In Trouble...

hello dear readers...

happy tuesday and happy summer vacation!! YAY!! :0)

the kids have yet to utter the words {i'm bored} so i'm feeling blessed! ;0) the new puppy just might have helped the situation...if i can get clancey to put him down for two seconds i will try and get a couple photos...sheesh...that girl....

yesterday i made a little purchase and i think i just may be in trouble...

you see i have wanted an iphone for like {forever}!! since our cell phone company was selling out we decided to switch over to another company and i couldn't resist..

sigh...i *love* her and all her white beauty...

and please don't even get me started on instagram...

i got the same look from the husband...

{seriously?? you let her loose waving that thing in our faces when all we want is a flake of alfalfa hay!?!?} they really where giving the husband the what for!! ;0)

still trying to learn the ins and outs...

any suggestions, tips and tricks from my favorite readers???

do you instagram or TTV??

would like to know i'm not the only addict...

Three Hearts...

i cannot tell you how much you all mean to me...

*thank you* SO much for all the kind words and encouragement with my last post...

things are looking somewhat better still no answers but feeling more calm and peaceful...

i cried when i read the words and thoughts you all shared with me...

i cried about the raw, tender, beauty you all possess...

what beautiful, beautiful souls...*love* you all!!

it is *amazing* how He works...

how it all comes together when you need it the most...

i signed up for this course quite awhile ago...

thinking to myself oh anything done by christy is going to be fabulous...

i can learn SO many more mixed media techniques...

little did i know how much my soul and {hearts} would need to be healed once class finally started...

i have started my journal and i have included all of your encouragement and sweet, gentle words throughout my first pages...

i will share photos soon...once the sun decides to grace us with some warm rays...

*thank you* again dear readers...you all *amaze* me..

big prairie LOVES...

Uncertainty vs. Possibility...

i'm not even certain that i can put words to my thoughts on this post but i have to try...

i have to try so i might see a break in the dark clouds that have settled within my soul...

our family has been faced with a new trial, nothing life threatening or detrimental to our health...thank goodness...

but each morning when i awake i am filled with dread, a twisted, heart eating feeling...

uncertainty as to what is going to happen to my little family, how will we continue on and what of our dreams...

it is a wait and see {and lots of prayers} that everything will work out...

i believe the waiting is the hardest for me, i need a plan, i need to act and channel this frustration into something certain...

but why faced with change and the wait am i quick to focus on the uncertainty? am i the only one...

the only one to let the uncertainty feed upon me and turn me into someone i'm not familiar with...

a prairie girl who is afraid, who wants to hide....

a prairie girl who is looking for an escape...

a prairie girl who feels as if she has failed in every aspect of her life...

i'm trying...

trying to wake each morning and see all the amazing possibilities...

the possibilities that may not have come our way without this uncertain change...

the possibilities that will unearth new dreams...possibilities that reveal i didn't fail but soared on the winds of uncertainty...

Inspiration Studio {Ephemera}...

nothing like waiting on blogger all day...ggrrr...

better late than never i suppose, now if i could just find what happened to my SPARK post i would be a happy little prairie girl :0)

just wanted to stop in today and let you know i am posting on the inspiration studio today...

sharing the beauty of {ephemera}...

hope you are able to join me...

Spark No. 3...

SO excited to share some news with you dear readers...

april contacted me recently about my acceptance to show at an amazing artisan market...

SPARK!

i am attending the two day creative event and couldn't be more thrilled with the line-up of teachers this year!!

Christy Tomlinson will be teaching a She Art inspired collage class. {oh how i'm am SOOO stinkin' excited to finally meet christy!! her online she art class was one of my most favorite!! *loved* it!!

Amy Tan will be teaching a fun clothing alteration class.

Emily Falconbridge will be back by popular demand to teach a new technique using felt.

Jen Jensen, the desert rose, will be teaching a uber creative paper craft class.

April Meeker will be teaching one of her favorite past times, stamp carving.

Alisa Holland will be sharing her unique aesthetic using textiles, trimmings, baubles & more!

And...

Mindy Gledhill will be joining us to lead a creativity workshop and share her gift of song!

doesn't it sound absolutely *fabulous*!?!

i thought since i will already be in town why not pack up some faded finds and share my *love* for what once was...

is anyone else planning on attending?!? i can't wait! registration is still open {only 300 spots available} you can find all the details and registration form here...

hope to see you there!

Finds...

oh how i *love* warmer weather...

which by the way we are not experiencing right at the moment..sigh..

we have had some {warmer} days which means cleaning, throwing away, and donating...

while others are busy with these activities i'm busy adding to my {stash}...

bringing other's discarded goods home to be cherished and shared!

our thrift store had the ultimate find the other day...

something i have wanted to add to my kitchen for awhile now...

a vintage barn light...

sigh...*bliss*...

and the price tag of $5.00 wasn't so bad either!

of course the eyeball roll and exasperated sigh of {what in the world are you going to do with that?!?} accompanied the loading of the goods in the back of the truck but i was not to be deterred!

i *love* warmer weather and all the possibilities it holds!

hope you all had a wonderful mother's day! i lucked out and had a day off hauling rocks! yay!! of course i'm telling myself it was the celebration of the day and not the rain and wind that caused it! :0)

featured photos & a winner

friday's always happen to take me by surprise...

i had SO much planned this week for this little blog...

and then my husband plowed and harrowed our fields...

which turned up SO many rocks that we having been living, breathing, eating rocks each and every day...sigh...

you would think after a 100 years of being farmed the land would quit turning up those cursed things!! ;0)

i cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to be able to get lost within your delicate, gentle photographs...i do believe this challenge was my *favorite* by far {don't i say that every week?!?} ;0)

before i announce the winner, the featured photos from the challenge {whitewashed}...

simply stated's {Tree Blossoms}

*loved* everything about this photo!! *thank* you rebecca, my soul needed this this week! :0)

leah's {sweet tea}

what a peaceful, serene photo...*stunning*!!

now for the winner of florabella's luxe II texture set...

this was an *extremely* tough decision!! SO many wonderful entries and featured photos...all simply *beautiful*...

the photo i did choose as the final winner had a little bit of everything that spoke to me...the processing, the composition, and simple beauty...

almadr's {vintage spring}

*congrats* dear girl!! please email me at fadedprairie {dot} com or through flickr mail and i will get you your new set of textures!!

*thank you* once again to everyone who joined in each and every week!

i hope you all have a wonderful mother's day weekend! enjoy!

{Inspiration} Distressed Jewell

today i would like to share an *incredible* artist with you...

i'm not sure i can even describe to you how in awe i am of her and her photography...

jewell is creator and owner of distressed textures; not only did the beauty of her textures capture me but her simple statement, " i have a thing for cows. it is common for me to stop on the side of the road, watch them, and converse with them."

do i need to explain or say anymore?...

my words cannot do justice to the beauty of this woman's soul or to the incredible depth of which her work inspires...

i will let you be transported along another time with just these few glimpses...

{brittle and bitter she stands}

{closure}

{a place for quiet}

{fireflies dance at the widow's house}

{the caption beneath this alluring photo reads: they were all she had left....}

{untarnished lands}

i have spent countless hours lost within her creations...*thank you* jewell for sharing your gifts, beauty, and raw talent....

i hope today, dear readers, you have been able to find a place of stillness and beauty somewhere within the midst of the noise and uncertain...

{all photos property of jewell, used with permission. for more of her *amazing* work you can visit her here}