New Venue + Fall Fellows
With the upcoming holidays, I reopened my ebay store to have in addition to my etsy shop. I have some things in both places and some are exclusives. This is right now on ebay only:
Click here to go to the auction and to check out my shop there. I was there for a really long time and took the summer off to build my etsy shop, remodel our kitchen, and get into some other projects. I really miss the auction format that ebay has, so I’m excited to have a few things there again.
We have worked on our Halloween yard decorations this weekend. Our yard consists of a mummy, a broom man similar to one below, two scarecrows, some mums, some hay, a Halloween sign and two wreaths. We have had so much fun building and decorating for autumn and Halloween!!
I realize I didn’t show you pictures of the fun fellas we found in Gatlinburg. How creative! Check these out:
Beautiful Mountain Pictures to Share…
While we were on vacation, we drove from Gatlinburg, Tennessee into Cherokee, North Carolina. I thought I’d share a few of the most lovely views with you…
This is the sign to the entrance, actually on the North Carolina side as we missed getting the one coming into the park from Gatlinburg, but I think they are the same if not almost:
A couple of views from Newfound Gap:
We were so blessed with the most gorgeous weather while we were there. In the evenings, it was in the high 30′s and there was such a little nip to the air – absolutely perfect!
Another scenic shot for you to see:
Ok, I’ll try to contain myself and not put more mountain photos on here, but I think EVERYONE should go here at least once in their life, if at all possible. The photos are lovely but there’s nothing like fresh mountain air to rejuvenate your body, mind, heart and soul!!
Sleep Sweetly…
This little loving little poem was laid in the center of our bed at “The Gatlinburg Inn” against the pillows….It’s entitled “Sleep Sweetly”:
Sleep sweetly, in this quiet room
O’ thou whoe’er thou art;
And let no mournful yesterday
Disturb thy peaceful heart.
Nor let tomorrow scare thy rest
With thoughts of coming ill,
Thy maker is thy changeless friend,
His love surrounds the still
Forget thyself and all the world –
Put out each feverish light;
Thy Lord is watch overhead;
Sleep sweetly, then – Good Night.
The Gatlinburg Inn – Southern Hospitaility and Charm
I talked about “The Gatlinburg Inn” a little in my last post. I just have to tell you how all this came to be that we stayed there. Charles and I had decided to “wing it” and go without reservations and find what we wanted to stay near, then locate a place to stay. After driving around for a little while once we arrived, we went into two different places. Neither of them were very impressive, though both were fair in price and excellently located in the heart of Gatlinburg. Then, enter “The Gatlinburg Inn”…a quaint little place in the heart of the city within walking distance of so many things. The pricing was also fair, though a little higher than the previous two places. Upon entry to the hotel, there was a gorgeous rose garden among a lovely vintage black iron fence that went the length of the drive. Click here for the web page for the hotel and to see a glimpse of the rose garden. When you entered the hotel, you see a very old interior though impeccably maintained. The lovely lady behind the desk named Ms. Dot, was so friendly and warm that I could have sworn we were at a Bed and Breakfast and not a hotel. Before we could say “yes” to a room, we had to be shown our choice of rooms on either the front of the back of the hotel. Each had their own particular offering of the wonderful city. (We chose a front room for the view you see from my post yesterday.) The room itself was very rustic with vintage paneling, wallpaper, lighting and accessories. Honestly, I’ve never been in a cleaner hotel in my life, nor one that seemed so safe and inviting. My love of all things cottage and vintage allowed me to truly experience what it must have been like when it was new in the 60s.
I loved the old mirrors near the elevators where one could smooth their skirts or do a quick last moment check of their hair. (And, yes, I did just that!) Some of the guests who have stayed at the Inn includes JC Penney, Dinah Shore, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Lady Bird Johnson and Liberace. Plus, it was featured in an Ingrid Bergman/Anthony Quinn movie entitled “A Walk in the Spring Rain”. Click here to see more about the movie. Oh, and another note of interest? “Rocky Top” was written at this lovely nostalgic place (in room 388!!).
From the moment we entered this hotel, I knew we were somewhere special. During the process of our check-in, we were asked if we would like heat during our stay, as the nights were to be around the upper 30s. Apparently, this hotel can have EITHER heat or air, but not both. However, we only had to request heat in order to get a complimentary heater for our room. How delightful is that? I was completely smitten right then and there!
A few pictures of our nostalgic room…this one is the artwork above the bed, the exposed pipes in the room, and you can also see the vintage wallpaper from this view (don’t mind the rumpled pillows, I took this the morning after our first night there):
another view in our room – the light fixture, exposed pipes, and the paneling:
our seating in our room and you can also see the vintage floor covering here:
The most amazing thing about this hotel is the fact that every single thing was perfectly kept. Nothing appeared neglected. Though we knew most of the things in our room were much older than us, we marveled at the fact that everything seemed so clean and and so perfect. We couldn’t find a single cobweb on the balcony and not a speck of dust anywhere.
I almost forgot to mention a couple other wonderful things about this hotel…the security. At 10:00 the front desk ladies go home and there are no guests added after 10:00 pm. There is a security guard on duty 24 hours a day. For parking, there is a sticker placed on your vehicle and you are allowed in the gate by security each time you need to leave and come back. The hotel lobby and parking lot is patrolled by the security guard constantly. Automobiles are counted and double checked by the guest list. Though the door to our room had an old fashioned lock and an old fashioned chain, I have never felt safer in a hotel room. Strange, isn’t it? I found myself blown away by how safe I did feel there…and how watchful and protective this group of employees are of their guests. What a comfort and how original!!
Amongst all this perfection was a couple of negatives, though they are easily altered now that we know to expect them on our next visit….here they are in case you plan a trip there:
- Next time, we will bring our own pillows – the ones there are extremely soft
- Next time, we will bring our clock – there was no clock in the room
Other than that, it was absolutely spot-on perfect for us. I think the experience of this hotel is very thought provoking and so needed in today’s society. It was so much fun to go back in time to the hospitaility that a hotel should truly have. I hope everyone has an opportunity to visit such a place.
The View From Our Room…
We are having such a wonderful vacation! It is absolutely beautiful weather and I feel myself destressing the longer I’m away from everything. Why don’t we do this more often???
I have to tell all of you about the place we stayed at in Gatlinburg…it’s a hotel called ”The Gatlinburg Inn”. When we arrived, we were looking for a nice place to stay that was in the middle of everything so that we could walk to alot of the places we wanted to go. This is it: (Please note the blue sky!! It was like this the ENTIRE time we were there – has there ever been a prettier sky??!!)
and the view from our room, taken one morning just as I’d gotten up:
Here’s where we spent alot of time (our balcony):
I have so many more pictures to show you from our trip and so many things to tell you about!! While we were there, I read something that talked about leaving your cares behind in the Smokies. Guess what? It works! 
Needing to Get Away
Oh, I am really looking forward to our vacation next month. I don’t know if all women are like me but I always have so many things on my mind that I need to do, want to do, or feel I have to do. When Charles and I do get away from home, it takes me a while to adjust to not “having” to do anything in particular. There’s usually no kitchen when we go on vacation, so I can’t cook. There’s no sewing machine or comfy computer desk and chair. There’s no studio full of projects and supplies just waiting for my creativity.
All those reasons are probably why I NEED a vacation – at least one – every year. Once I accept that I have nothing to do, I think that’s when I truly relax and I know I need that. I then wonder if all women are programmed this way? Charles is able to relax every day. For example, as I write this, he is sitting in his recliner, yawning with a remote in his hand and looks as relaxed as I’ve ever seen him. Usually, he can fall asleep over there. I couldn’t tell you when I’ve ever fallen asleep watching television, unless maybe I was really sick or something. Truth be told, I’m a little jealous of him. He can truly let everything else go and sit down and watch a movie. How does one achieve this level of relaxation? While I don’t want that every day, I would like to have it maybe once a month or even once a week maybe….
Vacation Suggestions
