Spring Is In The Air

This has been one crazy week.  I am not sure it can all be explained, but TGIF is all I have to say.  Whew, glad this one is over.  It's been a lot of little things to deal with, you know how those weeks go.  But, I did get to create some fun new things as I worked on getting spring decorations put up a little at a time.

Today was a particularly awesome day as my friends Don, Rick and Marge came down to visit.  I LOVE visitors.  They motored down so that I could take them to the store that sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Don and Rick want to paint their dining room furniture and Don had called me to ask what I thought he should do.  My immediate answer was the amazing ASCP and yes, it was worth a 2.5 hour drive to come down here and get everything they needed.  We also got to eat Thai food at the Smiling Elephant AND have Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  Now, if you ever head to Nashville, you must have Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - it's a must!  It was named one of the top 10 ice creams in America.  We got to talk and laugh and had a spectacular day.  I was sad when they left, but they will be back soon (because they are going to want to paint everything in their house)!

While we were out doing errands this week, I made a quick stop in Tuesday Mornings to see if they had something I was looking for.  Do you do Tuesday Mornings?  Great place for all kinds of wonderful household items at greatly reduced prices.  I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find this wonderful piece that, as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use for my spring vignette.   I always make a seasonal vignette on top of a cabinet in our entryway and this was the perfect thing!  This was an awesome piece because it was totally different from anything I have used in the past and it reminded me of a church window or arbor of some kind.   It is almost 4 feet tall and was only $6.00.  You know the drill, just my price range!  So I bought it and brought it home to live with us.  This is how it looked.

It is sort of like willow ( not really sure exactly what material it is) and I loved it, except I didn't want it to be dark brown (of course).  I gave it a light spray with some white spray paint I had and now it looks like this.

Much better.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it so I went to work.  First, I decorated a small grapevine wreath I had with some spring flowers.  I used 1 branch of cherry blossoms, a pick that had some berries and a small pink hydrangea on it, and a small lavender bush.  When I finished it looked like this.

It is so simple and sweet with just the right touch of spring.   I was so pleased with the finished product.  I attached it to the lattice by putting a couple of chenille stems through the back of the grapevine wreath and twisting them around the lattice.

Now, I wanted a banner or something with a poem or saying about spring.  I searched and searched for just the right thing.  I found a prayer from the Ute Tribe of Native Americans which really resonated with me.  Ute means land of the sun and the state of Utah is named for their tribe.  I took one line from the prayer and used it.  I had a piece of upholstery fabric that was a loose weave in a cream color.  I cut a square of it and decided I would stamp the saying on it with my wooden stamp set.

I used lavender acrylic paint instead of ink so that it would give me the look that I wanted.  I made the letters uneven so it looked more hand made.  Then, I stenciled a pink butterfly in the corner.  I raveled the edges of the fabric just a little for a more hand made touch.

I tied the fabric to the lattice by placing some lavender yarn in each corner of the fabric and tied it in a small bow.  When I put the "church window" on the cabinet, I was very happy with the way it looked and the prayer is so lovely and touching, that I keep reading it over and over.   But, it needed something around the base to make it look more finished.

I used a large ceramic rabbit and a small ceramic bird which are both representational of spring and rebirth and the newness of life.  I used another small lavender bush I had to fill in around the rabbit and tie all the colors together.   Then I ran a lime green ribbon across the top of the cabinet to represent grass and the vibrant color of springtime.  I have to say, I am very happy with the look.  It is different from anything that I have used before and it is just perfect for this time of year.  We will be able to enjoy this until it's time to decorate for summer.

It's a happy ending to a crazy week and doing creative things helps keep me centered.  I keep going to look at this vignette because it is peaceful and calming.  Peaceful and calming is something we all need more of.  I hope you have a great weekend, and do something for yourself to make your life more peaceful and calming.  You deserve it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember

Earth, Teach Me

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

- An Ute Prayer