Mother's Memory Wreath

In June I attended Karla Nathan's Bird Song III event.
One of our projects was a lovely tag wreath class taught by Lori Oles .

Lori recycled cardboard boxes (I think she used unused pizza boxes) to cut out our wreath forms.  She then provided us with several ephemera items, laces, fabrics and taught us how to use templates with modeling paste to create depth and textures.

I saved Lori's ephemera items to use on a different project and chose to create a Memory Wreath for my mother.  

I knew I would not complete my wreath in class as I wanted to take it home and add pieces that reflected my mother.

Recently I did complete my Mom's Memory Wreath

 Some of the Mother's pins were pins she helped me collect.

 She loved Iris flowers and was Irish!
The cross and the inscribed brass tag of the Lord's Prayer remind me of her! 

 She was a devout Christian - she loved our Lord Jesus - she was a Prayer Warrior
She passed away in 2006 - I miss her.

 

Autumn is in the Air

Autumn is my favorite season!

While our temperatures are cool and the smell of Autumn is faintly in the air, around here only a few trees are changing their colors.  I am so hoping for a long season of Colorful trees!  After all Autumn is a season isn't it?  Why is it we usually only have 3 or 4 weeks of beautiful tree colors and not a full season of them?
 

" I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as Autumnal sunshine by staying in the house"

                                                Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks

I worked some this morning trimming overgrown ivy in our yard.  It was a beautiful morning!  Belle insisted I play soccer with her rather than work.  We played a bit of soccer and fetch before she started stealing the branches I had collected for our wood pile.  It was time for me to go back my trimming, and Belle was content to lay outside and soak up the warm sunshine.  

Inside I've decorated for Halloween & Autumn

Off now to an estate sale on it's final day... hoping to find 1/2 price treasures!

What are you doing today?

Halloween Felt Book

I recently unpacked my boxes of Halloween and Autumn decor.  One item I came across was my felt book I made last year at Karla Nathan's Romantic Gothic Ghost event.   

I packed it away last year without sharing photos of it, so today I want to share it with you

This class was taught by Beth Leintz .  Beth provided us with this wonderful oatmeal-colored wool felt, various images, trims and taught us some layering techniques.
I brought my book home and finished it with additional materials.  

A fun and creative idea for holiday decor.


 

Blogging...Friends...Gifts

There is such a beautiful community of kindred-spirits in our blog world!  Sometimes we are blessed to establish precious friends through our blogs even though some of them we may never meet face to face.  Then sometimes we are blessed to actually meet our blog friends.

 

Earlier this year Gayle from Garden of Daisies shared a comment on a blog post of mine.  I responded back to her via email and discovered we live in the same Metro area not far from one another.

 

Gayle & I have since met and found we share more kindred interests. 

 

Recently over tea & coffee, Gayle gifted me with a stack of lovely lace top squares

Oddly they each were purposely split in the center.
A tag indicated they are coasters. 
 

I tried fitting various wine glasses in them, but the base or split were not large enough.
My stemmed cordial glasses fit nicely.

Gayle said when she found these squares she thought of me using them more in a creative way.  I agree, I think they will make beautiful pockets to tuck-in something special...
maybe like this

Thank you Gayle for your lovely gift and friendship! 

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

My Lap Dog

Belle is now 14 months old.  I think however old she is, and however big she gets, she will always think of herself as a lap dog

My expression looks like I am squished...that's what  happens when 65 lbs. comes barreling onto your lap and smashes against your chest. 

Sometimes Belle tries to curl up into a small ball to fit on my lap, but as you can see, she's a big lap dog.