It's in the mail

The journal is in the mail. I hope the recipient has any idea what she is getting. Even more important... I hope she likes it!

A few of my favorite things...

I really liked the cover.








Now it's up to the USPS do its part.

I'm breathing easier.. in more ways than one.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 21

Pass the Kleenex - please?

I'm sick. I almost look this good... not quite, but almost. This is exactly how I feel.


The good thing about looking (and sounding) this bad - nobody wants to be anywhere near me, so I am uninterrupted in my gluing and painting. My head doesn't know it, but I'm having fun!

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Starting over

No, I am not pulling my hair out. The lid of my acorn bag was just going all googly (as in googly eyes?), so I pulled it all out.

I am researching how to make a flat circle.

It's silly to finish a project wrong!

Right?

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Psalm 19:12

How do you spell googly anyway?

The busy day

Have you ever dragged your worn out self to a chair at the end of a busy day, thankful that you could get so much done?

And, as you reviewed the day, did you then wonder, what on earth do I have to show for all this work?

Today is such a day for me... and I haven't even gotten to the chair part yet.

I baked bread.


I washed dishes (argh... the dishwasher died so I had to do a full load by hand!)


I crocheted.


I did more prep painting on the Journal for J.



And for all this effort, I can show... ummm... pickled, painty hands, a yet unfinished crocheted acorn lid, and a half eaten (not so terrific tasting) loaf of bread.

Well... there is always tomorrow.

Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3

Projects 1 - 4

It may seem like a lot of projects start around here... and you may wonder - what about the finished products?

Report time.

The main part of the little crocheted acorn bag (1/22) is finished. It turned out just the way I hoped it would. I have searched for a perfect coordinating yarn to use for the top, but nothing is quite right. So, I decided to use the same yarn. It isn't going quite as smoothly... time alone will tell the tale of the finished piece.


I have been captivated with my faces (1/20 & 2/10) the last few days. Using some helpful advice from a trusted critic, the refining process is underway. (It is so much fun, I feel a bit guilty.)


Today I accepted a "commission" to make a journal for a surprised mommy-to-be. Ideas are beginning to congregate... I'm considering fabric... lots of embellished pages... and this picture to start the whole thing off. (Only a peek - I may change my mind!)


The crochet hook case (2/4) is waiting for the final resolution. Thank you for the many suggestions. Alterations are not high on my "boy, I love to do this!" list, so when the acorn, the cards and the journal are finished...

In the meantime, life is good.

For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty... Zechariah 9:17

Read the recipe - please?

Yay!!! I'm on Associated Content! I submitted my first content and now you can help me by going there and reading my contribution. You get cookies... I get paid for every thousand clicks... so pleeeease, start clicking.

It's a recipe for slice and bake cookies. Even if you don't want to bake cookies... just go click and pretend that you're reading!

This is where it is - Save Money with DIY Convenience Foods
Stretch your grocery dollars by making your own slice and bake frozen cookie dough. This crowd size recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies provides all the convenience of ready made cookies plus homemade taste at a bargain price.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1450301/save_money_with_diy_convenience_foods.html

So now that I've tested the water.... I have plans. Ah yes... I have plans.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26

Rainbow in winter - Chapter 2

For mid-winter, we are having the most amazing weather. It has been in the 60's here (a regular heat wave for us!) so our mounds of snow are gone. This morning, as I went out the door for haircut-day, it was rainy and (relatively) warm.

Sorry to say, there are no great bargains to report... but the trip home (35 miles) was stunning. At 5:30, when I left the city, I noticed the western sky brightening. Within minutes, the rain became mist and this was the view as I drove east.






When I turned south, I got this shot of the western sky.


I'm sure the drivers behind me were muttering about the "stupid blogger snapping pictures" as I swerved between lanes, camera aimed left, right and up.

But that's OK. It was another memorable haircut-day.

I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

Oh yeah... these pictures? Completely as-is. No editing at all.

Faces for mailing

After a few weeks handling other distractions, the "lefty faces" made their way back into my work space. The first batch is finally complete.


I'm not sure why I love working with these faces. Somehow, they convey something that words miss.

What am I going to do with them?

Goodness... I may have to start writing letters!

It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

The Wild Game Banquet

The task of providing table decorations for the men at church has always been my job. It is challenging... they never want flowers, or candles, so I usually start at the wacky end of a design idea and work my way toward normal. Somewhere... one bubble left of level, I find an idea that will work.

Yesterday, our church hosted a wild game banquet. A first for us. Our member wonder-cook was in charge of food. Our etiquette-maven managed the tablecloths, place settings, and the servers. To me was given the job of table decor.

Remember me? I am the one who plays indoors! I take pictures of wild game from the safety of my living room! Yikes!

What did I do? First things first - I prayed... a lot... serious prayer for ideas and ability to do. As usual, my prayer for ideas was answered with a resounding "Yes!" The first idea to strike was for arrow bouquets. As time marched on, a variety of materials and ideas fell into place for 24 tables.








It wasn't fancy... but it sure was fun.

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. I John 3:22

A case for crochet hooks

I'm so creative it is scary. Wait til you see what I've done now.

You will be amazed... just like I am.

I have been doing a lot of crochet work lately and it seems that I am constantly searching through my yarn bag to find the right sized hook. While visiting the Sometimes Crafter I found a pattern for a crochet hook case that looked easy, quick and perfect for solving my disorganization.

This is her original design.


Today, while deciding which fabric to use, I came upon a piece of patchwork I made weeks ago. It was a little bigger than the suggested size... but I'm creative - right? I can make this work.

While changing the size, I also changed the direction of the case (to open from the side), eliminated the flap, and added a ribbon to tie it closed... perfect!

It's all finished!


I loaded it up with hooks just to show you my amazing accomplishment.


However... there's just a little problem. I discovered why she put the flap on the top. Whenever I move (that's right, move!) my little case, all of the hooks slide right out. Argh.


When will I learn to just follow the directions?

Ok, stop laughing. I can hear you, you know.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

Using an altered book

This is the altered cover of a throw-away textbook. After countless layers of gels, papers, podges and paints, it was looking pretty good.


Then I discovered that the insides were not sticking to the outside. What was I going to do now? There was too much time invested to give up on it. Time for super Dremel! Three holes and some ribbon later, the insides sit snugly where they should be... inside.

And what is the purpose of this book, you ask?

Boy, you are nosy aren't you?

It's a diary, where the happenings of the day are recorded using all the paints, pens, brushes and stamps that often sit unused in my workroom.


Ok, so I play with my stuff while I keep track of my days.


The goal is to record daily highlights 5 times a week, and 1) use products that are unfamiliar, or 2) familiar materials in a new way.

So far? I'm keeping up. Maybe by the end of the year there would be an entire page good enough to share. But don't hold your breath.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

A year!

It has been a year. February 2, 2008, I posted my first entry. I had no idea then how much I would love blogging.

This blog started because I needed motivation to write. I was dragging my feet... (kind of like I'm doing now with my sewing) so I made the decision to use this public forum to make myself go forward.

There were other things that were going to fill this little part of the blogosphere today, but now... since I've discovered that this is the day... one year today.... let's just eat cake!

Does anyone have a candle?


Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Psalm 67:5