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