift!

Meg

It Takes a Village...or sometimes a sheriff and her deputy

 There is nothing like entering the Thanksgiving and Christmas season while celebrating our first year in business! We started all of the behind scenes work a good ten months before our first Barn Sale at Life's Patina but our actual opening to the public was a year ago last November. We have encountered extreme temperatures and spent many late nights either sweating it out in shorts and tees or bundled up like the Michelin man. 

We have worked around animals left and right; the stray mama kitty who had a litter of kittens in our stock room in the barn two weeks before our big Spring sale. The endless stream of birds whose source of entry we could not seem to find. They too came in the Spring to have their babies, in the highest rafters. What happens when you have baby birds who are attempting to fly out of their nest from such heights??? Add to that a hungry mamma kitten... Throw in a couple of he-man woman into the mix trying to move heavy furniture around from place to place whilst dodging falling birdies... Have you ever seen the movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? "

(We think this one was the culprit pushing the others out of their nest...he was the only one who had feathers...strange)

We stripped furniture, hammered nails, ordered product, unpacked product, recycled the trash (I am the recycling queen), painted away, moved furniture, unpacked some more product, priced product, created vignettes, unpacked more product, became Facebook addicts (I said I would never be on Facebook), created promotional material, invitations, and a website. Then we waited for people to come. 

AND THEY CAME!

It takes a village to raise a child they say. I think it takes a village to raise anything. That is, to bring it up right, to make it strong, to give it confidence, to love it. Notice that I have said WE throughout this post. I started with an idea, it has taken a village to make it a reality.

 My near and dear friends who have volunteered their time to get things done when they needed to get done. Who have been with me in those extreme temperature times in the dark of night (accompanied by a few lurking spirits in the barn) and the windy rainy days when few people came. Who have brought their kids to help as well and who most of all have brought their support, which means the world to me. 

My family, who while not quite "over the moon" about my love of something else besides taking care of them, have supported this venture in their own ways. They might not understand why I am doing this right now...but they will.

(Two of them have made Willow's treats to sell at the sales with guess who? Two of their village mates...their friends)

My husband who tells me all the time, "Why move things twice?" Often helps me move things...the same thing, ten times until it is in the perfect spot. Who helps with the kids when he can when I am in the barn all night and who listens, again, to why I am doing this.

(This bugger was moved to at least  five different spots in the barn until it was just right)

This is my village and I am grateful and thankful to live in it! 

When my villagers are too busy to be here physically, I feel their absence in many ways. Sure I could get it all done...in about quadruple the amount of time it takes me while they are here but it is definitely not as much fun doing this all by yourself, no one to laugh with, work side by side with, complain about the negatives with and celebrate the successes with. You know what I mean. We all have good friends and family who come to our aide when we need them and vise versa. When my villagers are busy, I know that it is just me and my deputy (my good friend and business partner) who are trying to make this work. She's got my back in this venture and boy do I appreciate it. We like to say that I am the creative one and she is the technically skilled one.

Either way...village or sheriff and deputy...we all need others to make things work well, to live well and to enjoy life! 

Upon talking with my grandmother the other day, I wrote down a quote that she said that her mother always used to tell her.

 "What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own."

May you all be a villager to someone else and may your village be as fruitful as mine.

Meg

Celebrate Time...

Artwork by Lisbeth Bucci

I apologize for my absence. Time has a way of seeming to go by more quickly every day, although my husband likes to tell me that we all have the same amount of hours in each day. With the storm clean up and getting ready for a couple of events that Life's Patina has been involved in, there has not been much time to write.  For those of you who know me, I tend to be "time challenged. " You can interpret that in a couple of different ways but basically I think that I can achieve more than what is humanly possible in the 24 hours that we all have each day. This has a tendency to cause me to carry my "To-Do" list from one day to the next without it getting any shorter. Anyone relating to that right now?? While we can all relate, there were a few happenings that occurred this weekend that brought to light that we can all do something pretty productive and powerful with that precious time that we all have the same amount of.

This weekend we participated in two events for two fabulous organizations. On Friday, I did some decor for the Hill Top Preparatory School for their event entitled Creative Alliances which was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Trust. Many local artists, Hill Top student and alumni displayed and sold their works and a potion of the proceeds were given back to Hill Top. Fabulous event for a fabulous school that gives children who learn differently a supportive environment for them to reach their potential. Our oldest son graduated from there and it provided an education where his way of learning was not only understood but strengthened.

 When I was finished with the decor, I swung through the Art Show since it was already set up and the above pictured piece caught my eye. It was entitled "Celebrate Time". Hmmmm...celebrate time. Loved the title and the idea of celebrating it instead of lamenting all the TIME that there is not enough TIME. I promptly purchased the piece to hang in my office to remind me of that celebration of time. I have been a fan of Mixed media art and when I got home, I looked up the artist, Lisbeth Bucci. Wow! Talk about time and accomplishing much in one day! Check her out!

After setting up at Hill Top, later that evening my husband and I attended a 15th Anniversary Gala for the Mommy's Light Organization. Life's Patina had partnered with Mommy's Light at our first barn sale last November. This organization honors the past, celebrates the present and builds the future for families that have lost their mothers. They accomplish this by carrying on traditions that the mother used to do with their children. It is the only bereavement program that celebrates the life of a loved one and helps them stay connected to their mom who is no longer with them. Not a dry eye was in the house as the President Laura Muntz, ( a mom like many of us) described how she started the organization upon the death of her dear friend Mary Murphy. It was Mary's vision of how her son would keep her present in his life that spurred Laura on. Now 15 years later, they have created and kept Mary's vision alive as well as the visions of hundreds of children who can no longer SEE their mom but can keep her alive in their traditions that they used to do with her. Nothing strikes at a mom like the thought of us not being there for our kids...heavy stuff...and good stuff for us to see to realize that we should be celebrating time.

All around me, (I realized as I was writing this) people are giving of their TIME to make a difference. How many stories have we heard of in the last few weeks since Hurricane Sandy, of people heading to the stricken areas with trucks of supplies that they have collected from their communities? I know that we as a family having five children have a surplus of extra coats, hats, gloves, blankets etc. We just went through them this weekend to get a collection together to bring to one of our son's schools where a truck is leaving for that area on Monday. 

Another mom I know orchestrates GNO (Girl's Night Out) with this years benefactor being Alzheimer's  research and trying to find a cure. This Tuesday night at least 150 woman will exercise, have fun and raise money. Again, all around us are people who give of their TIME to make a difference. That TIME that is such a hot commodity for all of us, can be found that just might not only make a difference not only in the lives of others but in your own in doing so! 

The purpose behind this long missive is that we can all find the time...it is free...embrace it and then you just might be more able to celebrate it!

My hat goes off to those that do!

Meg 

HOLIDAY BARN SALE RESCHEDULED! New Dates November 16 - 18, 2012

Hello all! We are so sorry to have to postpone this Holiday sale for we were were so looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend! We hope that you will be able to come out and join us sometime over the rescheduled sale dates which are the weekend of November 16th through 18th. Same time, same product with even more festive merchandise added!

As I have posted in my blog before, life has a way of throwing many curve balls at you and this time, there were way too many to catch!  Some had to be hit in another direction and this was one that we wanted everyone to be in the mood and ready for! (including me...) We are hoping that the sun is starting to shine in your part of your world that has been pretty stormy. Our thoughts, prayers and love go out to those who have been forever affected by Sandy.

 We will definitely be having the sale on the weekend of November 16th!  Even though I have five children, I have way too much merchandise to give as Holiday gifts this upcoming season and we have some really fun and unique ways that we have decorated the barn which you might be able to adapt to your own home!

Looking forward to seeing you all November 16th through the 18th!!!!

                                                                            Meg

The beauty of Fall...in a table

The Fall colors have been absolutely stunning in the past couple of weeks!

 I set a table last week that was inspired by those beautiful Fall colors. It was also intended to be set for a romantic Anniversary dinner for my husband and I.  Unfortunately our Anniversary came the week that he was released from the hospital after having an emergency appendectomy. Life was crazy busy as I was catching up from the 5 days he was in the hospital and my life was centered around that...instead of the normal every day activities like food shopping. "No problem," I said to myself as I reviewed the schedule for the following day the night before. "How hard can it be to hit the food store tomorrow?"

I set the table the next morning, planned a menu and then set off for the rest of the days activities...work, two teacher conferences, pick up from a half day of one of the aforementioned teacher conference kiddos. etc. 

Flash forward to 6 pm and I am on my way home from last pick up...still have not hit the grocery store to GET the food for the romantic dinner. Do a little reality check and realize that if we want to eat before my still very tired husband falls asleep something other than mac and cheese, I need to forego the beautifully set table and head to the nearest restaurant of anniversary celebratory character!

Okay so sometimes the best laid plans always go to waste? Nor really...just readjusted. Dinner was wonderful out, even though Chris barely made it through without putting his head on his dinner plate AND I got to take pictures of my table to share with all of you! Had I made the dinner I would have been way to rushed to take some pictures of the table before we dug in and enjoyed the meal. Would never have gotten around to resetting it just to take pictures!

 Imagine my husband and youngest sons amused faces as they watched me through the window taking pictures of a table that was still set from 2 nights ago. I am glad that I was their amusement for the day!

Enjoy these Fall days of splendid color...that color will fade to the subdued hues of winter all too quickly!

Meg

A Day in The Life at Life's Patina!

To work with a gifted photographer in action was a true pleasure! I was fortunate enough to spend the better part of a day two weeks with Brenda Carpenter, a talented photographer with an unbelievable eye for composition. We created vignettes and staged some of our merchandise to highlight some of the goodies that we have available at Life's Patina this season.

Click below to watch a clever video put together by Brenda from the shots she took on a beautiful Fall day.

Life's Patina and Brenda Carpenter Photography 

 You can check out the many wonderful projects that Brenda has worked on at the following website:

 Brenda Carpenter, Photographer

Check her out and enjoy!

Meg 

Twists and Turns

Wow! Life sure does take its twists and turns! You can be cruising along one day and wham...the brakes are put on and life goes in a different direction. Sitting in the hospital room waiting for my husband to come out of recovery after a ruptured appendix sure brought that to light.  I know, we hear it all the time...

Life is short and sweet, enjoy every minute of it...
Live in the moment...
Stop and smell the roses...
You never know what you have until it's gone...

All of those sentiments flashed through my head and continue to do so as I think back on the last 24 hours of my husband's day.

Work...
Son's soccer game...
Meeting at son's school...,
Home for a late dinner...
Bed...finally!
Brakes applied...trip to ER...
Emergency surgery ...
Beginning of the road to a hopefully complication free recovery...

How many times does this happen in the lives of  so many? How many times are those unexpected events life altering and sometimes tragic? Gives me the shivers and makes me want to go home and hug everyone a little tighter, make room for those people in your life who mean so much...

But life is soooo busy...until that bump in the road slows you down...and the brakes are put on and the direction changes.

Life's Patina

Wow! Check out this mill stone. This eeks with the patina etched on it over time.
 I was able to go back to an incredible site this past weekend that is alive with the patina of the past. My husband and I, along with three of our sons, visited our daughter for Parent's Weekend at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Adjacent to Wake's campus is a beautiful old estate that the university now uses as a conference center and inn. We lucked out last year and were able to stay at Graylyn due to a cancellation.( Rumor has it that you have to book quite far in advance to get a room...this year we did not and stayed...at the econo lodge down the street. Perfect place when you are bringing your three sons.) TMI... but we were able to go back to Graylyn this time around to take some more pictures. Both my husband and I were caught totally unaware last year by the beauty of the place and snapped away...both of us lost the pictures when we upgraded our phones. 

The 55 acre property is something out of a fairytale with stone buildings that evoke a different era...

and views that capture the magnificence of the former estate.

The Gray family began construction of the house in 1928 and finished in 1932. 

They employed craftsmen from all over the East coast to build barns, outbuildings and a grand manor house fashioned in the Normandy Revival style using slate, cut limestone and brick. 

The craftsmanship is astounding and the attention to detail even more impressive. There are delights around every corner...this is a place that speaks to admirers of the construction of years ago and to the hearts of dreamers.

Where even the basement windows were beautiful!

 The property is a path that takes you to days gone by and let's you glimpse the opulent lifestyle in which its inhabitants lived.

Indoor swimming pools...

(this is the original design...)

 and playrooms that were built for their sons that now house an entire restaurant.

Fireplaces,

 architectural moldings in rooms,

and furniture made from 16th Century French tapestries were all shipped over from France.

Stair towers were copied exactly after a grand estate called Laverock that was located in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, I read...Laverock... I have heard that before. The buzzer goes off in my head and flashes back to when my son and I found a book at Barnes and Noble which chronicled the works of a famous architectural firm. This firm worked on a number of houses in our area from the late 1890's through the 1920's. Christopher was doing his Senior Project on the history of our house and we were trying to find information. Low and behold, what do we find in the book, but a picture of brick pillars that are almost exactly the same as the ones in our driveway. The picture is from the LAVEROCK estate in PA! The architects at Laverock were the architects that did a major renovation at our house in the 1920's and who were copied by the architects of Graylyn. 

Laverock

Brick pillars at the end of our driveway...see the similarities?

Whoa!!!...co-ink-e-dink or what????

Guess where this picture is from? The gates to the entrance of the stable at Graylyn!

Now I know why I felt like I had been here before. Many of the features of this house are similar to ours...not the indoor swimming pool, turret stair tower or huge billiards room etc. but the architectural styling and the use of stone, brick and slate.

We have almost the same wall that surrounds their stable as does our barn...done in 1923 by Mellor, Meigs and Howe! Theirs is covered in a lovely patina covering of moss.

The point in writing all this and giving so much detail was that I was floored by the fact that there was such a connection to the home that we love and this new home that our daughter has come to love attending Wake. There are paths through Graylyn that the students can run and it is within walking distance of the campus. I doubt that we ever would have stumbled upon it had she not gone to school here. I felt drawn to the place, it's beauty and it's testament to the past. For some reason I also felt drawn to the service areas of the house...just like I did when we toured the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

 Why is that? Could it be that I am fascinated by the lives of the people who really RAN these grand houses or the fact that I spend so much time in the service areas of our own home?? You know, I have already expressed that I LOVE dish ware...maybe another sign that a) I either wash too many of them, or b) I worked in the kitchen of one of these grand homes in a past life? (Just for the record, I don't believe in that kind of stuff...but it does make you wonder!)

 Thank you for staying with me through another one of my stories that depicts my appreciation of the patina of houses, objects etc. that have been worn by the hands of time.

 I also experienced my own share of Life's Patina at the tailgate at the football game. There I tried to keep my younger boy's heads from rubbernecking as they watched the frat boys plunge their heads in ice before doing a handstand on the keg and drinking up. Woa... knowing that they might be that boy in the not too distant future...I need some Restilyn to keep those signs of my life's patina away!

"He who loves an old house never loves in vain."

Isabel La Howe Conant

May your life paths cross in some meaningful way!

Meg