April 15, 2010

Thoughts on change and Starter Kit winner #2

I love moving house or renovating. But it is ever so bitter sweet. I remember when Mark and I sold our very first home. I was so driven to sell the house and to find a new one in a better neighborhood and ecstatic when it sold in 6 days. But as we drove away for the last time I cried. I cried because that era of our life was over. I would never again lie in that bedroom and see the branches scratch the window just so. I would never again experience the way the light moved around the kitchen. All would become only a memory.

That is life. I know. We move on and what was familiar becomes the past. We learn to love the new; and soon the new version becomes our beautiful reality. I have a special place in me that revels in the thoughts of those old versions of my life!

This week in our house we are painting and shifting space. My girls have slept in the downstairs bedroom for 5 years. In that pink and yellow room I painted a giant castle on the wall (I never quite finished it). The girls would lie in bed and make stories up about the castle; it has been the backdrop for many an adventure. But it is no longer! The girls are moving to new bedrooms (Laura upstairs, Lily to the guest room which is now purple) and we are moving in to theirs! Painters came and primed and painted over the castle.

It has become a part of our memory.

I can hear the conversations in the future ‘Hey, Mom remember that castle? I use to imagine that big blue bird would fly off the wall and out the door’ ‘What color were those flags?’ ‘That was a cool castle, why didn’t you ever finish painting the garden like you said your would?’ ‘I wish I could see it one last time’. Thank goodness for cameras! I only wish they captured the feeling, the surrounding memories, the smells too.

Isn’t there something both exciting and sad about change?


Sail away!



When this room is completed I will share some photos - I am telling you it is wild - we painted the walls purple & sea green/blue/grey, the floors are burnt orange tile. We bought this bedspread from Anthropologie similar colors!!!! Oh my, it is different. So stay tuned.



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So on with the winner of last Saturday's GIVEAWAY!

Again, thank you to ALL those folks who entered for the chance to win the 'Artistic Mother Starter Kit'. 

The randomly generated winner is Chandra of 'a project a day'. I do hope that these supplies give you a burst of creative energy!

AND just for fun.....
I am going to send an ATC to the first person to comment on that post....

Stefanie Lin aka Artsy Momma 

I will talk to you both via email :)

For everyone else:
This Saturday I will be giving away another kit, so if you don't mind coming back to leave a comment again (sorry to make you do that, but it is the fairest way I think). I will have another tutorial or something fun posted too to make it worth your while!


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In May I will be doing another Saturday Follower giveaway. The ranks have grown! As there are now over 520 folks following this blog I will be giving away 2 handmade things each Saturday in May. So please check back in to see if your name comes up!


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I was so excited to see my blog will be featured in the upcoming Artful Blogging magazine! You can see my spread layout on Stampington. Those eyes on the cover under the title are my Laura's! What a joy to me!
It will be available May 1. 

19 comments:

  1. Just wanted you to know that I am buying your book!! I won a gift card to Amazon and yours is the book I want!! Whoo Hoo!!!

    Leslie

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  2. Oh wow, what an amazing castle and above all the inner passages of the imagination that it brought. Thank goodness for cameras indeed!

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  3. Though I am struggling to keep up with the Artisitic Mother's Group! I am trying! Your book, your blog are inspiration as I try and balance my life!

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  4. love the colours on that duvet cover. I remember having to paint over the seaside mural we did in our youngest sons bedroom when we were trying to sell our house and making it all beige! so glad we took a load of photos and still have the video of him helping us to paste all the boats and seagulls on the wall..happy daze. Oh and thanks for the prompt in your book on reading poetry..I am trying to do that now after making my poetry journal

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  5. oh wow...that castle is spectacular...and it got painted over...sad. but those memories will warm hearts for much time to come...

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  6. I feel like a dork. I thought you meant whoever posted the first comment after your awards post...duh. I now realize you meant the first one that commented originally. Anywhoo...

    That castle was very cool. I can't picture all the new changes, so I'm glad you are going to share after pics!

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  7. Oh how sad...but you have pictures! That room is what made me want to do murals. I remember when Amy and her family were at your place and she showed me your girls room, along with all your art work.
    I really loved that mural... I stole a picture way back then to study your work. I hope you don't mind.
    I'm looking forward to what you will be doing in that room.
    By the way....I love your book!!!!

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  8. Congratulations on the Artful Blogging spread - how cool to have those eyes on the front!!

    And *sniff* *sniff*, I'm feeling the loss of the castle. Those memories will forever be in your and your girls' minds, though...and that's what matters. (What a lovely painting job you did, by the way!)

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  9. It was a beautiful castle. I know what you mean about change. When we moved into our new homeand left our apartment, I cried. It was our first home together. The place we came back to after our honeymoon. Our son was born in the living room! But we are making so many memories in this house too. We have the same quilt!-- I love it so much, it is so soft and vibrant. Enjoy it.

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  10. That was such an incredible castle. Change always makes me feel sad and excited, too. I can't wait to see pics of your new room. It sounds so awesome. You are so brave to decorate it so wildly. How will you sleep with all of that excitement in that room? It will be a work of art.

    Congratulations on being published in Artful Blogging. I can't wait to get this issue. I'll have to make a trip to Barnes & Noble.

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  11. sounds like busy busy busy where you are, love that duvet your new room sounds very interesting the castle is sooooo pretty,and congrats on the artful blogger publication.

    my book has arrived woohoo cant wait to get stuck in

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  12. oh, your future bedroom sounds fantastic! after a trip to mexico (staying in a home decorated by two artists) i came home inspired by color and every room in our house was a different color scheme! and i always drool over the bedsets in anthropologie ~ sigh ....

    still ... it must have been hard to paint over the castle ... oh my ... such a wonderful memory ...

    congrats on Artful Blogging :) artful in many ways ... you have us filling our homes with art and love ... thank you!

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  13. I completely know how you feel. My house is bursting at the seams, and we truly need to move....but when we do, I know I will cry. This is the first place where I've ever had a red room, where I've learned to organize, where my kid learned to ride a bike, where we pushed on swings....

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  14. Hey Shona,
    Bittersweet -- so good that you took so many wonderful pics of the castle for keepsake purposes.

    congrats on AB! -- i look forward to receiving the issue.

    Lovely Echo #11 -- i just left a comment over at flickr

    xo

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  15. Shona...thanks so much for stopping by my blog Words of Me Project. I am so looking forward to your book:) And I am enjoying your blog. So much to look at. I haven't even really begun!!

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  16. Not sure I could have painted over the castle but surely love the bedspread. I've always said "change is the only constant and we rail against it so".

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  17. oh...i think i dodn't like change...i would have been crying i think as it was getting painted over...love that new spread though!!!!xxx

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  18. Just started week 1 of in The Artistic Mother...such a mixture of feelings...like I feel a bit sheepishly indulgent. And scared at the same time. What is that about??? When I get out paint, I get this feeling like fear and excitement, nervous butterflies afraid that I'm going to put the paint in the wrong place...yet exhilirating at the same time when I find a new personal style. Loving it!! Placed an order for art supplies yesterday...even that caused these unfamiliar weird nervous feelings...I can't wait for them to get here! Thanks for the bite sized projects...jodi shaw

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  19. Oh my goodness! That castle is gorgeous! I can't believe you could part with it. Alas children grow up so fast...

    Have a great day!

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