Linens and Lent

 I bet you're wondering what linens and Lent have to do with each other.  Well ~ absolutely nothing.  Inspired by Brenda's posts a few days ago over at Cozy Little House about authenticity and blog parties and being yourself, I decided to post today about Lent and throw in some pictures of the pretty linens I found at Scott's last weekend. 

 So here we go with some authenticity ~ I attended my first Lenten service tonight.  I must admit until the last few weeks, I knew absolutely nothing about Lent and never understood it's meaning or purpose.  I didn't understand what giving up chocolate had to do with Easter or anything spiritual.  I attend a very large non-denominational church that is made up of people from various church backgrounds and over 100 different cultures.  Last year they held their first Lenten service and it was packed to overflowing, so this year they held two services. 

I was amazed at what I learned tonight ~ a little bit of Lenten history through the ages, but more importantly, what it means and how to apply it to my life today. 

 Our pastor talked about Lent as acknowledging our need for God and it being a sort of spiritual spring cleaning ~ getting rid of the accumulated clutter.  Now I could really relate to that in a material sense, but he focused on accumulated clutter as being things like passing judgment, habits, bitterness and our thoughts.  I could also relate to that and the need for a spiritual spring cleaning of my heart. 

He talked about fasting or giving something up, not so much as self-denial, but as a way of "creating space for God" and asked challenging and probing questions such as, "what do I satisfy my thirsts with?" 

I squirmed a little in my seat as it wasn't hard for me to see all the "things" I use to fill up my life instead of seeking more of God. 

A part of me wished I had remained ignorant of the meaning of Lent, but another part was ready to embark on this 40-day journey of spiritual spring cleaning in preparation for Holy Week. 

 I am glad I attended my first Lenten service tonight and to learn more of church tradition, but most importantly, to realize that every spring, Lent will be a reminder and  challenge to seek a closer walk with God.~Linking with The Brambleberry Cottage for Time Travel Thursday  

A Goodwill Sweetie

 Found this sweet little pitcher at Goodwill a few weeks ago for only $2.99.  I love it's curvy top and how it screams "spring".  I didn't really need it, but thought it would look lovely on my hutch when I change it over for it's spring look. 

 I find the closer it gets to spring, the more I want to fill my house with green, so I threw a clean rag rug on the table that offered the right combination of texture and color and paired it with the pitcher.Since it seemed a little bit early to pull out the spring silks, I decided just to use my faux head of lettuce in it. 

I love the ephemera on this lettuce and the way the light shines through it. 

 For now, this simple splash of green will hold me over until it begins in earnest outside. 

Linking with~Blue Cricket Design for Show and Tell~The Thrifty Home  for Penny Pinching Party~Southern Lovely for Show & Share  

Hollyhock Pottery

  I found this sweet little pot at Scott's Antique Market this morning and I just couldn't resist it.  The seller said it was probably from the 1940's to 50's and was made in Zanesville, Ohio, home of many pottery companies.

 I don't usually buy things in this color, but then I remembered this is the new color I'm redoing my living room in and it would match the upholstery fabric I bought.  It didn't take a lot of talking to myself to convince me to buy it since it was half-off, but truly, it was the hollyhock design on the sides that drew me in. 

 It found a place on my mantel next to some vintage books and my mantel clock. 

 I think it looks right at home on the mantel, like it's always lived here. 

 At the other end of my mantel lives this rusty iron horse.  He looks so tired and asleep on his feet,  just like I feel most of the time.  At least I don't have as many age spots as he does. 

Linking withThe Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays~The House in the Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday~Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday~A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday 

Button Love

I used to keep all my stray buttons in a single jar and then I saw this picture on Pinterest. 

(source)   So that started me thinking about sorting out my buttons and putting them on display so I could see them.  Only I didn't have any pretty pickle jars like this lady used.  I decided I still wanted to sort through them and collect jars as I could find them, so I grabbed the quickest thing I could find for sorting ~ an old and somewhat dirty muffin tin. 

 It was fun to sort them out by colors instead of them being all jumbled together in one jar.  But ~ I found that once I had them sorted out, I wanted to be able to see them and the muffin tin was too large for a shelf or a table.  I finally found them a nice resting place in a large flat basket that I keep on the bottom shelf of my hutch. 

 Here they are still handy and I can see their sweet splash of color every time I pass through the dining room. 

 All this sorting of buttons led to exploring the button possibilities and uses on Pinterest.  So ~ if you really want to see some very pretty pictures of buttons, check out mybutton board on Pinterest and you will have button love too.~I wish I had more of the bright pretty colors, but if you've bought buttons lately, you know how pricey they are.  Several of the sources for the button pictures said they find the cutest buttons on clothing at yard sales for practically nothing, so that's where I'll be looking this spring.Do you love buttons too?~Linking with~A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday~My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  for Tuesday's Treasures   

A Heartfelt Thank You and a New Armoir

First and foremost, I want to thank Brenda from

Cozy Little House for featuring my pillows on her blog earlier this week.  If you haven't been over to visit Brenda, you really must meet this wonderful lady who goes out of her way to feature so many new bloggers and make everyone feel welcome.  Through her kindness of sharing my pillows, I met many new bloggers and made a few sales.  Thank you Brenda!

~

Sharing today my armoir that I finally got around to painting in November.  I bought it from the store owner for only $185 all the way back in July, but I was so busy painting things for the store, that it took me awhile to get it done.  Once again, I don't have a before picture, but it was dark wood and I painted it off-white.  I distressed it so that the dark wood came through and then waxed it with a mixture of clear and dark wax.

I really liked it dark and it matched all my other dark wood furniture, but I am trying to lighten up my house.  It was a very long process to paint this monstrosity inside and out and took me several weeks to complete, but definitely worth all the work.  

I love being able to hide my TV, but since I got rid of the book shelf  I had in the living room, I needed to make the best use of this space.  So ~ I put many of the books behind the TV and around it.

I like how the TV doesn't stand out or demand attention as the focal point of the living room.  I know armoirs aren't as "in" these days because of all the wide screen TVs, but I wanted to draw attention away from the TV instead of to it.  I think the books surrounding it help accomplish this, while allowing me to have all the necessary equipment, store my DVD's, tapes, and a few accessories.  Now I like it open as well as closed.

 The armoir is really tall and not as easy to decorate the top as some of my other furniture.   I think the goose is too big for up there, but there he stays for now.

 

Decorating the sides was another matter.  Since the armoir was so tall, it made anything else I wanted to put next to it look tiny. I found some antique tin art at Scott's and tried to use it to balance the wall.

I love this rusty heart and it's warm colors and the scrolly metal thing was only $10.

 On the other side I hung a single piece of tin work that is much longer.

Love chippy paint and rust.  I think that kind of describes me these days, or at least how I feel since I've been sick all week.  Looking forward to feeling chipper again instead of chippy. 

~

Linking with

The House in the Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday

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Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday

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Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphasis Monday

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Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday

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Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday

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The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday