Saturday Spotlight: Elizabeth from Blue Clear Sky

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

      

Today I'd like you to welcome my guest, Elizabeth from Blue Clear Sky.  Elizabeth is crafty and resourceful, and I love her farmhouse inspired decor!  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know her better.

Hi everyone! I'm Elizabeth from Blue Clear Sky. What a pleasure it is to be invited by Susan of Must Love Junk to participate in Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger! Susan is such a kind person, and her home and collections are so inspiring! 

I honestly didn't give a blog name too much thought when I first launced Blue Clear Sky (inspired by a song by my favourite artist George Strait) back in February of 2009. I had no idea what I was doing (and still don't really hah!) but I so wanted to join in the creative world that opened to me through blogging. I have met some awesome people through blogging and am continually inspired by the creative ideas and glimpses into people's homes and lives around the world.

We live in Halton Hills, a smaller town west of Toronto, Ontario (Canada.) I am 49 years old and this month my husband and I celebrate 22 years of marriage. Here's a flashback photo:

I am the mother of two teenage boys, 17 and 15.

Our oldest son is going into grade 12 and has been very involved in 4-H, showing in the Beef, Dairy, Goat and Rabbit clubs (he owned the goats and rabbits but the calves were kindly loaned by local farmers.) This year he is only in the Dairy club. He recently became a junior Jersey breeder and at present owns 2 cows. K is also pretty handy with vehicles and diy around the house.

Our youngest son is going into grade 10 and has passed his older brother in height, currently 6 feet tall. They tower over this 5'4" mom! J loves playing and watching hockey and lacrosse. He prefers sports. He also likes vehicles and hanging with his older brother. J is my garage sale buddy and this same kid who struggles to get out of bed on a school day always cuts the garage sale listings out of the paper and sets the alarm for early Saturday morning. Of course he insists on stopping at Timmies (it's a Canadian thing, where we enjoy our favourite coffee/donut shop.)

Our large extended family is a very big part of our daily life. I am the second youngest of eight children and have been an aunt since I was 5. I am very proud of my 17 nieces and nephews (plus spouses) and 19 great-nieces and -nephews (not including hubby's side.)  Many of our family live nearby and others visit often.

We are especially close (and neighbours!) to my youngest sister/best friend, her husband and three children. The kids attended the same elementary and high schools and get along well. It's kind of like I have 5 kids and tons of nieces and nephews.



We have a 4 year old female chocolate lab. She's such a good girl and loves being spoiled by the teens.

I trained as a Practical Nurse in College and after 5 years in patient care I had an opportunity to work in Special Education in a high school setting, where I have worked for the last 24 years. While I would love to stay home I have been fortunate to have a very supportive husband who has been instumental in keeping the balance between my full time job and home life. My friends joke about my lunch-making, laundry and dish-doing husband but I wouldn't trade him. He worked the afternoon shift for years and cared for our children (and my sister's kids) while I was at work. It is great that we can now enjoy being on the same work schedule (plus I get the added benefit of school holidays and summer off, yeah!)

I enjoy many creative hobbies and decorating. Some women like shoes and fashion but I get excited over paint chips, decor and hardware stores.

Our home is always evolving as I work towards finding my favourite decorating style, all on a fairly tight budget. I paint furniture, DIY, do all of our interior painting, collect, sew, paint signs, knit, crochet and occasionally quilt. I make a bit of extra money for my projects by painting and selling furniture, signs, thrifted items and occassionally my stitched goods under my business name Rustic Maple. I hope to do more of this in the future and have even considered changing my blog name over to Rustic Maple.

I'm an avid romance novel reader. What can I say, I love a happy ending! I love to start new projects but my biggest problem is that I'm not always fast on finishing projects. I tend to have lots on the go at one time. Just recently I switched the leather couch in the living room with the white slipcovered couch in the family room, which created a snowball effect of changes. I will be taking pictures and sharing the changes in the next few weeks.

My style is comfy and casual, with a mix of rustic, country, and farmhouse/lakehouse with neutrals, lots of white and accents of my favourite blues, from denim to turquoise.

I love to collect ironstone and vintage mason jars in both clear and aqua (mostly CROWN here in Canada.)

I enjoy creating pretty vignettes with my inexpensive finds year round but I especially love love to decorate for Christmas. 

I have two or three favourite TV shows but really don't spend a lot of time watching TV. I do however spend way too much time on Pinterest, blogs and reading decor magazines lol.

I enjoy organizing and get a little thrill when I open a closet or drawer that is freshly organized. With a busy family our home is always in need of tidying and reorganizing though. My sister/bff hates decorating and organizing so I get to paint and organize their home too.

Finding the time to blog can sometimes be challenging but I do enjoy the people I have met. Last year it was a treat when I was invited to submit photos of our home and my little blog was mentioned in Romantic Homes magazine's Site Seeing section. I would love for you to stop by Blue Clear Sky and say hello and if you are new to my blog let me know because I would love to visit you too. You can also find me on Pinterest here. 

One thing that I have learned from this experience is that I need to spend more time taking photos of my family (and making sure I get in some of them!) Thanks so much, Susan, for inviting me to share about myself and my blog.

Thanks for sharing with us, Elizabeth!  Everyone, please check out Blue Clear Sky then visit Kris's blog to read about another great blogger, Teresa from Magazine Your Home.
Have a great day! :)