I Like the Shape, the Color, the Patina

I picked up some wood bowls at an auction maybe a year ago or so. I cleaned them up and gave them a simple oil finish. 

I think I paid $1 for a group of three of them.  Only one had the little ball feet.

 I am rather taken with them.

Linking up with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.  Images textured with "minus 43".

Junk "Love" for Valentine's Day

Yesterday, on a whim I decided to dress our mantle for Valentine's Day since it had been sitting bare since the Christmas decorations came down.

I also decided to take the pictures at night with the tripod.

The night shots emit more warmth for a "Love" mantle don't you think?

The "L" is constructed from my favorite Reader's Digest books again. :)

I used handitak to put the lace border on the edge of the mantle.

The "O" is a book page rose wreath layered on a textured silver tray. The wreath is similar to this one, but made with book pages. Again, I used handitak to mount the wreath to the tray so it can easily be removed.

The "V" is a scrap of vintage drapery fabric probably from the 50s that I folded and tacked onto an old picture frame.  The frame used to hold "Pinky".  You know the set of Blue Boy and Pinky? Now, Pinky is frameless.  She'll get over it.

The "E" of course a folding ruler that I mounted with nails onto an old cutting board.  This cutting board has the most beautiful patina to it!

My little gals got a kick out of the mantle especially when I kept asking them if they just "loooooved" it.

Here's the link to an old post if you want to easily make a little decoration for your home for Valentine's Day.

Texture Thursday

If there is one thing I'm consistent at...it's inconsistency.  

So I'm posting on a Thursday for Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen's Cafe.  

So it goes.

Kim's latest free texture is minus 43 and that is what I used on the above photo.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit rough and that may be why I was drawn  to the photo of the barren cold road from my files that I shot last year.  As I thought about what I wanted to do with the photo I kept thinking about what was over the hill, how I see life, and that I have no idea of what is to come.

The photo looked scary then and my words or thoughts about it lacked hope.

But, then the pieces fell into place (a.k.a. prayers were answered) and I put my attention more on the road.  

I have to trust that the journey will lead me to joy.

For all of us, many days, it's far more of a decision to trust than a
"feel good" emotion.  I've actually come to like that because my mind is more reliable than my emotions!

A friend (who is on a rough journey) recently told me that her mother's advice to her was, "Remember what you know."

Simple, but packed full. 

I take it to mean also "Rely on what you know, not what you feel."

I know I can trust.  

And, I don't want to leave you hanging, life is much smoother again now.

I choose to trust in The One who is guiding my journey.

Texture Tuesday: Clouds in My Coffee

I was thinking about Kim Klassens challenge this week for Texture Tuesday "cuppa" and then saw this post.

I thought, hey, I'll put clouds in my coffee. (With the help of Photoshop.)

I used a layer of Kim's texture, Simplicity.

Here's to a day for all of you where the clouds in your coffee are only the reflection of a "God Sky" in your cup!!