Hello! This is Laura from Lolalina, and I am dropping in to share a
collection of things that are inspiring me as we begin to turn from summer to
autumn. I hope you enjoy these little treasures as much as I loved putting them
together!
Thank you so much for having me here
on Gathering Spriggs!
xoxo Laura
Several weeks ago, Heather graciously asked me (and others) to prepare a guest post for this blog. I'm not an artist or a designer, and the only elements of design or bits of vintage inspiration in my house are those that Heather has given to me or I’ve learned about on her blog. But since I’ve been blessed to know her for more than 22 years, I decided that perhaps my greatest offering as a guest on her blog would be to share a story about her.
Winnowing
down the selection of tales was difficult. Should I tell about the time she accidentally flung forest green
ink into the perfect blond tresses of the most popular girl in high
school? Or about the one time we sheepishly stepped outside of our
rule-following shells and skipped school and subsequently had a little incident
in her ’68 VW Bug involving a barbed wire fence? Or, should I tell how we developed our very own language of
acronyms?
Reliving
our many adventures in my heart has made me grin so wide that my cheeks are
sore. What a road we’ve
traveled together. But, to
quote Maria from The Sound of Music,
“Let’s start at the very beginning.
A very good place to start…”
May
I tell you a story about my friend, Heather?
I
first saw her on an elementary school playground in 1988, deep in the Hill
Country of Texas. My family had moved
to town three years before, and I’d made a few friends. But even though I couldn’t
articulate it, my 11-year-old heart yearned for the friendship of a true
kindred spirit.
Heather
has always been a classic beauty.
Even in the 5th grade, she was an island of loveliness standing
out against a sea of 1980s fashion trends: Kaepa shoes (Remember those? You could change the colors of the triangles to match your
outfits!), the ORIGINAL banana clips, ripped sweatshirts, sweat bands, wearing one’s jam-box as an accessory, frizzy
perms, and shoulder pads. I
remember like it was yesterday:
that day at the playground, Heather wore a petal pink shirt, a brown
belt with a pewter buckle, the coolest acid-washed jeans, and stylish brown loafers. A pewter beaded necklace peeked out from under the
collar of the shirt, and her brunette hair was full of loose curls. But the most glamorous part of
all? She had braces. Surely
those of you who, like me, didn’t have braces remember the braces-envy
phenomenon…where you’d fashion anything available—stretched-out paper clips,
chewing gum pulled into a thin, long string, etc.--into something that followed
the contour of your teeth, creating just the right amount of lip-poof to obtain
the effect that braces have on your voice.
The
combination of Heather’s beauty and kindness made her stand out from the other
kids.
And
I knew that I desired at that moment, more than anything else, to be her
friend.
I
don’t recall exactly how we first met that day, but there was an instant
connection. It turns out we were
also neighbors, living just around the corner from each other. We probably put hundreds of miles on our
banana-seat bikes riding back and forth between our houses. Like best friends do, we shared our
hearts and our snack foods. We still have each other’s childhood phone
number memorized; the last four digits of her number have even taken their place
of honor among my rotating PIN numbers.
I'm
pretty sure I couldn’t have done life without Heather. She lost her Daddy when she was 10, and
she walked me through that dark valley when I lost my own at 18. We have linked arms and faced other
scary things in life--together.
She
has also made my life beautiful.
One rainy summer day during our high school years, Heather came over, put
on a movie for me to watch in the living room, gave me an I'm-up-to-something
double eyebrow raise, and retreated to my room. In about an hour, she proudly called for me to come and
see. My room had been completely
transformed. Using only what I
already had, she redesigned and freshened it, rearranging furniture, swapping
out bed linens, moving around knick-knacks, etc. I could scarcely believe my eyes, and hadn’t the imagination
or the skills to do that on my own.
It was a gift that she gave me so many times. In those pre-HGTV years, her makeovers were quite a novelty.
I
remember one of Heather’s first faux-painting endeavors: she painted her room a rich chocolate
hue and then expressed brewed tea bags near the ceiling’s molding, allowing the
tea to carve a lovely rivulet down the wall. Standing in the doorway with my mouth agape, I felt my heart
squeeze with the tangible proximity of her talent.
For
the past 22 years, there have been ups and downs in my life, but this has
remained constant: Heather’s
presence, grace, and love. Using
her bottomless well of creativity and design, she has blessed my life and the
lives of countless others in many different ways. Sometimes it is difficult for her to see or even comprehend
her beauty and how tremendously talented she is. But I see it, just as I saw it that day on the
playground. And I know you will
see it as you are able to get glimpses of her heart from her blog.
It’s
been a privilege to gather up these memories and arrange them in small posy to
share with you. Thanks for
lending your ear.
First of all, I wanted to thank Heather for letting me be a guest on her blog! It really is an honor. Second, let me introduce myself. My name is Lori and my “home” is over at ChicGeek Designs. So please, come visit me if you get a chance!
When I was trying to think of what to write for Heather, I knew it had to be something with simple, beautiful images because that’s what one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of Gathering Spriggs. Thankfully, this was perfect timing with my obsession with white porcelain this week. I have recently hung some hot pink cube shelves and had put some white porcelain animals in two of them. But I’m missing something in the third cube! So has started the hunt! But in the midst of the hunt, I have fallen in love with the simplicity and loveliness of these white porcelain pieces.
I LOVE the
last item – I mean white porcelain bracelets?!? So awesome! What things do you
have in/around your house that you look at and they remind you of
simplicity/loveliness? If you can’t come up with anything, then you need to
find at least one thing. I believe that everyone has to have some simplicity in
their life and needs a small token reminder of that. So go, seek it!
Thank you
for reading my guest post! Please come visit me at ChicGeek Designs, I’d love to have you!
~ Lori
Images: Collage 1 (L-R) 1. Suite One Studio 2. Isabelle Abramson 3. Isabelle Abramson 4. White Earth Studio
Collage 2 (L-R) 1. Suite One Studio 2. Isabelle Abramson 3. Kim Westad 4. Rebecca Humphrey
Hello lovely Gathering Spriggs readers! My name is Rachel and I blog over at Lovely Clusters. I am a huge fan of Heather's beautiful blog and I am constantly inspired by her amazing finds. I am especially fond of her artists features and her knack for finding vintage treasures. Such a treat to be here!
For my guest post today I decided to share some of my favorite wall art from very talented artists featured on my site Lovely Clusters. I chose pieces that felt fitting to the romantic style of Gathering Spriggs. I hope that you will enjoy checking these artists out. Thank you so much for having me!
Row 1: postroad vintage, lovely sweetwilliam
Row 2: stephanie ryan art lovely sweetwilliam
Row 3: Rocky Top Studio, leaves and feathers
Hello lovelies! Nancy here, stopping by from Wolf and Willow to guest post today. I was just delighted when Heather invited me to post, and I began to ponder, what do I love most about her beautiful blog? I guess if I had to choose, it would be the gorgeous palette of pale, heavenly hues. And so, using this as my theme, I found some french milled soaps and vintage ribbon spools, porcelain bowls and perfume vials... aren't they just divine? It's ever so nice to meet you!
photo credits:
1. gilded dove ringbearer
bowl by palomas nest
2. french milled soaps and
vintage ribbon spools by love, loans + linen
3. deluxe mini perfume vials by for strange women
Dear Friends! Thanks for your patience with me and silly Typepad. Its slowly getting better although I still cant view my blog :( But fortunately for you I have a special guest blogger today, Kristie Barnett of Making Arrangements. Thanks for saving the day Kristie!
Here's Kristie:
Silhouetted figures were very popular before modern photography. Often those black paper cut-outs were the only way to immortalize faces of the ones you loved. Even after photographic images were common, artists continued making silhouettes of lovely ladies and little children. Check out the profile of this smashing 1960's babe!
The art of paper silhouette cutting has experienced a resurgence over the last few years and is evident in the world of decor. Multiple silhouettes in a tight grouping make an eye-catching display.
I love the way these silhouettes have patterns integrated into the background or foreground to create a funky, updated effect.
Now you can find silhouettes on many decorative items such as pillows, fabric, bookends, even bulletin boards.
Today it's common to find silhouettes of things other than people, such as animals and trees. And silhouettes are instantly updated by adding color, not just the predictable black and white images we are used to seeing.
And of course, vinyl wall clings of silhouetted chandeliers are particularly popular these days. For more vinyl wall clings, check out my posthere.
I have a small collection of silhouettes that I picked up at an antique mall. I use them to decorate my window sills and to hang on a black tabletop tree at Halloween.
A couple of years ago, I went on a local home tour and saw these precious silhouettes in this lady's hallway. I asked her about them, and she told me she had them done of her children by this silhouette artist that travels around the country handcutting children's silhouettes. She gave me his name and a few months later, I noticed in the newspaper that this guy was coming a local mall for a weekend. I dragged my then-young children and stood in line for longer than I like to remember. But it was so worth it to get these precious works of art memorializing my girls at a certain time in their lives. Here's one of them:
Thanks to Heather for letting me guest host on her beautiful blog today! Hope you all have a blessed day. And hope you will check out my blog for decorating and party planning inspiration!
Photo Credits: UnderFundedHeiress, Country Living (2, 6), Apartment Therapy (3, 7), Twolia, Mrs. Blandings, Stylehive, StoneBrook Staging 9, 10).
Autumn Accents
Nature’s palette has long been a guide to beautiful, inviting and natural interiors. No exceptions in thisConnecticut home which has taken cues from the warmth of a yellow sun , energy from a turning leaf, and the strength of hard woods. A dining room kissed with golden hues, and chestnut flooring and ceiling beams, are some of the incredible features of this home.
In the kitchen, cream cabinetry is paired with wicker and wood drawers. The owner owns an organizing store, so everything has been thoughtfully placed. Notice in the niche above the cook top, there is a swing out faucet for filling pots. How brilliant! A rustic Breakfast room, includes a wonderful step back cupboard, and plenty of collectible pitchers filled with fabulous flowers.
One thing is certain, the mixing of wood tones has a beautiful effect. I often get people asking me if they could finish their new furniture to match existing pieces. Here is a perfect example of why you don’t have to. A different tone allows the unit to stand out on its own where you can really admire it’s craftsmanship.
Each room offers a sense of tranquility and enticement, through continuity and artistic objections. A Beautiful collection of mercury glass, an inviting place to read under a window, even a fringed armchair with a cozy throw. It’s the little details that layer to create luxury.
All photos and full story from Country Living .
Heather, thank you so much for inviting me to post on your beautiful blog today. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Also, I’d like to invite your readers to check back on my blog shortly for a wonderful giveaway, that is very reminiscent of this post. It’ll be coming in the next week or two..:-) Hope you are all having a wonderful Day
Your Friend,
Vitania
Thank you Vitania. Loved having you here to share all your wisdom and design secrets!!
Today was one of those days that I never thought I would see. I kept thinking about where I was this time last year as a blogging novice. I never imagined that I would see my name on the main page of Holly Becker's famed Decor8! An honor doesn't describe it. After taking her "blogging your way" online class this spring, I realized what a transformation had taken place. One of the best decisions I have ever made. I highly recommend signing up for the next course!
I have been honored to be a guest writer over at Simply Hue!
Artist/Designer,Vintage Housewares Shop Keeper
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