home made: awning stripe tote

As I was wandering through the fabric department one day, I fell in

{ L O V E } with this awning stripe canvas. It had a fantastic texture

and slight coating on one side. I am sure it was intended for use on

outdoor furniture. I did not have any outdoor furniture to recover, but I loved it.

...it turns out it makes a great and sturdy tote bag...

 ...it would be a great bag to load up with fabric, books, beach goods...

 ...suddenly, it seems { GOING GREEN } is beautiful!

home made: recycled & repurposed wreathe

There is something soothing about the color white. It is simple. It is pure.

It is stark in it's beauty...but bringing together the many different shades

of white can be resplendent in itself.I have always recycled, repurposed

my {laundry sheets}...dye catching sheets, fabric softener sheets.

I have dyed them, cut them, sew them into projects.

 No matter how many times I have tried, I just can not bring myself to throw them away...

...each time a fresh new load of wash is complete I add another dye catching square to my growing stack of {laundry sheets}.The same goes for softener sheets. Fresh out of the dryer they are soft, they are wispy and they hold just a hint of that lovely smell they started with...

 

...so the other day I had an idea. I would use this beautiful pile, in shades of white, to make a new wreathe. I have been wanting a new one, in shades of white, of course...{take a peek at the end result}...

 ...the result was this beautiful wreathe in {shades of white}...

 ...if one {laundry sheet} felt gray or dingy, I didn't let it stop me...

 ...because in the end, when it was cut and twirled, it was just as beautiful as the rest...

 ...there were tinges of the palest pinks and yellows...

 

 ...it is so dreamy...

{i dream of white}

I had a lovely dream last night...

...Miss Sophia's Room was mine.

 { I have always wished her room was mine, in all of its' dreamy whiteness}

I told my little Sophie about the dream.
    

    She said she would share.

     {i love you Sophanella}

{grocery bag goodness}

No one ever said that {grocery bags} had to be green!

I fell in love with this utility fabric and decided to try my hand at creating a {reusable bag}.

It is nice and roomy and embellished with a pretty hand crafted peony, dyed velvet and canvas leaves.

{the sweet sound of silence}

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays it is always nice to think of the {sweet sound of silence}...

...there is no better way to relax than with a long, hot bath...maybe a few candles, some music, a book...to each of us it is something different that soothes the soul.

...a dear friend of mine shared her recipe for {lavender bath salts} this holiday...

...I tweaked the recipe by adding {rosemary} which is said to relax the nerves and ease muscle pain...

...{lavender} is also widely known for reducing muscle pain and relieving stress by calming brain waves...a gentle touch of food coloring adds the palest of colors to the mix...

amd of course, dolling up the jars is always one of my {favorite delights} when it comes to creating a hand crafted gift for someone special...

...a sweet and simple gift...

{wild berry jam}

There is nothing like the sweet taste of homemade jam...

...{wild berry jam} is a homemade favorite of mine. Every year as I gather the goods to make this treat I remember my Granny canning in her kitchen. Everything from beans to jellies, preserves to sauces. It was a year long process for her. There was always something ready to be harvested and made ready for the cellar.

It is with her in mind that I recreate those moments in the kitchen and spread the feeling of homemade cheer.

To decorate the jars this year I collected these simple items found around the house:

{kitchen twine}

{brown coffee filters}

{muslin scraps}

{brown kraft cardstock tag}

 ...measure and cut a piece of {kitchen twine} and tie around the lid of your jar...

 ...punch a hole in your {tag} and feed twine through. Tie a bow.

Add a scrap of {muslin} and tie and trim ends...

 ...cut the scalloped top off of a {coffee filter} and twist into a flower.

 Glue flower to center of tag and bow...

 ..enjoy your treat!

 

 

{treats for my sweets}

...so today I was able to do {TWO} of my favorite things...

{CREATE FOR MY SWEETS}

I love making things for my sweet, sweet pals. They have been such an inspiration to me as of late - and it gives me great pleasure to offer the smallest of gestures in return.   

{Thank you all.}

    and...

 {MAKE MAIL ART}

 ...making mail art makes me SO happy.

{ in the Christmas Spirit }

No matter how many dips and curves { LIFE } sends our way, the { JOY } of Christmas spirit has a way of making itself known.

It has been a long and bumpy road these past few months but Christmas has arrived and with it, feelings of happiness and blessings.

...take a peek at the the festive decorations that surround us and make us smile...

...a collection of ornaments, old and new, adorn the tree...

 ...a beautiful, vintage, multi-layered tulle skirt...

 ...hundreds of white lights twinkle away...

{sometimes you just dance to the music in your heart}

Some things in life just make us smile. For Sophie it is {MUSIC}.

The beat is something that lives within this child. She is lovingly referred to around here as {the happy child}. So happy. All the time happy. Wake up kinda happy.

She loves to hear music. She loves to sing and dance. Not in a class. Not on a stage. Just for herself.

There is not a time when she is not {dancing} through the room, or {trilling} her thoughts out loud. If she has something to tell you there is a very good chance she will sing it to you. In {OPERETTA} style, no less. She thinks that this is a perfectly fine way to communicate. Sometimes, when the {OPERA} is out, she sing songs her message to you in a British accent. It matters not to her that even British accented singers don't sing this way. It is entertaining to {HER} and that is all that matters.

Why does she do this? I asked her one day. She told me that she was {dancing to the music in her heart.} There is nothing more perfect or wonderful than an answer such as that...and so she is the happiest child we know. Dancing and singing her way through the days...

...making us {SMILE}. Enjoy today's feature presentation!

{THE END}

 

{if you have a lane, you have a chance}

...the results are in. The Regional Meet concluded. The results say she will not advance to the State Meet...that she is not a winner. You decide.

My sweet, sweet Olivia. She practiced endlessly. She worked tirelessly. She prayed for victory. She went into that meet a champion. She gave it her all, gaining time, yet again.

She swam, and she swam and she swam. Pre-dawn mornings that extended into late night bus rides. Day after day, meet after meet her encouraging attitude coaxed not only her own tired body on, but those of her teammates. She was a true Captain. A real leader. An athlete worth knowing. She was a champ.

She beat her own personal goals, fought off fatigue and weathered the unusual cold. No wind, no ticking clock, no "this has not been done before" could slow her down, extinguish her cheer.

If she is not a {winner} than what is she?

Congratulations CHAMP! I love you!