Wordless Wednesday - First Shoots of Spring

Yesteryear - New Vintage Doily Line

(I love vintage doilies!  This is the second post that I have done for my Yesteryear column on doilies. First post can be found here. You can search all the other Yesteryear posts by entering the word "Yesteryear" in the search box above left.)

I usually do a Yesteryear post on Tuesdays.  I 've been quite busy and have a sick hubby today, so I am a little late in posting and haven't had the time to do my research.  So this is what I came up with:

What do you do with lovely Vintage doilies or handcrafted embroidered linens?  I know we all love them, but most of us do not usually use them on our table tops and shelves; nor do we use the larger ones for head protectors on the easy chair. Besides, men no longer ruin the upholstery with all that Brill Cream on their hair!  In the yesteryears, doilies were popular because money was scarce and protecting ones furniture was imperative!  Also, the doilies dressed up the dreariness of life by displaying the ladies' handiwork!  I love to look for doilies at second hand stores and estate sales!  So I have designed a way to upcycle them on new products!  See what you think!

 Rare blue doilies used on a fancy pillow for your boudoir!

 Linen table scarf used to decorate a zipper pouch

 Fancy doily displayed on a romantic sheer pillow cover!

Old patchwork saved and decorated with a doily!

Some of these are already available in my Design shop, and some will be listed shortly!  What do you think of my Yesteryear usage of past items?

HouseSitting the FurBabies

For the last ten days, we--hubby and I--have been house sitting for some friends.  They have one shitzu, five cats and four birds.  Some of my wonderful blog friends wanted to see the animals.  So here goes:

 Chantilly looks angry but she is just half asleep.  She was the friendliest and always wanted to sleep in our laps! 

 The eldest cat was shy and standoffish--hard to get a good picture.

 Giffey was also a little scarce most of the time, but he was sitting on the plant table watching the birds, when I snapped this one. 

 Pippin loved the upstairs office chair, but she came down to eat occasionally.

 Cameo, whom we called "Tuxedo", was the only cat that was allowed outdoors.   He is seen here waiting for me to open the door and let him out!

The noisy bunch were the birds!  Two canaries and two parakeets.  I couldn't get a picture with them all together--too flitty--but here are three of them.  

And then there was Millie! 

And last, Millie and Tuxedo, on a walk with me!  

Sunday Sketches - Chick Time!

This is for Sunday Sketches hosted by Sophia of BlueChairDiary. Visit her post today and see all the other participant's sketches!

With Spring here TODAY officially and Easter approaching, I decided to do a sketch that reflects  the newness of the season.  Enjoy!

Processing to Surprise

After processing a big disappointment, I have come to this:

 

 God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; 

He does great things beyond our understanding.

Job 37:5

I am content.  Life, the good and the bad, are given.  I will not strive to understand.  I stand ready for the next chapter. (Previous post on this subject.)

How about you, has life been hard lately?  Where do you stand with it?

Is it Spring yet?

Etsybloggers Team Carnival for March 14th:

The first day of spring is just around the corner. The "first sign of spring" that I usually look for is the emergence of bulbs in the flower beds. I usually have spent lots of the winter time in the catalogs pursing the seeds for the spring garden and also have spent lots of time in the bulb catalogs last fall dreaming about all the color that will emerge from the damp soil in the spring!  I love all sorts of bulb plants, but I consider Daffodils the "official" sign of Spring.  In reality, there are several other bulb plants that emerge before daffodils, like crocus, and Hyacinth, equally as beautiful, but actually not as cheery as a daffodil! 

Daffodil pillow by pruitthandcrafts

And don't ya just love to see the bare tree branches with tiny buds appearing? I just love that feeling that tells me that winter is almost over and the life cycle of the seasons is beginning again.  The sight of new life is so calming, yet thrilling after a long cold season of being indoors.  Ah, but then, I did do a lot of crafting indoors during the winter season!  What else was there to do? 

Wordless Wednesday - Focus

Yesteryear Finds

I still don't feel much like writing, so I decided to share with you some of my favorite "Yesteryear" finds from Etsy.  You can find some of your own (to be your favorites) by searching under the category "Vintage".

Birds Salt and Pepper Shakers by barbaritaverde

Old Irons salt and pepper shakers by PastMadePresent

Vintage bowls by Wavealee

Utensil rack by lunaparkfoundry

Which is your favorite?

Sunday Thought

"Give Thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!"

2 Chron. 20:21

We have had a huge disappointment a few days ago, but I have remembered, today, that my future is in the hands of a God who loves me!  The joy of life is returning!

Thinking . . . Feeling . . . Future?

 Ever felt like everything was barren in your life?  Kinda like my garden plot when we first started it? Knowing that you have done and are doing all the right things;  preparing for a future.    Like---I really don't know if everything is really going to turn out the way you want it to.   Like--knowing if Spring is really going to get here or not. . . . I feel that way now.  Kinda concerned.

You worry that if it does turn out, it may look like this:  

And not lilke this:

 In my dreams I want it (my future) to look like a beautiful, producing garden that is refreshing  . . .

And beautiful to everyone who happens by . . .  

But, today, I have my doubts.  "Doubting Thomas!" you say, "Spring will get here, soon enough!" you say.  Well, today is today, and I just don't feel it.   Ever felt like that? 

Yesteryear - Applique Art

Last week, in the ongoing "Yesteryear" blog post, I talked about an invisible applique stitch.  I personally like a combination of applique and patchwork, which was a technique used often for many years providing extra art in quilt design.  Many applique designs were done on a white background, so as to highlight the applique motifs.  Designs ranged from scrolls to tulips to bows and flowers patterns.  

A pair of very sharp scissors are a definite must have for applique work.  Designs must be cut precisely. I like to use a fine grit sandpaper to make my pattern.  Then it will not slip on the fabric as I draw the cut line around the design onto the fabric. After cutting out the design, an anti-fray product can be used around the cut edges of the fabric, before the pieces are turned under and sewn.  This procedure guards against fraying and provides extra strength. You will also need a supply of sharp pins to hold the design down before hand sewing.  For machine applique, you will probably need to pin and then hand baste the design in place before machine stitching your design in place.  

Tip:  If you can cut your patterns so that the straight grain of the fabric will allow the applique to lie in the same direction of the straight grain of the foundation fabric, you will avoid puckering and/or stretching of the design.

Question:  Ever tried applique, of any kind, before?