Procrastination...

Sometimes I just feel
like kicking my own butt...
but then I realize that
that will take some dangerous moves
that I'm not willing to try anymore...

The point is that it took me
6 years to work on this...

6 years!!!

I finally got my act together,
got to work
and only....

it was finished... and ready to be taken to Country Roads.

4 Hours!!!
How many of these could I have made in 6 years???
Too many to count...
Enough to depress me even more!

"A year from now you may wish you had started today"
~Karen Lamb~


I wish I would have read this quote before!!!!

HAPPY WHITE WEDNESDAY, GIRLS!

Friday...

end of the week...

And end of the month!
July is leaving San Clemente without giving us
even one day of real California warmth,
not even one real beach day!


We now sit and hope that August will be a little more generous...

Have a creative weekend full of color, glitter and hopefully...sun!!



"Just living is not enough.
One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower"
~Hans Christian Anderson~

Time...

"Time is an equal opportunity employer.
Each human being has exactly the same number
of hours and minutes every day.

Rich people can't buy more hours.
Scientists can't invent new minutes.
And you can't save time to spend it on another day.

Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving.

No matter how much time you've wasted in the past,
you still have an entire tomorrow"

~Denis Waitely~

How are you spending yours today?

It's about time...

We bought these two German metal mugs about 10 years ago...
We can still remember the sweet German lady that sold them to us at a San Clemente garage sale.

We always thought they were soooo cute...
obviously we are the only ones that see their cute side because they never sold!!!

Yep, 10 years later, they are still here....

Rita, a fellow dealer, once told us:
"Everything sells if you live long enough"
Let us add that Rita turned 80 a few years back...

We don't have Rita's patience...

...if they don't sell now after this quick makeover,
we are going to start thinking that they are meant to stay.

Will Rita be right or will we have new desk accessories??

Update:
Since writing this post, last Thursday, the mugs have SOLD!
Was it the number makeover that helped, or was it their "time to go"?...
We will never know!


"Patience is also a form of action"
~Auguste Rodin~

Spring Forward

The clocks are all turned forward from Funny Time to Right Time.
I always remember, "Spring back or Fall in."
~Dave Beard ~

In focus....

"Time flies..."
"Kids grow up fast..."

How many times have we heard this or even said it yourself?...Thousands!...and it's true...
Our kids are now 18, almost 16, almost 15 and 12. One is already driving and traveling by himself...the two girls, C and S1 will soon follow and S2 is already spending his afternoons with friends at the beach... without Mom.

And because the weekends alone are just not enough family time, Clara has organized "Wednesday Picnic", our new family fave! ...
We could say we pack a beautiful picnic basket, shop for some special cheese and wine, and finish the evening with some chocolate covered strawberries while enjoying the views from the San Clemente Pier...
But the reality is: the eight of us grab our beach chairs, a light sweater, some junk food and head to the pier for some easy and cheap laughs!

As the kids grow up and find their own path,
we try to create memories for them to keep and treasure...

Special memories that will not fade,
the kind of memories you keep in your heart, and feed your spirit,
no matter how old you are...
no matter how blurry your memory becomes...

No need for fancy preparations...
or elaborated plans...

because "Wednesday Picnic" is not about the menu or the location...
"Wednesday Picnic" it's about enjoying each other...
"Wednesday Picnic" is about capturing the moment ...

After all, time flies, even if we are not having fun!

Between Dr Laura and Sarah Palin

OMG... It's been so long since our last post!!!...Time flies when you are having fun! And after some time of thinking and deciding what to do with our business, we can say that we are finally having fun again.

The addition of new vendors and the fact that they all work one day a week in the store has given us not only time to catch up with our own lives but also a totally renewed creative energy.

During our time away from the store, we have completed old projects, finished new ones, redecorated rooms in our own homes, watched our girls win a soccer tournament and let us tell you: it feels pretty darn good!

We even got the "creative juices" flowing again, we have stocked up the store with lots of wonderful cottage furniture and for the first time we are ahead with the seasonal merchandise: fun Halloween decorations are being created and displayed every day.

These days when many of us are having conversations about women doing it all, juggling work, kids, housework, helping run a country, it's pretty safe to say that Clara and I can't do it all.
We can't run a 10 to 5 business and be home with our families, we can't work every day and refinish furniture at night, and trust us: we tried! Our new schedule (we work 2 half days a week each) is what we call the perfect balance between Dr Laura and Sarah Palin!!

Our lives are really about Cottage Charm and Family Inspiration (not necessarily in that order), and our new schedule allow us to enjoy it all....