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Dried Roses & Moss Valentine’s Day Heart

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How do you fill the dark space between the shiny bright Christmas season and the glorious colors of Spring?

My house was feeling a little empty yesterday so I made a trip to Home Depot. As I walked through their quiet nursery department the only flowers they had for sale were Winter Pansies and Flowering kale. That would do!

So I picked up a few pots and came home to arrange them in my vintage strawberry crate.

The cool colors of these plants are perfect for the Winter season.

That project done, my creative juices were still flowing so, not wanting to do any “real” work, I dug through a few boxes and put together this little Valentine’s Day heart.

This was made with dried roses that I often find at the grocery store for $12 for three dozen. Thank you Bi-Lo!

Sometimes I display my roses in vases but, more often than not, I hang them to dry for future use.

I’m sure Mr. OTN wonders at this practice but he never says a word.

He is one good man 😉

My favorite roses to buy are brightly colored ones as they dry prettier than pastels, which can turn brownish in color.

I’ve also been known to collect and dry moss from my yard, especially when we lived in the rainy Pacific NW.

With supplies gathered, I glued both purchased and collected moss to a small wooden heart that I had on hand (you could easily cut one out of heavy cardboard).

The dried roses were then randomly glued in a heart shape atop the moss.

A very simple and super sweet,

Valentine’s Day Heart from me to YOU!

Blessings sweet friends,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStoryMaking Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking,SmallWonder, LifeGivingLinkup, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends

Tuesday:

TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story, IntentionalTuesday

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy, Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday, PartyAtMyPlace, 100HappyDays, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet

What I Learned in September

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I’m a thief! Yep, that’s right, nothing but a thief. My friend Susan Shipe over at Hope Heart Home does this wonderful thing on her blog where she takes us back through her previous month in pictures to see what she’s learned about life. I did a similar review at the end of August and it was so well received that I thought I would do it again this month, especially since I am on a bit of a blogging break until LIFE sorts itself out.

So here we go :

At the beginning of September I learned that the HGTV Tiny House Hunters program I was privileged enough to be a part of (not on-screen but behind the scenes decorating) would be airing this month, and the other decorators and I threw a Premiere Gala at my friend Leslie’s Historic Overbrook bungalow. Here are a few pictures from that fun event:The Paparrazzi were everywhere . . .

tiny-house-premier-002. . . but the security guards were in place . . .

. . . as the staging stars arrived (Isn’t Leslie cute?).

helpEnough already Mr. Paparrazzi!

Of course the food was fabulous!

By the way, Tiny House Hunters (Tiny With Teens) will have three airings beginning tonight. Here is a LINK to all future showings. If you watch very closely at the end of the show you’ll maybe catch my name in the 2-second credits. LOL!

seahawksNFL opening day was September 11th and my beloved Seahawks linked arms in a show of unity during the national anthem. I learned (reinforced rather) something I already knew. My Seahawks are a class act. Go HAWKS!

consilium-meet-up-004I hosted an all-day North/South Carolina Consilium meet-up for some of my fellow writer friends on the screened porch.

If you look at the reflection in the window you can see that my Paparrazi man made an appearance this day as well.

My cute friend Holly gets her own picture because she had to leave early, but she also came early and spent the night. I got to show off our local cuisine by taking her to Ice Cream Station on Friday night!

I learned that an online group of friends, some of whom have never before met face-to-face, can feel like old friends in a matter of minutes. Why did I ever concern myself with the thought that there might be a whole lot of silence to fill?

I did a touch of Fall decorating. Not much because the weather is still gloriously warm here in South Carolina.

I learned (and taught others) how to make cute succulent pumpkins.

succulent-pumpkins-030Since I’m taking a break I won’t give you the tutorial here but I will tell you that the directions were from Country Living. You can find the article on my Fall and Thanksgiving Decor board on Pinterest in case you’re interested. What the instructions don’t tell you is that it is good to give your pumpkins a bath in bleach water to kill bacteria first (bacteria causes quicker decay) and wipe them down every week or so with anti-bacterial wipes or water with a bit of bleach to keep them fresh for weeks on end.

I learned that I could work all day as a cashier at a fabulous porch/yard sale (I’m talking antiques, vintage items, painted furniture, linens, OH MY) and not spend a single penny. Y’all Mr. OTN and I are working with Gazelle intensity on our retirement savings plan.

I learned that I could lend my voice and experience to a very worthy cause for Mesothelioma Awareness Day which was on September 27th.

I’m continuing to learn that taking a break is good, so though I won’t be here much until I am ready to return to regular blogging you can follow me on Instagram.

Today Mr. OTN and I are taking a day trip to the mountains where I’m sure to find some IG worthy shots to share 😉

Blessings friends,

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStoryMaking Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking,SmallWonder, LifeGivingLinkup, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends

Tuesday:

TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story, IntentionalTuesday

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy, Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday, PartyAtMyPlace, 100HappyDays, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet

Save

My Two Valentines

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“What’s that thing?,” my hubby asked, with a nod toward the kitchen table.

I’ll have to admit that my thrift store globe looked kinda strange with a fresh coat of chalkboard paint. Like one of those rubber kickballs we had in elementary school, only black.

“I’m working on a Valentine’s Day project,” I replied.

“You’re something else,” he said while making his exit with a shake of his head.

What is “something else?” Do I take that in a good way or in a bad way? A criticism or a compliment? A comment like that could have, at one time, sparked any variety of response from me!

Marriage, even good marriages, can be so hard.

Maybe you, like me, have experienced either internal or external stressors that build to the point of making you feel like you’re going to break and you end up taking it out on the one who knows and loves you best. There may be words, tears, stoney looks, and silence. Put two strong willed people together and there can be a huge impasse.

Over the course of our marriage we’ve been through many ups and downs, and since we’ve come out much stronger, we love sharing our experience, strength, and hope with others. When you put yourself in a position of teaching others though, they tend to look up to you and see only the success. What they may not see is the hard work, sacrifice, late nights, tears, adversity, doubts, disappointments, courage, determination, risk, failure, persistence, change, struggles, and prayer . . . LOTS and LOTS of prayer . . .

...and the work continues . . . because the marriage relationship is never static. Click To Tweet

When I was thinking about what to write on this Valentine’s Day globe I thought of all kinds of romantic verses I might use. Then I remembered John 3:16 in the Bible, which represents to me, God’s ultimate Valentine to us, Jesus.

When we - my husband and I - were mired in our stubborn, ugly, selfish ways, Jesus is the One who came to lift us from our life of bondage and set us free to live life to the fullest in Him.

Sometimes even now, when pressures build, it takes deliberately recalling just how deeply stuck-in-the-muck we were and reflecting on God’s amazing grace toward us, to extend grace toward one another.

Remembering renews our faith in God’s power to restore and gives us much needed strength to move through the mires of this complicated life.

Along this path there will come those things that hurt us, but in order to remain in right relationship with God and each other we make the choice to forgive. That releases God to work in our hearts to heal the hurts and will ultimately grow our love even stronger.

Sometimes walking through the hard times in marriage is a fairly simple stroll, side-by-side, spurred on by belief in the commitment we’ve made to one another. Sometimes the walk is more difficult, two people clinging tightly to one another as they sludge on through together. Sometimes it is one pulling the other with all his or her might to bring them both through to firm ground on the other side.

We are lucky (though I know it’s more than luck), that it isn’t just the two of us, but that we also have God on our side.

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Eccl. 4:12 NLT

That’s the reason this Valentine’s Day post is for my two Valentines, my husband and God, because we wouldn’t be a WE without Him.

Moving on to another conversation a few days later:

Mr. OTN: Did you see that I tried to call you earlier?

Me: Yes, I’m sorry I missed your call. What did you need?

Mr. OTN: I was on my way to work and I was simply overcome by how much I love you. It brought tears to my eyes and I wanted to tell you.

Amazing love, amazing grace, amazing work of the Lord in our lives.

Click on the link to download this Free Printable: ForGodSoLoved

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY DEAR FRIENDS AND GOD’S RICHEST BLESSINGS TO YOU,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

 

 

Bird-in-a-Teacup Christmas Ornament

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This year as I was decorating our Christmas tree I came across an ornament that I’d completely forgotten. Have you ever done that? This little bird-in-a-teacup made me smile as memories came flooding back into my head and my heart. There may have even been a little overflow from the eyes as well. Decorating my tree is an emotion filled experience!

A couple of years ago I made several bird-in-a-teacup tree ornaments as gifts for some very special women who worked with us in Freedom Session and this is one I kept for myself. When I saw it again I was reminded of this dear group of women. I wondered, “Do they still have their ornaments?” and, “Do they think about me when they hang them on their trees?” I am a sentimental old gal, yes?

Looking in my photo archives I found some pictures that I took of the ornaments before I wrapped them to give away. I didn’t find enough pictures to give you a real step-by-step tutorial but I think you’ll get the idea of how they are put together.

The list of supplies for these ornaments includes small espresso cups and saucers (very plentiful at thrift stores by the way), glass glue (I like E-6000), dried moss, craft store birds and eggs, jewelry making wire, jewelry making pliers, beads, drop crystals, craft glue, and glitter.

I started by using glass glue to attach the teacup to the saucer.

After allowing that to dry overnight I wrapped wire around the cup and handle and made a loop over the top of the cup to hang the ornament from the tree.

The wire was “artfully” twisted and looped in a somewhat haphazard fashion. No perfection here!

The hanging wire was twisted into a loop at the top and then another wire was added that had been looped on two ends with a sparkly bead placed in the middle between the loops. A ribbon was added for extra color.

I attached one drop crystal on the wire near the cup handle for additional sparkle.

Finally, I glued some moss in the cup, glued the bird to the moss, dabbed a little glue on birds head and back, and sprinkled him with glitter.

Here is a close up of some more of my artsy twists and turns!

My bird-in-a-teacup ornament adds a nice bit of color to our Christmas tree . . .

. . . and reminds me of old friends who are now far away.

As I place the ornaments on my tree each year I am reminded of Christmases past and all those who have been a part of my life . . . and I am blessed.

Thank YOU dear readers for the part you play in adding fullness to my life. I pray that no matter how you spend this Christmas season you will know that you are important and you are loved.

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

No-Sew Reindeer Pillow Tutorial

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“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” That’s Elf’s philosophy and I’m with him all the way. I wish you could hear me singing for you right now,

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . .”

Then again, maybe not, after seeing the way my dogs tilt their heads and scrunch up their ears as they try to understand what in the world is going on!

I love decorating for Christmas and creating Christmas projects for my home and today I want to share with you my simple No-Sew Reindeer Pillow Tutorial.

This is what I began with. An existing pillow that I use on all year long on the couch in my den. This pillow cover, by the way, came from Hobby Lobby where they sell a large variety of pillow covers for only $6.99 each. Anyhoo, when you flip the pillow over there is no decorative trim on the other side so it was perfect to turn into a Christmas pillow for this most wonderful time of the year.

I really wanted a deer head so I drew one free hand on a piece of cardboard to use as a pattern. If you’d rather not draw one yourself there is great Free Deer Head Stencil at the website Lolly Jane. It is a wonderful site with all kinds of crafty ideas. You will need adjust the size on your printer to get your pattern the right size for your pillow. Next, I used the stencil to cut a deer head out of red felt.

I didn’t necessarily want to leave my deer head on the pillow year round so I didn’t sew or glue it fully in place. Instead I decided to experiment with these Scotch adhesive dots that I purchased at Target.

These are very sticky and will stick to your fingers if you touch them. The best way to use them is to peel off the paper on one side of the dot and touch the other side down on your deer head.

Then carefully place it down on the pillow and smooth down the edges.

That’s it. Super quick and easy. I did test the durability of my sticky dots on my not so careful husband and there was a little peeling around the edges after the football game. Therefore, this pillow will be for decorative use only until I decide whether or not to glue it permanently in place.

I hope you enjoyed my little project. I’ll be back soon with some more holiday cheer.

I’m singing . . .

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection,
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: