Hibernating in Summer

Formula for "Summer Hibernation":

99 degrees and 95% humidity

Yes, it is hot and humid here in the Houston area, and if you're like me, the relentless muggy heat drives you indoors for keeps, and like Winter in parts North, one turns to indoor activities to pass the days.

So, I've been snuggled up at the computer creating illustrations for my "Between us Bunnies" Calendar for 2011. The above design is for August, and is a tribute to my dear Colorado friend Sue C., who happens to be celebrating her 10th Wedding Anniversary today! Congratulations Sue & Bill!! Sue is one of the most hospitable, generous people I know. Our sweet friendship began over shared cups of coffee on Sue's deck after our morning workout at Curves, and grew into one of the most endearing and enduring friendships in my life! Love you and miss you Sue!! (wow is this a fitting Scripture for you!)

"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed"

Proverbs 11:25

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With the AC cranked, and the three Summer months of designs completed, I decided to pretend it was cold and motivate myself to create the January bunny design....

This is a tribute to another dear Colorado friend of mine, Nancy M. Nancy is a real nature lover and is most at home hiking in the gorgeous Colorado wilderness, so she became the inspiration for this cozy Winter design. Girl, I wish I could lace on some hiking boots and hike with you up there in cool Colorado, but I'll have to settle for hiking to my mailbox in the heat right now :o)  But someday...someday...we'll head for the hills and enjoy God's glorious creation together! Meanwhile, this Scripture has "you" written all over it - you are the most tireless servant of God I know. You don't need the reminder- you already live it out every day! Bless God for you my dear friend!

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

Hebrews 13:16

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So, my blogging has been quite sluggish in the wake of this "frozen" Summer. I've been able to dedicate myself to the calendar illustrations, but not a whole lot else. In discussions with my ever-so-smart Texas friend Connie (who will be the inspiration for my next design for February), she gave me some great insight into my current state of molasses-speed activity - I'm in the process of "decompressing". With the exception of a short period of time in 1995, I have been working non-stop since I was 15. When I was outsourced from my full time job in early 2009, I kept busy remodeling our mobile home, then an intense time of illustration for Universal and Aimee Asher, then preparing and filling my studio, then preparing for opening a space at Whispering Willow, then working at the Willow and maintaining our large space...  and now, suddenly, with the Willow space closed, most all my external obligations are gone for this season. Thus, I am now apparently in decompression mode...it makes sense. I am unwinding after being wound pretty tight for the past 35 years...and I need it. I take naps, I read, I pray, I move slowly and if I manage to defeat the guilt I feel from "not doing anything", I actually enjoy myself...

 I know this slower pace will not last forever, but if I am wise, I will learn and take to heart the valuable lessons from this season of slow, and invest in guilt-free rest when I need it. It is as necessary as food and water and air... Even God Himself rested...and He not only invites us to rest, He commands it! With the busy back-to-school time upon us and the new projects ramping up for the Fall, I pray that you will find (and take) the rest you need when you need it...

"For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall."

Hebrews 4:10-11

Shopkeeping: Looking Back & Looking Ahead

(click any image to enlarge)

Hello friends! Let me start by saying that I have been working on this post on and off for almost a week. I've shortened it, lengthened it, threatened to scrap it all together as pitifully self-indulgent, but I finally decided to go with the full version. I think it will help with closure on this chapter of our life - yep, we are closing our space at Whispering Willow Gift & Antiques. I explain why and tell about our next adventure at the end of the post...should you make it that far ;o)
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Ever since my then fiance (now Hubby) and I went to our first Flea Market together, we knew we shared a love for all thinks junk - the glorious hunt for hidden treasures and the joy of restoring and repurposing those treasures into works of heart...

...like old cabinet doors... 

...cleaned up...

...and painted...

Before long, we had quite a collection of goodies in various stages of completion, but no clear plan for what to do with it all...

Then, while junking one Saturday, we stopped by an antique/gift shop called Whispering Willow because they had junk/antique booths set up all over their parking lot. While looking through the booths, I saw a sign on the porch of the shop that said "Dealer Space Available", so I asked the owner about it, and she showed me the spaces available, and before you know it, we were all set to open a space in June 2008! It was the perfect set up because she did not do long term leases - it was just for the Summer, so I knew if we were a flop, we wouldn't be stuck there for 6 months or so. At the time,  I referred to the opportunity as "Summer School", because we had never done anything like this and knew we would be learning A LOT - and we did! It was a sweet, sunny space and I had a blast getting it all set up and filling it with all our treasures...

...our very first space...boy, we needed more stuff...

...but we built it up over time...

Then, along came a couple of storms - one was Hurricane Ike in September, which damaged the building that Whispering Willow occupied. The shop had to close and begin a search for a new building. By that time we had begun feeling the strain of my working full time and having the shop space as well, so we knew that the shop relocation was our cue to step out. The other storm was the news in November that my full-time day job was being outsourced, which started us on our incredible downsizing journey into my Hubby's paid for mobile home. The work to prepare/restore the place became my other full time job, so pursuing a shop space was out of the question...for a season...

But sometime late in the Summer of '09, I stopped by the new location of Whispering Willow to say hi and to see how things were going. Before I knew it, I was taking on a space in the new shop, beginning October 1st! Here's a recap of our time in the new shop...

Small space in the front room for October...

Moved to much larger space in the front room on November 1st
(this was probably my favorite space of all)...

We started out with a sweet pink Christmas tablescape...

...and added some fun vintage red and green to the back part of the space...

...then in December we changed from a pink tablescape to a more traditional red plaid and green color scheme...

In January, we brought in a few new pieces to the space and moved things around a bit...this black cupboard/bar right by the front door became the anchor for our space and a conversation piece for customers...

We moved the big dining room set to the back of the space and prepared for Valentine's Day (it was great to be able to re-use a lot of the pink decor from the shabby pink Christmas display)...

...as Winter melted into Spring, out came the Easter fare and all things sweet and spring-y...

We also added a few vintage/kitchy/retro touches to round out the space...

But soon, the weight of keeping up the large front room at the shop and working several days there per month, with little to show for it at the end of each month, forced us to re-evaluate our situation. When a smaller space came available in May for half the price and half the number of work days, we jumped on it. The new little space was cute and easy to maintain...

However, sales, though always decent, have not been steady enough to justify the continued cost and time commitment....plus, the overall mix of merchandise at the Willow is decidedly more formal and somewhat more costly than our fare (traditional antiques versus our cottage style). SO, July 31st was our last day at the shop...

It is a bittersweet time for Mom and I. We LOVE all the sweet, talented dealers at the Willow and the gals in the Bakery, and we will miss them all terribly. But we already feel the weight lifting from our shoulders, and we know this is the right move for us...

The inevitable question remains - what do we do with all our cute cottage stuff...? Well, a new adventure awaits, and it will be a whole new learning experience for us too. We are going to rent a space at Larry's Old Time Trade Days in Winnie, TX for their November 5th-7th show. Winnie is starting to become a little Canton, and we hope that our vintage cottage mix, hand-crafted and repurposed items, and my Dad's woodworking pieces will be well received. It is a laid-back atmosphere with that Southeast Texas charm and down-home folks that I just love. We are taking an information gathering trip to their August show this Saturday to scout our best location and see the types of setup options we have. We are SO excited!

I have no illusions about this being less work than the shop - I know set up and tear-down will be A LOT of work, and we are already gearing up to do a lot more handmade items than before. But, we are looking at it as a fun new adventure, one that my whole family and some friends will be involved with too! I'm looking forward to sharing sneak previews of some of our new handcrafted wares as we prepare through the coming 3 months. Should be fun!!
 

Meanwhile, many thanks for your continued patience with me and my spotty blogging. In addition to packing up the shop and storing everything away, my sweet Hubby injured his eye while mowing the yard (all is well now), plus my Aunt (Mom's sister) who is battling brain cancer, underwent her second brain surgery on Monday. Praise the Lord, she is doing great and is already home today (Wednesday) - amazing!!! So, we've been all over the map. But I have put my anchor down in Lord Jesus and He is holding us and guiding us through the storms and changes...I just love Him for that...

"So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."

Hebrews 6:18-19