MY 3RD "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR WEDNESDAY - JUNE 15TH, 2011

 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN ON IN THE FUN,  PAY LINDA  A VISIT. THIS IS A SUPER FUN AND VERY ENCOURAGING SERIES.

Hi everyone,
How has your week been so far? Mine has been very good.  I've really been experiencing a burst of  craft inspiration the last few days. I'm not sure if it's coming from getting my house in shape. That leads to a less stressed-out Heather...and I have more time to think about fun stuff, like knitting.   Today is going to be a bit of a hodge podge of craft stuff.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this small wall curio cabinet that I  purchased at a yard sale last Saturday or not. This is going to be a redecorating project for me.

THIS IS THE SMALL WALL CURIO CABINET THAT I PURCHASED AT A YARDSALE LAST SATURDAY.  YOU CAN SEE SOME OF MY CRAFT STUFF JUST LYING AROUND EVERYWHERE. THAT IS USUALLY WHAT THE LIVING ROOM LOOKS LIKE...STASHES OF CRAFT ITEMS ARE EVERYWHERE....INSERT BIG HEATHER SMILE HERE, PLEASE  (PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

 One of my goals in making my home beautiful is by using items that I've purchased at yardsales, garage sales etc.  Why? Mainly, it's because I'm "in between" jobs, so I can't afford to pay retail. Also, I like to keep as much money in my wallet as I can...job or no job :) :)  So I saw this curio cabinet and just had to have it. The lady wanted $5 dollars for it. However, I only had $3.50 in my wallet...literally. I asked her if she would take that and she said YES :) :) Score!!!! What a treasure and such a great price.  If you go to Ebay's website and type in "curio cabinet", you can find similar ones and even an exact replica selling for quite a bit more.  It reminds me of something from my childhood. 

It's not very pretty now, but it's got possibility aplenty. My plan  is to sand it, prime it and repaint it using creams and pinks.. making it romantic, country, shabby chic, etc. You get the idea - totally feminine and totally frufru :) :) 

THIS IS A TEA BAG COZY THAT I KNIT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. IT JUST SO HAPPENS, IT WILL FIT IN NICELY WITH A PROJECT HAPPENING OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM :)

 Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm and some other incredible blog ladies are working on a project to help and encourage women in Joplin, Missouri. Click here to read Linda's original post on the project. It's called "Purses with Promise"   You can find out all the details there.  There is also a link to Angie's blog "Berry Homespun Primitives". She's also a sweetheart of a lady, just like Linda. She recently drove through Joplin, Missouri and took some photos of the devastation. Folks, this doesn't even begin to describe the difficulties the people are going through there. However, we are a country of resilient people.  Just look at all that was accomplished by those that came before us. We come from sturdy stock, that's for sure. In any case, Angie's photos really show just how much the people have lost...literally. Both blogs will give you some perspective as well as information on what this love project is all about :) :) It's a simple way to encourage the ladies of Joplin, Missouri. It's also an opportunity to use our talents to help others.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS THAT I'M MAKING FOR THE "PURSES WITH PROMISE" PROJECT OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM.  YOU CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL COLOR OF MY KNITTED TEA BAG COZY. (THIS PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

The three crochet flowers on the left, were my attemps  at crocheted flowers.  Not too bad, but not what I was looking for. Linda of Prairie Flower Farm is  fabulous lady who loves Jesus. She sent me a link to an earlier blog post with the pattern for Miss Clarice's crocheted flowers. Click here if you'd like to try this pattern out for yourself. It's really easy. 

HERE'S A CLOSE-UP OF MY REPRODUCTION HERSHEY'S COCOA TIN. THIS IS NOW THE OFFICIAL "HOME" FOR ALL OF MY SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS. ISN'T THIS JUST THE CUTEST. CAN YOU IMAGINE A WHOLE TIN FILLED WITH LITTLE FLOWERS IN DIFFERENT COLORS?

These small crochet flowers taught me a lot about not being so concentrated on perfection. I was a little frustrated when I first started crocheting these. It's funny really, but true..  I can crochet doilies, knit lace edgings, socks, mittens, hats...and I couldn't crochet a simple flower.  You know what? That is okay. We aren't expected to be perfect. God doesn't expect perfection from me, but He wants me to give my all to HIM...and that's what I did. I prayed and asked God for help, because this project means so much to me..and I want the ladies who receive these to be blessed and encouraged :) :) God came through and once I layed my worries at HIS feet, the project automatically started getting easier. I'm still "new" to crochet in general, but these flowers are sure a lot of fun to make :) :) Give them a try.

THIS IS THE TOP OF THE HERSHEY'S TIN. IT WAS MADE IN ENGLAND IN  1982.  I PURCHASED IT AT A YARDSALE FOR JUST $0.50.

Remember what I said about this post being a hodge podge of craft stuff today? :) :) :)   You can find all sorts of cute ways to store things in your home. You don't have to use plastic or stick with boring colors.  Yardsales and garage sales can be great places to find vintage tins, bowls etc, that can be repurposed as storage units for all the bits and pieces in your home :) :)

FLAG DAY IS CELEBRATED EVERY JUNE 14TH IN THE UNITED STATES.  THIS IS A LITTLE FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I CROCHETED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

 Flag Day came and went yesterday. However, if you love fun and easy craft projects, this is for you.  Click this link to visit Create & Decorate magazine blog.  Here you can find the instructions for making your own flag.  The pattern is from  Vickie Zelizo. It's a really cute pattern and very easy to crochet in an afternoon. I used slightly different colors, because that was all I had on hand.  This would also be a perfect project for the upcoming 4th of July holiday :) :) So start working the yarn and crochet needles :) :)  Oh, if you'd like to subscribe to Create & Decorate magazine or just find out more, click here. It is a fantastic magazine full of super cute projects from front to back cover. I subscribe and it is worth EVERY penny :) :)

I  PURCHASED SOME COTTON YARN AT MY LOCAL FRED MEYER STORE.  THIS WILL BE CROCHETED INTO SOME MORE FLAG TABLE MATS.

The pattern calls for a really fun "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" cotton yarn. That yarn is really fun and comes in some fun colors.  I usually purchase mine at Joann's Fabrics or Michael's. Both stores are on the other side of town, so I settled for Lion Brand cotton yarn at Fred Meyer today.  It's much closer and not as much gas was needed to get there. Although, now I've got a hankering for "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" yarn...so eventually I will have to make my way to that part of town :) :)

AFTER ALL THIS YARN SHOPPING AND GROCERY SHOPPING TODAY, I NEED A NICE GLASS OF WATER :) :)

Alright, that's my post for today :) :) After buying the yarn, buying groceries, and running other errands, I needed to sit down for a bit. So I promptly sat myself down in my dad's nice cushy recliner and grabbed a nice glass jar and filled it with water and ice cubes. This is the good stuff and so simple :) :) :) Oh, doesn't the water look cuter in a Mason jar than in a regular cup? Again, simple things that we can do to make everythings look more beautiful :) :)

I'm a bit behind on my devotions - by two days to be exact. So I'll be catching up on my reading today.  I'm telling you what...ladies..it's so important to have a regular devotion time, even if it's just a few minutes every day.  It makes a huge difference in my day.  It's a noticable difference. So if you'd pray for more regular quiet times, that would be AWESOME. I'll do the same for you, too :) :)

Oh, this was a really long post.  I also experimented with most of my photos today. In fact, all of them were retouched in some way, except for those where I said "This photo not retouched" in parantheses. I'm obsessed with vintage photography. So I'm playing around with photos, to try and create a "vintage" look :) :)

Thanks for coming to visit me :) :) I always enjoy when you come over here...and even more so  when you leave comments :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)