In the studio, Websters Chalk Paint projects

I've been in my element this past week...readying things for the Rustique Ranch Flea & Vintage Marketplace this weekend.  I really like the setting of this show and it's so easy and accessible for the vendors and show goers as well. 

 This is a great sofa table that will be great used as that, a sideboard in the dining area, entry table or even a desk for a narrow space. 

I did a bit of gluing and tightening up, then painted with True Value paint in Whale, mixed with Websters Chalk Paint Powder that I sell at McCoy True Value in Indianola.

Always starting with a clean, no chips or peeling paint, nice and sturdy, I put on two coats, then distressed on the edges, then I finished this piece with two coats of Minwax Polyurethane in satin.

 I have two metal desks that came out of a warehouse in Des Moines, Iowa.  Super cool and industrial.  I had fun with these pieces.









Cleaning and removing loose rusty areas were needed.  I then painted using the same True Value paint in Whale.  I then stenciled the chevron pattern, giving it a modern look.
After distressing with sand paper, I finished with Fiddes Wax in Jacobean, adding depth and interest.  I did then add two coats of poly for added durability.




I spray painted the original lucite (I hated to, but) handles in yellow and put some paper down inside for a more finished look.  I love how it turned out.

Perfect size for the entry way, a child's room or small area for writing, paying bills, etc.


Then, I had scraps of barn wood and rusty, corrugated metal decorative cut outs that I put together for some fun and interesting decorations for the home, deck, garden shed, etc.

I had allot of fun with these and have several.

If you'd be interested in my Chalk Paint workshops at McCoys or other areas, please email me your interest or comment here and I'll add you to my email news notices.
vintagegalbeth@gmail.com

First-timers to our farm

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It's a super day here in the rolling countryside of Warren County, Iowa.  It's brisk, yet the sunshine is deceiving.  It warms the sunroom, from which I post today.

I had some gal pals over this past Sunday.  They were first timers to our farm, and wanted a tour.  We've been here for eight years.  We've worked on many reno projects, and still have some to do.  I love to show off what we've worked so hard on.  Here's just a few snipets.  Enjoy!

the girly room in the house...for our granddaughter

Fabric~my inspiration piece for the room

a wall in our master bath

lace valances in the master bedroom

vintage wire basket turned light fixture

close up of the fall bounty display. i love the colors in the vintage enamel ware. the gourds were grown in our garden

looking on into the sitting room from the dining room

     small mirrored sconce refreshed with Websters Chalk Paint Powder and black paint i had on hand

more from the girly room

i really love these paintings and colors blend in perfectly with the inspiration chair fabric

close up

close up

the wall art changed out and a new lamp

ceramic birds...i love birds

a plaque in the guest bath...have you discovered your passion?

The Cardinal's visit

A crimson red cardinal is a sight to see.  They are beautiful.  They feel like royalty to me.  If there were to be a king and queen of the bird species, to me, it'd be the cardinal. 

I enjoy seeing the many birds that come and go from our birdfeeders on a daily basis.  They are just cute to watch and make me happy.  I can count on one hand the times a cardinal has been seen by me at the feeders...anywhere, actually. 

The very few times I've seen one up close and personal have been times that have been unsettling for me.  I find that very interesting.  I've spoken and written before of the two cardinals that showed up right after my Aunt Kay's funeral.  I was sitting on my front porch, with my husband, and two cardinals (my aunt's favorites) perched on a bush just over the rail by my arm, sat for just a few minutes, as if telling me, "all will be okay."  Then they flew off.  I found comfort in that.

Today is one of those days.  Life just seems to be out of balance for me right now.  I'm unsettled, a bit nervous and simply put, "out of sorts".  I've been here before, as most of us have been.  I'm ready to shake this feeling, though.  Need to shake this feeling.

As I sat down on my comfy couch, pondering the same things over and over, coffee in hand, I looked out my window and there sat a beautiful crimson cardinal.  All will be okay...all will be okay.  It almost brought tears to my eyes. 

It's amazing what seeing that little red bird did for me.  Hope.  I love that word.  I think it's very powerful and if a person doesn't have it, life can be challenging.  I think Hope helps us to survive the unsettling times, the nervous and stressful times.  Without hope, we have nothing. 

This crimson cardinal made me see again, the hope for my future.  It put a little bounce in my step and got a different thought process going for me.  Don't we all need that at times? 

I pray often.  Sometimes it's just me having a little talk with God.  I always feel his presence...always.  But, today...the past few days, I've needed a bit more, and I fully believe, God new that, and sent me the cardinal...

A crimson red cardinal paid me a visit today.  It was telling me all would be okay.

Inspired mornings...

Coffee in hand, I settle into my big, comfy sofa in the sunroom.  From this vantage point, I'm able to see the birds at our feeders, the daily coming-to-life of the trees in spring bloom, black cows dotting the landscape and green...our pastures, too, are coming to life.

I find this spot most mornings; and here I am inspired by my surroundings.  A story comes to mind, an idea for another decorating project, I'm reminded of a note I need to pen...I get inspired!

Yesterday, I spent some time with my drawing pad in hand, pencil at the ready.  I worked on my landscaping plan for our new entry way into the recently added mudroom. What colors will compliment?  Shade loving plants are a must...hostas, bleeding hearts, and coral bells are just a few of the plants that will find a home in that spot.  I want it to be very inviting and soothing.  Just a casual walk-way into my home that is void of lots of 'lotsa'...a delightful 'welcome' to my home.

As I started my plan, I quickly realized that it would become a bigger project, because, just like a home remodeling project...you can't just stop at one redo and call it good.  The one redo makes the other rooms look a bit outdated, tired, lackluster.  So, my landscape design continued around to the south side of my home.  The walnut trees will need to come down;  they'll make great planters or a spot for birdhouses.  I'll have to study the growth of the trees and see how that could work.

The southside of the house, with the walnut trees down, will be a great spot for a butterfly and bird attracting garden.  Do I go with a 'cottage' look?  I love wildflowers, too.  Maybe a little of both.  A definate must...a birdbath or two...or three.

Well, I can't stop there.  If I do, the whole east side of the house will look bare not complete.  I can continue the southside landscaping plan here, too.  Not to stop there, it'll have to continue around to the front of the porch and wrap on around to the north side of the mudroom addition...another shade loving garden here, too.

As I sit here with my inspiring thoughts, I'm reminded that none of it will get done while I'm sitting here...dreaming, drawing and not doing.  So, it's off I go.  First things first...I have to mow. 

Springtime Sights and Sounds

From a distance, I can hear the growl of a caterpillar moving dirt. The farmer, our neighbor, is terracing his field...a little conservation practice going into effect.


Outside my window, birdsong floods the air. It's so light and airy, a pleasant sound for the senses. Baby cows beller, teeny tiny sheep frolic and play.


In the early morning, just before dawn, the birds wake me from my slumber. What a great way to be awakened. Slowly, but surely, the sounds invade my mind. One eye opens, then the other. The birdsong is drowned out by my other senses. Then I concentrate and listen more intently. I crack my window to hear it more clearly. I love it.


Somewhere else, in the distance, I hear the whir of tires on pavement, as people travel to work. I'm sure their radios are up and there minds are on the day at hand. Did they hear the birds when they made their way to their car? Did they take in the sights and sounds of the early morning dawn...springtime sounds?


Springtime sights...an earlier rain greened up the lawn. Lawn mowers are in driveways being prepared for their duty...surely to be used sooner, rather than later.


Soon, tractors with planters, grasshopper-like vehicles will be trolling down the road, one farm field to the other, readying the fields for a crop that will soon be prolific in the countryside.


Fresh mown hay...I love the scent, will be rolled into bundles. Small squares will dot the horizon. A group of young men will be seen throwing the small bales onto a haywagon. Strong, hot and sweaty.


Springtime sights and sounds will give way to tall stalks of corn, stubby bean bushes and then, before we know it...fall harvest. A whole new world will awaken the senses again.


I love the sights and sounds of spring. Faith, hope and new beginnings.  I'm Inspired...oh, to be an inspiration!

Cardinal watch

Today, from our comfy couch in the sunroom, my husband announced, "hey, there's a cardinal". Sure enough, a crimson cardinal was just beyond reach, sitting pretty on the tree limb in front of us. It is my goal to have cardinals and blue birds come pay our feeders a visit on a regular basis. We've seen each kind here and there, but they would not be considered regular diners by any stretch of the imagination.

Blue birds remind me of my Grandma Grace. Cardinals, my Aunt Kay. Both are gone now, but I don't think there's a week that goes by, that they don't meet me in my memories. Something happens or someone says something and I remember.

Today, I'm reminded of my Aunt Kay. She was my mom's younger sister and the first of the 'siblings' to pass away. Kay was committed to her church and the children that went there in her early years. I was blessed to be on of them. She inspired in me my faith.

Aunt Kay loved birds and the feeding of them. From her living room window, she could see the birds flitter and dance around the feeders, enjoying and appreciating the bounty provided them. Of those, there were cardinals.

When Aunt Kay got sick, she asked my husband and I if we'd raise her son, should anything happen to her. She had already lost her husband, so finding someone to care for her son was important to her. We, of course, said 'yes'. And, it came to be.

Knowing that what we took on was going to be a daunting task...for many reasons, but we moved forward, just as she would have done. Saying 'yes' and having it become a reality are two very different things. It was a very difficult time...especially for her son.

A couple of days after her funeral, my husband and I were sitting on the front porch having a cup of coffee. There, amongst the flowers and weeds, came to cardinals. They landed, looked and flew away. I looked at Steve and he looked at me. I could not believe it. Never before had we had cardinals...NEVER! And, we never had them again, at that place, that I witnessed. I found such comfort in that one instance. That one event. It was like she was telling me it was going to be okay. COMFORT in an overwhelming moment. It meant the world to me.

Who inspires you? With their words, their grace, their presence in your life. Is it a touch, a smile, a wink? I have found, it's in the subtle moments, the life lived, the word said unknowingly, that has inspired me...my life more than anything. Be inspired, be an inspiration, be someone's CARDINAL in life.