Thoughts from Alice W.

Artful Blogging...

Some months ago, I was approached by Christen Olivarez, the editor of Artful Blogging, to write an article about my blog. I was stunned and so excited...and felt a little guilty.... since I had been given the chance to write an article about my former blog for Somerset Life previously.

She knew that though, and encouraged me that the readers would still be interested.

As the deadline drew near...I drew a blank. I typically have lots and lots of thoughts swirling in my head...but this time...writer's block.

That's when I started reflecting on what my blog was all about. My thoughts...simple as that.

So, that's what I decided to write. My thoughts on blogging...my experiences...the highs and lows...and my advice to other bloggers out there. Now, these thoughts are by no means profound or even that enlightening, I suppose. But they are real. And that is what I wanted to share. Something real.

Being perfectly honest, sometimes this whole "blogging" thing gets me down...........very down.

And then I get more down beating myself up for getting down about a blog!

But...it's true...I do...

I spend nights lying awake wondering if anyone will care what I have to say...

Or why can't I be as perfect as some others seem...or as happy as they always seem...

Or how do they keep their homes always so spotless...

Or why do some bloggers out there get 90 comments every time...and some...only get 1 or 2?

Or how does everyone else make time to write posts so often and always take time to read and write thoughtful comments on so many others? {this one always puzzles me since I can never seem to keep up}

And...does anyone else ever feel as lonely as I do out there...in this vast blogland?

But of course.....I convince myself, they do not. For surely, everyone else has it all figured out. They are confident in themselves and don't question these things like I do, right?

And lately, some of these things have been weighing on me quite heavily. Which is why I have not been posting or visiting as often. Sometimes, I need to heed my own advice, like in the article that I wrote, and step back...and reconnect with who I am. Remembering that how God made me is perfect. Perfectly imperfect. And that when I am enjoying that...I will flourish...and the resentments, the fears, the doubts...will all beautifully slip away...

So as I dust myself off...and grasp the hand of God to lift me up...I am looking to him for my fulfillment. Not blog comments, not comparisons to others who may be more "inspiring" than I, or envying those who have seemingly perfect lives, because I know they don't...and that perhaps, even they have moments like I do...wavering...wondering...questioning it all...

Or better yet, even if they don't, and somehow their lives are actually just perfect, that that is okay. It's okay that mine isn't because it is still a beautiful one...filled with the ones I love, a life that I love even when it's hard...and most importantly, that it is filled with the love of a God who is so big and yet so small...that he can understand all of these thoughts of mine and find each one important...

So for those of you who happen upon my article in the magazine...I hope that it will encourage you...even if it is only in some small way...and if you ever find yourself wondering any of these questions {and others} just know that you aren't alone...I have thought them too. And then in that thought...the loneliness disappears...

Till next time...

Mount Vernon Estate

 

History in person...that's how I like it...

I have a hard time reading history books...or watching programs on television...but bring me to a place filled with history in person, and my mind lights up with intrigue.

That is what happened this past weekend when Joshua and I went down to Virginia. We stayed with his parents who were so generous to take us on lovely outings while we visited.

I went shopping with my mother-in-law on Friday and saw some amazing shops. One that I really enjoyed was WhiteBench. They had lots of burlap pillows and burlap covered French chairs. Loads of chippy white furniture and unique finds. You can check out their website to see a taste of what they have. I was wishing I had brought my camera, but sadly, I left it behind. The towns we visited were so quaint and charming with lots of friendly people. I even picked up a couple of things at some thrift shops we visited.

Then on Saturday {Halloween} we drove over to Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens...aka...George Washington's house...

The mansion was stunning. I fell in love with the dining room and all of the character throughout. It was also amazing to stand where George Washington stood...where so much of our American history was made...

Photos aren't allowed indoors...but you can view a virtual tour on the website...or better yet...visit if you are ever in the area...

Across from the mansion is the Potomac river. It is quite an incredible view and was beautiful to see with the leaves falling.

There are many other buildings and sites to see while you are there including the Greenhouse and gardens. Since it is fall there isn't too much blooming right now...but I can only imagine how beautiful the gardens are in the spring and summer...

{there is a large fleur-de-lis in the shrubbery above...hard to photograph but Joshua and I enjoyed finding it.}

They also have lots of live animals around...

This sleepy one reminded me of Renoir ;)

And speaking of Renoir...since it was Halloween on the day we visited the estate, we didn't get back until around 8pm, so most of the trick-or-treaters were done...but we dressed Renoir up anyways...

Here's Mr. "Boo" Jangles...

{Joshua picked up this adorable shirt collar and tie on Etsy from Whiskerkisses}

Well, I feel like I keep saying the same thing...about being busy and not having time for blogging...but again...it will be a busy month ahead for me. I have been given a very exciting opportunity in about 3 weeks that I will be preparing for and sharing when the time comes closer. I do so wish I had more hours in the day so I could come visit all of you. I truly do miss seeing what you are all up to...but again I hope you will understand and know that you are all in my thoughts during the day ;)

Till next time...

Happy Halloween

The night of tricks and treats will soon be upon us...

What are you going to be this year?

Joshua, Renoir and I are headed out of town early Thursday morning and will be making our way down to Virginia to enjoy the weekend with his parents. Joshua will be helping his dad build a garage, while I will be busy trying to keep Renoir out of trouble at their house ;) {don't be fooled...he looks like a little angel...but he can get into mischief in the blink of an eye}

Renoir has a little costume that we will be dressing him up in...and I will be sure to share photos when we return {at some point that is - I have a growing list of posts that I have wanted to write...still balancing...see the previous post for details on that ;)}

The shop will be closed while we are away and will reopen on Monday, November 2nd.

Till then...I will leave with you these happy pumpkins I spotted on an outing a few weeks back...

And...be sure to check out the current 'Vignette of the Moment' over at Romantic Vignettes...it will surely get you inspired for Halloween!

Wishing you all a very safe and Happy Halloween!

Till next time...

 

Balancing Act...

Life is certainly one big balancing act...and one that I more often find...I have a hard time balancing. 

Laundry gets piled up, dishes fill the sink, orders need to be shipped out, the dining room table is no where in sight, the tub needs scrubbing, the floors need mopping, the dog needs walking, dinner needs cooking, bills need paying, a friend pops over who needs encouragement, emails sit waiting to be replied to...and on and on and on...

So...for those of you wondering where I have been ;) I am just popping in to let you know that I'm still here...just working on this balancing thing...and when I find myself there...blogging is typically the first thing to fall off...my apologies to my faithful readers for that. 

Josh and I celebrated our anniversary on the 1st and had a wonderful day...{and I did take a few pics and have a story for you...to share when the "balancing gets balanced" shall we say} 

I have also been very busy preparing an engagement party for my sister this coming Saturday...which has taken up most of my time...I really want to make is special for her and her fiance...so I will be away for just a little bit longer...

Just wanted to let you know, in case you might be wondering ;)

I hope that all of you are blessed and encouraged this week...

Till next time...

 
{oh and...do you like my new white teacups? I got them for 25 cents each at a thrift store last week. I love them!}

Renoir Helps Give Back...

Over the summer, Renoir and I were made aware of a great cause coordinated by Kelee at the Katillac Shack for one of her Design Gives Back projects, by our dear blogging friends Tracie {of My Petite Maison} and Zeke {Renoir's pal}...

All we had to do, to offer our small part in helping displaced pets, is decorate the free scarf sent to us for the project. Renoir was kind enough to sit still long enough for me to photograph him in it as well {his part in the mission}...which earned him a "Creative Hero Award"...he really is my creative little hero ;)

Be sure to watch the amazing video put together about this project...it brought tears to my eyes as I am sure it will for many of you {you can find Renoir in frame 7:43 ;) } and visit the Katillac Shack to view all of the participants, join in the party and enter the giveaway!

 

*   *   *   *

In other news...Joshua and I will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary on the 1st and have some romantic plans for the day that I am sure I will share with you later in the week...till then...I hope that this beautiful fall season is treating you all well...

Till next time...

A Vintage Halloween

Halloween is quickly approaching...and for those of you who enjoy decorating for this spooky holiday...I created a line of black and white themed decorations and ornaments to help you celebrate...

Will you be the Queen of Tricks............or.............Treats this year?

You can store all your best tricks and treats in these paper cones...

 

 

 

Greet your guests with a charmingly frightful garland banner...

A ruffled ornament to decorate your Halloween tree should you have one...

Or if you prefer...a set of vintage Lucky Number ornaments...

And if you prefer to create your own...we are stocked with supplies to spark your Halloween imagination...

Like our Pumpkin & Noir ruffled crepe paper...

Glittered candy corn picks...

or if you prefer them without "sugar"...

We also have a full stock of chenille stems...in 'Pumpkin & Noir'...

Noir {black}...

and Blanc {white}...

We also offer tinsel stems in Gold & Silver Twists...

Gold...

and Silver...

Click here to view our entire Vintage Halloween Collection

We hope that you enjoy our holiday offerings...and have a very SpOoKY HaLLoWeEn!

Till next time...

Early Autumn...

 

Like many of you...autumn is my absolute favorite time of year.

I love the crisp, cool breezes, brilliant shades of the leaves turning, and that undeniable scent of fall that wafts in one day and you know...it's here.

There are signs of it all around and my spirit is awakened...renewed...and longing for this warm, welcoming and blessed season...

Mums are everywhere...

My sweet neighbor Bev, has a beautiful sunflower growing...

We recently picked up some white gourds to bring the feeling into our home a little bit early this year...

In our home...I still strive to create a "white" and romantic look for fall...with white pumpkins, white and pale green gourds, and accents in shades from cream to caramel to rusty brown...

I won't start decorating indoors for a few more weeks...but enjoyed setting up the little vignette above on the front porch to start setting the mood...

This time of year...much like spring...gets me in the mood for change and creating a fresh home that is cleaned, organized and beautifully arranged...

I am in the process of redoing the living room, dining room, and kitchen...the above vignette is displayed in our corner cabinet that we placed in the dining room for a change.

And the kitchen...which can definitely use a good cleaning right about now...is also getting a bit of a transformation with all white, cream, brown and black accents {time for the pinks, pastels, and floral pieces to find a new home}...

I suppose we can keep the cobwebs on the chandelier for Halloween... ;)

Once I get more done around here, I will share more photos of the transformations.

*  *  *  *  *

I have some exciting news to share that pertains to fall as well...recently I had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl of Casual Cottage Chic {who recently created her own blog so do be sure to stop by and say hello}, who enjoys shopping at Painted White and who loves my shop so much that she mentioned it to Jacqueline, the editor of Romantic Homes magazine. Cheryl must have quite a pull with the folks over there, because not too long after she wrote to them, I heard from Jacqueline saying that my shop would be featured in an upcoming issue! Cheryl was kind enough to send the November issue out to me early, so I could get a sneak peek {mine always seems to come so late}..

I was thrilled with how it turned out...

This issue should come out soon and four other great websites are listed along with mine so be sure to check it out!

Well, I hope that for most of you, you are enjoying the early signs of fall as well...

Till next time...

My Guy...

 

he's quiet...and often shy...

the sweetest guy I have ever known...

always a gentleman...

supporter of all of my hopes and dreams {no matter how crazy}...

finder of things that make my heart swoon...

hardworking but not a complainer...

faithful in everything...

best dad to Renoir...

my best friend...and soulmate...

Happy Birthday my Love ;) .........I hope 28 is the best year yet.....and am looking forward to all of the ones we have together ahead...

Till next time...

New Treasures...

My giveaway winnings from Mira arrived over the weekend and left me speechless and overjoyed. Just look at the delightful wrapping...{I always swoon over creatively beautiful gift wrappings}...

She even included the little winning slip with my name on it which made me smile, along with several extra little trinkets that I wasn't expecting...

Everything she sent was impeccably beautiful...her photograph note cards are gorgeous and her bookmarks are of the highest quality - I even started using them. But I have to say...this handmade Farine heart is my most favorite...

I quickly found a home for it in the dining room hutch...

...near a set of vintage canisters and some white pom flowers that I bought for myself over the weekend {I thoroughly enjoyed photographing these as you will see in the rest of this post}

Thank you again Mira for offering such a beautiful giveaway!

Mira's gifts are not the only new treasures I have gotten as of late. We decided to stop by the flea market on Sunday and came away with some of the best treasures we have gotten there yet...so I had an impromptu photo shoot with them today {and the pom flowers} and thought I would share them with you here...

Our first find was spotted by Joshua as soon as we arrived...and marked at only $2.00 we couldn't resist...

The chair is a pale shade of mint green and folds up nicely...a perfect patio chair.

You can see in this photo another fabulous new treasure as well...an urn that my dad found for me. He certainly knows my taste. He also found us a great old bookshelf that I will share at a later date...

I adore these flowers...this bouquet was only $5.99 at our local Wegmans grocery market...

The second find of the day was this beautiful covered dish for only $1.00 {at these prices all of my "let's stop buying stuff that we don't have room for" philosophy goes right out the window}...

Isn't it beautiful...

Another 'Joshua' find was this great old pitcher and bowl lamp that we purchased from the sweetest old man...

It had a rather unattractive sheer fabric glued to the top of the lamp shade...but that was easily removed...someone else had already painted the rest white. I love the idea of this type of "empty" shade and have been wanting one for some time. I think I will find {or attempt to make} a beaded light bulb cover for the bulb and it will be perfect...

Feeding my personal vintage jewelry habit {I have so much, my jewelry boxes don't even close anymore}...I found this great necklace...and for only fifty cents...

and these earrings for only $2.00...hints of black have been finding their way into my wardrobe more and more these days...

This grouping came together in a bag and the pieces will most likely make their way into creations at some point...

Josh and I spotted this vintage Holy Family tapestry rug at the same time and asked how much...only $3.00. It was attached to a frame and came ready to hang...

Most people would probably find it gaudy or unattractive I suppose...but for us...we fell in love with it ;)

This Madonna statue was undoubtedly my favorite find of the day...

 

She was a little "pricey" for me at $8.50...and the lowest I could get the guy to go down was $7.00...but I felt she was worth it...

I am definitely enjoying photographing her...{you'll probably see a lot of her around in the future}

Sticking with the vintage religious finds...several weeks back I found this old Confirmation certificate and forgot to share it here...

The details are so beautiful. It was rolled up and when I pulled it open I couldn't believe what a great find it was...and for only $1.00...

It's dated May 1928...

And these sweet nuns were given to me by my sister {they belonged to her fiance's mother who recently passed away so they are very dear pieces}...

Back to our flea market excursion...when I spotted this glass lamp I was smitten. The tag read $45.00 and stated that it was depression glass from the forties with the original shade {it was the shade that really got me}...

When I picked it up to admire it, I had no hopes of getting it at that price {I...err Josh...was quickly running out of cash}...but the woman selling it said she would give it to me for $15.00. Sold.

Then...with only $3.00 dollars left with us...we were finishing up...I looked over a table and didn't see much but a white frame sticking out under some books. I walked away...

But got that "feeling" that I should just go back and check what was in the frame...

If you ever get that feeling...I strongly encourage you to go back...look what I would have missed had I not...

This beautiful botanical print is dated May 1, 1796...and is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. And guess how much? $3.00...{well...really $4.00 but I asked the lovely woman selling her if she would take $3.00 and she said yes}

I was so delighted with my new treasures...and really hope you have enjoyed my "photo shoot" with them...I'll leave you with some more pics of my flowers {bought these for myself because I had to go to a jury summons and was really  nervous - my first time ever - and wanted a little something to brighten my day}

{the beautiful rhinestone cross pendant came from Milli and I attached it to one of my favorite vintage beaded necklaces}

Till next time...

The Work of Her Hands...

Well, I have finally recovered...still a little congested...but much better than I was before. Thank you so much for all of the well wishes. They helped get me through ;)

I was thrilled to  be able to reopen the shop and get most of what I had hoped to accomplished. You will notice a fresh look {again}...perhaps I am addicted to change? I just cannot help myself...just like my home...I always have to "spice" things up a bit..

There is also a new layout. I hope that you find it easy to navigate. One of the struggles I have with my web host, is that I do not love 100% any of the layout options they offer for navigating - which is another reason that I am always changing things...trying to find the best one to help customers move around easily. I know that this new one is not perfect...but for now it works. The shop categories are now at the top and page links on the bottom. I also made all of the product thumbnails larger, which I hope you enjoy and that it makes for easier viewing.

I was delighted to have some of you stop by on opening day and take some things home with you already! For the rest of you, who haven't had a chance to head over, I thought I would share some of the new things that you will find. Today, I thought I would share some of the jewelry that I have worked on for the past several months that you can now find in our The Adorned Life collection under Bijoux...many of these pieces are created with vintage components and all have an air of vintage romance...

Vintage Romance Collection

Crystal Grandeur...

Crème et Noir...

Liaison in Lace...{Sold}

Quite Contrary...{Sold}

 

Blanc et Bleu...

Romantic Fleur...

Her Heart Flutters...

India 1942...

 

Ivory Fleur... {one of these is already heading to this sweet lady}

Morning Dew...{Sold, but we will restock soon}

Religious Relics Collections

My personal favorite of all of my recent pieces is this charm bracelet...filled with my absolute favorite vintage finds that I have saved for years for something special. {Many more Religious Relic pieces to come soon}

Lady of Fatima...{Sold}

There are two other Collections in our Bijoux category including our Eclectic Jardin and Remnants of Time {featuring Joshua's pieces}...I will share more from these later once I get more of the new pieces listed...

There are many more new items in the shop {over 50 have already been listed...and we aren't done yet!}...so I hope you will stop by and look around...

Every order placed, this month and next, receives a gift certificate for 25% off through the end of the year...perfect for holiday shopping!

Hope to have you stop by soon...

Till next time...