ROOM FOR CHANGE...Updated Shabby Cottage Chic Style

GUESTROOM SHOWN 2004-2005
Shades of Sugar Pink

In September 2005 Romantic Homes Magazine came all the way to Oklahoma for a photo shoot of my La Chaumière de Briarwood (The Briarwood Cottage). It was a very exciting time in my life even though I didn't have the first CLUE as to what I was doing. I have to laugh about it today because I would do things so differently now if I had the chance...

I promised to show you some pictures of parts of my home and I thought it would be fun to show you what our little guestroom looked like about five years ago. Back then the walls were painted a soft sugar pink with the furniture a fresh, crisp white. The vintage metal bed was from the 1940's and even though it was charming I longed to find something different.

Now, I love pink! I do! I do! It's my favorite color and always has been. Still, as my taste for cottage style decorating changed I found myself moving towards an even softer, lighter look and feel for the room! By adding a darling vintage 4 poster bed, an old refurbished door, a vintage sewing machine cabinet (that doubles as a table) and a sweet sewing chair the room was easily transformed. I updated the linens, changed the throw pillows, added a gorgeous old chandelier and with the addition of a small metal bench at the foot of the bed the room took on an entirely updated, fresh and clean appearance. More romantic, less whimsy...

GUESTROOM 2009

Shades of Soft Taupe

HALLWAY INTO GUESTROOM

Let it be said that I'm into to changing things! The room has been given a repaint job and now proudly shows off a soft shade of pale taupe. The furniture, all gently distressed, is my favorite cottage white. Although I'm constantly moving things around I must also tell you that I'm into recycling most all the finds I discover. Several times over in fact! Everything shown in the pink room (except the bed) is now being used somewhere else in my home...

Mr. AGPMan's OLD OFFICE 2004

Before we jostled some things around to make better use of the rooms in our home, my Mr. AGPMan's office was upstairs. It was your typical "man room" and sported little style (sorry honey!). About a year ago his designated space :) was moved downstairs and I took over the room and turned it into a pretty retreat. It's been transformed it into a place where I sit and read. Since this picture was taken I've painted the cabinet doors with shabby pink roses and...

TRANSFORMED INTO MY SITTING ROOM

flipped the desk to the other side of the room! I love it much more this way! The vintage Tell City Bench below is now under the window which provides wonderful lighting when I curl up with my favorite weekly read!

SWEET TELL CITY BENCH

You'll notice some of the things in the Sitting Room pictures have been moved into the Guest Room! I told you I move things around!!!

I PROMISE before Summer's End I will show you more pictures of my home! Currently we are working on our space-challenged Master Bedroom! That's the room I gave you a sneak-peak of a few days ago!

Blessings to you as you find the potential in your own beautiful home...Rebecca

LOVING the OVERLOOKED and a Morsel of Kindess

~A MORSEL OF KINDNESS?~

One day last week I visited our local bookseller. If possible I would spend an entire day there wandering through the perfectly aligned rows of beautifully illustrated, well written books. Since I'm not afforded that much idle time I choose instead to visit the store about once every couple of weeks...more if I'm seeking out something special. I love to sit in their comfy chairs and prop my feet up on one of their cushy footstools while relaxing the minutes (if not hours) away! Books comfort me...being around them just makes me feel good...maybe even a tad bit smarter! More often than not I grab myself a cup of Cappuccino before paying for my latest good read and then drive back towards the sanctuary of both hearth and home. This is a sweet part of my life! My good, happy, contented, wonderful LIFE and truthfully~I sorta love it!

It was upon exiting the parking lot of the book shoppe that I saw him. Just to the right of me, he stood there alone while holding a sign that said...

"PLEASE HELP - Will Work For Food - God Bless"

Now~I try to be a nice person! I'm more than benevolent at times. But, I must admit...I WAS perturbed and irritated when I saw the scribbled words sprawled across the dirty cardboard... On the inside I was even thinking...

"Gosh~ Another beggar man!!??? They are everywhere these days! Get a job and quit expecting me to hand over my hard-earned money to you so you can go and drink it away!"

Truthfully I wanted to pull my car into the nearest right hand lane to avoid meeting the beggar eye to eye. But since the shortest drive back to my house was only possible by going left, I had no choice but to steer my car directly in front of the man...

Now...as hard as I tried NOT to look at the wayfaring stranger beside me, I couldn't help it. For, regardless of WHAT it was that brought this fellow human being to this questionable fork in the road, I could be thankful for at least one thing at the moment...I wasn't him! And, his burdens were not mine...

Or were they?

The spirit of God tugged a bit at my heart that afternoon as I patiently waited (begged) for the red light to change to green. I was languishing in my air-conditioned, late model SUV, suffering in silence when I found myself begin to slowly turn my head in his direction.

"Why do you judge him so harshly, Rebecca?" I heard an inner voice say...

The man's face was swollen and his hands were gnarled. Although he looked much older I decided he was probably born not more than a year or two before me. His shoes were ripped and worn and his hat cast only a small shadow over his noticeably blue eyes...

"You can spare a dollar or two, can't you?" the inner voice whispered...

"No, I can't! Not again! Turn GREEN, Light!"

With only a quick glance my way the beggar man offered up what seemed like a sincere smile and then walked directly past my car to the waving hand behind me... Before he could again shuffle by my car's window, I was rescued by the changing signal...

For whatever it is worth I felt terribly guilty during the entire fifteen minute drive back to my home. My shame didn't come from keeping the few dollars safely hidden within my pocket. No...it came from the attitude I'd formed long before I even turned my car onto the busy street...the unspoken words that said "I'm better than you! More of a success! While you beg...I work!"

My thoughts were the shackles...

I heard it said once that servanthood requires little skill and certainly no degree. Regardless of our gifts, strengths, training or church attendance, we all can love the lost.

When we share joy with the lonely child, befriend the foreign student, speak kindly to the welfare mother, minister to the suffering or give alms to the poor, we show our love for the Lord. After all, he dresses in the garb of the forgotten...

"Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me~you did it to me". (Matthew 25-40-MSG).

Blessings to you as you lay your thoughts and attitudes at the feet of the Most High...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