Chester County Beauty

I live in a beautiful part of the country! The hills undulate in the Fall with the colors of fire; reds, oranges, yellows and hues of purple. The colors are accompanied by all the usual suspects of Fall...the scent of burning leaves, the geese honking above as they make their journey southward, the stacked pumpkins and corn husks adorning houses celebrating the season.

How can one not be invigorated on a clear crisp Fall day? I walked outside this morning to see the sun as is began to brighten the awakening sky. A clear crisp wind had blown away the mugginess of the rain from the past few days to replace it with the freshness of a beautiful Fall day. Walking up to the barn and taking in all the sensations of this promising day reminded me of why I had chosen to highlight the beauty of this spectacular part of Pennsylvania that I live in for the first Barn Sale for Life's Patina...Chester County.

While driving through the countryside, hidden gems are tucked in along the way. It is often hard for me to keep my eyes on the road as I "rubber neck" to catch a passing barn, a hidden doorway, a stone wall or a bucolic farm.

 All of the sights are a remaining testament to the people that have been before us and carved this land into a productive way of life. Did they know know that their craftsmanship would be an enduring stamp of beauty upon the already natural beauty of the countryside?

Two artists will be highlighted at the Barn Show that have encapsulated this beauty of the surrounding area that Willowbrook Farm resides in. Both are friends and both are at different phases of their artistic journeys. All of the above pictures were taken by my good friend Julie Gerber. She has had a way with a camera since I first met her. She showed all of us up on our first "Girl's weekend," when her pictures of the beach caught scenes that we had never noticed; a sand dollar half buried on the beach with a rushing wave sweeping over it, sea grass swaying in the ocean air...you know what I am talking about. All of our pictures (some taken on those throw away cameras...this was before the digital days...and yes, I am that old) paled in comparison! The pictures of her children again contained that hidden mystique that is so hard to capture on a one dimensional piece of paper. Before long, she was being asked to be the group photographer for whatever group she was in at the time; partygoer, field trip chaperone, vacationer, etc. (I still think that it was because she made us all look good! She took the picture of me on my Blog while on vaction) All kidding aside...she is a true talent and will be showing and selling her work at the Barn Sale. 

The second artist is Cheryl Decker Sauder. Cheryl is an accomplished watercolor artist whose following quote pretty much encapsulates what she paints and how she feels about it. "Hopefully through my work, you will be able to sense the passion that I have for the countryside that surrounds me, its whimsy, breathless beauty and incredible architecture." She has shown her work at a multitude of Art Shows and she continues to display that passion for Chester County in the following "sneak peak"of her work.

American Classic

Big Bird

Winter

She has a stunning painting that she finished not long ago that will be the centerpiece of a Christmas vignette...but you will have to come visit the show to see it! 

Check back in to see how we have repurposed some Chester County artifacts into new items as well as to see what else we are highlighting from this beautiful area of the country!

Now go out and enjoy Fall in whatever part of the country that you live in...for it is fleeting!

Where Did the Name Come From?

Life's Patina...what does it mean and why did I decide to call my new venture that? I have gotten many reactions to the name...some of them hysterical in their content, some a little confused and some that totally understood it. All of the reactions have been appreciated and have made me think more clearly about my goals and what I would like to accomplish with this project. 

First of all, the definition of patina that most people think of, is the thin layer of brown or green corrosion that appears on copper or bronze over time. While I did have this definition in mind, the one that really applies to what I was thinking is the following: Patina is the sheen produced by age or use any antique surface.  

This is exemplified by this set of drawers that I found to use in my bedroom closet. I LOVE it with all of its imperfections...the fragments of old paint, the varying hues of color that the wood has taken on depending on where the oil of past hands have discolored it, and the old metal hardware. It's finish is certainly not perfect but it does have character! 

Take these old shutters that I had built into an entertainment center. The hardware is original but we did strip the layers of peeling old black paint off of the shutters to get down to the original layer of gray paint. We added a little primer and the patina was enhanced.

The room that this fireplace is located in was built in 1789. Sometime in the 1800's, this iron stove like piece was inserted into the original opening of the fire place, probably to create more heat. You can see where the black iron has been worn away by the fires over the years. No, it is not coated in a fresh coat of black paint but rather, we have left the markings that the past inhabitants have left on the house and that we will leave our mark on as well. 

Check out this Mill stone! How awesome is this, sitting on an old brick driveway with an uneven stone wall as it's back drop??? All of the materials, are simple but so beautiful in their form and function. 

 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in my eyes, these pieces are superb examples of objects that are enhanced by their obvious use over time. Their purposes have been many and some have been reinvented into new objects that will carry on their natural beauty in a different manner. All of them have developed a "patina" that has evolved over this passage of time. This patina is tied deeply to a history of the item. When I look at these objects, I see and almost feel, the past lives of the generations before me that day after day, used these items as a necessity.  Their craftsmanship is superb to have lasted these many years and their beauty has been enhanced by the wear and tear on the item.

That is how I came about using Patina in the name...now why did I link Life to Patina? We all know we have a changing of appearance as we age! Our mirrors, ( as well as our kids) do not let us forget about it. We all bemoan these physical changes of aging. A good friend wrote to me in a hysterical email that read like a dictionary page: 

1)"People who graduated from college in the 1980's are beginning to show the patina of age." 

 2) "I used to be able to run much faster; my legs feel like they are covered with a patina." 

Another email read: 

3)"You seem to be describing my face, it has an aged patina since "it" turned 40. I would be willing to sell "it" in the barn for cheap."

There were many others, but if I posted them all, I would never get to the end of my blog. ( although you would probably have to pick yourself up off the floor for laughing so hard, for that is what I had to do!) You guys know who you are, so thanks for the great belly laughs!

The patina that I am speaking about not only refers to our looks but our mindset. We might fight aging and all that it brings, but it comes never the less!  But in that aging, don't we all possess a wiseness, a wealth of experiences, an evolving of what becomes important in life...priorities, maybe? I think that Life has a patina that is created by all of these past experiences combined with the people and places that frequent our lives. Life itself creates a patina! 

(Just a side note...funny how the comments that I received that talked about the physical changes of patina were from the men!!)

It's Ready...now comes the fun part!

 After months of cleaning, purging, and refinishing... the barn is ready! Ready for what my husband asks "...a great Octoberfest Party?, maybe a huge Football Party with a big screen?, a Man Cave????" "Honey," I say, "you know what this is for...antiques and old stuff...you would fit right in! "Ha! Ha! he says, as well as a few other choice words. 

 He has listened to me and my dream for quite a while now and has helped make it come true. Now that all the kids are back in school, I have been busy ordering some awesome unique finds, putting together with my artist friend Jennifer some cool new recycled pieces and painting, crafting and creating. I will be highlighting some of these pieces each week that will be available at the First Barn Sale Event in November. 

Look at the empty space that I have to display and create with! Can you imagine this old bank barn filled to the brim with hay for the dairy cows that they raised here?

These old stairs will be great to display items on! The kids say that it is going to be their stage to jam on...

 Come visit weekly to see how the barn is coming to life again as a wonderful house of unique objects with a "patina." Some are new and some carry with them a history as well, just as the barn does.

"Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings." 
                                              Jane Jacobs

Summer's End

After settling Kelsey into her dorm and partaking in our Orientation, we headed East for one last taste of Summer at the beach. Hurricane Irene had just passed and we were thankful that its effects were minimal on the island that we have vacationed on over the last 30 years. What a trove of treasures we encountered on our first walk on the beach! Buckets full, like no other time in the past, weighed down our hands. We gathered and gathered what the ocean had to offer us.

Conch shells or whelks, lay within inches of each other in twos and threes.

We found shells that we had never seen before and that are often found only in deeper waters. Colors of various hues and shapes of all sizes. I washed and dried them and used many to decorate both the inside and outside of the house. You will have to wait until I can get down there again to take more pictures with my "real" camera. The pictures taken on my cell phone did not do them justice.

                                                          

Sand dollars were littering the beach, as well as a few injured starfish. Below is a picture of a frame that I crafted with one of the starfish that we bleached. This is one of the only pictures that turned out halfway decent!

This frame and another one will work in the girl's bedroom with the hues of the ocean mimicked in the colors of the room.

As we spent the last day relaxing in the warm sun with the boys playing on the beach, our youngest son came over to me and sat on my lap.  Now that he is ten, that does not occur as frequently as it used to, so I relished the moment. He curled up and as I snuggled him I breathed in the intoxicating scent of sunscreen and salt water and mourned the end of these days of unhurried living and daylight until nine (as well as the fact that next summer those events of snuggling up to mom will be even fewer.)

Until next summer...

when the waves of both oceans and flowers will be part of our landscape again.

        

Through the Looking Glass~ Part 3

Wow! I am now trying to navigate in a sea of testosterone with one oar and no course mapped out for me.  We just came back from taking our only daughter to her first year of college which leaves me the lone female of the house. No, the animals do not count! It is not that we had a lack of testosterone flowing here before Kelsey's departure, it is just that she seemed to be a voice of reason with her four brothers. Did I mention that she also has a clean driver's record and was a wonderful helper in the transportation department of our home? Anyway, we have all been adjusting to her absence! 

It's not that we do not love the roughness and tumbles that are everyday occurrences at our house...it is just that she brought a different perspective to things. For example, our 16 year old son was diagnosed with an obscure syndrome almost a year and half ago that caused him to miss his entire Sophomore year of High school. I will not go into details but it causes him to sleep an inordinate amount of time each day (no he is not just being a teenage boy). Getting him up is a massive undertaking of which when he finally gets up and has to be somewhere, the long hair that is en vogue these days is anything but attractive! He is attempting to go back to school and in doing so, he cut his hair so as not to have to worry about that minor detail. You would have thought it was Delilah that had cut Sampsons' hair and zapped him of all of his strength when he walked in the kitchen and the boys saw him. Let's just say that they did not like it. Meanwhile, I texted his sister a picture of the newly coiffed Shane and she loves it! "He looks so clean cut and handsome and he won't have to think about his hair in the morning!" Case in point! She at least made him feel a little bit better about the change and brought some reason to the plate.

Anyway, her college departure was so not reminiscent of mine! I think my parents packed up the van after a trip to K Mart to get all my supplies in ONE shopping trip and then basically dropped me off and waved (after my new floor mates played a game of bowling with my twin brother and sister who were 4 at the time. They were the bowling pins) They were not any different than anyone else's parents, that is just how it was done. (Well, maybe a little different, there was that trip to Maine where we looked like the Clampets on the way back home with the antlers of a moose strapped to the front of the car along with several pieces of furniture tied to the top of the Jeep Wagoneer. )Well, after several shopping trips, we did pack up the car, drove down to NC and then dropped her off, only to check into our hotel where we then participated in the Parent's Orientation for 2 days while she participated in 5 days of Orientation. Boy were we impressed! They went over every protocol and procedure from Ad/Drops, Advisors, Scheduling of classes and the workload (Yes, the nick name "Work" Forest is appropriate), Reasonable amount of activities they should participate in, Dorm Life, Dining Hall and what would happen should the kids be busted on campus for drinking vs. off campus. What an enlightening 2 days! Again, my experience was that the goodbye wave was followed up by a call from the "Hall Phone" a couple of days later telling my parents that all was well.  My parents never experienced that enlightenment and did I forget to tell you that being 15 when I experienced the ride home from Maine has put me in therapy?

Just kidding, all joking aside, we were blown away by the presentation and the information that we took in. The main points that were reiterated over and over again was that these students that they are educating academically they are also educating to live their lives with purpose and with intention. I do not remember that piece of advice in college, do you? I think we all could use a little of that! Think conscious engagement of time...my time is engaged, that is for sure...but is it done consciously or unconsciously? The second point that we heard over and over again is that the students need to connect with their Professors face to face...emails or texts will only be accepted in certain situations. Yes, this world is centered around technology but this generation needs to know how to express their views and raise their questions face to face. Whatever the case may be, these students are given huge amounts of decision making experiences as we all were, with a little more thought put into "conscious living". 

We did leave Wake with much sadness for we left a piece of us that we have been molding, shaping and loving for 18 years now but we did leave with an awareness that this is the natural progression of growing up and that she is in a great place to surmount all those growing pains of independence. As one of the  professors told us in our Orientation of his experience with his own kids, "I had watered and fertilized them well, gave them sunlight and darkness, and hoped to hell that they grew up right...what more can you do?"

We were envious of the beautiful campus and wished we could do it all over again!

Small is a an understatement when we saw the size of her dorm room! We did transform it into an attractive space when we finished and we fit all of her stuff and her roommates in it. We scored big on a Pottery Barn Outlet Duvet, sheets and pillow shams that transformed the bed (after we lofted one of them...the double bunk thing was not cutting it for 2 girls...now my boys would have loved that!)

Again, stunned by the beauty of the campus!

(working on getting a better camera...thanks to many of you who have suggested that!) I have begun my next post which is a continuation of our North Carolina venture...after Hurricane Irene departed! OMG! it is pouring again! Great day to be a duck!

A Feast for the eyes

 I just came back from the New York International Home and Gift Show and all I can say is Wow! I had attended the Show in Atlanta this past January and it was an experience but this one...had all the energy and size of New York City!!! My head was on a swivel as I walked down the aisles viewing all the tremendous items that the vendors were carrying. I placed my first order from a Company in Austria of some beautiful and very original handcrafted Christmas ornaments. I thought I would give you a preview of some of the items from one of my favorite vendors, Europe2You.

The glassware combined with the old reclaimed wood that they use creates beautiful items of great durability.

This coffee table can be taken apart and you can remove the trays and use them elsewhere to serve food, drinks etc. Very unique!

Many of the vendors do not let you take pictures...so the rest of my finds will have to be revealed in November!

The sights and sounds were not only in the Convention Center but outside as well! I took a walk around the city at night and a visual feast was to be had there as well!

The lights and energy of the city is so evident at every corner! (Still have to purchase a camera so my apologies for the cell phone pictures!)

I had to email this one to my boys...one of their favorite stores!!! 

You will have to stay tuned for more finds that I am putting together for the Barn Event in November!

Through the Looking Glass...Part Two

Please excuse my absence! I am new at this blogging thing and finding the time for it has been somewhat challenging with it being Summer. Summer at our house, just like everyone else's is a dance between languishing in the relaxed schedule while trying to not let that lack of schedule sabotage you. I have to be honest in that by the time the end of the school year rolls around, I throw my arms around the no homework idea, the mad rushing to get someone to a sports event or activity in between that said homework and then squeezing in dinner for a busy family of seven. Now that we are on the back side of summer, I do sometimes relish the thought of a more scheduled existence so that I could get something done in its entirety...although the relaxed dinner out by the pool at almost 8:30pm tonight does outweigh that a bit!

I apologize for my rambling ( I have been in that rambling mode these hot summer days with vacation time at the beach and a wonderful trip to Canada.) I had wanted to post some pictures from our daughter's Graduation party from High School much earlier than this. We did an Alice in Wonderland theme, "Through the Looking Glass," and it truly was a celebration for Kelsey that reflected the young woman that she has grown into over these seemingly short years.

The girls truly celebrated the theme with arriving in dresses that were perfect for the outside "Mad Hatter Dinner Party" aka, a menu of heavy Tea Sandwiches accompanied with some yummy salads and finished off with a Crepe Bar that consisted of all things that make a teenage girl's heart a flutter: Chocolate Sauce, Nutella, Peanut butter, Bananas, Strawberries, Fluff, Almonds, Raspberry, Caramel and Whipped Creme.  

We set up all the food outside underneath a tent because the threat of rain was ever present...but did not show itself until dark. I layered an old barn wood table with a white linen tablecloth and then topped it with a lovely patterned smaller table cloth in beautiful shades of blue. I set an arrangement that I assembled with flowers from a very inexpensive local Produce Place on top of a wooden box, but covered with the cloth, to give it height.  I added a pretty blue mirror, some clock faces, 2 topiary plants (acquired from the same Produce Place) and I was finished with the Buffet Table.

We set up 6 round tables that we rented with chairs and coordinating linens that came about quite by accident. I had not rented linens and was going to use my own but they were not working. When I called the Rental Center, all they had left was 2 of each of the lemon, aqua and lime green that we were using for the colors. Voila! Mixing it up worked! I topped the tables with a paper placemat that I had from years past (have I mentioned that I have a fetish with paper products? I pick them up whenever they are on sale...even if I do not have an idea in mind for them at that time ) as well as a plant that I put in little containers that I got from Target's Dollar section that were in coordinating colors. The plants were from the same aforementioned Produce Place. Each table cost less than $5 to top! We added a bowl of candy in bright colors as well as a bottle of bubbles to each. 

I only had 3 containers to put the plants in because I had picked them up months ago so...what to do with the other 3 tables? I used old Ball jars that are a wonderful shade of blue and filled them with a few tulips that were in the centerpiece of the Buffet table.

Now onto the Beverages!

What would a Mad Hatter Tea Party be without Tea? Well, on a hot, humid, overcast day...hot tea was not in the forecast so we made gallons of lemonade and Iced Tea. We served them in glass containers that I got at Ikea a few years back (have I mentioned that I have a fetish for dishes, glassware and the likes? I do the same thing with them as the paper products! Some girls are into shoes...some are into dishes!) 

We added tags to label them with that I stamped with a swirly decorative pattern and the words "Drink Me"and then tied them around the drink containers. I stacked a few lemons and limes underneath another container that I got at Sam's Club to dress it up.  I use that one all summer long for the kids. I added a bundle of fresh mint and another area was complete. 

Now to top it off~Deserts

I ordered a beautiful cake from my favorite Bakery in the area, Clay's Creative Corner Bakery. They are super creative and they still occupy a tiny corner on Lancaster Avenue in Berwyn. I brought them my napkins for the party as well as a Tea Cup from my Grandmother that I wanted to use on the top of the cake and they went to town!

They also made me a few cookies in the same colors with a large K on them for Kelsey. They were beautiful! I like to splurge on one signature item like a beautiful cake to set the tone of a party and then supplement with homemade goodies such as chocolate covered pretzels, strawberries, Oreos and Ritz crackers (I will give that recipe on a later post).  

This time I purchased 4 dozen or so of the little Brownie Cakes that they sell at Sam's Club. Yes, I could have made them from scratch but often time is of the essence so if I can use store bought items that are reasonable and add some of my own elements to them, it works! They were not frosted so I made my favorite creme cheese frosting and piped it onto the tops. To embellish them, I tinted pre packaged fondant that you can purchase at your local craft store and used a cookie cutter type mold to cut flowers out of the fondant. I sprinkled them w/ edible colored glitter (again, available at your craft store in the cake decorating section.) I stacked them on gorgeous cake stands that I have acquired over the years. (Sorry that we did not take a close up picture...we were dashing around trying to get everything set up on time and were down to the wire! I promise that I will take better pictures next time!) 

After all the food elements were in place... I wanted to play upon the Alice theme so I made signs out of Foam core board that read, "This Way", "Wrong Way" etc and hung them in various locations as the guests entered. 

I also used a mirror that my brother and sister in law gave us some time ago, that was a window pane at one time.  I made a decorative tag entitled "Kelsey Through the Looking Glass" and mounted pictures of her and her siblings and friends. I added pre made scrap booking words to some of the panes as well. I had a snap shoot of Kelsey and how she has grown over the years that were documented "in the looking glass." I made another photo board where I covered a sheet of foam core board with linen and then used decorative thumb tacks to attach a couple of larger pictures as well as some fun elements that again signified the passage of time.  

 Wow! Where have the last 18 years gone?? 

Making an event memorable usually requires some extra planning and some little creative tricks up your sleeve. You can do it! Let many things that surround you in your every day inspire you. I usually pick my colors first and then go from there. I pick things up in a variety of places and am always on the look out for unique items that can be turned into something interesting. The idea of utilizing Alice in Wonderland came into play from a magazine article that I read along with wonderful recollections of a past Birthday Tea Party when Kelsey turned 6. That combined with my colors that came from napkins and a shopping bag that I saw in the party store, enabled me to make the invitations incorporating those colors and a few lines from Alice...thus the door was open to all to travel through the looking glass with us to celebrate.