this precious life.

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.  ------------------------- "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 dow...

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...

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 Lamp...

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 bles...

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...

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 ...

  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 on...

{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 may...

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11  {See more images here}   Images are available for purchase-- contact me for details.