It was last May that my son and his new bride celebrated their wedding day amidst an outdoor room full of guests….family & friends celebrating together a union in the eyes of God and before man.  As I am now in my third week of celebrating the opening of Burlap & Lace, I have had the privilege of meeting a few brides-to-be who are excitedly planning their own celebrations coming up in May or June.  As I remember fondly the fun that I had in planning a rehearsal dinner for my son and his new bride and in sharing the joy of these new friends I’ve met at Burlap & Lace, I have decided to bring a couple celebration events into the style of Burlap & Lace for the next few weeks…

1.  Weddings – You will find things to make your special day a true celebration, be it items to use on the celebration day or items to gift a new bride and groom.  And if you need ideas, ask me for suggestions!  I would love to help the new couple fix up their first home!  At Burlap & Lace you will everything from dishes to pillows to furniture….and all the trimmings in between!

2.  Garden parties – Who doesn’t love a reason for a party?!  I love thinking outside the box and coming up with different ideas to make your party a success.  Be it a backyard barbecue, an informal gathering of neighbors or kids coming home for Easter, there is always, always a reason to celebrate!  Even just celebrating Spring and the birds’ songs lifts my heart!  Come see what things are here to help you celebrate your upcoming occasions….

3.  Coming up in May is Mother’s Day….I don’t know about you, but I see reflections of my mom and my grandmother in my every day living….women who have taught me much about giving of myself and stretching my self-imposed limits in ways I didn’t think possible.  And Mom- whoever she is to you- is worth celebrating!  I have everything here to help you do just that…from already made planters for the garden or porch to lovely tableware to help her brighten up her own table to pillows for her bed when she snuggles down for a nap after a long day.  For the mom you just don’t have a clue what to get….try some sachets for her dresser drawers or to slip beneath the seat of her car.  Or maybe a nice basket for her to put her cosmetics in on her counter.  Soaps are always a win and I have some wonderful fragrances to select from.  I have scarves that are bright displays of beauty for the neck or for the table!  Or perhaps your mom still loves to send handwritten cards…I have some special ones for you to choose from.  Come check it out…

Whatever you find to celebrate, I’d love to share that special occasion with you.  Until we meet….

~Blessings,

Connie

Daisies are my favorite flower.   I’m not sure I’ve ever pondered on why….perhaps they remind me of the sunshine with their brilliant yellow center.  And their white petals….soft to the touch, but reaching outward from the sunny center as if to say, “Go ahead and pluck me if you will….you can have the same tenderness that I have, and the same ray of sunshine can be yours.”

I’ve not slept enough in the last month.  Wonderful adventures have kept my mind and my body alive and awake with anticipation, planning and staging this next phase of life.  I literally ran headlong from Vintage Market Days of Asheville into a long weekend event with my mom away from home straight into the opening of Burlap & Lace in its own location for the first time ever.  Entrepreneurship entered my life from the fast lane and I haven’t stopped to fuel my tank in 3 weeks.  Not enough food, not enough rest, barely enough time in the Word.  And so yesterday, I literally crashed.  My body screamed at me….”ENOUGH!”

Just like the daisy….we have a center.  It’s called Christ in us, the hope of glory.  Why the hope?  Because if we don’t stay connected to Him, if we don’t nourish ourselves properly or rest when He gives us rest, we have little glory to shine.  Yesterday my light literally burned out.

Today’s a new day.   And I thank God for it.  The winds of the night blew in gusts of cold air, biting yet refreshing air to fill my lungs.  The sun is not yet up for me to witness how my daisy – given to me by my husband at my Grand Opening – has survived, now planted in the soil of our back yard.

I’m learning so much in this new adventure….

1.  I can’t do it alone.  Not without Christ.  Not without my husband.  Not without my amazingly supportive children.  Not without you – my friends and encouragers.

2.  My body needs time to rest and recover.  For me, that may be time in the yard playing in my garden.  It may be time to do laundry and clean the house.  It will most certainly be time that is “quiet”, with nothing but the song of the birds or the heavy breathing of my lab next to me as music.  Because Jesus begs us….”Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  We have to initiate the steps toward Him.  Then He so lovingly fulfills His promise to us.

3.  It’s okay to bend with the wind.  My daughter-in-law is teaching me that.  I am such a structured personality….planning is just part of my being.  But when my plans don’t go my way, it’s OK.  If I try to maintain my sturdy stance, I will likely break.  But bending with the wind allows me freedom….to feel the winds of change and embrace them, to “go with the flow” and enjoy the ride, to “let go” and let God.  We’ve made that such a cliche’, but it’s so true. God’s ways are not our ways.  Bending with the wind allows me to let Him move me when I’d rather plant my feet stubbornly in the sinking sand, which only leads to me falling, stumbling or otherwise being uprooted in most unpleasant ways.

Now – I’m leaving you with this….

Burlap & Lace (i.e. Connie) has a plan to open Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekly.

Already that plan is changing, as yesterday in my moments of crashing (I actually became quite ill and had to abandon my rearranging of the shop and head home to bed), I did not get the shop ready to open at 10:00 this morning.  I will open, God willing, but it might not be today as I planned. It may be tomorrow….

I apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment that may arise as a result of my lack of care for myself in this endeavor (i.e. not keeping my appointed hours so soon in the game).  I am learning…..sometimes painfully.  Some things are just learned the hard way.  For me, that means that although God provides me with rest, if I don’t heed His call to do so, He will see to it that I get what I need…one way or the other!

I am excited about this journey for many reasons.  For me, it’s never been about anything more than making Christ known and He has graciously allowed me to share my joys of knowing Him through the lens of Burlap & Lace.

There will be new treasures awaiting you when I do reopen my doors…because just like the daisy’s surprisingly soft petals that are easily plucked, I want you to find soft touches for your home that bring delight.  And in plucking them and taking them to your own abode, I pray you find that the joy is not in the “having” that something new, but in sharing it with those you love most and in making your house the home you always dreamed it would be.

Thanks for walking this road with me.  You make me smile.

~Blessings,

Connie