From My Heart

Looking back over the past year

I have to tell you how blessed we've been at

PATINA

in so many ways!

Our customers and friends are incredible

they're our best advertisement,

bringing their friends

and

family members

and their out of town guests

to the shop.

I can't tell you how many
"once a year",
"out of town"
 guests

stopped to shop

while they were visiting family and friends

for the holiday.

(Many on their way in from the airport,

with the comment that

 PATINA 

was the first stop they had to make!)

This sort of affection and excitement

warms out hearts.

It builds business in a solid fashion

and

keeps us 

in a  position to continue

seeking and providing

a treasure trove of fresh items for the shop.

There is no finer compliment than being recommended

by someone who has enjoyed our ambiance

 atmosphere and design sensibility.

Many of our "regulars"

have brought a dozen friends to us through the years!

This encouragement is what keeps us going,

spending countless hours

and back breaking work,

in rain, heat, mosquitoes, mud, ice and snow,

picking,

all across the country 

through thousands of worthless objects

in order to find those few

special items

that spark sweet, warm memories

and

get you excited!

You

are why we do it!

Thank you,

from the bottom of my heart!

Almost New Year

It's almost the

 New Year

and

time for resolutions . . .

I think I'll make one or two.

First,

let me assure you

I'm not going to make one to exercise more

or totally reorganize my house

or to do any of those wonderful things we

will only chastise ourselves for 

forgetting by February.

No guilt.

No tough requisites.

Just want to be a kinder, 

more thoughtful

and 

generous person

in 2012.

A little more apt to not make comments while driving,

or

be annoyed by someone racing to take a parking spot,

or

irritated by many little things.

I'm blessed and content,

 and happy to be here in America,

and 

wish to smile more

and

be a blessing to other people 

more

 frequently.

What's your resolution?

Thanks for reading along this year - it's been fun!

Christmas Spirit

I was lying in bed early this morning, stretching,

 and relishing the fact that I had plenty of time to simply lie there

 and

enjoy the warm coziness

for a change

and my thoughts ran to Christmas.

Now, generally, when my thoughts run to any upcoming event

I'm barraged by my mental

"to-do" list

and have a rush of panic at 

how much there is still to be accomplished.

There is the accompanying guilt

of 

"why didn't you start earlier",

and the feeling of being slightly overwhelmed

followed by the big

"why am I perpetually in this cycle"

etc.

For many,

Christmas can be a big guilt inducer . . . 

when you consider that bloggers all around the world are bombarding

us with the beautiful gifts and decorations they've made from scratch

and the stories of how they're helping to save the world

by 

living the ultimate

"green lifestyle"

and how all their gifts are made from

100% recycled trash

thereby saving the planet

while stunning their friends and families with their

 ingenuity 

creativity

and 

time management.

But this morning I simply shooed away that demon

and 

thought about the Christmas memories

that stood out from my 

childhood.

I recalled fragrances:

real evergreens 

cookies baking

spices

hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks

clove studded orange pomanders

popcorn being strung

ham baking

ripe pears

nuts toasting

hot waffles

I recalled being surrounded by family . . . 

(there were five generations of family when I was small).

Grands and great grands and great great grands!

There were aunts and uncles and greats to boot.

There was a plethora of cousins,

and neighborhood friends took up where the cousins left off.

There were Christmas trees - 

one in each home

of all these relatives and neighbors,

and the grandaddy Christmas tree of them all:

the tree in our little church.

I believe it must have been 25 foot high,

(but then I'm sure it only seemed that way).

Lights and ornaments were unique on each tree, 

so every one was a small miracle

and delight!

Our neighbor had a molded, white plastic tree

whose branches looked somewhat like combs . . . 

the most wonderful and "modern" tree . . .

it was always decorated in a single color,

and I seem to remember one year especially

when the tree was all in blue!

Ahhhh . . . 

so much more sophisticated than our hodge-podge family tree,

brimming with the handmade ornaments and paper chains

and the eggshell collages my mother lovingly crafted!

We had some family heirloom ornaments

and the precious ones my mother made

and the 

school paste and macaroni and glitter ones,

and out tree was breathtaking!

We literally held our breath while the light cord was plugged in.

The final touch was my mother painstakingly adding the silvery tinsel . . . 

one single strand at a time

in perfect symmetry.

I remember my mother using specific gift wrap for the gifts from family

and then, secretly, after we children were asleep, 

wrapping the 

Santa gifts

 in a unique paper - so it would be obvious that he

had brought certain presents

 from his workshop at the North Pole!

When I was old enough to know what was going on,

 I was privileged to stay up late and help her wrap those Santa gifts

for my younger siblings.

My first role was to lend my finger to hold the knot securely in the ribbon while she tied a bow.

We finished special baking details, and sometimes prepared the turkey stuffing.

I was a entrusted with tearing bread into cubes and crumbling cornbread.

It was a right of passage I'll always treasure!

Every year our church had a Christmas pageant.

It was traditionally the story of Jesus' birth

in the manger in Bethlehem.

There were speaking roles and non speaking roles

and members of all ages took parts appropriate to their age, size and ability.

I was often a part of the pageant, 

and loved the rehearsals, the costuming, the music, the lighting

and all the adrenaline rush of the production.

It felt so real, and so holy and I was filled with awe!

Luke's recounting of the nativity event

came alive

and it seemed we were whisked across the world to that very sight

on that

 very important silent night.

I treasure so many wonderful memories

of Christmas!

The best are the feelings of being loved

and the wonder of so many relatives and friends gathered together,

and the abundance of delicious treats on the table,

and 

the wonder of Jesus being born

in the city of Bethlehem,

beneath that shining star!

Continuing The Organizational Quest!

There has been some progress on the organizing front in the little workspace I think of as my studio.

Truth be told,

I must use this niche for creative space,

office space,

and

" hide the piles until the company is gone"

space.

(Oh, you know what I'm talking about . . . 

don't even pretend you dont . . .)

I'm toting out boxes of half finished projects and broken items I told myself I would fix.

I've got bags and boxes of items ready for donation

and a couple of trash bags

as well . . . 

and a rather sizable stack of papers for shredding . . .

Where does this paper originate?

I have called and written and emailed every organization that sends me mail,

demanding to be removed from their mailing lists

and email lists.

(There are limits to what I can endure!)

I have organized and discarded magazines.

I have rearranged some furniture.

I have purged my bulletin board.

I feel so virtuous!

I'm rounding up

 MORE 

vintage jars 

to hold all the little messy bits of office supplies 

and crafty components!

There is such a sense of accomplishment

in such a small change.

Do I hear applause????

Organizing My Life

Well, it's 4 degrees outside my back door this morning, with a high of 10 degrees forecast.

I'm guessing this would be a great day to reorganize my creative space.

I believe I'll tear it part and move some furniture around

and create a more efficient environment.

There should be more walking room in this area

and fewer piles to have to jump over and skirt around.
I'm in here every day,
and
so much seems to pile up.

More defined spaces for my buttons and book pages

and strings and clothespins and all those yummy pieces of life I love to create with.

Hmmmm . . . 

This could take some time . . . 

I believe I'll begin with a cup of coffee.

Gift Wrapping

Today

 I found a wire basket,

 a tin box

 and 

some vintage linens

 to use for

 Christmas

 gift 
wrap.

I'm continuing to amass my ephemera:

book pages

sheet music

and some lovely items I must keep secret

until the family gift wrap competition is complete.

So much fun to use these

 timeworn and repurposed treasures

 to hold my little Christmas surprises!

There are so many sweet ways to wrap your gifts . . . 

think cloth:

antique pillowcases

crocheted tablecloth

burlap and twine

or,

containers:

woven baskets

reusable fabric totebags

wooden boxes

wire bins

or,

recycled boxes:

any kind, 

upholstered in fabric

or recycled papers,

tied with live evergreens and 

vintage Christmas ornaments

or old linens and laces

We're attempting to avoid the commercial

wrappings

and

 use what's on hand

and

 lovely 

and 

earth concious

and 

thoughtful

what fun!

Happy December

Just on cue the snow began on December 1st here in Denver 

 I'm certain I heard Christmas music,

 and possibly sleigh bells this morning as I awoke.

There is nothing quite so beautiful as fresh snow, falling gently in the early morning.

I'm inspired, and have decorated for Christmas!

There are wreaths and garland,

pine sprays and berries

There are apothecary jars filled with vintage Christmas ornaments

and

a snow-girl-angel with a banner which says

"BELIEVE".

I have my cinnamon flavored tea and my first Christmas cookies,

baked by my friend Barb,

all yummy and chewy with white chocolate and cherries and nuts!

There is a stack of Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers,

 awaiting some creative gift wrapping . . . 

I've challenged my ultra-creative

and very "green" daughter to a creative-wrapping duel!

We'll try to out do each other in the recycling of

 beautiful fabrics,

vintage papers,

 antique ribbons, 

and a wealth of gorgeous and up-cycled 

boxes,

 jars

 and

 innovative packages!

Be sure to see Kellie's blog:

http://mysocalledgreenlife.com
for a chuckle at her escapades.

More to follow, as we attempt to get on with the challenge

Happy December!

You Will Change the World

Okay,

so it's apparent that this time of year begins to be stressful for a lot of people.

I heard that yesterday was a tough one for several friends

for a variety of reasons,

and I've had 9 requests for prayer 

for people I know

who have either fallen off ladders and broken bones,

or had their two year olds hospitalized,

or been diagnosed with cancer,

or lost their job,

or had something terrible and destructive happen

in their life,

or who are just plain stressed to the breaking point due to a series of little issues.

Friendships have teetered on the brink after a lifetime,

couples have separated,

and in general it's seemed like a really hard week for a lot of people!

I cannot hope to solve any of these problems of course,

but I can address the fact that many are hurting 

and in need of an extra dose 

of

TLC

and prayer.

Here's what I propose . . . 

Go out today with the intent to be a catalyst for change 

in your circle of influence.

Now, I know you can't solve any of these problems, either . . . 

But . . . 

If I know this many folks who are having a hard time, then you do as well.

Multiply that by several tens of millions of folks around the world,

 and it all might just seem a little hopeless . . .

Now

consider that you have a sphere of influence

which includes every person you see today.

Yes, YOU!

Your smile

your gentle word

your helpful hand

the cup of coffee

or the inclusion in conversation

or whatever kindness you can afford to extend

may be the effort that saves that person in some way.

Let someone merge into traffic,

give them a hand,

touch their life in some soft way

and

it may remove the one straw that would have

 'broken the camel's back'.

A touch on the arm or the shoulder is risky in our society

and I do it every day.

Human touch is healing to the spirit.

A well chosen kindness is theraputic.

You know what I'm talking about.

Someone once did that for you.

Pass it along.

Tip the waitress a little extra,

smile at someone,

say thanks, in a big way that lets someone know their job makes a difference.

Let the person with three items get in line in front of you at the checkout counter.

Sacrifice something, for someone else's joy.

A compliment will change someone's whole outlook on life.

You might never know how much.

I challenge you to do this for a day

and to see if

you might just like it so much you do it for another day.

I will suggest that if enough of us did this for a month,

it would change the world.

To the world you may only be one person,

but to one person, 

you may be the world!

It Was Lovely!

The Christmas Open House at

 PATINA ANTIQUES

went off without a hitch

and 

for two glorious days

our precious customers streamed in and enjoyed the

holiday cheer!

They found vintage and antique Christmas treasures

as well as

fresh delights to adorn their trees

their mantles

and their packages!

Mercury glass, glitter, greenery, holly berries,

handmade stockings

garlands, lace, crystal,

 and 

pearly, wiry,

 rusty, peely paint,

leathery,

chippy,

silvery

little treats

were chosen,

wrapped,

and whisked away!

There was ironstone and silverplate

French feedsack and warm, mellow treen

chosen with care

to grace holiday tables

and fill boxes under the tree.

Galvanized tin pots

and

stone urns will hold fir trees.

There was champagne

and chocolates

and ginger snaps

and candy canes

and visions of sugar plums

dancing in our heads 

There were many hugs and smiles
 and the days were surely blessed
and I'm thankful
and content
and pleased!

Spending time with the folks
who truly appreciate and enjoy the beautiful things
that I love,
makes my heart happy!

There will be lots of pretties coming in each day,
carefully chosen to excite and deight,

so please come visit
and
enjoy the season!

That Time of Year

In independent retail businesses, 

particularly the small business owned and operated by one person,

the Christmas season is the

 "make it, or break it" 

time of the year.

We work tremendously hard for 10 months, 

and then in the 2 months prior to Christmas, 

we can do the same amount of sales we did in the previous 10.

Knowing this to be true,

these two months become very significant to our well being.

Did I say, "very significant"?

Okay, truthfully, these two months are way too important.

They can be stressful and frustrating and difficult and back breaking.

They can make you lose sleep and work in your shop till midnight, only to drive 20 miles home in a blowing, blinding snow storm, sleep a few hours and go out and scrape the 7" of snow off your car, drive back to work, and do it all over again.

They can disrupt your sleep, your attitude, your appetite and your general ability to communicate with others without taking a bite out of them.

No one moves fast enough, cares enough, has the sense of your need to complete a task,

or apparently any idea of the urgency with which you seemingly must live through these weeks.

The world should be in "fast forward" with you

but

t h e y 

a r e 

i n

s   l   o   w

m    o    t    i    o    n

Okay . . .

I'm a crazy woman when it comes to my 

"one woman show"

of holiday retail.

The shop must be turned inside out

redecorated

holiday-ized

and

it should

(in my mind)

be found to be one of the very nicest and most loved shopping spots in

the front range.

Now,

appearing in 

Victoria Magazine 

last winter certainly raised the bar.

Winning

  5280 Magazine's

Editor's Choice Award as

Top of the Town

in

 Home Accessories category

two successive years,

added to my stress to impress.

Winning 

Esprit 'd Noel's 

Christmas House Tour

to benefit Children's Hospital,

and appearing in 

Colorado Homes and Lifestyle

this month

was another beautiful compliment for

 PATINA ANTIQUES.

It also adds the challenge of surpassing last year's grandeur

 when we decorate for the tour

THIS YEAR

and try to do everything with a fresh new eye

to captivate our customers' imagination.

When the magazine spread appears on the news stand

the week of your annual

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE,

(to which you've invited several thousand of your best customers,

 friends, family, competiton and hottest critics),

you can begin to tremble and shake

with the need to keep

 "out doing"

 what you've done in the past.

Your dreams and conversation can be peppered with phrases like, 

"over the top" and "outside the box" and "killer"

 and well . . . 

you get my drift . . .

But,

this year

I'm taking it a little easy.

I'm trusting that what I can do will be accomplished,

and what I can't do - only I will know about.

That there really is no amount of stress and frustration that can improve

 who I am

or

what I do.

I'll say my prayers and do my best

 and count on my creativity and my blessings

 to spring from God.

I will plan my work

and

work my plan

and ask that it's blessed.

Perhaps this is a sign of age - (hopefully maturity)?

I will take time for my friends

have a cup of coffee

smile at strangers

return my shopping cart

have my grandchildren spend the night 

take donuts to the guys at Grease Monkey

leave a gift on my neighbors doorstep

bake cookies

have a Christmas party

and

 trust! 

Time for a change

The weather is changing fast, and I'm loving the changes.  

I was inspired to sort through the closet, 

rotating warm weather clothing and cool weather clothing 

I'm thinking hearty potato/cheddar soup

 and

 chili

 and

rich beef stew 

I have a desire for pumpkin bread

and

baked apples

and

ginger snaps

My candle fragrances are evolving into

Votivo's Red Currant

and 

Honeysuckle

and

Smoke

Scarves are tempting me . . 

burnt oranges 

and

 harvest ambers

and

cinnamon browns

I'm beginning to layer my table top with textural neutrals

in raw silk, burlap, hopsacking and linen

It's time for a change

and

I'm loving it!

Early Morning Thoughts

I'm venturing out again now,

testing my endurance and navigating skills.

Though I'm not as strong and sure as I was,

there is a challenge to every day

that I enjoy meeting.

I took my market basket and started out into my brave new world.

I found several lovely items for my little shop

and stopped in to arrange them

at 

PATINA.

It was early and quiet and calm.

Sunlight hitting the front windows at a new angle and lending a different aura.

I lit the pretty mercury glass lamps and admired the soft glow they cast.

I love to putter early,

before anyone else is about . . .

Just touching

 these treasures from 100 years or more ago

starts me musing about

their histories . . .

What hands have touched these ironstone bowls

and

silver inkwells

and

old photo developing frames?

Who has opened and closed those peely shutters?

Against what storms of life . . . 

What Brittish market or apothecary shop used this little scale

to weigh out goods for a home maker?

What home will harbor it next . . 

Where has it resided in between . . .

What stories could it tell?

Each piece is precious in some way

because it holds those stories,

and because it will accumulate

more.

Only time will tell

who will own this treasure next . . .

Will they think of it like I do?

I love my work!

Good Morning World

Good Morning and welcome to my world.

I'm going out to work today,
 just my
  second
real day
"out",
since July 18th.

Some tremendously life changing
"side effects"??
"strokes"?
something
after surgery
have knocked me for a
long
miserable
 serious
loop.

Today I will brave the world,
with assistance,
and
  see if
I can
 be
back to work.

No one knows just how disconcerting it is to find one cannot
 speak,
walk,
 swallow,
grasp objects
 and
drive
until it happens to them.

I have a new compassion.

God is good about teaching us the skill set He intends us to posess . . .
even at this stage in life.

He will give us all the tools we will need to be tender hearted
and ready to assist and understand
and have empathy for
the people
He 
wants us to serve.

I hope this
lesson is well learned
and
I do not need to
study it again . . .

There are people I need to thank
a thousand times
for what they've done 
to bless me
during this process!

Now I will attempt to go to work
several days a week
and to
 have a fresh perspective
on
how blessed I've always been
to be healthy and strong and self-sufficient
and capable.

Thanks for your well wishes and love!