Acorns to Oaks – Take Joy in The Journey

October 9, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

While walking through the forest yesterday, I was reminded again of the seasons of our lives.
It seems like every time I take a walk, I’m reminded of yet another life lesson. And because
I’m in another new season of my own, the change in seasons seems to be speaking the loudest
lessons right now.

When I came upon the acorns scattered here & there on the forest floor, it took me back to
one of my favorite memories as a little girl (I have many 🙂 )

One of my fond memories as a little girl, was playing in the grass & coming across the
tiny little treasures left by the mighty oaks that lined our schoolyard. I had pockets
full of the tiny beauties.

Now, years later, I am thankful that someone took the time so many years before, to plant
those gorgeous trees, so that I could have the adventures that I did beneath them.

Every little acorn has such potential. Inside is everything needed to produce a
mighty oak tree. All it needs is the right conditions to begin growing.

With Autumn being upon us, we see such changes everywhere we look. Leaves are bursting
with color, there’s a chill in the air, animals are putting away food for the colder days
ahead, & wood piles are being stacked to warm families everywhere. The trees are also
preparing… by giving their fruit in season, to produce a harvest for generations to
come.

Perhaps you find yourself in a new season as well. Maybe you don’t have a clear vision
on what is yet to come, and feel like you’re not growing & changing as fast as you’d
like. Don’t forget…

“Within a tiny acorn, a mighty oak is waiting! Great things always start small, so
embrace beginnings & take joy in the journey.”

Take Joy,
Pearl Sanborn

Anne of Green Gables

November 25, 2015October 3, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

I just LOVE Autumn! It’s my favorite season, and I especially love the beautiful colors this time of year!
Instead of just using pumpkins, I like to use all of the things that “speak autumn”, mix them together.

Enjoy every moment of this gorgeous season!

“I’m so glad I live in a world with Octobers”
Anne of Green Gables

Cuckoo Clock

September 7, 2015August 29, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

I’ve always loved automaton, perpetual motion machines, music machines and anything with movements & gears. Cuckoo clocks are a particular favorite, & I picked this one up recently at a VERY good antique shop clearance sale! I had to do some repair & paint, but now it’s up & working 🙂

I often dream about a little cottage tucked in the woods, filled with all sorts of tools and everything that a woodworker / clock maker would need to create the most enchanting little creations. There’s lots of clocks ticking, and wood carvings in different stages of being finished. Then, as I see the hands hard at work in my minds eye, I move up to see their face… whoops it’s me 😉

Wouldn’t that just be the sweetest!

This little cuckoo clock is a 5 leaf, 1 day, musical clock made in the black forest of Germany. It was such a great deal, & needed very little work, so I couldn’t resist.

I’m not much for the bright colors, so as you can see here, we needed to do something about that.

Whenever you move a cuckoo clock, be sure to put a wire through the links of the chains closest to the holes. This keeps them from falling off of the gears.

I’m thankful that all of the parts were included with this one. That almost never happens in places like this.

Don’t you just love these dancing couples! Not only are they beautifully dressed for a night out on the town, but they give us a show with the music every hour.

You can see that the top left clip that attaches the carvings needs to be fixed.

Instead of re-staining the piece, I decided to use a watered down black paint. That way, a bit of the color can still shine through, while darkening everything quite a bit.

Then I carefully removed the ever so tiny nails from the face of the clock, and propped it up with some folded newspaper to keep the paint from getting on it. (wow – those are the tiniest nails I’ve ever seen!)

Here’s a better view of the chains & the wire protecting them from falling off of the gears.

You can already see a huge difference in color!

I’m holding the carvings up to see how the colors are coming, and to be sure that I got the clock face back on straight.

It’s starting to really come together now!

Now, it’s finally finished & ready to go! I love the dark color against the robin’s egg blue walls.

Now for the final test… removing the wire, pulling the chains, setting the time, and swinging the pendulum … and … it works!!!

I am so thrilled to have another clock in my little collection … I wonder what will be next 😉

Here’s how cuckoo clocks are made in the Black Forest in Germany

Jack In The Pulpit

May 19, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

{Surprise}

It’s amazing what surprises you’ll see when you’re looking for them!

Needing a little break from work, I decided to take a walk down one of our woodland paths. I always expect to find some little treasure, so I keep my eyes open for them. I was inspecting the progress of the lilies of the valley in front of an old stone wall, when right there in front of me, my eyes caught this gorgeous green & purple “Jack in the pulpit”! I’ve never seen them in our forest before, and I was definitely not expecting to find one so beautiful!

Native Americans gathered the fleshy taproots, dried them to eliminate the poisonous qualities, & then used them as a vegetable. I’m not big on poison, so I think I’ll just stick to enjoying their beauty 😉

I plan to keep my eyes open for the seed pods in the fall, so I can plant them & expect to see many more covering our woodland floor!

Take a few minutes for yourself today… you never know what surprises await!

Violets Are Blue

May 15, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

After a long hard winter with snowbanks over our heads, it was such a delight to see the snow melt away, and masses of tiny violets begin to unfurl their leaves. I know from experience, that in what seems like a blink of an eye, the violets will be sending up their precious deep purple blossoms. And this year, like every other before it, the violets haven’t let me down!

To some, these sweet little plants can be considered an unwelcome guest. And although I do admit to having more than expected pop up in the cottage gardens, each spring I welcome them like the arrival of a long awaited friend.

With their heart shaped leaves, and sweet little faces, how can you not love these little gems?

And just look at that gorgeous deep color!!

I think I must be a kindred spirit to the Victorians, as they too had a deep love for violets. They used them for perfume, ate them in salads, candied them & used them to adorn their cakes & pastries, pressed them for use in their crafts, & used them as an ingredient in many of their toiletries.

People called “violet-sellers” would have baskets filled with nosegays and tussie-mussies, and sell them from the street corners. And it wasn’t just the women buying them to pin to their dresses, but the men also had a love for violets & tucked them into their lapels & the brims of their hats.

Violets could be seen on everything from china, jewelry, home decor, & ladies stationary.

The Victorians also felt that different flowers had different meanings, and that they could be given as a “silent message” that actually spoke volumes to the recipient.

If you received a violet, the giver was giving you a message of affection.
The white violet meant deep affection, while the blue violet spoke of faithful love.

I gathered several bouquets for our home, and here is one that I put in a vintage inkwell that belonged to my grandfather. He loved flowers, and I think he helped pass that love on to me. So here are some blue violets in honor of my love for him … until we meet again.

If you don’t have any sweet violets in your yard, I’m sure a friend would be willing to share a plant or 3 😉

Chalkboard Art And All Things New

November 25, 2015March 12, 2015 by Pearl Sanborn

Even with several feet of snow still on the ground, you can feel spring in the air!

After you live in a place for a number of years, you become familiar with the ebb & flow of the seasons. The way that one season pushes while the next season pulls is undeniable, even though temperatures may try to convince us of a different story all together.

Our resident pair of crows have begun breaking twigs in the tree tops to build their nests, as they do every year. The birds are not only growing in number, but beginning to break into a joint chorus of song. Those sneaky little skunks have been spotted wobbling around the grounds at night (as if we wouldn’t notice). Numerous owls have been spotted hunting for food, a new surprise for us all this year. The sun has been giving us more than our normal share of warming rays. And the river has finally broken through it’s top layer of snow & ice. Why, I can even see a blade or two of grass in the front yard near the cottage garden.

Winter comes every year, and every year spring follows winter ~ spring is on her way!

This has all made me want to bring some “newness” into our little nest. As I looked around our home and thought about what I needed to do, I decided to bring some fresh designs to our chalkboards, put away the deep mustards found in the yellow ware collection (for now), and replace it with the antique whites found in the new & growing ironware collection. We also have several sweet little animals that join us for spring.

Here is our $2 vintage cabinet find, filled with everything white & spring!

“It’s A New Season” ~ I love the little vintage chalkboard that I found in an auction box last year! The galvanized metal buckets with their sweet little porcelain tags were another amazing deal! As a matter of fact, everything on this side of the cabinet was either a gift (like the beautiful white pitcher from my friend Diane) or only cost $1 or less!

I recently decided to keep my eyes open for vintage ironstone pieces to use in my decor. This lovely little platter was .79 at a thrift store nearby. Black wax is a weakness of mine, as you can see with these little spring lambs wearing their rusty little bells 😉

One of the fun things about decorating “you own” nest is, you can use whatever makes you happy…and moss from our forest make me happy!

And who doesn’t love a stack of freshly pressed French linens!

This ironstone platter was my most recent find at a local thrift shop, and expensive it was at $4.99! I’m kidding of course! My husband can tell you…I spotted it, scooped it up, tucked it under my arm, and smiled like a kid in a candy shop! I thought is was the perfect backdrop for one of my grandfathers vintage Easter postcards from his collection.

Here’s another black wax sheep adorned with his smart looking rusty bell. He loves his spot atop this stack of wee little miniature books (another weakness).

Some more moss from our forest tucked into these little aged terracotta pots.

I love the antique white color & glass glitter sparkles of this sweet little bunny.

Depending on the season, I have several wrought iron little animals to use in our decor, including this little dove.

Our magnetic chalkboard needed a spring facelift, so I decided to display a few nest & egg pictures that I kept from a favorite old calendar, and chalk the saying – You Make All Things New.
See the tutorial for creating this chalkboard here

Don’t you love all of the different kinds of eggs!

I tried to get all fancy with the word “new” LOL!

This little black wax lamb just wasn’t happy until he got his favorite spot on the red chalkboard, because it matches his collar.

Thankfully, he didn’t mind the vintage Easter postcard sharing the space with him 😉

Here’s the new spring design on the big red chalkboard, before lambsie took over. The bee in the laurel wreath is one of my favorite designs!

Winter comes every year, and every year spring follows winter. Spring is on her way, so why not celebrate by brightening up your space with some of the things you love!