Completed Americana Lap Quilt...

Good morning! I had a great weekend spending time with my family, and I hope that your weekend was great as well. We went to Miami, OK to see Mike's sister Sandy, and she, her daughter Kari and I spent the day organizing her kitchen pantry. (I'll share that project in another post later this week.)

Here are a few photos that were taken this weekend:

First off is one of three generations of handsome Brown men; my husband Mike, his dad Logan and my son Justin. I am so proud of these fellas and love them dearly!

Here's one of me with my sweet hubby and son...yes, I know, I am really short compared to them - ha! ha! :)

I loved looking at all of my SIL Sandy's beautiful quilting projects! (She is so talented!) Here we are, along with her daughter Kari, in her sewing room:

If you remember, recently I sent some quilt blocks that I had hand cut/pieced/stitched to Sandy to put together and quilt for me. (You can click HERE to see that post.) Here is a photo of that beautiful, finished lap quilt:

Here's a close-up view of the pretty, heart shaped stitching that she used to quilt around the outside edges and on each of the red corner blocks of the quilt...I love that added detail!

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. Be sure to check back in a couple of days to see Sandy's pantry make-over and to pick up some fun organizing tips!

Wishing you a FANTASTIC week!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

HA! HA! :)

Bible Journaling

Good evening, friends! I hope that you had a nice, restful weekend and that your Monday went smoothly. :)

I've been regularly working on my Bible journaling, so today I thought that I'd share a few more of my entries with you. First up is from Ezekiel 34:11 - 12, "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his lock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep and I will rescue them."

Because I am blessed with friends that I truly treasure, this short verse from Proverbs 17:17 is near and dear to my heart: "A friend loves at all times."

I am a pretty patriotic person, so the next two entries highlight my love and pride for my country. First up is the verse from Psalm 56:4-5, "When I am afraid I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise; in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!"

Up next is a verse about hope being an anchor for our soul from Hebrews 6:19 (NIV), "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

And as my final entry for this post, another of my very favorite verses: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Blessings,

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Masculine Cards...

Hello! Just a quick post today to show you a couple of masculine cards that I whipped up using scraps from my supply stash...

Fist off is a birthday card that I made by trimming up the background paper that was in a frame that I purchased. The background paper in the frame had images of three antique hardware pieces for a door, so I simply incorporated one of those images into the card. I tied a scrap piece of muslin into a decorative knot and included a piece of burlap paper, a piece of decorative paper and a tiny little key tied up with jute twine for added detail:

I used another one of the door hardware images from the background paper in the frame as a nice decorative element in this card as well. I used a piece of denim paper for the background, and then added some plaid paper, cardstock, burlap, a button and a key tied up with jute twine, and a clock image that I cut off of a box that held a clock that I recently bought. (Be sure to always look at the packaging of items that you purchase...you just might be able to cut out the interesting images on the packaging to turn into a "trash-to-treasure" projects like I've done with these cards!)

Here's a close-up photo of the little sentiment tag that I made and attached to the burlap scrap and button tied with jute:

Thanks for dropping by today...the weekend is almost here!! :)

Great Read: The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

Earlier this summer I read The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory, and once again, she has written a terrific historical fiction novel about the Tudor court. (I cannot even begin to imagine the stress of living during the time of Henry VIII's reign...it was a very cautious and scandalous time to serve at his court!)

This novel focuses mainly on Lady Margaret Pole and her family. Lady Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, who was the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III. She married Baron Henry Pole, and served Queen Katharine of Aragon and her daughter, Princess Mary Tudor.

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Pole family, as well as many other families in his realm, would be in great favor of the king, and then would fall into suspicion of treason, only to regain his favor again. Lady Margaret Pole faced this challenge during her lifetime, and being one of the York heirs, the irrational suspicions of Henry VIII fell upon her multiple times.

I don't want to divulge too much detail, as the struggle, survival, and ultimate death of Lady Margaret Pole are due to the irrational behavior of Henry VIII and the choices he makes after ending his marriage to Katharine of Aragon.

If you have read/enjoyed any of Philippa Gregory's other Tudor court novels, then The King's Curse is a must-read to add to your book list!

Have a FANTASTIC day!!

Just Married Memory Box

Good morning, friends! I hope that you had a nice, restful weekend. I enjoyed time working around the house, reading and napping, but I did carve out some time to work on a craft project - hee! hee!

The oldest daughter of my sweet friend, Megan F., got married last month, so I made a "Just Married" memory box for the newlyweds using their wedding announcement:

I hand-stitched the flowers using some frayed organza ribbon that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I LOVE how they turned out! I also incorporated flat-backed pearls, a metal "B" monogram for their last name, some crocheted lace, a decorative key, paper doily, etc. Here is a close-up photo of some of the embellishments:

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! Have a great day and a terrific week!!

Blessings,

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Bible Journaling...

Good morning!! It's Wednesday and that means we're half-way to the weekend - WOOHOO!!

Today I thought that I would share a couple of my most recent Bible journaling entries. The first is from Jeremiah 29: 11 "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."

The next entry is from Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God will be with you wherever you go."

If you think that you might like to try your hand at Bible journaling, why not check out Stephanie Ackerman's blog, Homegrown Hospitality, and click on the Documented Faith link. You can sign up for the weekly Bible study that she emails every Sunday...it's a great springboard into Bible journaling.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Summertime Bouquet...

Good morning and happy Monday, friends! The temps here in Oklahoma are unbearably hot and humid...our heat index hit 112 degrees over the weekend - UGH! I am not a hot weather kind of gal, so I am anxiously awaiting fall and the cooler temps that come with it.

Surprisingly, my knockout roses and hydrangeas have done pretty well, considering the heat. Since it's too doggone hot to sit on my back porch and enjoy the flowers, I decided to cut a few out of my flowerbeds and make a bouquet to enjoy inside in the air conditioning:

Have a wonderful week! :)

Blessings,

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Re-stocking My Card Stash...

Hello! With all of the birthdays, anniversaries and weddings that we've had in our circle of friends and family lately, I desperately needed to make some cards to re-stock my card stash for future events. Here are a few of the cards that I've been working on:

This is a wedding card that was given to the couple that I made the country wedding shadow box for. (You can click HERE to see that shadow box, if you'd like.)

Next up is a feminine birthday card using lots of pretty scraps of paper doilies, ribbon and paper:

I even decorated the inside of the card to match the outside of the card:

It's always good to have a few, simple, masculine cards on hand, so I made this one and I think it fits the bill nicely:

On the inside of the card I created a pocket to slip money or a gift card into for the recipient:

My sweet SIL Lea Ann has been very ill and in the hospital for quite a while, so I made this card and mailed it to her to help cheer her up:

I REALLY LOVE how her card turned out...I am a sucker for frilly, feminine things like lace, pearls, flowers, etc., which I incorporated into her card. I decorated the inside of her card as well, with a coordinating piece of ribbon and a cardstock heart with pearl accents:

Here's a fun, country-looking birthday card. I added buttons tied with jute twine, as well as a simple fabric flower that I stitched up using fabric scraps. Lace and additional twine that I curled around a skewer add some extra texture and dimension:

Next up is a shabby-chic looking wedding card that I created using a little metal key, a tea-stained doily, flat-backed pearls, and a deconstructed/aged silk flower:

Here's a fun birthday card for a friend, in which I incorporated a piece of green ric-rac and a scrap of fabric that I folded and tied into a decorative knot for a different kind of decorative element:

Last, but not least, here's the anniversary card and coordinating envelope that I made for my folks, who will celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary this Saturday, August 8th. (Happy anniversary, mom and dad...love you bunches!!)