sunday eve ~ an autumn blessing

 

Wishing my blog friends an

autumn weekend

full of

beauty, bliss,

and blessings!

two lucky boys…

…and we’re lucky to have them! 

 They keep us laughing, for sure. 

As I write this post, Pretty Boy #1 is dancing, singing, and clapping to American Idol while Pretty Boy #2 watches and smiles in his swing.  Hilarious!

From our home to yours, hope your St. Patrick’s Day is a lucky one too!

Sunday Eve

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17

I am sharing with others at Spiritual Sunday and Mosaic Monday.

some things never change

Thirty-seven years ago, the peace symbol, paisley, and Elvis Presley were so “IN”. (Well, maybe not so much with Elvis, but it fits my post. Just work with me, here.)

In 2010, the peace symbol and paisley have made a comeback and Elvis never died.

Some things never change. This week, I was reminded of that when cigar man and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary.

Well…ur…maybe we have changed a bit.

By the way, cigar man didn’t bring home those “grocery store” flowers. Click here to read the history. I guess he’s caught on to what I don’t like. It just took him 37 years. That’s not bad, is it? J

Aren’t they beautiful!

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm sixty-four?

Daffodils or Buttercups?

What do you call them?

Daffodils or Buttercups?

Whatever you call them,

they’re one of the first gifts of Spring.

One of the most welcomed

blooms to release its petals.

Dance!

I'm joining in with Cindy's Show and Tell Friday.

Spring’s a coming

I just know Spring is coming, but I had to put these photos together from past Springs to remind myself.

I am seeing evidence though. On a walk today I spotted crocus, always a first sign of Spring in Tennessee.

And pansies too!

And a white tulip!

Well, only because I bought it at Krogers. J

Stop by Mary’s dear little red house to see other mosaics.

when the bug bites…

I intended to sew tonight. It’s supposed to get warmer this weekend so pretty boy may need a new spring outfit for church, but instead I was inspired to play with a photo I recently took. I’m bad about that – jumping from one thing to the next, but don’t you think if the creative bug bites you should bite back? I do too! In my case, it might not bite again for a while. Hopefully, I’ll get to the outfit before Sunday and he won’t have to go to church in his birthday suit; although, he’d be a cutie pie that way. J

I was inspired by Kate at Chronicles of a Country Girl to try some textures from ShadowHouse Creations. And I also added some enhancements from Scrapgirls. I love their digital papers and embellishments!

I started with this photo that you first saw in the post below.

In the next photo, I simply changed it to sepia with Photoshop Elements.

I liked that, but I just had to experiment a little further so the next photo is in chalk and charcoal.

hmmm..back to the sepia, but this time with ShadowHouse Creations’ “Crunched Old Paper” (50% opacity).

And then finally, I combined some textures from ShadowHouse Creations and Scrapgirls and this is the result.

When I was a little girl, I loved to play paper dolls. I would cut figures out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog, spread them all over my bed and play all day long. Well, now I’m just a little older, but I still like to play. Don’t you?

Okay, I think I have it out of my system now. Where’s that fabric?

Sharing this post today with Sepia Scenes.

Sunday Eve

Sunday Eve

...in winter enjoy!

" In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."

The unusual southern snow sparked my passion to shoot photo after photo of the new white blanket covering a formerly russet landscape. And taking photos is a new hobby that I really enjoy. I've learned so much from many of you who share with me the passion of photography. So joining in on Mary's Mosaic Monday and seeing what all of you have to contribute is such a pleasure for me!

Looking through my photo collection, I noticed I'd taken these same Adirondack chairs in past seasons; spring, fall and now winter. So I thought it'd be fun to group them in a mosaic to compare.Now, since I'm a southern gal, I don't own a pair of snow boots but that didn't stop me from braving the icy snow and the bitter cold. I just tied some plastic bags over my shoes and secured them with a rubber band. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! LOL!

And was it ever COLD! BRRRRRR!

You can see here, the accumulation of snow from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning.

I'd say at least three inches.

I know. Some of you northerners are silently laughing. :) My cardinal friend looked me right in the eye as if to say,

"So what are you waiting for? Fill up the bird feeder!"

And then he played peek-a-boo with me.

Even the dried up crab-apples...

...and crepe myrtle buds transform to a renewed splendor in the snow.
Of course, I'm not the only one in our household who enjoyed the snow.

pretty boy wasn't too sure about this makeshift sled (really a trash can lid),

but it didn't take long riding with mom...

before he got the hang of it!

Here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

Sunday Eve

Sharing this post with others at Spiritual Sunday and Mosaic Monday.

Sunday Eve

Sharing this message with Spiritual Sunday.

Surprises are nice!

What a pleasant surprise!

I was featured on The DIY SHOW OFF..
.. for this Autumn gift card!

If you missed this post, you can find it by clicking here.

Thanks so much, Roeshel!

Classy Gift Wrapping Ideas

Last weekend, we had the honor of attending our friend's wedding reception (without the wedding). You see, they were married last May, but just hosted their reception. I know it sounds odd, but we actually went on their honeymoon with them and I did a post on it here, in case you missed it. It was a lovely event in their gorgeous backyard.

I was thrilled, they ask me to take pictures and I did, 512 of them! So! I got carried away. I'll show you some of the highlights in the next few days, but today I'd wanted to share the wrapping of their wedding gift along with some other gift wrapping ideas.

I love black, white and silver. It's so classy. I started with a silver box and filled it with black shredded paper. I included wine glasses and a bottle of wine. The bow is made of black, white and silver ribbon with a silver wine stopper nestled in the bow.

My homemade card is made of cardstock. I printed my message, cut out a heart and adorned it with a red rhinestone.

Designing this gift made me think about all the other gifts I've designed using black and white. Hmmm...I really do like black and white gifts! I topped this gift with luggage tags of the initials of the bride and groom and a 1st Christmas ornament with their names. Those grey blobs on the photo above and below are not part of the design. I blotted out the names to protect the innocent. :)

Oh, and inside this silver package is a skillet so I tied a black spatula to go along with the skillet theme in the bow and wrote a message on silver cardstock that reads, "May you always flip over each other."

I helped a friend with her wedding and wrapped these silver boxes for her bridesmaid's gifts. I duplicated her wedding invitation logo on the gift.

And here's a black and white bridal shower card with a touch of pink made from cardstock and stamped with black ink.

The inside of the card is a vellum sheet over hearts with a cutout groom and bride.

Black and white - a classy way to wrap a wedding gift. I'll bet you have some clever wrapping ideas too. I'd love for you to comment and tell us all about them!

I'm sharing with Do it Yourself Day and Met Monday. Stop by and see them!

Happy 1st Anniversary

I made this card for my baby daughter, who has been a married lady for a year now. You may know her from her blog, Peacock Blu (click here and wish her a happy anniversary!) .

They are celebrating their anniversary today. Doesn't seem possible! I remember the wedding like it was yesterday. My My, doesn't time fly.

We had such a wonderful, fun time.

And it happens to be a blue card so I'm sharing with you this

Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LINDS!

for the mothers...

"Give her the reward she has earned.

Let everything she has done bring praise to her..." Proverbs 31:31