Christ is Risen

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,  and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

              John 11:25-26 (NASB)

May days: snapshots

April showers bring May flowers. Spring is a beautiful season. It's overflowing with life, green, fresh rain, and time spent outdoors. I am preparing to take portraits for our churches directory in the next few weeks. Preparing gear, testing lighting, and getting ready to gain some needed experience. My sisters and I are still practicing for two more recitals and we're having family over for our Grandpa's birthday. Life's been a growing, learning journey- to say the least. Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
 Colossians 2:6-7 NIV

What's your May been like?

Put a pin in it

 Last weekend my family and I went to a hand bell festival. A hand bell festival is when many different hand bell choirs get together and play together-at the same time.
 There were about 25-30 choirs. Every choir practices the same songs and then one main director directs all of the choirs. It was a two day event and my sisters and I had a wonderful time.We stayed in a hotel, ate chick-fil-a two days in a row, laughed with our friends, and played music to the Lord.

Here are a few photos to give you an abstract idea of the event.

 Hand bells were every where in the rehearsal gymnasium. 


During one rehearsal break we did a little touring around the town square...

---What have you been up to?

 Do you know where I got the blog title from? 
I'll give you a hint: It's from a movie- about a dog, a girl, a cat and a hamster. =) 

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

 Spring: coming to a town near you!
The smells, the sounds, the sights. Spring can not be caught, captured, or told. It has to be experienced.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   but the word of our God endures forever.”
                    Isaiah 40:8

Silver Lining

"Bang..crash...phooosh...whirl, zooooom...rrrrrr...chug--- screech....." That was my week.
Sometimes life just seems to go non-stop. Crazy-stressful days outnumber the normal days.

 But those busy days and weeks make me thankful for the quiet peaceful order of boring old home days. Wacky days make me relish the simple, ordinary things. Sometimes I get caught up with all the zooming and crammed schedules.

 Those hard days remind me of stormy cloud-filled days. The gloomy clouds. The thunder clouds. But hidden under all the stuffy car rides and stuffy weeks, the sun shines. When ever our schedules lighten up and the rain stops there's the gleaming sun. Always reminding. Never failing to show us there's hope and joy in sight. And when we see that sunshine we can be assured of the important necessities of life. The silver linings of each day and each week. Music lessons, school work, tennis lessons are keeping our schedule busy. But I am still enjoying simple silver linings. Bluegrass, chocolate chip cookies, photography, writing, fellowship with family, friends, neighbors and of course the first day of spring!

A sheet, a saturday, some sewing, and a skirt

I once again I used a bed sheet-bought of good will-for my sewing project. My inspiration once again came from Marie-Madeline.


A skirt this time.

 I didn't have the pattern and decided to make up the design, with lots of gathers and ruffles. :-)
It was some what a challenge, but very fun. I sewed most of it on Saturday and was able to finish the same day. It was rainy and some what gloomy, so it gave me lots of time to stay inside and do some happy sewing.

 It is constructed of three very ruffly ruffles, three panels underneath and an elastic waist band. The only difficulty was coming up with the measurements. It came out almost as I had expected. I was actually surprised how poofy it turned out.

Definitely a learning experience and very enjoyable. I have to say the fabric was not the most ideal pattern for a bed sheet, but it worked out well for a skirt. :-)

The weather has been very gloomy and I was happy for today's beautiful sunshine.

 How is your weather?

Brightening a home

There are so many ways to make a home brighter and homey-er.

When blooms start to bud find a jar and bring spring inside.

Cute little jars and fresh flowers....

A perfect table accent. 

Put your jars of flowers near a window, on a table, in a bathroom, a bedroom, anywhere!

My mom finds so many cute little jars at thrift shops. 

They really are darling.

Organize with stylish baskets. Our house is filled with baskets!

They look nice and are practical.

Colorful dishcloths add so much fun to your kitchen. 

Dish cloth making is also a great way to practice crocheting when just starting out.

Even in the cold months of the year adding tissue paper flowers to a room can spark up a home.

Making them is so much fun. I have been making these flowers ever since we had a party last year. It is a wonderful way to pass the time. They are an easy craft, beautiful table decorators, and fun gift decorators.

Do you have any tips for making your home brighter?

Silhouettes

 Unique branches.Elegant limbs.
Trees' beauty is obscure, artful and....

...even more beautiful when flowers starts to bud and bloom.
 

The graceful silhouettes of each tree compliment each bouquet of blossoms.

Don't you just want to grab your camera and snap a photo, every time you see a glimpse of spring?

 Well. I do any way. :-)

Has spring sprung where you live?

Here's How I Used My Inspiration!

 After being inspired by THIS. I decided I wanted to create something, too. The Marie-Madeline bloomers look very practical, comfortable and feminine. I don't have the pattern, so I decided to test a couple things out.

First, instead of using fabric I took the West ladies advice on their sewing DVD and bought a bed sheet at Goodwill. It was some much cheaper than regular fabric! $2.60 for around 2 yards of fabric.

My grandma bought this pattern about two years ago and I decided to use the shorts pattern and gather the pant legs to create something similar to the bloomers.

 And another plus? The bed sheet is Utica J.P. Stevens and I think it might be vintage. :-)
 I found this vintage bed sheet on etsy and several other utica sheets. I think mine might be vintage, too.

So, a fun project done. My little experiment worked. Using a bed sheet, part of a pattern, a little math, some elastic, a sewing machine, and a whole lot of inspiration, you can make a cute pair of /gaucho/pants/skirt/bloomers. Perfect for a spring day. :-)





What is inspiring you?...