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| This is an old antique server or buffet of my Great Grandmother's that has been passed down in our family. My Grandmother told us that she could remember playing around this piece of furniture when she was a small child. It came to me after the death of a Great Aunt and the cleaning out of her home. I was the only one that wanted it. After an arduous trip from southern Indiana to Arizona, it came to me a "hot mess"! In fact, it was so awful, we affectionately started calling it "The Bohemoth". Finally, after some reworking and a coat of paint...it now sits in our entry, and has found renewed purpose and beauty. |
If you haven't noticed by now, in my blog posts, I love to write about creating "something out of nothing". The "beauty in everyday life"! Even when I create visual arts and crafts, I find my particular favored medium is to always take discarded items...trash...cast off's or the ordinary and create something beautiful out of them. It is a passion of mine, to bring beauty to the surface. It may be why I originally went into Interior Design. I love taking old furniture or homes that are less than attractive, and uncovering their true beauty. I love to create "something from nothing". These creative acts as a child and young adult ultimately became a living metaphor in my daily life. I may even be able to credit my mother for instilling this in me. An extraordinarily creative science teacher, she could find a way to do anything on her frugal budget. I guess I really took what she taught me to heart and have carried it even further. I started applying the idea to the "yuck" and ordinary in life and finding and creating beauty out of those moments. In learning more as a Christian, I have found that this is actually an old idea. Jesus took the sick, poor, and cast off''s and spoke into them God's renewing words. He showed them their true worth and beauty. And so, now I write this sweet little blog (when I can) about finding the joy in the tiniest of moments and creating beauty wherever we can. While my childhood had many difficulties, even abuse, I do carry sweet memories. Which, I suppose, makes them even more treasured. I wrote the following blog post about a year ago. It is still my favorite Christmas story from my childhood. And each time this time of year rolls around, I find it dancing happily in the corners of my mind.
In a visit with my mother, a couple of years ago, she pulled out some old Barbie dolls for my kids to play with, and some of the old clothes for the dolls were still in the box. I immediately was struck with a pang in my heart that caught me off guard. I ran my fingers over the Barbie outfits with nostalgia and wonder, and a feeling of love swept over me. There they all were; a white ruffled dress with blue ribbon trim, a yellow dress with a fitted bodice, a blue sundress, and many others with various ribbons, ric-rac, buttons, and ruffling. They looked worn and aged, each with small stains and some of the ribbon fraying. But, to me they looked the same as the day I received them. My mother had given me these Barbie outfits one Christmas as a child. I couldn't believe that the sight of these miniature clothes could have such a deep affect on me after all these years.
I received a shoe box full of Barbie doll clothes for Christmas, over 30 years ago. I had one Barbie I had gotten the Christmas before and she came with only one outfit. I was really into Barbies back then, and I longed for more outfits for my new doll. I mean seriously, Barbie couldn't go out in just an evening gown in my imaginary play world! As if! Barbie and I had other places to go that required a multitude of styles and colors! Store bought outfits were expensive for my parents in that season of life. I guess that particular Christmas, all those years ago, my mother was backed into a corner. How was she going to provide a Christmas for her young children on a very tight budget?
Amazing things can happen when faced with adversity, whether small or large. Those are the moments when we choose to fall defeated or see the way to a richer, fuller way of living. We can choose to be victim or choose to be victor and find the beauty in a challenging situation. My mother chose to be a victor and use her particular artistic authentic voice to persevere, express her love, and make a wish come true for her daughter. I imagine mom looked at her skills, talents, and available resources, and saw a solution. She knew she was a great seamstress and enjoyed it immensely. She could use her talents and skills she enjoyed, to bring joy to her daughter and still stay on budget. Being a great creative problem solver, I'm sure she took a look around at what was available to her. I can just see her going to my closet and digging in my toy box to find the coveted Barbie. I can imagine while standing there eyeing Barbie and wondering how she would complete her task, Mom probably realized her answer was right in front of her. Hanging in that closet were the clothes I was outgrowing. Many of my shirts were worn through in the elbows, so much so that there were holes in the sleeves. Mom's problem was solved. She chose to use the sleeves of the old shirts, cut them off, hemmed them, and sewed on bits of ribbon, and buttons from her button jar. She created numerous dresses in different colors and styles for no money, but with an enormous amount of talent, skill, creativity, and love. She used her particular artistic voice and was able to fill an entire shoe box with her creations. It became my favorite gift that Christmas. It wasn't until later, that I found what the shoe box of Barbie clothes were really made from or who really made them. That gift had already been one of my favorite "all time" gifts, then to find out what my mother had done to make the wish come true despite the tight budget, was so very touching. I like to think, that her using her gifts, being herself, finding joy right where she was, and creating beauty out of something ordinary, is what made that box of clothes hold such wonder for me. So far reaching was the use of her artistic voice and her spiritual gifts, that the same emotions swept over me as she brought them out for my children, that day, as the day that I opened them as a Christmas gift over 30 years ago.
That, is "Artful Living".
