Saturday, August 28, 2010

Making more Cards for the Troops



















Today I met again with a large group of ladies to continue our mission to scrapbook cards for the troops so they could have them to send to their family and friends.

Together we made about 1000 cards today. One more meeting next month and we should have them all complete so we can mail a package of cards to each one. The F.A.I.T.H. Military Group usually has about 200 names we have to send supplies to each month. We will send these with the October mail out so they can use the Thanksgiving cards and Christmas cards for the holidays. They will now have their very own CARD STORE right with them thanks to many ladies who are showing up to do these.

I met another friend today for the first time. After a long conversation with her, I found out she loves Shabby Lane Shops and goes there nearly everyday. I gave her a Shabby Lane Shop Magazine and she was so excited. She was going online to order the next magazine coming out and download the beautiful free postcards.


Saturday, August 21, 2010

SCRAP BOOKING AGAIN
























Today I went to my really first scrapbooking class for 5 hours long and I had a great time. I got to work on 4 projects. I met some wonderful friends and it was a fun day. I so look forward to next month to go and learn more.

I am going to have to get some scrapbooking supplies before next month. I love the tiny albums and the cards the best. I am still not finished with the photo page, but will finish it at home.

I can't believe that I have waited this long before trying this!! Maybe it was because I always have so much sewing, embroidery, and crocheting to do. But I heard it was good for the brain to always learn new things!! Good excuse to start this now!

Monday, August 9, 2010

"Give and It Shall Be Given Unto You"




Well, today I got back to my sewing machine and completed this cute Toddler Quilt to give to 2 precious little girls. It is a JESUS AND ME QUILT with a quilted book included.

I think I enjoy making my quilts and giving them away more than anything in my life. I guess because I feel part of me goes with it. My quilts have always been just one of a kind created just for the person in mind. I will never forget the first one that I made for a young teenage boy who in now my son-in-law and helped give me 3 wonderful grandsons who have grown to be wonderful men. They brought lots of joy to my life.

I had meant to make a quilt for these sweet girls a long time ago but when we lost our home during Hurricane Ike, it set me back 2 years so I am just now getting to it.

The mother of these 2 sweet toddler girls was a small child when I met her in church many years ago. She saw me make and give quilts away years ago at baby showers. Now I remember her telling me once, "When I have a baby, I hope that I get one of your quilts".

Then life's retirement took us miles from her, and Hurricane Ike displaced us and it absolutely slipped my mind. But I guess it is never too late. I make my quilts to last a life time if cared for properly because they are very durable. But the best thing is they are warm on a cold night.

I do hope these sweet little girls will be blessed by this quilt for many years to come.

NOW BACK TO THE MACHINE TO START A QUILT FOR A MARINE!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

I might get addicted to scrapbooking!


















Today, I left my sewing machine for a few hours to go help a scrap booking group make some cards to mail in the packages we send to our troops once a month. It will be a set of 6-8 cards so they would have some cards to send to family and friends. We are making a variety of cards for them such as: hello, miss you, thinking of you, Christmas etc.

That was the first time I really learned anything about doing any kind of scrap booking ideas. I had a blast and might really get addicted to it. We will meet again next week to make more. We got 300 made today.

I think now after doing this, I decided to join the scrapbooking club that meets once a month to scrapbook etc. It should be fun and another way for me to learn something new. I sure don't need anymore projects to do at all, but there is just something inside of me always wanting to create and to learn something new.

My next big sewing project will be to make another quilt for a soldier and mail it to him to keep warm this winter in Iraq etc. The last one that I made and mailed to a soldier was used during 2 deployments and he loves it.

Back to Sewing Again!










Goodness, the time has flown by since I have last blogged. It has been a very busy spring trying to get the garden taken care of, flowers planted, and yard in good shape. Now that the hot humid Summer weather has set in, I find myself wanting to be inside more than ever. So this week I finally got to my sewing room again. I have missed it! It is my therapy and I can tell I have been missing it.

Today, I finally finished this quilt that I made and donated for a worthy organization The Quilts for Kids. They are an organization that makes quilts for very sick children in hospitals. I sure hope that mine will make some sweet little boy smile. The backing on the quilt has tractors, trucks and all those things little boys love. You can go to my website and see a better view of it and also see the other items under my donated category that I have donated to many places. I get so much joy out of sewing something and giving it away. I guess that is why I feel so blessed.
The Bible says to "Give and it shall be given unto you" God has given me so many blessings in my life and I am so thankful.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Say What Is In Your Heart






Have you ever wanted to expess the feeling of your heart to someone, yet you did not really have the words to express with your mouth? It is so hard for some of us to say what we really mean at times, so we just give a gift. That happens to many people, but did you know that the choice of color of the gift you give someone can give them that special hidden message of your heart?



We think of flowers this time of year as our gardens are now blooming so beautifully. Many of us will choose flowers as our gift to give to others. I think the rose is the flower people give to loved ones the most. They have captivated so many hearts over the generations. Even with the thorns that come with them, most of us choose to never even see them, but just enjoy the beauty of the bloom.


There are so many beautiful colors of roses. Yet there is a message with every color of rose or any flower whether you receive the gift or give it. So we can say it with your heart with the colors too.

Even your favorite color, or the color of flowers you plant in your gardens can express something about your personality.


Here is just a few of the colors and their meanings:

Red: Love & affection, Romantic & Abiding Love, True Love, I Love You, Desire, Courage & Passion, Congratulations, Job Well Done, Respect & Appreciation, Honest Beauty, Courage & Passion, Bliss to Marriage

Dark Red: Deep passion, Readiness for a commitment, Unconscious beauty, Dying love

Light Pink: Gentleness, Joy & Grace, Admiration, Sympathy & Gentleness, Harmony & Warmth

Pink: Grace & Elegance, Admiration for beauty and refinement, Sweetness

Bright pink: Appreciation & Recognition, "Thank You", Gratitude, Admiration

White: Purity & Innocence, Reverence & Humility, Heavenly & Honor, Everlasting love, Marriages and New Beginnings, I am worthy of you, Beauty & Youthfulness, Remembrance

Yellow: Friendship and "I care", Unbridled joy, Promise of a new beginning, Gladness, Delight, Warmth, Good Luck, Welcome Back, Remember Me, Dying Love

Peach: Modesty, Closing of a new deal, Great cheer, Sincerity & Genuineness, Sympathy, Gratitude and Thankfulness

Blue:. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven

Purple: combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence.


So the next time you give a gift take the time to choose carefully, and give them a message from your heart just by choosing a special color.


Monday, May 10, 2010

The Rose!















The rose is such a beautiful flower. It is no wonder that women get so excited every time they receive even a single one or a bouquet for a gift for a special occasion, or just because they are special.


I am not sure when I was really captivated by roses. I just know that I love them so much. Every time I see them, I feel so good and they make me so happy. That is one reason that I named my website Shabby Denim Rose.


I never remember my mother having roses in our yard when I lived at home as a child. She was a real garden person and really loved the yard work. She stayed outside all day long on weekends when she wasn’t working a job. Let’s say she had the green thumb. Everything that she touched in the yard was beautiful.


I wasn’t ever fond of working in the yard at all when I was young, so from the time that I was 11 years old until I married at 17 years old, I stayed inside and did most of her houswork while she and later my step-dad took care of the yard and flower beds. Never do I remember seeing roses in the garden though. She might have had some when I was very little but I don’t remember. I didn’t even go outside much at all to notice.


Later in years, she and my step-dad retired to a little country community and had 4 beautiful lots full of trees to care for. I know she thought she was in heaven having that much yard to care for. Some how she made that place look like a National Park. Even with so much shade around she still could manage to find flowers and plants that would grow so pretty. But still no rose bushes. Now that I am older and study so much about flowers and plants, I see that roses need lots of sunshine, so that might be why she had no roses there.


I was blessed to inherit her property after my step-father passed away in 2004. My mama passed away in 1998 and sadly, my Dad let the property go undone some, so the yard was nothing like she had it. No real beautiful flower beds anywhere. There was evidence of them being there, but over the 6 years that my Dad was alone, he did not bother with the beds that she loved. They used to always work in the gardens together and I am sure that brought so much heartache to him.

Needless to say that I was thrilled the first Spring my husband and I lived here on this property and saw the beautiful azeleas and dogwoods blooming!! We both shouted! But of course those only last through Spring. So after those beautiful blooms were gone, there was not much color here but the beautiful green trees and grass.


After living here for 5 years, we have managed to get us a few little flower beds going. Of course we had to just try and see what would grow since we knew very little. My husband and I had lived most our married life in apartments so we had very few chances at flower beds. It was times like these that I had wished that I had watched Mama in the garden or at least asked her some questions.


This year we had to cut 2 huge trees down due to some problems with them. Of course that made me sad because I love trees so much, but then we realized something one day. We now have sunshine in a place where we have never had sunshine before!


At that moment I could just vision some roses growing there. I pictured in my mind a cute little garden, so we started a mission to see it done. At our age, it took my husband and I three weeks to prepare the ground and do what we wanted to make it look nice. I was so thrilled when it was done. We really did not know what it would look like until we finished because we just created it as we went along. Finally before the hot weather set in, we completely our dream garden area.


Then I found 3 climbing rose bushes to put near a fence where the most sun shines all day, so we planted them with love. I wanted pink and white roses, but I could only find 2 yellow climbing, and 1 red climbing rose bushes. Since I love roses so much, I settled for that.


At this moment in my life, I am patiently waiting for them to grow. I read that in a year they will climb 6 -7 feet tall. I go outside every morning and look at them, pray, and thank God for allowing me this opportunity. I am trying to do all I have learned to do for roses, so the rest is up to Him.


My husband always brings me bouquets of roses sometimes for no occasion at all. I never know what color of roses he will come home with next. One day, I am looking forward to the day that he can go to the yard and bring me in a bouquet. My favorite are pink which is funny because red used to be my favorite when I was young. Maybe there is a meaning to that!