My grandma sent this out to her children and older grandchildren this last week and with her granted permission, I'd like to share it.

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"I've been wanting to write this note for a long time, and since Dad's/Grandpa's/Chuck's 80th birthday is coming up, I thought it was about time I stopped procrastinating.

Since it has been 25 years since our last "chick has left the nest", I wanted you to know things about your Dad, that probably I'm the only one who knows??

Dad has always treated me like I am the most important person in his life.  I always felt loved.

He constantly tells me how beautiful I am, still?

Never criticized what I was wearing.  (Not like me, I would say "You're not wearing THAT, are you?")

He was always there for me.  If he were heading out of town for a few days, and I was having one of those mornings when I couldn't get it together, he wouldn't leave unless I was calmed down and thought I could handle another 24 hrs. (being pregnant and taking care of the kids, without any other family support around).

If he were out of town for the week and I was having discipline problems, I knew I could call ANYTIME.  Even if he were with customers, he would take the time for me to get the offending child on the phone and have a talk.

If I was down, he would work at cheering me up.  He does have a great sense of humor.

He told me he loved me EVERY day - even on the days we would have a disagreement.

He always tells me our dinner was delicious, even if it was just leftovers.

When entering a building, he would always hold the door for me and let me go in first.

When exiting a pew in church to receive communion, if he were going out first, he would always step back and let me go first.  (Made me feel so important.)

When at parties, etc. he would always make sure I had a drink or that I was occupied.  He'd never leave me alone to fend for myself.

I could probably think of more, but knowing he was HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY, made my life free to be ME.

Love you all,  Mom/Lois/Grandma

P.S.  I saved this in my DRAFT file, to think again if I should send it or not.  I got my answer.  Earlier today, Dad walked in with a dozen Red Roses. Today is the anniversary of our FIRST DATE - February 24, 1957"

my reply:

Grandma,

This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. And SO precious! As I was reading, it kept reminding me of my Daddy, your son...who obviously learned it from his Daddy. And I also thought of how I've seen these same traits in my uncles. Grandpa truly has already created a legacy (as have you, I might add!).   I thank God so often for the wonderful Gluntz family I was blessed to be born into and for you and Grandpa who have given such examples to us all. Not by always being perfect, but by learning from your mistakes and working to do better the next time.

I love you both so much!
Love,
Emily

Mystery color?

A little while ago I mentioned this milky-minty-ocean-greenish color {here} that I was loving but didn't know what to call! Well officially, I still don't. It's a shade in between Jadite and Fire King Turqoise-- a mixture of both the milky green and milky blue-- but not really one or the other. Is there a name for it that I'm just completely missing? I could use a little help in my knowledge!

A collection of Jadite and Fire King Turquoise from jaditekate

A few things I have in this shade:

 A few other images:

 

A-bit-unruly top by Anthro

I'm in love with this image by Teresa from the Meadowbrook Farm

I just found this image of Milky Turquoise Crater Lake {in Indonesia}.

bingo!! I think I may have just found the name of the mystery color!

::Milky Turquoise::

 {so next time I should do more homework/research BEFORE I start writing out a post-- save y'all all of my confusion and muddleness}

It's such a pretty color. Do you like it/dislike it? Do you have anything in this shade?

{I did my best to give direct credit/link to each artist. If I featured your work and you'd rather me not, I will be happy to remove it}

Cameras: a different perspective

Usually cameras are a mode for producing art by being a photographer's right hand and capturing images... but in these cases, the camera has become the art as it remains the center each artist's attention.

I love the way each one has "captured" the camera in their own personal style just as many photographers might use a camera to capture the same thing all in their own way.

By Susana Parada from Parada Creations

By Joni James {definitely check out the rest of his incredible Calligram work-- I found him through **Happiness Is...**}

By Monster Gallery

Some my favorites right here! Kiel Johnson has worked with cardboard to create over 12 different cameras. {Click HERE to view the rest}

By Christine Berrie {drawn with graphite and color pencil}

By Rahul

By Tom Sachs

More awesome cameras:

Coca-Cola camera

Larger than life cardboard camera

Camera covered van {you'll have to scroll down a ways to see it- I couldn't get a direct link}

Camera Lamps {again, scroll down}

Sock cameras

{I did my best to give direct credit/link to each artist. If I featured your work and you'd rather me not, I will be happy to remove it}

Blinks= Blurbs and Links;)

So when there's a bunch of stuff I'm lovin' and wanting to post about individually but don't have enough of a certain thing called time... well then a post like this one gets thrown together. Lots of links and a few blurbs. But check those links out-- cause you might just discover something frabjous;)

First up: 

               Valentines Day: The girls around our home had our annual V-day tea {which was lovely but definitely missing a lot since most of us were sick and jus' plumb worn out} but I totally missed posting anything about it or about Love day in general. If I had had time, I would have posted something along the lines of this lady's thoughts and added a link to these vintage cards and thrown in a few snapshots from tea.

We've gotten to know a sweet lady at one of the shops in BC over the years and when she heard about our upcoming V-day tea, she put together some new teas for us and a little blessing.

The girls and I made some lovely window hangings from crayon shavings and wax paper:) I remember making them with Mama when I was little.

                     I've been so blessed this school year to always have comfy and quiet places for studying during the week but my favorites are always the small, individually owned coffee shops. And I have two within minutes from my house!! Thank you Jesus! I wasn't introduced to The Strange Brew until last fall (even though I'd passed it several times a week for at least two years) but it quickly became a favorite. The other one, Coffehouse Five, just opened about a month ago and it's been marvelous. It's actually in a gym but they've worked really hard to create a wonderful ambiance. If you're a local- you should stop by them both sometime. {oh and yes, they do serve scrumptious drinks- it's not just the atmosphere that draws me!}

                Let's see...what's next. Oh yes! I'm loving ranuculus flowers. Like a lot. And if you'd like to surprise me with a bunch I'd love that even more;) teehee 

But seriously. They are just so papery and layered and each one is different and they come in so many colors and,and,and! Just google search 'ranuculus' and the most spring/summer images will take over your screen;)  Oh and for weeks I've been swooning over Meadowbrooke Farms gorgeous ranuculus images. The light and colors= phew!

        Mary and Faith have given me lots of inspiration when it comes to layering skirts with dresses and skirts with skirts. It had been something I'd muddled about in my mind for ages {cause c'mon, we layer everything else!} but because I never had the right combinations I'd get stuck. {Just like there are some shirts you shouldn't layer together, when it comes to skirts/dresses-- you can't just throw any combination together}.

Now that I'm past those "stuck" days, I've had ever so much fun with it over the winter and I cannot WAIT to try spring and summer pairings! {Layering skirts/dresses is so much more than just a fashion statement- it gives a kick to your ensemble, and can add a layer of warmth or some length when needed.} Like I said, this post is just blurbs but I'll be working on a whole post devoted to this topic!

                I'm not usually a fruit tea person unless it's summer-- I stick with the rich black teas come cold weather -- but one day I brewed Tazo's Wild Sweet Orange and a Pomegranate blend together {try this P-blend}and I've been hooked ever since. You should definitely try it {it produces the prettiest color too!} or come up with your own blend. We don't have to be limited to what's in *one* tea bag!

Two more-- I'm almost done! You're a trooper to wade through my rambles. {I ramble badly. Whenever I try to be simple and straight to the point in blogging, I keep going. Like now.}

                   BHLDN. YOU.MUST.VISIT.THIS. brand new site! Especially if you love vintage and heirlooms. And weddings. And frippery. and.and.and! I just about *squealed*  when I got a preview in my inbox a few weeks ago. And then definitely squealed when I visited the site for the first time yesterday!!! Love.love.love!

Saying it's marvelous is an understatement. *sigh*

                   Last one: Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty. It's... (my mind's running out of expressive words) doozie. {Haha. How's that for one?} It's great to work around in your hands when your stressed...or working on homework. *AND* it comes in all sorts of crazy awesome ways. Like a kind that changes colors. And one that's magnetic. And glow in the dark. Yeah. You should get some:)

oh wait. {You thought I was done didn't you?!}

                     I promise I'm done after this: You should listen to the brand new song "Dear You" by Kelsey Muse. And the rest of her fantastic work. 

|The End.|

photo credits: www.iappreciatethat.com | www.reviews-tazo-tea.blogspot.com | www.bhldn.com | www.puttyworld.com | www.kelseymuse.com

Spring is peeking it's lovely face out!! {at least in fashion}

I just got home from a few days away {didn't touch a computer once either!} and found some marvelous little spots of happiness in my inbox that must be shared!! Some are in anticipation of spring and others are for those of you who {like me} are still wading through winter weather and needing a little wardrobe inspiration to help us along. I'd love to know what you think of these!

A few Anthro late-winter mixes that I'm lovin'!

Shabby Apple's latest line South Pacific makes you want warm weather NOW!

 A few soft spring faves from Anthropologie {oh and you see that minty-ocean-greenish-blue color (I've no idea what to call it} in the shirt and skirt? It's my favorite color for this coming spring...there might even be a post about it in the works (and hopefully I'll know the name of it by the time the post is finished!)}

 View lookbook here

 Every spring I fall in love with florals and pastels ALL over again and this ensemble from Ruche is no exception!

More spring faves from Ruche. What's gotten you inspired and excited for spring to be here?!

{All photo credits: Anthropologie, Ruche, Shabby Apple}

DIY :: Braided Rug Coasters

If you didn't see it, here's the "behind the scenes" story for this project. 

{next time I make these I think I want to do a complete mismatch of fabrics!}

Now to get to work!

To make one coaster, you'll need:         

Nine 17" strips of fabric (these make 3 roughly 12" braids which in turn make coasters that are roughly 3 3/4" in diameter)

Take any three strips of fabric and lay one on top of the other. Safety pin together and then either have someone hold it or safety pin it to the knee of your jeans while you braid.

Stitch the end of the braid (it's okay if you have a few tails)

Then trim the excess fabric.

Repeat until you have at least three braids to work with.

Using a needle and thread, begin with one braid and stitch it to itself-- working in a circle (think of rolling up ribbon or yarn, only on a flat surface). Then just add each braid until you're finished. Definitely try to keep your stitches hidden on top but it's fine if the fabric frays and leaves threads sticking out.

You're done!! Now send me a picture:)

The story behind the coasters

 I just made a set of these for my Grandma {for her birthday} so I thought I'd post a tutorial... but maybe I should start this off with a story from "behind the scenes".

Like every project I've been privileged to work on, these were so much fun to make! And not difficult either. {I'm thinking I should start a rating scale for the difficulty of a project instead of telling you all that they are easy. But truly, I like things that look amazing but are really simple to make so most of the projects I write about *really are* easy:)}

{from Ruche}

I made one of these coasters for the first time back at Christmas and, me being me, I was flying by the seat of my pants with no direction at all. {I should probably look up and follow directions more often} It started with this necklace I saw in Claire's {no I don't like Claire's but I was in there with the girls} that looked a bit like this one ===>

I saw it and was inspired to make one along the same lines for my sister for Christmas. Only I went on a way crazy route and did it funky so it ended up looking like this{I still love it}
<===










And then from that project I had leftover strips of fabric so I started braiding them and came up with these bracelets:

    

And then! As I was braiding fabric, braided rugs popped into my mind...and though I wasn't about to make one of those, I had a certain coffee drinker friend who I thought might appreciate a coaster for her mugs so-- I started stitching the braids together and...Voila! It worked! 

This is most likely NOT the correct way to make braided coasters {I've never even googled to find out about it so chances are, I'm completely wrong!} but it is one way, so if you're interested, hang around for the tutorial coming next:)
{Oh, and you now know how my creative thought process goes on winding bunny trails before stopping!}

Asking the blessin'

{My sister found this little article in a Southern Living magazine {<3} and because I know it to be so true, I just had to share it. If you're from the South {or even if you aren't!}, it'll put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart too.}

"LORD, help us to be thankful for these and all our many other blessings.  Prayers of thanks have always helped define the spiritual South, and there is a comfort in the way we repeat certain phrases in our supplications to the Almighty, especially when we're gathered around the table with people we love. Some of us "offer thanks," while others "ask the blessing." Either way, the blessing of the food is part of the ritual of breaking bread together, and it connects us again and again with the faith of our family-- whatever it may be-- handed down from one generation to the next. There's no right or wrong way to do it, although we Southerners tend to bow our heads, close our eyes, and maybe even join hands. Truly, the only requirements for a proper blessing are thankful hearts and a yearning to be found worthy: Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and our bodies to Your service. We think for a moment of those who are no longer with us. And then we give thanks together-- for our health, for the food we're about to eat and those who have prepared it, and for each and every member of our family. Amen."

{Norman Rockwell}

Sketched in Ice

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

 {See more images here}

 

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