Old-Fashioned Pink Saturday

My Mother was 85 years old when she passed on. She was an old-fashioned mother, even though the majority of my growing up years were in the 1970's, even then she was old-fashioned compared to other mothers.
One thing that imprinted this old-fashionedness on her was the fact that she ALWAYS wore a dress and ALWAYS wore an apron...

(this photo is before the 1970's though!)

I thought all Mothers wore dresses and aprons every day for a LONG TIME!

I thought all mothers packed their children's lunches, fed their husbands two egg breakfasts

and made homemade rolls and spaghetti for dinner...

When my Mother passed, I wasn't there when my sisters cleaned out our family home, but they did know that I would love the handmade, simple crafts they found...

A bag full of unfinished quilt pieces ready to be made into a warm quilt...

and also my sister found about 12 different old-fashioned girls stitched and put aside long ago,

just waiting to be made into a quilt...

The details are what captured my own old-fashioned girl within...

flowers and parasols...

I grew up also in a small country church where the women had gatherings

to quilt, to have country fairs and vacation bible schools.

It must be why, even though I'm far from old-fashioned, I feel

an affinity with the humbleness, the simplicity of a time
I never really knew...

I'm drawn to stories of women who create,

who knit, who quilt, who grew up on the prairie!

I just in fact finished this book...

I loved the history within the pages and the visual of sitting down with

needle, fabric and thread and creating something to warm their beds and to

create an heirloom!

I love the thriftiness of these "girls"

I've never decided what to do with them...

should they be in a quilt or framed individually?

What would you do with these treasures?

I hope you have a wonderful PINK SATURDAY

Maybe you can wrap up in a quilt handmade and handed down to you while

you visit all the Pink Saturday gals

and my friend Laurie at Laurie's Charming Designs

I'd love too to hear what your heirlooms are, simple or grand

modern or old-fashioned!

A Lamp unto my Feet...

As I'm working on my project this week, I'm letting my creativity guide me and I was taken to this...

after the clay dries, I'll use gold ink to replace the sticker letters...

and I'll color it to blend.

I'm feeling happy about where this is headed....

I thought I'd show the finished project...

I ended up building up the clay for the additional words instead of just using gold lettering

for them...

I like the effect of it having been painted on a "cave wall" effect.

I liked it so much that I think I'll make another one!

What I'm creating this week

Monday's are not always welcomed, another long workweek ahead, right?
I totally agree!
Monday's are more palatable if you create time to, well, CREATE!

I have been creating and playing around a bit with PaperClay

and had a vision for a birthday present for my sister...

I'm loving the creative process of creating texture and colors...

I have a vision...

"Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"

Psalm 119:105

Also a bit of decadent dessert visions from Martha Stewart's August 2010 magazine...

Chocolate, Banana and Graham Cracker Icebox Cake

WAY Decadent delight!

Think S'more, chocolate mousse,

Yumminess!

Happy Pink Summer Saturday!

My, but the summer is flying by! I can hardly believe that we’re already into August and soon we’ll be thinking of Fall and the Holiday seasons and turning to warmer foods, colors, clothes and decorating! I thought I’d share today a last bit of Summer hurrah spirit here for all that is Pink and Warm and bright and cheery that we imagine as Summer!

                        A bright weather day of freedom to share a picnic…

                                       of sweet summery treats...


                           Pink "shells" tingling in the summer (occasional) breeze...

(photos courtesy of Mary Ruffle Tumblr)

We need to remember the beauties of Spring that

were so amazing that their beauty pooled in our

dreams all Summer long...

(My trip to Kuekenhoff Gardens in Holland April 2007)

It's time to finish up our final warm weather crafts...

(Mary Ruffle Tumblr)

(my summer organza flowers)

Maybe you can squeeze in one more dip of your feet in the ocean waters...

(Mary Ruffle Tumblr)

I know myself I need to glance one more time and commit to memory

what my Grandbaby Madison looked like this Summer....

(July 4, 2010)

(cleaning house Friday, August 6, 2010)

Do you see the tiny diamond in her ear?

She got her ears pierced today....

this is cute, the pictures of her SCREAMING -- NOT so much!

She recovered quickly though with a nap in the car and a play house cleaning toy!

Soon, Madison will be taller and will be talking and it will be

Autumn...

I thank you for visiting me this Pink Saturday

and thanks to Beverly for all she does to keep our weekends Pink

and for featuring my blog this weekend!

Please visit my Pink Saturday friend

Jeannette at Good Mornin Beautiful

Gilding: Day Three

Our final day of the fabulous retreat for A Gilded Life had us arriving to see what our project for the day would be...

After another fabulous breakfast provided in a beautiful setting....

we were greeted by our supplies for the day...

Shea and her Mom are all about the details...

Everything is presented beautifully!

I set about trying to learn wire wrapping with my goodies..

Rita took her jewelry making lessons very seriously!

We even had a gift from Jo Packham from

Where Women Create

Such a lovely three day event!

Thanks so much to A Gilded Life for such a memorable event!

A Gilding: Day Two!

I am not sure if I can contain the "gilding" to just one post, as it was a plethora of beauty for the soul!
I have amazing shots of Shea's A Gilded Life "church" home that are over the top, but I'm going to share just the photos right now that "spoke" to me... Such as this...

in her studio...

The table for our class was so beautiful too...

and Shea's home over-the-top gorgeous!

Of course Shea's studio spoke to every woman there

as creative souls just 'know and understand' a

place of creative perfection when you're in the midst of it...

The laying out of all the details just waiting to be used...

Here I am midpost, and I've run OUT of time to leave for Gilding: Day Three..

so for now, I'll leave you with this...

and I will begin again either later tonight or tomorrow!

I'm home again from the final day of Gilding, and resuming the beauty!

So here we go, girls!

We're still on day two.

Back into Shea's studio for a moment...

You can just walk around her HUGE room and admire arrangements like this...

and mannequins with wedding dresses or velvet dresses

spilling onto the floor...

Shea is going to be featured in the magazine Where Women Create

I belive in December,

Look for her Gilded Life studio on the COVER!

I know you're thinking how FABULOUS this all is, and, girls, this was only the

Beginning of the FAB!

Next came our Doll class taught by the fabulous

Colleen Moody

who makes masterpieces like this...

and you can see more of these amazing dolls by clicking my link to her!

She taught us how to decorate and make a "bird doll"

A wonderful instructor, and SO patient with us too!

We created all day...

There were crafting stations throughout the room...

Here is how my bird doll turned out...

All of our supplies to make her were (as with everything we were given)

presented beautifully too!

There was a little bag attached to the back with all the pieces to create our bird!

The crafting was fabulous, the food was fabulous,

Shea and Debe and her whole family were warm and creative and fabulous!

Divine!

Thank You so much for making all of us feel like

(Creative) Queens all day

and all weekend!

I will post more this week on Gilding: Day three!