His Journey Home........

NO TEARS PAST THE GATES

Someone new has entered our eternal home above. The heavenly gate has opened wide to welcome the one you love. We cannot help the tears that fall-our hearts need time to grieve

when earthly life has ended and a loved one has to leave. Yet even in the saddest time, we know our Savior lives, and we can trust completely in the promise that He gives. That in a glad reunion with the Lord, our loved ones wait to welcome us in joy with no more tears beyond the gate!

~ Author Unknown ~

Thank you all for your prayers and support, my brother-in-law passed away Friday May 30, 2008 at 12:30 pm. I will be away from posting for a few days as I spend time with my sister during her grieving.....God Bless you all and I love you my blog friends....

Debbie Kay

Some treasures to make me smile.......

Just wanted to share some of the delightful treasures I picked up at La Maison Rustique a couple of weeks ago. Those lovely ladies sure have some amazing items for sale and I find it such fun to visit them each month with or without a purchase.....this cute "shabby chic frame" is screamin for a special place in my home....and I'm workin on finding it.

These sweet vintage serving pieces caught my eye, I just love the tarnish on them.

This is one of my favorite finds. Joy from The Vintage Rabbit sold this piece to me. She has some amazing items for sale every month at "The Barn". Love you Joy!

One request for my friends who read my blog. I have been supporting my sister these past few weeks who is watching cancer take the life of her husband of 2 years. So hard on her and so hard on our family as we were just getting to know the man she waited all of her 38 years of life to find. Please pray for her, pray for him and pray that God welcomes him into heaven sooner rather than later as he is suffering so very much. Sorry to end this post on such a downer but I always feel such love from my friends and visitors and I know how prayer can really make a difference....thank you one and all.

Lots of love,

Debbie

Is it rude?

Is it rude to ask visitors to take off their shoes when they enter your home? Well I find it rude to leave mine on when visiting someones home. Our home is a "shoe free" sanctuary and I needed to find a way to politely ask my friends and family to take off their shoes before entering. My good friend Joy from The Vintage Rabbit came to my rescue with this adorable sign she lovingly crafted for me and I picked it up this past weekend at La Maison Rustique....

Joy is the sweetest, super creative, fabulously talented new friend of mine and we met online through our blogs. I think it is so neat to meet ladies in the blog community and actually forge friendships beyond the daily or weekly posts..... Even though the miles separate us on a daily basis, in Southern California you can go from the beach to the desert to the mountains in a matter of 2 or 3 freeways. Thank you Joy for the adorable sign that gently reminds my visitors to leave their shoes at the door....she can make one for you too.

Debbie

Whole lotta love at "The Barn"

Whew was it a hot one in Temecula, but what a great time we had shoppin with the "babe's at the barn". La Maison Rustique was yet another treasure trove of bargains and additions to the things that make my world go around. I got a chance to visit with my dear friends Denise, Joy, Sherry and of course the "brains and beauty behind the operation", dear sweet Linda. This picture is worth a thousand words and I am sooooo grateful to have met these beautiful ladies who have welcomed me into their lives. Thank you sweet friends, I treasure each one of you.

Check out this lamp that was made by Denise of Hope Tree Studio. She is an amazing artist and a jewel of a friend. She is such a sweet lady who is soooo talented and creative. I feel like I have known Denise all of my life.

Here she proudly displays her masterpiece.....and proud she should be......

The sun was beatin down on the stuff outside but that didn't stop me and my friend Tina from shoppin til we dropped. I think she dropped a couple of hundred at the barn and didn't even flinch! Love the chair she found for her boudoir. (sorry didn't take a picture of it, but trust me, it is beautiful)

If you are ever in Temecula you must find time to visit La Maison Rustique. Dates are listed on Linda's blog and it is worth the wait each month. Thanks again to my best girlfriends at the barn, I love you all and look forward to next month......will share more of the treasures I brought home in my next post.

Lots of Love,

Debbie

Seriously Folks.......

Could this price tag be correct? I found this beautiful white ceramic dish at Marshall's the other day and when I looked at the price tag, all I could think was, "quick, grab it, it is too good to be true". Now my little treasure may not sound like much to you, but I get such joy out of the "little things in life" and my pretty little tray from Marshall's sure put a smile on my face.....

One of the guys at work brought this beautiful screen to me the other day. He just "gave it to me" since I had admired it in his home on a past occasion. He said he knew I would appreciate it more than he does and I sure do! I don't know if I should try to alter the frame with a painting technique since it is beveled and leaded. Any suggestions?

It may not scream "Cottage Style" but I like the way it "puts my fireplace away" for the summer.

A Mother's Work Is Never Done............

I had a lovely day with my wonderful children, I could not have asked for anything more than to spend the day being pampered by my sweethearts. This is the last Mother's Day that my sweet daughter will be home with me as she leaves for college in the fall, kind of bittersweet. Her card means a lot to me this year. My little guy will be like the "only child" once his sissy leaves the nest. Hard to imagine that 18 years have passed and she has become an adult. Hmmmm, anyway, I spent the afternoon painting my sun room. Okay let me clarify that, I painted 3/4 of one wall of my sun room. I just didn't want to feel pressured to finish it on "my day" so I painted at my leisure and thought I would share some pictures....

You can really see how much darker the "Belize" green is next to the "Winter wonderland" that my husband picked out. It looks like mint green and I NEVER liked it. He even commented that he liked the darker shade much better as it compliments the living room color.

No, I did not "paint around" these items, I just wanted to hang everything back up so that we could still live in our sun room while I find some time to finish painting. My weekends are the only time I have to devote to such a task.

This is the "pass through" from our kitchen into the sun room. I love the way the darker green showcases the granite counter top.

This is my inspiration wall. I like the "wall words" you can buy at Target that say things like "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" or "All Because Two People Fell In Love" but I didn't want to spend the money on them so I got my scrapbook letters out and came up with this. The sentiment really conveys my feelings for my sweet little boy and our wedding picture sort of ties it all together since he is our baby boy.

Hope all the mother's in blogland were blessed this Mother's Day

With Love,

Debbie Kay

What else but WHITE?

Friday after work was a perfect time to pop into Marshall's and see what bargains I could score. Well, there was this mirror on clearance. Dark and dreary.........

Great Price............

Great transformation into a lovely cottage mirror to hang above my new mantle. Never judge a book by its cover, or a mirror by its color.............

$15.00 and a can of spray paint on a Saturday afternoon, sheer bliss...........

Happy Mother's Day dear friends.

Debbie

Sweet Deals......

The antique shop near where I work is closing and they have everything on sale so they can clear the place out. Lucky for me I found this sweet little silver sugar & creamer set with a price tag of $25.00, but thanks to the "everything must go" sale, I paid only $12.00 for it. Yay for me. I am so glad I found the bargain silver tray from the Salvation Army just one week prior to this, I think it is perfect to display my "sweet deal".

Now in the matter of the chandelier that was originally marked $60 but they sold it to me for $30, this one is gonna take some imagination. Let's just say I see potential and look forward to fixing it up and sharing it in a future post.

I love decorating my home so much that I often pray that God will let me decorate my mansion when I get to heaven. I know He knows how much it would mean to me....

Debbie

One of my favorite places

I think it goes without saying that our bedrooms are a quiet place of refuge and solace at the end of a long (or short) day and I find mine to be both peaceful and soothing. Bedrooms have become an important part of the structure of our homes because it is where we dress, sleep, read, share private time, steal a quiet moment and watch television (I had to give in to my husband on this one) so it would make sense that we decorate our haven to suit our personality and style. I prefer shabby chic over any other expression of style but when it came to our bedroom, I had to be fair to my husband and true to myself. We chose warm, neutral tones and I insisted that White play a very important role in the overall palette of design. Come on in for a visit.......

As with everything, it is a work-in-progress. The bed needs to be sanded and painted (none other than white) and I still need to add some architectural features such as crown molding and shelving to the wall opposite this picture. I love to spend time in my bedroom just dreaming about ideas and ways to change things around.

My dresser (whose former life was a buffet) was a steal at a monthly yard sale in my area for $200. It is solid Mahogany, painted white of course, sturdy and true to its vintage existence. I absolutely love the separators in the drawers that once served as storage for fine silver in someones beloved dining room. The frame above it was $10.00 at the same yard sale and I just couldn't resist. My husband even likes this piece and let me tell you, that is saying a lot!

It may see the likes of a coat or two of white paint one day, but for now, I am happy with the rather antiqued patina it has and I think it contrasts nicely with the off-white mirrors I have displayed in the middle of it.

I like to remind my husband to stay on his side of the bed with these beauties I picked up at a "clearance sale" when a little boutique near my work was closing.

My mother sent me this sweet 3-tiered serving piece for petite fours and finger sandwiches. Well I think it dishes up my baubles much nicer than any dinner party I could ever throw.... Hope you enjoyed my little tour of the place that I call home....

Sweet Dreams,

Debbie Kay

Mixin it up AGAIN!

I just can't seem to leave my "wall that goes on forever" alone. I have changed it again by taking down the large (IKEA) mirror (yuck) that once hung there and have replaced it with this smaller, more aged mirror that I purchased from Sherry last month at La Maison Rustique. I found the little mirrors on either side of it at Ross in a rather ugly gold leaf color. Take a look at the before of it all.

White makes EVERYTHING look so much better. See the shelf under the mirror? Here is a picture of its life before (off) white....

Ahhh much better in my shabby chic world! Onto my next project....

Debbie