Bloom Where You Are Planted - year in review

WHEW! When did 2014 disappear? I mean for real I feel like we just moved here and started life in the boonies, but it's now been over a year and a half!!

2014 has been a year full of lessons.
Lessons on life, love, and laughter (cheese ball, sorry). In all seriousness looking back on the year I've realized that Reed and I (mostly me) have learned a lot about growing up and living life. I believe we truly have finally started to bloom where we were planted :)

To give you an idea of how much we have grown here is a quick review of some of my big lessons I've shared with y'all here in blog land!

 Learned to control my social media tendencies and challenged myself to be a Supportive Wife On and Off Line. 

 Realized that my pride was hurting me and talked about how that realization changed my life.

Started the Envelope Budget! It may not sound exciting but it has been a HUGE help, and exciting experience :) 

Went to New York City!!!

Had an amazing summer with so much fun I didn't post about it :) oops! 

Took part in my first ever craft festival and it was a hit!

Rebranded myself to help shake out some big ideas. 

OPENED UP A STORE! 

The biggest and most exciting part of my year. 

It's a seasonal shop and I plan on doing an update on it again in the new year. Who woulda thought that at 24 I would be business owner, complete with taxes :) 

If you look back at my "blog year" I didn't do much. But if you look back at my LIFE so much has happened! I'm excited for 2015 and all that we can learn and achieve with another years time! I hope each of you learned lots and enjoyed your 2014 year but I hope even more that you will learn to bloom where you have been planted in 2015! 

A thankful Snow Day!

Goodness gracious the south has been hit again with snow!! Snow is such a big deal in good ole South Carolina, I mean seriously we shut down. Even Walmart and mcdonalds, that means its serious now.

As hard as it is to get through this Snowpocalypse  I am SO thankful that I have a husband that has all the tools to keep us happy. And unbelievably thankful for the snow being more beautiful than dangerous! No Ice yet and I hope it never makes it  :) 

Here are some pictures from our two days of snow!  Hope y'all are all safe and warm this Thursday!! 

Tomorrow is supposed to bring more snow and ice. As beautiful as it is we are ready for some warm weather, why don't we get snow days in the summer?? :) 

Ps> sorry for the short post we are enjoying the Olympics and I'm a bit distracted :) what have y'all been watching most??

October Round Up!!

Whew! October was gone way to quickly this year! For feeling like I've got nothing to do I sure was busy this past month, I've been doing a lot that I already shared here but a lot of the stuff that kept me really busy I haven't had a chance to share. So, here is a quick round up of a few things that didn't make it on the blog yet.

This month was full of weddings! I was able to help with a few friends getting married and really loved contributing my talents to help make their dream day happen :) This is a mantel I made out of side lights for a door way that I found at a thrift shop! Talk about GORGEOUS! I got them before I knew I was going to be making any kind of wedding props but just couldn't pass them up. Once I was asked to help I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these beauties!

And do you remember my cotton ball garland? I know some of you questioned it and thought it was a bit iffy looking but bam after long hours of sewing cotton balls together I think it added a great whimsical touch to the windows :)

Running off the wedding theme I decided I really liked staging and decorating. A friend photographer and I decided that we should team up and do a staged photo shoot. That way she could build her portfolio and I could start one incase I ever really pursued wedding decorating/coordinating or some sort of staging.

We went real low budget meaning, other than the gas for Mary to get here we basically only spent $25 on the "staged" food. Luckily we came up with something that would work with the ranch as the back drop and me as a model. Using our resources kept the price WAY down and gave us the flexibility to do it whenever.

These are a bit blurry but here are some screen shots done by the oh so fabulous Mary of Mary DeCrescenzio Photography. We just did this this week so we don't have any pictures finished enough to really show, but when we do you best believe I'll be writing up a post on it :) We had a blast running around setting up and pretending like we knew what we were doing. 

I've also been a bit busy communicating back and forth with an art center that would like to show some of my work! Earlier this month I was approached by the Rye Arts Center in New York!! They thought my works about chairs where very intriguing and hoped that I would be willing to contribute my work to their up coming spring show all about the anthology of chairs.
Here is an excerpt from the email I received

This exhibit seeks to bring together these artists and their stories into a kind of anthology of chairs.  We have sought out both artists and designers to tell the stories.  Some of the works are meant to function as seats, but many are not, since these are first of all, narrative sculptures.

So, basically I  couldn't be more excited right now! It blows my mind that some one all the way up in New York finds my art to be interesting enough for them to seek me out in hopes of getting my sculpture in their show. I am still learning about some details so thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated!!

Last but not least, I became a designer for the Origami Owl jewelry. Basically this means that I got a super cool start up kit in the mail and now have the ability to sell all you fabulous ladies customized jewelry! I'm going to be working on adding a button on my side bar so you can follow straight over to my Origami page and order up all kinds of goodies for Christmas. 

These are a few of the necklaces I got to make with the start up kit. And let me tell you it was more fun than I thought it would be. Sifting through all the charms to pick out exactly what you want is pretty awesome! Now y'all can be on the look out for bundles with Origami and my Etsy shop and fabulous sales on each to get you ready for whatever gift giving occasion you have coming up next.  

That was my month of October. Along with plenty of other things like, football games, DIY projects, ETSY orders, and birthday celebrations. It was a busy month and it feels like November is getting a head start on being busy too! Thank the Lord that I get to choose my busy :) 

Bring Joy to You

Today I planned on sharing another DIY project with you. I've never done so many DIY or project posts in a row but with all this time on my hands recently I've been able to make loads of little updates and have turned each in to a post to share with y'all! I love doing that, but I felt like I needed to swing back in to sharing something deeper than surface paint and my failing project was the perfect push back. 

Flying King Ranch, York SC (Reeds job)

I started this blog to share my endeavors as a young artist in art school. Then I moved in to sharing my crafty projects around the house and promoting my ETSY shop. I've used this space to share my life and I am so thankful that I have it! 

I hope this blog is a place you can come to find inspiration and joy.

For about a month now I've been singing this song constantly, Garden by NeedToBreath. The lyrics below have hit me hard as I've been out in the boondocks with nothing but time. I think about it almost daily. So sharing with you seemed right.

Let the songs I sing
Bring joy to you
Let the words I say profess my love
Let the notes I choose
Be your favorite tune
Father let my heart be after you

I'm not musical at all. I don't play an instrument and I don't sing unless the music is louder than my voice, (or i'm in the car by myself). So songs, notes, and tunes aren't words that I use on a normal everyday basis. But I realized that the things I do use on an everyday basis like paint, social media, my blog, and every imaginable craft supply are all pieces that God has placed in my life for a reason.
He gave me the creativity that I use everyday and has given me the passion to pursue art so that I can bring joy to you.

I really think when they wrote bring joy to you they meant more than bringing joy to God. Yes that is huge and I want to give Him all the glory for what He has given me the ability to do. Not only has He given me a bit of creativity but He has blessed Reed and I with every dream we could have come up with. I have a studio in the back yard, and all the time I could want to create whatever I want because Reed was able to land his dream job right after graduation.

Who does this happen to? Why are we so lucky?? I don't know and I ask those questions so often. I don't understand Gods grace, mercy, or generosity. But I do know that I want people to be sure of where my joy comes from. I find my joy in creativity and using my hands to build, paint and cook but the ability to find that joy is only here because God has given me the ability and opportunity.

I hope that I can give YOU ALL joy with my gifts. I try to make my projects things that other people find interesting and maybe do for yourselves. My artwork is something that I try and price reasonably and my sculpture is something I want people to be drawn to and linger on the concepts each piece depicts.

All in all, I hope this blog is a place you can come to find inspiration and joy.
I want to give all the glory to God who has given me the chance to pursue my dreams. I hope that with each project and post people can see my joy and know that it's from The Lord!

Flying King Ranch

Setting up Shop

Thought I would share a few updates on the fabulous studio I received a few weeks ago. (if you missed that post check it out HERE). Here is a little back ground I'm not sure if I have shared yet or not. The studio (shed) was originally built on the property that we are living on now. But when the property was sold to Reeds boss (the people who so graciously provide us with housing for now) they moved the shed to another home they had on a piece of adjoining property. It was used there for storage and then emptied out when that house went vacant. So when we came in to the picture they promised that they would help find me a space to work on my art. It took a while but we decided that it would be best for now to just use the shed and move it back in to our yard. So that is how Reed just "randomly" showed up one day with a little cute shed :)

Now the shed is old. The outside looks pretty bad. I'm planning to paint it all and add some boards across the bottom to cover the corrosion.  And yes all of that stuff strewn across the yard was inside. And yes I plan to fix up that fabulous cabinet on the right of the picture!!

The building is nice and sturdy with electrical hookups and a fabulous work bench across the back wall. But it was rather dark in there with all the wood going on. So I decided to paint the walls grey and to save time and paint I just white washed the joists and floors. I've still got some touching up to do but thought I would share it at this point cause hopefully next time I share it will be filled with goodies :)
I'm planning to replace the white bead board across the back with peg board that covers that entire wall so I can make sure I keep as much visible as possible! 

And we replaced the screens and fixed the broken window (didn't get it in the bottom picture, sorry). I'm also trying to decide what color to repaint the door. Reed says I should leave it the way it is. And yes its very "cottage chic"and "rustic" but that amount of peeling paint and wood is just too much for me. I need a little more of a finished look I think. I'm hoping I can keep the building grey and paint the trim white with a bright yellow door! (or maybe use the blue/green of the kitchen??) What do you think??

So after finishing the touch ups on paint and adding the peg board I get to start bringing stuff in and organizing it all! I have some plans to build a large table on wheels that can split in two and be rolled against the walls when I need floor space. I hope I can make that dream happen once I get in there and see how much space I actually have :)
For now I can use the bins, baskets, and peg board I have and see what kind of storage I need added. But what I am REALLY focusing on is stocking it with the right tools. Reed has a lot and says we can move them all in and I can use them as my own! (Those of you who know Reed know this is a HUGE deal, he doesn't let any one use his stuff. EVER). However, even after that sweet gesture there are still some tools that he doesn't have and are the ones that would really set me up for success.
These tools are some that Reed and I sat down and did a little window shopping for the other day. I think that these would all allow me to do more of my personal work and help build my design dream, rather than just the crafty repurposing I'm able to do now. 

You can tell they are pretty pricey. As much as we would love to just go out and set up shop we can't. Being responsible with money just stinks sometimes. But we have decided that all the income from my ETSY shop will go to setting up my studio! This is gonna help me set up and get started much quicker than if we were relying on gifts, or the little bit of extra money we may or may not have at the end of the month. 

My shop is a little bit all over the place right now. I've been trying out different mediums, and ideas lately so you can find bunches of different gift ideas. I love doing all of these and hope that sales will jump up a little bit now that holidays are approaching! 

I can't wait to get my studio set up!! I've missed being creative. Yes, I know that I may appear to be creative almost daily. But it is a different kind of creative that I crave. I want to design and add concept and purpose behind my pieces. Not just write pretty quotes and paint lovely flowers. Don't get me wrong, I love doing those things and right now it's all over my ETSY store. But my real dream is to build and design furniture.

 I want to be an artist again.
And I really think that setting up this space with some good tools will help me get back there quicker.
So excited to see how this pans out, I know I've been unbelievably blessed thus far and can't believe that just 4 months out of art school I am already set up with my personal studio :)

Instagram Thankful Project

Its been awhile since I talked about the thankful project. And with all you new friends I figured I would do an update and let y'all know what is up with my daily #KTAthankful.

Back at the beginning of the year I challenged myself to find the importance in the little things.
I wanted to be thankful for all of the blessings in my life, specifically the ones that are forgotten on a daily basis. So what I did was decide to create a "Thankful Project", every day I would do a count down along with 1 thing I was thankful for.

I'm pretty sure sure my count is off but that isn't the important thing. It has been harder than I ever thought to remind myself to be thankful for something everyday. But voicing those little blessing has made my attitude so much better! I've found the beauty in things like my driveway, hot showers, and yes even the hard times of waiting. Being reminded that everything has a purpose and is part of a plan that He has for me is what I hope to make a daily impact on.

Heres the deal, I challenged my friends to do this with me, and we got a little bit but not a ton of interaction. I know its hard to post something everyday, but I know the majority of you check Instagram or Facebook AT-LEAST once a day. So I challenge each of you to find the things that you are thankful for. Don't wait until you get a new car or something pretty and shiny, those things are great but the point of this project is to find it in the EVERYDAY. So for the rest of the day or tomorrow be paying attention to your surroundings and remind yourself that you are surrounded with blessings. Pick one and share it with me! 

Just use the hashtag #KTAthankful and I will be checking it and will share a few each Friday! I keep track of the days that I have been thankful but you don't have to if you don't want :)

Here are some examples of my Thankful posts for those of you that don't follow along on Instagram :)

I hope a few of you, if not all of you, will join me in this project. It is amazing how once you notice your surroundings how much you learn about your life and how blessed you are.

Come find me on Instagram and join in the Thankful Project by using #KTAthankful  :)

Soul Settling

We have officially been York, SC residence for 3 weeks and 4 days. I've finished the kitchen {mostly, I still plan on painting the floor, getting a spice rack, and possibly refacing the cabinets. But those are all projects for down the road.} finished the living room {except covering our big chair} and bathroom. I've still got a LOT to do for the studio/guest room and mostly just cosmetic fun stuff in the bedroom. I promised Reed that I would try and mash our two styles better this time, at the tiny house I basically just hung my art and all my funky colors easily took over the house. Having the attic is helping a lot, because I don't feel like all of my stuff has to be up on a wall. We have the space to store it for later, ya know like this winter when I decide to redecorate :) 

Sunflower field on the Ranch 

So I realized that I've shared the house and how the make overs are happening but I haven't shared much about life in general. If you follow me on Instagram then you see pictures of the Farm/Ranch pretty often. It is stunning and I absolutely LOVE living some place that has such spectacular views. But unless you are one of my closest friends you probably haven't heard much else.

I realized on Wednesday that I've pretended to be settled in the house. I've had fun decorating, painting, and crafting like always but I haven't totally settled. This hit me when I forced myself to do a load of laundry (that wasn't sheets or towels) and unpack my clothes. Yep it had been 3 weeks and I was STILL not unpacked. I don't know what I have been doing. But I know I wasn't really settled.

I thought it may do me good to share why I feel that I haven't totally settled in my soul. 

Old Town, Rock Hill 

I think most of it has to do with what my future looks like. I'm a planner and I love planning. I like knowing what is coming next and that I'm gonna be busy for the next however long. But moving here I dropped all of that. I didn't have a plan, I don't have things I HAVE to do. I've learned that if I don't have set projects or goals for the day that I literally do nothing. Even when dishes are stacking up in the sink and I could easily wash every dish in the house 700 times in the day because thats how bored I am, I still do nothing. I'm not good at taking care of the house. Usually I have a clean house, and I cook dinner, and take showers, and do productive things. But I've found that if I don't have a reason  like a project, or class, or work to get up and do, that I don't DO anything. Right now I look around the house and I've pulled the back cushions off the sofa, dishes are all over the kitchen, all the floors need a good sweeping, and some how Reed and I have 10 dirty towels that haven't gotten washed all hanging on the bathroom door. I have lots to do but I can't force myself to do them. I need to but I don't.

After talking to a friend about this we decided that laziness strikes like a sly and sneaky snake. It sneaks up, I know I'm not doing anything and yeah thats lazy but I think laziness really becomes an issue when you KNOW and acknowledge you are just being lazy and STILL refuse to get up. I'm struggling, like seriously. The things I want to get up and do require money, and after the move we just don't have it in our budget for me to go out and buy all new curtains, or even fabric to make any! Its hard not having my creative juices flowing everyday just for a few hours. I watch HGTV and get so annoyed that I can't have that, not always the house but that job! I want to be able to redecorate, repurpose, and  be creative every day with some one else's stuff and money!

This has been the first time that my thankful instagram posts have been pretty forced. I'm glad I'm keeping it going but man I don't feel thankful like I should. We have been so blessed by this job. How many college graduates get there dream job that they could keep as a life long career 2 weeks after graduation? Not many, but Reed did. I'm so thankful, he has worked so hard to get to where he is and he loves it. He has worked odd jobs that he has enjoyed and some that he hasn't enjoyed. So having a job that is hard, challenging, and different everyday is everything he could have asked for. Then on top of the amazing job he has made friends with his boss, they eat lunch together almost everyday and have a cold beer together at the end of each day. I'm so glad that he has found a mentor and friend, its so unbelievable to know that we are taken care of and that the people WANT Reed here and will help us make that happen. 

 {I got to ride around with Reed one morning to count the cows,  it was a sweet time seeing what he does daily}

Not only have we been blessed by a dream job, but its a job that comes with a home. It may not be everything I ever dreamed but it is a home that I get to do as I please with AND not pay rent. Reed and I are going to be able to really practice saving and tithing in this stage of life and are so excited to see how we can learn from that for the future. Not paying rent not only allows us to save and tithe but gives me the chance to find what I want. I'm not pressured to find a job so we can live. Obviously more money is nice but at this point we aren't feeling the pressure that we are gonna miss rent or not be able to get groceries and gas. 

Our back yard 

The Front porch 

I want a job, I'm unhappy and have become lazy because I'm bored. 

I hate this. Not where we are, this is something I never could have even thought to ask for. Being blessed with time to be bored is unreal! Now I need to honor this blessing by making something of my time! I've got to learn how to be a better wife and clean the house and do the laundry and cook dinner even when I don't want to. I need to show Reed that I'm proud of him and that I support him working so hard every day and I can do that by making our house a home and someplace he wants to come home to and invite friends over. I can use this time to make more art! I've always wanted time to grow my blog and etsy store, and now that I'm blessed with time I need to do it! I need to better my body, not that I'm unhappy with it but if I get in the habit of taking better care of it with small little work outs and runs then later in the future I wont have to worry so much. And mostly I need to make a habit of spending time with the Lord each day. He is the one who has blessed us. He has taken care of us better than anyone ever could have. And by being lazy and bored I'm slapping him in the face, basically not being grateful for the blessing he has so generously given us.

I'm starting to get better, I'm forcing myself to do things through out the day. I hope I get busy soon and I pray that I can handle it when it happens. I'm thankful for everything we have and for the summer that has given me the chance to learn and grow already. Hopefully I will finish up some of the other projects around the house and share more with you soon. I'm thankful to have y'all hear to talk to, sorry if this was long and wasn't fun and creative like you were hoping :)

My heart overflows

This morning my heart is overflowing with joy. 

I am able to sit and linger in this knowing that come this afternoon I will be diving head first in to a week full of all nighters and plenty of break downs in preparation for my first ever art show. 

Last night Reed and I got to celebrate a sweet friends new life as Man and Wife.

It was so fun to enjoy the beauty of marriage and the joy that good friends and music creates. 

So this morning after a long night I got to sleep in.

(not real late and not with Reed but still it was so refreshing!)

Waking up with the birds chirping outside was fabulous. I know I need to be working on my projects and getting ready for the show but I just wanted to take a minute and make a list of things telling yall why life is so worth living and that we should linger in the joy as often as we can!

1. Sitting with my warm puppy on the sofa as I type. She still is always touching and just sitting leaning against my legs.

2. It is nice enough to leave all of the doors and windows open in the house. I love spring!

3. I'm working towards something that I love and can't wait to continue making. Art is great!

4. In less than a month I get to celebrate another milestone with my man. 

Graduating college on the same day is going to be long but perfect!

5. The quite ability to sit and praise the one who makes this all possible. 

If you know me at all, you probably are extremely surprised that 5 days until my show goes up and I'm sitting here blabbing on about how much I love life. I know I'm surprised and I can't believe how calm I am!! If I was myself right now I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

BUT I am not myself because the Lord tells us not to worry. 

that everything has its time and that he takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field so just imagine how much more he will take care of us! 

Because I know these things in my heart, I can linger in the small moments of my life being fully confident that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing :)

Reasons to be thankful wk. 3

Sorry that this week is a little late. 

This weekend has been so relaxing and I just didn't feel like sitting in front of the computer. 

This weekend I am SO thankful for the beautiful down time with my family. 

I know I say this every week but I really like to see what each of you post on Instagram. 

There are so many things that are just completely beautiful, yet we rarely notice. 

Thank you for noticing the beautiful things and sharing with us :) 

@ssclaude, @shandaughtry, @aenglun, @lucysatt, @mckennahersh, @mika_murray, @achewni

I was thinking about Instagram today. 

And why it is that we are so obsessed with sharing everything. 

Sometimes its annoying, we don't need play by plays of every ones life. 

But these social networks and new apps have created a world that is smaller and more intimate. 

I love sharing my life with y'all and I want to see yours! 

Instagram allows you to share the beauty around you instantly. 

How to play: download the picture you see below (right click to save to your computer, or save image or screenshot on your phone), post it on Instagram to get started! Then when you post your thankful picture each day, simply tag it with #KTAthankful and @gracielathrop so we can see! Each friday I will go through all of the posts from the week and share a few favorites!! 

Looking forward to seeing what you post!