It’s no secret that if you live in Brevard, NC, the local grocery store (Ingles) is more accurately referred to among the locals as “Mingles”. There is no such thing as “running in for a few groceries”, because you are sure to meet more than one person you’ve not seen in a while, and you will stop to chat on an isle for a moment or twenty minutes before continuing on with your shopping. And just so you know, I am guilty as well. Nothing better than catching up with your neighbors between the milk and the eggs!

Last week as I was literally running in for just a few things before I had to hurry home to prepare dinner for our guests who were due in less than an hour (yes, I admit I crowd way too much into most days), I patted a neighbor on the back and tossed a hello over my shoulder as I marathoned out with my cart. Her words lingered at the back of my neck….”….always in a hurry. Never takes time to stop and chat…” Albeit true, the words stung me. Yet I didn’t turn around and stop to see how she was doing, because after all, I had dinner to cook and deadlines to meet!

Sadly, this was the second time in less than a week someone had said something similar of me. And I have begun to ponder the truth in the accusations.

I do tend to be about the moment I’m in. If that’s shopping, it’s shopping. If it’s merchandising my booth spaces, that’s my focus. And while that doesn’t mean I won’t stop to chat with you should you catch me in the middle of my frenzy, it just means that I may not linger, or my words may be edged with distraction, as my mind was in full gear somewhere else before the interruption, no matter how pleasant that interruption may be!

Even as I am squeezing in this moment from the fleeting minutes of my own self-imposed hurry of painting furniture, I am anxious to get back out and complete my task before the winds rise and the temperature drops. It is, afterall, February, and winter is still upon us.

For days the lyrics from an old Simon & Garfunkle song have tumbled through my head. Maybe you know it too

….Slow down, you move too fast.  You’ve got to make the morning last…

So this post is about just that….slowing down and looking at each moment as God gives it. To be cherished, embraced, bewildered by or simply caught in the gasp of delight as you linger in the breath you’ve just inhaled. Please allow me to share a few of this week’s joys with you from the booths of Burlap & Lace, located at The Garage on 25 in Arden and at The Marketplace on Locust in Hendersonville, and even a few from home.

May you find your peace in the hush of a new day….

~Blessings,

Connie

Perhaps you’ve seen this sign on Brevard Road as you make your way toward the new Outlet Mall, or Discount Shoes?   I found it as I rambled past my husband’s office one day on my way toward Asheville….and boy did I do a quick U-turn to check it out!  What I found on the inside delighted my heart and spun my head in a hundred directions all at once!

Having decided to bring Burlap & Lace home for a season, stopping in here made me rethink my decision.  So I did what I always do in such times as this….I left the owner my card, invited her to check out my blog, told her I would bring back my portfolio for her to see, walked to my car, and sat in the parking lot praying.  I prayed that if the Lord was redirecting me He would make it evident to me…that I would not press this but that they would ask me to join them in their shop.  I prayed that my husband would be completely agreeable to the idea because I know all too well that if we are not in agreement, things collapse around us.  And I prayed that I would patiently walk through the process and not try to “make things happen”.  Then I drove home….but the butterflies of hope and excitement were already flitting around in the pit of my stomach like they do when I am on the verge of something new and exciting.

At the end of that week, I was headed to Charlotte to see my Dad (see previous blog), and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to stop in again and pray as I walked through the place once more.  And so I did.  The owner wasn’t there, but the sweet lady that greeted me (and she did greet me…with a warm smile!) talked with me and then showed me her booth space at my request.  I continued to walk through the store, praying and taking in every nook and cranny.  Then I was off on my 2 1/2 hour drive to Charlotte, with plenty of time to think and pray on the way!

Upon my return home, I did talk with my husband about it all.  He was sitting in his favorite chair as we talked, and his eyes hinted laughter as he watched me excitedly describe this prayer adventure to him.  Then he laughed out loud and said to me, “I think you should do it.”  I almost stopped breathing as I looked at him in disbelief.  No further question asked, he simply told me that he knows how much I love doing this, and perhaps if I get a booth space I would give up the idea of owning my own shop.  We both laughed at that.  And so the decision was made.

The next week (no, not the next day surprisingly enough), I went back to The Tin Roof to talk with the owner.  As promised, I carried in my portfolio.  She and another vendor met me as I came in and excitedly said, “When can you move in?!?  We want you!”  I was stunned, and didn’t know what to say!  The owner had done as I requested….she read my blog and shared it with several of the other vendors.  She did not even ask me to complete an application!  I got the contract from her and we discussed spaces I could move into.  The one that I envisioned from the beginning was just inside the front door.  In choosing it and discussing how to tag my items, I was told that it was booth space #1….same as I have at Main Street Market Shops!  That meant that I will not have to re-tag a single item!  God is amazing and so, so good!!!  Another answered prayer…

Lest I forget my original promise to my readers, I am still going to continue to blog through our home decorating process.  It will be a long process that will take us through this year and likely into next.  But in addition to that, I will continue sharing wonderful items and ideas with you at my new space which will open the first week of April!  For the month of April you will continue to see me in the window at Main Street Market Shops, but you will also find me at The Tin Roof.  And as I enter into this new adventure at The Tin Roof, I am slightly changing the way I display and do things, so allow me to share with you here first…

As many of you know, our youngest son is getting married in May.  Having worked now on my third wedding (the first being my eldest son, the second my niece’s in Columbia last summer), I have discovered how much fun I have making a reception or a rehearsal dinner a spectacular event for the bride and groom.  That being said, I have decided to showcase a wedding booth twice/year…once in the Spring/Summer and once in the Fall/Winter.  In doing so, I hope you will help me spread the word to brides-to-be that you know of.  What I would like to do is to specifically tailor my booth those months for what one or two brides have in mind.  It will be a showcase for them to come get ideas, ask questions, purchase for their wedding and grow their own excitement over their special day.

The other thing you will see, which will actually not be far from what you see now, is more Farmhouse style mixed with Vintage flair mixed with Shabby Chic pieces mixed with antiques.  What does that look like?  More woods, more metals, more painted furniture, more ironstone items, more silver, more hammered aluminum, more glass, more FUN all the way around!  There will be color, and there will be whites mixed with wood tones.  I can’t wait to show it all to you!  And I am bringing back my own versions of “wall art” ….things I make that have a special meaning to me, and hopefully to you…signs in particular.

April’s booth at The Tin Roof will have you hankering (that’s a southern word!) for more….more garden items, more shabby chic furniture, more Farmhouse finds.  And “find” you will…at Burlap & Lace!  If there is a particular thing you need for your home, let me know!  I love “specific” shopping trips with just you in mind!   And I will find the best bargain to bring back to offer to you at The Tin Roof!  I hope you will become more interactive with me throughout this year.  You are the heart behind what I do, and I am determined to find ways to bring us together more often!

So get ready!  Opening day for me at The Tin Roof will be April 5th,  and for that one month of April, you can shop with me at two venues!

Enjoy this journey with me….it promises to be a delight!

Blessings,

~Connie