LOVE ALWAYS.....

Can you believe two posts in just a few days? I am not sure what is going on. Perhaps it's the cooler weather we had this past week (don't be too excited- 100 degrees are on the horizon), the New Martha Stewart Paints, being inspired by others or that I have remembered my camera. You would be surprised to know how many "before and after's" you have missed because I realized I didn't take any pictures. So here's to remembering the camera this week for 2 of the many projects going on in my little part of Texas...

I have come across a company that makes whimsical paper pads, home decor and accessories..the problem is that they are strictly wholesale and by the time they get to the store they are expensive. Sometimes, I look at things and think "How did they do that?" and appreciate their artisan talent. At other times, I think - "Oh, I can do that." and appreciate that I can add my own creative touch,also. This is one of those times. So with this art print from this company as the inspiration I began to create my

Love Always..

Here's what you'll need: Acrylic paints in white, black, red and blue (Pool by Martha Stewart is an awesome blue!), ruler, pencil, adhesive tape, brushes, wooden placque (size is up to you), letter stamps or stencils...

See the price...so very doable!!

Paint the plaque with white. Depending on the wood, a second coat may be necessary. Let dry. ***LOVE the attachments to Martha's paint bottles***

Then begin to tape, measuring for the blue lines (to resemble notebook paper) Be sure to mark and tape the horizontal line for the red line in the "Paper". Then using your blue-paint the lines.

Remove the tape - you may let the paint dry first but if you're like me, I can't wait to peek, so peal the tape ever so carefully. (You can fix the "boo-boos" later)

Once everything is dry, paint the red line of the "Paper". Since the blue and white paint are dry, you may run two lines of adhesive tape, so your red line doesn't bleed into the other areas....

Oops..I accidentally had a little red smear on the corner...I actually liked it so I left it...Happy Accidents sometimes are the perfect touches to our projects. I did sand the edges of the lines as to remove the pencil markings and to give it a bit of a rustic feel....
Next, using letter stamps- Stamp your sentiment with black acrylic paints. I used some of the foam letter stamps from way back. You could also use stencils. If you use stencils, just make sure your paint is dry before you move on to the next letter.
Here's a close up....

The inspiration just had the word "always". When Savannah saw that, she said "always what"? My response was "love always..."

Tin-spiration

I love tin cans, big, small, galvanized, new, vintage (just another word for weathered and worn.) There was a time when I carried a metal lunch box to school, had metal watering cans, used metal buckets to wash our car on Saturday. Then metal fell out of fashion and plastic became the rage..and for a time you could only find metal pails, buckets and trash cans at hardware stores or feed stores. But as with everything, there back in fashion, (I promise shoulder pads will come back - but that is another story). Everyone raves about their vintage galvanized tins... the dollar stores, craft stores carry nesting, painted, plain,..you name it. So, I thought I would share a little idea for our little tin cans, using the new Martha Stewart paints and accessories.... This was fun and fast and will make great gifts- you can fill these little gems with anything....here we go....

First you'll need: Tin can(s) new or old, 2 colors of paint ( I used linen and beetle black- love it!!), burlap, stencil of your choice, stencil brush (2), adhesive tape (Martha's rocks!), metal brads, adhesive of your choice ( I use ultimate), wood craft sticks, floral moss (optional) and dont' forget some type of covering for your work surface and of course paper plates...

Let's begin, cut your burlap into squares according to the size of your tin cans...

Now using your first color, sponge on the burlap creating an area of color..

TIP: Stack the burlap squares 2 at a time, as you paint some of the paint will seep through and begin to cover your 2nd burlap square.

Next, choose your stencil and place a scrap piece of burlap underneath. Using the adhesive tape secure your stencil....

Once you have practiced your stencil and feel comfortable with it, stencil the rest of your squares of burlap . Make sure the first color is dry!! With burlap, it dries quickly!

Here are my stenciled squares....No need to worry about the fraying, the paint secures the edges...

Next, add brads to the corners...

Then using your adhesive, cover the back and adhere to your tin pail....

If you would like to add floral moss, now it the time. Using Ultimate ( my go to adhesive), add the moss to the edges or the front. As you can see in the first picture I added the moss in different areas. I am thinking of now adding a sweet sentiment but am waiting for just the perfect thought...

Set your pail aside to dry and admire your work...It looks good!!

Here is another idea to incorporate the holiday season that is coming up....Orange burlap is available at your fabric store---So add it to these little pails and you have an instant fall decoration. Fill it with sweet treats or a holiday scented candle such as pumpkin pie or spiced apple or fill it with little gourds or pumpkins..

Hope this little tin-spiration has found you at just the right time. Until next time,

Chantal

A Saturday Gathering...

Blessed...Today was a wonderful day. I held a "Creative Collage Cuff" workshop (I really don't know why it is called "workshop" - No work involved, no shopping...It should be called "playtime"). And Play is what we did.. 7 Fabulous women joined my mom, my girls and me for a great day filled with Laughter, Friendship and Creative inspiration.
Bliss...Supreme Happiness (webster's definition, not mine) but it sure does describe today's events. We gathered at my home and art studio for a time of creativity that involved stamping, stitching, sewing, collaging (this is a word in my home- How about your's?), and even gluing!! As I taught, I also learned- that's the beauty in being a life long learner. It is wonderful to know that we haven't arrived yet - in art, in creativity, in life and ultimately in our Lord. There is so much to learn and I love to increase not just in head knowledge but heart knowledge...I digress. Back to the day, we took a short break to look at the girlies - My little hens. It is wonderful when people want to share in your joys. Then back to stitching, creating until lunch. Lunch was a great time filled with food and friends. We even were privileged to celebrate one of the sweetest gal's birthday. Susie, thanks for sharing it with us and Sharry, thanks for thinking of her and for the wonderful cake. We went back to creating - Some had changed from the idea of a cuff to dog collars, hangings and needle holders. That 's when you know you have helped others take off with your initial idea and make it there own....

Now you might be wondering "Where are the Pictures of this great time?" Very good question with a great answer...I forgot to take any pictures but a New wonderful friend did - So mosey on over to her blog and take a peek....It's well worth the trip.

Until next time - Hope you are blessed in all you do and that Bliss is a natural happening at your house....

Meet the girlies.....

We have been quite busy since early April 19th. A few weeks earlier, my husband, Sweet and Wonderful, gave his blessing to one of my dreams-- I could have chickens!! I have wanted those little feathery friends for at least 20 years!!! So with his blessing, the girls and I began to explore and study all there was to know about our soon to be members of our backyard farm! (I had actually purchased, years ago, several books on raising and keeping chickens.) But we purchased more books and magazines (Did you know there is one devoted to Chickens?!!!) and of course, the internet provided info, suppliers and of course our chickens. We especially love my pet chicken . We chose bantams since they are smaller and quieter but believe me they can fly! I think the movie Chicken Run had it all wrong - we have good little fliers but their wings have been clipped (for their safety and my sanity!) They arrived on April 19th--oh what a fun day! We had our brooder set up in my studio and took care to keep them warm, fed, and healthy.

We held them, sang to them - We kept the radio playing Country all day, ate lunch with them (except when we were eating chicken- a bit weird:) and of course made sure their nights were warm and comfortable.

They are now 14 weeks old and have been out in their chicken yard since June. We moved them to a new chicken yard this week... Sweet and Wonderful created a larger area for our girlies...We did have one beautiful rooster that went to a new farm on Saturday..I think my neighbors are thanking me but to me, his greeting the morning and welcoming the day was a wonderful sound....So we now have 7 little girlies...Here are all but one....They do not always cooperate when the camera is out...

Polly the Poland, Brighton the Aracauna, Babs the buff Brahma,Poulette the Wyandotte and one of his last pics with us is waffles, an easter egger.

In this pic, Brighton, Millie, the Barred and Ginger, the buff brahma ( not pictured Maggie, the other Barred)

I hope you like our little slice of Farm life in the backyard...

We interrupt this blog...

.....To bring you daily living. We are having a great time with Beau, our new paint horse, daily trips to the barn, trying our hand at homeschooling with the girls and loving it! We added 8 sweet chicks to the house..Yes real chicks!! I have always wanted to raise chickens and with Scott's blessing, we welcomed them to our home this past Tuesday. Morgan is loving the College Life (He's a junior at Abilene Christian University, if you are keeping track). Summer will be here soon, swimming, sunning, riding, raising (hens), creating, lazy days are on the horizon!! I hope that daily living is a joy for you. Oh by the way, here are a few projects that I am working on...A chick dairy, creative endeavors are a plenty, a few paint projects in the garage, the coolest metal fabrication class (that I am taking!!), inspiration samplers, the list is endless but time is a tickin'..So I'll be back to the blog soon, but for now I'm off to check the "Chicklets" and settle down with my sweet kiddos (Yes Morgan is home for Easter!!). Until next time,...

Blessings

More learning each day....

My journey of self discovery... ( that is fancy for clearing/cleaning) out has just begun. I took the liberty yesterday morning for more "self-discovery." With the freezing rain hitting my windows and my eyes wide opened, I ventured into my closet. I decided I would start with all of our towels and sheets and then I moved onto my clothes...With the system in place, I began. If I hadn't used it or had too many, I put it in the goodwill pile. If it was all used up or in bad shape, I tossed it. If I knew I would use it, then it found a place to call home on the shelves or the drawers ( My husband redid our closet with the Container Store--he is so good). Here are a few things I learned about the linens...

1. No one needs 9 sets of sheets for the same bed - even if they were on sale. I don't know about your bed, but my bed can only have 1 set at a time.

2. We had way too many blankets...Except today it is 15 degrees, I might should go back and pull them out....No, resist the urge, I kept plenty (at least one per family member!).

3. Some of my pillowcases and sheets could be considered vintage--Oh My how time flies!!

3. For towels, they look much better if you can fold them and even better if you can find them.

Here is a finished picture....

It was only around 5:00 (am that is) - so I moved onto my clothes. It's funny that we say we have nothing to wear...Last time I checked I did and probably so do you. It's more like...I haven't got the right thing to wear but more on the learning a bit later. My system here was a little different. I decided that the clothes that didn't fit were definitely going but then there were two other categories that I needed to consider. The first one was clothes that held memories - such as a leather vest that Scott gave me and then the second was that some of my clothes weren't "Me." Oh they belonged to me but didn't feel like me. Perhaps I bought them at a great price or at a time when I thought I needed them. It was also clothes that didn't make me feel great when I put them on. Let me explain this concept further....I love to take my girls shopping. When Savannah (my teenager) tries on clothes, I know immediately if she likes them. Her face lights up, she fixes her hair and she envisions what shoes she'll wear. When Presleigh( my 9 year old) gets clothes, she knows her style - and she loves to mix and match clothes. Yes, I love that my girls love clothes. So when I began the clearing out, I wanted that same feeling...that when I put that top, sweater or jeans on, I smile and begin to fix my hair, smile and think of shoes....So the sorting began...

Here's what I learned..

1. I had way too many clothes that weren't me... This was like an episode of "What Not to Wear" except No Stacy and Clinton and no embarrassing video.

2. Memories are not in the clothes..They are in my heart.

3. The clothes that are little too tight or too big...tossed. I don't plan on getting bigger and when I need smaller, it will be fun to go buy them.

4. Even after all that...I still have clothes!!

Now for real self- discovery....

*Just like the urge to get the blankets, we tend to want to go back and pick up that thing that we just gave to God so he could handle it (just as he wants). Or even still, we want to go back and get the bitterness, selfishness, pride or ______(you fill in the blank) that we felt towards someone or a situation, We think we might need that old feeling again.. The Lord tells us to get rid of those things so he can make a better way. You know the beauty of God's wisdom is it is his. He has what we need to make it through the bitter cold , the storms and the joys of life. We don't need to go back into that old box, no matter how tempting.

*My clothes, no matter if they are the latest fashions or something from the past, they do not define who I am. It's fun to look cute, to try new fashions, and it's ok to stick with what is comfortable. But it really isn't important. Paul says this is our wardrobe...

"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col 3:12

Those need to be forefront in our fashion, in our lives...then no matter what You or I wear, these will be the best additions to our wardrobe.

* I also realized that I am so blessed. The Lord said he would provide for all my needs. After filling 4 trash sized bags, my closet wasn't bare, my clothes were enough for me. I've made room, I've cleared out the old, the "not me's", the extras and I can share with others who are in need.

I am loving this journey...thanks for sharing it with me. Coming Soon...the office closet and the laundry room....learning never ends!! Until next time,

Blessings,

The things I have learned....

Let me speak from the heart.... I have too much stuff!! I tried to think of ways to say this, an endearing little line about she who dies with the most....wins. But in reality she who has the most is a slave to it and is always finding places to put it! I have so many passions..in art, in creative endeavors, in needlework, in home keeping, in cooking and baking, in gardening, in books, in music, in decorating, my family, my faith, my Lord... the list is endless...but so is what I have accumulated over the past 25 years. Now in saying that, there are treasures I will not part with and there are things needed to pursue those said passions. It is good to have a library of great books, it is good to have those treasures that create special memories in the home or further my artistic inspirations. So please do not read that I am going to the minimalist side....I am a memory-ist (my own word). I love to be surrounded by treasures of times gone by, those gifts from my Mom, my husband, my children, making my home a reflection of those that I love and what brings me joy. I love the sound of buttons as you rustle your hands through them, lace as it shows such a feminine side. I love to read Cookbooks as thought they were novels. So my home is still a reflection of me. But today, I took the inspiration from a wonderful blog by Heather Bullard. She took time to redo her bookcases and found out things about her and what her focus would be. I am going to begin tackling room by room...So here is what I did today...

In my sewing room is a walk-in closet and an attic closet. Neither one of these could I walk in, so moving boxes were purchased and taped together, and the clean out began. If I couldn't remember the last time I used it, it went in the goodwill box. If it was broken or no longer able to be used, it was tossed. If I loved it and knew what I would use it for, I saved it..

The following pictures give a glimpse of what I am donating....

What I discovered about me...

1. I absolutely love baskets..but I became a basket case when trying to keep them all.

2. I had around 25 lamp shades -varying sizes...I guess we were all wearing lampshades to the party...turn out the lights the party is over!

3. I love to organize..but I had so many different styles of organization that nothing was organized.

4. To recycle, repurpose is great..except when you have over 30 pairs of jeans...So, I am going to let others have a pair of wranglers, rustlers, huskys and bootcut. It is good to share.

5. It didn't hurt to let those 5 boxes plus a few bags go like I thought it would. It actually is freeing... and it is wonderful not to trip over all those things just to get a piece of ribbon or fabric.

Here are a few pictures of the closets (sorry some are dark..there are only tap lights in the attic closet)...

You can see that there is still plenty to create and sew. But you can also see the floor!!! It is a great feeling to clear out - not just the physical but the emotional and spiritual as well. We can feel free when we clear out those overflowing closets, but the Lord also tells us that our freedom is in Christ when we clear out the old and let him bring in the new. I know that for my sewing room..only that which is precious or a treasure will be brought back in. And I know that the Lord will only bring in the absolute best he has to offer...Won't you clear out with me....you closets, your cabinets, your heart? Until next time,

Blessings,