Aprons and Doilies

Hello Friends!  I just love aprons and doilies and I've been making some of both lately.  I have been trying new patterns for the doilies and even though they're time consuming, they are very much worth the effort!   I love how the Lord Jesus has provided all the materials to make such fun projects!

This apron above was made from an old vintage curtain and I love the fall colours on it!  Plus I love quilts so this has more of a warm cozy feeling to me.  Perfect for doing some fall baking in. :)

Below is an apron that I made with some pastel colours.  It was soft and delicate and I hope it makes someone smile! :)  I made it out of an old dress I found and the colours were so delicate and lovely!  Below is a close up of the fabric.   The lace was given to me by a friend who found it at one of the local free stores and I thought it was the perfect match,  plus I used the same lace for the apron above.

I've made a few of these little coaster size doilies and they're very simple to make and can be used to decorate or sit a cup of tea on.  I made some in this butter yellow and also some variegated orange, but I forgot to take a picture of them.  I got the pattern from this youtube video HERE.  I used crochet thread, but yarn would make nice doily coasters to like in the video.

Next is a doily that I made and it's bigger than it looks in the picture.  It's very lacy and I love the frilly edge that it has.  For this one I used the YouTube tutorial HERE and it has three videos that are very detailed and helpful.  I used crochet thread, but yarn makes for a different feel.  I might use a smaller needle to make it tighter, but I did like the loose feel to the one I made.

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you have a beautiful day creating something lovely for those you love to!  

A Jean Skirt

Hello! Today I just wanted to show you a skirt that I made.  I needed a new jean skirt and had been hoarding this stretch jean material for awhile.  It took a lot of material, but then there is a lot of me to cover. :)

I used another skirt I have that fit me as a pattern and I used a zipper I already had even though it was very long....as you can see and it was bright blue so I created a flap to hide that.  LOL
It is very simple and plain with a slit in the back but it is oh so comfortable and I love how I can wear just about any top with it.

It was something outside my comfort zone to sew, and I'm glad I put the effort out.  The Lord gave me patience in the details.
What do you like to sew?

Thanks for dropping by! I'm sharing this at The Art of Homemaking Monday.

Autumn is Upon Us.

Well autumn is upon us and all the delightful things that come with it.  I so love the fresh crisp air and yes the wind that comes to blow the leaves off the trees.  I do love all the colours the leaves change as well....It never gets old.

I have turned my greenhouse into a sitting area with my flowers.  Hoping they'll last a bit longer.

We've had grizzly bears in our yard digging up the ground.

I've brought in some plants to enjoy inside.  This is my lavender plant that is actually blooming! That a first for me.

Here is a lovely picture of the changing colours on our way to town.

It's also the season for picking cranberries.  It's forecasting snow for tonight so we took the opportunity to go picking beforehand.  It's been raining a lot and I hope it clears soon so we can go out again.  We picked a 5kg bucket of berries and had to take the forest out before tucking them away into the fridge to finish ripening. Then we'll be making jam.

Thanks so much for dropping by!  I do hope you are enjoying the autumn weather... or spring depending on where you're at. :)

I'm sharing this post with The Art of Homemaking Mondays.

Happy Birthday Son

Hello! My baby boy just had his birthday and he's now six years old.  I wanted to share with you the card I made for him.
Being a mother is such a blessing as I watch my children grow and know that I have a part in his life.

A dear friend of mine is moving and gave me a bunch of little boxes of chipboard pieces by K& Company.  So I added some of those and a free sentiment I found online.  I put metal stars in the one chipboard piece and then some twine.  The papers are from Marianne (that I added some inking to with Tim Holtz old paper distress ink) and Momenta.  Then after the card was all together, I added the final little bit of distressing along the outside paper.
It was so nice to play in my crafty spot again.
I'm sharing this card with Word Art Wednesday this week.

A Shawl is Like a Hug

Hello Friends! I'm back with something else to share with you all.  A shawl is like a hug, and I've made one for a dear friend who is moving away.  I shall miss her greatly.  This way if she needs a hug from far away she can wrap it around her and know I am thinking of and praying for her.  She likes blues so I thought this would suit her.
^{Colossians 1:3} "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,"

This next shawl is rectangular and I used a new pattern called the shell stitch that I wanted to try.  It's very soft and warm.  It's sitting on my hutch awaiting a new home.  The colour is a bit bright in the picture, it's plum.

I've also been saving up ingredients to make my own salve.  I love to have natural healing things in my home for my family.  So today was the day I put them all together.  I had collected some herbs and steeped them in olive oil in the crock pot to infuse them.  Then I took all the oils, added vit. E as a preservative, some beeswax and some essential oils to the mix.  I'm not one for exact measurements, but it turned out very nice and my little boy came right up and wanted to be the first to try it on his owie.  I made more containers than are in the picture since I had already set some aside to give away.

I wrote out my "recipe" so that I knew all that I'd put in it.

I love how they cool and are so smooth on top.

I had to dip my finger in just to try out the texture. It rubs on so nice and smooth.  Plus it smells so nice!

So I have been doing things, making baby blankets to (I'll share those at another time) and working in my garden.  We finally got some lovely little carrots tonight to have with supper...so in another month they should be a good size. At least I hope so. :)  I have been doing lots of things, but have not been in my crafty spot.  I have lots of plans so I hope to change that in the near future.

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

I am sharing today with Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth - Art of Homemaking Mondays

Out and About

Hello!  I've been out and about much lately.  Summer calls for lots of outside time, in the garden and in the bush.
I have had the pleasure of having my brother and sister-in-law visit and so we went out a bit more to show them around.
Some of our adventures were close to home, and others a bit further away. :)
We walked along our river and found some nice "swimming pools" and lots of wild blueberries (and we are going back for more! ).

We went canoeing at a nearby lake and the kids went swimming as it was just a bit too cool for me to join them.  We had a snack and relaxed on the beach in between canoeing.

We took a trip a ways from home to see Lake La Barge and then to Braeburn to enjoy some food at the Lodge there.
The day started out kinda gloomy, and turned into something glorious.   The scenery was stunning!

I love this picture because you can see the little patches of fireweed through the new growth that has come up after a fire decimated the area a few years ago.

Now with our company gone we'll continue to enjoy the garden and the outdoors.  It's been so nice to enjoy things from out own garden and to just be blessed in the part we get to play in it.  I love getting my hands dirty...and today I planted some flowers that my Mom sent up with my brother. :)  Shasta Daisy, Prairie Mallow, & Hollyhock.  They're all small, but being perennials, will hopefully bring years of lovely flowers if I can keep them alive through the winter.

What have you been up to thus far this summer?

Anytime is Apron Time!

Hello Friends!  Today I have some aprons to share with you.  I love making aprons and encouraging women to enjoy being keepers at home.  Wearing an apron not only is fun, but practical to.  I would love to hear if any of you like aprons, and why.

Titus Chapter 2

³ The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵ [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

The one above is made from an old curtain panel that I was given and I thought it was so pretty.  I love vintage things!

Below is an apron that I made out of an old pair of cotton pants that are a type of plaid (hard to tell) and some complimenting dark fabric that I had a bit of. I made two, this one and one smaller for a little girl.

Then I found some lovely floral fabric at the free store (at our recycling centre) and then added some lace that was edged with some blue seam binding.  I made one with two separate pockets and one with a large pocket sewn up the middle to make two.

This is a close up of the fabric from the above aprons.

Then I heard of a little girl that wanted an apron.  So I looked through my fabric and found this lovely pink and white striped material and the floral material and thought they'd be cute together.  I added a touch of lace and some pink seam binding to the edges.

I also found this lovely material and dug out some old lace edged ribbon that I have been hoarding for years.  I used it for the straps and some edging and then added lace all the way around the apron and pocket.

 Here is a close up of the above apron's fabric and the ribbon.

Most of the material I have is from the free store or from someone who doesn't want it anymore.  It's fun to be able to put it to use somehow.  I have lots more aprons in the planning and will start sewing when time presents itself.

What do you like in an apron?  I love to have long straps and big pockets. :)
Praying you have a beautiful day!