Small Town Appeal

I love a big city!  I grew up in a medium/large sized city and have lived in many larger ones as well.  I love that anything you need is available in numerous places.  I love that there are great things like broadway theatre, concerts, malls, big sporting events and more in big cities.  I love a big city!

But.......I adore a small town.  I find great delight in the community closeness that I experience in our small town.  I can go to my local hardware store and the employees there know me and know my latest project.  I can go to the local grocery store and almost always see a few people I know well and the checkout clerk notices when my normal protien drink supply is not in my cart.  I can go to the local shipping store and the people there know my kids and I know a bit about them as well.  I can be at a soccer game on any given Saturday morning and know parents on all fields surrounding us.  I can become good friends with someone who has taught and loved my child in school.  The list goes on and on.....

Lucky for me, I live just 20 minutes from a large city so I get the best of both worlds!  Most people think that the drive that I take, sometimes daily, would be irritating.  It isn't at all.  It actually is this wonderful transition ride for me.  I slowly leave the city and enter the roads of the farming community.  The scenery moves from that of buildings and big residential and commercial areas to that of fields of corn and other crops, barns and farms.  It is a ride that naturally takes me and eases me into and out of each environment.  It is a ride that I use to get my thoughts together, have a phone conversation that won't be interrupted by a "hey momma...", and many times to have a chat with God.  Here is a picture of one amazing day on that road.........

I feel blessed to have the bigger city within my reach but to have my feet planted firmly in the small town.

What a lucky gal I am!

May you find that sweet spot to live your life.

May your spirit be content in that place.

Why "Cellar" Designs?

People have often asked me why I chose Cellar Designs for the name of my business.  Some thought it was due to fun nights hanging out with family or friends and a bottle of wine.  Some thought it was because I would cut the hair of my family in our basement.  Although those all could be reasons.....
I never have really shared the real reason....until now.

Storm cellars are a "must have" for a rural farm or home that does not have a basement.  It is necessary for protection, shelter, and security.  A storm cellar that works well is angled so debris of a storm would blow up and off of it, not blocking it so it couldn't be opened back up.  They are usually a bit away from the main house, yet close enough so it could be reached quickly if needed.

For me, there is great beauty in a storm cellar door.  It usually has large hinge straps that help to keep it closed.....but yet help it to open up when ready...and the coast is clear.  These straps usually can withhold great winds and the elements for decades. They just get rusty and antiqued....but that is what is beautiful about them.

When choosing a name for my business I had to think about what is most important to me at my very core.  For me.....that is God.  I believe that God is my storm cellar and much more.  I believe that the number of storms we put Him through had to have weathered His hinge straps! :)  But...in the end.... they are strong and more beautiful with every passing year.

So, Cellar Designs was born of my gratitude to God for taking some of those big gusts of wind for me, allowing the debris to blow off the angled door, and helping me to know when the coast was clear for me to emerge from the cellar.

Autumn Inspiration

Autumn is my favorite season...hands down!  I love the energy I derive from the crisp air and the colors of the changing foliage.  It truly feeds my spirit.  There is something to be learned by this.  We pass by the same trees every day of the year... and don't pay any attention to them.  Then autumn rolls around and those same trees show off thier most gorgeous colors...and we "see" them finally.

Today we drove to my Uncle Tom's farm for the annual pumpkin patch party.  It is such a special day.  I love the sense of family and community that comes from a small gathering of people to pick pumpkins.  The drive there was wonderful.... It was just myself and our two youngest.  In years past they have either watched a movie or played thier hand held video games for the 45 minute drive. This year was different.  I was so energized by the scenery that I kept saying "look how beautiful it is" to them.  About half way there my 10 year old, Luke, said "Was this all here last year when we drove to Tom's farm?".  :) Yes, it was...we just weren't seeing it.

So here are a few pictures of our day and the things that inspired me!

 
                 

 

May you notice that tree that we, otherwise, pass by every day of the year
and don't notice....before it explodes with autumnal colors.

May you look for things in your life that you might pass by
unnoticed....till something big happens?

May you notice and appreciate that person who you otherwise
might have overlooked....before they bloom.

In the beginning...

....was the shadowbox frame.  These frames were the first thing that we sold in our shop.  My husband, Craig, had made them for us to give as Christmas presents for a few family members.  I had always tried to do some of our gifts homemade......for budget reasons in the beginning but ended up being for much bigger reasons.   Here is just a sampling of some of the shadowbox frames that Cellar Designs currently sells.

Blog Launch

Cellar Designs is joining the blogging world!

I hope to use this as a place to share what is at the heart of who I am
and what comes from Cellar Designs.
I will show you some of the newest designs and what inspired them,  

feature some other people
that have the same creative spirit that I do and who inspire me, 

and share tidbits of my life and the lessons I have learned from them.

Let me introduce myself....

I am Sarah Stevens.
I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt and friend.

I am a woman who thrives on creativity, love, compassion and...
 most importantly, my faith.

I am the owner and creative director of Cellar Designs.

I feel blessed to live the life I do and hope to do so with
grace, humility,compassion and a lot of fun!