Inspiration Friday Party No. 9!

Welcome to the Party!
I'm so glad you stopped by and hope you will consider joining in the fun this week by linking up some of your Inspiring Posts about Home, Food, and Family. All are welcome here!

Before we jump into highlights from last week, I just had to share with you a little bit more about the Renaissance Man we have in our family. You may remember that I mentioned him in my post about our Master "Sweet". He lovingly crafted our bed as a wedding gift to us and here is a peek at it in case you missed it the first time. This is the work of my Father-in-law.

The details on this sleigh bed are amazing and he even surprised us by putting our monogram on the footboard!

So many of you expressed how amazed you were at this wonderful gift and his incredible talent that I wanted to show you a little bit more of what he can do. Trust me, this barely scratches the surface of his abilities!

You will find this little door in the closet of our play-room.
It is like an entrance to my memories.

Behind it lies some of my most beloved treasures.

 When I discovered that we had an attic my heart literally leaped for joy! As a child, this little door would have taken me to another world in my imagination. And as a Mother, I had visions of opening it for my children to step inside and re-discover our beloved Christmas decorations each year. Tucked in a little corner under the beams sits this...

This cradle was crafted by my father-in-law when we found out that we would finally have a sweet baby boy joining our family!

Here are some of the details.

Here is a photo of our daughter in the cradle wearing her Great-Grandmother's Baby Gown. It is grainy because the photographer printed it on paper that makes it look like an oil-painting.

Doesn't this look like something from 100 years ago? And if you are thinking there is a slightly spooky quality to the photo, don't worry. You're not alone!

We are her family who love her and we thought so too!

The Renaissance Man also crafted this darling rocking horse for our son's 1st Birthday.

Hard to believe the skinny little guy who streaks through the house before bath-time, all arms and legs, is the same chubby- cheeked boy in this photo.


The Cradle and the Rocking Horse now wait patiently in the Attic. They are willing to withstand a little dust and neglect now, knowing that someday they will be brought out again to be enjoyed by future children.
These Heirlooms my husband's father has given us, will still be around even after we are not, and I am deeply grateful to him for all of the love that was put into each and every detail!
Thank you Steve!
If you want to see more of his amazing talent, you can visit his blog
The Right Brain Reader.

Now it's time for a high-light from last week's Inspiration Friday Party.
Judy at DIY By Design is new to the blogging community and last week she shared this beautiful transformation of her Powder Room.

I'm slightly biased here because I have that very same wallpaper in my powder room only in yellow! And, just for good measure I have to give you a peek at her beautiful kitchen.

Hop on over to DIY By Design to see the rest of these transformations and more of Judy's fabulous home!

But, be sure to come on back and join the party!
And, don't forget to mark your calendars for the next installment of

We are having at Soup Exchange and YOU are invited to join in the fun by linking up your favorite Soup (or chili or stew) recipes.

Just cook up a batch of your favorite soup, take a picture and publish it in a post and then have it ready to join the party on October 30th!

Now, it is time to Link it on up my Friends!
I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!
From this Southern Girl at Heart,
Vanessa

Here is how to link up...
1. Add your Permalink to your entry but not your General Blog Address. To get your Permalink, click on the title of the blog post you are wanting to submit and copy and paste the address into the URL box. You will also have to add your address but it will not be visible to anyone else.
2. Do not try and Link up until you have actually published that particular post on your blog.
3. Please link back to the host blog, Southern In My Heart, so that those who visit your blog will be able to find some wonderful Inspiration from everyone else!