RECLAIMED Living

Chapter 1

Saved You a Seat

Saved You

A SEAT

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Life is more precious than we recall.

This is especially true on the nights we’re sitting alone, licking the bottom of the ice cream bowl with no plans for tomorrow. It’s true when we’re rushing out, power bar in hand, a kid with one shoe on and one in tow, to yet another appointment we will likely be late for. And it’s true when we’re sitting on the back porch enjoying the golden hour with our furry ones at our side.

The preciousness of life doesn’t disappear, but some days its joy is easier to forget. Like the moment we realize the hard thing is going to be harder than we’d like. Or the second we feel pressure beyond what we think we can hold. Or those nights when we head to bed reminding ourselves that tomorrow brings a fresh start of its own.

This month, we’re pondering mettle, the inner resilience required to do almost anything of value. Mettle is what you long for when the boss hands you the tough assignment at work. It’s what you need when you’re a young mom and the kids’ voices are sounding more like screech owls than joyful bluebirds. And it’s what helps hold you steady when the situation around you feels anything but.

In a peculiar way, mettle is needed for creativity and for our homes too. Whether we’re working in an art studio, rearranging a room, building something new, or simply trying again when the first idea doesn’t work, our willingness to stay with something often determines what it eventually becomes.

This month, we have a chance to examine some of the many ways we can add a little more mettle to our lives, because it is certainly not a one-size-fits-all quality. Sometimes we need the strength to begin. Sometimes we need resilience for the long middle. Sometimes we need enough courage to release what has run its course. And sometimes we only need just a teensy bit more for what we’re doing to become full of life.

Thomas Edison said, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” And I believe there is truth in that.

Stick-to-it-ness is something most of us could use a little more of. Not because every good life requires us to push endlessly, but because knowing what deserves our effort, and staying with it long enough to see what it can become, is part of reclaiming our lives.

And perhaps that is mettle at its best.

Chapter 1

Make an Entrance

I love an entryway that looks beautiful, but I love one that works even more.

Because no matter how lovely the mirror or how perfectly styled the little table might be, if you walk in carrying your purse, your keys, a package, your sunglasses, and possibly one shoe you found in the car, the room still needs to know what to do with you.

WHAT DO YOU NEED YOUR ENTRY TO DO?

That’s really where I think a good entrance begins. Not with a decorating trend or a list of must-have pieces, but with the question: What actually happens here? Do you need a place to drop your keys? Sit down to take off your shoes? Hide the dog leash? Set down the mail before it migrates to the kitchen counter for three weeks? Your entrance does not have to do everything, but it should make the first few minutes of coming home feel easier.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE THE PRACTICAL, BEAUTIFUL

Once you know what the space needs to do, then you can start making those practical things beautiful. This is where vintage pieces are especially fun. An old dresser can become entry storage. A bench can hold baskets underneath. A bowl can catch keys. A set of old hooks can suddenly have a very modern job. I love when the useful pieces are also the ones that add character, because then function does not feel like something we have to hide.

UN-COMPLICATE THE SCALE IN YOUR SPACE

Scale matters too, although I think we sometimes make this harder than it needs to be. A tiny table on a giant wall can look like it wandered in by accident, while a massive cabinet in a narrow hallway may make everyone turn sideways to get through the door. Look at the shape of your room, the width of the walkway, and how people actually move through it. Then choose pieces that feel like they belong to the space instead of simply fitting inside it.

ADD YOUR STORY INTO THE MIX

I also think the entry is one of the best places to begin telling the story of your home. Maybe that is a vintage mirror, a family piece, an old painting, something collected on a trip, or one wonderfully odd object that makes people stop and ask about it. You do not need a whole display of meaningful things. Sometimes one piece with a little soul does more than ten things that were simply chosen to fill a blank spot.

1. VINTAGE MIRRORS
2. SMALL DRESSERS OR WASHSTANDS
3. BENCHES
4. OLD STOOLS
5. UMBRELLA STANDS
6. COAT HOOKS OR WALL-MOUNTED HOOK RACKS
7. WOODEN CRATES
8. BASKETS
9. OLD TRAYS OR CATCH-ALL DISHES
10. SMALL LAMPS
11. FRAMED VINTAGE ART
12. ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE PIECES LIKE SHUTTERS, CORBELS, OR OLD WINDOW FRAMES

SMALL SPACES DESERVE JUST AS MUCH ATTENTION

And if your entry is small, please do not assume you have less to work with. Sometimes the tiniest spaces are the easiest to make memorable because every choice has to earn its place. One good hook, one small surface, one beautiful object, and suddenly the whole area feels intentional. If your entry is larger, the opposite advice may be true: leave some breathing room. Not every empty wall is issuing a cry for help.

SO, TAKE STOCK

Before you start changing anything, stand at your front door and notice what is already trying to happen there. What are you always carrying? What gets dropped in the wrong place? What do you wish were easier to reach? What would make arriving home feel calmer, prettier, or simply less annoying?

Then make your entrance around that. Give the practical things a place to land, add something with a little history or personality, and let the first few feet of your home say something true about the life happening inside it. After all, making an entrance is not really about impressing anyone. It is about creating a beginning that feels like you.

Chapter 1

Fall Must-Do List

• Take & frame a photo of the Fall colors
• Bake your favorite Autumn treat (or pick one up at the local market)
• Go for a walk as soon as the air turns crisp and cool
• Gather fallen leaves for bowl filler
• Plan a trip to your local pumpkin farm
• Craft a Fall welcome sign
• Thrift a few Autumn décor items
• Add a Fall wreath to your door

Chapter 1

Fresh Picks

A morning at the farmer’s market has a way of making ordinary food feel a little more special. Baskets are piled high with tomatoes, herbs still carry a trace of dirt, and the person standing behind the table may be the same one who planted, tended, and picked what you are about to take home.

Walking between the rows of vendors slows the whole experience down...just enough to notice what is fresh, what is beautiful, and what might be worth building a meal around.

It is one of those simple outings that can change the way you see your week.

In Winter Garden, FL, we’re just lucky enough to have a year-round farmer’s market that not only serves up fresh fruits and vegetables, but host a whole slew of cottage bakers and cooks.

If you’re looking for apple pie cookies, we have those. Need a handmade cutting board...yes please! Or if you’re looking for homemade caramel, candied pecans or jar upon jar of jam, we have that too.

While you might not have a farmer’s market in your local town or area, what about a farm stand? Social media is filled with people hosting cottage bakeries and home-cooking for purchase. A simple search with your town or county might serve up more than you could imagine.

So, use this article as your guide, or maybe more as a prompt. These are three ways I shop a good farmer’s market. I’m guessing some of you could out-do me and add to the list.

If you want the freshest picks, look closely.

Choose produce that feels firm and lively rather than tired or soft. Look for bright leaves, tight skins, rich

color, and anything that still looks like it remembers the field it came from.

And ask questions. Vendors usually know exactly what was picked that morning, what is at its peak, and what you should eat first.

Sometimes the slightly imperfect tomato is also the sweetest one in the basket.

One of my favorite things about a farmer’s market is that you can actually ask how something was grown.

If organic matters to you, ask. Some small growers use organic practices without carrying an official certification. Others may use very limited sprays, grow naturally, or follow their own methods.

Ask what they grow themselves, what is seasonal, how they care for the soil, or what they would choose if they were making dinner tonight.

You may learn far more in a two-minute conversation than you ever could from a sticker at the grocery store.

And then there is the part that matters beyond what goes into your basket.

When you buy from a local farmer, baker, maker, or grower, you are not simply buying tomatoes or bread or flowers.

You are supporting someone’s life.

You are helping pay for seeds, fuel, equipment, family groceries, another market booth, another growing season, another chance for a very small business to keep going.

WHAT’S IN SEASON

Spring

• ASPARAGUS
• PEAS
• RADISHES
• STRAWBERRIES
• SPINACH
• ARUGULA
• LETTUCE
• GREEN ONIONS
• CARROTS
• BEETS
• BROCCOLI
• CAULIFLOWER
• FRESH HERBS
• RHUBARB
• MUSHROOMS

Summer

• TOMATOES
• SWEET CORN
• PEACHES
• BLUEBERRIES
• BLACKBERRIES
• WATERMELON
• CANTALOUPE
• CUCUMBERS
• ZUCCHINI
• YELLOW SQUASH
• GREEN BEANS
• BELL PEPPERS
• HOT PEPPERS
• OKRA
• EGGPLANT
• FRESH BASIL
• FIGS

Autumn

• APPLES
• PEARS
• PUMPKINS
• SWEET POTATOES
• BUTTERNUT SQUASH
• ACORN SQUASH
• DELICATA SQUASH
• KALE
• COLLARDS
• BRUSSELS SPROUTS
• CARROTS
• BEETS
• TURNIPS
• CABBAGE
• BROCCOLI
• CAULIFLOWER
• PECANS

Winter

• ORANGES
• GRAPEFRUIT
• LEMONS
• TANGERINES
• KALE
• COLLARDS
• CABBAGE
• CARROTS
• BEETS
• TURNIPS
• RADISHES
• SWEET POTATOES
• BROCCOLI
• CAULIFLOWER
• LEEKS
• ONIONS
• PARSLEY AND OTHER COOL-WEATHER HERBS

Chapter 1

A Creative Reset

Creativity does not require me to get it right the first time. It asks me to stay curious long enough to find another way.

RELEASE: one idea, expectation, or unfinished thing I can stop forcing is...

NOTICE: something still pulling at my attention is...

TRY: one small experiment to try is...

KEEP: something already working is...

BEGIN AGAIN: the next version I'm willing to make is...

Chapter 1

Points of Interest

A TRIP TO AVONLEA MALL

A great story always has a hero, and I think a good room often does too. Sometimes that hero is an oversized piece of artwork, an unusual cabinet, an old sign, a dramatic mirror, or some wonderfully odd vintage find that makes you stop for a second and look again.

It does not have to be expensive or rare. It simply needs enough presence to give the room a pulse.

That is the real work of a statement piece. It gives everything around it something to respond to.

I recently visited Avonlea Antiques & Interiors in Jacksonville, FL, and what caught my eye was the number of unexpected vintage pieces available.

Sometimes we embrace vintage for it’s warmth and patina. It can remind us of yesteryear or perhaps what feels like yesterday standing in mom’s kitchen watching her make our favorite dessert. Vintage, when sorted and displayed well, can define the style of a room or space.

But one of the most interesting things a good vintage piece can do is to give a space something worth talking about. When you’re shopping for vintage with a conversation piece in mind, you’re leaning in to the unique and almost one-of-a-kind feel that some vintage home decor provides.

WATCH THE VIDEO

One strong piece can quietly establish the direction of the whole room. A large old landscape may pull a space toward something moody and collected. An architectural fragment can add age and texture. A quirky vintage object can keep a room from feeling too serious.

Once that piece is in place, the rest of your choices often get easier. You begin to see which colors belong, which materials make sense, and which smaller pieces can support the mood without competing for attention.

Let’s say you want your cabin to feel like the Boundary Waters. Why not hang an old wooden canoe on the wall. Or perhaps you want your office to feel like an old general store. Why not add an old cash register?

Your theme can be obvious, like the above examples, or it can be subtle. An oversized birdhouse can go a number of different directions (think birds, garden or plants). Or it can be dressed up for the holidays in unexpected ways (think bunnies in a nest in the cage).

The way a piece of vintage can capture the story of a theme can breathe life into your room you didn’t know you were missing.

OPENING A CONVERSATION

The most interesting rooms usually have at least one thing that makes someone ask, “Where did you find that?”

That question matters more than it sounds like it does. It means the room has moved beyond being simply pretty and has become memorable.

Maybe it is a giant old clock face, a weathered store sign, an unusual piece of ironwork, or something repurposed in a way no one expects. Those pieces invite curiosity, and curiosity gives a room life.

And what a fun way to add a little spice to anything you host.

TELLING A PART OF YOUR STORY

Your hero pieces do not have to be the most valuable things you own. Some of them just need to say something about you.

Maybe the piece came from your grandparents. Maybe you dragged it home from a flea market because you could see what no one else could. Maybe it reminds you of a trip, a season of life, or simply the kind of beauty you always seem to notice.

Those are the things that make a room feel personal instead of assembled.

You do not need an excess of the most interesting pieces. In fact, too many of them can start competing with each other and leave the room feeling noisy.

But if you are missing your hero pieces altogether, you are also missing one of the best chances to tell your story.

So if a room feels finished but not quite alive, do not assume you need more. You may simply need the one piece that gives everything else a point of view.

Simple Fall Project Idea

OVAL FRAME + FALL FLORALS

An old oval frame without the glass makes the easiest little seasonal project. Simply tuck a fall floral spray into the opening so it looks as though the flowers themselves have been framed, then lean or hang it in your entry. It is such a simple way to bring in a little autumn color and texture without creating something you have to store or commit to all year long.

Where I Found It

RECHARGABLE PUCK LIGHTS AMAZON

WALL HOOKS & RAIL RECLAIMED PARIS

VINTAGE MIRROR FAMILY FIND

PINE CABINET PERSONAL GIFT

METAL BOX ESTATE SALE

WOODEN BENCH THRIFT STORE

RUFFLED PILLOW COVER AMAZON

WASHABLE RUG AMAZON

FLORAL ARTWORK ESTATE SALE

VINTAGE MAILBOXES COLLEGE ALUMNA MOTHER

MARYLAND CRATE AUCTIONS

Martha Stewart

A Good Eye

FOR VINTAGE

Bridgette Alexander of Rue Blanc has one of those booths that makes you slow down without quite knowing why. Tucked inside the Volo Antique Mall in Volo, Illinois, her space feels less like a collection of things for sale and more like a beautifully composed point of view.

Bridgette does the picking, finding the pieces with character, age, and just the right amount of imperfection, while her daughter helps merchandise them into a space that feels collected rather than crowded.

What I loved most was the balance between those two instincts. The good picking gives the booth its soul, and the merchandising gives your eye a place to rest. Worn wood sits beside softer finishes, dark pieces give lighter ones more presence, and the patina is layered without becoming heavy. Nothing feels overly polished or too perfectly matched, which is exactly what makes the whole booth feel rich and distinctive.

And maybe that is what a good eye really is.

Not simply knowing what is old or valuable, but recognizing what has character, what will play well with something else, and what deserves a second look. Rue Blanc feels like a collaboration between the hunt and the arrangement, between finding the right pieces and knowing how to let them shine once they are together.

And we can all take hints from their expertise. Why not study these photos and look for all the little touches that make each vignette stand out. You may not add as many items as they gracefully display to your home shelves and surfaces, but you absolutely can find inspiration in their groupings that could give your space just the right touch.

Oh, and in case you’re looking to visit, they also have a space at Laura’s Antique and Art Centre in Delavan, WI. Either one is worth the trip.

Chapter 2

9 Ways to Use a Vintage Vase

Chapter 2

Crossing the Threshold

THE PROBLEM WITH NEVER ARRIVING

Of course, we can come home without ever really arriving. We set down the bag, glance at the phone, start dinner, answer another question, and somehow the whole evening is underway before we notice that we crossed from one part of the day into another.

The problem is not that these things need doing. Most of them do.

The problem is that if we never make even a tiny choice about how we want to arrive, whatever has the most momentum simply wins.

What do you do in your first ten minutes at home. Not your ideal ten minutes. Your real ones. What happens first?

And now the more interesting question: Does that first thing help you arrive, or does it simply continue the pace of the day?

Maybe this isn’t your struggle point. But if your anxiety strikes when you cross the threshold back into your home, perhaps one small shift would change the tone. Set the phone down before you set yourself down. Change clothes. Feed the dog and step outside with him. Turn on a lamp. Pour something cold. Stand quietly at the kitchen counter for two minutes before the next demand begins. Choose a moment you decide, before others decide for you.

You do not need a homecoming ritual worthy of social media. You need a moment you chose.

WHEN HOME BECOMES A HIDING PLACE

Of course, some of us have the opposite problem. Home feels so safe, so familiar, and so wonderfully ours that leaving it becomes increasingly negotiable.

I understand the appeal. The world can be noisy, disappointing, demanding, and occasionally ridiculous. Home lets us decide who comes in, what surrounds us, and whether today requires actual shoes.

That comfort is a gift...but gifts have purposes.

If home is our base, its job is not to slowly convince us that everything worth having exists

inside its walls. It restores us so we can keep participating in a larger life.

So ask yourself something that may take a little longer to answer: Is the comfort of my home restoring my capacity for life, or replacing parts of the life I still want to live?

Those are very different things.

You do not need to become more social, more adventurous, or less of a homebody. You simply need to know whether your home is helping you become more fully yourself or quietly giving you permission to become less engaged with what matters to you.

The life you want to be living may be quietly asking you to release your grip on using your home to stay small. If so, maybe it’s time to listen and take a tiny step into the world.

ENTRY SIGNALS

We cannot command our minds to instantly feel different because we walked through a door, but we can give ourselves signals. Something that gently interrupts the continuation of the day and reminds us: I am in a different place now.

Think about what you encounter in the first few feet of your home. What currently greets you? A pile of shoes? Packages waiting to be dealt with? Darkness? A chair you love? A lamp? A familiar smell? Somewhere obvious to put down what you are carrying?

Now choose the feeling you want that little space to signal. Ease? Welcome? Order? Beauty? Relief? Energy?

What is one physical choice that could support that desire? Perhaps you need hooks because constantly misplacing keys makes coming home necessarily irritating. Perhaps you want a lamp on a timer because warm light changes the feeling of walking through the door. Maybe you need to remove three things rather than add anything. Or perhaps your entry needs one old piece with enough personality to make you smile when you see it.

Your entry does not have to impress anyone. It only needs to help you recognize that you have arrived in a place you want to be.

WHAT HOME GIVES BACK

Not every day spends us in the same way, which means we do not always need the same thing when we come home.

A chaotic day may need quiet. A lonely one might need somebody in the kitchen asking how it went. A physically exhausting day may need convenience and a place to put your feet up. A day filled with repetition may leave you hungry to make something with your hands. A discouraging day may need beauty, familiarity, faith, or the company of the people and things that remind you that this one day is not the whole story.

So before defaulting to what you always do, ask: What did today use up? Then follow it with: What would put a little of that back?

If the day took all your decisions, make dinner simple. If it took your patience, give yourself some quiet before giving more of yourself away. If it took your creativity, pull out the project that has been waiting. If it took your confidence, spend a little time around the people, memories, words, or work that remind you who you are.

Home cannot undo the day.But it can help you decide how much of the day gets to define us.

REFRAMING THE THRESHOLD

Once we are paying attention to our entrances and exits, the threshold becomes more than the place where outside becomes inside. It becomes a tiny point of choice.

What am I bringing in? What can stay unfinished for now? What do I need to receive here? Who do I want to be when I eventually walk back out?

Maybe if you’re learning to pause, you stand at the door with your hand on the knob and realize you do not want the argument from three hours ago setting the mood for everyone inside. Maybe you recognize that you are exhausted and tonight needs less ambition. Maybe you have been alone all day and what you really need is to walk straight in and find your person. That tiny pause is the difference between simply entering and intentionally arriving.

THE SWEETNESS OF HOME

And maybe paying attention to our threshold is one of the quieter ways we reclaim our lives.

You and I do not create beautiful homes simply so we can stay inside admiring them. And we do not run so hard through the world that home becomes nothing more than the place where we charge our phones, sleep for a few hours, and start again.

A rhythm exists between us and the world.

We go out. We spend something of ourselves. We come home. We receive something back. Then we go again.

If I had only one question on this subject to ask of you, it would be this one: do you want the sweetness of your home to help you bring into the world?

More patience? Or creativity? More courage or true hospitality? Enough rest to do the work that matters to you? Enough steadiness to love people well? Enough delight to remember that your life is not simply a collection of tasks to complete?

Maybe today is the day you choose something.

Then you set a simple routine or atmosphere that helps your home become one of the places that helps you cultivate it.

Because the sweetness of home fuels us for the life we were meant to live.

And crossing the threshold with intention may be one small way we begin carrying more of that life with us, coming and going.

THE ENTRY RESET

1. Give your keys a home
2. Same spot, every day.
3. Add a landing place
4. Somewhere to set things down.
5. Turn on warm light
6. Soften the first few minutes.
7. Clear visual clutter
8. Let calm greet you first.
9. Create a shoe spot
10. Keep the threshold uncluttered.
11. Add something you love
12. Make the entry feel like yours.
13. Make room for essentials
14. Keep everyday things within reach.
15. Bring in the season
16. Add one timely, intentional touch.
17. Add a little softness
18. Warm the space with textures.
19. Walk in and notice
20. See what would feel better.

Chapter 2

A Small Autumn Story

I found these old wooden cubbies through Facebook Marketplace, and I loved them before I even brought them home. The woman who sold them to me had used them for years with her grandchildren, and now that the kids were grown and gone, she was ready to pass them along. Of course, I was thrilled to give them another chapter.

Every season provides a new excuse to add some seasonal charm to their shelves, but Fall is one of my favorites. This time I tucked in old brown bottles, baskets of toy blocks mixed with tiny seed pods, antique bells, old doorknobs, tiny boxes, and just enough rusty fall color to warm the whole thing up.

Nothing matches exactly, and that is part of why it works. The pieces share a feeling more than a category.

Styling cubbies has its own rhythm. I like to leave one or two spaces empty in each row so the eye has somewhere to breathe, then I scatter color through the piece almost like I am playing a game. A little rust here, another warm note across the row, something darker in the next column. Every square doesn’t need to say the same thing, but the colors should quietly talk to one another.

Thoughtful scale matters too. Tiny pieces can disappear inside the squares, while anything too large starts to crowd the frame. I look for things that feel as if they were meant for that exact little opening, filling the space without swallowing it.

And maybe that is why cubbies are such a lovely place for collections. They can hold a true collection, or simply a gathering of unrelated things that somehow belong because of color, patina, and mood.

Once you start seeing the whole piece as one composition instead of dozens of separate boxes, the styling comes more easily. You are not filling cubbies. You are building a little autumn story, one well-loved square at a time.

Chapter 2

Bound to Elevate

Adding height & style with risers you fashion

One of the easiest ways to make a display feel more layered is to give a favorite piece a little height. For this pedestal, I used an old book and added four wooden knobs to the bottom after staining them to blend with the cover. Suddenly, something as ordinary as a book becomes a simple riser with just enough presence to make whatever sits on top feel more intentional.

That is the fun of reclaimed pedestals: you are really just looking for two things that can become one. A sturdy top, a little lift underneath, and enough contrast in shape or texture to make the finished piece interesting.

Try combinations like:

• An old cutting board + bun feet
• A small drawer front + wooden knobs
• A cabinet door + short spindles
• A thick piece of reclaimed wood + salvaged hardware
• A vintage tray + old furniture feet
• A scrap of beadboard + chunky wooden blocks
• A small shelf board + antique caster bases
• A wooden box lid + vintage knobs

The goal is not to make the pedestal the star. It is to let it quietly do the work of adding height, depth, and another layer to the display, while giving a few forgotten parts one more useful life.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Chapter 2

Caramel Apple Weather

SIMPLY SWEET TREATS

This is such a simple way to add a little fall sweetness to your table, whether you are serving guests or simply making something fun for yourself. A few apples, a little melted chocolate or caramel, and some sprinkles are all you need.

Wash and dry your apples well. Melt the chocolate or caramel according to the package directions, following the recommended microwave times and stirring as directed.

Dip or spoon the coating over each apple, then add sprinkles while it is still soft. Set the apples on parchment or wax paper and allow them to cool and set before serving.

Chapter 2

How Do You Increase Your Mettle?

Q: Can mettle be learned, or are some people just naturally stronger?

Some people probably do begin with temperaments that make them more comfortable with uncertainty, challenge, or pressure. But resilience is not simply something you either inherited or missed out on. Research increasingly treats it as a capacity that can be strengthened through experience, coping skills, social support, and psychological flexibility. Even manageable doses of challenge can help us become more capable of meeting future stress, especially when we have some control and a chance to recover afterward.

That means you do not have to wait for a giant crisis to discover your mettle. You grow it every time you do something a little difficult and learn: I can handle this. You make the call you have been avoiding. You try again after an idea fails. You ask for help instead of pretending you do not need it. You tolerate a little uncertainty without demanding an immediate answer.

Mettle tends to grow the same way muscle does: not by avoiding all resistance, and not by loading yourself until something breaks, but by meeting enough resistance to become stronger.

Chapter 3

Welcoming Words

Some of the most memorable homes seem to say something before anyone inside them does.

Sometimes it is in the way the lights are left on, the way the chairs are pulled close, or the way a front entry gives you a place to land. And sometimes it is quite literally in the words we choose to put there.

Words have a way of doing that.

The best ones in our homes are not simply there because they looked pretty on a sign. They sound like us. They remind us of the kind of people we want to be, the kind of home we want to create, the way we hope others feel when they are with us.

Danielle Stringer of Imperfect Dust has built much of her creative work around this idea. Her hand-lettered art has made its way from a small local business to the shelves of major retailers including Hobby Lobby, Kirkland’s, and TJ Maxx, but what I appreciate most is how personal the work still feels.

Her lettering has that wonderful ability to make a few words feel like part of the story of the room rather than something simply hung on top of it.

When I think of the words that mean the most to me, they are lyrics from a song or verses from Scripture.

Maybe for you they are something your grandmother always said, a line from a hymn, a family joke, a phrase you return to when life gets difficult, or a reminder you

Words can become anchors when they remind us of something steady in the middle of change—a truth, a promise, a memory, or a way we want to keep showing up. The right phrase may be only a few words long, but repeated often enough, it can become a small place to return when life feels noisy.

want your children and grandchildren to absorb simply because they have seen it a thousand times.

And what’s interesting is the words we love do not have to be profound. They just need to be a little of you extending into the world.

I think that is what makes words such a powerful layer in a home. We spend so much time thinking about color, furniture, artwork, and texture, but a phrase that’s unique to you can add something none of those things can quite provide.

Words can give your home a voice.

Danielle has also made it surprisingly easy to take that voice beyond a traditional sign. Her lettering templates are designed to help people add hand-lettered art to ordinary surfaces and create pieces that feel personal, even if they would never describe themselves as a lettering artist.

For this project, Danielle lettered “Welcome In” across a simple wooden tote box she picked up at her local thrift shop, and I loved watching one ordinary repurposed object take on an entirely different feeling through her work.

That is where words in a home become personal. Once they settle into your entry, kitchen, family room, or hallway, they begin to collect added meaning. “Welcome In” might eventually remind you of grandchildren running through the door, friends who always stay longer than planned, neighbors who know they can stop by, or simply the kind of home you have decided you want to create.

I think the best words for our homes are rarely chosen just because they sound lovely. They connect to something already true, or to something we want to become more true. They might carry a family saying, a bit of humor, a piece of faith, a memory, or one simple idea we want repeated often enough that it becomes part of the atmosphere.

In that sense, creative lettering is really only the beginning. The art gives the words form, but your life gives them their story.

Some of my favorite words in our home come from the lyric “imagine me and you.” To someone else, it may simply sound like a familiar line from a song. To me, it carries memories of a beautiful relationship and a lifetime of imagining the next season together.

That is the kind of phrase worth making visible. •

TURN WORDS INTO ARTWORK

Danielle Stringer is the hand-lettering artist and founder behind Digital Dust, a creative business she began in 2014. Her artwork has since appeared in major retailers including Hobby Lobby, Kirkland’s, and TJ Maxx, and she has taught thousands of people how to create hand-lettered pieces of their own. And with her Digital Dust subscription, she’s making the process accessible to everyone.

What I especially love is how simple she has made adding elegant hand-lettering to any object. Her templates give you a way to use her beautiful hand-lettered designs on pieces you already own, turning an ordinary box, sign, tray, or other surface into something that feels much more personal.

She has hundreds of designs in multiple file types...so you can letter until your heart’s content. (And if you’re a maker, being an active subscriber comes with small business licensing which means you can sell what you create with the designs!)

Find Danielle and her lettering designs, templates here:

Chapter 3

Dear Wanderer

As much as I love fall, the changing colors, the crispness of the air, and the fact that we all snuggle down into cozy season, fall can also gently remind us that the world cannot stay the same, no matter how tightly we grip all that we hold dear.

Change is inevitable.

It can feel slow and sweet. Or it can seem as if we’ve lost our balance on a huge patch of ice and are looking around to see if anyone saw how gracelessly we fell. It can leave us with a sense we’ve been robbed. And the harder side of change can find us wondering if we should ever trust transformation again.

These feelings about change can disorient us. Or, more so, from a neuroscience perspective, our bodies actually experience change as a threat, something unfamiliar that could put us at risk, no wonder so many people struggle with it.

But after the cortisol and other stress chemicals begin to settle, on the other side of the amygdala hijacking, change can become the ultimate fuel for growth, mental speed and even longevity. In other words, once you get through the hard parts of change, it often makes you and your life better.

Once you make a change and succeed, your brain produces dopamine. That feel-good chemical acts like a reward better than chocolate. It can increase motivation, create satisfaction, and remind you that you can do the thing.

It reminds me of a child learning to walk. Of course they will fall, but that doesn’t slow them down. They stand back up, and the cheer for each tiny step.

But as adult brains are not producing millions of new synapses a second, so change for adults is more complicated. We often have to rip up what feels like a literal highway of concrete in our minds to create a new way of thinking or behaving. We need to sort through how our self-image, status, fear, and even shame may affect us when we try and don’t quite make it work the first time. And change requires real energy, which can make the couch or our cozy bed feel considerably more appealing than whatever uncertain thing waits on the other side of the door.

But when avoidance becomes our primary strategy, something else begins to happen.

Have you ever heard microphone feedback in an auditorium? One little sound gets caught in a loop and suddenly it is louder, sharper, and far more dramatic than anyone intended.

Avoidance can work a little like that. The more often we teach ourselves that unfamiliar things are something to escape, the easier it becomes to shrink our world in the name of feeling safe.

Chronic avoidance can also make you tired, or more accurately, exhausted. And stagnation in life is not just keeping you safe. It can slowly make your world feel the size of a shoebox. And a smaller world is not always a more peaceful one.

So what can you do when the fall season reminds you more of the coming stagnation of winter than a warm cup of hot cocoa?

It’s all in the tiny work.

Because if you have been standing still for a while, the idea of completely transforming your life may feel paralyzing, gut-wrenching, producing, and almost impossible. But tiny work is usually still within reach.

It’s letting your feet touch the floor for two minutes off the side of your bed when you don’t feel like getting up. It’s cracking open the blinds to let a little sunlight through when you’d rather stay in the dark. It’s going out of your way to find a new bookstore or coffee shop just to stretch your mind and your routines. It’s the brave yes to a project or new role that you’ve been offered. It’s the courageous act of starting something new that doesn’t require anyone’s permission.

You see what I did there?

Change started with simply putting your feet on the floor and nothing more. It didn’t start with a gigantic leap into the unknown.

Practically everyone can find some version of those two minutes, even if your own starting point looks entirely different.

Fall that feels like the edge of winter happens to all of us at one point or another. And dear wanderer, it is in these moments that I want to sweetly remind you that change does not only come to rob you of your sense of safety. It also greets you with opportunity.

Because staying exactly where you are may feel safer for a while, but beyond stillness waits a life that is far more interesting, rewarding, and sweet.

Sandy

Chapter 3

Whimsy Barn Looks Ahead

Whimsy Barn

FROM SCRAPBOOK TO SKETCHBOOK

ETSY SHOP OPENS

MYSTERY BOX ERA

EARLY 2021

Whimsy Barn began with a simple need to find homes for beautiful vintage pieces I already had. During the pandemic, I started sharing them online, and before long, I was shipping vintage treasures day after day. A huge collection of pink Depression glass helped push me toward Etsy, and suddenly Whimsy Barn had its first real online home.

FALL 2021

Not long after the Etsy shop opened, I found myself looking at all the small, lovely pieces that were harder to sell one at a time and wondering if people might enjoy receiving them together. That question became the vintage mystery box, curated around each customer's own style and colors. A few early videos took off, influencers found them, and mystery boxes quickly became one of the things Whimsy Barn was best known for.

Whimsy & Wonder

MAR 2024

Whimsy & Wonder began as something that was almost a subscription box before it fully became one: a recurring way to gather vintage, seasonal ideas, creativity, and a larger theme into one experience. Over time, it became one of the most unique parts of Whimsy Barn, blending objects with meaning and giving each month its own story to tell.

BUNDLE SALES

MAR 2025

Bundle sales grew out of one of my favorite parts of this work: curating. I love pulling pieces together that feel right as a group, finding combinations people may not have thought of, and then offering them at a price that feels like a genuinely good deal. These sales let me keep the treasure-hunting energy of Whimsy Barn without requiring every piece to stand alone.

RECLAIMED LIVING

AUG 2026

And now, Whimsy Barn is entering a brand new era with Reclaimed Living. The magazine brings together so much of what I have always loved most: vintage home inspiration, repurposing, creativity, thoughtful stories, and ideas for living with intention. It feels less like leaving the earlier seasons behind and more like gathering the best of them into one place, then making room for what comes next.

OUR SKETCHBOOK PLAN

2026-2027

ETSY VINTAGE ITEMS

SHOP HERE

UPCOMING BUNDLE SALES

(WATCH ON FACEBOOK, SHOP ON ETSY)

SEPT 27

OCT 11 & 25

NOV 8 & 22

DEC 6 & 20

BOXES

MONTHLY MYSTERY BOX DROPS

ONE-TIME SPECIAL BOXES

12 OR 24 DAY ADVENT CALENDARS

GET NOTIFIED BY EMAIL WHEN BOXES ARE AVAILABLE

RECLAIMED LIVING MAGAZINE

NEW ISSUE EACH MONTH

NEW PAGES EACH MONDAY

SUBSCRIBE FREE HERE

THE NEXT SEASON

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to make room for the next season before you can fully see what it will become.

And for Whimsy Barn, that means one meaningful chapter is coming to a close. I’ll be ending the Whimsy & Wonder subscription boxes. That is not a sentence I write lightly. These boxes have carried so much creativity, story, vintage, and connection through the last few years, and I’m deeply grateful for every person who opened one and allowed it to become a little part of her own home and life.

But I’ve also learned that sometimes something can still be good and yet no longer be the thing you are meant to keep building.

That means I’m making more room for Reclaimed Living and the kind of thoughtful, layered content I want to create here. It also means protecting space for something new in my own life: The Missing Leadership Pages, a project that returns me to the leadership work I have carried for years and gives it a new place to grow.

The shop is staying. Mystery boxes are staying. Bundle sales are staying. And Reclaimed Living is only beginning.

So this is not really an ending as much as a clearing. I am keeping what still feels true, releasing what no longer fits, and making room for work that asks more fully for who I am now.

That feels like a very good place to begin again.

Chapter 3

The Joy of the Local Hunt

Some antique shops seem to slow you down the moment you step inside, as if every shelf, narrow aisle, and slightly overfilled corner is asking you to look a little closer before you move on. Main Street Antiques in St. George, Utah, had that kind of pull for me. It felt like the sort of place where you could lose track of time simply because the next room, the next shelf, or the next odd little object kept giving you one more reason to stay.

The shop has been in its downtown location for more than 25 years, making it the oldest antique store in the area, and it still carries the warmth of a family-run place. The conversation was every bit as sweet as the finds, and that mattered to me almost as much as what was on the shelves. There is something special about walking into a shop where the people behind the counter know what has passed through their hands and are genuinely happy to talk about it.

The words “Picker’s Paradise” are stenciled right on the wall, and honestly, they fit. The shop felt layered in the best way, with pieces from different eras and styles tucked beside one another so that every turn offered something unexpected. One moment I was looking at something primitive and beautifully worn, and the next I was staring at a more polished piece, a quirky collectible, or something so unusual I had to stop and figure out exactly what I was looking at.

I didn’t think every price was a bargain, but I still loved wandering the shop and seeing what had been gathered there. The curation was thoughtful, the variety was wide, and the sheer number of unusual finds made the hunt feel worth the time.

ST. GEORGE UTAH

That may be one of the best reasons to seek out local antique shops when you travel. You are not simply shopping for a thing. You are walking through someone else’s eye. You notice what they have saved, what they believe is worth putting on the floor, and the strange little objects that somehow survived long enough to land in this particular place.

And every once in a while, you find something you would never have thought to search for online.

That is the joy of the local hunt for me. Not every stop has to produce a purchase. Sometimes the best part is discovering a place with enough personality to make you curious, meeting the people keeping it alive, and leaving with your eye just a little more awake than when you walked in.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Chapter 3

Make Your Own Pedestal Bench

MAKE YOUR OWN PEDESTAL BENCH

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Chapter 3

Fall Decorating Challenge

30 day

FALL DECORATING CHALLENGE

Make fall decorating simple with one tiny addition each day

1. PUMPKIN-SHAPED SOAP IN THE BATHROOM
2. FALL WELCOME MAT AT THE FRONT DOOR
3. AMBER BOTTLE BESIDE THE KITCHEN SINK
4. RUST-COLORED HAND TOWEL
5. SMALL PUMPKIN ON A BEDSIDE TABLE
6. WOVEN BASKET NEAR THE ENTRY
7. AUTUMN STEMS IN A VINTAGE VASE
8. PLAID OR TEXTURED THROW BLANKET
9. FALL CANDLE ON A TRAY
10. WOODEN BOWL FILLED WITH APPLES
11. TINY PUMPKIN TUCKED INTO A CUBBY
12. WARM-TONED PILLOW COVER
13. SEASONAL ART LEANED ON A SHELF
14. ACORNS GATHERED IN A GLASS JAR
15. COPPER PIECE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER
16. DRIED GRASSES IN AN OLD BOTTLE
17. FALL-COLORED BOOKS STACKED TOGETHER
18. SMALL WREATH ON AN INTERIOR DOOR
19. AMBER GLASS IN THE BATHROOM
20. VINTAGE BASKET FILLED WITH BLANKETS
21. AUTUMN BRANCH CLIPPED FROM OUTDOORS
22. RUSTY METAL PIECE ON A SHELF
23. SEASONAL SOAP AT THE KITCHEN SINK
24. BROWN TRANSFERWARE ON DISPLAY
25. SOFT LAMP ADDED TO THE ENTRY
26. MINI PUMPKIN BESIDE FRAMED ART
27. FALL-COLORED RIBBON ON A BASKET
28. WOODEN CUTTING BOARD LAYERED UPRIGHT
29. BOWL OF PEARS ON THE DINING TABLE
30. COZY BLANKET DRAPED OVER A CHAIR

EASY FALL WIN

Smore's Snack Mix

SMORE'S SNACK MIX

This is one of those recipes that barely qualifies as a recipe, which is exactly why I love it. It gives you all the familiar s’mores flavors with almost no work, and it makes such an easy little snack for fall.

You’ll need:

• 1 box Golden Grahams cereal
• 1/2 bag mini marshmallows
• 1 bag bite-sized Hershey’s chocolate pieces, each cut into 4 smaller pieces
• Chocolate-covered pretzels, optional (If you want to make it a little more festive, use seasonal chocolate-covered pretzels.)

To make it:

Add the Golden Grahams, mini marshmallows, chocolate pieces, and pretzels to a large bowl. Gently toss everything together until evenly mixed.

That’s it.

Serve it in a big bowl, divide it into little take-home boxes, or keep a container handy for grabbing a handful whenever you want a quick taste of Fall.

Chapter 4

Imagining Forward

HOW TO IMAGINE FORWARD

Sometimes we stay stuck simply because we have never really stopped to picture what we want instead.

Imagining forward is not wishful thinking. It is giving yourself a clearer picture of the life, home, work, or season you want to be moving toward so you can make better decisions from where you are now. And that is where mettle comes in. Mettle is not just pushing harder. It is using your strength wisely once you can see what you are actually moving toward.

Take a few quiet minutes with these boxes. Be specific. Instead of writing “I want things to be better,” picture what better would actually look and feel like. What would be different in your days? What would you be doing more of? Less of? What would no longer be true?

Then compare that picture with your present. The goal is not to judge where you are. It is to notice the distance between here and there, and to see more clearly what may need to change.

Fill the boxes out in order. First with the present you are ready to move away from. Second describe the future you want more of. Third, name the roadblocks between the two. Finally, decide what shift would help you begin moving in that direction.

1 PRESENT

WHAT AM I NO LONGER WILLING TO KEEP LIVING WITH?

4 SHIFT

WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE NOW?

CLARITY FOR THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE AND THERE.

3 GAP

WHAT STANDS BETWEEN HERE AND THERE?

2 FUTURE

WHAT DO I WANT MORE OF INSTEAD?

Chapter 4

Fall Word Search

• ACORN
• ANTIQUE
• APPLE
• AUTUMN
• CANDLE
• CHERISH
• COZY
• CREATIVITY
• GATHERING
• GUMPTION
• HARVEST
• HOME
• LEADERSHIP
• LEAVES
• MEND
• METTLE
• PLUCK
• PORCH
• PUMPKIN
• QUILT
• RECLAIMED
• REPURPOSE
• RESOLVE
• ROOT
• STIR
• SPUNK
• STEEL
• TEND
• VINTAGE
• WHIMSY BARN

My wish for you this September is more of these things: more pluck, more creativity, more gathering, more cozy, more courage to mend, tend, cherish, and begin again. May this month hold a little more of what makes life feel meaningful, beautiful, and fully lived.

Chapter 4

Autumn Leaves & Vintage Please

AUTUMN LEAVES

& Vintage Please

A good centerpiece does not have to begin with matching pieces, a trip to the store, or one perfect statement item. In fact, I usually like them better when they feel gathered.

The easiest way to build a vintage vibes collected centerpiece is to think in layers instead of individual objects.

Start with something that gives the whole arrangement a foundation. A riser, tray, old board, shallow basket, or stack of books can create a little height and help the pieces feel connected instead of scattered.

Then add one or two larger objects to give your eye somewhere to land. For this fall centerpiece, I used a ceramic pumpkin, a small owl, and a warm terracotta-colored crock filled with mini pumpkins. None of them match exactly, but they belong together because the colors and finishes repeat.

From there, begin filling in the middle. This is where vintage pieces really earn their keep. A small tin with orange patina, a rusty architectural leaf, and a few little crocks added texture and age without making the centerpiece feel overly decorated. These are the pieces that give it character. They do not have to be traditionally “fall.” They just need to support the story you are creating.

Next, soften everything. Florals, greenery, fabric, ribbon, or other organic elements help bridge the harder edges of pottery, metal, and wood. I tucked in a few cream florals that echoed the pale mini pumpkins. Repeating a color in more than one place is one of the simplest ways to make a mixed collection feel intentional.

And finally, add a little surprise. For mine, it was a strand of acorn-shaped lights woven through the arrangement. That small bit of glow changed the whole thing once the room got darker.

A SIMPLE FORMULA TO TRY:

Build the base. Give the arrangement a defined footprint and some height.

Choose a focal point. Start with one or two larger pieces.

Layer in collected objects. Use vintage, reclaimed, rusty, worn, or handmade pieces for character.

Repeat color and texture. Look for small connections between otherwise unrelated objects.

Soften the edges. Add florals, greenery, fabric, or something organic.

Finish with one unexpected detail. A tiny light, an unusual object, a bit of patina, or something that makes you smile.

The goal is not to make every piece match. It is to make them feel like they were meant to meet there. That is the beauty of a collected centerpiece. A little autumn, a little history, a little glow, and plenty of room for the things you already love.

WATCH THE VIDEO

HOW TO ENVISION A GATHERED FALL TABLE

WATCH THE VIDEO

Chapter 4

Pumpkin Pie Simmer Pot

SCENT PROFILE

Decadent, sugary vanilla cream mixed with buttery baked pie crust and warm pumpkin spice.

PREP TIME

5 minutes

COOK TIME

2-3 hours

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ Cup Canned pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 2 Tbsp Pure vanilla bean paste
• 10 Gingersnap cookies crushed
• ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp Ground ginger
• ¼ tsp Ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp Dark brown sugar (or light)
• 4 Cups Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all of your ingredients into a medium saucepan.
2. Pour the 4 cups of water over the mixture and stir gently.
3. Bring the pot to a light boil over medium heat. As soon as it bubbles, reduce the heat to your stove's lowest setting. Let it simmer.
4. Stire occasionally and add ½ cup warm water every 30-45 minutes to keep it from sticking or scorching.
5. NOTE: While the aroma amazing, this is not visually aesthetic. Cover partially for best results.

Chapter 4

What I Can See Clearly

Mettle is not the absence of defeat. It is what keeps defeat from becoming your identity. Maya Angelou’s words, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated,” make room for something you and I often forget: hard seasons, failed attempts, and wrong turns are part of a life that is being fully lived. And you, my friend, do not need to become defeated.

In my youth, I thought resilience meant that difficulty required powering through. But most of us know better by now. Difficulty touches us deeply, and sometimes powering through is a recipe for disaster. Life leaves marks, and things we thought would work simply do not. We lose everything from momentum to confidence to, sometimes, even the version of the future we had pictured. Mettle shows up in what happens after that.

This year, I’ve found myself discouraged in ways that seem far less traumatic than some of the stories of the people around me, but discouraging to me nonetheless. And in those moments, I’ve reminded myself that all things really do work together for good, eventually. I’ve also been reminded that strength is not measured only by how tightly we hold on. Release and trying again are types of strength, too.

If someone were asking for whatever wisdom I have gained in this area, I would say to them, as I do to you: the important thing is not to let one defeat make decisions for the rest of your life. A disappointment can teach you something without defining what happens next. Or that closed door can change your direction without convincing you all doors are closed to you forever. You can acknowledge what did not work and still stay curious about what might be next.

What I see clearly is this: this kind of mettle is worth building. The kind that keeps you participating in your own life. You and I may encounter defeat. We may even encounter quite a lot of trouble. But we still get to decide what we do with what comes next.

Sandy

Bonus Pages

Spark Your Creativity

1. Choose three colors from a photo or object you love. What do you already have that belongs in that palette?
2. Place them in a pile, and then add a few things that remind you of the season.
3. Experiment with heights and placement. And keep it out if you love it or try again with another set tomorrow.

Have you ever loved an arrangement, then realized you don’t own a single thing in it? Here’s a little way around that: borrow the colors, not the objects.

For a fall centerpiece with these vibes, look for warm terracotta, soft cream, and rusty brown, and maybe add a warm taupe. Then take a little wander through your own shelves, cupboards, and tucked-away treasures. You might find those colors in a book cover, a piece of pottery, an old tin, or a scrap of fabric you’ve been saving.

Set a few of those finds together and see what happens. They don’t need to be the same age, material, or style. Let the repeated colors be the connection, then try different heights and positions until you find something you like. Blend items with hard surfaces with things that are softer, like fabrics and florals. Experiment with color and see what happens.

And for this type of centerpiece, think in layers, not in matching items. The vintage layered style isn’t always a set of matching candlesticks…it’s putting items next to each other you might not expect.

What are you “gathering” forward this month?

Before we turn the page on September, let’s take a minute to notice what we want to bring with us. And, I’ll go first...

Maybe you found a little routine that makes your days better. Maybe you tried something that didn’t work, but learned something worth keeping. Or maybe you’ve realized that something you keep pushing yourself to do no longer makes sense for the life you want.

Those things take mettle, too. Not just continuing, but being willing to choose differently.

Finish these three sentences with whatever comes to mind. You don’t need the perfect answer. Start with what feels most important to you right now.

The Question

My Answers

Your Answers

I’m keeping... A practice, a lesson, or a little pleasure that deserves to come along.

The lesson that it’s okay for me to stop some things to start better ones.

I’m leaving behind... An expectation, a habit, or an approach that no longer fits.

The fear that people will judge me for creating online resources.

I’m making room for... Something you want to have a place in your days, not just on your someday list.

More time to create resources for creatives who might want to start a business.

Bonus Pages

10 Things to Thrift for Fall Decorating

1. STONEWARE CROCKS
2. AMBER GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS
3. WOODEN BOWLS & BREADBOARDS
4. BROWN TRANSFERWARE
5. WEATHERED TINS
6. BRASS & COPPER CANDLESTICKS
7. WOVEN BASKETS
8. PLAID LINENS
9. RUSTY ARCHITECTURAL PIECES
10. VINTAGE PUMPKINS AND OWLS