Photo of the Week

Can you guess what this is?  I'm enjoying some "me" time this morning with watercolors and my camera.  Paint swirling around in a jar of water makes some nice abstract art!

I hope your Monday is going well.  Mine is off to a pretty good start :)

Up-cycled Pink Cardigan

I bought this pink cardigan at a thrift store probably two years ago.  I've been meaning to do something with it from the beginning but am just finally getting around to it.  I whipped up a few crochet sea pennies and flowers and sewed them on.  They kind of look like miniature doilies to me.  I like em!

The pattern I used for the flowers come from Little Birdie Secrets and you can check out my tutorial on Crochet Sea Pennies to see how I made those.

Nothing makes me feel more girly than wearing pink and crochet at the same time :)

Love Rocks

I have an endless supply of rocks in my yard.  I may as well turn them into something pretty!

After washing and drying, I drew hearts on my rocks with markers (some washable, some permanent).  Then I gave then a coat of Modge Podge to seal the designs and shin-i-fy them.

I'm planning on leaving these little love rocks around my neighborhood for unsuspecting people to find once the weather cooperates.  I can't leave them in the snow, so it may be a while. Until then, I'll leave them here and wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Photo of the Week

Gummy bears anyone?  I was so sick over the weekend that I didn't get out at all and I think I may be going just a little crazy.  I've taken to playing with my food (and eating it of course) to keep me entertained.

I made hearts out of play dough last year so I think I'll start a little tradition here of taking photos of random items shaped into hearts every Valentine's Day. What do you think?

Inspired by "Grandpa Green"

 Every once in a while I find a children's book with AMAZING illustrations and I kind of/sort of try to copy them...

I may or may not be successful, but I'm happy with these two little paintings that were inspired by the book Grandpa Green.  It's a cute book with cute illustrations.

These are now up for sale, just click the links below to see them in my Etsy shop.

                               Grandpa Green 5x7                                                Grandpa Green 4x6

What children's books inspire you?  Right now I'm  liking anything by Eric Carle and a book called Have You Ever Seen A Smack of Jellyfish.  The Jellyfish book has my wheels turning with it's cool animal silhouette illustrations.

Reverse Applique V-Day Tee

I've been wanting to hunker down and practice my sewing skills this winter.  The weather is still cold out so I have no more excuses, except for the fact that sewing can be hard on my back.  Not so fun.

For now I have to stick to quick projects, so I tried out another reverse applique on a t-shirt.  I picked an old one to do this on just in case it didn't turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Now I have something fun to wear on V-day!  Hooray!

If you've never tried the reverse applique technique,  you can check out a great tutorial HERE.  

Photo of the Week

Last week I took a drive out to the west of the city where there are fewer houses and more open country.  Sometimes I just need to get away and be more in nature to feel closer to God and be grateful for what He has given me, even if I am still in a car.   This was just such an occasion.

My son fell asleep along the way and I stopped a few places to take photos of the small patches of blue sky and sunshine peeking through the clouds.  It struck me that this was a kind of metaphor for my life..........trying to see past the grey clouds to find some light.  There have been many grey clouds (a.k.a. physical pain and trials) in my young adult life, but it helps me so much to it seek out the beauty in life wherever I can.

So thanks for coming along with me on this journey on this blog.  I feel blessed to have friends out there in the world to encourage me in what I love to do..... and to read my ramblings on metaphors for life.  It means a lot to me :)