My New Art Wall

I live in a small-ish house. There is only one eating area -- IN THE KITCHEN, AS IT SHOULD BE...(lol). And that table is a few steps away from our living room.

There is one long hall -- leading to two bedrooms and a bath. For many years, this wall has been hosting my ever-growing collection of embroidered samplers. I love looking for them, finding them, buying them, and living by their wisdom...

One of my favorites...Mary Mulari and I were inspired by this one to create a similar design for our Homemaking embroidery CD...

I bought this for $2, at a garage sale in Tennessee, on a rainy day, on a road trip with my cousin Jackie...!!

Each one has a special meaning and/or memory for me...and I love them all.

This is the view from the other direction...

But, ALAS, (I am always delighted when I get to use the word Alas)...CHANGE IS GOOD. (somebody ought to embroidery that on a sampler, eh?)....

And it's time for a change.

Lilly and Warren are here a lot.  They love coming to Grandma's house, and I love having them.  But I know this is just a chapter..a short-lived phase that will be over in a blink.

I'm trying to enjoy every minute.  And I want the wall to be about them.  So -- the wall has been evolving...

When Lilly makes a picture, I want to hang it in a place of honor...

Lilly's Christmas gift to me.

And, Ross has taken some exceptional pictures of the kids -- so, of course, THEY MUST also be hung where the kids can see them, and be reminded of these joy filled moments...

Then, too, now that Lilly is my main partner during Saturday junk-hunts -- we often find bargains that we think will look good on the wall...

PERFECT -- right??  Lilly was six, and she read these words to me...it was the moment I knew she was going to be a good reader.  I am so happy for her...!  And she is a maker...

ART combined with WORDS...Hey -- quite a good fit for my sampler wall, don't you think??

Carrie helped me take down all the samplers. I could never part with them, so they will be stored in the basement. Lilly and I are working on the new wall. It's already been a month. This project is evolving, and I'm fine with that. She is hammering in the hanger/hookie things all by herself. Turns out, small hands are much better at that job than large ones...

We hang a few new things, then re-arrange them as other new things come into our lives...

As I watch Lilly, hammering, I think how valuable my sampler wisdom has been...and how much I will miss it...

Maybe Lilly and I will make our own version of a "sampler"...it will say, "Change can be hard. But if you're doing it right, CHANGE IS GOOD."