NEW TABLE

I have a confession.  I finished a table today that has been in the works for almost 3 months!  Ugh...  But with a side of "ahhhhhh".    I have so many visions for tables and I just don't have space or time to complete them so when one gets finished it is such a relief I almost take a nap afterwards.  When I finished this table today I went inside, got a chair, tea, and phone and sat with feet propped up.  As to say "job well done body, job well done.".  LOL.   I am so sore.  I have to give mad props to my husband for helping me because when I took on this project I did not take into account how heavy it would be and that I would not be able to complete it by myself.  So happy with my choice in a strong husband today.  ha!  

Anyways, enough talk, here is the table. 

I love the look of it and get so excited about furniture! I will admit I did sit and stare for awhile after it was done.  There is something so beautiful about turning stacks of a wood pile into what you see here. 

The stain on this table is the vinegar, steel wool mixture.  

Awww...I am in love with the finish.  Even if it did take a 5 step process. Yes, those are 6x6 legs!  

So there she is and now listed on our Etsy shop page HERE. Of course it is only for local pickup or delivery. I am going back to resting as tomorrow is complete orders day!  Thank you to all who have supported Rustic, it means so much to me and my family!!! 

~Steph

FEELING FAMOUS

WAY TO GO RUSTIC HOMEMADE!!!

For the full article visit HGTV GARDENS

At first I read it and thought...."a DIY project?!!!?"  Come on HGTV! LOL. But I can't help but feel proud and positive when I read my business name on a blog post.  It drives my passion even further and gives me the boost of positive reinforcement that I probably need more then the people around me think I do.  

This is the reason for the post, to remind myself to see the positive and not the negative, which has been my motto lately.  I am happy where I am with Rustic and very happy about where it is going.  I am so lucky to be able to do something I am so passionate about especially after the long 2 year journey that got me where I am today.  

The dice that we sell in our shop can be found HERE

~Steph

NEWEST OBSESSION

My new house. 

I can't sleep and I am having a very hard time focusing.  I am so excited and nervous I can barely stand it!  The hubby and I randomly drive by the new expected house just to get a glimpse to ease the wait time before closing.   Pinterest can not even stand me anymore with all the pins and steady searching for the "perfect look".  

I think until we finally get the keys this will not seem real.  Can I finally decorate a house that is my very own? Ahhhh! YES!  

But on to our REAL life.  Our son has his first sleep over this weekend!  I wish I had taken some cute pictures of them playing or even snuggled up sleeping, but I don't think that fast.  I did manage to snap a few of them fishing the following day at a local farm.  It was one of those beautiful spring days here in Florida where the sky was so blue you found yourself staring and admiring the very beauty it all is...

One OTHER thing that is helping keep me busy are the sudden surge of "likes" and purchases for our Easter Sack bags found HERE.  We will stop selling these on April 14th, so get yours now!  

~ Steph

UNDER CONTRACT, 3 YEARS IN THE MAKING

The title can tell most of the story.  About 3 years ago hubby and I set out to fix our credit, get some things paid off and try to buy a home.  Where it may just come easy to most people proved to be harder for us.  With the upset of changing jobs (both of us) and the state of the economy we started to believe that it would never happen for us.

WELL today, we are just a little closer to moving out of our rented, small 2 bed home (with no backyard).  I am almost speechless on how it all came about, and since I am a moderately private person I will leave out most details, but this is nothing short of a miracle.  We are so blessed beyond words and are in a state of disbelief that all that hard work and prayer has finally been seen and heard.  

This may also seem a little to deep to most and might have one saying "geez its just a house", but for us its 3 years of hard work and came at a time when we had given up.  So NO, its not JUST a house, its a blessing.  And blessings are a BIG DEAL!  

We are still under contract and have a few more processes to overcome, but I had to share and could not hold this in any longer.  

So please continue to pray, celebrate and cry with us as we finish the process.  And for our friends who have been there for us encouraging us to stay strong, thank you.

~Steph

FINDING PEACE

Today I am stuck with the "did I make the right decision?" phase.  Feeling so scattered and trying to pull everything together my mind is left running in circles.  I hate having to do things 2 or 3 times to get it right and lately it feels as though that is ALL I am doing.  I am just into my first month at taking Rustic full time and I am scared more now then I was before.  It could do with the fact that I am trying to juggle too many things and not getting myself out there.  But i am discouraged none the less.  I ran across the below picture on facebook and it was just what I needed to read today. 

I need to stop trying to make everything fit before I find that peace, I need to find peace first.  And luckily I know just where to look.  I cannot allow fear to absorb my thoughts and time.  I need to overcome and press on, afterall I am a fighter.  

~Steph

HAPPY NEW YEAR

So here I sit again, 3 months since my last post.  Ugh...So many things, so little time.  One day I will keep up with this and actually have some what of an audience. lol.   But for now I am happy just telling my story to cyber space.  

As of January 1st I took my Etsy shop full time! Wooohoooooo!  I am beyond excited and beyond scared.  I love doing what I do so much I hope that I can provide for my family and also treat everyday like a new adventure.  It is weird to look back at the last year to see where I have ended up.  You see I was in a job that had ended a long time ago and I was very unhappy.  I had to sit back and watch as people that I trusted turned their back on me for reason they never felt lead to tell me about.  I was crushed and my heart was broken.  Then I left that for another job in July to which I thought was good but ALWAYS had reservation because in my heart I wanted to do Rustic Homemade full time and thought that was where I was suppose to be, but I had to provide for my family and so far Rustic had not been able to do so.  

BUT as it would turn out, that job had a dark side as well.  So, basically forcing me to trust in God even more and take a HUGE leap of faith.  I cannot begin to even describe the sense of peace that I feel even though everything and everyone around me is telling me I should be scared.  Sometimes we ask, how is this possible?

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.   Philippians 4:4-9

That is how it is possible. I know in my heart that God has brought me through so many trials so that I might appreciate the gift it is to have my own business for however long that might be, I am so very thankful that my prayer has been answered.  I am not saying that I have all the money I had before with a steady paycheck, but I know that ALL my needs not wants, will be met.  I have no complaints.  

So I wanted to share a little of where I have been and also a little Christmas photos of my home ;)  

My husband and I's next prayer, our very own home.  We have been watching this one home go up for sale then not for sale and now back up for sale.  It is such a fixer upper and I am in love with its property and potential. I will try to keep my blog updated on that, but for now, admire the beauty of THE tree. 

Ahhhh.........Christmas Eve. 

One of my many other trees plus my Luke sign also sold in my shop ;)

This is my pallet wall art decorated with a Noel burlap sign that I made.

My Santa bags sold in my shop :)

Another banner made by me to help decorate my home on a budget for Christmas

 Without gifts

 Homemade pinecones ornarments.

Homemade Flower pin ornaments

Burlap Bow

Some of the many ornaments I made that might make my Etsy store Christmas 2014

So goodbye for now.  I will be back later this month with photos from my entire home.  

ABSENT FROM MY BLOG BUT NOT MY LIFE

Where has the time gone?  I have come to the realization that for me to be truthful with my self and to succeed with the blog and my shop that I am going to have to be truthful with this blog.  Make sense?  For so long I have been so frightened of putting myself out there, writing about my life and what is really going on because in the past with just Facebook and one small status I have caused and stirred up so much conterversery.   But I guess I am tired of being scared and I guess a little tired of being worried about what certain people think of me.

First off, here is what you should know, the basics to what you should always come back too.

I have a huge heart
I love my family and they come first
I love God, and without Him I truly nothing, even though I may not quote scriptures daily on my blog. He is my world and light unto my feet.
I cannot sit still and must stay busy
I am people pleaser.

So Here is where I am today.  I am gone from my previous full time job of 8 years and am now totally working from home. STILL working 2 jobs, which are my shop, Rustic Homemade (found here on Etsy) and for a big Company that has made it possible for me to do everything from home.  It has taken a bit of getting used too since I was used to seeing people everyday and have your run of the mill conversations.  Now, I just have conversations with my self and I am not that intersting.  All this happened back in July and also since then Rustic has stayed fairly busy and I anticipate the holdiay season will be as well.  I love that!  I have a brain that never rest, always thinking of new ideas, things I need to do and building helps me focus and relax.  Who knew a circular saw could be relaxing?  LOL.

I also have a few more dining tables in the works for a few friends, some I have built, some I am building.  Really I am waiting for the weather to be a bit more cooler because here in Florida building in 90 degree weather is brutal!

Jackson contiues to do well and is too smart for his own good.  We are almost potty trained and he will be turning 3 on the 24th of this month. WHAT!  Crazy.  I still think of all the people that have yet to even meet him, even family and think, "man, how can time have flown by so quickly?"

So my future hope with my blog is that I will stay up with it, posting more of my shop and maybe some do's and don'ts.  We will see where this part of my life/journey takes me.  Wish me luck and try to be nice to me as I slowly enter the blogging world.  Well I have been here, just I have never shared it with anyone before.

I always like to leave with a random picture of Jackson, because, well...he is cute.  This is from the Air show this past weekend.