Saturday Spotlight: Ann from Tarnished Royalty

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 it's my pleasure to introduce you to Ann from Tarnished Royalty.  Ann is not only gorgeous, but she's sweet as can be!  Her passion for creating, for her family, and her faith really shine through on her blog!  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Ann better. Hello! I'm Ann from Tarnished Royalty. I want to say a great big thank you to Susan, darling Susan, for inviting me to share on Saturday Spotlight. She and Kris are beautiful souls. Their blogs are inspiration and eye candy galore!

Ever since I can remember I have had a need to create. I remember making intricate things from paper as a child, drawing detailed sketches as a teen and crafting everything from painted wood carousels to paper ribbon dolls as a young mother. Other than love of God and family, nothing rivals my love for design. Fashion and decor are equal passions for me. Give me a vintage handbag and I am a happy girl. Ask me to create a vignette from old and new and I am giddy.



I am a blue jeans kind of girl. I love to dress up too, but I am a home body at heart and work from home so I can usually be found in very casual attire. I am blessed to explore my passions while my husband supports us as a respiratory therapist. We have been married for 33 years and have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.



Here we are on a trip to Hermann, Missouri over the 4th of July. Hermann is a quaint little town known for its rolling hills and wineries. We enjoyed several wine tastings and got in a 16 mile bike ride on the Katy Trail.



See how red-faced I am?

On a more personal note, I grew up the youngest of five children.
(I'm the serious one at the bottom)


My father died when my mother was 6 months pregnant with me and she never remarried. She was a strong woman who raised us by herself. She wasn't perfect, and my childhood was quite rocky but she did the best she could. I couldn't love her more. She passed away in 2007 and I miss her like it was yesterday.

Before I show you some of my home and jewelry, I would like to introduce you to my other passions.

My daughter, son-in-law and 3 light-up-my-life grandchildren.



And my son and daughter-in-law. God answered our prayers that we prayed for our children, from the time they were babies, to meet and marry the ones He knew were right for them. We love them so much!

I don't want to give you the impression that we have the perfect life. On the contrary, we have been through lots of hard times, ups and downs, and woes galore. Our marriage has hit highs and lows, but through it all we have leaned on and trusted God. If not for Him, we would be total disasters.

So now I'd love to show you the main challenge that has caused us to grow, stretch and bend throughout our marriage.



In December of 1993 we purchased this 1856 home, with 3,900 square feet and a wine cellar that was built in 1853, for $59,000. We had previously bought and remodeled 2 other homes while living in them. But this was the grand daddy of projects. I think we were naively optimistic about how long it would take us to restore it. 20 years later there are still areas we haven't gotten to. But we have managed to make most of it a place we love. We have done all the work ourselves except for the exterior stucco.

This chandelier was in the attic when we bought the house.


It was black wrought iron with no shades. I gave it a pewter treatment and added the shades and husband hung it above the dining room table.



The master bedroom had no wall between the bedroom and bathroom area. We lived with it that way for many years. I didn't want to put up a wall so I looked for a long time for the perfect screen. I couldn't find one I loved, on a budget, so when I came across some bamboo bath mats at TJ Maxx I had a brainstorm. I envisioned them hooked together and hung from the ceiling to create my screen.



I love how it turned out. Can you guess what's behind the screen? I picked up the table at Round Top, Texas a couple of years ago, along with the purple bottles.



Then just 2 weeks ago I saw this lavender wreath at Target, and, inspired by Susan's lavender touches I knew it would be perfect on the screen.



I can't even remember where I got this chair, I think someone gave it to us many years ago. I used to hate it. I needed a chair for the bedroom so I recovered the seat with a vintage flour sack, added a couple of pillows and now I love it.

Here is a picture I recently made from barnwood, twigs and a thrifted frame.

Two girlfriends and I get together a few times a year to do a craft project and this is what we came up with. They were all three so different, wish I'd have gotten a picture of theirs.

I have an old church bench in the hall at the bottom of the staircase. The hall is one of the areas in our old house that has not been remodeled yet.



The plaster walls and ceiling are in disrepair, with a few chunks missing and the floors and banister have been partially stripped and then put on hold, due to so many other projects going on.



For many years I didn't even attempt to decorate the area, I preferred to ignore it and focus my energy elsewhere. But lateley I have been working with what I have and trying to beautify it as is. I really rather like the end result.



I would love to tell you about what I've currently been putting a lot of energy into. 3 other bloggers and I co-host a brand new link up for shop owners trading products and posting reviews.

It's called Swap & Tell, and it's a new twist on helping each other get exposure for our products and services. See the burlap rooster pillow above? That's what I received after our first link up, from Suzan at Hazelnut Deux. If you sell stuff, I would love to invite you to come and link up! You can read more about Swap & Tell here.

And if you do link up, here's a sampling of some of the jewelry I design that you might like to swap for.



I love to create original designs, combining antique and vintage parts and pieces with new jewelry findings. Some of my favorite materials that I incorporate are old lace, drawer hardware, buckles, buttons and bling. You can check out more of my designs at my shop. I will also be selling at Junk Jubilee Jingles in Des Moines, Iowa this November. You can read more and follow along on my blog.

Thanks again, Susan, for inviting me over. I was tickled pink that you asked! Ann, thank you for sharing-I really enjoyed learning more of your 'story'!  Please visit Tarnished Royalty then head to Kris's blog to learn about Celestina from Southern Day Dreams. Have a wonderful day! :)