Ribbon and Fabric Banner for Bedroom

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Vanilla Hazelnut coffee

Hello and happy Monday to all of you! sorry I didn't get this photo posted when I promised. With out of town guests and then a quick trip to St. Louis to see everyone there, I lost track of time. I do apologize.

This was a fun banner to make! I used ribbons and trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon, fabric strips from an old flannel sheet, and denim from some worn out blue jeans. I really do like to repurpose, can you tell?! ;) some of the ribbons and tulle were from Tyler and Danielle's wedding, so they were perfect to include in the banner for their room. the colors in the room are artichoke green, burgundy, and mustard yellow. 

my husband made the sign using word art from Hobby Lobby and some old fencing boards. he has made several signs like this for all around our house. one of his favorite things to do is take old windows and doors and turn them into neat wall hangings. we also have an old screen door as a trellis on the back of our barn for the passion flower Mick gave me last year. it's fun to take old things we find in antique stores and give them new life. :)

Starting the big craft room clean out this week. I will TRY to not get distracted by all of the wonderful things I uncover! :D 

much love to all of you!

Jennifer

Happy 4th of July and email followers

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut coffee

image by

The Graphics Fairy

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends living in the USA! I hope you have a fun as well as safe celebration surrounded by those dear to your heart. :)

I have been informed of a service to follow blogs via email now that feedburner has deactivated this tool. It is called follow,it. I believe that I have imported all of those email addresses who follow my blog this way. Please let me know if you don't receive notices of upcoming posts. 

I haven't been doing much papercrafting recently, but did make a wonderful ribbon and fabric banner to hang in one of our bedrooms. I will share that with you this week. We are slowly trying to redo all of our sons' bedrooms so that they are a bit more updated when they come to visit. So far we have two completed. Eventually we will tackle the entire house. my next big project is to get my craft room cleaned and organized. ugh. that is going to take a VERY long time. :/ 

so thank you to everyone who continues to follow my little blog and post such lovely comments.  :) I appreciate all of you!

much love to everyone and have a most amazing day!

Jennifer

Happy Mother's Day!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Ginger Peach green tea

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, aunts, and other significant women out there! :) Celebrate you today, and the many ways you bring love and contribute to your families!

I do know that this day is not always an easy one for those who have lost crucial people in their lives. to you, know that I pray you find some measure of comfort in the love of those nearby.

I haven't yet been able to craft the way I used to, but I did manage to make a few cards for my MIL, aunt, and new mom, Lauren. :)

They are all similar in style, with just a few minor differences. The lovely vintage woman image is a freebie on the Gecko Galz blog. The background paper and roses are from a post at the Graphics Fairy about cabbage rose wallpapers. I cut the flowers from one of the wallpaper images. 

I stitched around the main image and background papers after matting. The button and floral stamps are from my vintage stash, and the crochet trim has been avocado dyed.  a paper doily and sequins were added to complete each card.

Thank you so very much to all of you who have left comments or contacted me about our new granddaughter! you are so wonderful! :) her parents are asking that her personal details not be shared online or on social media, so we respect their desire for privacy. but oh my goodness, she is such a sweetie! we had a fabulous time visiting them for a few days. maybe one day we will all live closer to one another again. 

before I forget, those of you who follow my blog via email, I have received notice that this option will no longer be available after July of this year. I am absolutely awful about visiting the blogs that I follow, and I appreciate the convenience that email alerts provide. hopefully something else will come about so that we can continue to get notices in our inbox. 

know that you are all loved!

Jennifer 

Challenges:

Gecko Galz monthly ch - Secret Garden using a product from GG

She's Here! :)

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Macadamia coffee

image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

 Our precious grand-daughter arrived last weekend, on the Saturday before Easter. :)  She was born via caesarean section. Both mom and baby are doing well at home. Hubby and I planted a flowering dogwood tree in our backyard to honor this special moment. We hope to go visit them this coming weekend. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement as well as your prayers. Y'all are the best! :)

Happy Easter!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Earl Grey Lavender tea

Happy Easter to all of you! I hope you have a most blessed day, surrounded by those you love. :)

I apologize for not being around. My health has really been struggling these past few months, seeming to get worse. :( I spend most of my time either in bed or on the couch. The upside is that I am getting a lot of reading done as well as watching some wonderful programs through various streaming services.  of course nothing quite beats the beautiful bird song I hear each day or cuddles with our cat and dog.  those are the best!

our sweet little grand-daughter is to be born within the next few days. to say we are all excited is quite the understatement! :) I did make her a journal, but finished within an hour of leaving to visit Mick and Lauren in St. Louis for their virtual baby shower. hopefully we will be able to visit the entire family in May, so I will try to remember to take pictures of both the baby journal and Mick's garden journal then.

(both vintage images from The Graphics Fairy)

With so much divisiveness and antagonism in our county, no, in our world, please remember that love is the great unifier. We are told by Jesus to love our neighbors, all of our neighbors. Let compassion and kindness prevail in our lives, always. :) 

A Few Journal Photos

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts coffee

Hello and happy weekend! 

I apologize that I have taken so long to get a few project photos to you. I haven't been doing very well this past week. Still rough, so will only share a minimal of details on these, coming back to update later. I hope you can understand.

The first is the cover and tassel for an entertainment themed journal I made for Ryan and Elizabeth. it is filled with game, movie, and music pages & ephemera. I believe the paper is from a Carta Bella collection. the fabric is some from Etsy. the game pieces and papers are vintage. the tassel hooks onto the bow at the spine. this was the only photo I took before mailing it to them for Christmas.

The next few pictures are of the handyman themed journal I made David. I took an old Reader's Digest book and altered it. many of the pockets and tuck spots in the journal are made from pages from the actual book. the spine is Tim Holtz fabric. I found the vintage handle and number placket on Etsy. the handle is screwed into the book cover. I was so happy that my Crop-A-Dile actually punched through the cover with ease. 

this is the inside cover. I added the verse that I have on my blog. I thought that was a perfect way to begin. :) this journal is filled with so many vintage items: first day of issue postal envelopes, pages from manuals, sales flyers, postage stamps, receipts, labels, and book pages just to name a few. I love including lots of actual vintage ephemera in these journals. .the papers used in this book are from Michael's and several Authentique collections. I will try to get more photos of this one later. can't even attempt holding a camera right now. ugh.

I believe I had mentioned that I had made a garden themed journal for Mick and one with a nautical theme for Tyler and Danielle. I still had signatures, or sections, left over from each journal because they just became too full of goodness. ;) so Mick has asked for me to make him another garden journal using the remaining pieces. I am also working on a baby journal for he and Lauren. yep, they are expecting a baby girl in April! hooray!!!I knew that I had a few extra months to get that one finished, so didn't push myself with the Christmas deadline like I did on the others. 

I am very much a novice when it comes to making journals, so please be understanding. I am really having fun with them though, and look forward to getting better with each journal I make. :)

all of you take care, stay safe & healthy, and have a great weekend!

Project Photos Coming Soon

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Coconut Caramel Hazelnut coffee

Hello! I hope that everyone is doing well, staying safe and healthy. A new day, a new year, ready for blessings in abundance! New opportunities to spread love and kindness! :)

Thank you to all of you who have so sweetly left comments sent emails or cards. You are much appreciated and loved! :)

I will soon share a few photos of projects I worked on in the past year. yes, I am THAT slow! :D I have started making junk journals and love it! oh my gosh, what took me so long to try one myself? a perfect way to incorporate my shabby/vintage style with re-purposed items and a touch of sass & whimsy. ;) ha!

I made journals for each of our sons and their wives, but didn't get photos of most of them since I was racing to get them in the mail for Christmas. The journal I made for my husband for our anniversary is still a work in progress. he is so understanding! I was able to get his handyman journal finished for a Christmas gift, so at least he has one complete. (I am still adding bits and bobs to it, although I don't think he has noticed yet. grins!)

The biggest shocker to the family is that I am actually sewing in all of these journals! that is the first thing every single one of them noticed. ;)  it is no secret that my old sewing machine and I didn't always see eye to eye, pardon the pun. The repair man even commented that he had never seen a machine that gave someone such difficulties as mine. I was given an older sewing machine from someone who was cleaning house several years ago. Inspired by the many fabulous journal makers on YouTube, I decided it was time to get it out and make a fresh, new start. Lo and behold, I am having so much fun! I go through almost an entire spool of thread with each journal I make. Just goes to show you that we should never stop trying new things or exploring past ones!

My love and prayers to each of you. Stay safe and healthy!

See you soon,

Jennifer

*Update 01/14/21 - I apologise that I have not yet posted photos. I haven't been doing well this past week. Hopefully I can get pictures added over the weekend. Thank you for understanding.

Happy New Year 2021!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Highlander Grog coffee

Sending each of you wishes for a healthy, happy New Year! May you be blessed in abundance today and all year through.

with much love,

Jennifer