Mad As a Hatter

I have been DYING to dress up this tattered old thing and French Cupboard's Alice Blog Party gave me the perfect opportunity!

It started with this vintage pop-up tophat that I found on ebay. Mr. Blessing was not nearly as enthusiastic as I was when I won the auction. I was envisioning all kinds of projects but he didn't quite see the potential.

I love the wrinkles and tears! And my 2Chippys necklace was the perfect adornment for this particular party.

Today it's my Mad Hatter hat. Tomorrow - who knows.

And when I found a mini tophat in a box of toys at a thrift shop, I thought I'd make one for you!

You can win it by stopping over to the French Cupboard's Alice Party and leaving a comment.
See you there...

Time to Smell the Flowers

My children are suddenly feeling a hole in their lives.

On Monday my sister and her 5 children moved across the country. Our kids have been very close so there's been lots of tears. As an adult, I was more prepared. I knew it was coming. But I remember the first time my sister and her husband had to move out of the state. It was sudden and I was not prepared. I was pregnant, going through a divorce and very alone. I remember the ache of my best friend leaving. We've all had to experience loss & lonliness at some point in our lives. I think it's part of how we come to be mature adults, able to better handle things in life. We learn about what kind of person we are during hard times. And we learn what kind of people we want to surround ourselves with. But more importantly, I think it's also when God shows us that He is the friend that never leaves us. So I'm praising God that my sister & her husband were able to find work! Praising Him that we are left with hearts that ache - because I want my children to know the joy of a friend that never leaves.

Cameo Peacock Feathers

I've been gathering some pieces for the Alice Party. I can't reveal my project just yet. Ok, I can't reveal it because I haven't completed it... but I love the cameo peacock feather! Although I love the purples and greens of a typical peacock, I thought I'd go with a shimmery lacy version for my project.

Yes, there really are natural colored peacocks. Who knew?!

The Alice party is on May 1st and Miss Gypsy Fish is going to be our hostess at the French Cupboard blog. I've seen pictures of some of the giveaway items coming in and they are lovely! I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun to see what everyone creates. I hope you'll join us! Just grab the button and link up at French Cupboard on May 1st.

Alarmed

We have a most wonderful alarm system on our house...

Except when I can't remember the code! This morning was supposed to be my alone time. A rare time that I would have the house all to myself. On these rare days I listen to music. I watch old episodes of Gilmore Girls. Whatever my mind can think up to entertain myself.

The kids have SAT testing today so our homeschool classroom is empty (yay!). Mr. Blessing is doing some work with a friend at a nearby office building (yay!). 19 year old Blessing is apprenticing at his grandpa's welding shop and he's 19 so he's always gone (yay! sorta). And it's Grandparent's Day at 12 year old Blessing's school (yay!).

I was eager to drop everyone off and get home to my quiet house. But when I walked in the door the alarm was triggered (NOT yay!) and I recalled quite suddenly that I didn't have the remote. For the life of me I couldn't remember the code! Our alarm is so good that it has separate alarms for every trigger that is set (each door & each motion sensor has a separate alarm). It's double good because it seizes the phone line so that emergency assistance can talk with you directly through the key pad area. So I couldn't contact Mr. Blessing or 19 year old Blessing to find out the code to turn off that silly alarm! The emergency assistance lady was so good that she dispatched several police officers who kindly understood my predicament but couldn't leave the "premises" until they were cleared by the alarm company. And the lady behind the key pad couldn't release them until I gave the right code. In the end, after an hour of alarms so loud the neighbors came outside, it was confirmed that I DO live here.

If you are in the market for great home security system and you're able to remember 4 numbers, APX Alarms work!

Silver Sunday

It's finally feeling like Spring here in the Midwest so everywhere we look there are people working in their yards. Mr. Blessing and I have been dragging the outdoor tables, chairs, benches and other pretties from their Winter hiding places. Yesterday several of the neighbor kids came over and helped spread new soil and plant wildflowers. The breezes carried most of the seeds right out of their sweet little fists but it was fun to watch them. I guess it doesn't really matter what we plant... We all know that Neighbor Bob sneaks over and fixes all my gardening faux pas while I'm not looking. Goodness, I love this place. Love silly Neighbor Bob. Love that the yard is already filled with neighborhood kids. Love that we all gather for watermelon parties, laughing & talking way into the mosquitio-y nights.

Apples of gold in pictures of silver, I tell ya!

Le Chateau de Fleurs Market

We are already gearing up for another issue of PORCH Magazine. Can you believe it? I haven't even posted about all the things that I wanted to from our Romantic French issue. Like this amazing sign that Rita Reade sent me!
Aren't those spindled sides cool?! Rita hand makes all her signs. She sells them at various shows that she does with her sister-in-law Christie Repasy. PORCH is going to show you pictures from Christy's first Le Chateau de Fleurs Market in our upcoming issue. Isn't that a lovely name for an outdoor market?

Did you know that Christie Repasy makes stationary? I didn't, until she sent me this sweet gift. You can see more of her stationary HERE.
And if you would like to visit their next Le Chateau de Fleurs Market, you can read more about it HERE.
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The Chalk Outline

He lives!

May God's Easter blessings spill over into all of your tomorrows.

Gritty Rollerskates

As we coast into Vintage Black Friday (woo hoo! Do you love VBF as much as I do?), I thought I'd share my gritty ol' rollerskate. Ok, it's my mom's skate and it's not all that gritty. I gave it some character with photo enhancements. Here's the before...

If you would like to add some vintage black to your photos, you can use Picnik's Gritty option but it's the coolest option they have so, of course, it's an upgrade that you'll have to pay for. Or, if you're a photoshop guru, you can follow the directions HERE and do it yourself in photoshop. If you don't have photoshop, you can use the sketch tool at photoshop.com, a completely free online tool. I used the free sketch tool on this pic...

And while you're adding vintage black and grit to your photos, remember on this Good Friday that Christ died to refine our grit and cleanse our filth.

"His mission wasn't to punish her for her sin, but to free her from her sin." - Godspeaks

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