Busy as a Bee!

 I had this post up once and lost it while editing. OOPS. Sorry.

I have been busy , busy, busy  making pallet trees and I am enjoying making them.

My friend Marian over at Vintage Barn Market has been selling them in her store
for me and they are selling fast. She is a sweetheart!  If you have never visited her
 you MUST. Just click here to visit her facebook page. She has amazing talent
 and she is a dear friend!

{She took the first and last photos in this post of my signs in her booth}

The hubs and I also tried our hand at making a star and pretty much love how it turned out.
We have some tweaking to do, but overall it is a winner.

What have you been busy making? I would love to hear about it.

Blessings~

Our Independence Day!

I rarely do color in my house, but it just seemed appropriate for the upcoming
holiday. This is a vignette that I put together for our back porch entrance
into the house. I had another one made before this one with buttons strewn
about etc. but it looked too "busy" to me so I started over and am pleased
 how this turned out.

{just noticed the banner is a little wonky off to the left. It was "hung up"
on the string , but it is okay now. YOU just can't tell it! HA!}

{ I printed out my free USA banner here }

I added this vintage American Singer book that I picked up at a thrift store a year or two ago.

Don't you just love this print? I found it online also.

{ I printed it here }

Loving my white fabric with white stars...you know ME and white!

One nation UNDER GOD indivisible with liberty and justice for all!

{ I set the time to 4 o'clock in honor of the "4th" }

I have also had these vintage red, white and blue buttons for quite some time.
Very appropriate here don't you agree?

It would be nice if this candle had a "4" on it, but it didn't. And so it goes...:)

I pray that you all have a wonderful time celebrating our Independence Day
this year. What a great moment in history!

I love AMERICA and I am
 PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

Star light...star bright...

...first star I see tonight...
 

...I wish I may...I wish I might...

...have the wish I wish tonight.

wishing love, laughter and warm fuzzies for each one of you.

It is colddddddd here in Michigan and kinda icky out there so no better time
than the present to make some cranberry stars.

I ran across these vintage star molds the other day while digging in a drawer
and I decided I was going to try out what I intended to do a long time ago.
I had a bag of cranberries left over {don't know what they were left over from ,
but we will call them leftover. lol. } in my refrigerator so no time like the present.

 I want to do this for the holidays next year. I would add greenery at the top
of them where the twine hanger fastens on. You could also do this for Valentines
Day, but use heart molds! How fun would that be?? There is only one thing you
really need  to make these and that is COLD WEATHER...FREEZING weather!
ha! You can't do this where it is warm all year round. I guess there are some
perks to freezing half the winter after all. :)

All in the eye of the beholder...

I have been as busy as a little beaver these past few weeks because I signed up to be in
a holiday bazaar that will be held in a couple weeks. I wonder if I will get the response I am hoping
 for with my handmade treasures. I hope so. :)

I realize it is *all in the eye of the beholder* , but I am tired of going to shows that are full
of country style items that have been around since the 1980's.  I certainly don't fault anyone for
 having different tastes than I do, but it will be interesting to see how this goes. It may be my
first and my last show. :)

I lay in bed at night and my mind just spins with ideas.  A couple nights ago I remembered
that I had some star boxes, so yesterday I set to creating these two. I thought they turned
out very pretty and sparkly. They would be lovely to hold a very special gift or even to
put treats in for that special someone.

I am also creating a few stockings out of vintage feed sack fabric with ruffles on the
top of them.

This feed sack was already hemmed on the sides so that was a plus.

I always have to make a few altered bottles so this time I made a few simple ones with angels
and feathers.

I added a scripture verse or a quote about angels and I thought they turned out
absolutely angelic.

I have created nests, all kinds of tags, angel wings and candles also, but I didn't get
photos of them all yet so hopefully I can do that soon.  Wish me luck please! :)

Oh my stars!! {tutorial}

We had a whirlwind time since  Wednesday and I am ready for a long winters nap. lol. I packed up the car {back seat and trunk stuffed full} and when hubby got home from work we left for our oldest son's home in Indiana. We spent three nights and came home yesterday. We celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas with our kids and had a wonderful time. My parents even made the 2 hour drive and we loved having them there. It is the first time they have seen our son's new home as well.

For two years we have given our children and their spouses money for part of their gift. Last year it was a treasure hunt of sorts and this year I folded bills into stars. It was so fun and they seemed to be very impressed with them. Much more fun than just sticking money in a card. Click here for the link in case you want to try your hand at making them. I thought the directions were great and easy to figure out. They all asked me how long it took to fold them and it really didn't take long at all. Once you get a couple made and get the hang of it, it goes pretty fast.

Each side looks different and it was fun to do.


Another thing I did for them was to get small totes and fill them with all their leftover baby items that I had stored in a chest upstairs. Baby books, clothes, blankets, photos etc. I  think our daughter-in-laws loved them just as much as our children did. Our youngest sons wife was amazed at how clean they were and she loved every detail. Don't know if it really impressed my son-in-law or not. LOL!!
My daughter sent me an email today telling me that she just went through her whole tote today at home, looked over each and every item and read every single card etc. Hers included a baby blanket that I had made for her out of squares of fabric and her dedication dress and slip that my mom had made her shortly after she was born.  Both of my boys included adorable teeny tiny outfits that had lace trim. My sister had purchased them at a childrens boutique and of course they had something to say about the lace. You actually put these on us mother??{ hee hee} I said yes and you were adorable!   All these goodies are from 27-32 years old and it was fun to see their reactions when they were opened. I am bummed that I did not take photos of their totes with the lids off for you all to see, but I didn't even think about it. Can you believe that??


We also took a large tote of items purchased throughout the year on clearance or sale. I spread it all out on the table and had a fun time of drawing names, numbers etc. and watching them pick out goodies to keep.  All in all it was a very fun weekend, but I am taking a long rest now!

A little more Christmas...

We went to another Christmas program last night that

sweet gd Annika was in. Thankfully this time she did not

stick out her tongue. lol. We stopped by their house

afterwards and spent some time our son and his family.

I threatened to hide that adorable little baby in my

leather briefcase and bring her on home with me,

but I would not have made it past the front door. lol.

A little candle glow to start out your week

I made these star ornaments last year and I still

love them. I embellished them with clear glass glitter

and they just sparkle and shine.

I found all three of these candleholders at the Goodwill last week. I love most anything mercury glass style so it didn't take me long to scoop up these two. {50 cents each and they are quite large}

Glittery wreath ornies that I found at Kohls.

This basket hangs on the inside of my kitchen door.

A glimpse of my bedroom...

Just perfect for *dreaming*.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. You do realize

that Christmas is Saturday right?? :) My how the time has

flown once again this year. I just can't figure out where it went!

Blessings~

Just for you ~

It's Christmas night.

"for a few precious hours He is beheld. Christ the Lord. Those

who pass the year without seeing Him , suddenly see Him.

Emmanuel. God is with us: He came near...

...the one who came that Christmas morning s0 long ago

still comes. He comes every time a seeker turns his face

heavenward and says, "Yes!" to the Savior.

A Savior sent by God who "so loved the world , that He

gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should

not perish, but have eternal life"{John 3:16}

You can read *the rest of the story* by clicking

here...it is by Max Lucado and so worth the read.

blessings ~

Christmas Past ~

Oh, the charming photos from Christmas past...

When we were young most of us probably wished

that they didn't exist, but now that we are

older and wiser

we cherish them...as we should ~

My sister on the left and yours truly on the right

{didn't know it back then, but mom was stylin' with

shabby aqua colors...lol}

I have that star topper on my tree today~

This photo says it all... my mom loved to curl our hair! {and...I still have this red dress. how special is that } Isn't this one a winner?? yep...me sitting down. What I would give to have that adorable little pink table now!

Definitely precious memories of growing up and knowing every day that I was so loved. I thank God daily for that assurance that every child deserves and needs. There was never a doubt and we never had to wonder. My sister, brother and I were very loved.

Thank you so much mom and dad from the bottom of my heart! Blessings~