I hope you will enjoy a cup of tea with my apologies

I want to apologize for not writing for a couple of days. I really do love doing this. But I am in the middle of painting the office in my house and then I will be going straight to the living room. And as most of you know, weather you do the painting or someone else for you, it takes awhile.

I have always enjoyed painting my house (And use to have my own painting business) but it is alot of work. It is looking pretty and I will be sure to take some pictures to show you at a later date.

But for now I need to get back to work. Please grab a cup of tea and enjoy going through some of my older post.

Thank you for dropping by. Until next time. Carol

Spiritual Sunday

I am sorry I forgot to tell you to click on this button on my side bar and see all the wonderful things the other people have written. Thanks.

Spiritual Sunday

Romans 12 :1 The Message Bible

Here is what I want you to do,God helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life-

your sleeping, eating, going to work,

and walking- around life-

and place it before God as an offering.

Embracing what God does for you is the

best thing you can do for him.

I want to thank Charlotte and Ginger for hosting such a Wonderful place in blogland on Sundays to share together our Lord.

Untill next time Carol

Some of my lace and trim stash

I have been collecting beautiful laces and trims for years. I have an old dresser that is full. I now have several good ideas to use them. I also have started collecting beautiful Victorian Ladies in clip art. I have some even more than I am showing that I have printed on fabric. You will also see them show up in some of my future projects. So I hope you will keep checking back at Heirlooms for You my Etsy shop.

I really am excited to get started on all the ideas I have rolling around in my head.

Thank you for stopping by. Until next time. Carol

Quilted Heirloom Hand Bag

I just posted this sweet quilted heirloom hand bag in my shop Heirlooms For You.

I just finished it and couldn't wait to get it in the shop. I think I will get some lunch and stay out of the sewing room for the rest of the day. I need a break.

I hope you will check it out. Thanks for stopping by.

Untill next time. Carol

Quilt Squares

This is going to be quick today. I just want to show you these two quilt squares. Hopefully you will see the finished product the end of the week or the first of next week. It is still in my head but I thought if I showed it to you it would help move me along.

Until next time, Carol

Summer Swap

I belong to a group of very talented and friendly ladies. Etsy Cottage Style. Debbie who is in charge is the lady who designed my blog. Another one of the ladies Char started a summer swap and I joined. Char assigned Pam as my partner.We had to swap three things, one a beach scene,one a floral,and one a bird nest. One thing had to be made the others could be bought.

For the beach theme Pam sent me a bag with a Victorian man and woman at the beach. I sent her a box with a Victorian woman at the beach. It is nice to have a partner that thinks like you. I also added shells and trim. For the floral Pam hand embroidered a rose arbor for me with the tiniest stitches I have ever seen then she made a pillow for me with it. It is the perfect color for my house. I made a scalloped edged reversible table topper for her. For the bird nest she sent me 4 gift tags with bird nest on them she had made. I sent her a teacup with a bird nest in it.

On my side bar is a button for Etsy Cottage Style you can click on and see all the beautiful things they do . I know they would love to have you join in or even just drop by to see what new things are going on.

I want to thank Char for putting on such a good swap. Hope we can do it again soon.

Until next time Carol

Spiritual Sunday

Blessings Come In Many Guises

When troubles come and things go wrong

And days are cheerless and nights are long,

We find it so easy to give in to despair

By magnifying the burdens we bear.

We add to our worries by refusing to try

To look for the rainbows in the overcast sky,

And the blessing God sent in a darkened disguise

Our trouble hearts fail to recognize,

Not knowing God sent it not to distress us

But to strength our faith and redeem us and bless us.

Helen Steiner Rice

How beautiful she puts it. If only even in our down times if we would just have a little quite faith and look up we could see the blessings much quicker.

Don't forget to click on the Spiritual Sunday button on my side bar to read more uplifting things.

My we always be looking up. Untill next time. Carol

Christmas in July

I have started doing some Christmas painting. I use to sell these at our local craft fairs. But I got burned out doing them. I did them in the traditional Christmas colors. They sold well but then I got my Etsy shop and stopped doing them.

Last year I started decorating one room in my house in pink and aqua for Christmas. So I have decided to do a few Santa's for that room. Here I am loving it again so you my see some in my Etsy shop in time for Christmas.

The pictures are of the beginning of the work, to the second stage were you base coat, then the final step of dry brushing to detail work. The one that is finished is one I picked up one day when Judy and I were out junking. It was all white and gold. Pretty but a little boring. So I could see the potential for a pink and aqua Santa for my room.

The other ones are ceramic. The one that nothing has been done to is a mistletoe Santa. The one you see that I have started base coating is a Santa feeding one of the reindeer's.

I am having so much fun painting again I thought I would share it with you. I will put them on again when they are completed.

Thank you for stopping by until next time Carol

Taged

I told you yesterday how I joined Charming Girls Quilt Club. Well, Kelly tagged all the members yesterday. With 5 questions. So here are my answers. Please click on the quilt club tag on my side bar and see all the girls responses.

1 What is my favorite Fabric? I don't have a favorite designer but my favorite fabric would be any piece with roses. Especially pink roses. If I am at the store and I see rose material you can bet it is going home with me. Even if I have told the girls , "Now don't let me buy anymore fabric!"

2 The pattern I am most looking forward to sewing is? I just ordered and got in the mail this Five Inch Is a Cinch pattern called flower market. I love 5 inch charms. I think they are just the right size to show enough roses and yet be small enough to be able to add alot of different fabrics. I have it pictured at the top.

3 The food that is my weakness is? Well like all of us girls I love chocolate. But for me it is pastries. Add filling and top it with chocolate and I am ready to go! To me it doesn't get much better than that.

4 If I knew I couldn't fail I would? Open a house for women to come to that are on welfare to learn skills to help them be self sufficient. That could help raise the next generation to also be self sufficient.

5 The best "Life" advice I Know is? To trust the Lord for everything!

I hope you enjoy my answers. Until next time Carol

Charming Chatter

I was checking out some blogs the other day and ran across this one. As you know I love to quilt. Well for any of you who feel the same way this site is for you.

Kelly has a online quilt shop. And on her blog she has Charming girls quilt club. You sign up by leaving her a comment on her blog telling her you would like to join in. What you do is by the 9th of the month you tell her what quilt projects you plan to finish that month and for everyone that we do finish she gives us a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate from her shop. She gives away 2 a month. Which is cool but the site is mainly to help motivate us to finish those UFO'S we all have! Plus there are so many more things like an apron swap that is coming up and more. Please check it out.

I have just joined so I will be sending in next month which UFO'S I am going to finish. I am looking forward to the little push to help stop the procrastination. O, boy do I need this. So many projects not enough finished!

Click on the Charming Girls Quilt Club button on my sidebar to go to Kelly's blog. I know you will enjoy.

Until next time. Carol

Spiritual Sunday

God Is No Stranger

God is no stranger in a far away place________

He is as close as the wind that blows' across my face.

It's true that I can't see the wind as it blows ,

But I feel it around me and my heart surely knows

That God's mighty hand can be felt every where,

For there is nothing on earth that is not in God's care.

The sky and the stars, the waves and the sea,

The dew on the grass, the leaves on a tree

Are constant reminders of God and His nearness

Proclaiming His presence with crystal-like clearness.

So how could I think God was so far far away

When I feel Him beside me every hour of the day?

And I have many reasons to know God's my friend,

And this is one friendship that time cannot end.

Helen Steiner Rice

Click on the spiritual Sundays button to the left and read many more uplifting post about our Lord. I want to thank Charlotte and Ginger for such a nice site.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope this has given you a sweet reminder of how close God is to all who seek Him. Until next time. Carol

Surprise Finds

Here are a few pieces Judy and I found the other Day at one of our favorite places to find treasures.

We were going to the Fabric store for some new fabric for her bags. http://Judysbags.Etsy.com But we got side tracked on the way and ended up in Franklin a little town over from us. (And by the way in the opposite direction we were going in. Is that just us or do you gals do that also? Oh well.) But look at our finds. Yes that is a Homer Laughlin platter, a Irish crystal decanter, a serving bowl from Bavaria, and a glass covered dish. I going to keep the covered dish and put some of my own pretties in it. The others you will find in the future in Judy's and my etsy shop http://myvintageshop.etsy.com

Thank you again for stopping by and until next time. Carol

Anna's 4th Birthday. Fairies in the Garden

I am so sorry I am late with these. My granddaughter turned 4 on June 6th the party theme was Fairies in the garden.

The first picture is of her cake topper. The next one is of the pretty cake her mother Tiffany made. You can see how she made it a Fairy in the garden. She always does such a good job. She puts a lot of thought and time into it.I love to see what theme she comes up with each year. I am so proud of her.

Next you see 5 sweet fairies that showed up for the party. Don't they just look the fairiest!

One of the things Tiffany had planned was for them to plant a flower to take home. Plus much more.

Last but not least, My sweet Fairy Granddaughter Anna with her fairy flower in full bloom. Her Aunt Stephine did the face painting.

All was well in the Fairy garden and it was time to go to sleep!

Thank you for stopping by until next time , Carol

Work in progress for Etsy shop

This is a 54 x 45 inch striped quilt. It is one of my best sellers on Heirlooms For You. It will be scalloped on the 54 inch side. Which will be every stripe. I haven't worked my shop as well as I should have lately. But I now have many new things on my work table. Now to get them finished and in the shop.

This is going to be a 45x45 inch quilted throw. It has five rows and each row has a embroidered block. The quilt will have scalloped edges all the way around it. I got the embroidery pattern from Kitty Kitty. She has her own web site.

http://www.kittykittydesigns.com/ You can get her designs there as well as join the group.

I hope you will check out my Etsy shop http://heirloomsforyou.etsy.com/ and please check back often for a look at new things.

Thanks for dropping by. Until next time, Carol

Helen Steiner Rice, Sunday

The weekends are a busy time for all of us. So I am at least for awhile going to share with you a Helen Steiner Rice poem. Her poetry lifts the spirit. So I am glad to share with you on Sundays from my collection of her work.

Gifts from God

This brings you a million good wishes and more

For the things you can not buy in a store____

Like faith to sustain you in times of trail,

A joy -filled heart and a happy smile,

Contentment, inner peace and love___

All priceless gifts from god above!

I hope you find inner peace from God above this coming week. Until next time, Carol

Happy July 4th

I hope you all have a safe and fun July 4th!

Until next time, Carol

Julys flowers

Today I am going to show you some of my late June and july flowers. We don't get a whole lot of rain this time of year so my flowers start to look a little rough from here to September. I don't spend as much time as I should with them because when it gets around 90 to 95 degrees I stay in side to sew. You will be seeing more sewing projects for a while.

The first picture is of some of the begonias in my backyard. I have already shown the ones in the front.

Then there is one of a tomato that has ripened. Yeah, I like tomato sandwiches from fresh tomatoes.

Then there is my purple cone flowers. They come back each year and this year I planted Dianthias with them and they will come back year after year.

Then comes the pink lilies. Lots and lots of lilies. 8 pots of lilies. When they are all in bloom they are such a beautiful sight. I moved them this year and they didn't do as well. I may put them back next year.

Next there are 4 of my butterfly bush. Why I am sharing these are it was quite funny to me to see the bee and no butterflies. Go figure.

The last but not least is one of my glads. I have several pots of these also.

As you have already figured out I have most of my plants in pots. So much easier for me to take care of.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my hot weather flowers.

Until next time, Carol