playing with paper...

It seems that I've been spending alot of time lately in the garden and redecorating in my little cottage...
 I
lately I've had the itch to thumb through the treasures and trinkets in my paper stash and play around some...

I forgot how much enjoyment I get out of creating beautiful cards and tags...

There certainly is no shortage of inspiration out there...

Card Patterns Sketch 63...

I found it here with Melissa Phillips at Lilybean's Paperie...I love yellow in decorating but don't usually use for cards...I really do love it's sunny disposition...

and more inspiration here with my dear friend Heather at Simply Handmade...she's hosting this week over at City Crafter Challenge Blog...

There is something about all the pretty paper and my treasure chest of trinkets and buttons and pearls and punches that calls me back time and again...

That's it for now...

Hope you enjoyed your visit...

Blessings,

Patty

I'm linked up to My Cottage Charm...

Card Patterns Sketch 63...

City Crafter Challenge Blog...

tag tuesday...

strawberries...

I stopped by my local Goodwill last week looking for a vintagey looking glass for an arrangement I had in mind.  I found just what I was looking for and so much more...

These adorable strawberry soup mugs were .99 cents each...

They match the strawberry dessert plates I found a couple of years ago perfectly.  The little flower watering can is from Michaels.

I also found an orange juice pitcher and six orange juice glasses and yellow creamer in the perfect shade.   Sometimes you just get lucky...  ; )

Blessings,

Patty

I'm linked up to Tablescape Thursdays at Between Naps on the Porch and Treasures and Trinkets at My Cottage Charm...

a peek at the porch...

I've been getting the front porch ready for sitting and sipping...

I'm not ready to show it all to you yet, but I couldn't resist showing this cute little flag that I made to coordinate with the new pillows and seat cushions I made for the rockers.

I wanted to make a personalized flag as a gift for a special person.  I remembered using this printable fabric for other projects and I knew it would work perfectly for what I had in mind.  I haven't given the gift yet so I will share that one later but for mine, I printed the Lemon Avenue greeting on the transfer fabric and did strip piecing around it in they same fabrics that I used for the cushions.  It's totally machine washable and didn't cost me anything to make since I had everything in my fabric and lace stash at home, so I have no problem hanging it outside.  If it gets dirty I can wash it and once it fades, I'll be ready to replace it anyway. 

The best part is that it only took an evening to put together...

I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures of my porch and container plantings.  Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Patty

I'm linked up to Treasures and Trinkets over at My Cottage Charm...go and check it out, she has a fantastic giveaway going on, too.

vintage bowl...

I think I'm actually happy this week has come to a close…

I’ve found myself dragging a bit, don’t particularly know why.  Must be post something or other…

I’m off work tomorrow and I have the whole day to play in the dirt and nothing perks me up quite like weed free flower beds with nice fresh compost…big sigh…

I am weird, aren’t I?

I’ve wanted to share these next photos with you for a couple of weeks…

My sister in law Shelly is the best thrift store shopper I know. She noticed the stemware and juice pitcher I scored at Goodwill last month and happened on this beautiful, vintage bowl in exactly the same pattern.  It is the perfect size candy dish for my hutch and I look forward to filling it up often.

Notice what a perfect match it is with the glassware in my new shelf display…

If that weren’t enough she made me the most scrumptious cupcakes for my birthday and brought them over to me in this…

Adorable, huh?

I am one blessed girl...

Looking forward to the weekend,

Patty

I've linked up to My Cottage Charm, Treasures and Trinkets...

seeds of hospitality...

I learned from a dear friend about the blessing of tea as a ministry…

the idea is to host a tea for someone who has been through a difficult season in life…

invite their support system of girlfriends and family…

and honor both the giver’s of love and the receiver of love…
not only does the guest of honor and her struggle get acknowledged…
but it allows her to say thank you to those who encouraged and supported her…

 

 

I have hosted a few of these events and they are among my most cherished memories.

it doesn’t take much…

just a few mismatched teacups and sandwiches…

a simple dessert…

and an open and welcoming home.

there is nothing like being the humble, earthen vessel of God’s blessings.

Honored to be used by Him,

Patty

"Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."  Romans 12:13

Linked up to...treasures and trinkets and tablescape thursday...

sidetracked again...

Have you ever started one project only to be sidetracked midway?

...dumb question. 

I started out my cottage redo with my kitchen and on the way noticed how sad my bedroom looked.  It looks exactly how it did when we moved in two years ago except the red burlap curtains came down and I've moved the bed twice.

I found this great bedspread on clearance at Marshall's...

 I love the green and white as a starting point...

My mom reminded my of this fabric I bought to make a quilt a couple of years ago (oh yeah, never made the quilt because I got sidetracked) ...

 

So I started with a simple valance...

 

I think it perked it up a little bit...

then last night I made this little table topper...

now it's starting to come together...

looks like Bear approves.

I have the pillows cut out and I hope to have enough fabric for a small lap quilt...

I'll show you when I'm done...unless I get sidetracked.

Blessings,

Patty

I've linked up to Treasures and Trinkets at My Cottage Charm.

paper transformations...

It's Thursday and that means it's time for Treasures and Trinkets over at  My Cottage Charm.  I can't believe we flew through March already...where does time go?

I have two super simple transformations to share that will end up in my new cottage kitchen very soon.

    

Do you remember when I shared this from my Goodwill shopping excursion a couple of weeks ago?  I knew the size and soft green color were perfect but the "friends" sentiment would limit what I wanted to use it for.  I went through my stash of designer paper and found this Girl Friday paper by cosmo cricket and simply cut strips to place over the sentiment, being careful to leave some of the green exposed.  I inked and sanded all the edges to give it a more worn look.  The addition of a paper flower was all it needed and wa..la...perfect for what I have in mind.  (That's my dog bear in my garden last year as a temporary place holder.)

For my second super simple project...I was in need of a kitchen towel bar beside our sink but the space on the cabinet is kind of akward and an actual bar would be too long...so I found this peg hook in the garage that I must have bought for some other project long ago...

A coat of celery spray paint and the addition of some paper piecing of the same Girl Friday paper and I now have the perfect size towel holder.

I can't wait to show you what they look like in their proper place...

I should have a little time to play today so hopefully they'll be up and ready to show you soon.

Go over and take a look at the other transformations...I'm sure you'll find something to inspire you.

Blessings,

Patty

mama's hands...

It’s Treasures and Trinkets Thursday again over at My Cottage Charm. I am so excited to share with you one of my most favorite treasures from my mom. I know I’ve said it before but I have been blessed with the most incredible mother. It’s hard to believe there was ever a time I thought she just didn’t “get me”…insert eyes rolling back in my head here…then I grew up and realized what a treasure she is. Any creative talent I have can be attributed to her. (Yes, I know God is the giver of all good and precious gifts, and I am thankful he gave me her genes!) No offense to my dad…he has his own wonderful qualities, but I still remember the “rabbit” he drew me when I was about ten...lol…

My mom made this quilt for my husband and my 25th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago. I just love the colors and the fabrics but the treasure is in the hands that lovingly stitched it together. These are the same hands that continue to care for my father, their five children, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

They say the hands show age like no other part of us…I say the hands show love like no other part of us. When I look down at my own hands…I am beginning to see the hands of my mother…I just pray that my children and grandchildren see them through eyes of love…just as I see hers.

Blessings,

Patty

treasures... (D)

As you know, this year I am using Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest for my devotional.  It is such a deep, rich book of treasures and if I am not completely still when I sit down with it I definitely miss out on the jewel for the day.  Today he had us in Acts 26:19, "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision"...Chambers says, "If we lose sight of the vision, we alone are responsible, and the way we lose the vision is by spiritual leakage.  If we do not run our belief about God into practical issues, it is all up with the vision God has given....The test is the sixty seconds of every minute, and the sixty minutes of every hour, not our times of prayer and devotional meetings."

This is both a relief and a call to action...Sometimes our season of life does not allow us an hour of devotions and to serve on committees and we feel guilty that we are missing the vision.  What he's saying, is that it is not about that...it's about not letting life get so busy that we lose sight of living the walk in our everyday actions and interactions...we lose sight of our minutes...our hours...our days and even our years.  This call to action should be a way of life, not an appearance of holiness because of how much time we spend doing "churchy things."  It is not that doing things as a labor of love for our church is bad...it's just that we can lose sight of the vision when our focus is on the program and not the purpose.

This can happen in other areas of our life as well...have you ever stopped for a minute and realized you've lost sight of you?   Life has kind of crowded out the part of you that appreciates the treasures God has given you to love here on earth.  I'm not only talking about those people we love...but the things we love to do or the beauty and joy we find in the treasures we have.

Every Thursday my friend Melissa at My Cottage Charm celebrates Treasures and Trinkets.  It's a time to share something that we've made or love that has a special meaning to us.  At first I struggled because I have kind of lost track of that part of me in the busyiness of life...but once I reflected, the floodgates opened and now I can think of a hundred things to share.   Don't worry I know this post is already way too long so I will only share one today...

This beautiful Chintz tea set was given to me by my husband a few Valentine Day's ago.  It was something I'd seen on one of our outings and mentioned in passing how muched I loved it, but it was defintely not in our budget.  When he gave it to me I was honestly blown away.  Not just by the beauty and extravagance of the gift but by his thoughtfulness to go back and buy it for me. 

 

I am ashamed to say that it has been placed in a cupboard for safe keeping... but not for long...I will definitely find a special place where it can be shared and cherished in Lemon Ave. cottage.

You are treasured,

Patty