Month: May 2019

Tea Towels Old and New

I love tea towels.

These days, they come in all manner of adorable designs.

When shopping I am always drawn to them!

Have you ever wondered what to do with those old tea towels?

Maybe you have some that are a bit frayed or stained, but you don’t want to just cut them up for rags.

Today I want to share some tea towel projects, using old and new towels.

These towels were perfect for cutting and framing using thrift store frames, cleaned and painted.

The coffee cup, “Hello”, now hangs in my kitchen.

“Life is Better in the Country”, was made to give as a small thank you gift to someone special when visiting her home. She lives in a beautiful country setting. Perfect!

A black and white plaid towel was framed and turned into a kitchen tray, again using a thrift store frame, cleaned and painted.

Inexpensive, simple handles were added to complete.

I really love the simple and clean look of plaid, especially in a kitchen.

I used a lovely towel given to me by my sister, on Mother’s Day some years ago, and turned it into a toss pillow.

The pillow required very little sewing, thank goodness since my sewing machine hates me!

Just folded the towel and stitched up the sides, leaving the front open to insert a pillow form.

It has that vintage look I love.

Women long ago would embroider on tea towels to show off their skills.

Love the idea of recycling or upcycling, so items can get a second or third chance at life.

Just starting my morning, so thankful, another chance today to love my life and all those who share it with me.

Thank you for letting me share this post!





Unexpected Joy!

I’m an old woman.

Old age came on slowly, I hardly noticed.

Now I look in the mirror and I wonder how I got this way.

My life now is pretty well set, this is it!

Saying goodbye to friends and family happens much to often these days.

So very sad.

Of course, there are happy days, those spent with family, my wonderful son, my sister, my nieces, but as we age things become difficult, driving, the fear of falling, and so much more.

Having family is so very precious to me at this time of my life.

Unexpected joy, unexpected miracles are few.

In the past few months God sent us unexpected, unbelievable joy!

A new family member has entered our lives, lost to us for years.

So beautiful, so good, so happy, and so full of life.

Oh my! My heart is smiling, bursting with love.

I pray we meet someday soon, before this life of mine is all used up.

Our family is so grateful to God for this unexpected joy!

On this Sunday, never give up on believing all the things God can do to renew our lives with miracles and love.

Love to everyone on this day.


Red, White, and Blue Projects

As Memorial Day quickly approaches, we all become patriotic.

We celebrate displaying our flags, and bits of red, white, and blue.

Memorial Day is a time to honor and recognize the sacrifices of those who have given their lives for our freedom. It is crucial that we always remember these heroes.

This week I completed some red, white, and blue projects I would like to share today.

Using a chunky porch piece I found at the flea market and gathering up some other wood pieces, that can be found at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, I made some simple flag holders.

Painted the pieces red, white, and blue, and glued them together to form the holders, large and small.

To finish up, I drilled holes in the pieces to hold the flags.

This large piece is perfect as a picnic table centerpiece.

So patriotic, holding nine flags.

Here are the two smaller ones.

A really fun project, ready to be used on the 4th of July too!

The second project was easy, just paint!

I purchased this yucky yellow colored basket some time ago just waiting for the right time to transform it into something wonderful.

I loved the shape of the basket, but not the color.

Take a look at the basket now!

Painted white and filled with a large pot of deep red geraniums.

Beautiful!

The last touch was adding a flag.

Now the perfect Memorial Day centerpiece.

Our family is patriotic and many have served our country over the years.

So very proud of all of them!

God bless all of you, and God bless our country.

Celebrate and remember this Memorial Day weekend.

A Simple Upcycled Project

Here it is!

A beat up wood piece, with three drawers, $5.00 at the flea market.

I suppose it was made to be used on the top of a desk or counter, but I had a different idea in mind.

Here it is now!

Love it!

Pretty cute, don’t you think?

After cleaning and sanding all the rough spots, I painted it black.

Found some vintage look knobs at Hobby Lobby, 50% off, of course, and ordered some hairpin legs from Amazon.

A simple makeover.

I journal, keep a daily planner, draw a bit, and write, using many different supplies.

This is the perfect place to keep my supplies organized, and easy to access.

It is compact, and perfect against the wall next to my favorite chair.

My husband’s activities are limited so when he’s watching politics on TV, I write and create.

It is important to me to spend as much time with him as possible.

This was a simple project, most of my projects are just simple.

Simple just like my life, my life that I love so much.

Nothing perfect.

I love imperfection.

What I have, is perfect to me, I have so much.

Hope you all enjoyed this simple project.

Hope your day is beautiful and filled with simple beautiful things.

Love to all!

A Country Visit Inspiration

A few weeks ago I was blessed once again to visit my niece in the country.

Visiting her home and surroundings is just filled with so many simple pleasures.

Our visits always center around food, shopping in the unique areas around her home, and spending time with her two amazing dogs. They definitely get the most attention and love from all of us.

After Sunday dinner at a beautiful restaurant, we were invited to her in-laws home. Such a well cared for home, inside and out.

In the living room, I noticed a sweet tabletop greenhouse.

I loved it!

I really wanted to take a photo of it, but thought maybe that would have been a bit rude.

Instead of buying an expensive tabletop greenhouse, I decided to make one from an idea I remembered seeing on Pinterest, using dollar store frames.

So one by one I assembled my greenhouse using six 5 x 7 frames and E6000 glue.

It was not difficult, but allowing time for the glue to dry was crucial.

To secure the roof piece, I cut a dowel and glued it down the center of the frames, for added stability.

I spray painted the frames with white chalk paint and the last step was inserting and securing the glass to each frame.

Finished!

My country visit was not only filled with love, laughter, fun, and good food but also the inspiration for a really sweet project!

Hope you all were inspired!

I look forward to another visit soon.

Visiting her home and surroundings remind me of all the wonderful gifts of God’s creation.

Love and blessing to all until next time!