SPRING!

One of the advantages

to having an

abnormally cool spring

is that the tulips

have lasted a lot longer than usual!

 

I love this time of year!

Can't wait for my lilac bush to bloom!

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs!

Lori

Time Flies

This weekend my husband and I

celebrate 22 years

of wedded bliss!

And...

... I still can't get enough of him!

(Thanks for the awesome digital image, Dawn!)

Stephanie at Angelic Accents 

is hosting her annual 

To Have & To Hold

Wedding Blog Party

on June 10th!

We have 3 weeks to plan something to share:

special memories, pictures, stories, collections...

~ Anything Bridal and Romantic ~

And there will be a giveaway!

 Sounds like fun!

I hope you all 

have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs!

Lori

Inspiration

Inspiration is EVERYWHERE!

There are so many things

that catch my eye,

and I think,

"Someday, I would like to try that!"

If I had a book to hold

everything I would like to make

it would fill many volumes in a library....

~ But this ~

This was just what I needed

to get myself off my seat

and actually create!

Karen over at Todolwen made this beautiful

sewing kit from a 

Bath & Body Works Wallflowers box.

Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

(You need to go to her blog & see all the goodies she has packed inside this little box!  It's incredible!)

And here is my version:

 What started out as my own sewing box...

 ended up a "nature" box!

(which is why there's pattern paper covering the inside instead of sheet music!)

 Stamped muslin and sprigs of lavender cover the inside of the box lid.

 And little inspirations of nature fill the bottom.

 

 This was to be a Mother's Day gift for my mom,

so I wanted to fill it with things she likes...

like lavender and bird houses!

I'm hoping to find more of these little boxes at

Bath & Body Works so I can make more!

Linking up with 

Kathleen at Faded Charm

for 

White Wednesday #99!

Have a Wonderful Day!

Hugs!

Lori

It's In the Bag!

Last Saturday was the first Saturday in a long, LONG time that I didn't actually have something that NEEDED to be done.  And for a long, LONG time (since the making of my first bag), by daughter has wanted me to make her a bag featuring her all-time favorite actress, 

Audrey Hepburn.

So Saturday was the day to

"Get 'er done!"

I have never printed on fabric before, but have read from several blogs about different methods.  The method I chose is probably not the best method for something that could need to be washed in the future...but I think there is a way to set the image before washing.  I'll have to check my files again.  I used an 8x11 sheet of mailing labels, stuck the muslin on it, trimmed & ran it thru the printer ~ Easy Peasy!

And here we go:

 

After printing the picture onto white muslin, 

we added a small black floral border.

Then sewed the picture onto the front of the bag.

Whipped it all together and added straps & bows...

And...

WhaaLaa!

An Audrey Hepburn backpack bag!

Not bad for someone who doesn't sew much!

And it all started with a simple idea!

I'm linking up today with Tea Rose Home's

Link Party #46!

Check it out for some great inspiration!

Hugs!

Lori

White Wednesday All Around

Boy, have I been a bad blogger or what???

Way too long since my last post!
Has it REALLY been 2 months???
Well, I'm glad to finally get back to it
by joining in the fun of White Wednesday!

It's a snow day!

So far we have 8" with 2-4" more to come later...

UGH!

I'm so ready for spring & warm weather!!!

This display has actually been up for quite awhile

on top of my bookcases. 

I did it at the same time as the Valentine's

display on the piano over a month ago.

I really like it, so it will probably stay this way for awhile yet!

Most of what you see here has come from thrift stores and garage sales last year.

The blue rose canvas was painted by my daughter, Taylor, when she was about 16 years old.

 The cameo picture was a garage sale find for .25!

 The "naked" book is wrapped with a printed muslin and tulle bow.

Here is the other bookcase top, a little simpler:

 

  with notes of spring, hopefully on it's way SOON!

To enjoy more White Wednesday beauty,

visit Kathleen at Faded Charm!

Have a 

Wonderfully

White

Wednesday

my friends!

Hugs!

Lori

Mojo Monday with Tim Holtz

I finally decided to cut into my Tim Holtz paper and break in my new Tim Holtz stamps for this 

Mojo Monday.

Let me tell you, it was very hard to cut into this paper....I always think: what if I will need this for something else - once I use it, it will be gone!  Well, I finally just did it!!!  And I'm very happy that I did! 

Here is the sketch:

And here is the card:

 The little ticket tucked in the back and the words are from my new Tim Holtz stamp set.

 To see more creations from tons of talented artists,

check out Mojo Monday!

It is sure to inspire!

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs!

Lori

A Jar Full of Love

My Mom & Dad were

high school sweethearts!

You don't find that too often anymore...

This is one of my favorite pictures of them.

I believe it was taken at the state fair

before they were married.

Mom & Dad have always been a shining example
of what a marriage built on the foundation of Christ looks like.

Rose in back is made from tea-stained dryer sheet!

 I'm not naive enough to think there were no struggles,
disagreements, and frustrations,
but I never saw it or heard it.
All I saw was Christ's love shining through them both!

Heart was a generous gift from Tina at TinyBear

So I could think of nothing more appropriate

for a Valentine's tribute

than to feature them

and their love that was and still is

so evident to everyone around them!

I love you both!

Linking up to Kathleen's White Wednesday
at Faded Charm!

Have a Wonderful Day!

Hugs!

Lori

Unclutterd and Feeling Good!

Yesterday I spent most of the day

de-cluttering my kitchen!

I have wanted to do this for a very,

VERY long time!

There was so much stuff around 

that it made any kind of work in here 

practically impossible!

Now....I'm very nervous and embarrassed

to show you these pictures!

But you need to see them 

in order to understand

the relief and satisfaction I'm feeling!

Ok....take a deep breath....

Here goes nothing!

Please don't faint!

It does get better!

Here's what it looked like before I started:

Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! 

CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!

Boy, I had my work cut out for me!

This counter is a magnet for anything 

and everything to gather,

mail...snacks...

Tupperware that won't fit in the cupboard!

 Unfortunately I had to remove the green bin because

water had gotten underneath

and it was not a pretty sight!

I will clean the bin up and use it somewhere else,

away from any water source!

I like it too much to get rid of!

The toaster is too big for this space.

And it also is a gathering place

for anything that I didn't have a place for.

The book and the bag have been there for....

well, let's just say it's been awhile!

 The bin in the corner holds necessary items:

like nails, screws, sewing thread & needles

for quick fixes, plate hangers.

But these things are not needed on a daily basis.

Morning coffee was always a battle!

There was always something in the way 

of the coffee pot, 

and I was always moving things around 

to get to anything.

The cookie jar, which holds tea bags and coffee filters,

was too big for the space,

and I never used anything in the wire basket

except the sugar shaker.

That was painful!

I hope you are still with me!

Now, for the AFTER!

{SIGH!}

 Much better!

I CAN SEE MY COUNTER TOP!!!

And LOTS of it!

Here is my new coffee/beverage station! 

My homemade hot chocolate mix and loose tea

are in the round jars.

I was excited when I discovered the jars fit

LIKE A GLOVE in the white wire basket!

Pens and paper are now in the drawer where they belong!

 And I found this basket in the new spring product

section of our NEW Hobby Lobby!

(it opened last Tuesday & I've already been there twice!)

 Coffee filters and scoop - another perfect fit!

 HL also has coordinating wall plaques

that I will probably be purchasing to cover the 

hideous laminate on the back-splash of my counters.

 Toaster & knife block are now over between the

stove & fridge, freeing up A LOT of space on this counter!

Not sure what to put in the bottom 

of this basket yet (bananas?),

but the top, since it's hard to get to,

is now home of a teapot trinket box and mini teacup.

Will be looking for some greenery to place behind it, too.

This little wire teacup holds recipe cards while cooking!

 And my odds-n-ends bin found it's new home 

on top of the fridge, 

along with my spoon-lady and her cow.

The basket holds snacks & such.

So there it is - my weekend kitchen project.

Largely inspired by Leslie's kitchen transformation at
Goodbye, House! Hello, Home!

I'm hoping to have the cabinets refaced

and the countertops replaced in the near future.

Well, time to go watch the last half of the Packer/Bears game!

~~~GO PACK GO! ~~~

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs!

Lori