" The dreams of your heart "

I remember lying in a field of gold as a child

staring into the big blue sky with pillows of white clouds

wondering and dreaming...

Wishing and hoping and praying...

Today I am here somewhere that

I never knew was the dream of my heart. 

Where writing, blogging and sharing my journey

would find a forever place inside of me.

It is where my soul found itself

through an ocean of the highest highs and lowest lows

as Cami lovingly refers to.

Somewhere in our heart lives the dream

that each of us hold inside.

The secret place that yearns for 

us to strive for that goal

that settles in and says " here is where I belong. "

Where our God given gifts and talent

shines bright as the sun and the stars in the sky. 

A new day is dawning

and I have been so blessed to know the amazing

woman who has embarked on her dream come true.

When Melinda Barrowcliff-Reyes shared

with me her vision and dream of founding

Inspiration Vintage Magazine

I was over the moon excited for her.

She is one of the most loving and caring woman

I have ever met who truly works so hard to 

achieve her goals while being a wonderful 

mother and wife.

I am certain many of you know this

lovely lady already.

Melinda is such an amazing stylist and

photographer who has such a way

of inspiring your heart with vintage finds.

I had her chuckling on the phone last week

as I shared how her styling inspired me

to take a whirl at doing a vignette with fresh fruit.

 I ran into my kitchen quickly grabbed a few

things and started clicking away.

Upon finishing I began to view the photos

I took a look and they were well { Horrid }

even with a great camera and editing software.

I told Melinda how awful they were 

and that I would just stick to styling my twigs 

and branches. There we were hearts filled with

 friendship and laughter while

  supporting in each others' dream.

{This is my official Kate's hall of shame photo}

I am so very honored to be part

of the amazing group of women who are 

contributors in the first premiere issue

of Inspiration Vintage Magazine.

Laura Kaufmann of 52 Flea

June Stocking of Laughing with Angels

Tricia Roshau of a Rosy Note

Andrea Dickerson of Faded Plains

Maria Marcusse of Rusty Hinge

and me...

So excited to share the premiere June issue

and the dream come true of Melinda

with all of you!

Linking up with the lovelies...

Jann's Share your cup Thursday

You are never too old to set another goal

or dream a new dream

CS Lewis

Have a beautiful and blessed week!

XOXO

" Soft and Simple Spring "

Soft and simple

is the motto here in the Dior home.

I love how the simple beauty 

of nature is just enough

to color my world happy and content...

Nature draws me in while

offering me a peaceful surrounding.

The beauty of the neutral palette

is how a subtle color will come alive...

  Together along with other elements...

Creating a softness that calms...

Using a few elements of the sea...

Using some of my lavender that I dry

outdoors to bleach

a soft warm tone that I love for our home...

I'm linking up with my favorite gals in

blog land this week..

Jann's Share your cup Thursday

Debra's Be Inspired Friday #136

 

Have a beautiful and blessed week!

XOXO

" Healing our broken hearts "

Our hearts were broken by a loss we did not

expect and therefore I took a short

blogging break from my weekly posts.

{Gracie and our new adopted sweet girl}

Shortly after Easter we found out that our sweet

American bull dog Lola had cancer that

had come out of no where and it

was causing her such tremendous pain.

Lola blessed our lives

from the day my son brought her 

home from the breeder

at 10 weeks old.

Each month she grew...

and grew

and we loved her more...

She was loyal...

She loved us as her family

and we cherished everyday with her...

This was the last photo I took of her

with my son Christopher on Easter.

We were all so very devastated since she was

only four years old.

If you are an animal lover you know

they are like your children

they are a huge part of your family.

We said our tearful goodbyes while

Christopher and I stayed with her

till the end that day.

The ride home was such an emptiness

in my heart sitting between he

and Gracie while they were sobbing.

As a mother I held them tight

while my own tears were endless.

We had lost our girl...

Each day that passed it hurt so much

to not see her sweet face.

Last week I was sitting outside thinking

about my high school friend Denny

who is always posting about rescuing

a dog through adoption.

Denny is a firefighter and a wonderful family man.

I thought about how passionate he was

through all of his face book posts.

Then I decided that pet adoption

would be our perfect fit.

 adopted from OC Animal Care

As I walked around the volunteer that

helped us named Debbie told us

this sweet girl had been over looked at three years of age.

I asked to spend time with her

and when those soulful eyes looked into mine

I knew she was it.

It tugged my heart just thinking how my mom

adopted me at age twelve and I too had

been over looked by families who

wanted a younger child.

I think that is where our souls connected

and I had to bring her home.

I called Christopher and he drove to meet me there

and as you can see she stole our hearts.

She was a family surrender after

they had lost their home.

I was so happy that we could offer

her a home where she would be spoiled

with endless love.

OC Shelter Dogs

We decided to keep the name

that she was given by her previous family.

This is our new sweet girl

" Guinevere "

She took us by storm in one short week

and we are head over heels in love with her.

Each day with Guinevere our broken hearts are healing.

A heart felt thank you to my friend

Denny who continues to support the shelters

 who find loving homes for these beautiful

animals through adoption.

 Lola girl we will carry the love 

in our hearts for you forever...

" Rescue Me " styled for Spring

This week I wanted to share my latest

Spring style rescue.

You know the stuff that makes my heart skip a beat...

My sweet friend Carrie

found a lovely worn and unloved vintage table by a dumpster

and her hubby brought it to me.

There is great joy when your girlfriends

find you trash that they know you will love.

Carrie is a precious blessing to my heart!

The legs had such beautiful lines

and great character.

We stripped the pieces of the table top

to remove all of the old wood stain.

Mr. Dior built the base and then we salvaged

a few planks to form the top of the table.

I first used a clear wax to seal the wood

then white washed paint over the wax.

The last step I sanded a smooth finish

with 120 grit sand paper and sealed again

with clear wax for protection.

I wanted the table top

to have a farm style look to it.

And now the perfect finish...

I used the same gray white wash technique

on the rescued shutters against the wall.

I added a sea lavendar plant to add a splash of color

during the spring season. I love that it will last

much longer than fresh flowers.

I fell head over heels for this large old urn

that I rescued with a broken base.

It has such a gorgeous patina

that evolved from years of weather damage.

I gathered branches from our backyard

to bring a touch of nature inside.

The small table top urn

I grabbed at my local Goodwill store

for a few dollars. It made the perfect

container for my sea lavendar...

I'm delighted to share

that I am a monthly contributor

 to the fabulous Houzz.

You can view my April idea book

 Spring Storage Trends

and follow along. You can view

my idea books also at the top

right hand corner of my blog.

I will be linking up this week

with my favorite gals in blogland

Jann's Share your cup Thursday

Debra's Be Inspired Friday

Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday

Wishing each of you

a week full of love and blessings

XOXO