I have been asking God about an observation, the occasional encounters, for quite some time now and again it pops up like a stem of poison ivy in bloom amongst cultivated roses. And just what is it? Well...whether it is on a cruise, in a car, on a social media post, at the store (on normal days!) or even at church, what the heck is with the scowling, muttering, bitter old ladies whose countenance gives visualization to the word crone?!

Laundry room make over that's what! I repainted all walls bright white. And took one piece of plywood (in pretty good shape) and cut it to fit the width and the length of the washer-dryer and decoupaged vintage paper onto the top and sides. On occasion the paper bubbles up and it did here as well. So I popped the bubbles and let the wood shine through. I sanded it all down and gave it two more coats of deco glue. ta-ta-dah! Free folding table. Not granite. Mine. It pleases me to look at it. And what better place to stand in the gap of prayer and fold laundry while looking at the smiling faces of my family. :) And the ironing board door and husband bench technique? Wait? What? What the heck is a husband bench? Before malls and when shopping was a dress up outing it was a common sight to see a row of husbands sitting outside the store fronts conversing with other husbands or beaus to be waiting to carry their ladies packages. Inspired my my gram's use of black glossy paint everywhere when that was the only color available to her back in the day. All good and loved things chip and each mark is a memory. So here too is an instant antiqued memory. Items used: The wainscoting = pallet boards sanded, painted and liquid nails attached. Bench my husband made = Spray paint, sander, heat gun. Folding table = Plywood, wrapping paper, decoupage.

“All great changes are preceded by chaos” Deepak Chopra It just takes a little inspiration... From a closet gone wild... To a storage locker for three. Why dark colors? Reality of kids baby. Reality!

After a long time in searching for the right vintage cabinet we found it! It was a display in one of those little out of the way shops way up north that just beg to be told about in a story! The display also included a barn door that was used as a partition as well. In order to get the cabinet, we had to buy the door as well. No problem-o!! SOLD!! Send it to the shed and we'll will figure it out later. And there it stood. For almost two years and then came the request "mom!! my cabin needs a good sturdy vintage-y looking table". So Du and I squared it off, came up with a leg system using reclaimed 2x6s and here it is! TA-TA-DAH! cabin friendly :)

You know how you get that magical corner all set up and it is picture worthy for the neighborhood as well a photo op for a home decor magazine? You sound the right bucket. You found the right flowers and it works just perfectly with your grandpa's grinding wheel. And then your husband is out doing yard work and the tree just so happens to drop right on it? Sometimes it really is for the better. hmmm... looks like they need a drink too.

There we were. We had bought enough to do 2 bathroom ceilings in vintage tin panels to "make sure" and since everything went fairly well we had enough left over to play artist on.

Fireplaces on an angle in a right angle life. Embrace it! Make it a deliberate feature rather than a "tuck in a fireplace there without spending the extra money" kind of build. NOTE: ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING COMMISSIONED OF MISS EVEY LU by Denise Dahlheimer, Art On The Outskirts Studio

Well that was fun! Next?! The inspiration piece was $2400 😳 And baby girl is not such a baby anymore.

Stock factory decor in my camper?! I don’t think so! 👀 COMING SOON !! 👀 Subscribe to my blog and I will share with you how i do these things! 😊

When the new microwave does not fit, you must acquit... well with adding a couple of doors and a shelf ❤️ and ta-ta-dah a sanctuary for the coffee paraphernalia.

There I was, tired of the old boudoir-ish dust collecting looking lampshade and now loving the Edison bulbs and vintage steam punk-like stuff as I do, I said to The Holy Spirit "wouldn't it be cool to just have a wire cage looking one!" So for four weeks, I looked and looked, online and in the stores... too short, to big, too much money, and on and on till I let go of my death grip on the idea. Running errands brought me to the local Target and meandering a bit in the dollar section bam! pow! boom! Ta-ta-dah!! wire trash cans for a buck!! Thank you Jesus they are perfect!! 😄

Dresser pull parts are no longer rolling around the “figure it out later” list. “be like a diamond precious and rare not like a stone that is found everywhere. “ -Rita Gatourey 💎

When the legs are great but the top is false its time for a makeover! A long time ago I had come across a really cool table but the price was way beyond my means. So I filed away in my memory what it was I liked about it until another time. This weekend the memory resurfaced and ta-ta-dah! 😀 And then...

More from my path...back when I was in my twenties and I found Jesus again, and found the strength to leave an abusive relationship to raise my kids on my own, I also found that I had a choice in the way I would live the rest of my life. Emphasis on "the live" part of it. I chose to not sit back and let the government take care of us. I chose not to live in subsidy housing. I gave my kids - me. I chose to work for everything we had and I chose to go to school at the same time. I chose to pick a degree in that which I was not only gifted towards but funneled it to that which would pay back to my children a lifestyle that they deserved and also be a balm to the poor choices I had made up until then. My entire life changed - back to the values I was taught and as I was raised by good Christian parents and family. God blessed me all along the way. He taught me endurance and faith. He also gave me the blessing of being an observer. And in observing others I have been able to make better choices for myself. In watching the life of one bitter woman unfold, I have been glad many times over that I chose to let the angry go. Was it easy? Oh no it was not! Did I whine along the way? Of course I did. But...the results are a good man, husband and father to my kids who are growing, succeeding, and pleasantly strong willed and friends and family that I could never delete. And yes the best is always yet to come. Its all in the choices you make.