" Vintage Garden DIY "

I love Summer time and outdoor

VINTAGE style...

Mr. Dior and I had such fun this past week

with our latest curbside makeovers.

First we took a vintage wood ladder

and married it with planks of

rescued reclaimed wood.

The planks were secured onto the steps of the ladder

with 1 and a half inch wood screws.

Then sealed with clear finishing wax

to bring out the luster of the reclaimed planks.

Now it was ready to display

my white ironstone dishes.

I could only imagine setting up a

darling beverage station

with vintage buckets as well.

I love the patina on reclaimed vintage 

pieces. The aged wood has such a gorgeous

pale gray tone which I never tire of...

Next we took an vintage sink

and used it as a planter. 

Mr. Dior and I framed

the rescued wood pallet with

some scrap pieces of reclaimed fence

to add character and depth.

Here is the framed pallet...

 I sealed this pallet with polyurethane

to protect it from the weather elements...

Lastly we took a dumpster

table and recycled it into a new

reclaimed beauty...

We framed her outside with reclaimed fence post

to add a thickness to the table top.

Then finished her with thick

reclaimed thick wood planks...

I will be linking up with

my favorite lovelies in blog land...

Have a beautiful and blessed week

XOXO    

" 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...