Faith Forward

I have been playing around with Illustrator and came up with this the other day.
Please feel free to download and share.
If you would like it in a different color just let me know :)
Have a great day!

Faith Forward 5x7

Be Our Guest

A long time ago, I decided to redo the guest room... a very tiny room, but a room I could see chock full of cute.   I've worked on a few things, but hit a bit snag when I moved my daughter in there so I could start on redoing her room.  (Yes, starting a new project without finishing the first one :).
I've been working on a quilt for a while using mainly Ruby from Bonnie & Camille and Redwork Renaissance (both from Moda Fabrics).  I love using precuts - they are a cheaper way to get a variety of fabric for a good price.
I starting cutting up my charm packs and sewing then back together.

I decided on straight line quilting and used a sheet I found at Goodwill (in Baton Rouge... thanks Tifani :)) for the backing.  I love to use sheets if I decide not to use a pieced back.

I still need to bind it.

My daughter was my photo assistant... see how excited she was? ;)

Flowers

I was out in the front yard and took some photos of the flowers...
I am always amazed at how beautiful they are.  No matter how hard I worked, I couldn't create something so amazing.  Hope you are enjoying your summer :)

Thank you

I just wanted to express my gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much for me and for all of us.

I woke up this morning, heard the birds singing and saw the sun shining and thought of all the men and women who made it possible for me to have freedom.  I am so very grateful.

Let freedom ring!

I've been wating for Spring... patiently!!!

Yea!  I think it's finally arrived :)

catching beautiful

Just thought I would let you know that I have decided to have a separate blog dedicated to the photography class I am taking this semester.

You can keep up with my progress here:

catching beautiful

I may post some things over there and here too, but some will just be over there.

I hope to post here tomorrow :)

Practice makes (maybe one day) perfect and other random thoughts

Christmas brought a gift I've wished for quite some time.

A new camera.

Which has brought lots of reading about photography - 
and signing up for a digital photography class at the local community college.  
I can't wait!  

I've been reading different blogs with tips about photography... and aperture, and shutter speed and light and other things I really have no clue about.  

Years ago I saved up my pennies and bought a 35mm film camera hoping to take spectacular, breath taking photos.  Can't remember any that took away my breath, but lots of nice memories were preserved.  I think deep down I have always had that desire, so here's hoping.

I've been playing around a bit - reinforcing my knowledge that I have a lot to learn :).

Let's call these some "before" pictures...

 We got a leetle bit of snow.

 These usually sit on my kitchen windowsill.

 I love this little man... so cute!  My daughter and I found him on one of our annual Christmas ornament shopping trips.

 Have I ever told you I love pineapples?  They are a symbol of hospitality (we give our neighbors a pineapple each year for Christmas... a real one, not a ceramic one ;)

 Caught relaxing after a long day at church...

 And then I got caught...

I can't wait to share what I learn.  See ya soon :)

It's a keeper...

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  I loved being with family... and we dodged the BIG snow :) (unhappy face from my kids).

I have been working on some of this and some of that...   

I found this soooo cute tutorial for a coin purse at where the orchids grow blog...

It is for an adorable coin purse using hexagons.  I made one for my Mom for Christmas (did I take a picture??  of course not - I forgot).

But, I decided to make myself one - more simple... no hexagons, just fabric I love.  I still am trying to follow/figure out her tutorial for the assembly.  I know this sounds weird, but I would rather make up my own pattern than try to follow one.  I feel like I am trying to bend my brain in half.

This is what I made:

I still want to work out some kinks, and then maybe a tutorial...

I hope you are enjoying your holidays :)  Talk with you soon :)

Work in progress...

A tisket, a tasket, here is my simple Christmas basket.

A change of season calls for a change to the front door...  
I think of the front door as the lipstick for the house :)

I've always loved old, cool baskets

but they have always been a bit LOT too much for my budget... 

so I found this one at a local shop 

( I am SO sad to say they are no longer in business :( - boo!).

I paid $12.95 for it earlier this year.  

If you found a simple basket you liked that didn't have a handle, you could add one - my handle (came with the basket) 
is just some jute rope tied onto silver rings.  
I tacked a small nail into the door to hang it.

Usually I have flowers filling the basket in the spring 
and leaves in the fall, but 
it was time for a Christmas transformation, 
so this is what I came up with...

I had some garland from years past that I cut into a strip as long as the front of the basket (about 8 inches) using the cutting part of needle nose pliers.  

Looks like some creepy mutated spider!  EEK!

 

Fluff up your garland and put it over the front of your basket... some of the pine tips going to the front of the basket and some to the back.  This will help keep it in place.

Do this again for the back of the basket.

It's starting to look like Christmas already!!!

Well, maybe not just quite yet ;)

I headed to Joann's and found some sparklies I liked - at a great price of course.  Each one was $1.99 and then 50 or 60% off (I can't remember which it was).

Here is one before I cut the stem shorter, but after I bent the stem :)

(with the needle nose pliers again).

I bought four of these stems for a whopping $4ish dollars.

Then you just stick them in the basket...

One

Two and three

Four

For the finishing touch...

I found this cute pick from Neiman Marcus...

ha ha ha!  Just kidding - 
from Dollar Tree - yep one buck for this cute baby - clip and all!

 

I wanted to add a bit more fullness to the greenery part, so I found a 'bare' place between the pine tips, took the trusty needle nose pliers and cut the wire.

   

 I then tucked a few extra of these clippings into the greenery until it felt 'right'.  So I spent about $5.00 plus tax for this right now.  If you add the basket and garland (depending a lot on the garland... there are so many different garlands from super cheap to really pricey.  We'll say $6 for the garland and $13 for the basket - still under $30.  Not too bad if the basket is used year round :).

So at long last...Ta Da.... (wow, I am really impressed that you are still reading this!)

Hope this inspires you to put some lipstick on your door :)

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!