TURNING MY HEART TOWARDS HOME

DOWNTOWN EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

You know...every once in a while my thinking goes askew. It does. Just can't help it. I mean, I AM human! On the way to church this morning my guy and I drove past an extravagant neighborhood that was soooo divine that I could only DREAM of living in such a place. With bated breath I could only whisper...well..."What if?"... Ever been there?

ASKING PRICE $1.4 MILLION

I live in a town that is growing faster than the weeds in my backyard. When my Mr. AGPMan and I first considered moving from our modest home to a neighboring suburb just to the north of Oklahoma City...well... our friends thought we'd lost our minds. The town was challenging at the time to navigate as so many streets and highways were still being mapped out. Edmond is just outside of OKCity and the once sleepy "college town" is growing by leaps and bounds. Today it's population is quickly nearing 79,000. In 1992 when we purchased our pretty two-story house the town was home to about 54,000. It has almost doubled in size in less than twenty years...

ASKING PRICE $775,000

With the influx of so many people, new schools seemed to spring up over night as well as beautifully landscaped shopping centers and restaurants. And, it goes without saying the building of unbelievably gorgeous high-end homes was inevitable! I mean truly beautiful, mansion-type houses that were designed to steal your very breath away. Truthfully, it was mind-boggling to see that much wealth and prosperity settle in just a few neighborhoods away...

ASKING PRICE $550,000

My hubby and I raised our little family in the house we still call home. In July we will celebrate living in our beloved Briarwood Cottage (that is what I call her) seventeen years and if the truth be known, I never plan on leaving. Although it is somewhat mesmerizing to see the lavish, well-planned homes rise up around us, I covet not the brick and mortar owned by others.

ASKING PRICE $227,000

In the years since we bought our home it has almost tripled in value. It is a comfortable 2,300SF and has four pretty bedrooms, two living, two dining, and three baths. We've done more work on our abode than I can even tell you... The house is a work in progress and we've changed as much on the outside as we have in the interior. It's been a ride...tiresome at times...but still a ride.

(click photo to enlarge this picture)
BUYING PRICE $87,500

I promised to show you a picture of the place I lovingly call home. I snapped the picture above on CLOSING DAY in 1992. A dream come true. A place to call my own. Since that hot summer day my hubby has transformed both the front and backyard landscape by adding two beautiful sidewalks, a precious porch-style railing (my favorite of all his handiwork!), the planting of lovely trees and the removal of overgrowth (especially the long branch above the door), taking out the large pine tree (it was ruining the foundation) and planting numerous shrubs and flowering plants. He also built and then added the three window box planters as an early birthday gift about 10 years ago. Our backyard is HUGE...big enough to enjoy a wonderful party and also house a fabulous studio and workshop.

(click photo to enlarge this picture)
TODAY'S VALUE for Us: PRICELESS

The picture above is how my dearly loved home looks today...I snapped this picture this afternoon. The exterior of the house has been repainted twice and is due for another color change next year. The lawn is lush and green and if you look closely you'll see exactly where I get my mail. The simple planter near the sidewalk is also my mailbox. It is full of concrete for weight and enough dirt to plant and grow the most amazing flowers year after year. The house has new windows and doors, plantation shutters and a hearty new roof! She still needs a new driveway poured as well as new garage doors...they will both come with time.

I'm blessed to live here on this street and thankful I'm not afraid to live within my means. Since the day we signed the papers and called this beautiful home our La Chamerie de Briarwood (The Cottage on Briarwood), I've never wavered in my belief that she was a gift from the Most High.

Blessings to you as you seek to find contentment wherever it is God leads...Rebecca

~VINTAGE FRENCH LACE - Seek and You Shall Find~

JUNK STORE FINDS

I mentioned in my Post from yesterday that I've had a BUSY week! I've been cooped up for days and days and so I was VERY excited when I was able to break free from the walls of my cottage chic home and ESS-KA-PAY (escape) for awhile... After dropping our little Miss K off for her final day of kindergarten (boo hoo!) I was FREE! I had exactly two and one half hours to do whatever I wanted before needing to return to pick her up! I knew just what I was going to do and where I was going to go! My plan was to squeeze in two full hours of vintage shopping!

I live exactly 9 miles from one of my favorite Junque Stores which was only one-half mile from an estate sale that started today at noon. I wouldn't be the first in line (I am sometimes, you know?) but, I'd get there within the hour!

DELICATE & BEAUTIFUL

I felt my heart beating a little faster than normal as I walked into a sweet and tidy home nestled inside a part North Oklahoma City called Nichol's Hills.

"Not many cars at this sale" I thought...(a good thing)!

"You snooze-You Lose" is my steadfast motto! :)

Now, I'm very kind about this, mind you. But I believe it nonetheless! It goes hand in had with "the early bird gets the worm".

REDEEMED AT THE SECOND HAND SHOPPE

Would you believe me if I told you the house was picked clean? It was! Either that or there wasn't much to begin with. I felt cheated...after all, I drove almost ten miles from my home only to be disappointed that some other vulture lady had gobbled up finds obviously intended for ME! :( I left empty handed and full of whine (yeah...that kind!).

VINTAGE VENICE LACES

Now, in spite of my obvious disappointment, I trekked on. It's just my way. The next sale is ALWAYS BETTER (good outlook, don't you think?). I drove to an out of the way Shoppe I've come to expect will have mostly junky stuff. Still...I've found lots and lots of treasures there and even snagged them for good prices, too. Nothing however, and I mean NOTHING could have prepared me for what I would uncover today...

HAND PIECED LACE SHEETING

Back in the corner of a dusty little space were bags and bags and bags of vintage laces. Each neat little package looked as if it had been there for years. After a few minutes of digging in a fairly good sized box I decided to take it up to the counter to have a better peek at what was inside...

OVER 150 YARDS OF FRENCH LACE

The voice of a little old lady spoke up and said...

"Honey~That's my little nook you're in...if you find anything you want I'll make you a great deal!"

Well now...that's my kind of gal! So...I dug deeper!

DARLING EYELET LACE

I found this darling old eyelet beading lace...never used...simply stunning! Sweet for Sachet Pillows or little lacy accents...

VINTAGE NETTED LACE

Absolutely 2die4 lace trims...Venice, Eyelet, English, Bobbin, Filet, Netting and so much more...

FIFTEEN PINK GLASS BUTTONS

Stunning glass buttons, too! Icy PINK beauties that I know for sure you will see on upcoming romantic offerings...

LOVELY...JUST LOVELY

My pile of lace-filled baggies grew and grew and expanded from edge to edge on the tiny wooden counter. After adding the pink buttons I knew I was quickly reaching (um, EXCEEDING) my spendable limit. So I ask...

"How am I doin'?" forcing myself to smile...

"Well, let me see" the woman says...

She begins to add and add and then says...

"How about $22.00 for everything?"

"HUH?...

I mean, OK!" I quickly say! "That's GREAT! Does that include the buttons?"

"It sure does" she adds "But I'll have to charge you tax because you don't have your TAX ID Card with you! Your total is $23.25."

"That is JUST FINE" I replied with a Cheshire Cat grin.... :))))))))

Now...I'm thinking to myself...I've gotta get OUT OF HERE before this sweet little lady realizes that she's messed up and has not added up my total correctly. I quickly pay with cash, thank her profusely, and leave.

I skipped to my SUV happy my day had been redeemed...

It was then I felt this pang in my chest...you know the kind I'm talking about. The feeling that overwhelms you when you've gotten the best of something (ugh...or someone) and something inside of you tells you it isn't right...

I started to back out of the parking log when I stopped and put my vehicle in park. I grabbed the bag and walk back into the tiny store.

"Um Sweetie..." I begin...

"I think you gave me TOO GOOD A DEAL on these pretty old finds! I just can't leave without double checking with you about the final cost! Are you sure you don't want to recount everything and change your mind about the total? I'm sure I owe you MORE!"

The old woman smiled at me as she reached gently for my fingers which were still clutched tightly to my new found treasures...

"I know exactly what that old stuff is worth, honey!" she spoke with a polite, yet firm confidence...

"One hundred and seventy-two dollars!!!! I've been in this business a long, long time. Not many more years left to make someone smile. Today I felt like blessing you! I'll be 89 tomorrow! I may not get another chance to talk with you again and share with you my collection and my love of old laces! Make something lovely out of them, dear!!!"

FOUR CARDS LIKE THIS ONE

I quickly pulled some cash from my pocket and pressed a flimsy twenty dollar bill into the woman's deeply wrinkled hand. I softly whispered to her "Happy Birthday!" and left...

I realized yet another important life-lesson today as I returned once again to my car. Too often I put too great a monetary value on things of this world! The deal on the lace was great for me...more than great! Still, my ultimate pleasure came not from the snagging of what very well may have been my best and cheapest find of the year, but from witnessing with my own two eyes the gentle spirit of a lovely old lady who was "storing up her treasures in heaven...".

Blessings to you as you learn along side of me the true value of a giving heart...Rebecca

REPURPOSING VINTAGE DOORS...A Short Tutorial

HOW TO RE-PURPOSE OLD DOORS

Several weeks ago I shared with you some pictures I snapped of the vintage doors I have re-purposed in our home! I love decorating with vintage finds...especially old doors and windows! I just can't pass up wonderful old architectural pieces...especially when I can get them for FREE! Since making that original Post I've gotten more emails than I can even say about the doors...lots of questions about "How to Hang Them" and "What was used for the shelf brackets?", etc.

Since I've had an extraordinarily busy week (keeping our Miss K for her last week of school)...I thought I'd do a quick recap for those of you I've yet to respond to. Sorry to be soooo tardy in getting back to you all!

First...let me tell you about paint...

If you plan on using old doors and windows that are chippy and distressed...please...PLEASE seal them! More often than not they were painted with lead-based paint and you do not want those poisonous flakes and stuff flying through the air. Give those babies a couple coats of a low-luster acrylic sealer and you should be great! If you opt to repaint them (I almost always do because even though I like vintage I do NOT like dirty), don't forget to PRIME. Again...use ZINSSER PRIMER! The best! A couple coats of your favorite paint (I lover Behr Paint...a bit pricey $$$ but the best!) and you are just about ready to embellish!

Before you decide if you want your door to have a shelf (or two or even three!), you need to think about how you are going to hang it on your wall. When I owned a retail gift shoppe several years ago my My AGPMan designed "stands" for them so they could be displayed "free-style" anywhere in the store. For my home I wanted to hang them directly on the wall. I'm not able to take pictures of the brackets my guy made for mine because they are already hung in place. But, simply put, he made "tongue and groove" brackets, two pieces cut out of solid oak. One half was put on the door and one half was put on the wall...about the width of the door. This way you can lift the door off the bracket or even slide it side to side a little bit to get it in the right spot! Makes sense? Doors are heavy and having the slider/oak brackets makes it easier to change things around and CLEAN!

GUESTROOM - SWEET DECORATIVE DOOR

If you have a Hobby Lobby Decorative Center in your State then you are blessed like us Oklahomans! I found these great vintage-looking brackets in their garden center and I used them for holding up all the decorative shelves. I painted mine with spray paint made especially for metal projects (Rustolemum is good) and then distressed them. A simple piece of plywood was measured and cut, gently rounded and sanded, painted, and then attached to the prepared brackets. The shelf was then hung in place!

VINTAGE STYLE BRACKETS

Now...I've seen doors re-purposed that were made for use in a cottage bath or shower. DARLING! Shelves are placed all the way down the door and they are a great (and beautiful) way of holding pretty towels, bath soaps, etc... They are also fabulous for store owners...darling for displaying wreaths or add just a decorative hook on the top front for clothing...promise you...they look beautiful!

DOOR IN UPSTAIRS LANDING

I've opted to hang vintage lace pieces behind the glass in my doors. On the ones we just finished hanging in our guestroom (promise to show pictures soon!), they are solid, no glass! So...I'm either going to embellish them with artwork (roses, of course!) OR....I may add carved decorative pieces to them and leave them as they are...can't decide! :( Since I love cottage decor and shabby chic anything...it's sometimes a challenge to make every room beautiful AND unique. I don't want our gathering room to look like our bedroom~ These doors match and have the most unbelievably 2die4 doorknobs and faceplates...yi yi yi!

That said...I'm considering doing the room in light creams with very pale/soft sepia tones and fresh white...lightly antiqued furniture with neat old linens, etc. I'm THINKIN'....can you tell...THINKIN' I SAY! :)

BRACKETS USED FOR SHELVES

I promise to share with you in a few days pictures of the old sewing table we found last week. It is already painted (sometimes I work FAST!) and it is beautiful! Since the cabinet was fairly weathered from lack of care, I didn't mind one bit in giving it a paint job...

Thanks for stopping by again on this lazy-hazy day! Promise to have more for you soon!

Blessings to you and you figure out how everyone is doing all that neat stuff out there...when in doubt...ASK...Rebecca

"LOVE IS..." and OTHER THINGS THAT MATTER

"LOVE IS..." LETTING HIM HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR NEW MATERIAL

OK Peeps...this latest "LOVE IS..." clipping surely brought a smile to my face! If I could EVEN tell you how many times I've dragged my poor hubbs to the fabric store with me you would probably faint. A few years ago I stopped torturing him with such boring excursions. The poor thing. Truly dulled out of his mind! He would just walk around with that, um...well..."I wish I was HOME watching Football" look on his face! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about... He never ever complained though...that's my guy! Long SUFFERING AGPMan that he is...

Blessings to you as you shop with and without him...Rebecca

~VINTAGE TREADLE SEWING MACHINE - Perfect Night Stand Table~

VINTAGE SINGER TREADLE SEWING MACHINE

~Just Perfect for a Night Table~

(Circa 1920)

Last Saturday my hubbs and I did our familiar junkin' around our town in hopes of discovering a couple of vintage finds for our home. With it being a holiday weekend we weren't too sure just what might be offered. The newspapers were pretty slim on listings for Estate Sales...still, there were a few in the more "seedy" parts of town we THOUGHT we might visit.

You know you are traveling down a questionable street when there are bars on the church windows and on nearly every porch sits a decaying sofa or recliner. Most, if not all of the ram-shackled homes appear to be beyond repair. Windows are often boarded up and many are abandoned. Still, something beckons me to visit the places of the forgotten and I can't stay away. The houses, noticeably modest, were after all, a place someone once called home. I sometimes imagine them as new and wonder just who built them and what kind of families lived in them.

It was late in the day when my Mr. AGPMan and I walked up the crumbling steps to a weathered yellow door. Peeking inside we could tell the sale had been heavily shopped as only a few things were left. Over in the corner I spied this charming vintage Treadle Sewing Machine...

SIMPLY LOVELY

"I'll give you a great deal on that there thing, lil' lady" I heard an elderly voice say...

"Ain't no one knows how to use it no'moe...that was my Mama's Mama's Treeedle" the man continued.

"Twenty-two fifty" he said with a wide grin! "And I'll help yer fella load 'er up!"

PRETTY SCROLL WORK

I knew better than to even haggle over the price. It was MORE than fair! As I was paying the old man's wife my guy and his new pal began to load up the old Singer into our SUV. We both laughed as we had to avoid running into the chicken and the rooster that were crossing the road beside us (I'm not kidding...).

"Take care of her...it was my Gram-mama's pride and joy" the old man called out!

"Just gottsta have the money!"

As we drove away from the tiny shack I couldn't help but believe these people to be the salt of the earth. Downtrodden and poor, eclipsed by education and a overlooked by society. Poverty had won out. Instinctively I knew that what a single dollar was to that old man meant at least twenty five times that to me...

Call me crazy...overly sentimental even. I don't care. I felt sad that something that had once been dearly loved and cared for ended up being sold for the cost of untensil-less dinner at the closest burger-dive.

The Cabinet owner's name was Lucy, by the way. It was written inside the drawer with the barely visible date of 1919. Her beloved Sewing Cabinet will soon have a place of honor in my home and I will care for her until the day comes when some vintage-shopping diva comes to my home and hauls her away.

Blessings to you as you find treasures once loved by the hands of those who've passed on before you...Rebecca

~MEMORIAL DAY...THE REAL CELEBRATION~

MY SWEET BABY - 1982

(Pretending to be a Naval Officer)

It was impossible for me to comprehend when I dressed my baby boy up in this fresh white Sailor Suit that one day he would wear a real uniform...

BRANDON KENT NELSON
United States Air Force
(Enlistment Day 2003)

A little over twenty years later. at the tender age of 21, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Brandon served state-side (Thank You, God) as a Computer Programmer. At his graduation from Basic Training the the tears fell like rain. We were Post 9-11 and the fear of the unknown overwhelmed his very proud father and I...

We placed him in God's hands as he followed in the footsteps of...

William Philip Elliott
(United States Marine Corp - 1979)

...my brother, Bill, one of the few, the proud, and the strong! He served our Nation in many places, including far away lands like the Philippines. He attained the rank of Sargent when only 19. He took after our...

William Edgar Elliott
(United States Navy - 1956)

...dearly beloved, father, who honorably served our Country for ten sacrificial years! He was an Atomic Veteran who loved the sea and longed to return. Years later the exposure to toxic levels of radiation frightened him~ I believe some of his health issues today directly link back to his military service.

He often referred to his father-in-law, my grandfather. and how he...

PHILIP WEBSTER MARTIN
(United States Army Air Corp - 1945)

...eagerly enlisted when he was well past thirty years of age in the United States Army Air Corp. He served as a Tail Gunner in WWII and shot down many enemy planes. Some of his hearing loss was attributed to the loud sounds from his weapon.

~*~
This weekend AMERICA celebrates Memorial Day. It is a time to reverence the lost and those who sacrificially gave all they had. Our beautiful Nation owes it's freedom to the thousands of men and women who once willingly served our Country and are still serving today.

It is my prayer as we holiday at the lake, shop 'til we drop, gulp down the burgers and drink up the soda that we will remember the lives lost and the broken hearts of those left behind.

~*~
Thank you Michael Weigel, my son-in-law, National Guardsman, who has already completed two tours in Afghanistan...we pray you don't have to return...

Thank you, Jayson Bybee, my nephew, who just enlisted in the National Guard...

Thank you, Nathan Nelson, my nephew, who is currently serving our Country in Iraq...we are praying for your safe return...

Thank you. Brandon, my son, for stepping forward and giving up friend and dear one when you left us. We know what your sacrifices were. You served your Country proud...and you blessed your daddy & momma... and changed the future of your tiny Miss K...

Thank you Bill, my brother, who showed us that at 17 a boy can be a real man...

Thank you, Daddy, for your sufferings...I pray to heaven someone besides your four children care... We will never forget...

Thank you, Grampa...Your courage in the face of danger has taught me to never fear the unknown for victory cometh to those who fight on...

Thank you, God for freedom...

Blessings to you as we remember...Rebecca

~CLAPSADDLE, BRUNDAGE & HUMPHREY - Gifted Women Blessed by God~

~FRANCES BRUNDAGE IMAGE~

My Favorite of All of Her Paintings

Many years ago, long before my eBay days and certainly before opening my own website, I began collecting vintage postcards and greeting cards. Back in the mid 1990's you could find them everywhere and at a fairly reasonable price, too. There wasn't a time I ventured out to our Fairground's Antique Show that I didn't return home with at least one or two new images to add to my growing collection. With the onslaught of computer technology, finding your favorite old image has become a lot easier! Now, with the aid of home printers and copiers, it is easier than ever to reprint your own images...

I have my favorites artists for sure...Frances Brundage, Maud Humphrey and Ellen Clapsaddle are at the top of my list. Besides all being women, their beautiful portrayal of little children and gorgeous young ladies continually intrigues me. In addition, all three successfully captured holiday gatherings and family times at their best. Whether it be Christmas, New Years, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Political Events, Easter, the Birth of a New Baby, Baptism, Christening or just daily living, they were masters at their talent... I'd give almost anything to have met even one of them.

I have other favorites, but none pull at my heartstrings like Ms. Brundage, Ms. Humphrey and Ms. Clapsaddle. Harrison Fisher is my favorite artist of sophisticated women! He was brilliant!

Ms. Brundage lost her only child, a beautiful little girl when she was only 17 months old and never had another child...maybe the profound loss was why she loved to paint little children so much...

PRINTED COTTON PANEL

~MAUD HUMPHREY IMAGE~
My Favorite of All Her Famous Artwork

This beautiful image of a little girl in tears is one of my favorite prints by Maud Humphrey! I couldn't resist making it into a charming little Pillow... Perfect as an "I'm Sorry" or "I Miss You" gift...don't you think? (Offered up on eBay today!) Ms. Humphrey is the mother of movie star, Humphrey Bogart. She has painted many deeply loved portraits of children and her work is still highly collectible!

~CLAPSADDLE VINTAGE POSTCARD~

My All-time FAVORITE Artist

Ellen Clappsaddle died penniless and at a fairly young age. Truly tragic! Most (if not all) of her original artwork was lost when many of the factories in Europe burned to the ground. I like to believe she is smiling down on the world from heaven, happy to see new life given to her beloved paintings and artwork. She would, no doubt, be a millionaire today! I hope she knows how much we all love her work and how valued she was as an artist!

Blessings to you as you enjoy the lasting beauty from gifted, talented hands like Frances, Ellen & Maud...Rebecca

"LOVE IS..." and OTHER THINGS THAT MATTER

LOVE IS...taking her to the sales!
(Specifically...Estate, Tag, Garage & Junk!)

Well, it's Wednesday again and time to share with you another one of my LOVE IS...clippings! It's been sooo much fun to meander my way through over 200 old love letters to find the BEST of the best "LOVE IS..." clippies my then "boyfriend/fiancé" tucked inside. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry as I wander down memory lane...

Now...it goes without saying that I am a Junk-Sale Maven! :) If I find something that can be re-purposed I'm gonna drag that baby home with me and decide LATER what I'm gonna do with her! My entire house is full of such finds and my two storage sheds, too!

Now...my guy knows me. He does! I always start the day saying "There are X amount of sales...let's go to four!". Invariably if the first three sales are BUST then the list will suddenly grow longer! :) Nothing is more disappointing than coming home empty-handed! So, it's quite feasible that we I will change my mind about the 'four stops' and end up visiting ten or twelve sales instead... This of course makes my Mr.AGPMan quite crazy happy!

Now...when it comes to just "regular shopping"...well...that is another story. He will not tag along! No way, NAUTA!! He will NOT go to the Mall and if I ask him to (even extra nicely) his handsome face turns into something close to that of a rabid dog. It's best for me to shop for girly girl things (and the like) alone! Besides, if he is with me when I'm hunting down all those fabulous SALES, then he KNOWS exactly what I spend save!

Blessings to you as share time with the one you love...Rebecca

~PAINTED FURNITURE - Vintage ARMOIRE with Pink Roses

PAINTED PRETTIES

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a POST about doing some work for a local Antique Shoppe...remember? My hubby and I have a couple of friends who own a fabulous store in Oklahoma City and asked if I would be interested in doing some custom work. I thought you all might like to see a few of the finished products lovingly transformed! These lovely old finds will soon be offered up for sale in their beautiful antique market! They deal mostly with vintage wardrobes and their store is truly 2die4! I snapped all but one of these pictures yesterday afternoon outside on my driveway so they aren't that great! I so hope you can see enough of what was done to appreciate how wonderful scratched, dented, dinged and damaged vintage furniture can turn out when treated with some TLC and love...

VINTAGE CEDAR CHEST

This fabulous old chest is absolutely amazing! The inside was absolutely pristine but the outside was coated with some garish faux finish that was sadly overdone... LESS I tell you...LESS is more! (Trust me, girls!)

VINTAGE PIE-CRUST TABLE

I have a weakness for old tables and would have considered keeping this one had I the room for just one more...sadly, I don't! Charming, petite and soooo shabby!

TOP EDGE OF PIE-CRUST TABLE

This little beauty simply stole my heart away! I just love her! I just MAY have to offer her up for sale on my website...or eBay! Not sure yet...we'll see! Email me if you want more information!

VINTAGE WARDROBE

I'm telling you as honestly as I can...there is nothing that is sweeter than an old Wardrobe that has been painted and graced with hand painted artwork (simply stated, pink roses!). They make a statement in a room that cannot be equaled. Leave the new stuff at the pre-fab furniture stores and bring a sweet old one home with you if you can...timeless and forever lovely! You won't be sorry!

UP-CLOSE ARTWORK

I've gone crazy-wild painting things in my home. I will ALWAYS believe "Less is More" when it comes to painted pieces...but I HAVE become a bit more daring with some of my own finds. Things I've put off for years are finally being transformed. It is so much fun...it is a real joy to take something that has lived beyond it's prime and breathe new life into it.

If you are ever in Oklahoma City and want to check out some of these "can't ship" items (except the table) for yourself, stop into "THE RINK GALLERY"! I promise you...it's worth the drive and you may even return home with a treasure or two.

Blessings to you as you become creative, challenged and changed...Rebecca

~REPORTING TO JAIL...I'M MEAN ...JURY!~

REPORTING FOR SERVICE YOUR HONOR

I simply have nothing to say today except...

"I'll see you again when I've served my time!"

Blessings to you and kudos to me as I willingly serve my country :)...Rebecca

~NEVER LET THE MUSIC DIE INSIDE YOU~ My 100th Post!!!

CEDARLANE JUNIOR HIGH - 1972

Spring Talent Show

Growing up on Sigman Street brought many changes to my life, but none more lovely than those I experienced during the summer months of 1971. I was twelve years old and "technically" still a little girl. Even though I flirted with Mabelline's Great Lash Mascara and Avon's Ginger- Rose Blush, I had yet to master anything even remotely close to being "grown-up". I loved wearing my corduroy pants of powder blue and I was rarely seen without my navy deck shoes. That is, of course, unless it was Sunday! I always wore dresses on Sunday! Wearing pants to church back then, well...that might have been pretty close to sinning. With my daddy being a Preacher-Man and all, he sorta frowned on those types of things (can you even imagine that today?). I was better off just wearing a dress and keeping my personal opinions about fashion to myself. He wouldn't have understood anyway...

It was a hot mid-summer day, the first Monday after the 4th of July (why I recall that I do not know!), when I first remember asking begging my Father for a guitar. I dreamed of learning to play since attending tween church camp the summer before and had chatted non-stop about it for a solid year. My daddy was a lover of country music so convincing him was easy...it was finding the extra money for the guitar that proved to be the challenge. Still, he somehow found a way to purchase me a tiny acoustic $15 guitar and ten, thirty-minute lessons. By the time school began in mid September I hoped to be able to play at least a song or two~ By the following Spring I knew enough about my musical friend to enter the talent contest hosted by my junior high school. I sang and played a song called "Bright New World" by Flo Price and won 2nd place. My bestest friend, Becky Blanchette won first place pretending to be Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl...(Beck was fabulous and even now I know she deserved to win!).

SINGING IN THE CHOIR

8th Grade

COLORADO SPRINGS

1975-1976

To my surprise learning to play the guitar came easy to me and for the next three years or so I was never without my trusted, six-stringed friend. When I was 15 years old my father bought me another guitar, this one albeit a bit on the fancy side. She was golden yellow with highlights of scarlet red. Scrolly white Roses complemented her black pick guard and I truly believed I had died and gone to heaven. She was $50, case included, and I felt very blessed by the sacrificial gift. She traveled with me everywhere I went and I loved her so much! She wooed me out of my shell and also encouraged me to develop a deep, lasting bond with my father. He loved to hear me sing(actually, he loved to hear all FOUR of his children sing). He was the one responsible for helping me land a little singing "gig" at the Colorado Springs "Blue House"...a tiny "coffee-haus" for college students that served up live local talent and complementary bagels and cream cheese. I thought I'd hit the big time!

When I met my hubby and we started dating my little guitar was there. When our relationship grew serious, it was my stringed companion who helped me write songs about love and faith and family...even more about life and death, loss and longing...fear, joy, regret and restoration.

The years sped on...

I grew older...

Things changed...

Life happened...

I cannot say exactly just when it was that I turned away from my songbird of many years. Truthfully, I have a wide gap in my memory here... I know the early demands of motherhood played a part in silencing the voice of my friend and sadly she stood alone for months at a time without making a sound. Money was tight and free time was a rarity for me. I was an adult now...busy raising two tiny children and being a wife to my beloved. He would ask me once in awhile to "play and sing" but I was always too busy tending to my life and making a home. My goal was to help provide food and shelter for my family and there was little time for things like song-writing or singing without pay...

So, on a cold winter day in late 1984, a month or two after my Adrie-Girl was born, I sold my little guitar for $85...case included. I had groceries to buy and a light bill to pay. My hubby was at work, and for months and months thankfully wasn't the wiser...

The years sped on...

Things changed...

My children grew older...

Life happened...

Last Saturday, as usual, my Mr. AGPMan and I slummed around town for cottage treasures. The day was full of visits to places we've grown to love and even a dive or two (just to SEE if there was anything good there!). The next day was Mother's Day and we planned to be home early to get things ready for the celebration. Family, food, faith, food, faith and family...that's us!

As we pulled close to the corner of a street not far from our home my hubby suddenly turned into a familiar parking lot.

"I've gotta run in here really quick!" he said "Come with me!"

I looked up as he parked in front of a shop I hadn't been in since my children were in grade school. It was our local music store and I must have driven by it over a thousand times in the past 10 years. Knowing my guy was getting his Clarinet re-padded, I jumped out of our SUV and thought nothing about joining him at the door.

As we stepped past the threshold he smiled and said...

"Let's look around!"

I'm thinking...What? We've gotta get home! Mother's Day is tomorrow!

My guy continued to chatter...

"Wow! They have guitars here, Baber!! Play one for me!"

I eyed the gorgeous displays of high and low-end guitars in the music store~ They were all so beautiful...'just like my long-lost friend' I thought...

With that I whispered

"You know I can't play anymore!"

"Will you try?" he said

"Play for me, Baber...Remember? Like you use to?

I picked up the shiny new guitar the salesman brought out and sat down to strum her tightly wound strings... As I looked in the direction of my husband of 30 years, the one who had always been there, always seen me through tide, through the good and the bad, the want and the plenty, the joy and the sorrow, I saw the face of one who longed to hear again the familiar voice of his youth...

MOTHER'S DAY 2009

~Home at Last~

It was then I knew I'd been had. It had been my guy's plan all along to get me into this store...

on this day...for this reason.

"Happy Mother's Day from your children and I" he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes~

"Practice up! Your daddy and I have been waiting a long, long time..."

Blessings to you as you allow the music to live on and on...

Rebecca

~MORE VICTORIAN DIE-CUTS...With Love To You~

LOVE TOKENS BOOK

On May 4th I did a Posting on a fabulous vintage inspired book I found at Tuesday Morning! Did any of you venture out and find a copy of that delightful book for yourself? I hope you did! I continue to me mesmerized by it...truly lovely!

Last Saturday my Mr.AGPMan and I did more running around (that is a nice way of saying we were out "JUNKIN'!")and while out and about I stopped into one of the Tuesday Morning Stores in Oklahoma City. I, of course, was looking for another one of the fabulous Die-Cut Books I'd found a couple of weeks before.

I was sad when one wasn't to be found! I was scanning the racks for a book in a specific color and nothing even came close to the book I'd snagged a few days before... It was then I noticed hiding on one of the jam-packed shelves another book that looked oddly familiar! I pulled it out and sure enough it was from the same manufacturer and showcased even more delightfully sweet, vintage inspired graphics and die-cuts!

Intended for a Grandmother, the book was equally as beautiful as the one I purchased on my last outing. I was in heaven...

ONE OF MANY BEAUTIFUL PAGES

DECORATIVE ENVELOPES OPEN UP...

SOME OF WHAT YOU'LL SEE INSIDE!

ONE OF MY FAVORITES

My Grandma passed away last November when she was almost 92. She would have loved this book and I purchased it in memory of her. I proudly display it in my little guestroom as a reminder of her love for me and my love for her! It's safe next to the bed her great-great granddaughter, our beautiful Miss K, sleeps in when she spends the night.

CHARMING DIE-CUTS...THE BEST!

PROMISE...THEY'LL WARM YOUR HEART!

AN AMAZING PRICE...LESS THAN $5 BUCKS!

I hope if you love this charming book as much as I do you'll be able to squeeze in some time to hunt one down!

Blessings to you as you venture out on another beautiful Saturday...Rebecca