Pink Paper Peppermints ♥ Life is Sweet ♥

crochet makes me happy -- this week's crochet square -- peach rose

 

So this week I worked on the Peach Rose square from Jan Eaton's Book, "200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets Throws and Afghans" * (last week was the chocolate box)  and I really like the lacy feel of it.

So far the chocolate box is my favorite though.

I have to tell you that giving myself the assignment of one block a week has been so fun.  I actually *make* myself sit down and take the time to crochet and it's nice. :)

I have already started on next weeks' block, a pretty, puffy popcorn stitch flower..in pink!

Can't wait to show you!

 

What are you working on this week?

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

 

*P.S. I'm experimenting with the amazon associate program so the link to Jan's book is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on it and buy it (which you *totally* should cause it's wonderful) I will get a little blessing in my amazon account.  I see this as a win-win. You get an awesome book, highly recommended by a friend, and said friend (me) gets to buy more goodies to recommend to you without ruining her budget and making her hubby sad.

See?  win-win.

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"She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing." -Proverbs 31:13 (msg)

Time for a Re-design!

Things are going to look wonky here for a little while because I'm putting up my new design! Yay!  So bear with me and hopefully it will be done soon. :)

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders!"  -Psalm 40:1

life is good

I only have a minute so some random bullet points:

- We sold our house!  Yippee! 

bye-bye little house

- We are in a rent house in our new town. Some "getting used to" to do, but I'll be ok.

- House hunting, car shopping, birthdays and graduations, senior prom, end of the school year and lots more has kept me away from the computer (we have a *wonderful* new homeschool group!).

 
Little-O's birthday cake.                  Teen-O's Senior (homeschool) Prom

- Embroidery patterns will be coming now that things are beginning to settle down.

Sneek peek at the somewhat tardy March pattern (could we call it fashionably late?)

 

- I got an iPhone!  It is amazing! 

 
  i {heart} my iPhone.

- If you have one, do you know about instagram?  This is my new love.  As soon as I can figure out how I will put the stream of my instagram photos in the sidebar. (I am @onehappysahm there, come find me!)

my new (temporary) patio.  hubby put up garden string lights for me *swoon*.

-Martha Stewart is wearing a tiger striped shirt, tied at the waist today.  I find this disturbing.

no.

- I am working on a new version of the blog....maybe up by the end of summer?

- I have missed you!

 

One more of week of busyness and then I will be back to posting regularly.

Thank you for all the sweet emails!

♥ Melissa~

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"Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!" -Psalm 51:12

My notebook, My quote book, My look-what-I-wrote-book - Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

I found this spiral notebook at Hallmark one year and have always loved it. (I heart the Cat in the Hat!) It gave me the idea to create a little mini book with a Seuss-ish theme.

I started by sketching out a template reminiscent of a certain cat's hat .

Then I just cut the template apart creating a paper-piecing pattern (tutorial & pattern below).

Next I glued everything together and attached it to a folded mini-book.

I think this would be really fun to use in a lapbook for homeschoolers, for journaling or a tag for scrapbookers or even a little book in which to collect favorite Dr. Seuss or other quotes. 

Since Dr. Seuss's birthday is this month, I thought I'd share this tutorial from my ezine a few years ago.

 

What you'll need to get started:

-Hat Pattern (download here- you'll need Adobe Reader - available for free here)
-Red & White construction paper or cardstock
-20 lb copy paper (if making a mini book)
-Black or gray chalk and cotton balls (optional-to add dimension)
-Adhesive
-Pencil
-Scissors

 

Step One

The first thing you’ll want to do is print the pattern and cut it out.

Fig.1

 

Step Two

The next step will be to trace the pattern on white cardstock in order to create a “base” for your design.

Fig. 2

Cut this out and leave it blank as in Fig 2. We’ll be cutting the pattern apart so we want to have backdrop to simplify putting it back together.

 

Step Three

Now we’ll cut apart the template to create six separate pieces (as shown in Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

 

Be sure to number each piece (as shown in Fig. 3a).

Fig. 3a

This makes it much easier to put the pieces back together, especially if you get interrupted while you’re working (but what are the chances of that happening, right? heh-heh).

 

Step Four

Now we’re ready to start creating our pattern pieces.

Using red & white cardstock trace three alternating pieces on white cardstock and three on red cardstock.

Fig 4

Flip the pieces over backwards to trace (Fig. 4) so that when you’refinished cutting them out, the pencil lines will be on the back, and you won’t have to erase!

Again, be sure to number the pieces so that you’re able to easily realign them.

When you’re finished cutting out all of the pieces you should have something similar to fig. 5 below.

 
Fig. 5

 

Step Five

Next cover the backs of your pieces with the adhesive of your choice and attach them to the base you created in step 2 (Fig 5a).

Fig 5a

 

Step Six

Make a Top-fold Card or Tag

To make a card, folded tag or journaling flap simply fold a piece of cardstock in half and lay your design on the paper with the fold at the top (Fig 6).

Fig. 6

Trace and cut out being sure not to cut the fold and attach your hat to the front.

Fig. 6a

Fig. 6b

Make a Mini-Book

To create a mini-book, fold several sheets of 20 lb copy paper in half (depending on how many pages you’d like your book to have) and trace your pattern on the side fold.(as in Fig. 7).

 
Fig. 7

Cut out your book and attach the hat design to the front. (as in Figs. 7a & 7b)

Fig. 7a

Fig. 7b

 

Step Seven

As a finishing touch you can add depth to your project by rubbing a cotton ball in a little black or gray chalk and running it lightly around the edges of your hat.

Fig. 8

You're finished!

 

Hope you have fun and make some of these this month!  (If you do let me know, I want to see!)

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

PS  Thank you all so much for all your comments and emails about my slideshow woes. It was so encouraging and I could *feel* your prayers.  I was able to finish the slideshow that day with minimal tears and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Love you all!
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"So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

Free Embroidery Pattern Series-February "12 Things God Wants You to Remember"

 

   

 The February pattern is ready! And it's still February! Yay!

This one is a little love note from God.  I wanted it to look like He carved us a note in a tree of luuuve. :) 

 

(Although if He had I think His handwriting would be way better than mine, but that's ok)

I thought a fun addition to the monthly reminders would be a song to listen to while we're stitching! 

This month's song is by Kari Jobe and is all about her discovery that God is *for her*. 

If you haven't heard it before you should take a minute and listen.  There is something supernatural about this song.  It will move you. 

February Song - "You Are For Me" by Kari Jobe

(the actual song starts at 48 seconds in if you want to skip the intro.  The song is * a. ma. zing.*)

I've also made a page dedicated to the "12 things" so we can have everything  more organized.

I put a little map of what the finished project will (hopefully) look like as well as links to all the patterns and photos and more.  If this is your first month to join us, you'll want to check it out!

12 Things Page

 

I've received lots of questions about the finished size of the project etc.so these should all be answered there.  If not, please email me or leave a comment and let me know what I can help you with.

 

And of course I had to make a button:

<a href="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/pink_paper_peppermints/12-things-god-wants-you-to-remember-a-series-of-free-embroidery-patterns-and-encouragement.html.html" _mce_href="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/pink_paper_peppermints/12-things-god-wants-you-to-remember-a-series-of-free-embroidery-patterns-and-encouragement.html"><img border="0" src="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/12%20things.jpg " _mce_src="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/12%20things.jpg "/></a>

which you can snag for your blog by copying the code in the little window above and pasting it in your blog's code.

And now for the pattern!

This month's pattern really only has two stitches to practice.(tutorials are linked in the stitch titles)

Stem Stitch -  I used the stem stitch for the tree and the heart.  I think I still need some work on this one, but I like how knubby and tree-ish it looks. 

I only used 2 strands of floss for this because the lines are so small and I didn't want it to be too bulky

 

Backstitch - I used the backstitch for the hearts, leaves and words.  I used 3 strands of floss on the larger hearts and only 2 on the small hearts and leaves.

I just took one long stitch down the middle of the leaves with a darker green floss to give it some depth.

If you wanted to you could fill in your hearts with the Satin Stitch like we learned with the Penguin pattern.

 

I only pinned my pattern on one side when I was tracing it, so you may notice some of my leaves and hearts are a little too close together, compared to the actual pattern, because it slipped without my knowing it. *ugh*  Next time I will pin both sides for sure.

Februray Free Pattern Download 

(it's a pdf so you'll need Adobe Reader installed.  Get it here for free)

I hope you have fun stitching this one!  Please send me links if you post photos, cause I would love to come visit your blog or flickr and see!

In His Love, Peace & Grace,

♥ Melissa~

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"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  -Jeremiah 29:11

Free Embroidery Pattern & the first of "12 Things God Wants You to Remember"!

 

I'm so excited about today's post!

This is the first in what (Lord willing) will be a 12-month series of free patterns with the theme "12 Things God Wants You to Remember".  (I posted more about it here if you're interested. Scroll to #4)

This is January's pattern...um...in February....because well,  I had *no* idea what I was doing and it was a little harder than I anticipated.

I had so much fun and learned a lot so I think it will get easier as I go along.  February's pattern should be up soon. :)

Edited to Add: It's up here!  Also there is an info page with all the current patterns here now.

What you'll need to get started:

-A copy of the pattern (see below)
-Transfer pen or carbon paper & stylus
-Some type of fabric to stitch on (I used muslin, but you can use any fabric or even recycle a pillow case or piece of clothing)
-Embroidery Needles
-Embroidery Hoop
-Embroidery Floss (It comes in six strands, but I separated out 3 strands to use)
-Scissors

 

This month's pattern has four stitches to practice. 

I'll link you to some super, awesome embroidery stitch tutorials so if you're learning along with me you can have someone "show" you via the magic of  the internet.

Backstitch 

-I used the backstitch on the snow hill, snowflakes, wind, and penguin outline.

-It's pretty easy and one of the basic stitches you'll use a lot for outlining.

-I also tried to use some metallic thread for the snow, but couldn't get it to work very well, it was really wiry.  (This could be user error.)  So instead I used one strand of the metallic with two strands of plain white and that gave me the sparkle I was looking for, but also worked more smoothly into the fabric.

Chain Stitch

-I love this one for the texture it creates. I really wanted his scarf to look like a warm, fluffy, crocheted scarf so I used the chain stitch in multiple colors to create stripes. I changed the direction of the stitches on the knot part of the scarf so it would look tied.

-At the end of the scarf I didn't like how the little ribbony ends were looking so I just stitched some loops and then cut and frayed them to look like fringe.

-I also used the chain stitch on the lettering. I just love the texture, doesn't it look like icing made of floss?!

Satin Stitch

- Satin stitch is used to fill in areas.

- I used the Satin Stitch on his head and wings and a padded satin stitch for his beak.

- The tutorial linked above is from Jenny at Sublime Stitching.  She is amazing!  And the tutorial comes with it's own free pattern so don't miss it! But if you need a video, this one is good.

 

French Knot

- These scared me, because I have never been very good at them, but I knew I needed to practice so besides his eyes, I filled in the heart with lots of little french knots!

- The tutorial I linked you to is so fantastic, I learned it pretty easily from that and didn't feel scared of French Knots anymore after making the heart!

So here is the pattern!  I inlcuded an extra one that is blank, so that you could add your own verse or quote if you like. :)

 

  

Click here to download the pdf of the pattern (you'll need adobe reader)

 

There are lots of ways to transfer a pattern to your fabric, but I found that good old fashioned carbon paper worked best for me.

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(You may think that disappearing ink paper used for dress pattern transfer, would work well.  In fact you may say to yourself, "hey, it would be great if it disappears when I'm done", but guess what? 

It won't wait until you are *done* it will disappear in 24 to 72 hours, so when you go back 24 to 72 hours later to work on your embroidery....your pattern will be bye-bye and you will be sad.

I'm just saying that this may happen to you...I don't know from experience or anything.  So you know..go with the carbon paper.)

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Another thing that worked really well for me was to use the stylus from my old palm pilot instead of a pen or pencil.  I was able to control the weight of the lines better this way and also didn't accidentally go through the paper.  You could also use an embossing stylus.

Next week I'll share some of my favorite embroidery links!

I hope you'll join me in working on these every month!  And I would *love* it if you show me a link if you do.

Hope you are having a fantastic week.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy your soul in drought." -Isaiah 58:11

Doily Mini-Book Valentine {Scrapbook O' Love}

Here is the little Valentine mini book tutorial I told you about.  I decided to do a small, heart-shaped book of love notes for O-man with the theme of  "10 Things I Love About You". 

Because it's small and essentially uses scraps from your messy art desk, your neatly organized scrap box, it's a pretty quick & easy project to do. 

So here's what you need to get started:

(click on any of the photos for a larger view)

-paper scraps, cut into strips
-memorabilia
-tiny photos
-embellishments such as sequins, ribbons, buttons etc.
-scrapbook cardstock
-3 doilies (size of your choice, I used 4 inch)
-scissors
-pencil
-adhesive

Step One

The first thing you want to do is trim the ruffled edge off one of your doilies so that you can use the doily as a pattern for your book covers.

(I'm saving the part I cut off to use for something else.  Doesn't it look like heart-shaped ric rac?!)

Step Two

Next use your doily as a template to cut out a front and back cover for your book from cardstock. 

I used double-sided cardstock so both sides would be pretty.

Step Three

Now for the photos.  I'm doing a mini-book so I wanted to use mini photos. 

You could just resize your photos on the computer and print them, but I've been saving leftover photo Christmas cards for awhile (the one in the pic is from 2008!) because I knew I could do something fun with the photos, so that's what I used.

Step Four

For the pages I used various bits and pieces of leftover projects, cut down (if necessary) to strips  that would fit in between the heart-shaped covers wihthout sticking out too much.

You can see some of the things I used in the photo above (click to enlarge). I used a piece of a library catalog card to stamp the author (me) and the date for a title page.

(Gratuitous macro shot of pages.  Don't you just love sewn sequins?  I do.)

Step Five

For the "ten things" part I stamped each "thing" across the mini page.  You could also just hand write it or print it from the computer and add it to the page for a neater look.  I like the messy look myself. :)

Step Six

 

Next you'll want to stack the pages neatly inside the book, and add the cover.  Make sure your pages are lined up like you want them.

You can use a small binder clip to hold the stack in place while you sew.  (Put it on the opposite side that you will be sewing.)

I wanted the ribbon from the tag page to stick out of the side of the book so I pushed it in a little further in the stack.

Step Seven

Before you add the doilies you'll want to go ahead and stitch across covers.

(If you stitch after you add the doily it might tear and you might get really sad and almost throw your whole little book in the trash until you decide that you can just take the torn doily off and cover it up with a new one.)

I mean, that could happen.  So just sew the covers & pages first, k?

Step Eight

Now attach  your doilies with adhesive and your beautiful little mini scrapbook of love is finished!

I hope you have fun making one or lots of these!  Let me know if you do, I'd love to see!

Have a great day!

Grace & Peace~

♥ Melissa~

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"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."
-Psalm 20:4

brrr & paper & embroidery & a little Christmas shame

 

 The view out my kitchen window yesterday morning.

~

Seven on Wednesday  

(or something that sounds clever and involves some sort of alliteration)

 

One

  

{that's me trying to impersonate Susan Branch...not happenin'...but it's fun to try.}

 

Two

It is entirely too cold here in Texas. 

I think winter may have lost it's way.  I'd like to hand it a map back to Wisconsin.

"Here you go little winter.  I think your mama is looking for you.  Scurry on back up north now, k?"

Three

I've been working on some Valentines day ideas.

I bought some doilies and made a little "10 things I love about you" mini book for my sweetheart. 

Still have to finish it, but I thought I'd show you how I put it together in case you'd like to make one.

I'll be posting the how-to later this week.

Four

I'm also working on some embroidery ideas.  I've had a magnet for years that says "10 things God wants you to remember."  It's always encouraged me. I actually posted the text from it awhile back.

I was thinking it would be so cool to do an embroidery sampler of a different thing God wants us to remember each month to practice some stitches. So I sketched out some ideas.

 

I had to add a couple of things to make enough for 12 months and I changed a couple and added scriptures.  I'm still working on it but I've already made my own pattern for January and started stitching it! 

I thought I'd share that with you too.  Maybe one each month and we can learn embroidery together! 

And those of you who know embroidery could maybe help us along! What do you think?

 

 

Five

I often get questions about how I achieve certain effects on my photos.  I use a combination of things, but recently I found a fun site called Be Funky. 

Here is a before and after of the window photo above. 

   

 

The first one is the original photo.  The second is the one I edited in Be Funky.  I used the "Vintage Colors" effect.

Give yourself time if you go over there...you won't be able to stop playing!

 

Six

I  have a pile of Christmas stuff *still* sitting in the corner of the living room waiting to be packed away. 

I think by posting this here I might shame myself into finally doing it today. 

I'm not sure though because I'm getting quite comfortable with you as friends and sort of think you wouldn't judge me at all for it so I may need a new strategy....wanna come over and help me?

Seven

This post is really just a creative way of saying, "I have a lot to show you that isn't ready yet."  heh-heh.

 
Hope you are staying warm.  We are off to a homeschool group day.

Grace & Peace

♥ Melissa~

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"Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't." -Romans 12:6

Frame the One You Love with a Paper Towel Tube!

I was about to throw this paper towel tube away when Little O came in the kitchen and started chatting with me about his latest adventures climbing our backyard tree.

I was fidgeting with the paper towel tube when I accidentally made a heart.  I looked through the tube at Little O and said, "I {heart} you."

{he gave me one of those half smiles that little boys do when they love their mama and don't want to say, "you're weird mom".}

And then I remembered seeing my friend Mindi take a picture through a paper towel tube (just in the round shape) and wondered if it would work with a heart! 

{Well, I *think* it was Mindi, I can't really remember.  I emailed her, but haven't heard back yet.  But go visit her blog anyway, because she is *so* funny and takes the most amazing pictures and is just sweet and honest and inspiring.)

Update:  I'm not crazy, it *was* her!  Here is the link.

 

Anyway, it *did* work!  So cool. 

If you want to try it just take an empty paper towel tube and pinch it in at the top of one end like this:

 

 

And then take a photo through the other end! 

I found it helps to be further away and then zoom in through the tube (the one below was taken from the kitchen and Little O was in the backyard tree). 

Also if your subject is sitting in too much light it doesn't work as well.  Just experiment with it with your camera.  It's fun!

I'm gonna do something sweet and valentiney with these I think.

Do you have plans for Valentines Day yet?  I'd love to hear about it if you do.

Hope you're havin' a great day.

♥ Melissa~

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"People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7

It's a Printable Menu Planner!

Help!  I'm getting organized and I can't stop!

(well 'til mid-March or so anyway, then I'll be like, "menu planner? huh?  Where's my list scribbled on the back of the Target bill?"...heh-heh...)

Ok, so here is the menu planner I'm using now.  I kinda {heart} it because I've organized the shopping list part in a sort of visual pattern of how things are laid out in my store.

I don't know about you but, I keep a running list on the fridge of what we're out of, plus a list in my notebook on my desk. 

Then I compile those two on a master list (or you know, stuff  'em both in my purse on the way out the door) and sometimes add more to the list.

Anyway, I end up criss-crossing the entire store a bunch of times because I move down the list and I see, oh, potatoes, so I go back and get them, oh, yogurt, gotta go back over there now...you get the idea. 

Well, with this I add the items to the list in their catagories and then when I'm in the produce section *all* the produce is listed in that section!  It is a huge time saver for me and I hope it will be for you too. :)

 Just right click on the link below and choose "save as" to save it or click on it and it will open the .pdf in a new window. (Download Adobe Reader for free here if you don't already have it.)

Menu Planner

I have found that Firefox works better than Internet Explorer for downloading things (well, for doing *everything* but that's another post...heh-heh) so you may want to try that if you're using IE and having trouble.

If you still have trouble downloading, drop me an email and I will try to help you out. :)

Hope ya'll are having a great week!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind."
-Proverbs 21:5

 If you have trouble downloading drop me an email and I will try to help you out.

♥A little set of Bookmark/Note Card Calendars for you.♥

When I read I tend to think of things...things to do, things to look up, things to make.  I usually just scribble the ideas on a scrap of paper, lose the paper and then forget.  It's fun. 

I decided what might be *more* fun is a little mini-book of calendar bookmarks for each month. 

I made one with some of my favorite scriptures and cute seasonal graphics and attached it to a ring with some ribbon. 

Now I can tuck the current month's bookmark into whatever book I'm reading and have lots of room for notes on the back.

Then at the end of the month I can put it back on the ring, hang it on my bulletin board and I always know where my "random thought" notes are. 

 

I like it.

I thought you might like it too.

Just right click on the links below for each pair of months and choose "save as" to download it to your computer. (You'll need to download Adobe Reader if you haven't already.  It's free here.)

January/February

March/April

May/June

July/August

September/October

November/December

 

I printed mine on cardstock for sturdiness, but you could print it on regular paper as well.

Hope you enjoy it.

Peace & Grace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me." -Psalm 103:2

Happy New Year and a free 2011 year at a glance calendar!

So, I don't know if there is such thing as a "favorite year" or if anyone keeps a record of said years, but if there is...2010 would not make my short list. 

not even close.

As a matter of fact, if there was a way to just remove it from the history of the earth, without, you know, messing with everyone for whom it was a *great* year, I don't think I  would hestitate to do so (okay, maybe I'd hesitate...but not for very long).

I am so thankful that time passes, and things change, and that everything here is just temporary.

I will try and fill you in on the last few months, about the house and the new town and the new job in a future post, but for now, let's just say I am *thrilled* to be at the beginning of a New Year full of promise and waiting for sweet memories to be made!

How about you?

I have been making *calendar-ish* and *organize-y* things and making copies of everthing for you!

First is a year-at-a-glance calendar.  I always find these handy for school planning, vacation planning etc. you know, when you need to know on what day the 24th of August falls and things like that.
 
Free 2011 Year At A Glance Calendar Download

Just right click on the link above and then click "save as" to save a copy to your hard drive. To print it you'll need a free copy of Adobe Reader which you can download by clicking here.

The quote at the top of the calendar is one of my favorites and I think it's a really good reminder at the beginning of a fresh, new year.

I have another awesome calendar-y thing for you coming soon! I think you'll like it!

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who've written and encouraged me in emails and comments.  I am always so touched by your kind words and prayers for my family and me.

May His mercy and grace cover you this year,

♥ Melissa~

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"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."
-2 Corinthians 4:16 & 17

adventure awaits

Ack!  We are moving!  Hubby got his dream job and I have to pack ten years worth of happiness into 2 pods and a u-haul and get out of here, sell the house and find a new one in two weeks!

Pray for me!

(got the tie chairs done though and they look awesome!  more later.)

♥ Melissa~
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"Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word."

-Proverbs 16:1

Recycled Men's Necktie Chair Seats! {a.k.a.- crafty stuff I'm working on}

I bought this enormous box of men's neckties on ebay the other day.  I had so much fun opening the box and sorting all the ties into colors and patterns.  

There are vintage, designer, silks, polyester, and my favorites, the sixties paisley ties. 

 

There are about two hundred more than I actually need, so I've been thinking about fun ideas of ways to use them.

(I know that sentence is a grammatical nightmare...sorry, but really, you should be used to that by now if you've been here any length of time...heh-heh. 

And what does it say about me that the apology for the bad sentence has taken me twice as long to type as just correcting the sentence would have taken?)

I originally bought the ties because I'm going to use them to re-weave the seats on my pretty ladder-back kitchen chairs.  They belonged to my grandmother and I love them but the original cane weaving is...well...gone. 

I don't know if it's age and natural wear & tear or the reality that I have two boys who, for years, have literally used them as ladders and springboards.

In any case they needed replacing if only for the fact that it's kind of embarrassing when you find yourself  preventing a guest from certain doom by pulling the chair out from under them and shouting, "Wait, that's the one with the hole in it!" just as they are about to sit down.

So this week I am picking all my favorite colors and designs and sewing little cushions to go under the ties and then hopefully this weekend we will get them all woven up into new seats.  Of course pictures will follow.

Now what to do with the other two hundred ties?  Any ideas?  I have a couple of things I want to try, but if you have something neat to share I would love to read about it!

Hope your week is fun and crafty. :)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa

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"You know when I sit down or stand up.You know my thoughts even when I’m far away."  -Psalm 139:1-3

Chicken Scratch Embroidery Tutorial, Free pattern and Stitch Guide!

I've had so much fun working on this Chicken Scratch (also known as Gingham Embroidery) tutorial for you.  I even designed my very own pattern!  (Which is why it took me so long to post it.)

I was going to make an Easter Egg Pattern, but let's face it, no one in their right mind is going to make fabric, embroidered Easter Eggs three days before Easter, right?

(Well the "in their right mind" part is open to interpretation for most crafty people now isn't it?...heh-heh) 

So maybe we'll just save that for next year.

Instead I made a little cottage pattern which I thought would be fun for Mother's Day and we have over a month to make this into a cute little apron or pillow for our Mamas (or for your daughters who are mamas)! Yay!

Right click above and choose "save link as" to download the free pattern.
(It's a pdf so you'll need the Adobe Reader software you can get here)

----

I also made a little stitch guide for you, because when I was first learning how to do Chicken Scratch embroidery I got a kind of confused about what color thread to use and on what color squares the stitches belonged, so I thought this might help you.

Right click above and choose "save link as" to download the free stitch guide.
(It's a pdf so you'll need the Adobe Reader software you can get here)

----

There are really only a couple of basic stitches for Chicken Scratch Embroidery and the gingham fabric makes it so easy to see where to stitch.

First I'll show you the Double Cross Stitch.  This one is used to outline your design and also as part of the Lace Stitch. 

When you're outlining you'll use the dark color of whatever color your gingham is and three to six strands of floss on the white color squares.  So in this pattern I used a dark pink and three strands of floss. 

When using the Double Cross Stitch as part of the Lace Stitch you'll use white floss on the dark squares.

(See how this can become confusing when you're first learning?  That's why I made you the Stitch Guide.  Just print it out and look at it as you're practicing and you won't have to remember all this!)

Double Cross Stitch

• Bring your thread (dark if you are outlining which we are here) up at point A and down at point B diagonally across a white square if outlining (a dark square if making the Lace Stitch)
• Then bring your thread up at point C and down at point D crossing over your first stitch.
• Now you have a cross stitch
• Next  you'll bring your thread up at point E and down at point F horizontally over your cross stitch.
• And finally up at point G and down at point H vertically.

It's kind of like a little asterisk that you're making.

It's best to do the design the same each time unlike my example.  I usually go vertical and then across but forgot when I was making the sample.  It just looks prettier if all your stitches go the same way.

----

Next I'll show you the Running Straight Stitch.  You use this one in combination with another to create the pretty lace effect.  It's worked on the medium shaded square on your gingham, usually in white.

I used two strands of embroidery floss with this small gingham print, but if you were using a larger one you might use three or even six.

Straight Running Stitch

 
Bring your needle up at point A and down at point B crossing over each medium shaded square according to your pattern.  (When creating the lace you'll do this vertically and horizontally)

When you're finished with your running stitches for the house pattern it should look something like this:

 

Next you'll do what's called a Lace Stitch or Woven Circle Stitch.  You'll go around twice or you can double your thread and just go around once. (I always go around twice, because...well...it's fun. ;P)

Lace Stitch

• Bring your needle up under a running stitch at point A.
• Weave the needle under the next running stitch at point B, being careful not to pick up any fabric.  You're weaving the thread between the fabric and the stitch.
• Weave the needle under the next running stitch at point C.
• And then again at point A going around twice (unless you've doubled your thread, then just go around once)
• Finish the stitch by going into the fabric where you started at point A.

 

Now your little house will look something like this:

 

To finish off your lace stitch you'll want to fill in the dark squares with a white Double Cross Stitch.

Like this:

 

The door and window are just more of these same stitches we've learned!  So now you know how to make Chicken Scratch Embroidery!

I would love to see your pretty things if you make something with the pattern!  If you have any questions just drop me an email or ask in the comments and I will answer there.

Have a fantastic Easter weekend!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never really die." -John 3:16

Crochet Bunnies and Chicken Scratch Embroidery Eggs

Thank you all for the warm welcome back here and in emails.  You guys are the best. :)

Here are some more Eastery things I've been working on as promised.

First my little crochet bunny egg.  He came out pretty cute, but I'm not crazy about how I embroidered his face.  He looks kinda mad, don't you think? 

I think I might pull it out and do it again.  I do love his little ears though. 

 

I found the pattern here at Lindamade.  She is just full of all kinds of crafty and crochet-y things.  She also has a pattern there for little chick eggs and plain ol' Easter eggs. 

These work up really fast (although  you will get a cramp in your wrist if you try to sit and crochet for an hour without stopping.  Just sayin'.).  I'm planning to do a few more for my nephew & niece.

Next I've been working on some fabric eggs.  I saw some at the quilt show recently that were so pretty so I wanted to try my own version.  

As a novice sewer I'm really having trouble sewing the curvy seams.  They are coming out kind of wonky and with little bumps in them.  Any advice on that from you experienced seamstresses?

 

The other thing I've been trying on my Easter eggs is a form of embroidery called Chicken Scratch.  It is done on gingham and comes out looking like lace.  You've probably seen it on vintage aprons like these. 

It's really fun once you get the hang of it and lace and gingham are two of my favorite things so I just loved working on these.  At first you don't see it, but as you're stitching the lace just appears like magic!

I learned the basic stitches by muddling through this article but it's a little confusing and hard to understand especially for me as I am a pretty visual learner, so I thought I would try my hand at a tutorial for you this week.  I'll also include the template for my Easter eggs so you can sew up some of your own!

(oh come on, you have plenty of time it's a whole week and a half before Easter!)

See you soon with the tutorial.  Hope you're having a lovely spring week!

♥Melissa

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"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  -I Corinthians 5:7

october rain, mushrooms and crafty fabric leaves

It's been very rainy here for the past few weeks which is a welcome relief from the Texas heat.  We are getting somewhat settled in to our new school routine and I have already baked two batches of Pumpkin Gingerbread!  I love the Fall.

I'm working on a fabric leaf garland right now made from fabric and felt scraps from another project and it's turning out pretty cute.  I'll share the patterns and tutorial with you when I'm finished.

Little O has been having so much fun playing in the rain.  I wrapped my camera in a zip-loc baggie, grabbed an umbrella and snapped these photos:

 

Because of all the rain we've been having some super size mushrooms grow in the front yard.  We had lots of fun measuring, snapping pics and imagining the little fairy people that might live in them. :)

 

How is your Fall going?  I'd love to hear about your Fall traditions!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain."
-Psalm 143:6

five happy things

ONE

My sweet husband just brought me orange juice in a pink glass. 

orange and pink, sweet husband, healthy drink.  happy.

TWO

I just took a photo of my pink glass of orange juice with my cell phone, sent it to twitpic and uploaded it here, all without getting out of my seat. 

happy.  (although my rear could use more getting out of my seat, not less..heh-heh)

THREE

I am finally getting back into the swing of things after a long, lovely summer. 

routine, cooler weather, school with my boys. happy.

 

FOUR

I discovered the 5 Minutes for Mom community.  

moms, blogs, chatting, twittering, sharing, laughing, praying. happy.

FIVE

I'm crocheting pink and orange granny squares.

crochet, pink, orange, granny squares. happy.

 

Five happy things.  Hope you have some happy things today.

Peace and Grace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Day and night I'll stick with God.  I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.  I'm happy from the inside out-- and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed."

-Psalm 16:8-9 (msg)

summer crochet & such

Well hello there.  I thought I'd pull the dust covers off the furniture and open up some windows here and say hi again.  How are you all?

I've been busy, busy with wrapping up school, church activities, learning new craftiness and all sorts of fun things.

You may remember me learning to crochet awhile back. I'm completely head over heels for it now.  I want to crochet *everything*. 

I found a blog by a lovely lady named Lucy called Attic 24 that is just the most fun, eye-tingling, inspirational place you can imagine. 

The colors she chooses for her pretty crochet-y things are fabulous and she has lots of *free* patterns and tutorials!  She has such a fantastic way of explaining how to do the stitches that I feel like I can tackle the most complicated pattern now! 

I'm in the middle of finishing several of her patterns right now. The most wonderful, amazing, colorful, yarny bag (I'm not quite finished with it yet, but you can see it in the background below) and flowers and flowers and a little granny square pillow!!  It's crafty heaven, I tell you, working with all these beautiful, bright colors!

 

 

 

 

If you've never tried to crochet you have to pop over to Lucy's blog and read through her instructions you won't believe how easy (and addicting) it is once you get going!

Well, I'm busy packing for our summer trip to Wisconsin and looking forward to lots of summery, lake-y, road trip-y fun.  {I'm especially looking forward to another visit to the amazing Red Lead paper art store!)

I need to load up the ipod with lots of crafty podcasts and some good faith-building ones too as it's a long two-day drive up.  Any suggestions of favorite podcasts??  I'd love to find some new ones to listen to.

O-man & Little-O in Wisconsin last summer.

These last few months have been very busy and at times quite trying and I really need the rest.  Some time away to think and pray and visit with far away family that we love so much and see so little...it will do me well I think.

What are your plans this summer?  Have you learned any new craftiness?  I would love to hear what you're all up to.  I've missed you!

Grace & Peace in Him,

♥ Melissa~

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"Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves." -Mark 6:31-32 (the message)

two monkeys and a yo-yo

Random thoughts so far this year:

ONE

For some reason when January comes around each year, it is so hard for me to get back into the routines I had before Christmas.  I have this sort of hazy-fog-of-an-idea of what I had been doing before Thanksgiving came. 

You know like when you walk into a room for something but on the way to the room you start thinking about something else so that by the time you *get* to the room you're standing in the doorway saying...."now what did I come in here for?"....

{other people do that right?}

I'm standing in February saying, "now what did I come in here for?"  This may or may not be the reason you haven't seen me in awhile.  Just sayin'.

TWO

This is interesting.  It's called Typealyzer and analyzes your personality based on what you write on your blog or rather the personality of your blog.

Here's mine:

ESFP - The Performers [ESFP]

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Pretty acurate I think except for the "tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation" part, but I think that is an anomaly in my personality (one that I'm trying to get rid of actually). 

What's your blog's type?

THREE

The snack of chocolate milk and cinnamon toast mixed with a little prayer can make a bad day seem not so bad after all.

FOUR

I *knew* Jin was still alive.

FIVE

If you need some last minute ideas for Valentines day The Crafty Crow has a marvelous array of them (and I'm not just saying that because I happen to be featured...*cough*).

SIX

I personally am completely unprepared for heart day tomorrow having let it sneak up on me while I was standing in February trying to remember what I came in here for. 

SEVEN

I think that's enough for now.  Life off my computer is quite busy these days with church activities and homeschool activities and house cleaning and organizing.

{actually the last one is just hopeful thinking...heh-heh}

I'll be around (Lord willing), just not quite as often for a little while. 

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to this new year.  Thanks for the encouraging emails as well as pokes & prods to get back here.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
-1 Peter 4:8

three minutes that will change your life

Wanna get plugged in?  For three minutes that will change your life, watch this:

If you'd like to hear stories from Brian Welch, Jason Castro, Stephen Baldwin and others who've been plugged in go to:

I Am Second

Happy Christmas Eve!

♥ Melissa~
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"They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this Child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often."

it's the most wonderful time of the year

I'm a little late for the Christmas Tour, but this is what Christmas is looking like around here (mouse over the photos for a description)...

   

 

 

 

 

I'm baking Italian Cream Cake and Chocolate Cream Pie and making macaroni salad and wrapping presents like crazy (even though I told myself I wouldn't wait 'til the last minute this year) and listening to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra sing Christmas carols and having a very merry Christmas...how about you?

Happy Christmas Eve eve...

His Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
-Luke 2:9-12

crafty paper angels

I am in the process of getting a new computer!

(well, a "new-to-*me*-recycled-from-someone-who-is-*really*-getting-a-new-computer", computer...heh-heh)

Yay! 

And also...*ugh*...

...because, you know, getting a new computer means...

nothing is where it should be

and things have to be installed and exported and imported and deported or whatever...

and you know...other technical/nightmarish stuff that makes you very cranky with your husband whom you love dearly and with whom you would normally *never* be cranky...

{I mean...for some people that's what getting a new computer means...}

Anyway...since I can't really post photos today and the candy cane paper angel was a hit, I thought I'd give you some links to other lovely paper angel projects.

But first some flickr goodness to inspire you:

1. Joyeux Noel angel ornament, 2. Quilted Angel Ornament, 3. Felted sweater angel ornaments, 4. Angel Party Ornament Favor, 5. angel bear, 6. I will fly..., 7. gorgeous gifts designed and made by rosalie quinlan, 8. angels designed and made by rosalie quinlan, 9. Angel bag, 10. xmas-crafts-in-felt-angel, 11. Angel with a fabric heart, 12. Angels, 13. Singing Angel, 14. white angel, 15. angel ,,

And now for the links:

A wonderful, "flat stanley" type of angel from felt or paper!
Perfect little gift ornament to include with your Christmas cards. (I mean, next year, because of course we've all sent them out already this year, right?...*cough*) 

A sweet little spoon paper angel

Origami Angels

Love this! A kitchen angel with your little one's face!

Cute 3-D angel pattern

A felt, teddy bear angel with a little pocket

Fabulous Paper Plate Angel from Martha

Hope you're having fun this season and making sweet memories...

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow."
-Matthew 28:3

a sweet peppermint angel candy cane crafty craft

This is a super sweet little Christmas craft I came up with for the kiddos to make & give to friends at church, homeschool group, etc.  It's so quick and easy! (my favorite kind of craft)

 

What you need to get started:

 

the angel pattern (download here)
paper (we used scrapbook paper, but you could use wrapping paper, construction paper or even fabric or felt)
scissors
pencil/pen
candy canes
embellishments if desired (sequins, glitter, stickers etc.)

Step One:

Print out the pattern and cut it out. 

 

The pattern should be about 7" long when you print it out.  If it's not, you may need to enlarge it (choose: file: print preview: scale: 125%).

Step Two:

Cut slits on the dashed lines only and fold back the paper.

 

Step Three:

Fold your patterned paper in half with wrong side facing out and trace the angel on the fold.

 

 

Step Four:

Cut out the angel that you traced on the patterned paper.

 

When you cut the slits for the candy canes, only cut the sides of the slits as shown above (not the top part).

Step Three:

Open the angel up and write a message on the back if it's for a special friend.  Or decorate it with glitter and sequins.

Or just leave it plain.

Step Four:

Insert the candy cane from the back in an "over/under" pattern as shown below.

 

Step Five:

Delight friends and family with a sweet treat. :)

(and take photos so I can see!  I love it when ya'll send me photos of the projects you've made with my patterns and tutorials--

Hey, I was just thinking, maybe I should start a flickr group for all the photos you guys are always sending me?  I will work on that tonight & post when it's done!  I did it!  We have our own flickr group now, so if you make the angels go an upload them there--or if you've made flowers or turkeys or any projects featured here upload them to share with us all! yippee! I'm so excited!  Here is the link:

Pink Paper Peppermints -- Readers Get Crafty

---

We're on our way to a *very* busy Christmas-y weekend of decorating and church activities and visiting and a ladies Christmas brunch...

{I'm teaching the ladies how to make a little fabric ornament that I'll show you next week.}

Sneak Peek:

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Grace & Peace this lovely Christmas season,

♥ Melissa~
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"May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD."
-Psalm 104:34

a super fun kids craft -- make a scrapbook paper, thanksgiving turkey, place card favor-wahoo!

We've been making turkey place cards and favors over the last few days and having so much fun that I thought I should share.

 
mama's scrapbook version

 
Little O's paper plate version

It looks a little complicated at first, but it's really simple once you make one and they go together pretty quickly so you still have time to make some for thanksgiving! 

Here's what you need to get started:

turkey pattern (download here)
scrapbook paper (I used almost all Elsie's from her adorable Zoe collection.  It's double-sided so my turkey looks just as cute from the back as it does from the front! The brown paper is Over the Moon Press)
paper plates or construction paper
plain white paper
scissors
adhesive
ribbon
crayons

Step One

For little ones who are using a plate you'll want to draw a square in the center of the back side of the plate that is about 2.5 x 2.5 inches.

Then draw lines from the corner of each square, out to the edge of the plate. These are your cutting lines.

If you're using scrapbook paper or construction paper for your turkey then you'll need to trace the paper plate on the back of your paper first and then create the cutting pattern.

Step Two

 

Next, cut your paper or plate on the four lines, stopping when you get to the square.

Step Three

(I'm switching to patterned paper  in the photos for better visibility but the steps are the same for paper plate or construction paper)

Now fold and score each section of paper on the square lines as above.

Step Four

Next you'll want to fold and score each of the four sections in from the corner of the square as in the photo above.

It should look something like this when you're finished:

Step Five

 

Now begin to fold the sides up to form the cup.  The right and left side flaps should be inside the cup.

 

The front and back flaps should be on the outside.

Use your favorite adhesive to attach the back flaps to the inside of the cup.

The front flaps will only be attached on the inside to create wings.

Step Six

Now cut out and trace (or color) and glue your feathers, face etc.  (well not *your* face, I mean the turkey pattern face...heh-heh)

I have to say, I especially fell in love with these turkey legs because it looks like he has the word "art" tattooed on his thighs, heh-heh.

My little guy created his own design on the feathers and plate and then colored them.

(we're learning about the five senses right now, so that's the mat you see under his work surface)

I found with the feathers, that it was easier to lay them out, arrange them, glue them together and *then* glue them to the bird rather than trying to glue them individually.

Step Seven

Now you can make name cards and attach with ribbon...

Or make a little sign with a favorite Thanksgiving scripture or quote for him to hold:

The cup is fairly large and could hold candy corns or snacks (maybe line it with plastic wrap first) or napkins or any number of things you might want on your Thanksgiving table this year.

You could also just make one and use it as a centerpiece.

I think these would be really cute made from felt or fabric too and then you could save them to use each year!

Have fun making these and send me links if you post photos!

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"...singing a song of Thanksgiving, telling of all Your wonders."
-Psalm 26:7

applique, embroidery, and inexperienced tote bag sewing

I'm working on a tote bag right now and I truly have no idea what I'm doing.  I'm bold like that.

(actually I'm usually afraid to try new things with pretty supplies, but I'm trying to get over that)

I've been wanting to try applique (but not the nice, neatly stitched applique, the raggedy edged, "rustic" applique, because you know "nice and neat" is not my gifting.) and I had these tea towels that I bought on clearance at Target for .74 cents (uh-huh, that's right) so I started thinking,

"Hey, I could make a tote bag out of these and try some applique and embroidery on it."

Oh did I forget to mention that I want to learn to embroider too?

So anyway, ask me if I know how to make a tote bag? 

No. I do not.

And do I like to (or even know *how* to)  follow a sewing pattern?

Um...also no.

But I really want to make a tote bag with applique and embroidery on it.  So here I go. 

Let's re-cap, I don't know how to sew, applique, embroider *or* make a tote-bag.

heh-heh...fun stuff.

I just said a little prayer and started cutting fabric and sewing and trying things...

and it was *so* fun!

It's not nearly as cute as it looked in my head.

But that's ok (I tell my mean, perfectionist side) because I'm *having fun.*

Here's what I have so far:

I need to wash it to get the edges of the letters all fuzzy & cute and it's pretty wrinkly right now, but I'm kinda liking it.

For the embroidery part, I picked the chain stitch to learn first and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I really like writing with fabric and thread.  There is something so cool about that, especially when you're writing theWord.

(even if it is all crooked and uneven)

Now I have to figure out how to...you know...turn it into a tote bag...

I want to line it and put handles on it

(oh, handles...aug..ugh...my head wants to explode just thinking about it, measuring and ugh...)

and you know do tote-bagish things to it...

And I'm gonna say another prayer and be brave and just try it.

So hopefully that's what I'll be working on this weekend. 

And some Thanksgiving craftiness too.

Hope you have a fun and crafty weekend!

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"I am the LORD your God.  I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid.  I am here to help you."
-Isaiah 41:13

it ain't over 'til it's over

"You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them,
because He who is in you
is greater than
he who is in the world."
-1 John 4:4

"I can do all things through Christ
Who strengthens me. "
-Philippians 4:13

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"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us."
-Romans 8:37

and we know what to do about it

As you know I love all things forties, especially cartoons. 

This one, although a little bit cheesy (in the greatest kind of way) made me laugh and well....tear up a little bit... to be honest....

If you watch it until the end I think you'll find it eerily foreshadowing...just sayin'...

My favorite line:

"...and we know what to do about it...."

 


Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short."
-Proverbs 24:14

reason # 5,711 that God is so cool - Caddo Lake

As promised here are some photos of our camping trip to Caddo Lake.  If you think there are too many you should have seen them before I edited...heh-heh. (I took 464 photos this trip,a small number for me really.)

This place is so gorgeous!  In the mornings this ethereal mist rolls across the lake and you feel like you're in a movie.

Makes me think of this hymn:

How Great Thou Art (second verse)

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art!  How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Snapped a pic of an early morning canoe-er here.

 

What a way to wake up Starbucks and this view!

The fall colors this time of year are spectacular.

 

We saw lots of wildlife on our weekend adventure including this mama & baby turtle with their mossy backs.

 

I tried to use my digital zoom to get a close up of this woodpecker that we heard while having coffee around the fire one morning.

It came out a little blurry, but look at that red head!  Doesn't he look just like Woody?

 

We took a tour of the lake on this amazing steamboat called "The Graceful Ghost"

The boys loved it and learned that Caddo Lake is a protected wetland ecosystem. (yay, homeschool...uh, campschool.)

I crocheted by the campfire every night! Super crafty, campy-ness!

And of course we had s'mores.

 

All in all it was a pretty wonderful weekend. 

 

Hope your weekend is lovely and peaceful.

His Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"We look at this Son and see the God Who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment."
-Colossians 1:15-16

even more stuff about me

100 things part 3

71 I'm not really a "pet" person, but maybe I will be when my boys are grown.

72 I took ballet lessons, tap lessons and piano lessons as a child.

Me (in the center) during a ballet recital in the seventies.

73 I can't dance or play the piano now.

74 I'd like to try again with those lessons someday.

75 And the samba. (it just looks fun)

76 In junior high my mom wrote me a note to get out of school early so I could come home and watch Luke and Laura's wedding on General Hospital.

77 I may occasionally still watch General Hospital (especially if Laura is making a guest appearance), but I will never admit it.

78 I was a "wench" at medieval times for a very short time.

79 It was one of the hardest jobs I've *ever* had (and in a somewhat demoralizing costume no less).

80 I'm a very visual person.

81  I can read something a thousand times and not get it, but show me a picture and voila! (I know...don't say voila)

82 I ♥ photography

83 I love love love trees

84 I have pale skin, green eyes and freckles from my Irish heritage and straight, thick black hair from my Cherokee Indian heritage.

85 My first job was teaching preschool in South Africa.

86 Those kids are in their twenties now.

87 That cannot be true.

88 I swore I would never get married when I was a teenager and now I cry when my husband goes out of town and have an overwhelming urge to go stay with a friend 'til he gets back. I guess I like being married after all. :)

89 I was home skipping school and watching tv when the news broke that President Reagan had been shot.  My dad called the house looking for my mom and we talked about it and he never asked me why I was home.

90 That combined with #77 makes it sound like I skipped school a lot, but really I didn't.  Junior high was just a nightmare...and then in high school I became a homeschooler...and there is no skipping when you're a homeschooler...*LOL*

91 I am not very good about writing back to people, keeping up with email, etc.

92 It's something that I really need to work on.

93 I have an obsession with old black & white photo booths.

94 I just think they are so cool.

me in a photo booth at Amy's Ice Cream in Austin, TX

95 I would love to have one in my living room someday. Wouldn't that be the greatest?

 

96 I love my morning coffee, very, very strong with cream and sugar.

97 I love my husband & kids more than anything else in this world.

98 I once was lost, but now I'm found.

99 His grace has set me free.

100  I love my life.

----

Whew, so a hundred things you now know about me.  I hope we're still friends.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His,"  -2 Tim 2:19

more than you ever wanted to know

In honor of my 100th post (which went by many moons ago):

100 Things About Me

1 I love Jesus and have for 25 years. Before that I just didn't know Him, but I would've loved Him if I had.

2 I met my husband thirteen years ago in a christian chat room called "net central" .

3 I feel awkward telling people that.  It sounds so cheesy.

4 I haven't been in a chat room since shortly after we met.

5 I lived in Africa with my family for almost four years when I was in high school.

6 It was absolutely some of the best memories of my life so far.

My brother and me at a church service in Africa.

7 I spent the summer in Italy when I was 16.

8 I had a 110 camera and still cringe when I think of the missed photo opportunities.

9 It was so beautiful though and I hope to go back with my husband someday.

10 I won a coloring contest when I was in elementary school and the prize was that I got to be in the Ringling bro circus. It was pretty cool for a little kid.

11 I don't enjoy the circus now and will probably never take my kids to one.  I think it's mean to the animals. It makes me sad.

12  I used to teach cake decorating and make elaborate cakes. I even owned a cake decorating business for awhile.  You cannot believe the amount of money some moms are willing to spend on a birthday cake.

13  I was a preschool director for a few years.  It was not an easy job, but I loved those kiddos so much.

14 I was an elementary ed major, but if I could go back (when?) I would (will?) be a photography/graphic arts major. Is that a major?

15 I would rather be cold than hot.  If you're cold you can always get warmer.  You can snuggle with someone, put on a jacket, start a fire, wrap up in a warm blanket.  When you're hot you can pretty much just get naked and then you're still hot...and naked...which in itself could be uncomfortable.

16 I graduated from bible school, Christ For the Nations Institute, before I went to college.

17 I feel like I should know more scripture due to number 16

18 I'm also a homeschool graduate (and shockingly I'm not socially stunted or inept at life).

19 My family and I lived in Memphis when I was five and I have been told that my two best friends were the mayor's daughter and Jerry Lee Lewis' daughter. I can't really remember that though.

20 I love a hot chai latte, even homemade with *egad* a mix.  There is something so soothing about a cup of warm spicy tea.

21 The style of decorating that I love and the way my house actually looks in most rooms are worlds apart.

22 Sometimes I get sad about this, but then I just remind myself that it's a process and everyday and every trip to an antique store or flea market brings me a little bit closer to my vision.

23 I am not a mall person.  I really just like being home, but if I'm going to go somewhere the mall is absolutely my last choice.

24 I overuse exclamation points and ellipses (and apparently the words "just" and "so")

25 I am not a grammar fan

26 In spite of what the two above may imply I love the English language and words.

27 I love the color red

28 I love the color pink

29 I really love pink and red together (and sometimes orange and aqua blue)

30 I refuse to pay money to watch a movie with a sad ending (actually I won't watch a sad movie for free either -  ha!).  I mean isn't life sad enough for a lot of real people without me paying to cry about a fake person's fake life??

31 I hate when I misspell a word so badly that the spell check offers me choices that aren't even *close* to the word I was trying to spell.

32  I could eat Mexican food everyday for the rest of my life. Fajitas are my favorite.

33  I love being a stay at home mom, more than I ever dreamed I would

---

Stay tuned for part 2.  (or if you are bored beyond belief just come back Monday...heh-heh)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and You know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven You discover my thoughts."
-Psalm 139:1-2

so this is what it's like to be a rock star

I wasted an obscene amount of time playing with this yesterday:

 

 

My favorite is the Target one.  But I really like the Warhol one of my mom and me too.

Here's the link if you want to play:

Photofunia

(Warning:  Some of the choices are not entirely appropriate for family viewing. Just so you know.)

We're off for a long weekend of camping!

I thought I'd post my "100 Things About Me" post while I'm gone.  Hope it's not too excruciating to read.

(I don't know who started the "100 things about me on my 100th post" thingie, but...um...do people really want to know 100 things about me??  Not sure, but who am I to buck tradition?)

Thank you all for your warm "welcome back" messages. I apologize for not writing to everyone personally, but my computer time is pretty limited right now. Please know that I really value every one of your comments and emails and,

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy..." -Philippians 1:3-4

Hope you all have a fantastic rest of the week/weekend!

His peace and grace to you,

♥ Melissa~

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"The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
-1 Samuel 16:7

it's all fun & games until someone loses an eye

So it's time to announce the Bloggy Giveaway winner! 

But first some random thoughts on your comments and the giveaway itself:

♥ I found it somewhat disturbing just how many of you would have actually been willing to dress in pink and red and dance like a chicken for my prize.  (I have to admit I'm tempted to make that a real requirement next time just for the awesome flickr group that would be formed!)

♥ Many of you mentioned my etsy shop button which I had taken down temporarily as the shop is getting ready for an update (actually, I'm getting ready for the update not the shop *heh-heh*).  The shop is pretty empty right now (although if you need bakery twine or glassine envelopes, I'm your girl!) but I am working on a pretty huge update that I hope to have up by the middle of the month.

♥ Apparently a lot of people have really good relationships with the makers of Cocoa Puffs cereal and Land's End.  (Did ya'll notice all the coupons for free cereal giveaways??)

♥ For Chelsey and others wondering: The wayward sequin is the top left one on the left birdie. :)

♥ I really wish I could mail *everyone* who commented a prize because you guys just kept me smiling all week long with your sweet & funny comments.

But alas, there can only be one winner...

The envelope please....

The winner is Jenni Wilson of One Thing!!

Congratulations Jenni!  Send me your snail mail info ASAP so I can get out your prize!

For everyone else, thank you so much for entering, and I hope you'll stick around for more crafty goodness and giveaways!

His Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"...you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light."
-1 Peter 2:9

a floating inspiration board

I've always had an inspiration board of some kind over my work area.  I usually have it covered in magazine photos, scraps of fabric, quotes and scriptures, whatever happens to be inspiring me at the moment.

{If you're not sure what I mean have a look here.  Woah, talk about inspiration!}

In my current setup however, I have almost *no* blank wall space.  So no pretty inspiration board. :(  Until I saw this:

Inspiration Mobile

I was so excited when I saw it because I had that exact same mobile sitting in a drawer waiting to be used! (and I found it at Target on clearance!! Could life get any better??)

So now my inspirational bits and pieces float above my work surface in front of the window and I love the three-dimensionality and balance of it all.

And because I love you all so much I went searching for where you could purchase one of these  {because the clearance ones at Target are all gone bye-bye now of course. :(  }...

...and found you a link!

 

Kikkerland

Have fun and be crafty this weekend!

♥ Melissa~
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"Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy."
-Psalm 65:8 (new living translation)

dance like a chicken and win a prize

Hey Ya'll!  It's Bloggy Giveaway time again! 

As usual I'm giving a way a goodie basket of paper, tags, bakery twine, and other scrapbook goodies!

(You can see a picture of the past giveaways here and here.  I'll put a new pic up of the current giveaway tomorrow.) 

Ok finally got the pic up

So here's what you need to do to win my prize:

1.)  Put on all red and pink clothes.

2.)  Dance like a chicken.

3.)  Take a photo of yourself dancing and post it to your Flickr account with the title:

         "I {heart} Pink Paper Peppermints." and a link back to me.

4.)  Write a poem or a short story about why my blog is the best ever.

5.)  And buy one of each item in my etsy shop.

Ok go!

Ha!  I'm just joshin' ya...

(those who have participated in the Bloggy Giveaway before will know why that is so funny--occasionally, people tend to make their giveaways..ummm...a little complicated...that' all I'm sayin'...)

All you really have to do is leave me a comment with your email or blog address. :)

And don't go insane trying to enter all the giveaways because I'd like to see you back here when the giveaway madness is over and I don't know what kind of internet connection they have at the funny farm...know what I mean?

I'll announce the winner by Sunday, August 3rd.

Have Fun!

♥ Melissa~
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"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 6:23

I used to lie and cheat and step on people's feet

Oh my goodness this is fun:

(the song starts at 59 seconds if you want to fast forward)

Off to the new church!

God's Grace & Peace friends,

♥ Melissa~
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"Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new."
-2 Corinthians 5:17

ten on tuesday - let's talk crafty

ten cRaFtY thoughts on tuesday

(wednesday morning - but it's still tuesday somewhere isn't it?)

one

Well, first of all I'm pretty excited to have been featured as an "Honorary Cr8tv Diva" at Cr8 Everyday Crafts! 

The interview was actually done a while ago and went live while we were on vacation so I haven't had a chance to mention it until now!

If you haven't joined Cr8 Everyday Crafts yet you should!  It is one fun and crafty place to hang out.  There are tons of how-to videos and lots of crafty eye candy plus so many other crafty "peeps" to chat with!

Visit Cr8 Everyday Crafts

You can read my interview and tell me how dorky I sound here.

two

Another crafty thing that happened while we were on vacation was that I discovered the podcast CraftSanity by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood. 

I downloaded *every* episode before we left and listened to hours and hours of them on the long drive to Wisconsin and back.

It is so much fun to listen to my favorite crafty bloggers talk about how they got crafty and what they are up to now.  Crafters and Artists like Emily Martin, Amy Carrol, Amanda Blake Soule, Claudine Hellmuth and more!

And I just *love* Jennifer.  She always asks the best questions - some that I never would've thought of and always the exact questions I was thinking at the moment! 

If you haven't listened to Craftsanity yet then head over there now and start downloading!

And Jennifer if you're reading this, thanks for helping me keep *my* sanity for 36 hours in the car with three boys!

three

Wordle is my new favorite online/crafty thing to play with. 

oh. my. goodness. 

If you are a visual person and like playing with words then you are going to *love* Wordle.

In fact I feel bad telling you about it because you probably won't get anything else done for the rest of the time you're online now!  (but hey finish reading my blog first, k? heh-heh)

You can play with words a few different ways.  One is to just plug your blog address in (what I did above) and you'll see what you talk about most.  The larger the words the more those words appear in your blog.

I apparently say "just" and "really" way too much and O-man was mildly disturbed that "paper" was the same size as "God". 

I do like paper.

I was puzzled by the words "butter" and "toast" showing up as large as they did.  Do I talk about toast and butter a lot?? 

I do like butter.

You can also just put whatever words you want in to create a neat art piece.  I can't wait to play with this. I'm going to try all of our family's names.

You can experiment with different colors and backgrounds and changing the maximum word count changes the way it looks as well.

four

Here are some others I created (click on them to see them larger):

I put all the names of Jesus in for this one:

Crafty Words:

Cooking words:

As you can see Wordle can be dangerous but oh so fun! 

If you make one, leave me a comment with the link so I can see it!  I know there are a thousand more creative things that could be done with this cool tool!

five

One of the highlights of the trip for me was when I walked into the library of a tiny town in Wisconsin and saw a sign on a table of books that said, "Free to a good home".

I glanced at it casually and didn't really see anything that caught my eye at first and then suddenly there it was, a giant collection of crafty magazines from the seventies!

six
It was huge and covered and dust and just calling my name.  I was so excited.  You should see all the wonderful photos in these magazines.

And the kitschy craftiness! It's heaven!

Actually you will be seeing them, because I'm going to be posting them in the weeks to come, they are just too good not to share.

seven

Again I have to apologize to you (and possibly your neglected children-heh-heh) in advance for the following links.

I found two great blogs that are nothing but craft tutorials!  Can you imagine? 

Well you don't have to!  Just click on over!

Craft Tutorials

30 Handmade Days

eight

Love this one!  It's a search engine just for crafty blogs!

nine

A sneak peek of something I'm working on:

(any guess as to what it is?)

A little sign I made (inspired by a greeting card) to hang on the fridge and remind me of my blessings.

 

Remember those ad magnets?  I just glued one to the back of this.  I think it would help if you mounted your sign on chipboard first for stability.

The scripture is Psalm 124:7 and says,

"My soul escaped like a bird, out of the snare of the fowler."

We used to sing a song with those words in Bible school that I just adored.

I love how poetic the Bible is...an escaped soul is such a beautiful picture.  I want to do more art with that...

ten

It's very hard to blog about crafty things where you have to insert links because

when you go to get the links

you get very distracted

by the new crafty things.

very.

distracted.

I actually started this blog post yesterday.

God's Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"She loves to work with her hands..."
-Proverbs 31:13 (NIRV)

my Big fat summer vacation

We saw lots of big things on our vacation.  It seemed to be a recurring theme.  Here are some of them:

A Big grocery basket that is actually a race car! (St. Louis Children's Museum)

A Big truck. (St. Louis Children's Museum)

A Big dino. (Wisconsin Dells, WI)

Big dino bones (Field Museum, Chicago,IL)

Big Banana (Ella's Deli, Madison, WI)

Big Little O (St. Louis Children's Museum - Optical Illusions room)

Big Lumberjack food (Paul Bunyan's - Wisconsin Dells, WI)

and my favorites:

Big Pink Globe (Museum Campus- Chicago, IL)

Big Pink Flamingo Motel (Wisconsin Dells, WI)

Big stuff....good times.

Have a great weekend guys!  I'm hoping to do some blog hopping this weekend so I will see you around!

God's Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"You're well-known as good and forgiving,  bighearted to all who ask for help. Pay attention, God, to my prayer; bend down and listen to my cry for help. Every time I'm in trouble I call on you, confident that you'll answer."
-Psalm 86:1

ten on tuesday (on wednesday) - the crafty vacation edition

ten thoughts on tuesday

(or wednesday...or...you know...whenever I can grab my laptop and hide in the closet for long enough to post something)

one

I've already told you about Red Lead, the wonderful paper art store in St. Louis owned by sisters Chris Schwartz and Sharon Wisely, but I wanted to show you more photos and say again how amazing this store is! 

If you have a minute you must go take a peek at the online shop.  They have a unique line of stamps that are all so charming.

Here are some more photos of their inspiring space (click on them to see a larger image).

I want to bring a sleeping bag and live here!

 

A tag skirt with silk ribbon ties!  I really need this in my house!

 

Every display in the store is so clever and unique.  I love the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and do you see the ATC cards dangling in the back?  There's a close up of these later.

Sharon and Chris hand pick all the old furniture and display items at antique shows and flea markets.

I am crazy about the collaged chair and the paint-chipped red table!  The postcards are displayed in old drawers!

 

Aren't these frame shelves amazing?  What a creative and crafty idea!

 

Art in glass jars.  Breathtaking.

 

Oh, this round table and all its goodies just makes my heart sing!

Love these microscope slide necklaces. This one is made with their queen bee stamp.

 

Buttons!  The texture and colors of all these make my eyes tingle!  Don't you just love that big button frame full of buttons!!?

A display of rows and rows of beautiful ATC's pinned together and hanging from the ceiling... stunning!

In this corner of the store it's always Christmas!  How lovely! (A red Christmas tree!)

For those of you lucky enough to live in St. Louis I hope you'll visit Red Lead soon and think of me here in Texas being super jealous of you!

two

In Madison, Wisconsin we stopped for lunch at Ella's Deli.  It is such a neat place full of creativity and craftiness (not to mention delicious food) so I just had to show you some pictures!

  

three

Outside of Ellas's is a restored Parker carousel from 1927.  Little O wanted to ride, but only on the bench, not on the horses.  Apparently they looked a little wild to him.

 

The wild carousel horse.

four

Inside Ellas' is even more whimsical and fun with all kinds of handmade animated characters, displays and dioramas created by local artists and the owners themselves!

 

Everyone's favorite elephant.

Teen O found the feet faces a little creepy.

 

This ketchup bottle jumps over the hot dog and vice versa. Pure genius. heh-heh

 

This robot has a camera in his face and a monitor on his belly so when you walk up to him you can see yourself on the belly monitor.  Little O *loved* it.

five

Even the tables get in on the act at Ella's.  Each table has a glass top with a themed-shadow box underneath.  We sat at the origami table.

 

This table was filled with mini instruments.

six

The other fun and crafty thing I did on the trip was to go to a small town "Strawberry Festival" art fair.  It was really neat.

I met lots of talented crafters and artists.  I wish I could just tour around the country going to these types of shows.

seven

The first was a gentleman who owns American Forging.  He crafts beautiful pieces from recycled aluminum cans!  You really won't believe they used to be cans when you see them.

eight

Next I met Jody Avery and Tammy Mueller of Squiggles and Squares.  They make super cute collaged scrabble tiles and dominoes.

I just loved them and bought a scrabble tile necklace with a little piece of the Bible collaged on the front!  Go check out their etsy shop to see their jewelry & key chains.

nine

Finally I met Gisela Magdalena Moyer.  A paper artist that creates the most amazing paper sculptures. 

Her work is bright and beautiful and full of life. The pictures don't do it justice at all.  I just couldn't stop looking at each piece.  She also has a fascinating life story (don't all wonderful artists?) that you can read about on her website.

I'm saving up for one of her tree pieces, they just make me smile.

ten

That's it for today, I am out of computer time!  Hope you enjoy some of those websites and maybe buy some art!

More photos tomorrow!

God's Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got...God's works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark His craft; His generosity never gives out. His miracles are His memorial— This God of Grace, this God of Love."
-Psalm 111:1

Back in Crafty Action!

Ack!  I'm finally back!

Vacation was wonderful and I'm relaxed and refreshed and ready to get crafty again!

{I love typing Ack!  It's so descriptive and you really can't get away with actually *saying* "Ack!" out loud can you?}

So how about some photo happiness to start the week off right?

Here are some of my faves from the trip:

St. Louis Union Station is so gorgeous.  We stayed in a hotel across the street that is a restored YMCA built in early 1900's.

Inside Union Station is even more gorgeous!  I wish they still designed buildings like this:

I love the ladies holding the globes at the top of the arch. 

And look at the stained glass:

When we arrived in Chicago this is what we saw sitting outside our hotel room:

I should have known that was a bad sign of things to come.

The rest of the Chicago leg of the trip was fabulous though! 

We visited the beautiful Shedd Aquarium.

And learned lots about dolphins and penguins and whales and lizards! 

In fact we arrived at the lizard exhibit at feeding time much to my boys delight (and my horror!). 

Lizards eat some pretty gross stuff...I'm just sayin'.

Yes, that is a big, fat, green caterpillar-wormy thing in his mouth...and he swallowed it whole (while it was still squirming!) right after I took this shot..*eww*...

After Shedd we hopped on the train to Chinatown for lunch at the Three Happiness Cafe and some shopping (sorry to mention lunch so soon after the whole caterpillar/lizard thing). 

Some students had a haiku exhibit in the station and it was fabulous! 

I also enjoyed this warning sign in the station (affixed with duct tape):

And just in case you weren't sure *how* to hold on to your children the diagram shows you with a little highlighted circle for emphasis...I guess so you don't try to hold on to them by their hair or something which would be much less effective I'm sure...

I really fell in love with Chinatown.  It just had so much charm and character. 

 

I loved the dragon lamp posts!

And this was my favorite sign in all of Chicago:

Okay lots more to show you tomorrow including a tuesday ten of crafty things I saw on my trip with more photos of the fabulous Red Lead Paperworks!

Hope you're all having a fabulous summer!

Grace and Peace,

♥ M~
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"You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.You know everything I do."
-Psalm 139:3

Button Flower Bouquet | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 31

Day Thirty-one and now we're done...

Can you believe it?  It's been 31 days already? (actually if you count weekends it's been 6 weeks!!)

Our final flower tutorial for 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days  is for a beautiful bouquet of button flowers!

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Buttons
-Wire (I used 18 gauge)
-Wire cutters
-Pliers 
-Ribbon & jar

Step One

Decide on the length that you want your flower stems to be, cut your wire twice this length and fold in half.

Step Two

Now choose the buttons you want to use for your flowers.

I like to stack mine up and play with shapes, sizes and colors until I'm happy with the look.

Step Three

Now begin to slide your buttons up the wire in the order that you stacked them (top to bottom).

Step Four

Now twist the wire down to where you want the first "leaf".  I used various sizes & shades of green buttons for leaves.

 

 Your flower should look something like this:

Step Five

I also added little wire curly "vines" to my bouquet using a wire curler to twist the wire. 

If you don't have one of these tools you can use a pencil (round without the flat sides) or paintbrush to wrap the wire around.

You can trim the wire to fit exactly in the jar or vase that you are using, but I kind of like how my wire looked all swirled together at the bottom of the jar so I left it!

So that's it for my spring flower celebration!  As you're reading this we are on vacation, so I'm not sure how much posting there will be for the next few days.

I've had lots of questions about the next "31 days" of tutorials and I have some ideas, but those will be  "coming soon".

In the meantime I'll still be posting tutorials and ideas and of course I'll be going back to my regular blogging with ten on tuesdays & stuff so I hope to see you all around!

I have been so excited to meet so many people from all over the world doing this! 

Thank you all for your encouraging emails and comments!

See you soon!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"He sent Me to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears, and joyous praise in place of broken hearts. They will be called "Trees of Justice," planted by the LORD to honor His name."

-Isaiah 61:3

Cupcakes & Recycling Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 30

 

Day Thirty-We're flower nerdy!

Today I've got some more fabulous flower tutorial links for you!

Cupcake Bouquet!

That's right, a bouquet of cupcake roses! So pretty and yummy!

and

Recycled Newsprint Flowers

Patricia at A Little Hut shows how to make super gorgeous flower artwork with recycled newsprint!

and finally

Recycled Soda Bottle Flowers

Wow, these are neat-O!

Ok have fun with these and I'll see you on Monday for our very last 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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 "The fig trees are producing their early fruit. The flowers on the vines are giving off their sweet smell."
-Song of Solomon 2:13

Felt Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 29

Day Twenty-Nine-still feelin' fine!

Today's flower tutorial for 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days  is one of my favorites!  Felt flowers!  No matter how you make these they turn out so pretty!

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Felt in bright colors
-Needle & embroidery floss or thread
-Scissors
-Buttons

Step One

Cut the felt in in flower shapes. 

Step Two

Layer the shapes.  The more layers the prettier your flower will be. 

You can use a button as the center or embroidery, sequins or beads look pretty too.

Step Three

For a little more complicated felt flower, cut your felt in graduating circles.

Step Four

 

Next, cut thin little triangles out all the way around to create squarish petals.

Step Five
 

Now layer your flowers and take a small stitch with contrasting thread (I used 3 strands of embroidery floss) about a quarter of an inch in on the petal, down over the edge and into the next petal. 

Do this through each layer of petals as shown below.

That's it!  Fun & fast felty flowers!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"At that time the Lord All-Powerful will be like a beautiful crown, like a wonderful crown of flowers for His people"
-Is 28:5

Word Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 28

Day Twenty-Eight - almost to home plate!

It's a word flower tutorial for today's 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days ! 

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Watercolor Paper
-Watercolor Pencils
-Pencil
-Brush & water
-paper, ribbons, bakers twine & flowers (optional - to create card)

Step One

Lightly sketch out your design on watercolor paper.

Step Two

 
Using the watercolor pencils, write the words you want to use on the lines of your flower.  I used the scripture,

"The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of our Lord stands forever." -Is 40:8

You could also write poetry, someone's name or just a little love note!

Step Three

With a damp brush go over the watercolor pencil lines to smudge them a little and create a painted look. 

Once the flower is dry you can go in and erase the pencil sketch lines, but I kind of liked how this looked so I left it.

Step Four

  

Cut out your flower and mount it on patterned paper for a handmade card. 

I attached ribbon and silk flowers to some bakery twine to decorate the spine of the card.

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"He sent Me to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears, and joyous praise in place of broken hearts. They will be called "Trees of Justice," planted by the LORD to honor his name."
-Isaiah 61:3

French Toast Flowers! | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 27

Day Twenty-Seven-We're still in flower heaven!

Today's flower tutorial for 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days  is fun and yummy and a perfect way to celebrate the arrival of summer! 

I think it would be so fun to make these from French Toast, but for simplicity in the tutorial I just used regular toast which is a little quicker and turned out cute too!

 Here's what you need to get started:

-Whole wheat bread
-Butter
-Decorative Sugar
-Flower shaped cookie cutter
-soda bottle cap
-knife
-French toast recipe & ingredients (if making french toast)

Step One

While bread is toasting (or french toast is cooking) cut a 1/4 inch pat of butter for each toast flower you will be making.

Step Two

 

Use your soda cap to make little round pats of butter for the center of your toast flowers. 

This works best if the butter is firm but not rock hard, so let it sit out for a few minutes before beginning.

Step Three

Once your toast is ready, center the cookie cutter over it and press firmly. 

Before you lift the cookie cutter, pull away the scraps of toast on the outside. 

Tip:

Don't throw these scraps away!  Throw them in a baggie and store them in the freezer.  The next time you need bread crumbs for a recipe just toss the scraps into the food processor and you've got homemade bread crumbs! (You can do this with the heels of the bread as well.)

Step Four

 

Now add your pat of butter to the center of your toast flower!

Step Five
 

For a special treat, you can sprinkle sanding sugar or decorative sugar on the butter centers.

Step Six

 

Cut freehand leaves with your knife.

Step Seven

 

Now put together your toasty flowers! 

This would make a fun birthday or holiday breakfast treat! 

For dad, on Father's Day, you could use a fish or sports themed cutter!

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"His cheeks are like beds of spices, with sweet-smelling plants. His lips are like lily flowers giving off drops of perfume."
-Song of Solomon 5:13

Recycled Newspaper Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 26

Day Twenty-Six and one more flower from my bag of tricks!

Don't throw those newspapers away until you try this!  Today's flower tutorial for 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days  is a perfect summer activity to do with the kids!

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Old newspapers
-Acrylic Paints
-Decorative Scissors
-Flower punch or templates or die cut machine (or just freehand your own!)
-Buttons
-Tags
-Ribbon & Bakery Twine
-Medium Grade Sandpaper

Step One

Cut newspaper into pieces small enough to work with.  Choose sheets with solid sections of text or interesting graphics depending on the look you want.

Step Two

 

Pour on a little paint and spread with a foam brush or cotton ball, let dry.

Step Three

Add a piece of cardstock behind the newspaper for stability before punching your shapes (the newspaper tends to crinkle up and get stuck if you don't do this).

Step Four

  

Punch flowers. You can also use a die cut machine or templates for this or just freehand your own designs.

Step Five
 

You can cut decorative elements with your shaped scissors.

Step Six

 

Cut freehand leaves.

Step Seven

Now put together your flower!  I put mine on a tag and sanded it with sand paper to give it a distressed look.

You could also create a really cute handmade card with these, or magnets, bookmarks or even gift wrap!

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers."
-Luke 12:27

Office Supplies, Book Pages & Balloon Flowers! | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 25

 

Look Alive it's Day Twenty-five!

Hey today we have some more fabulous flower tutorial links and even a video-Woo-hoo!  Enjoy these!

How About Orange

Flowers + Fabric + Office Supplies = L-O-V-E! 

Okay, if you can only go to one of the links today it has to be this one.  Jessica is one of my very favorite bloggers *ever*! 

She is so full of fun and inspirational ideas and just visiting her blog will make you feel happy! 

Her tutorial on flowery fabric-covered office supplies really will brighten your day!

Reconstructed Shabby Chic Silk Flowers

Here you will find a really neat tutorial on taking apart a silk flower and layering it with lace & glitter & stamping to make one lovely, shabby chic flower!  (Forget what I said about only going to one link!  You can't miss this one either! heh-heh)

Book Page Flowers

Tammy has a tutorial for making gorgeous paper flowers from book pages and stamping ink!  You will love this one! (See the one link only thing will just not work)

Balloon-a-ful!

Just for fun how about learning how to make a balloon flower!  Click play below!  (It looks pretty easy if you don't have the debilitating-fear-of-the-balloon-pop-noise thing going on...heh-heh)

Find more DIY videos

Ok have fun with these this weekend and come back Monday for more 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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 "If you value Wisdom and hold tightly to her, great honors will be yours. It will be like wearing a glorious crown of beautiful flowers." 
-Proverbs 4:8-10

Foam Stamp Flowers! | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 24

Day Twenty-Four and we could open a flower store!

Make your own flower stamp with this foam stamp flower tutorial for today's 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days ! 

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Craft Foam
-Pencil
-Scissors
-Adhesive (rubber cement or glue dots)
-Old cd case or acrylic mounting block

Step One

Draw your design on the craft foam.  Look in magazines, and coloring books for ideas for designs.  Simple shapes work best for this type of stamp.

Step Two

 
Cut out your shapes.

Step Three

Mount your design on the cd case with rubber cement or glue dots.

Step Four

  

Ink up your stamp and start stamping! 

You can also try using watercolor markers, fabric paints (for stamping on t-shirts or tote bags) or acrylic paints for a completely different look! 

This is a great summer activity to do with your kids!  Let them find simple designs in their coloring books to trace or have them draw their own designs! 

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"The entire interior of The Temple was cedar, with carvings of fruits and flowers."
-1 Kings 6:14

Rounded Petal Fabric Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days- Day 23

Day Twenty-Three and no admission fee!

Today we have another fabric flower tutorial for the 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days ! 

This one is very similar to the fabric flower we made before but instead of pointed petals you get round petals.

 Here's what you need to get started:

-Fabric
-Needle and Thread
-Scissors
-Buttons

Step One

Cut six 3x3 squares of fabric.

Step Two

 
Fold in a triangle shape, wrongs sides together and press.

Step Three

Stitch a loose gathering stitch around the open edges of the triangle.

Step Four

  

Now gather the fabric into a petal shape by pulling the thread through.

Step Five
 

Attach the next petal to the first and then stitch around the edges and gather.  Repeat this for all five petals.

Step Six

 

Once you've finished gathering all your petals attach the last petal to the first petal to form the flower.

Step Seven

Add a button to the center and your pretty fabric flower is finished!

Try putting these on:

-tote bags

-journals

-barrettes

-a brooch

-a scrapbook cover

-a t-shirt

-a bulletin board pin 

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"He made the flowers, the lamps and their objects of pure gold."
-2 chron 4:21

Punch Flower Ball Garland | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 22

Day Twenty-Two only 9 more flowers before we're through!

Today's flower tutorial for the 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days is a pretty punched flower garland.

 

 Here's what you need to get started:

-Flower Punch (or die cut or trace or draw your own)
-Glue Dots (or other dry adhesive)
-Patterned or plain scrapbook paper  (this would also be cute with recycled paper like yesterday's flower)
-Baker's Twine or other ribbon or string

Step One

Punch flowers in your desired colors. 

You'll need six flowers for each flower ball. 

You'll need about three or four flower balls per foot of garland.

Step Two

 
I've drawn a little face & body on this flower to make the instructions easier to understand. 

You can do the same for the first flower you create to help you get the hang of it, but after that, it probably won't be necessary.

Step Three

Join five flowers together at the "arms" using glue dots or other dry adhesive.

It should look something like this:

Step Four

 

Now put adhesive on all five petals of another flower and join each petal to one of the "faces" on your flowers. 

Then attach the last two "arms".

It should look something like this now:

Step Five

 

Now flip the flower upside down and  you'll see five little pairs of "legs". 

Adhere each "leg" to the one next to it as above.

Your finished flower should look something like this:

 

Step Six

 

Once you've finished all your flowers, string them on bakery twine or ribbon to create the garland.

That's it, now string your garland somewhere summery-ish and enjoy!

You could do this with red,white & blue flowers for a fourth of July barbecue or in bright primary colors for a birthday party too!

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;"
-Psalm 103:15