BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE/RELAX AND READ

This new issue of the Shabby Lane Shops has arrived and it is a beautiful issue. Be sure you get yours! click here to order your issue.

While at Shabby Lane Shops online mall you can visit the beautiful shops also. This was the online mall that Shabby Denim Rose belonged too and it is wonderful. So many beautiful shops, easy shopping and free stuff too!

I wrote many articles for the past issues of the Shabby Lane Shops magazines, so order some past issues too if you forgot to get yours. During these cold winter days it is so nice to relax and read and also shop online instead of fighting the crowds at the malls.

Happy New Year and enjoy your winter!

Shabby Denim Rose Has Retired!

Well here it is now January 1, 2012. Changes and New Beginnings in so many ways! Excitement in the air everywhere! Another year to do and be all that we can be!

Several months ago the Lord spoke to my heart that it was time to retire my website Shabby Denim Rose and spend more time SMELLING THE ROSES! More time with children, grandchildren, and now a great granddaughter. I am even planning a spring tea party for the girls in the family. Memories to cherish! Life is so short so we should make everyday special and full of memories. Today I realize that even more, since I lost my special childhood friend and cousin who was 5 years younger than I am. We don't have time in life to live in regrets.

I will continue the talents the Lord has given to me of sewing and crocheting, but I will broaden now to sewing more for charity work. That has been my heart all my life and what I love to do most. I began my first denim quilts in 1981 when I made them for teen boys in our neighborhood. Then I was hooked on denim. I love sewing with it. In my heart I will always be Shabby Denim Rose.

I recently joined the Hook n Needle Club in my home town to help make items for the newborn babies at the hospital and also items for children for the Empty Stocking Program.

I recently had the honor of making 2 quilts for teens for The Christmas Stocking program and it thrilled me so much to do this. Pictured above are the quilts. The boys quilt has a pillow to match. The girls has a pillow and a purse to match. The girls quilt also has detailed machine embroidery on it.

I want my quilts to have a special touch of God's love for these teens. God loves them dearly! When I sew these and all my quilts, I pray that the ones who receive them will know the Lord one day, and be covered by God's protection, love, grace, and mercy, and that they will feel that love every time they touch the quilt. So I guess I can call them prayer quilts. I even sing praise songs while sewing them so they are anointed with praise.

Now that Christmas is over, I will be making more quilts through the year for the 2012 Empty Stocking program and baby blankets for the babies at the hospital every month. Oh, how wonderful in old age that we can still be used to help others. That is what we are created for!

(Wait Until you see my next post about my new adventure with the RED HAT SOCIETY!)

LONG HOT SUMMER

It has been a very long hot and dry summer here in Texas. We are in a severe drought all over the state and it is heart breaking. We lost all our plants due to the extreme heat of 108 degrees sometimes. I was so sad not to have any beautiful flowers to look at each day, but my sweet husband brings me beautiful roses from time to time. Yesterday he bought these and it cheered me up so. There is nothing quite like roses! I can't seem to grow them but I do love them.

This morning God blessed us with 55 degree temperatures in the early hours so I climbed out of bed, put on my sweat suit and sat in my prayer garden all alone at 7:00 a.m. and spent some time in prayer for all those suffering from the wild fires in Texas. It was such a joy just watching my waterfall and the hummingbirds. My husband has been faithful to keep our bird feeders and birdbaths full for the birds. It is hard to see the animals suffering from the heat. One day when it was 108 degrees outside we saw a squirrel laying in the middle of our birdbath full of water. Poor darling!

It will turn into the 90's here this afternoon, but I am so thankful for the little touch of cool weather we are getting so I can open the house and air it out. I am praying the rain comes soon but I am truly thankful for any of God's blessings even if it is cool air for awhile.

SPRING YARD CLEANING AND PREPARING BEDS GOES ON!

My husband and I keep finding more places to clean up and prepare flower beds. This was my old potting shed that was an eye sore that had piles of limbs, brush, and branches all around. We spent a whole week cleaning it up, burning the limbs, digging, pulling roots, and preparing a cute little flower bed around it. We used an old bird bath fountain that didn't work anymore to put in the middle of the bed and planted impatients in plus other plants in the bed. It is a very shady spot here so it will grow good. We were so excited to see how cute it turned out. Now we are trying to find a white picket fence bench to sit close to it and relax and enjoy the spot.

This Spring fever just goes on! My husband is still not finished. He plans to prepare another bed near the side steps of our home, but I am taking a break for awhile. I hear my sewing room crying too loudly!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Oh, how beautiful Spring is! The feel in the air of new beginnings just keeps me wanting to go outside, enjoy the sun, and dig in the dirt with my husband! What is so funny about that is that I have never been an outdoors girl! I was always inside doing the housework, sewing, baking or cooking. Even when I was a child I would do the inside chores while my Mom and Dad did the yard work.

Now I love being outside. I just wish that I had of asked my mom questions about flowers, plants and keeping a pretty yard before she passed away. Now, I am just learning by trial and error and some searching.

I thank God for my sweet husband, who is learning with me, and is so willing to dig and plant with me. We inherited my parents property 6 years ago, and it has been a true blessing keeping up the property. Unknown to them, my mom and Dad worked so hard to seed some great things for my husband and my retirement living. We had always lived in apartments so this was new to us. So with 4 lots full of oak trees that shed those leaves, and some shrubs, we stay busy. I have tried to plant a few flower beds, but fighting the heat of Texas summer sun, it is a constant battle to keep them looking nice.

This week after my husband and I spent a whole week raking and burning leaves off the property, we started some flower beds. It might take us a few months to complete, but we are enjoying it so much.

Sometimes I hear my sewing machine crying "Come visit me please, I miss you" but it will just have to wait, because I hear the Springtime calling "Come outside and play". So I will play in the dirt a while longer! Hopefully it will rain soon and I can go outside and dance in the rain!!

Spring is about to arrive!

It has been a long cold winter so far even here in Texas where we seldom get cold weather. I am excited about seeing more sunshine lately. When I went outside the other day, I saw that my azaleas are trying to bloom! I can hardly wait to see some more come out.

It won't be long until the Dogwoods will bloom too.

Spring always brings feelings of new beginnings and new things coming. I heard that Shabby Lane Shops has some exciting things going on. Hop over there and see what all is going on. There is always so many free offers and great shopping. I love to beat the crowds and shop at home and let the mail carriers bring me my packages. How about you?

One of my favorite shops there is Isabella's Roses. There are so many things that are restored to beauty. I love watching every week to see what is added.

I was so very busy that I did not get to do much sewing this past fall and winter to add to my website at Shabby Denim Rose. But I am looking to the longer days and more time to add some special handmade items.

Hope everyone has a great and refreshing spring this year. Thanks for stopping by.

HURRY UP AUTUMN

It has been so hot here lately in Texas and I was longing to see some autumn beauty. So I got out my material and put on my thinking cap and created a pattern. With the sewing machine and the hand needle, the result was some cute pumpkins. I was going to make only one but after I finally figured how to design it, then I made 3.

I love looking at these pumpkins because Autumn is my favorite time of the year. It just does not last long enough here in South Texas. We seem to go from Summer to Winter.

We live on property with many oak trees and when the leaves begin to change colors I get so excited. I love the beauty of autumn. Of course with the falling leaves come work trying to rake them all up, but to me it is all worth it. If I had my choice in life autumn would last all year.

I remember so well in autumn of 2008 when my daughter and son-in-law took my husband and I to the Smoky Mountains! Those pictures are forever in my memory. It was absolutely breathtaking to me!

I hope you enjoying going to my website and seeing the Autumn designs that I created and hope you have a very fun filled autumn season.