My God is So Big!

Do you remember that little song from children's church?

My God is so BIG, so STRONG and so MIGHTY, there's NOTHING My God cannot DO!

I remember teaching it to young students and watching the power and conviction with which they would say those words! I told them to imagine the biggest, best super hero they had ever heard of and multiply it by 100! And that was My God! The wonder in their eyes! The excitement when they stretched their arms so high to demonstrate his BIGness. The way they strained to squeeze their fists together at their bellies for His Strength. And the looks on their faces when they showed their muscles, you could tell they were imagining the Might of a BIG God! But when they wiped their hands in opposite directions and declared "There's NOTHING My God cannot do!" – it got me every time!

I'd like to say I remember that whenever the devil tries to tempt me to believe my problems are greater than My God's ability. But the truth is, sometimes I forget. Sometimes I get caught up in the whirlwind of doubt and disbelief and all I can see is the bottom of the funnel.

I'm so thankful that He reaches down and pulls me out just in time! Because He IS big! He IS strong! And He IS mighty!

In October of last year when I suddenly lost my job, I found myself caught in that funnel. But GOD, being My God, and the best Super Hero of all time, gave me a passion to create. Handed me all the materials and tools and means by which to make some wonderful things. And He gave me skills. He gave me opportunities years ago with my grandfather, Chester Purvis and a dear family friend, Steve Hall. He gave me wonderful Saturday mornings with my dad watching This Old House and The Woodwright Shop instead of Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry. He instilled in me a love for doing something worthwhile by hand. A passion for old things. So I started Liz Hill & Co. and opened my Etsy shop and Facebook page and began sharing my creations with the world.

I struggled since last year at this time, knowing that God was preparing me to start my own blog. I didn't know what it would be. At the time, Liz Hill & Co. wasn't even a thing. I had no idea what I would write about and to be honest, I'm not that great at following through and keeping up with my own projects. But in February of this year, God led me to the right articles and the right resources to begin writing at least a couple of times a week about the work I was doing and the things He was teaching me. And so the blog began.

Today marks a milestone for Liz Hill & Co. blog. We reached our 1,000th view! To be only a little more than a month old, I am ecstatic with that report!! That's the kind of stuff a BIG God does! You have shared and read my posts and told me how much you enjoy them. And I have you to thank!

So today, to honor your part in this achievement, I am going to have a give away!

First, using the social sharing buttons below, share this article with your friends on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, etc.

Second, use your post to tell us your favorite Liz Hill & Co. item OR blog post.

Then, check back here on Sunday, March 22nd at 3pm ET to find out who will be the lucky winner! Who knows, we may even give you your favorite item!!

The clock starts now!
Liz

***UPDATE: Uh oh! We had a little confusion with our social media tracker and can't tell who shared the post! My apologies! If you entered (or want to sneak in - because let's face it, if you didn't and wish you had, you know you'll do it anyway) please leave a comment below so we can actually fulfill this give away! Michelle Chapman Brice, I know you're in the running!

By the way, at the moment of this post we're over 1,200!! Way to go!!

A is for Ayden

One of the beautiful people I met a few weeks ago at the Metrolina Expo was Penny. She has a grandson coming this summer and is throwing her daughter and son-in-law a baby shower later this month. 

***SPOILER ALERT! If you are Penny's daughter or son-in-law, or in any way want to be surprised at the shower when you see this sign, do not read any further! : )

His name will be Ayden and their theme for his room is UNC... otherwise known to Tarheel fans as Carolina Blue. It's not royal blue. It's not cobalt blue. Not navy or robins egg or sky. It's Carolina. 

The plan is to hang the pallet-style sign above his crib. The worrier in me tried not to go crazy over the thought of my child standing up in her crib and somehow knocking that sign down. It's heavy! We used our braided natural rope – three strands for extra security. But that was mainly for looks. A sign this large needs two, evenly spaced hangers, distributing the weight on both sides. So I've included plenty of heavy-duty hangers to be sure that thing never comes down! If possible, I'd even suggest using a few long screws and actually screwing it directly to the studs. Of course, that requires a working stud finder, and as my husband likes to say, ours just seems to always point to him. ; )

To be sure the design would work for him as he grew, we settled on a pattern of large chevrons in a variety of blues from navy to Carolina blue, then Birchwood White and Carolina Blue again. The background is a weathered gray, natural to the reclaimed wood we used. It muted the blue just enough to give it a nice, worn look. We also decided to leave the grain showing through in some places. It says "boy" without necessarily saying "baby".

The final touch was the letter! A is for Ayden, of course! It's a 24" tall letter cut from 1/4" material, painted navy to match the navy chevron. We went the extra step and added spacers to make it float one inch off of the background. Since the angles of the chevrons competed with the lines of the letter, it was important that it stand out. 

We think it turned out beautifully! And we can't wait until Ayden's room is complete so we can show you the final pictures of it in place! Hopefully in a few years we can even show you the transition as it grows with him!

For more information about custom orders like this one, contact us through the link on our page!

Happy Junkin'!

Liz

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A Cruel Companion: Cancer

[His Blood] reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley;

The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power!

~Andrae Crouch

I'm at the hospital today with a friend. She's having surgery. 

You see, she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's an estrogen feeding variety. It would be great if it were the strawberry ice cream feeding kind. I hear those are a lot nicer! But she wasn't that lucky.

So here she is today, less than a month after her double mastectomy, having her ovaries and more lymph nodes removed. She is represented by a case number on a screen that provides her status... right now it reads "Surgery In Progress".

It's the most drastic weight loss plan I've ever seen. Take one organ at a time until there's nothing left of you. Admitedly, not one I'm signing up for any time soon.

I've been involved with Ovarian Cancer awareness but this is different. The ovaries may be the source of food but they aren't the source of her cancer. So losing them seems a little backwards. So much is not the way she thought it would be. 

But for her, the disfigurement is the most difficult to grasp. 

Her type of cancer is a brutal companion. It delivers bad news like a punch in the gut. Just as she recovers from one blow, here comes another. It may never go away. Only wait in the corner for its next title card fight.

And as the fighter she is, my friend just keeps swinging; waiting for the bell to sound so she can rest for a moment and start the next round.

With strength. With dignity. With grace. Not always perfectly but standing so bravely.

Please pray for her; for all those who are battling for their lives. And for their loved ones who are warriors in the fight with them. As I sit in this crowded waiting room, knowing it's not my daughter or mother or sister but my friend, I look around and know that others are so much more intimately invovled. For some, the people who are represented on the screen are their whole life! And I can only thank God that He is bigger than the word cancer.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty! There's nothing my God cannot do!

Love Fiercely and Freely and Without Fear

"If we remembered everyday that we could lose someone at any moment, we would love them more fiercely and freely, and without fear – not because there is nothing to lose, but because everything can always be lost."

I had the best time visiting my grandmother in Tennessee this week! It was only three days but we packed everything in that we could. Isn't that the funny thing about time... when you want it to hurry it drags and when you wish it would last forever it flies. But Monday was the 10th anniversary of losing my maternal grandmother and so every second I get to spend with my only remaining grandparent means so much!

We woke up early and had coffee and breakfast together. Went to her Quilters & Crafters class at the First Baptist Church. Worked on a community quilt she and several other women have been stitching since January (photo above). Had a southern style salad potluck and possibly the best chess pie I've ever tasted (that may be my diet talking). Came home and enjoyed the Tennessee spring weather and some shade before getting our hands dirty pulling weeds from her flower bed. It was so nice to see the green day lily leaves standing proudly where before they had been smothered in weeds, dried leaves and dead stems. I knew God was teaching me a lesson through that symbolism. I'll share it with you later this week.

We ate leftovers for dinner. Fried chicken and green beans. And a thing called milk gravy over rice. It may be the best thing ever! If you don't know what it is, I'm sorry. Only my grandmother can make it like she makes it and I'm not sharing her instructions any time soon. :)

We watched the sunset over the water. 

We shared a couple of glasses of red wine and enjoyed the cool breeze.

Shared hugs. Shared laughs. Shared stories. Enjoyed every second! Not because there was nothing to lose, but because everything can always be lost.

I love you, Grandma Jean and I have been so blessed to be your first grandchild. You are a treasure to me and I love you with all my heart!

~Liz

Who is it that you need to love more fiercely and freely and without fear while you can? Do it. Because everything can always be lost.

Monday's Haul: A Spot of Tea?

We had a blast at the Metrolina Expo Antique Show this weekend! So many people, old friends and new, came out to say hi! We can't wait to be back next month and show off all the new items we'll have available!

Mark your calendars now for the Spring Extravaganza April 1st-5th, 2015. We will be in Mall 1, Aisle A. It's going to be a great weekend!!

This weekend we met Jerry, John & Bo. They had several booths across the aisle from us and are veterans at the show. They buy out estates and find some beautiful treasures! One such treasure became mine and will soon be the inspiration behind a redecorated formal dining room in my home tour!

Noritake Ivory China - Made in Japan - #7148 - Charleston

They're blue tea cups - a set of three - in perfect condition.

I can't wait to share with you the finished room! First I have to find that pair of navy curtains I bought two years ago.... now where did I put them?

Looks like it's time to go junkin' in my own house! Have a terrific week!

Liz

Kitchen Makeover

We have the privilege of knowing the previous owners of our home. Not that we knew them for a long time but when we finalized the offer, she contacted me and we had the chance to visit together and she shared with me some of the great features of our home. She had raised her family there from the time it was built and wanted to know that the family moving in would have just as wonderful an experience as they did! So far we're off to a great start!

But it doesn't escape me that anytime I change anything she did here, I am not only making it a little more my own but I'm also losing a little bit of the touches she put into it.

That's why it took me over two years to pull the trigger and repaint the kitchen. It was a beautiful, deep wine red. Rich and warm. The dark granite countertops and tile backsplash contrast with the bright white cabinets. There's plenty of light in there, especially in the morning when you can watch the sunrise from the window over the sink. I love the way my copper accents pop!

It just wasn't my favorite. It wasn't me. I needed something lighter. Something to lighten the room and make it a little happier. So I tested a paint color I loved – one that you will see in many of my custom pieces. Sea Mist is a Valspar color that comes in their $3 pre-tinted test jars. I encourage you to take advantage of your local home improvement store's paint department's mixing services to get a test jar of any color you may be considering. Paint small areas of your room to see how it will look in different light, making sure to cover the base color well. In my case the red made it difficult to get a solid coat of my lighter color, even though this brand includes primer. Be sure to take the differences into account. You may even go the extra mile and paint a patch with a color-blocking primer (like Kilz) before painting your test spots to truly see how the color will turn out.

So without further delay, here are the before and after photos of my kitchen! 

 

It's a work in progress, as are most areas in my house! My husband never knows when he will come home and find the entire house flipped around! :)

That's just how I roll!

Thanks for coming junkin' with me!
Liz

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What part of this makeover is most intimidating to you? Do you have any questions? Use the comment section below to let us know! And don't forget to use the social buttons to share this and any of our posts!

Picture This: Spring Family Photos

Whether you're planning an Easter dinner and want to take a large family photo of everyone while they're together or just need to update photos of you and your kids, the time is coming to get the most out of Mother Nature! As soon as everything starts to bloom it's like nature's pallet just waiting for you to take advantage of it!

Easter is only a month away but we'll have you covered! Our Spring special is available to purchase now through Friday, March 13th and can be used in the Charlotte area anytime between now and May 1st. You have two choices:

My Big Family Special - $89
• 90-minute session
• One large family picture
• Up to 8 individual family pictures
• Four special group pictures (i.e., siblings, grandchildren, married-ins, etc.)
• All photo files delivered via CD/HD
• Select of each pose ready for print

Spring Forward Special - $59
• 1-hour session
• One family picture
• One couple picture
• Group picture of children as well as individual pictures of each child
• Two locations (within reasonable distance)
• All photo files delivered via CD/HD
• Select of each pose ready for print

Contact us today to schedule your date! We can be flexible with the weather so have a rain-date in mind!

Share this via social media below if you know someone in the Charlotte area who might be interested!

Old.

Have I mentioned I love old things? Not just old things, but old people, old stories, old songs, old movies, old homes, old furniture, old tools... I feel like Bubba Gump! There are so many great things about old.

But I get it – old is a relative term.

My husband feels old (and he's only 40). TVs can be old and only be made 15 years ago. Last week's leftovers growing science experiments in the fridge are really old! (I told you I would be real with you!)

And I understand there are things way older than my favorites. I'm not talking Medieval here!

I mean that there is a fascination within me about things that tell a story. My family members who remember my Great and Great-Great Grandparents could go on for hours about them without me being the least bit bored. I love to hear about Aunt Lula Mae, who was my Great Grandmother Rachel Terry Craig's only sister. They had five brothers! She spoiled her nieces and nephews like crazy and treated them all like they were her own!

And on my Mitchell side I have my Great Grandmother Elizabeth Jennings Mitchell Roe, whom I am named after. She was strong and loving – but no one messed with her! She was the original BOSS! Everyone in our family called her "Grandma Lizzie" and I am proud to carry her name!

She loved Dawson Roe! And he loved her (probably because she told him to). He was her second husband.

My Great-Grandpa Jeff, whom she married at 19, left when their three children were young and Dawson came in and took on this new life. He gave her and our family nearly 30 years of dedication and love. Together they built the house that still stands on our family property in South Louisiana.

John Dawson Roe and Elizabeth (Jennings) Roe, in the 1950s

You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is still a sigh.

The fundamental things apply as time goes by.

And when two lovers woo they still still say: I love you. On that you can rely!

No matter what the future brings, as time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs - never out of date.

Hearts full of passion - jealousy and hate.

Woman needs man - and man must have his mate.

That no one can deny.

It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die.

The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by.

~ Frank Sinatra

I never knew my Great Grandma Lizzie. She died almost five years before I was born. And Dawson, two years before that. But there are so many things about them that still speak to me today. Whenever I remember my Grandparents' home and the property most of my Aunts and Uncles live on today I am struck by the history of the place. I look at ancestry records and census notes about where people lived and am amazed to see that even three and four generations before them, our family still lived in the same small community of Pride, LA! And that makes that area even more special to me!

So when I go junkin' I can't help but think of the history behind the pieces I find. Old kitchen utensils and tools are the best! How many cakes did someone bake with this pan? And how many birthdays and family dinners were made a little sweeter because of this sifter? 

Preserving these pieces may not bring back the people, but they will certainly keep a time alive in my mind and heart. 

So, let's go junkin'!

Liz

Laughter.

My husband’s laughter is contagious! He has the BEST sense of humor! 

He passed that on to our daughter. When she was little she used to beg to be tickled! Some think it would be torture. But not her! And we would indulge because we loved to hear her laugh! 

That’s how I feel with my Father. I love to work on old, challenging pieces. Some think it’s torture... others garbage or beyond repair. But I love it. And He lavishes it on me! 

A bucket of rusty nails. The handle off of an old kitchen utensil. A cracked board with chippy bird poop on it! 

Yes! Even that! 

It’s like laughter to my soul!

What are you junkin' for this week?

Liz

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We will be at the Metrolina Expo Antique & Vintage Show this weekend (March 5-8, 2015). If you're in Charlotte, come check us out!!

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The Sugar Shack and Barnwood Signs

Growing up we lived next door to an old community store called The Sugar Shack.

Image from Google Maps

It was Mr. Billy Seymour's getaway; a little old 4-room house where men from the area would get together to drink coffee and smoke cigarettes. Mr. Steve Hall drove his pickup truck with 3 on the tree and had the same parking spot every day on the left by the side door. He taught me to put peanuts in my pepsi. Mr. Jerry Bradshaw would usually ride his 4-wheeler there but every once in a while he'd be in his truck – even though he didn't have a license. He carried his little dog, Molly everywhere he went! But he liked to eat malt crackers with peanut butter and to this day, that's one of my favorite snacks! Mr. Jerry Hewell was a farmer – a true gentleman – and helped my daddy get a pasture and stable on his land for our horse, Ginger. Mr. Roy Lee Andrews was a skinny old man that always seemed like he was just skin and bones to me! But he had the best smile! 

There were almost always at least 4 or 5 men either on the porch or in the front room just shootin' the bull! I don't know what those old men thought of a 12-13 year old kid hanging out there! I just thought it was the best thing in the world! Mr. Billy let me play with his old-time cash register and adding machine and organize all the snacks. 

I used to dream of living in that little house when I got older. Who needed a play-house when you had that next door? 

Left to Right: Mr. Billy and Mrs. Sally's house, The Sugar Shack, my childhood home (from 5th grade until I was married)

I guess that's part of my fascination with old stores. Mr. Billy and his brother Guy had a store years before at the main intersection in our little town just two more houses to the right of this picture. (It was a REALLY small town – we didn't even have a caution light). It was a two-story General Store and he still had a lot of the merchandising fixtures from there. What I really miss and am not sure if I ever saw it in person – it may have just been in photographs – was an oversized sign with white chippy paint and bold black letters that said "SEYMOUR'S". In my mind I can see that posted over the tin awning leading into the front doors, the granite steps leading up the walkway, the old screen doors keeping out the Georgia mosquitos and flies but still letting in the breeze. Oh, how I wish I had actually been there!

This memory inspired me to make custom signs out of the wood that has been salvaged from nearby barns and buildings. It's also been great for my clients who have access to barnwood from their own family property.

The Metcalfes had two pieces of reclaimed barn wood from Carrie's dad. Each one was 5 feet long, about 11 inches wide and a standard 1 inch deep. For one of them we created a Welcome sign to face the front door. It featured burlap flowers and was just what they needed to fill an awkward spot on their balcony.

The other one was a take on the old store sign and featured their name and wedding year hand-painted in their favorite rust red accent color. 

It really is the perfect way to frame out their front doorway! They've received so many compliments! And the great thing is, it can really be done with any name or phrase! It's just a matter of finding the wood and having the skills to paint on it!

Guess who has both!? Liz Hill & Co!

We would LOVE to make a barnwood name sign for you! Please contact us today to talk about size, color, design, delivery, etc.

And if you have your own barnwood that is special to you and your family, we will gladly help you turn that into a treasured custom home decor piece!

So come on! What are you waiting for!? Let's get to junkin'!

Liz