Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Susan from Must Love Junk, and myself wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Susan's and my blog. 

October 18

GiGi from Old World Patina

It gives me great pleasure this week to introduce you to Gigi a very sweet and very talented blogger. Gigi's blog is Old World Patina.   If you have not been to Gigi's Etsy Shop you must take a look.  Gigi made my sweet poetry box to store all the love notes and poems my hubby has written me over the years.  Gigi is the patina princess and everything she makes is just beautiful.  So relax and read and get to know Gigi.

Hello everyone at Junk Chic Cottage! Before I get started I would like to thank Kris for having me in the Spotlight today. She is a sweetheart and has been nothing but supportive of me and my new journey into blogland.

My name is Gigi Harland and I have only been blogging a few months now. You can find me on my blog Old World Patina. Even though I have not been blogging long I have met some fantastic and supportive people and it truly makes my day when I get a new comment on my posts.

This is a picture of my husband and I right after we got married in 2005. He is truly a prince and I am so lucky to have found him and I thank God for him every day. He is ultra supportive of me and takes care of me when I am ill and that is a lot. 

I live near the beach but I never get to go anymore. You see I have MS and I need a lot of help even with the smallest of activities, especially walking and the sand it hard to maneuver on. I never talk about my illness on my blog but since this post is about "the personal side of the blogger" I thought I would share that here. When we met I was healthy but just a few short years into our marriage I became ill and began to lose control of my limbs. I need assistance walking and have only one good arm to speak of. Since there are steps leading out of our home and I am unable to drive I am home bound most days. He works out of town a lot and makes sure I have everything I need before he leaves. When he comes home he cleans the house and does the laundry as well as helping me with any art projects I need him for. Like I said he is truly a prince! But I don't feel sorry for myself as I have come to accept it and I have moved on to better things. Before I was ill I never did many creative projects but being stuck at home I began to take as many online art classes as I could find. I also was a huge Utube stalker and viewed so many hours worth of creative videos until I finally found my voice in patina work.

These are a few of my favorite creations. I love to patina discarded angel figurines and I recently started making angel wings out of art plaster and decorating them. I find my angels at flea markets and yard sells when I get to go. I like flea markets the best even though the prices are higher because I can be pushed around in my chair. As far as yard sales go I have to stay in the car and my husband, aka my little picker, looks the sale over and brings back anything he thinks I might like and I say yes or no to the item. Sometimes I say yes just because he thinks it is so wonderful and some of them turn out surprising me and really are wonderful. Some of them are still sitting in my studio, in  my way, waiting on me to figure out what in the heck to do with them. 

My favorite room in the house in our bedroom because it is the most finished. In one corner I have my dress form collection. 

Hanging on this one is the crown my husband and I made together. I did not have the strength in my hands to do it myself. Basically he made it and I told him what to do. I love a man that can follow orders, hehe.

This duvet cover is my favorite thing I ever bought from a blogger. I bought this from Shellagh at Ticking and Toile about 2 years ago. It is so pretty and has gone through many washings and still looks great.

This bench is my favorite yard sale find. I found it back before I became ill and scored it for only $20. I saw it later at a furniture store for over $750. Wow, what a deal! It sits in front of the bay window my husband made me that houses some of my plants. I can't get out and about to garden so I have house plants everywhere and I just adore them.

Last but not least I wanted to show you one of my favorite art pieces handmade by a friend out of clay for me back in the early '80's. Back then he was showing his work in galleries and pieces like these sold for $280. I got mine for free and traded him some housecleaning. A great deal for me. His house is dirty again and I still have the truck, lol.

I guess it's time to go. I don't think I was supposed to write a book but it has been fun sharing some of my personal life with you. I hope you will join me on my blog Old World Patina for some of my creative ventures. Until then, thank you for taking the time to get to know me and thank you again Kris for having me.

xoxo Gigi

Gigi your story is so heart warming to see you do not let the MS hinder your life in anyway.  Your hubby is not only a prince but a special angel in your life.  He is a keeper.
Now that you have gotten to know Gigi.  Please hop over to Susan's blog and get to know Janice from Curtains In My Tree.
Have a wonderful fall week end.
Kris
:)

Nellie's Barn Sale

Happy Wednesday!

I took a ride out in the country to Nellie's Barn Sale about an hour and a half from my home this past Saturday.  It was a great country back roads ride.  

Terry and I took the drive together.  It was a beautiful day.  Sun shining and in the 60's.  With the trees starting to change colors it was a really pretty drive.

Nellie's Barn sales are always the best.  This is her fall show and it did not disappoint.  Over 40 vendors with really wonderful treasures for sale.

I just loved the whimsy of this sign as you entered the barn sale.

Fun vintage bike dressed for halloween.

Lot's of great vintage signs.  I loved this college ave. sign.  Would this not be a neat gift to give to someone going away to college for their dorm room.  Loved this.

Loved this vendor.  She had some really sweet kids items.  I had to get my granddaughter Abby a few things from this vendor.

This my friends was an awesome treasure.  This old truck door.  It sold right away and the vendor said she could have sold it many times over.  No kidding it is a great find.  It is hard to tell but where the truck mirror was on the door there was a heart shape of rust.  I do not know where I ever would have put something like this in my house but Ohhhhh it was a wonderful find for the lucky person that got to it first.

Vintage Bliss is one of my favorite vendors.  Love her booth and all her charming signs and vintage treasures.

Vintage Bliss is the vendor I got my great Milk and Cream Sign from awhile back at another show she was in this summer.

She had another one for sale.

I wanted this drug store sign so much but no place to put this one.  It was just so cool.

Lots of vintage camera's and oh so many great signs.

Inside the big barn one of the vendors had a lot of primitives.  My daughter loves primitive so I found a few treasures for her at the show.

Loved this primitive snowman made out of old feed bags.  

Yep, Mr. Prim Snowman and Santa came home in the car for my daughter.

Well there you have it another fun Barn Sale this past week end.  Wonderful drive in the country, beautiful weather and great treasures.  It could not have been a sweeter day for junkin.

Hope to show you some of my sweet treasures I found at the show soon.

Have a wonderful rest of the week.

Hope to see you back on Saturday for Spotlight.  Susan and I have two more bloggers for you to get to know on a more personal level.
Kris
:)

If you can't beat them! Then join in with them!

Summer has left and fall has arrived in Illinois but with the temps being mild, a few of my summer flowers are still hanging on.

They say we will have a few more weeks of these mild temps.  No worries for the summer hold outs.   I decided to join them with fall.

 I joined fall faux flowers and real and faux pumpkins to the mix of summer flowers still left.

With summer flowers still hanging on I just co mingled summer and fall together.

My impatiens bag is still doing well on my front door.   Easy peasy just add the faux fall to the summer flowers.

The nice thing about hanging bags they have lots of holes you can stick the faux flowers in to be with the real flowers.  Watering the bag is still a breeze even with the faux decor added in.

Until we get a frost the flower beds will continue to bud.

I dressed up my cherub bird feeder with some fall decor.

The birds can still get to the seed in the cherub feeder.  Just hope Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel do not try and take away my burlap bows for their winter homes!!!!

My bike out front still had some life going on in the baskets so  I added a fall bow and some faux fall decor to the existing flowers.

It was fun to mix the faux pumpkins with the real pumpkins I got a couple week ends ago from the pumpkin farm.

While there are still a few traces of summer fall is definitely appearing.

The trees are just starting to turn colors here in the midwest.  In the next few weeks I think we will see some really beautiful changes to the trees.


Hope your week end has been great. Fall is definitely arrived here in the midwest. It just is coming in very mild which I will not complain about.  We Northern Midwest bloggers know what will follow this beautiful fall weather!!! Ughhh!!!! Yep the ugly W word WINTER!!!!

 Have a wonderful start to the new week ahead.
Kris
:)

Parties:
Show and Share
A Joyful Cottage
Wow Us Wednesday
Inspire Me Tuesday
What's It Wednesday
Treasures Hunt Thursday