Sunday, October 31, 2010

Brilliant Sweet Surrender


Autumn's Surrender

"When life is hard and I grow weary,
when all I have known is slowly fading,
I will be as each leaf
and blade and tree.
I will leave that place willingly
 but not
with a dying gasp of grief or pain,
but with the brilliance of sweet surrender."

Karen

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Orange Challenge #4

Pumpkin Cheesecake (with a ginger snap crust)
I used gluten free ginger snaps so that
I can have it too!
Yummy!!!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pages in Time




Here are some of my latest scrapbook pages,
several of the photos were not the best,
but I wanted to keep them so I embellished
them as much as possible to distract from the
so-so image!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Lord is My Rock

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer...
For who is God, except the Lord?
and who is a rock, except my God...
The Lord lives!
Blessed be my rock!"
Psalm 18

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Sewing Little Bits at a Time


I have been sewing away to finish my
"Bits and Pieces" line for the
Artisan Fair.
I called it that because I tried to use up
lots of the bits and pieces from my fabric bin:)
So there is a variety of fabrics and sizes.
Now to move on to the
"Butternut Farm" line that
is cut out and ready to go!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Orange Challenge #3

I found this orange tape measure and silverware
caddy at a garage sale for $1.25
 So I glued the tape measure around the top and sides,
and now I have a cute thread caddy in my sewing room.
I also found this clever idea in a sewing magazine for
keeping your thread from getting tangled. Use
colored hair bands and wrap around the spool
when its not in use.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

What Does Country Living Mean to Me?


 1. It is watching the strawberry fields of last year become
the wheat fields today.


 2. Buying fresh produce from the corner farmstand
 on the honor system


 3. Rusted mailboxes all in a row and knowing
your neighbors by their first names.


 4. A big red barn way out past the town with the sheep dogs
who are bigger than the sheep!


5. Apples hanging so close to the road you can pick them
from your bicycle.


6. Watching the old man on the tractor who has been
milking cows on that same farm since he was 3.


7. Things changing more slowly than the rest of the world.


 8. Having space to just breathe.


 
9. Slowing down enough to hear bird song 
and watch the flowers listen too.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Fall Morning


"Each season of the year
is like opening up a brand new
box of crayons."

Friday, October 15, 2010

Tea for One

This may be a concept that some of you will
find strange, but if I want to have a
tea party, I can't walk into a cute tea shop
with friends and settle in for a lovely time.
That's because there are no tea shops that
are gluten-free!
So If I want to have an elegant and tasty
tea party I have to do it myself...
While I was at the beach alone
I enjoyed a very nice tea for one,
the conversation was somewhat one-sided:)
but there was no arguing at least!
I had scones, sandwiches, and "sweeties"
as the English say and many cups of
hot tea...
I felt very vintage in my dress, pearls, and shoes.
(Oh, and by the way, all the lovely dishes
I have are Goodwill finds:)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Orange Challenge #2

Here is my craft challenge for week 2 at last!
I can't seem to get anything done these days, and
hope I'll have some time soon to get all
the sewing done for the artisan fair in early Dec.
This romper and hat, size 2
will be for sale at the fair in my
"Bits and Pieces" collection!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Fall Scrappin

Here is the scrapbook I put
together at the recent Fall Scrap Retreat.
It is of my birthday back in May
and I really like how the vintage
style papers look on a black background.

The paper is "Thrift Shop" by October Afternoon.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Psalm 107 and a Trip to the Beach

"For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
which lifts up the waves of the sea...
He calms the storm ,
so that the waves are still."


Psalm 107:25 & 29

I enjoyed a wonderful few days @ the beach!
The first days were 70* sunny and no wind...
the next days were battering wind and rain!

I have loved these verses ever since I realized
what they said.
God SENDS the storm and CALMS the storm,
in our lives and in the sea.
There is nothing that is not in His hand
and He can be trusted to know
when we've reached the end of our
resources and need the storm to end.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Friday, October 1, 2010

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

Here is my dress design for the contest currently going on @
It is a wonderful website with modest yet stunning clothing
and definitely worth a look!

Brown Challenge #5







All of the pictures above are from my
picnic basket project.
I found an old basket, covered the inside with
fabric, made padded handles, painted
a blue caddy, brown, found
silverware, plates, thermos, tablecloth, etc.
at thrift stores and just in general redid the whole thing!