Love Ribbon Tassel

I just wanted to share with you these few pictures of a Tassel that I recently made. It's also was an experiment with photobucket and using their applications to add a watermark....way cool! Thanks Jodie and the links you gave me....There is hope for the "blog-challenged." Have a blessed day!!!

Hidden treasures

"What's in the bag?" was my thought as it sat on the top shelf in my sewing room closet (not to be confused with my studio--2 separate places). I vaguely remembered that it had some kind of fabric from some garage sale from some time back. So with curiousity, I pulled it down and to my surprise--hidden treasures!! It was filled with all kinds of vintage fabrics, unfinished quilt motifs/squares...all of what is the rage right now in the sewing and creative arts world. Recently, I have been trying to find vintage fabrics to do various art projects. I've looked at blogs, websites, magazines and all filled with vintage fabric/paper projects. Thinking all the while "I wish I had some of those precious fabrics." Little did I know that my treasures were under my nose or shall I say --in the bag!

It reminds me of the hidden treasures in God's word. At times in my life, I have searched for joy, happiness, fulfillment, relationships, worth (the list could go on and on- what have you been searching for?) and want what others have. Yet, when I look outside at others, I can't seem to find that treasure that I so desperately need or want. And then just as my vintage fabric bag was filled with what I needed, so is God's precious words to me..."And my God will meet all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Php. 4:19). Words that are so needed today as I face new challenges. The two treasures share a common thread - Forgetfulness on my part. Just I had forgotten about my fabric treasure, I forget that God is good all the time and he does supply my needs according to his goodness and faithfulness. However, there is one huge difference between the two treasures... My scraps are garage sale- supplied by someone who no longer needed them. Treasures to me but castaways none the less. My needs in life are not met by someone who no longer needed what I desired but they are met by the one who loves me for who I am (failures and all) and who I am becoming. He lavishly gives out of riches. Just as the Bible is filled to overflowing with treasures so to was the bag--- Want to peek inside?

My wish for you in the New Year...Health and Happiness, Love and Friendship, Kindness and Compassion, Energy and Strength, Rest and Renewal, Adventures and Security, and finding JOY in each day!!

Merry Christmas to all....

I hope that this season finds you in the company of those you love...taking time with family and friends, cherishing every moment together. Sending you wishes and prayers for a blessed, happy holiday and an amazing new year! New adventures are waiting..

The cross and the manger

This cross is to be given to Presleigh's teacher tomorrow for Christmas. When I showed it to Presleigh for approval, she said it wasn't very "christmassy." I began to second guess my gift. Should I save this for Easter? Should I have made something entirely different or perhaps bought something? We did contribute to a gift card for the class gift..but always need to have a personal touch to our gift-giving. Back to my dilemma...then the Lord put something on my heart that I would like to share with you jut a few days before we celebrate our Savior's birth.

"For God so loved the world...that he gave his one and only Son." Jesus came in the lowliest form..a baby born to a poor, lonely family...no room for them, no room for him. The manger filled with hay was the place that Jesus would first encounter humanity. If you have ever sat on a hay bale, gone for a hay ride or even fed horses hay, you know that ..It is prickly... It can poke, rub, give rashes to those with sensitive skin(imagine the skin of a baby)...It can cause you to sneeze, can get caught in your hair... It is felt through clothes and just to put it simply--It is annoying and uncomfortable. It is not down feathers,nor sheep skin. And most definitely not the way deity, nor royalty should be received.

God loved us so deeply, the world so deeply that the gift was not just the cross. Have you thought that without the gift of the manger, there would not be the gift of the cross. The two represent God's complete love for us. It was not just in the death and resurrection that he loved us..It is in the birth of Jesus Christ that he began his redemptive plan and it is in the cross that his love and forgiveness was made complete.

To use Presleigh's word...this cross is very "Christmassy." Blessings to all and may the peace of Jesus Christ dwell in you this holiday season....

A spot of Christmas Tea with Laura Bush

Yesterday was divine... I invited my mother, my sister and 2 friends and their girls along with my girls to a Christmas Tea at the Dallas Arboretum. A beautiful oasis in Dallas with breathtaking gardens, special events throughout the year and at Christmas they display over 500 nativities. The Christmas tea was hosted by the Women's Council of the Dallas Arboretum. We were so honored to have the former first lady, Laura Bush, to be our story teller. It was amazing. She was amazing.

We had the opportunity to meet her at a private reception before the tea actually began. She was as lovely in person as she is on television. At the tea, She read her book, Read All about It, that she co-wrote with Jenna, her daughter. It was a delight to have her read to the children. Presleigh was near her and even answered a question about President Bush.

But the day was even more perfect because of those that shared it with me. It is a day that my girls will never forget. They met someone who has been true to her husband, her family, her faith and her country. Someone with grace and integrity. My mom and my sister, the two most important women in my life, were there with us. It was a day for the girls in our family...priceless. Also, we share the day with friends. Life is best shared and special days are truly meant to be shared. I am blessed to have been able to share this day with Ann Michelle and her daughter, Megan and Lynne with her two girls, Lauren and Macy.

Some days we will recall the special events. Other days blend into the next... but in truth each day is a gift from our heavenly father. I pray that each day I see the beauty, the splendor and the blessings . Whether it is meeting a former first lady or meeting my children in the kitchen for breakfast....All are days that I will treasure. I hope you and I greet this day with joy and expectation for today is all we have!!