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! :)

I'm In Vintage Style Magazine!

Hi, everyone!  I have such exciting news to share!

After a looong wait of almost a year since the photographers Gridley and Graves (who do fabulous work, btw) were at my house for a photo shoot, the magazine that I'm in is finally out!!

It's Vintage Style, the Fall/Winter 2014 edition, and it's just hot off the press!

I've been addicted to decorating magazines for as long as I can remember, and I always thought wistfully, "Wouldn't it be neat to have my home in one of those?"

It went from a mere wish to a more serious desire around 2 years ago when I started blogging.
(I know that some of you feel the same way, as many of us are so passionate about decorating our home and sharing it with others.)

So when Gridley and Graves discovered my blog and contacted me about shooting a magazine feature, I was utterly ecstatic!

Dreams do come true!  I'm truly honored and thrilled beyond words to be included in this fabulous magazine!

If you've never seen it, Vintage Style is a fun quarterly mag and it's always packed full of great features.

You can find it at bookstores, of course, and you can also purchase it at almost any retail outlet that carries magazines, such as grocery and drug stores.

(For the record, my only disappointment is that the article states that I live and have my shop in Columbus, Ohio, rather than in Canton, Ohio. Canton is my hometown, and I'm very proud of it!  So I'll just make that correction right now to all of you-lol!)

This is just a sneak peek of my feature, but I hope that you'll go and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day! :)

Saturday Spotlight: Kathleen from Charm Bracelet Diva

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 pleased to have Kathleen from Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} as my guest!  Kathleen shares my love of bargain hunting for great finds! On her blog you may see pics of her gorgeous garden, a newly styled vignette in her lovely home, or a crafty DIY project.  And she's quite a talented jewelry artist!

Please sit back and enjoy getting to know Kathleen better.

Hello! I'm Kathleen from Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home}.

Let me start off by saying I was honored that Susan of Must Love Junk asked me to participate in the Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger series. Her blog is certainly one of my favorites! Thanks for inviting me, Susan!

My blog, Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home}, started out in the fall of 2009 as a jewelry blog. I had just started making jewelry and it seemed like a natural extension of my Etsy shop, Love You More Designs. However, the blog has morphed into something I never could have predicted - what I like to call a thrifty DIY home décor blog. I really do pride myself on accomplishing my decorating goals on a budget, and love to share my secrets and step by step tutorials with my readers.

I am a happily married stay-at-home mom of three kids who really keep me on my toes.  I even homeschool one of them!  A little known fact in blogland is that I am an attorney. And yes, I've heard all the jokes!  We live in a small, historic "village" outside of Chicago that sits nestled between two bustling cities - the best of both worlds I like to say.  We are surrounded by bucolic charm and horses! Just take a look.

The original Village Hall

Little Home Church

This is a photo of an actual foxhunt that was taken near our home. Foxhunts are a fall staple around here. Fall is by far my most favorite time of year!

We even have a castle!



You can read all about my village here as well as the castle and it's history here.

Lake Michigan has become a respite of sorts for my family over the past few years.

St. Joseph, Michigan

 Here we are in the dunes.

I've been blessed with a wonderful husband.

We're east coasters by birth and we met in college.

We've been together for 24 years, married for 19.
We've lived in Philly, Kansas City and now Chicago.

He truly is my best friend.

I thank God every day for these three. {Even though two of them are teenagers now!}

I've loved everything vintage for as long as I can remember ~ the chippier and shabbier it is, the better! And I've always lived for the thrill of the hunt.  I love to visit flea markets, thrift stores, barn sales, estate sales, you name it. Right now I guess you could say that my style is a combination of vintage, French, farmhouse, shabby chic, retro and industrial. On any given day you can find me designing vintage jewelry, rearranging my furniture, or repurposing something I found at a flea market or Goodwill into a Pottery Barn-esque piece of decor! I've also been known to collect a few things now and again. Can you say ironstone soup tureen?

My jewelry designs are usually based upon vintage religious medals I pick up along my travels.  French relics are always my favorites! You can read about what goes on throughout my thought and design process here. 

    

I also make Irish Dance charm bracelets, something I started in honor of my oldest daughter who is an Irish dancer.

My home décor projects run the gamut from burlap wall art to painted furniture transformations to hand-lettered vintage signs. 

Oh, and did I mention that I love hydrangeas? 

Burlap Monogram Wall Art

DIY French Burlap Storage Ottoman

Affordable Olive Buckets

Barn Sale Galvanized Bucket

DIY Retro Kitchen EAT Sign

DIY Pottery Barn Bath Storage Ladder

How to Frog Tape and Etch a Round Mirror

I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon blogging and to have made so many awesome blogging friends.  It's really great to know that no matter what else is happening in your life, there are people who "get" you.... and your crazy penchant for picking things up by the side of the road and your insatiable desire to stop at every Goodwill you pass by, even on vacation.  Ok, so I'm strictly talking about me here, but you get the idea. Having a blog has been an eye-opening experience for me, and I'm so grateful for all the inspiration I receive on a daily basis from so many talented bloggers out there!

I'd love for you to stop by Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} and say hello.  My light is always on and I'm always ready to make new friends.     

Can't wait to meet you!

Thank you so much, Susan, for inviting me to share a bit about myself and my blog. And thanks to all who stopped by today to visit!

                 Kathleen Ashton Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} Love You More Designs


Kathleen, thanks so much for sharing with us! I have to say that I didn't know you were an attorney!
Please visit Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} then head to Kris's blog to read about Deborah from Green Willow Pond.
Have a great day :)

A 'Cubby Thing' In The Sunroom

Hi, everyone!  Hope you had a wonderful July 4th!

While junkin' last week, my mom and I came across a 'cubby thing'  (my official term for it) that I thought was so fun, and quite a bargain.  It was grubby and dirty and had a nasty cardboard piece nailed to the back of it (sounds like a real jewel, huh?)  My mom even tried to dissuade me from getting it.
But I loved the soft green color and I saw its potential, so it came home with me.

Keith helped me rip off the yucky back, then he hosed it down and I scrubbed it with bleach water.
I wish I would've thought to take a before picture, but I'm really happy with how it cleaned up!

Even though it's far from perfect, I still love it!  I think it looks cute in this corner of our sunroom.
I thought it'd be a great way to display some of my ironstone pieces, starting with this sweet little tureen that was one of my birthday presents from my mom!

While out of town a couple of months ago I purchased a trio of doors that was once on an old icebox.  I loved their chippy patina, and they had that great green color that I'm lovin' again!
I leaned the largest one on the top of the cubby, then added a ceramic Madonna and a vase of dried hydrangeas.

Next I added a pair of pitchers and another tureen.

I recently showed you these pitchers that I got at the flea market for a steal.  I think they have such pretty lines, and the bottoms have a name and date etched into them, indicating that they were hand made.

In the next cubbies I placed yet another tureen and a stack of grainsacks...

...then a couple more grainsacks topped with a little plant, and another tureen...

...and finally on the bottom, another pitcher and some chippy white flower pots.

So that's my little 'cubby thing' in all its glory!

I'm glad that I took a chance on this diamond in the rough.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Enjoy your day :)

I'm sharing at these wonderful blogs:   Coastal Charm
                                                         Knick of Time
                                                         Ivy and Elephants
                                                         Revisionary Life
                                                         thoughts from alice