A Wee Bit of Green

I went to Ireland in 2000 

and came back a bit Irish.

My family has indulged me and listened to 

Celtic music ever since that trip.

 St Patrick was a very real

 church man and saint. He was a man of faith.

Greenery is such a treat and very special after a long winter.

Mid-March has us waiting and waiting for the bright green 

outside and the sweet growth of spring. 

I have been collecting these vintage postcards

 for many years. Back when they were 2 for $1.

Many of these are from 1909-1912.

It is fun to gather the green things for Spring.

I made the  little Irish bunny

 30 years ago this year.

These postcards are very unique. 

They have a pull out section of very old photos- 

probably 100 plus years ago.

 One is of Irish country life 

and one has photos of County Mayo.

Ah, yes, time to plan another trip to Ireland.

Belonging

 

Belonging.

My friend, Michele, brought me this lovely

 little painting this week.

 We gathered for some Creative Haven time together.

Diane was here from Florida

 and joined Michele and I.

It was a book making day.

Using salvaged old book fronts 

and wallpaper we created junk journals.

We made signatures and then added them

 in with elastic cording.

Doodads, fibers and dangles finish them up.

Visual Faith team member Eve joined me

 on another day this week for studio time.

As I thought about this week and what happens

 when we are together,

I am so thankful that without 

saying a word- we know.

We belong here.

This Creative mission that is centered

 in pointing people to Jesus unites us.

The story of who we are

 and who we belong to-Jesus-

 is at the center of our community 

at Visual Faith® Ministry.

A prayer time echoed with grace

as we prayed for the health of a team member.

Vintage Grace Studio was named 

years and years ago.

But, it has certainly grown into the place of being...

the place of belonging.

And the door is always open for more friends. 

As we learn and share about these possibilities

 of inviting others in,

may the Lord bless every invitation.

Vintage Grace Studio- Part Two

Part 2-

A closer view of the shoe pockets.

Always a great place to stash

 linens and bits and pieces.

The punches on the shelves 

are stored on a vintage wire display rack.

The cart is an old tea cart found

 in an antique shop in Nags Head, NC.

 This cub bie is a favorite of mine. 

 Lots of little spots for storing ribbons and such. 

  The shelf unit on the right was shared on the previous post.

The one on the left is 2 DC Government office file drawers

 that were stacked on top of each other with added shelves.

On top is added a small chicken roost.

The large oak "box" is 7' 2'' custom built coffin

 that was purchased in Auburn, Nebraska in 1984.

The person it was made for moved away

 and the funeral home was left with the "custom order."

It eventually found its way to an antique store.

There is a long story behind this-

 but the bottom line is that there

 was a "misunderstanding"

 with my husband. When I said-

"that's the most unusual thing

 I have ever seen in an antique store,"

 he purchased it without my knowledge,

 in order to surprise me.

I have moved it from home to home ever since.

 This is the top of a large piece

 that was from a paper company in Omaha, Nebraska.

All sorts of small boxes keep little items

 in places where the labels help to find things.

It sits on a matching base.

It all hides behind closed doors.

Wire baskets on top hold fabric remnants.

 Sometimes this little desk is where I like to work.

Small wooden boxes on end hold

 journaling supplies and of course-

 washi.

 The bin with drawers on the right is a machine shop

 storage unit. It was pretty grimy but cleaned up great. 

I love the little slots for labels.

Part of the fun for storing and organizing supplies

 is finding unusual things 

and reusing them in a different way.

This cart is an IKEA find 

and they also have them at Michael's.

If you are just starting out

 and want to keep your things together and mobile,

 I highly recommend this simple cart.

So, hope you have enjoyed

 a tour around the studio space.

When this COVID pandemic is behind us,

 I would love to have you stop by and create with me!

Vintage Grace Studio- Part One

I shared some photos on Instagram

 this summer of my Studio space.

 There were questions about what

 I use to organize materials. 

So, I thought I would share in a couple of blog posts

 just what this space looks like

 and how it has come together- really over 30 years.

 It is THE STORY of things that have made it fun.

The vintage shoe rack is on the smaller size

 and is great vertical space.

This was purchased in an antique store

 that used to be in Occoquan, Virginia

 and you won't find these anywhere anymore for $75.

Mildred is the dressmaker's mannequin

 and was named at a Women's Retreat.

The arched door was found in a scrap pile

 in rural New York by a friend 

who knew that "Connie would like that."

She put it back together 

and presented me with the gift.

A vintage ladder holds pieced

 quilt tops in the arch of the door.

 I grabbed this piece at a church rummage sale for $10.

I knew it would be perfect for holding rubber stamps.

Anyone have an idea what this was originally?

 Cubbies cubbies cubbies.

This piece was salvaged from a rural post office

 and my friend Gloria added shutter sides 

and a screen door back to make a functional storage piece.
The pink container is an old child's lunch box.

The arched bookcase was found along 

the side of the road by my friend 

who brought the pieces home and breathed new life.

This same friend, Gloria, 

found the discarded wine storage cases (on the left)

on a scrap pile.  

The store manager gave her the green light

 to grab them and she put them together jigsaw-like 

to create vertical storage. 

Vintage Ball jars from my mom store odd and ends.

 The white box in this photo is a vintage tin bread box. 

 I painted it white and decopauged it 30 years ago.

A close up of the storage jars.

The key to finding things is labels.

I usually use small manila tags-

 from your Office supply store.

 A hall tree holds vintage aprons.

Old pillowcases become hanger covers.

A tray gathers old hats on stands.

A bed tray from Rev. H.H. Wiechmann holds yellow roses.

The valence uses hankies from my mom and grandmother.

They are attached with simple curtain clips.
They always make me smile. 

The tall white piece is an oldie from IKEA 

and each shelf side opens up

 to more shelves that store photo boxes.

Tin picnic baskets hold project pieces.

The mixed media art on the wall

 is from my friend- LuAnn Lamie.

The fabric pocket holder on the door 

was my Grandma Riebeling's shoe holder.

I remember it with pink roses

 and they have now faded to aged tan.

Studio tour-part one.