Thanksgiving & Christmas Table Runner!

Hi friends,

I was so excited to share this with you all...

Staying with the Thanksgiving/Christmas theme…. After viewing a lovely post on another blog I love to visit ~ SEE POST HERE ~ I decided to try my hand at creating this beautiful table top quilt! She did make it look so easy!  I had the idea of creating mine with fall-ish colors to be set out from October – the end of November…

This is how it turned out… unfinished as of yet because I had ANOTHER idea while creating the top for this piece. (Please excuse the community coffee on the right side of the table... oops)

 My OTHER idea was to make this table top quilt REVERSABLE!  I thought it would be neat to make the other side of it Christmas-y so that when it’s time to change the décor… all I have to do is flip the quilt to reveal the other side and I am finished!

I was playing with all sorts of ideas, not fully settled on any one, when my supervisor came into work one day and gave me a box full of scrap pieces of bridesmaids dress fabric… some were a deep red, and others were a silver… I knew exactly what I was going to use some of them for!

This is what I came up with for the other side…

Still, unfinished because I have yet to put the binding on it... and please forgive the low quality of these pictures, as I'm still having camera issues and these were taken with my phone : /  also, the chips and scores on this counter top.. it is very, very old indeed. 

I hand drew a shape that I thought looked close to a Christmas light... after creating 15 of each shiny fabric color (30 in total) I did a zig zag on the top of each one in the alternate color.  I then hand drew the "wire" with pencil to decide how I would like it, and then top stitched with a thick black thread. 

So I did a simple square quilting on it, and now all I have to do is place the binding.. I was thinking of something neutral... like a light tan, or off white.. and I will be finished.

  

I promised to choose someone from these ramblings to receive a beautiful Christmas ornament... so here is the question for this post...

Tell me what was your favorite hand made Holiday craft  ever... either made by you, or received as a gift.

Christmas Ramblings and GIVEAWAY!!

Hi friends,

Is anyone else out there excited about the upcoming holidays?!

In an attempt to draw you guys out of the woodwork here.. : )  I will be doing some Christmas and Thanksgiving Ramblings over the next couple of weeks…

I have a beautiful Christmas Ornament that I will give away to one very blessed individual who posts a comment on any of these rambles! (The pictures will be posted at a later time due to me not being able to find my charger camera difficulties)

I have not really been one to decorate for the holidays in the past years… I mean, yes we would put up a tree, but besides that it’s just too much work! Whew… as soon as you get all the decorations up and how you want them it’s time to pull them all down and put up the decor for the next season or holiday.

My mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are a different story!  They can take any few scraps of ribbon, an old vase, and some string and make it look like something straight out of a home interior magazine! I think they were all just born with this talent!

I think the main reason why I never decorated, was because I had a lack of storage space to put the items once the season was over with… you can only leave a tree up for so long.  (Actually, I have another sister-in-law who leaves hers up all year round, and decorates the tree to correspond with the seasons or holidays… sometimes it’s a 4^th of July tree, or a Valentine tree…etc.)

Now that we are in our new home, with a LARGE attic!!!  : )  I can store things out of sight once they are no longer in use.  A couple of Christmas’ ago, my mother-in-law made me a garland with Christmas bulbs and poinsettias to place over the large entrance from my living room to the hallway. She also made me a table setting piece with a flame-less candle in the center of a decorated wreath… I will have to take pictures to show you guys!!!  It came out beautiful!

I have a few other pieces that were handed to me here and there by my husband’s very talented sisters… and now when me and the kids decorate for Christmas, my living and dining room areas are transformed into a beautiful scene of dim flashing lights, greenery and shiny Christmas bulbs.

My husband LOVES the dark blue Christmas lights.  He told me once that they draw him in, like a moth to light. Lol… so needless to say, I usually use blue lights on my tree each year, just for him.  I decorate with a mixture of silver and blue bulbs and a sprinkle of handmade ornaments the kids create at school or church each year. We also have a couple of pieces the kids have seen over the years and just HAD to HAVE for the tree.  I’m thinking about maybe putting some light brown on the tree this Christmas season… I think it would look nice against the blue.

I have my favorite few decorating pieces though… you know.. the ones you can’t wait to pull out and put up when it comes to that time of the year… don’t tell me you don’t have those sacred few pieces you just love to stare at when they are in view.  Maybe it’s pieces that were made for you… maybe it’s a piece that was handed down and has sentimental value… maybe a piece that you spotted in a store and you just couldn’t resist purchasing for yourself!

So… my question… what is your absolute FAVORITE decorating pieces for the holidays? The ones you would not part with for anything in the world!

On side notes… my son is going to be turning 10 next week!  So next weekend we will have a bonfire party for him and a handful of friends!  I am open to any ideas you might have for that… we already have hot dog and marshmallow roasting down.

We have such a packed weekend coming up!  We have a Football wedding this Friday afternoon 11-11-11, all of my children and my hubby are standing in it.  My girls are all cheerleaders, my son is a football player, and my husband is a referee! We have a birthday party Saturday from 3-6, and a family gathering over Gumbo Saturday afternoon from 6-till! Sunday I have some shopping to do with a niece-in-law for her upcoming wedding in March (of which I am the Matron of Honor) we will be looking for a Jr. Brides dress for my little baby girl who will also be standing in the wedding.

I think after this weekend, I will need a break!

Book Review - A Womans Guide to Fasting!

Lisa Nelson did an excellent job… all I can say is that her book was an answer sent straight from God Himself.

I don’t see anything in this book that really pegs it down to women only though… I truly believe that both men and women could benefit greatly from reading it.

I love, love, love how Lisa goes deeper into the spiritual side of fasting. Her insight and experiences on the topic opened my eyes to another side of fasting that I had never realized before.

She guides you through different types of fasts… the right and wrong ways to fast and when to fast. She guides you through preparation in the days leading up to the fast, through the fast itself, and the breaking of… and days preceding the fast.  I do not believe there was anything that she left out of this book.

I didn’t realize that there were different types of fasting. I grew up thinking a fast was water… no food… period, for a set amount of time or days.  It was very helpful to learn of other types of fasting, and to realize just how do-able these fasts were to be.

Rich with scriptures, I found it very helpful to follow along with her insights with my own bible.

I said earlier that this book was an answer sent straight from God…. I said this because whilst in prayer for about a month now, I could feel Him guiding me to a fast. My response was that I didn’t know how to fast… the very… and I mean very next day I was given the opportunity to review one of a few available books from a Christian Book Publishing Company (Bethany House)  One of the books available was A Womans Guide to Fasting… it’s amazing how God sends his answers, and how fast he works.

There is no doubting what He is calling me to do… and now, with my new found knowledge of fasting thanks to this book… I no longer have any excuses not to.

You can read the first few pages of this informative book HERE

Also, I need to inform you that I received a copy of this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review… which I have given.

Christmas Gift Ideas & Ramblings! :)

Hi Friends,

I know things have been a little slow for a while… I’m sorry for that. I put my shop in “vacation mode” for an undetermined amount of time.  I decided it would be best if I freed up some time to spend with my family and friends.  There were also lots of gifts I had wanted to create for family and friends lately that I had no time to complete due to other projects or orders going on… the stress of that, on top of the health issues, just became a little too much.

I have one thing to tell you, and one thing to ASK you guys today… please bear with me for a moment : )

Actually, I believe everything happens for a reason. About 7 years ago now, I felt a clear calling from God to start a pre-teen girls ministry at a church I was attending. Unfortunately, the church at that time was not able to allow me to start it… but the calling was strong, and clear.  We began attending a new church almost 2 years ago now, a church that already had a girls ministry established, into groups from pre-school – Jr. High.  To make a long story short, I was told in passing that they were looking for someone to take on the responsibility of leading the Jr. High – Pre-teen girls ministry.  I was so excited! I didn’t say anything at that time though. I went home, pondered and prayed about it first.  When I went back to church the following week I told the coordinator that I was interested.  Well, everyone who needed to, approved me, including the preacher… and now I am the new Jr. High girls ministry leader!!! 

God put this calling in my heart 7 years ago, and when I tried on my own.. I hit every dead end I could find.  In His timing… everything just falls together perfectly. I don’t think I would have been able to offer my services if I had not already put my shop to the side… I am grateful that I did.

Now, for my question to you all..

With Christmas fast approaching, and budgets being reeeeaaaallllly tight, I wanted to hear from you crafty ladies and find out what your absolutely favorite handmade Christmas gift is? This can be gifts for women, men, children or babies… we all know that we have at least one of each of those on our “To buy for” lists.

I am going to compile a few of the handmade gifts I have given, or at least variations of the ones I have made throughout the years.  I hope you enjoy browsing through them, and maybe receive some ideas for your own Christmas list! 

I am SO looking forward to reading your responses!!!

The first one on my list would be the:

Cake in a Cup... or Cup Cake lol..

I have made these in numerous different combinations!

My youngest brother likes to take bite sized candy bars such as Reese or Snickers and break them up into the cup before "cooking" in the microwave... they come out very very good!

As a gift:

Cooked

You can find the directions here: 

Movie Night Gift Basket!

I have put together a movie night gift basket for our godson and goddaughter. I filled the baskets with the following:

• Old classic movie (5.00 at walmart)
• Popcorn packets
• Hot cocoa packets
• Cute cups for the cocoa
• Movie box candies (1.00 at walmart)
• Slippers

The kids loved them, and had a blast using them!

Of Course.... I have made the items that I sold in my shop as gifts

Hair Wraps for the women and girls

Hooded bath towels for the young'uns

Name pillows

I thank you all in advance for your gift ideas! I can't wait to read them!!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy crafting!

Book Review - As Silver Refined

Hi Everyone... today I am going to post a review about a book titled, As Silver Refined.

Incredibly written… the author shows us how all of life’s disappointments are for a reason. We will all go through times in our lives where things are not going the way we want it to.  Relationships will be shaken, or end. Financially we will struggle at least at some point.  The real question is… how will you perceive these times in your life? Will you wallow in your disappointments, or will you see them for what they really are?  Attacks from the enemy!

Kay Arthur writes about spiritual warfare, a topic I have never really read about before. I have to say that my eyes were opened to a whole new way of perceiving life’s downfalls. I love the way she makes us aware of how our God uses each and every situation, struggle, and disappointment to refine us.  Like a smelter… we are refined like silver, until he is able to see his own image in us. How amazing is that vision?!

Kay digs down into what she calls the deadly D’s.

• -       Disappointment
• -       Discouragement
• -       Dejection
• -       Despair
• -       Demoralization

I love that she also includes at the end of her book a 13 week bible study guide!  All throughout the book, Kay uses steadfast biblical principles and lots of scripture passages to get her points across.

I will have to admit, that I found this book a little slow for my personal taste, but I cannot speak for everyone. I found that I was, at times, having a hard time making myself push on to finish reading it. Once I got to the end though, I would have to say that it was worth it.

You can read a sample from her book here -AMAZON.COM

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who has gone through hardships, or who is having trouble understanding and questioning why our God would allow us to go through such painful things. 

I actually have two or three people in mind right off hand who I think I will be passing this book along to.

I have not yet finished the 13 week study guide, but I can’t wait to dive into this subject matter at a deeper level, which I am sure Kay Arthur does… whenever I need reminding that even though things may get “heated” in my life… God is right there, watching, waiting, refining.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. However, my review of this book is my own, and I was free to review positively or negatively as I seen fit.