Encouragement game day 4

Well, you all are encouraging me by even reading this silly blog, so don't for a minute think you haven't encouraged anyone!!!!LOL

I encouraged my kids by making them all grits for breakfast yesterday....HAHA. Hey, I said the small ones counted too! Lets see. I wrote a few encouraging e-mails to some people I haven't kept up with well, but love and care for very much. I told the sales Lady at the children's clothing store how much I appreciated the fact that they had toys there to keep my littlest happy while I shopped. That might have been encouraging. I spoke to the checker at Walmart by name (name tag) and asked him about his day. That might have been irritating, but I meant it to be encouraging. The best part of this game for me, is that I am going about my day seeking to encourage, with my actions, and with my words. I felt a bit thwarted (Satan perhaps, or just hormones....wait is that two different things????) in my efforts. I persevered however, and continue to pray for opportunities, as well as ideas of how, to encourage those around me.

Soooo, it's your turn, what is your story of encouragement???

By the way, our new Christmas tradition, that we just instituted last night, is this. Keep your Christmas tree hidden in the far back corner of your yard, where no one can see it, then during the month of December of the following year, burn it in the fire pit, and roast marshmallows as a family. Is that recycling, re purposing, or re using???? Ha Ha!! It was fun though it might not always be encouraging to your neighbors! HA!

sheet music wreath ornament

Handmade gift idea # 4

I recently discovered THIS blog, and have been inspired numerous times by the projects there. This is a simple project, found HERE, that I had a lot of fun doing. I am going to use it as a hostess gift for a tea party that the girls are invited to later this morning. It would be a small gift, good for SS teachers, nursery workers, neighbors...etc. It would also serve well as a package topper, or goody bag tag. I chose to make it out of Hymn book pages, as I liked the project instructions sheet music example, but the possibilities are endless. It would also be fun to use magazine pages, or an old children's story book. Of course there are all kinds of scrap booking papers that would be beautiful, or you could even use wrapping paper, or old Christmas cards. My Haven plans to make one for a decoration for her bedroom door! Why don't you try it, it's a quick and easy project, and could serve as a lasting source of encouragement for someone in your life!

sorry, my links weren't working, but I think they are now!

Works for me

A few of you mentioned your pinking shears not working well, in my recent Christmas projects posts. I have a solution for you, that will help. Wax paper! Just cut through wax paper several times, and watch those babies sail through anything afterwards. Try it, It works for me! Find other helpful hints, that work for others, HERE!

Felted wool pomander

Handmade gift #2

Find awesome felt wonderment HERE and a tutorial for the whole adventure HERE. Betz White, is the bomb when it comes to Felted wool projects, and she has become my mentor, (unbeknown st to her by the way) in the felted odyssey that I am on of late!!!

This Pomander was sooooo easy, and I can't help the cozy feel it ignites in me! Lovin felt lately. lovin Betz White, lovin pomanders, lovin handmade gifts! I dare you to try it!!

Encouragement game, day 3

So, once again, no specific point of encouraging someone else, but a definite day of looking for someone to encourage, and living in a state of encouragement. This game is really life changing for me, I am not even exaggerating!!! Living to encourage is fun, and dare I say, encouraging. I find myself looking to catch someones eyes, and smiling more, I feel more purposeful in my actions, and more thoughtful in my reactions.

once again I was encouraged by others more then being the encourager. Perhaps that is the gift in this whole exercise! I received a wonderful gift from a blog reader that was super encouraging, and brought me back to the sweet warmth of Summer. It was also fun to see the joy on the faces of my girlies as they opened the handmade surprise purses filled with goodies from far away Australia. Thank you so much Lisa, and how dare you question your encouraging abilities today!!!

The most encouraging news of all, and I quiver even at the thought of posting this, as it is not yet a done deal, but........drum roll........WE HAVE AN OFFER ON THE HOUSE!!!!!! What a blessing, please pray that the Lord's will be done. WOW, that was an encouragement for sure!!

SOOOOOO, how about sharing your story of encouragement!!! You will be encouraged, I promise!

A Banner Tutorial

Christmas gift idea number two

If you have seen all the banners around lately, then you know that not only are they very much where it's at, they are for every occasion. I love them, and after making one for Haven's 8th birthday back in 2007, I have been loving them!

How about a banner for that special someone with their very own name, or an encouraging word, like: SPECIAL, or CREATE, or GROW....etc... You can make birthday banners, business banners, or simple welcome banners. They can come in all sizes and shapes, fonts, papers, or cloth....you name it, it can pretty much be a banner.

Here is my latest Christmas banner, JOYEUX NOEL, or french for Merry Christmas. I used to think NOEL meant NO ROOM, you know, like what the Inn keeper said to Joseph when he was looking for a space for his very with child, betrothed, Mary, to rest after their arduous journey on Donkey back, to Bethlehem. I don't know where I got that, Now I imagine singing....No roo oom, no o room, no o room, no room....born is the ki ing of Is is Ry al. Whatever. Any way I was recently set straight, and to commemorate my new favorite french saying ....I made, what else, ....but a banner.

There is like a gazillion trillion ways to make a banner, but I will attempt to explain how I did this one. Make it as easy as possible, don't stress, it's only an heirloom that will be passed down for generations to come, with your name attached, but, no worries. Let's begin, shall we?

First, decide on colors, and shapes. I just gathered red and green fabrics from my stash, and some large chip board scrap book letters. I painted the letters all white (they were bright pink!). I cut 10 circles out of the fabric, about 7 inches across, and ten more out of white for the back, and ten more out of quilt batting. I only had the fluffy stuff on hand, in hind sight I think the thin kind would have worked better.

I sewed the pieces together, with prints on top, white on bottom, and batting sandwiched in between. I stitched it like a pie for stability, but you could do it any way you would like. Then I cut around the outside with pinking shears to give it a cute edge. If it ravels a bit, that will just make it more handmade and cozy.

Then I measured a strip of checkered bias tape to the length I wanted, and spaced the circles on it, remembering the letters that I was placing, and where the space between the words would go. I allowed the circles to overlap a bit. Then I pinned each circle to the bias tape, and sewed in place.


When each of the circles was secured to the bias tape,(you could use ribbon by the way), I glued down the letters. Then I embellished each letter with a bit of Christmas cheer.

After letting the glue dry, I hung on the mantle. Banners are fun, and personal, and really easy to make! I hope you will try it!

Here's the one I made for Thanksgiving. It was super simple, just glittered letters I backed with fall paper, and then strung on a orange ribbon. The craft stores are full of pretty letters made just for projects like this!