Goals

A little braver when the skies are gray,

A little stronger when the road seems long,

a little more of patience through the day,

And not so quick to magnify a wrong.

A little kinder, both of thought and deed,

A little gentler with the old and weak,

Swifter to sense another's pressing need,

And not so fast the hurtful phrase to speak.

These are my goals - not flung beyond my power,

Not dreams of glory, beautiful but vain,

Not the great heights where buds of genius flower,

But simple splendors which I ought to gain.

-- Edgar A.Guest

Good and beautiful are the souls who take deeply into themselves the seeds of the Word, and keep them,
and tend them with care.

-- St Cyril of Alexandria

 Wishing you a blessed day!

Lori

Treasures From a Friend & A Giveaway!

Look what came in the mail this week!

Sweet treasures from a sweet friend!

I won a 400-follower giveaway

from Tina over at TinyBear!

It came wrapped in pattern tissue with this

cool pendant attached!

Here's the back...

LOVE the ribbon!

Here's all the goodies inside!

Oh so romantic tags with crepe paper trim!

Mmmmmm....lavendar sachet!

And the sweetest lace-covered heart ornament!

The surprise pendant close-up!

If you haven't been to Tina's blog,

she makes the sweetest things!

Her bears are TO DIE FOR!

So cute!

THANK YOU TINA!

I will treasure them all!

While we're on the subject of give-aways,

Donna at Brynwood Needleworks

is clebrating 500 posts with a surprise giveaway!

Another extremely talented artist!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Fall is definitely here in the Mid-West!

Hugs!

Lori

One Proud Mama!

My daughter has started her own blog!

Lady Lemondrop's Sunroom!

She is a very creative and fun young lady!

She is such a sweetheart,

(of course I'm not at all biased!)

And my best friend!

If you have a moment, stop by and say, "Hi!"

Also sharing a couple cards made

in the past couple weeks.

For my friend, whos sunny disposition and love of PINK

was the inspiration behind this card!

Even when the rain is falling,

she is always there with an encouraging smile!

And this one is for my dad's birthday.

You're the best, Papa!

Wishing you all a safe and restful

Labor Day weekend!

Hugs!

Lori

It's Finally Here! Rosette Swap Reveal

(and White Wednesday, too!!!)

TODAY IS THE DAY!

The day so many of us have been waiting for!

The day when all of us

rosette addicts show off

our special treasures we have received

from our partners!

I received my package on

August 18th, right on time.

Earlier that day my daughter

called me at work 

and let me know that a package

had arrived for me!

I nearly SCREAMED with excitement!

(I'm sure my co-workers are grateful that I did not!)

I could hardly wait to get home!

And when I arrived,

there it sat...

a small package...

(and you KNOW what they say about small packages!)

...just for me

from my Rosette Swap friend!

I slowly opened the package so that 

I could savor every moment!

There was a sweet card inside

from Sylvia of My Trinkets.

As I read it my heart began to beat even quicker

at the mention of

"VINTAGE LACE"

and

"RE-PURPOSED VINTAGE EARRINGS!"

Next, I pulled out of the package

a little bundle wrapped in tissue paper.

I opened it slowly....

to find this treasure box!

Just look at the intricate detailed carving

and the beautiful metal accents!

The surface is so smooth!

I just sat there, running my fingers 

over the engraving,

and wondering what treasures awaited!

Inside the box was this sweet little bag

and when I lifted it up out of the box,

I gasped!

My daughter gasped!

"OH, WHAT IS IT?!?!"

THESE BEAUTIES!!!!

Aren't they gorgeous?

I tried them on immediately,

and fell in love!

I've worn them twice already,

and have gotten numerous compliments!

Many have asked if I made them...

and I just smile, and say,

"No, my friend, Sylvia in Florida, made them for me!"

Thank you, Sylvia!

From the bottom of my heart!

To see more exchanged Rosette treasures

be sure to stop by Jill's place at 

Gypsy Brocante! 

And to see what I made for my swap party friend,

visit Mercedes' blog!

She makes some really cool 

wishing wands!

Go check them out!

Here's a couple pics of what I made for Mercedes:

(teabag rosette - yes, there is a teabag wrapped up in there!)

Thank you, Jill, for hosting such a fun swap!
My first, but definitely NOT my last!

Also linking up to White Wednesday
over at Faded Charm!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Lori

Paperie Fun at The French Cupboard

I love using old sheet music

and book pages in

my projects!

Today I am joining

the Paperie Party

over at 

The French Cupboard!

Here are some of the projects I've 

made in the past 

using old sheet music

and book pages

And 

COFFEE FILTERS

Rose Wreath

Topiary

Paper Roses

CARDS

GIFT BAGS & BOXES

CANDLES

JOURNALS

Join the fun!

Stop by

The French Cupboard

and see awesomely creative stuff

others make with paper!

It's Almost That Time!

Time for the

Rosette Swap Party!!!

This weekend I put the finishing touches

on my package, going to a 

not-too-distant land.

I am a little (ok, very!) apprehensive 

about the whole thing...

Will she like what I made?

Will she be able to tell that this is my first swap?

It has been a blast

looking at her blog, learning about her

and her family, and trying to put together

a package of goodies she will enjoy!

In the midst of all this excitement

I made this card for a friend.

(the actual color of the flower is much closer to the color of the printed paper)

I had watched a YouTube demo by 

Tresa Black,

Close To My Heart's "Stamp Goddess"

on how to make round cards

and thought I'd give it a try.

I had also heard about making these "squished" flowers

so I made mine out of book print and 

sprayed it with Glimmer Mist.

Of course I had to throw some pearls on there...

Can't get enough of 'em!

Per Deb's request, here are the super-easy instructions 

for making, what I term "squished" flowers!  :)

First, I punched several 2" scalloped circles 

from old book pages.

Punched a hole in the center of all punches 

(I used my Big Bite).

Then I sprayed them with Glimmer Mist (you can use plain water if you want to leave them natural).

Then, you SQUISH them!!!

Un-squish & hook together with a brad.

SQUISH again until you get the look you like.

That's it!  Easy-Peasy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Please let me know you came for a visit....

It's always a joy to hear from you!!!

Hugs!

Lori