Show and Tell Friday

Posted on February 8, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Guidelines are here.“

One of my favorite spaces in our home is just a thin strip of wall.

The two small pictures I got a few years ago with some Christmas money at Kirkland’s.

I found this for just a few dollars at a craft fair.

Nearly every time I pass by this spot and see these little pictures, they make me smile.

I also wanted to mention that I won a prize from Ellen in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival, and it arrived today! It was so neat to win something from a bloggy friend! It arrived very nicely packaged:

This is one side:

And this is the other:

It goes perfectly with a new dress I bought after Christmas!

Thanks so much, Ellen! I love it!

Show and Tell Friday: Sampler and raisin rack

Posted on January 25, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I’ve mentioned before that, though I’ve cross-stitched several things over the years, most were for gifts and I don’t have many in my home. One of the pieces I do have is not one of my favorites. I probably should change that and work on some new ones, huh? 🙂

When I first started cross-stitching, samplers were very popular, as was the whole Early American look. So I made this.

I do still like it ok when I really look at it again, but there are so many more beautiful patterns that have come out since then.

At one time we wanted to build a log cabin, and this would have fit right in. Now, though, I’m leaning more toward almost Victorian decor.

Around the same time I bought this, which I was told was a rack that used to be used for drying raisins. This one was decoupaged.

I don’t know if it is an authentic antique-ish raisin rack, but I liked the idea and liked the picture on it.

I have these hanging together in my family room. I think they complement each other.

Works-For-Me Wednesday: Wreath storage

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I have a few wreaths that I like to change around through the year. The autumn and Christmas ones are stored with other seasonal decorations in the attic, but I didn’t want to have to go up there every time I wanted to change just a wreath. So I began to store them on the inside of a storage closet door in the living room.

The front door is just opposite and parallel to the closet door, so it’s really convenient to switch them as desired. Works for me!

As with most Wednesdays, you can find a load of great tried-and-true tips at Shannon’s.

Show and Tell Friday: New hearts

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I’m running late today! Jesse’s school had a two-hour delay, and I feel I just lost those two hours and started my day late…except I did sleep in for an extra hour, so that helps, and hopefully I won’t need one later in the day.

I added to my heart collection over the last few weeks.

This first one I found at Tuesday Morning, a new store in our area that my friend Carol introduced me to. I had never heart of them before. I’ve been a couple of times now and love it!

The following two I purchased from Becky at Sweet Cottage Dreams during an online craft fair several weeks ago. She’s the one who added in as a free extra those sweet button magnets I showed last week. She does beautiful work.

Here are the backs of the last two:

They all have loops, but they are larger than the other hearts I have hanging on shelves with pegs — and there’s no room there, anyway. I haven’t decided whether to get another pegged shelf or put them all in a basket with some other small pillows or hang them on knobs around the house. But I know I’ll enjoy them wherever I put them: I already do.

Show and Tell Friday

Posted on January 4, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Normally I stay far away from stores a couple of days before and after Christmas. I just can’t stand it when it’s really, really crowded and people are tense and there are horribly long lines. But I may have to change that policy! I found some really good deals when I did venture out — though I did still avoid the day or two after Christmas — and it wasn’t too very crowded, and people were pretty pleasant.

I had a gift card for Michael’s and wanted to find a vintage-looking scrapbook album and papers for the photos of my parents, grandparents, and my baby pictures that I’ve gotten over the last year or two. But I wanted to check Hobby Lobby just in case they might have something I liked better. I was also looking at the Christmas clearance items at both places. At Hobby Lobby, along a side wall by the Christmas things I found a table I just loved. I had been looking for some kind of table, bookcase, curio cabinet, or something to fit in this space by the door and to put seasonal Boyd’s Bear figurines and other things on:

The table I saw at Hobby Lobby looked nice and I thought it would fit, and it was a decent price. I’d seen dinky nightstands costing more. So I was thinking about it as I left the store — and I noticed a sign that all furniture was 30% off. Well, that certainly sweetened the deal! But I still went home to think about it. I went back a few days later — and it was still there!

Before I found someone to carry it for me I made a quick stop into the restroom, noticed this beauitful ivory rose flower arrangement, and then noticed all the flower arrangements were half off. I don’t think I could have made it from scratch for less. I thought about it for a little while, then snagged it on my way back to the table, found someone to carry the table (praying that if I was supposed to have it it would still be there — I’ve learned from sad experience that sometimes good deals get snatched up pretty quickly there), and checked out.

It fit perfectly in the space, and I was so pleased with how it looked.

The little snowmen candle holders were a gift from my middle son’s girlfriend’s mom. I thought they were cute anyway, but especially since I have three boys.

I was quite pleased not only to have found a table I liked that fit the space, but to have found it at such a good price, too. And I am thankful the Lord kept it there for me while I was thinking about it. 🙂 I am looking forward to decorating it with seasonal vignettes.

Holiday Home Party and Christmas Tour

Posted on December 13, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Karla at Karla’s Cottage is having a “What do you love about your holiday home?” party and BooMama is hosting a “Christmas tour of homes.” I’m using this same post for both events. 🙂 All of these have appeared on my blog before — I don’t think we have added anything new this year. Yet. 🙂

So come on in…

Have a slice of Harvest Loaf Cake.

Even though its name sounds fallish, we like to use it for the holidays. I don’t make it at Christmas because we have all those pies then, but usually some time in early December I make some for us and some for gifts.

I am a Christian and believe Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ who came to die for our sins. I’ve been saying “Happy Holidays” for years, though, to include Christmas and New Year’s Day, so I am not trying to be “PC” by saying Happy Holidays. 🙂

Decorations on the piano. I did the calligraphy about 20 years ago in an adult ed. class — but I haven’t done any calligraphy since then.

My mom gave me this several years ago. I has a button in the back that you can push to hear Christmas music and watch the lights flash. The boys have loved this. Since my mom passed away almost exactly two years ago, these gifts from her are even more treasured.

This is something else my mom sent: a Nativity musical figurine.

This is one of my most special treasures, also from my mom. I collect Boyd’s Bear figurines, and somewhere she found this Christmas tree with little miniature scenes all though it.

Here are a couple of close-ups:

On the other end table are these snowpeople. I got the three snowboys because they reminded me of my three sons. Then the boys got each of the bigger snowmen in a crane game. So we put them all together as our family representatives. I should get a little feminine hat for one of the bigger ones to represent me.

I have pastel colors and a lot of pink in my home. That’s a bit of a dilemma at Christmas with all the reds: some of my ornaments and things that were given to me have red in them. In recent years I’ve leaned toward the maroonish bluer reds and dark pinks that would go better with the rest of the decor. But, as I said in the earlier posts about ornaments, I want this all to be family-friendly more than “designer” decorating, so for the most part I just don’t worry about it. However, I was delighted to find this little snowman in my living room colors:

One of my favorite decorations is this little mouse. If you light the candle in the back it looks like a fire in the fireplace.

Here is the fireplace in the family room with the stockings. I made the plaid ones after we were first married and a dear friend knit the others for each of the boys as a baby gift after they were born. The rest of this room is in blue, tan, and off-white, so the red doesn’t clash with pinks in here.

I need to redo the white fluffy parts on mine and my husband’s stockings and maybe appliqué something on them.

Here is our tree with a few favorite ornaments:

These are some felts ones I made early on in our marriage, I think from a kit. I love the little sheep.

This is a Boyd’s Bear ornament my dear friend Carol gave me:

This is from a set of Victorian ornaments that I love which includes a ball and a teardrop shape with the same little flower cluster:

This is a nativity ornament which clips on to one of the light bulbs so it shines through. Someone gave this to someone else at a Secret Sister Christmas party at church, and I liked it so much I went out and bought one for us. I think it is the only Hallmark ornament we have.

This is one I made early on. It has about 1/3 of a toilet paper roll inside and is wrapped in a strip of red felt. White felt circles go over the ends and cross-stitch floss is used to sew the tops and bottoms on in that drum-like pattern. Then little strips of felt are rolled around the end of toothpicks for the drumsticks, and they are glued on. This is made to sit on a branch, but you could use the same floss to make a loop through the edge of the top white felt circle.

This is from a cute little felt snowman set I liked. I bought it rather than made it, but I made the little plastic canvas candy cane.

This one is special to me because it is one of the first ones I ever made. I found the little circle, stained it, found the little miniature tree, dipped the tips of its branches in glue and then it different colors of glitter, then glued it into the circle and added a gold thread loop.

This is one of our newer ones, bought last year at the Christian bookstore. Having all boys, I’ve loved cards and ornaments with little shepherd boys.

This is one of my two attempts at One Stroke painting.

This is one of several cross-stitch ornaments I made several years ago. I think these were the first things I cross-stitched. Sorry this one is a little blurry.

I made this ornament last year — after Christmas, actually — after seeing various button wreaths on a few blogs:

I realized afterward that the little Christmas tree is a charm rather than a button, but that’s ok. 🙂

Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Thanksgiving decorations

Posted on November 16, 2007 by Barbara Harper

For Kelli’s “Giving Thanks” week and for today’s Show and Tell Friday I wanted to show my Thanksgiving decorations.

I got this little Pilgrim and Indian group at a craft show when we lived in GA.

This is a similar little group but I bought it somewhere else that I can’t remember. Can you tell I like happy-faced tole-painted people? 🙂

I’ve shown some of my Boyd’s Bear figurines before. My husband just got this Thanksgiving one for me last year.

And here’s a little stuffed turkey — stuffed with fluff, that is.

Homemade With Love 2007: Personalized Scripture

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine is hosting a Homemade With Love Holiday Gift Idea Exchange today. If there is a gift that you could make for the holidays, make up a sample, post a picture and instructions, then link to Gibee’s.

This is an idea I have used for our “Secret Sister” program at church, but it could be used for anyone. The idea is to personalize the Word of God, to remind ourselves that it really does apply to us.

This is for a friend named Cheryl (who doesn’t have a computer so hopefully won’t hear about this yet). I look for Scriptures that apply to what I know of her needs, usually promises, and insert her name; for example,

For God so loved Cheryl, that he gave his only begotten Son, that is she believeth in him she should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Fear thou not, Cheryl; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

It’s at this point, though, that I want to urge great caution. The Word of God is not just inspirational: it is the very Word of God, and we want to handle it carefully. Be careful not to distort it and not to use a verse that was spoken to a specific person for a specific time and purpose and is not generally applicable, and not to wrench a verse from its context so it misconstrues the meaning. It is best to keep to verses or promises that would apply to anyone and can simply have a name added just as a way to help the person remember that it is for them as well.

I print out a page of these verses with a font that is a little fancy but not so much so that it is hard to read. This one is Kayleigh.

Then I cut the individual verses into strips. I’ve done it before with just a paper cutter, but decorative scissors can be used.

Then I wrap the individual verses around a pencil with the beginning of the verse on the outside (so that when she unwraps it she sees the first of the verse first rather than the end). It won’t stay this tightly wound, but that’s okay.

When all the verses have been wound like that, put them into something decorative. I like using metal tins — I like that it is decorative in itself and has a lid to keep things contained and dust out. But you could use a basket or pretty box as well.

Before I gave this, of course, I’d have it full.

You could put a ribbon with a gift tag around the top, if you’d like, or a note explaining to her what is inside..

You could use a Christmas tin or box, of course, but that will only come out at Christmas. Something that goes with her decor can be kept out year round.

You could also do the same thing with a small scrapbook and the verses cut in shapes to fit the page rather than in strips and decorative scrapbooking paper behind it. You would likely use fewer verses that way, but you could use verses on a certain theme — verses to encourage a new mother as a baby gift, verses promising God’s help and strength for a rough time, etc.

Be sure to check out Gibbe’s post on her blog, Kisses of Sunshine, and all the ideas included on Mr. Linky.

Also, other carnivals going on this week are Christmas Shopping Carnival at Don’t Try This at Home and the month of sewing and craft tutorials (some absolutely darling stuff!) at Sew, Mama, Sew. There is also a week of Thanksgiving poems, decorating ideas, etc. at There’s No Place Like Home.

Show and Tell Friday: Lampshade

Posted on October 5, 2007 by Barbara Harper

I’ve mentioned that I don’t have many of the things I have made, except things for our boys’ room made when I was expecting. Most other things I’ve made have been for gifts. But this caught my eye (it should — it’s right beside my bed!! But sometimes we get so used to our things we don’t really “see” them any more) and I thought it would make for a fun show and tell.

I made this lampshade some 20 years ago at a little adult ed class at a Christian college.

This is a “cut and pierced” design. The teacher taught us how to cut out an arc out of special paper (I don’t remember what it was called. It’s firm but pliable), then center and trace a pattern onto the back side. Then we took Exacto knives and cut around the outer edges of the leaves and flower petals, then bent them back just a little so the light would show through. We had a little instrument with a wooden handle and what looked like a big needle on the end to pierce little holes in various places in the design. The we attached the arc to a top and bottom circle and glued — and we had a lampshade!

Here’s a closer look:

I’ve seen some where the designs are painted. I like those, too, but I like the simplicity of this one as well.

At the time this kind of craft was going around and we could find all the supplies at a local craft or hobby shop. I don’t know if that would be the case now, but I just did an Internet search and found kits and patterns available.

I did go on to make a couple of other lampshades as a result of this class, but this was the only cut and pierced one. I’m glad I kept it and I am enjoying it all over again.

Show and Tell Friday: Fall decorations

Posted on September 28, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Last week I showed a couple of fall door decorations. This week I put out most of the rest of my fall decorations. I don’t do a whole lot with fall decorating, partly because it’s a busy time of year, and partly because with all the pink I have around here, fall colors don’t really “go” very well. But I put a few out anyway because I love to bring the season in. None of these things was a major expense — they’ve just accumulated, a few dollars here and there over the years.

This is yet another door decoration. We don’t use this door, but it does face the driveway and we see it coming and going.

I don’t remember where I got these little bows, but they used to go on the double doors that I showed last week. Now one is on the mantle and one is on a window.

I took several shots of this with and without flash and couldn’t get it any clearer, but this is a little scarecrow, a couple of small bales of hay, and a stuffed pumpkin on the mantle in the family room.

By the way, that clock is in the shape of Idaho. My husband is from there and his pastor did woodworking for a hobby and made this for us. Maybe someday I’ll showcase that for a show and tell. 🙂

I usually only put a couple of little things on the windowsill, but I decided to group several things there this time. I like it.

Here’s a closer view of the left side…

…and the right side.

Close-ups:

A little Thomas Kinkade house.

I didn’t really set out to have a scarecrow theme, but that’s just what caught my eye over the years.

I love this figurine, the flurry of leaves and the label that says “Joy.”

I also love the little strand of leaves behind it — I love the fact that they’re fall colors, but muted and pinkish so they go with the rest of the room. I’d love to find more like that but haven’t been able to yet.

You can visit Kelli’s to see more show-and-tells or link to your own.

Have a great weekend!

Update: someone asked for more details about the figureine above with the little girls tossing leaves. It is from the Vintage Virtues collection by Kathy Killip for Demdaco.