Stocking Stuffers

Thanks to this link from imommies, I hunted all around Sears for some stocking stuffers for Matt. The coupon gets you $5 off a purchase of $5. You wouldn't believe how many little odds and ends in the lawn/garden and tool sections fall in that range! I had a BLAST!! The coupon is only limited to one per purchase, so I just asked for each transaction to be totaled separately (and had a stack of printed coupons on hand). The other great news is that the coupon works on sale prices AND it's good until Jan. 22! Take advantage of after-Christmas tool sales, too!!

Here's a picture of what I got for Matt. A few things were under $5, so I had a stack of $1 items as well to bring to the total to the right amount. :) Altogether, I paid $7.84. Without the coupons, the total would have been around $35 (with the sale prices, more if the items had not been on sale)! Praise the Lord for a SUPER FUN and FRUGAL way to fill my hubby's stocking!

November Came and Went!

Sorry for the utter lack of posting in November...

My mom came to visit, which was WONDERFUL!

Then it was my birthday. :)

Then Matt's dad came down to help us remodel our den.

We have just now put the computer back in its place and still have some things to put back.

Now I am working on a Christmas project I would LOVE to post (it's killing me, really), but the person for whom I am making the gift might click through to here. So, I will post it after Christmas, I promise.

In the meantime, here are some remodel pictures, and soon I'll post some of our Christmas decor!







Have a blessed Advent season, and thanks for hanging in there with me while I was "missing."

It's Finished!

Remember this?


Here it is finished!!


I envisioned red and white gingham ribbon originally, but I need to dig some more through my ribbon scraps. In the meantime, this red will do. :)

Also, the fabric I won from Sew, Mama, Sew arrived! I'm still trying to decide on the perfect pattern to create a handbag with it... I'll keep you posted. :)


I decided to make use of the pine cones our neighbors' trees have been dropping in our yard, too. Here are some ways I'm using them...



And lastly, at a thrift store today I found some patterns... 2 for 25 cents! I chose 3 for a total of 39 cents. :) Two of sweet little girl dresses and one of some baby layette (rompers and such). They're so cute!

New Project

I have a new project I'm working on. After a couple failed attempts with finding materials that would work, I think I found the right combination. It's almost done, so I'll leave you with a sneak peak until it's ready to show. :)

And the Winner Is....

~Zinnia Black by Alexander Henry~

Thank you again, Sew, Mama, Sew! I can't wait to get started--I'm thinking "fall handbag," and I can't wait!

I Won!!

Wow Wow Wow!!

I just found out that I WON a yard of free fabric over at Sew, Mama, Sew in the Free Fabric Friday contest!

I cannot WAIT to get home and pick out my fabric. I don't know how I'll ever narrow it down, but I'll let you know what I decide. :)

Thank you, thank you!! :)

Arts Festival

While the town we live in might not always be so bustling, we are thankful to live about a block away from a "shopping center" with all sorts of unique boutiques and such. Last weekend they held their annual arts festival, and we had the pleasure of browsing through all the booths after church.

There were some beautiful and amazing paintings and photographs.....and jewelry.... and wood work.... all sorts of stuff. We did find a couple little things for our moms for part of their Christmas presents. We also stopped in a few of the little shops in the center and saw really cute stuff (I admit, we actually bought the mom-presents in one of the shops!). One is a baby boutique, and it was SO fun to walk around and think, "When we have babies (Lord willing), I will be able to make that and that and this." That reminded me of the nursing cover I made (with instructions from Joy) ala Bebe Au Lait. And that reminded me to post a picture of it on here. :) So, here it is. It was a gift for a baby shower. I saw several jungle themed items on the parents-to-be's baby registry, and I found an adorable jungle print for the front. The back is a plain yellow cotton. It was very fun, rewarding, and super easy to sew!

And now, I'm off for our anniversary weekend!!

World Card Making Day

In honor of WCMD, here are a few cards I made right before school started back...

I scanned them, and I realize they'd probably look better if I photographed them. But, here's a glimpse. :)

Falling into Autumn...

Even though we have had temperatures still in the high 80s this week, I wanted the house to at least LOOK like fall has arrived. :) Fall is my absolute favorite season, and here are some glimpses of its presence in our home. :)

Below: A votive holder (the candle inside has a wonderful spicy fall fragrance) my Bible study leader back home gave to each of us. It's a sweet reminder of those girls and to pray for them--when I see it and when I smell it wafting through the house.

Below: Give Thanks blocks in the living room.

Below: I bought several of these votive holders on sale at A.C. Moore a couple years ago.

Below: This sweet pumpkin welcomes visitors and guests from the entryway table.

Below: This scarecrow hangs from the linen closet door. You see him whenever you walk down the hall. :)

Below: two fall leaf plates I found at Walmart for about $2.50. Matt mentioned his mom has a leaf plate when we happened upon some elsewhere (for more $$, of course). When I saw these for so much cheaper, it made me think of him, and I wanted to bring a piece of his childhood into our house for him. :)

The lighter leaf in the den and the darker leaf is in the living room.

Below: DECLICIOUS smelling fall-scented candles. A gift from a student this year (actually, a very sweet, "Thank you for making our daughter's transition so smooth" gift from her parents).

Below: Turkey oven mitt. Love it. From a sweet store back home. Samantha likes to eye it. I'm glad it's up high (on top of the fridge).
[please forgive the little grease streak on the cabinets... we're STILL working on finding something to dissolve all the grease and grime in some parts of the house left by the previous owners]

Below: A tablecloth sewn by my grandmother and the super fun turkey placemats--a gift from PBK when they went on clearance last fall. :) The feathers have pockets for your silverware.

I am thankful the weather is a little milder, and we praise the Lord for a home in which to celebrate the season--with or without crisp, cool breezes. :)

Note cards

One of my dear friends back home got engaged two weeks ago (exactly, today). In her giddiness she commented to me that she wanted to get some stationery. I filed that information away and set out to find her some as an engagement gift. I searched several paperies and such online, but nothing seemed "just right."

Then I realized, "What am I doing?? I can MAKE her some stationery!!" Thus began my little experiment in note card design. I went through several font considerations and narrowed them down to 4 I really liked for her name. Then I hearkened back to my own wedding planning days and whipped up a couple monograms for her in Photoshop.

I printed 4 cards for each font and each monogram. Then I chose four stamps to decorate each set of cards. They are all SU! stamps, and I used SU! Old Olive ink. I ended up with one bouquet stamp, one short vase, one tall vase, and one wedding cake. :)

I don't want to plaster her full name on the net, so here are just some of the monogram cards. Below that is the monogram I designed for myself, because it was all too easy and fun to create the cards, and who doesn't love personalized stationery? :)

Welcome!

I have a private blog for keeping in touch with my family and friends who live far away. But I wanted a blog to post my "bits and pieces" of crafting and home keeping adventures. So, here it is!

Refrigerator art refers to both my little attempts to create beauty, and God's work in me.

Your little kid comes home from kindergarten

He says he drew a picture just for you

A masterpiece on green construction paper

Though what it is is you haven't got a clue

But you love those little scribbles just because of whose they are

Just what they mean you really do not care

You just kiss your little Rembrandt and you say when we get home

We're gonna tape it up on the Frigidaire

You're a collector of

Refrigerator Art

Little kids create their world with their Crayola

To some it might just look a colored mess

But beauty's in the eye of the beholder

And moms can be so easy to impress

No mother worth the keeping would chastise or deplore

She would open up a gallery right on the freezer door

We try to do the best with which we're able

But every time you know we fall so short

Compared to true perfection we all fall outside the lines

At best we're just

Refrigerator art

But the One who put the stars up in the heavens

The One who made the wings of the butterflies

He will take us with our awful disproportions

Somehow we're all still lovely in His eyes

He's a collector of

Refrigerator art

He's the corrector of

Refrigerator art

He's the protector of

Refrigerator art

-Allen Levi