Vendor Spotlight: THE RESTORED ATTIC

Behind each great product at the fall marketplace is a story... a person...who has a driving force within to create something beautiful and unique.

I mentioned my friend, Ellen, in my last post. Today, I wanted to give you a glimpse into the heart and mind of what this sweet friend does.

In the age of Pinterest and incessant online browsing, I found it very refreshing to sit down with Ellen and have her show me this...

This is her notebook where she has actually cut out pictures from magazines and glued them to the pages. There are pages and pages of pictures with little notes scribbled on the opposing side. I love this! This is so Ellen.

When I sat down with Ellen a few weeks ago to talk with her about her products, I left with a renewed sense of creativity, compassion and overall inspiration. Our friends have labeled Ellen "the most entertaining person we know". With a background in theatre and broadcasting, her voice and dramatic facial expressions will draw you in to any story she is telling. She is where the dramatic and real collide. She has a genuine interest in people's journeys and has a driving desire from within to connect with people on a deep level. She is a true gem. I am beyond grateful to call her friend.

Ellen and her husband and their four children live in our neighborhood. I love to drive by Ellen's house. Love it. They have a car port that faces a main road. And almost every time you drive by...there is a new treasure in that car port that is awaiting some TLC. Here is a glimpse of the jewels awaiting to be transformed now...

Here are some before and after shots of some chairs she is working on...

One day after Ellen had been out, she came home to a surprise by her husband and one of her daughters. Chris had cut this little piece of wood, and Annalise had painted these words...

And they hung it in a little storage shed where she keeps items awaiting their transformation.

Here are a few pictures of some of her finished products that are in her home:

Ellen said "I see these things and I know I just have to do them. I just have to." She sees so much beauty in the forgotten, unwanted items. And I think that sums up Ellen's heart. She has been gifted with these God given eyes that can see past the broken legs of chairs, the scratched up surfaces of tables, the wood rotted sides of old filing cabinets, and see pieces of history, of character, of beauty. And this is what Ellen does not only with her craft, but with each person that she comes into contact with.

She is on the board of directors for Madison County CASA. CASA stands for court appointed special advocates and is a volunteer based organization. Ellen's desire is that a portion of her proceeds from the fall marketplace would go to help support this wonderful organization. And that by bringing awareness to what CASA does that more people could become involved in advocating for children that are placed with DCS.

We hope that you will stop by and visit Ellen's booth at A New Thing fall marketplace in October! You will not be disappointed with what you will find and with the beautiful, warm smile that you will be welcomed with.