a look back and a peak into the new year...

Happy New Year to everyone!  I don't usually make new years resolutions, I have told myself that they are silly, and that I won't stick with them anyway.  I got to thinking though that maybe I wasn't giving myself enough credit...  I can stick to things if I put my mind to it and really WANT  to embrace change,  I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time I have felt a wonderful stirring in my soul about the possibilities of a new year.

I have goals set for myself, my family, and our home...

I love my time here in blogland

so many of you have inspired me to really dig deep into the creative recesses of my soul

to release the fear of trying new things, one of those things being the idea to share what I've created with all of the blog world, without fear of rejection or being misunderstood...

to make what pops into my head and then post about it, and sell it.

I have to say a huge THANK YOU to those of you who opened my eyes to the world of JDL, oh my gosh, I am in love!  That is definitely the direction that our home is going to take, white, warm, industrial,  with natural wood elements and romantic.  Who would have thought that industrial and romantic would work together?  I love it!   So I am going 'shopping' in my little white barn and hauling my finds in the house.  I have been doing this a little at a time, but now it is time for a major overhaul by swapping out some of the decor in here.  Right now I would say that the house just have too much stuff!  i can't  believe I'm even saying that, but believe me Duane is happy to hear me say it!  So the things that come in must have purpose as well.

I don't want to look like this guy anymore!  I have hung on to some things thinking that they were bought to be sold, but have yet to list them on etsy or get them over to Lambs Gate.  Well, this is the week that I will be getting this stuff out of here one way or another!  I want theoldwhitehouse to take on a new look and so will be going in a new direction with it.  I am so excited to actually HAVE a direction!  Really!!

 The dining room was my jumping off point!  More makeovers are on the way!

I want to look more like this guy, peaceful and content...

I want to do more of this, sewing and sharing, so you can expect more tutorials than before...

I will be making more of these because I love wearing them and so love to share them!

I see my art taking on a whole new direction as well...

I think I've always been pretty organic in my artwork, but I see even more on the horizon...  I've repurposed for so many years that my kids probably thought that was the only way to create something, I am excited to create again, these last couple of weeks all I've done is crochet scarves for my family so I can't wait to get out the glue and junk and jewelry again!

and then there is my baby...

my line of natural laundry soap and lavender dryer sheets, I believe more deeply in this product than anything I've ever done before.  I feel like even in a small way I am making a difference ... not only the green impact that I feel I can make but a impact on my families income as well.  So this means alot more work and dedication on my part, but I feel it will be worth it.

 2011 is going to bring more 'green' into the lives of the Hein family in more ways than my soap... Hannah and I have become vegetarians.  John was home for a longer period of time than usual, he is a vegan and so was a great teacher and motivator for us.  I am thrilled and empowered by the feeling of giving my family a healthier lifestyle.  Even though not all of us will be vegetarian, the ones that are not will still benefit by having more vegies and grains in their diets!  I gotta believe that part of the positive feelings I have for our new year is that I am starting it off right!  I didn't want to just start another diet, they have never worked for me, I felt deprived and starved and so would cheat every chance I got... this doesn't feel like that, it feels right.   This is one of the reasons that I did not do new year resolutions in the past, they seem so redundant.   I will be 50 this year, and I want to be a strong role model for my children.  I also want to show them my fun side, they see my silly side on a regular basis but I wanted to show them the side of me that likes to play too, so for Christmas I asked for Just Dance 2 for the WII, and oh my gosh it is so much fun!  We played again last night and it feels good to dance and get excersize without feeling like it's work!

Thank you all for stopping by and leaving comments, they mean so much to me!  Blogging has brought so much LIFE into my life!  Thank you.  I hope that I can inspire you this new year and give back a little of the inspiration that you have given me.
                                                                   Love,
                                                             Theresa xoxo

what is old is new again - angel style...

remember this guy...

 

Well he got a little makeover!

Now he's my little primitive angel hanging outside the front door.  I'm showing him on my favorite old crackled door that I use for all of my 'display shots'    and I think I want to add a battery operated candle for him to hold outside.  I will take another shot outdoors for you later...  (he almost looks like he has a tear doesn't he) 

Love those chippy white 'wings' I've been hanging on to for so long now!

I hope everyone is feeling joyful and a little less stressed than I am right now... I had every intention of NOT feeling this way this year, so I'm going to end this with deep breaths and put on some Christmas music and put the lights on the tree! yup, they're still not on there... deep breaths.

If you haven't entered the giveaway stop by my post here and grab yourself a chance at a cool house sign!  Remember, you don't have to do all of the steps, just stop in and leave a comment if that's all the time you have!   I was really just kidding about the telling me I'm special part, but I do appreciate those of you who played along with that!!!  ~ you still get it as a 4th chance though, just to show how special I really am!  xoxo

Thanks for stopping by!  Theresa xoxo    (breathing normally now, I promise)

rosette or no rosette?

When it comes to floral arrangements, if you can call this one, I am a simple kind of girl. I had made a basket for the front door with a nest and bird and leaves and white pumpkins and multiple rosettes... oh my gosh, it was waaaaay too fussy for me! So I got the apple bag off of the barn and filled it with eucalyptus, which smells so wonderful and some fake (groan) greens for the door. but now I am questioning the whole rosette thing... gasp! I know right?!!
I really do love the whole simple look of all of the beautiful European blogs and of course Jeanne de Arc, I believe I told you already that I am smitten with that book! So I tried it without the rosette and well... to rosette or not? can you help a girl out?

Here's a wider shot of the porch, not all of it though, I left out Max's scooter and Hannah's razor and well a leaf or 100! Now looking at the chalkboard maybe that has to go too... an I going too far, getting rid of a chalkboard? ;o

This has been an AMAZING day for me... I don't want this to sound like I'm bragging or anything but all in one day I have been informed that I have won 3 giveaways!!! 3!!! I cannot even believe it! Truly I don't really even enter that many, but the ones I do are the ones that have THE GOODS... you know what I mean... THE GOODS!!! Thank you Carola, Joy and Jan, I am so thrilled! I will share pics in a post I promise. Right now I am doing the most obnoxious happy dance ever!

Thanks for stopping in... and remember I could use some help with that bag! Theresa xoxo

Pumpkin Crazy!

Happy Sunshiney Sunday! I wanted to pass this tutorial on to all of you who have scraps of wool, sweaters, maybe even a burlap bag or grain sack on hand...
they are way too much fun to make and are going to help me in my "I haven't made anything new for autumn" dilemma! The tutorial is genius, I have made wool pumpkins before but these are so cute and well get this... no sewing!

Can you believe it? Really, unless you need to make your own tube shape - meaning you are not using a sweater sleeve or bag - well then it's rubberbands and string. crazy.
Ofcourse I started with the sweater sleeve like the tutorial shows but then well, one thing leads to another and I catch a glimpse of a grain sack out of the corner of my eye and well, I can't help myself from making one out of that too :o
This is the first one I did, a cable sleeve with the stem wrapped in green and pompoms.
I googled pumpkin leaves and found a great green sweater to make leaves out of and then added a little bling.
This one is a pretty small one, the sweater was felted pretty small but it's just too adorable!
So get on over to Hummadeedledee and see for yourself, some of you may already know Deb, as for me I just came across her blog because of these pumpkins and well I'm so glad I did! I sat staring at my computer screen for quite a while in total awe of her talents. AMAZING! Then I got busy making pumpkins! So for some inspiration and some fun... check her out and make some pumpkins!

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

Is it really autumn already?

This is sad... really sad... I have not even started to decorate for autumn. Not that there isn't a wealth of inspiration in blogland but I have been crazy making new things and really except for this new harvest banner I only have things in stages of being finished. I will tell you, I don't know how you all sew your burlap without cursing up a blue streak! But maybe you do and we just can't hear you ;o This stuff shreds so easy, I stamped on muslin so that it won't come apart before someone could hang it up. Now mind you, I am a glutten for punishment... I have made pillows and things with it before but I always say never again, then apparently I forget and try it once more. I do really like how the banner turned out, don't get me wrong, I just find it difficult to work with. Kudos to you Sissie, yours always turn out beautifully, you must have the patience of a saint!
So because I have not decorated yet, I'm bringing back pics from last year... pathetic I know. We haven't even been to the farm to get our pumpkins to be able to do this fab topiary. Maybe we can go this week. The young man who runs the farm where we go prides himself on planting heirloom vegies and unusual pumpkins. I love to visit there, or visit them at the farmers market, although I really didn't even get there this summer as often as I have in the past.
I make one of these every year. I love them. I buy a huge white pumpkin, this one is a little more green/gray than in the past but then I freehand a large H on it and put it on the side porch. This one is wrapped in a leaf garland but in the past I have also used fresh bittersweet which I love.
O.k. back to the work table, I hope to have some more new goodies to show you this week. It's a pretty quiet day around here, kinda dreary and that means we are all laying low. Which translates into me being able to create stuff and nobody really caring what I'm up to. Max has already made Danielle a fab picture and is diggin in the fabric bin to find some wool to make her a flower because well he knows how to sew you know! I'm just repeating what he told me when I asked him if he wanted some help... "no thanks I know how to sew you know."
Thanks everyone for your inquiries about Mr. Nuts the squirrel... unfortuantely I have bad news. He didn't make it through the night, we are sure he must have had internal injuries and that is why he was letting the kids cuddle him. Hannah was pretty sad when she checked on him in the morning but I tried to console her and told her that they gave him a very nice last day on earth full of love and kindness . When I pulled into the yard with Max on Wed. after school she was already digging the grave and then they held a little funeral service for him. I really wished I would have had my camera out there to show them all huddled in a group hug as they said good- by to Nuts. Another life lesson here at 612, hopefully the next lesson is a bit more cheerful!

Thanks for stopping by! Theresa xoxo