Patina White

put a cork in it!

hey everyone! we meet again! the end of the week is here...wish i could say the same for my office project. but good things take time. so rather than waste any more...i'll just put a cork in it and move on to the task @ hand...sending a little inspiration your way!

ah...the beauty + texture of cork. we had cork tile flooring in our last house over 10 years ago...before it was the "in" thing. tricky @ the time to find the product & forget about someone who knew how to install it. enter in handyman hubby and his weighted roller. though amateur...it look good and i LOVED it. a decade later i still dabble with this medium. here's a picture {below} of a patinaWHITE project i did awhile ago. my workday ladder fitted with dark chocolate cork tiles. 

though i am not a connoisseur of wine...i have friends who are. and one of those {thanks anthony!} happens to save me bottles with a "flavor" i will appreciate. my flavor favorites are those w/ whimsical labels like those {below}. the corks are just an added bonus. ideas are plenty. and like a fine wine they get better with age. boy i should have some good ones @ this stage of life! 

one idea i did implement was to take tiny corked topped bottles {below} and house them in a wooden farm implement. perfect spot for bits & baubles.

another idea that was a long time coming was taking the salvaged window frame {seen below} & adding those same cork tiles + an old school clock to make a useful "display". tick tock...tick tock. no more wasting time!

and when the times comes for action i'm ready for that "tacky" situation. unconventional to say the least...my tacks will be a mixture of old darts + gathered window/screen markers. these old work horses used to serve as a numbering system for pairing the right screen to the right window. see my lucky number 13 put to use {below}

so there's a bit of my "corky" decor! and unless i plan on uncorking a genie in a bottle...i better stop wishing my office done & get back @ it! just had to dangle one more little carrot of the project @ hand!

thanks for popping by to visit my corner of the world...& a big thank you to those of you taking the time to send comments + emails my way! i don't always get back to you individually, but please know that they really make my day! 

with that...wishing you a wonderful one!

time to shed a few pounds

hey everyone! it's a well know fact that the indulgent holiday season can add a pound or two...{or three!} to our figures. no exception here mind you - but the pounds i am determined to lose are of a different nature. 

so the office project i posted about recently continues. enter in my custom cubbies to hold an asst. of my beloved old locker baskets {below}

i did this knowing darn well that my fondness for magazines and holding onto them has been something i have done since the beginning of time. well, more like the beginning of my design & decorating infatuation. i have subscribed to many o' magazines thru the years. and those that i hold {literally} nearest & dearest have continued to add up. so with this bit of knowledge i created cubbies to hold the "overflow". 

til i had a lil talk with myself yesterday. went something like this. 

me to self. "beth. when are you going to really sit down & pour over each and every one of these magazines? yes, there may be a good idea or 2 plus an enticing recipe in their pages. but really? when? you have magazines from 1999 in your collection. that's before the millennium! and by collection i mean stacks hiding under the couch + sidechair in addition to cupboards full. time to purge girlfriend!"

there ya have it. just admitted that i not only carry on full fledged conversations {+ arguments!} w/ myself but that i had happy dust bunnies nesting in, around & between the pages of hiding stacks. so out came the grocery bags. will that be paper or plastic, ma'am? paper. doubled up too please. this is gonna get heavy. {there i go...talking to myself again}...

so after scouring every nook & cranny i could think of...i came up with six sizeable stacks of sacs {seen below} waiting to go to the recycler. oh, and an unshown boxful in addition...but who's counting?

note the smith and hawken catalog {above}. they have been out of business for 3 years! and the sundance catalogs....well...those may have jumped shipped back to the safety of my magazine files. the files contains the likes of some i am still mourning the end of {below right}...cottage living...home companion...country home. but with loss comes healing & i take mine in the form of some other publications {below left}...country living british edition....mary jane's farm and life beautiful. 

i learned an interesting fact about our recycling center yesterday when i called to confirm if they took magazines. {big step here...never given up so many before.} not only did they say they did but that they PAY for them. gee. all this time and i could have been reimbursed for losing some "weight". the price for a pound, you ask? $.02. how much did i profit? well outside the feeling of finally "letting go" i got me roughly a whopping $8.00! you do the math! 

now by letting go i mean that of those i didn't feel i would benefit any longer from. but. you be the judge. because my cabinet still looks like this {below} @ current post time! that's another self sit-down conversation. baby steps...

now. back to the other little war that's raging in my upstairs office. that'd be the grueling task of sorting years worth of paperwork + catalogs. i wonder if they pay for that "dead weight" as well?! if only it were so easy to lose those few extra, cheesecake induced, pounds. and i'm willing to do that for free! 

thanks for stopping by and sharing my "self-help session" today! the office is coming along nicely and i can't wait to share more with you. until then i'm in good company with me, myself and i!

happy day to you!

who's that lady?

i'd like to send a special birthday greeting today to my ma. she is often seen in the hub-bub of activity @ patinaWHITE - whether it's on the porch of my summer cottage or navigating the floor of my event. this lady makes it possible for me to put on my dog & pony shows! thanks ma for being the driving force behind me {aka - person bearing the cattle prod}. whatever it takes to get me in "gear".

she is known by many of my customers simply as "beth's mom". to which she has grown very used to. and her we are {below}.

25 years ago we moved to minnesota & she joked it was her & i against the world. judging by a VERY early drawing {below} i did of us...i must have felt the same! somewhere over the rainbow...or in this case...under!

and even though you currently are miles away from me...i'm going to send a big kiss your way...just like the olden days {here below}

so happy birthday, ma. love ya lots! oh. and to those of you wondering "who's that lady"? her name is marian. but you can just call her beth's mom. she's quicker to answer to that anyway! 

thanks for sharing this special day w/ us!

some love

happy day everyone! my week started w/ many irons in the fire & seems to be finishing w/ even more so! and, once again, here i am...the urge to ramble strong as ever but i didn't have a solid topic to go on about. or so i thought.

when i get notes from enthusiastic kindred spirits it truly makes my day. case in point. an email yesterday w/ the subject matter "some love". funny thing was it came @ a time when the last couple days have found me forging away on heart projects. my mind was whirling w/ what pieces needed to be done to complete the puzzle. but heck. these creations look darn fine all on their own!

so that's what you get today, my friends. just some love. in the form of those "pieces".

speaking of pieces. here's a heart i made with scraps of ceiling tin. {below}

i'm never one to toss a "piece" of anything...paper...wood...cake...you get the point. i also never dispose of the tiniest length of my precious beadboard. so it was with the up-most care that the collage of wood strips {below}...

was turned into as many hearts as i could possibly squeeze out of the "sheet" of weathered lumber. they are hanging out {below} waiting for phase two.

i have lofty plans for these snippets {below} that were formed from the doorplates of salvage interior doors in my midst. stay tuned.

these super small charms {below} were enhanced with some of my hand stampin'. the assortment of words reminded me of a seasonal favorite...conversation hearts. x0x0.

leaving ya today...i'd like to thank tania for sharing "some love" with me...which gave me the inspiration to send a little your way. because woudn't you agree that some love is better than none? and that the pieces of a puzzle don't have to be put "together" to be worthy of a little show & tell! thanks for popping by today...and...

have yourself a wonderful weekend!

{W.ork I.n P.rogress} behind the scenes

hey everyone! happy monday to you! i have to be completely honest. been wanting to share items of beauty and interest with you. but with projects started here....tinkering on baubles there....it seems i can't quite pull one great thing together to throw out there. then. i remembered a quote my friend donna @ funky junk interiors posted to her facebook wall. it really hit home and jogged my memory of a great photo of some movie reels i snapped. added said quote by steven furtick and we have what you see {below}

so all inhibition aside. i am going to show my behind the scenes of an office project that's been in the making for more time that i like to admit. hint. we have lived in our home over 6 years. so here's what i saw sunday at about noon. {below} yikes! i know...

of course every january you can't glance @ a home magazine that doesn't spout on the topic of organization. which usually leaves me feeling a tinge of guilt. knowing that while i have the best of intentions...i have piles of paperwork...catalogs and two computers without tidy, permanent resting spots. 

so out came my home folder {which by the way was only easily located due in part it's our "mouse pad"}...

and in came the desk that i had our talented friend construct from my sketches to which i just now painted. have to yet again admit it's been tucked in our garage since september. i'm going all out on this behind-the-scenes mantra. no holding back today! so now the corner in the above right photo currently looks like this {below}

starting to look a little more like an edited highlight reel! but again...the reality is that our hallway & spare bedroom now house those darn stacks of "media" waiting to be sorted + filed. oh well. rome wasn't built in a day. i wonder if they worked on it more than six years? gee..maybe i'm ahead of the game!?

so with that i suppose i should stop talking about what needs to be done and pay heed to my last posting and pull myself up by my own bootstraps. or give myself a good swift kick in the "pants". i'll let you know how that all goes. check back again for more edits and tidbits. i have firm intentions that this colosseum will be standing tall and proud soon. minus the "pillars" of forgotten magazines!

have yourself a wonderful day! and thanks for the opportunity to share a bit of my {W.I.P}

my giddy up and go...

hey y'all! time for me to get back in the saddle! with the holidays behind us i'm working on getting my giddy up and go back! the christmas gift i made for my niece {below} is just the "kick in the pants" i needed. don't you love the photo of her & my sis riding off into the sunset?? quite a "view"!

i grew up on a farm where we raised not only horses...but chickens...a cow named ferdinand + a naughty "billy" goat that disappeared one day after eating the tail of my mom's prize show mare. mystery.

given that history...a gift i recently received from my dad & step-mom is quite special. a patina'd {need i say more?} weather-vane fragment of a horse found an immediate home on my staircase landing to which i added phrase appropriate vintage letters. {below}. 

leading up to the landing is my collection of boots. which reminded me of a saying my dear friend, carly, often cites....and boy there is NO excuse for me not to pay heed since i mostly live in my kickers.

back @ the ranch...this farmgirl's home wouldn't be complete without a set of longhorns. i didn't even have to head to texas to get 'em. {though it is on my ultimate destinations list!} nope...these were found @ my local flea market. not an everyday sight in the up north territory of minnesota!

they finally found their permanent home {below} above the doors to our bedroom. the sign...well that just cracks me up. so no "parking" here! 

and since the topic today has alot to do with gifts + inspirations..i have to thank sweet angela for gifting a block topped horseshoe stand to me. i turned the salvage lumber diagonally to allow for some jewels to hang from it. {see below}

now i can always enjoy my trusty "steed" necklace and row of turquoise nuggets. not to mention a tribute to glen campbell's "rhinestone cowboy" with a most favorite encased rhinestone relic created by one of the talented artisans i have the pleasure of working with for patinaWHITE baubles.

with all those necklaces showcased...i'm ready to layer 'em up to get my giddy up. because i don't want to be the one who's giddy up & go got up and went! too many projects to be done to be fall'n off the saddle! 

stay tuned for what this "cowgirl" has up her sleeve. or should i say down her boot? now please excuse me while i find my favorite cowboy who's assistance is needed in the woodshop. better get my lasso...and practice my roping skills...never said he would be willing!

happy trails to you!

hello *sunshine*

hey there everyone! happy day to you all! yesterday driving home from my gym visit {resolution} and cappuccino run {yes, counterproductive...but necessary} this is what greeted me @ our driveway...

now if that doesn't provide a "good morning" feeling...then hopefully the warming effects of the cappi + caffeine will kick in soon thereafter! but it did put a bit of spring in my step. that and the record setting temps we've been experiencing lately help!

it also reminded me that a very patient friend has yet to receive her typewriter bracelet order she entrusted with me. so...hello sunshine! and while i was @ it i figured it couldn't hurt to start beefing up my stock of baubles for "shady" season so i made an extra one {below} to share @ my cottage shoppe.

while taking a pic for all of you in blogland of the chalkboard above...i was inspired to stamp up a charm with the same saying. gotta love a domino effect! here's my "pocket-full of sunshine" {below} that came about!

and since the domino effect has been set forth in motion...i best keep about my business and see what else strikes my fancy. to end today...i found further inspiration in a quote by aaron rose...

In the right light,

at the right time,

everything is extraordinary. 

until next time...

magic carpet ride

well hello there show & tell friends! it's no secret i am fan of rescued + rehabbed items. enter in something that has been in my closet for YEARS. boots created from reclaimed textiles {below}

i bought them forever ago online after spying a photo of them of them in county home magazine. thing was in my infinite wisdom i disregarded the fact that they were a size and half too small because they were a bargain find on ebay and were so beautiful i believed i could wish my feet smaller.

so there they sat. beautiful boots barely worn by the last owner...and never worn by me. until this new year's eve. decided it was time to suck it up. or @ least curl 'em up. toes that is! they were stunning indeed! and i believe my poor peds are still "stunned" and not just by their beauty.

another rescued relic of more recent acquisition would be that of the wonderful gift from my hubby {via heavy hints from "santa"}. it being a treasured back-pack that started as a kilim rug {detail below} in turkey...made tracks to the north pole {otherwise known as south dakota} and eventually landed on the steps of our minnesota home!

i am in love with the fact that it can be slung on my shoulder as a hobo bag or one can unzip it's handle to create a backpack {like below}. perfect for flea marketing or hitting the highway on my harley! either way i am sure i will get a good amount of use from it! wish the same could be said for 'dem boots! 

so ends the magic carpet ride. rugs to relics. just had to share. because things of such beauty really shouldn't just sit in a closet. though i am sure my feet may disagree! i don't think they have forgiven me for new years eve!

thanks for peeking & make it grand day!

monkey see...monkey do! {a toast to the new year}

happy new year everyone! with a new morning favorite {below} it seemed like a good time to share a lil' monkey see...monkey do segment...so here's a toast to 2012!.

enter in a tasty preserve that i happened on @ my local big box store, w-mart. made by bonne maman, i decided to visit their website to see what other delectables i might be missing. that's when a photo on their homepage caught my attention {below}. photo courtesy of bonne maman

i loved their use of the jars lined with decorated papers. so it's time to stock up on jelly jars! i am more than happy to use up two jars in short time to do my own spin. i missed the christmas mark this time 'round but figured they would be equally as splendid for a new year's decoration!

out came an assortment of jars, butcher papers, stamp sets, paper punches, wire + baker's twine. {i have red & white but opted for chocolate and white this time.} up close this is what i came up with {below}

here's the spattering of the various sizes mixed together with new year's setiments {below} casting a soft glow with the addition of tealight candles!

so here's a toast to the new year! with a very heaping help'n of strawberry preserves! thanks bonne maman for not only the sticky sweet treat...but the inspiration to reuse empty vessels for more than just a dust collector in my pantry. on that note i best get to making more jars. no empty ones on-hand @ the moments...so...breakfast here i come!

wishing you all a very HAPPY 2012!

what i wore {regal ruffles}

hey everyone! hope you all had a wonderful holiday! this week is always a recovery period for me. the flurry of activities leading up to a full weekend of holiday celebrations calls for a bit of r&r. that'd be "regal ruffles" in my world and hence the perfect opportunity to share one more what i wore segment for 2011! have a peek {below} and join me after that for the commentary!

on my travels i like to scout out talented artisans to make patinaWHITE's jewelry line up unique. and that was the case with both the necklace + bracelet i am wearing. often times my best customer {me} adds them to her collection though. we will see if i can part with the other pieces i picked up!

these jewels felt quite "regal". the necklace is simple and yet a statement piece with it's picture frame-like quality + classic clear stone center. the bracelet is over the top fabulous created from a repurposed belt, baubles plus a large religous relic that dangles down over my hand. 

such jewels called for a top that was equally as regal. and the ruffles of one of my favorite sweaters fit the bill! plus the pockets of my tried, true and blue pair of jeans were equally as splendid. 

thought i'd save what i consider the "best" for last! my boots. oh goodness do i love 'em. what would a what i wore be without baubles & boots? incase you can't see them in their glory above...here's another glimpse {below}

the frye boot company "nailed" this one w/ hundreds of tiny studs scattered about their shafts. indeed they are fit for a queen. or at least the queen of this household! 

well...that about does it for today! glad i could share a little of my r&r with you! i sure appreciate you stopping by! and i'm looking forward to a new year full of more show & tell! boots and baubles guaranteed!

have yourself a grand day!