INDIAN SUMMER!

From our family to yours we wish you a blessed Thanksgiving holiday and hope that your day will be filled with love, laughter and turkey of course!

We feel an abundance of thankfulness and appreciation for all that we have! The last year has been a total roller coaster and full of loss and gain, with that we can honestly say that we know when things are really bad and really good. We are thankful and happy to say that we are adding to our family of three "a new baby boy" come march! That is an absolute joyous end to our absolute crazy year.

Happy Holiday and may God Bless you all!

Long time no see!

(image via flickr)

It feels so good to say hello! My life has been a whirl wind and it is still whirling as we speak. Just to recap this last year to date: I cared for and lost 2 very special people in my life to terrible battles with cancer, we are now dealing with their estate and that is just completely insane, and as if that is not enough we have moved in the process of all this insanity.

Things are starting to feel a little more normal these days and we are getting settled in nicely to the new house. It does feel really good to be moved, it had been in the works for quite sometime and it finally has happened. We absolutely love our new space and are excited to be here to stay.

As far as for me and my work, well let's just say I have mustered through the craziness of our life and all the boxes and still managed to do some designing and filling orders. I am feeling just a little overwhelmed sometimes, but if I don't work and do what I love I feel so lost and out of synch. As we are over half way through the summertime, I look forward to the fall and really focusing on my work along with getting my web site up and running! I don't have a particular time set in stone that I would like it finished, however I would love to start the new year off with it up and running. We will see how it goes!

I hope you all are having a great summertime and enjoying the outdoors! We are heading camping this weekend and we can't wait, that would be something that feels really normal to us and like life is back on track.

"cheers to all" and take time to enjoy the sunshine!

I'm Back!

me and my BIG ideas!

I have been a very busy little bee! Working has never felt better and I have been feeling very creative. I just wanted to share some of the things that I have finished recently. I hope you enjoy!

"Remember smiles are contagious" :o)

For the Love of Mark!

"uncle-brother-friend"

I am sure if you read the last post that I left, you know that I have had a close family member become terminally ill in the recent months. My uncle age 42 was diagnosed with brain cancer on January 17th and unfortunately passed on April 11th. It was a very short, but seemingly long three months. He had a time of it and I can't even explain what the last three months have been like for me and my family. He was in and out of the hospital eight times in those months and everyday was a complete battle in some way or another. He was such a positive person and hoping for a much different outcome, we all were! We had just lost his wife age 41 at the end of September to cancer and he was dealing with grieving and trying to get his life back to what most of us could call normal. He had been taking care of his wife the whole time she had been sick and he put his heart and soul into caring for her. We wanted to do the same for him.

I had been very close to Mark and his wife Mary, being they were only five years older than myself and me having no siblings. I now feel this terrible void and aloneness. I always thought they would be there after my parents passed. I still can't believe that any of this has happened and really it has all felt like a terrible night mare. I just wish that I could wake one morning and it all have been a bad dream.

My whole perspective on life is somewhat at a stand still. I am really trying to sort all of this out and find some way to make sense out of what has happened to two young people who have spent more of their life together than apart. How could this happen so close together and why at such young ages. I have so many fond memories of them both and they were two very full of life kinda people. They did live their lives to the fullest and they enjoyed their lives doing the things they loved to do and being surrounded by all the things they loved most. They were both very talented people, Mark restored old antique cars for a living and was an master at his craft of Metal shaping. Mary was very much like myself, she was artistic, crafty and loved to sew. She mentored me in much of my learning process and I can't tell you how much she inspired me. She had the ability to make things look effortless and everything she created was crafted perfectly.

I am going to miss them both so much and my memories of them are happy ones and I hope they never fade for that is all I have left. I hope to somehow pay tribute to them in my work in the future and follow in their footsteps of living life to the fullest, doing the things I love most and surround myself with the people and things I love.

As I start back to work I hope to poor my heart and soul into creating all things beautiful for the love of Mark and his forgotten Mary! It really did feel like somehow she was forgotten with all that immediately followed her passing. I honestly can say that this experience has absolutely made me a firm believer that two people can be meant to be together and never be without one another. That was Mark and Mary, they had been sweethearts since their early childhood days, fourth grade. They really were one of the same. They spent all their time together and enjoyed all the same things. Mary loved doing all that Mark did with his antique cars and she went everywhere with him. They could have not been more meant for each other. That is the only thing that gives me peace, that they are together again.

So, as I sit here pondering on the last months of my life and remembering theirs, I know that I am lucky to have had the opportunity to have shared all the special times with the two of them and I know that they have each other yet again!

God Bless you Mark and Mary, may you rest in peace together with the lord as you live in eternity. You will be missed dearly and remembered by all!

all my love---your niece,

Walls that talk!

I have been at it again!

This is some recent work that I just finished and shipped out.

Things have been a little hectic lately, we have had some bad news in our family and been dealing with many days at the hospital and getting things in order. Some of you may remember from an earlier post that I had lost my aunt to cancer in September. Well, My uncle(her husband and my mom's brother) just found out he has a brain tumor. Talk about a shock! Our family has had so much heart ache and pain watching my aunt and her long battle with cancer and now this. My poor poor uncle, he is just so beside himself and can't hardly handle it. This has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my life and it really feels like hell is here. My aunt(41) and uncle(42) are only 5 years older than myself and I am an only child so you can only imagine how close I am with them. Everyday lately has been full of pain and not knowing. I know that we are full of the not knowings everyday of our life, but when someone is sick or if you know for sure they are dying the not knowing is null and void and it is just plain and simple reality. It is hard watching someone deal with cancer, but it is even harder excepting the fact they might not be here for another birthday, Christmas, family dinner, a friendly chat or just knowing that you can call and talk to them anytime you want.

Everyday I try and remind myself that we are all in the same place really, you just don't know when your time is up! So, like I said before "always tell the one's dearest to you that you love them and don't ever take life for granted"!

I know one thing for sure though and that is how I feel when I am working and painting. I just get lost and feel so free and at peace with life. I know I am going to start something and finish it and it will be absolutely full of life, heart and soul.

So, take a look and enjoy and I will continue being inspired by all things beautiful and whimsical!

Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you all for your support!

Whimsical Wall's!

Colorful, whimsical and full of heart and soul. Here are just some of the order's I have recently finished and shipped out!

After I am finished with every order I feel a little sad to see them go. Although, I am very excited to pass them on and spread the joy of my creations. Not to mention the idea of them hanging on some little one's wall to help inspire their creativity, I kinda get a little attached to each and every piece. Each with their own personality and story to be told, they have some sense of realness that it almost feels like I have created another little soul.

Even though the holidays are over I am still blessed to be busy! Everyday is full of the creative process and I am just loving it. This is the way God intended for my brain to work and it is a joy.

These particular piece's have all been inspired by the client and their design scheme. They communicate so well and make it almost impossible for me to go wrong. They sometimes send me links to check out bedding and such or just thoroughly explain what they want.

I will have some more to post on the blog next week, so check back and take a peak to see what else I have created!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! I am sure I will be working and loving it!

May God Bless You and fill your life full of love, happiness and Lot's of laughter!

Color, Pattern, Texture and More!

(image via flickr)

MY FAVORITE THING!

This is truly my first love and absolute favorite thing to work with. If only I could have a wall in my house that looked like this. Now that would be a work of art in it's self! I have been so busy painting canvas' lately for SummerLynn Designs that I haven't had a whole lot of time to get into my own personal stash of fabric and create some of the new ideas that have been brewing inside my head. I have plans for new designs and product to be listed on Domesticly Chic in the next couple of months and I'm really itching to get going on them.

I really do love to paint too! Anytime I can use color in my designs in any form it gets the creative juices flowing. I also love working with people and creating custom pieces for them. It is such a great process and the end result is so gratifying for me and them. I have quite a few more finished pieces of work that I will be displaying on the blog in the near future, so check back.

I'll keep you posted on all new and up-coming works in process and until then I'll be painting on.

Have a Blessed Day and keep smiling!

From MY heart to YOUR'S!

Happy 2010!

(image via flickr)

"Wow" another year past!

I am sure like most of you, I can't believe that it has come to an end. This past year has been a whirl wind and a bottomless pit of emotions. The only thing that has held it all together for me is the hope and faith that I have in the lord above. Although, sometimes I need to remind myself and reassure myself that all of his doings is for our benefit, I do truly believe that our lives are full of his goodness.

I try everyday to focus on all the good things that are going on around us and let's just say there has been some pretty bad things happen this year, so it has not been easy. At the end of each day I just hope and pray for one more day of good health with my loved ones and that in it's self is all I can ask for.

I must say that things really do happen at very weird times and they definitely do not make any sense. My business and work for instance, is a true blessing and I know that my lovely aunt Mary is looking down from heaven with a smile upon her face and nodding her head saying it's going to be ok. While she was alive she would use a certain phrase quite often in her conversation, "that's OK"! Even now with her loss, I feel great comfort in her words and I know that she is saying it every time I feel sad. It is crazy though, I had been trying to persue my dream of my business and creating all things beautiful for the longest time and I do really feel like she did have a big part in this happening now. I have been just crazy/busy since she past away and I can't think of a better person to thank for it. She, like me was a very creative person and love to make things beautiful too! We would brainstorm and drum up ideas and if I ever had a question I would call her. We loved all the same things, sewing, quilting, beading, fabric anything that we could conjure up was good for us. We would go camping and stay up working under a lamp and stars on something fun. I will miss those times and I will miss her dearly. I know that it is all happening now because of the lord above, but I have no doubt that Mary has not helped a little.

I have not really focused on an actuall New Year's resolution. However, I would like to say that I want to try just a little harder to be more forgiving and organized. I would also like to somehow develop a happier and more productive attitued from my little one. I am hoping that this too is just one of those stages and will pass!:o) We most certainly need to start eating better and get off our booties and get moving!

The holidays were hard for our family and I think that we are all just glad that they are over. With the New Year in mind I want to wish you all much happiness, love, good fortune and most certainly good health. Remember that your loved ones are dear and cherrish the time you have with them, smiles are contagious so spread one, always look up when your looking down and most importantly be true to who you are!

I hope you all have a great start to your new year and I myself will keep creating all things beautiful and full of inspiration.

May God Bless you and your's in the New Year to come!