Catching the Holiday Spirit

Hi, everyone!  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

I've finally caught the Holiday Spirit at home (my mom and I had to decorate the shop at the beginning of November!) so I thought I'd show you a little area that I started with.
This is part of our large front hall.

I hung this old barn wood shelf...

...and filled it with some of my white ironstone and these cute chippy wooden milk bottles.
(Part of an old game maybe?)

On top I propped a clock face and a small Madonna picture that captured my heart at an antique fair.

On a small bench underneath the shelves I placed an apple picking bucket and a Madonna statue that was a gift from my mom.  I added the rosary that she's prayerfully holding.

I just love Madonnas!  They're so peaceful and serene.

I filled the bucket with greens, and I like the pop of color that they add.

The bottom shelf of the bench holds my shabby tool box.

This is the one that I got in Chicago a couple of months ago, and I just love its rusty, crusty goodness!

I've kept things simple, as always, but I'm enjoying the simplicity.

So...that's your first peek at my holiday decor!

I hope that you enjoyed it!

I'll be back soon with more of my simple holiday touches.

Have a blessed day :)

Saturday Spotlight: Michele from Shelstring

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. 

      

This will be our last Spotlight of 2014!  We will be taking a break in December to let everyone enjoy time with their families throughout the holidays.  Kris will be resuming the Spotlight feature in January but I'll be doing some traveling so I'm taking January off as well.

I know that you'll enjoy today's Spotlight!

Today please help me welcome Michele from Shelstring!  I truly admire Michele as she's a busy mom (wait until you see all of her kiddos!) yet still shares lots of creativity on her blog including recipes, her home decor, and interesting projects.  She has such a sweet spirit and an amazing attitude!

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Michele better.

 I'm so excited to be here today at Must Love Junk, one of my very favorite eye candy blogs!! My name is Michele and I blog over at Shelstring and am a contributor for Ask Anna

 I've been blogging for 8 years now, but started Shelstring 6 years ago when I made and sold my own jewelry (you can read about that HERE). 

Since then my blog has evolved from a jewelry site, to a home improvement, slash whatever ;) I've always enjoyed many hobbies and found myself creating things to do when there isn't anything to do. Are you like that? So when I do get the chance to watch T.V., I will refinish furniture, work on a craft, or fold laundry...anything to keep my hands busy. A few of my hobbies include

 sewing, 

Ruffle Trimmed Coffee Sack Valance

organizing, 

Garage Reveal

crafting,

Happy Wreath

cooking,

Caramel Apples 

decorating,

Fall Home Tour

but most of all painting and refinishing

The Perfect Pine Hutch

 and wood working.

Just Sittin'

I grew up in a hardworking family. My father owned a hardware store that was our family business. I worked from the time I was nine until I graduated from High school and moved away to Utah to go to cosmetology school and room with my sister and her roommates who were attending BYU.

During my last 2 months at school, I met my husband who graduated from BYU and was leaving for job training for G.E. in N.Y. We married 5 months later and moved around from state to state and Mexico while we had the opportunity, until we needed to settle down because our first 2 children were in school. Though we continued to move within the west, we have now been settled in Eugene Oregon for 10 years with our seven children.

This isn't where we expected to stay, but are thankful for the wonderful friendships and blessings we have been given along the way.

Our biggest event of the year was when I was diagnosed with colon cancer in July making it necessary to under-go my 4th abdominal surgery. This was a real wake-up call to our family and has helped me to re-evaluate what my priorities in life are. There are many times I have been tempted to give up blogging altogether because of the time consumption, but it is something I love and somewhat of a journal for me. Although I have felt like Shelstring hasn't had the kind of success I hoped for, it is now such a part of me that, for now, I'm not ready to give it up.

Thank you so much for letting me share my story with you all, I hope to learn more about each one of you as well. And thank you Susan for such an honorable opportunity!

Michele, thank you so much for sharing with us!!  You are truly an inspiration, and you have such a beautiful family!
Please visit Shelstring, then head to Kris's blog to read about Marie from Lost Bird Studio.
Have a wonderful day! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for each and every one of you!

Throughout the past 2 1/2 years (since I began blogging) you have inspired me with your creativity, encouraged me with your kind comments, and uplifted me and my family with your prayers.

I want to say thank you, and wish you all a very BLESSED Thanksgiving!!

xo
Susan

Going 'Farmhouse'

Hi, everyone!  Hope the weather is behaving where you're at!  In our neck of the woods this past week we got our first big snowfall of the season, it was a whopping 11 degrees one day, and yesterday we had freezing rain!
Thank goodness it's supposed to warm up a bit in the next couple of days.

I've been showing you the changes that our living room has undergone in my quest to lighten up and get a more 'farmhouse' look.

The front of our house is one big room or hallway, and it extends into our living room.  Hard to explain, but this is a look down the hall toward the living room.

I moved the barn wood bookcase to this space in front of the window where a table used to be.

I chose to display things on it that I thought would reflect my desired 'farmhouse' vibe.

I left the chair and ladder that were already here...

...as well as the antlers and 'Garden Shed' sign.  I feel that all these pieces compliment each other.

Keith got me these 3 connected seats at a garage sale for $10!  They've been here for years and I left them here because they fit the space so well...

Here's some views of this front part of the room in relation to the living room...

Of course, photo bomber Bo had to get in on the action! (That's his favorite chair :)

I hope you enjoyed a look at some more changes that I've made!

I've just started on some Christmas decor, so I'll be showing you that soon.  :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day!

Saturday Spotlight: Meredith from The Laundry Can Wait

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'm happy to introduce you to another sweet blogger, Meredith of The Laundry Can Wait.  I love Meredith's values and hard work ethic!  And I always enjoy pics of her 2 little ones-they are adorable!
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Meredith better.


I'm Meredith from The Laundry Can Wait, a lifestyle/design blog where I share my love of interior decorating, as well as my passion for my family, friends and for my home business. I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and I absolutely love it here.

My style is ornate, French/European...elegant with rich colors. I'd have a house full of French chairs, big tassels and elaborate, golden frames if I could. But, most of what I buy is thrifted or purchased at antique stores or garage sales. :) Below are some of my favorite home photos.

Master:

Entryway:

Office:

Guest Room {most recent to past}:

Kitchen:

Living Room:

I'm a wife of 9 years to Joey. Together, we've been blessed with two children - Grayson, 5, and Sutton, 3. Being a mother is the greatest gift the Lord has given me.

  

I'm a homeschooling mom, and I love it!! If you're thinking of homeschooling, you should go for it!!

I also run my own home business as a Distributor with It Works, author of the Skinny Wrap!!

My goal is to work hard enough so I can retire my husband and buy 2 horses. 

{Me, this October with my favorite neighborhood horses, CoCoa and Arrow.}

Another DREAM of mine is to buy a home where I have enough land to take in stray dogs. I want to save them all, because there are so many that need love. 

{Me, this summer with my old dogs, Penny Lane and Lucy.}

I'm a very down-to-earth girl who has sky-high dreams! 

I wrote a children's book in college, and my ultimate goal is to be published in Highlight's magazine. It's hard, y'all!! But writing is a passion of mine, and I won't stop until it happens!

My faith is very important to me, and I also love to laugh.

 {Oh, Medea, how I love thee.}

And this is my college ID.

For real. 

Good times. :)

To see a full home tour, or to get to know me better, head over to my blog. I'd love to connect with you! You can also find me on Instragram now at @meredithlynngarrett. {I'm a "follow back" kind of girl, by the way.} 

Thank you so much for having me, Susan and Kris! It was such a "Yay! Moment" when you asked me to be featured. XOXO

Meredith, thank you for sharing with us!  Please visit The Laundry Can Wait then head to Kris's blog to read about Debra from MsMoozy's Open House.

Have a great day! :)