It's Friday......

Good Morning....
I love stepping outside to see these beautiful blooms at my front porch. Just one of those wonderful "nature" pictures that God paints for us each day. I am always thrilled with anything growing well in my house or yard....as frankly, I don't possess a green thumb. The joke in our house is that healthy plants scream as they enter our home because they know the "end is near" for them!!! LOL

Also, I am amazed at the lavendar and rosemary that has thrived in our yard. The scent of the lavendar is so wonderful!!! I have thought about stealing an idea from Brin. She has a wonderful idea on her blog about making flower cans with just simple cans filled with garden flowers to give to friends and neighbors. Simple idea, but what a special surprise to give to someone that needs to know that someone is thinking of them. It has me thinking about planting more flowers out front...not only to make the house look good, but to have to do these cans. (And believe me this is HUGE from the gal that hates working in the yard!!! LOL)

My mom always had a garden when we were growing up....and I hated working in it. There were no redeeming qualities about it for me then. But while I know myself well enough not to head out and plow up the entire back yard...I am going to work this year on at least having a patio garden on our deck for tomatoes and such that we can use.

And I think I want to try canning this year. Another huge thing for me. My mom's health is fairly good...but I have begun to think about there coming a time when I won't have her to help me learn to do these things and I want to spend that time with her now. Time is something that is so fleeting....and there have been some huge reminders of that in the past year and I want to be concious of that.

Speaking of Canning.....while at the shop this week, I pulled out the Sizzix that has been sitting in a drawer for "forever". I just haven't played with it at all. It was one of those things that my friends had and were doing all these great things with and I thought I would too. Not! But when I pulled it out, I found I had a die for making these cute canning jars. DUH!!! they would make great tags for many of the things I make...they would be adorable attached to those flower cans I was talking about....or even attached to can goods used for gifts!!! Ok, so I am alittle slow at this sometimes...but I LOVE these babies!!!! I will share some pictures later as I used them.


Have a wonderful Friday!!! I am heading off to "housekeep" a bit here and then off to the studio to organized a bit.

Visit my new Etsy shop when you get the chance.... Let me know what you think!! I was surprised to already have some sales on it...WHOO WHOO!!!

Hugs to you all!!!
Debbie

That Monday Hum.......

As I said in an earlier post...I have always been the girl that needed the tv on or the radio...some sort of noise as I cleaned and worked in the house. But after this last week, I am finding I love having quiet Mondays (my ds offered to work for me today so I could stay home---yes, there was an alterior motive--he had a chore list for today too!! LOL). So today I have all the household machines running, I have pulled out my wonderful household organizing card file and things are coming together.

It has also given me some quiet time and I found a bible study online, one that you do at your own pace through CWO. You will see a button for it on the right hand side. I have just started it this afternoon and I think this is exactly what I need right now. If you have done it, or would like to work through it with me, let me know!! I want to post on here some of the questions and thoughts as I go along.

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to you week. You are in my prayers today!!! That has been another benefit of the quiet time....time to listen and time to talk to the one that matters most.

Hugs,
Debbie

Sidenote: Ok, I have a new quote I love...I stole this one from:
www.michellescreativetreasures@blogspot.com

If God doesn't make junk, why do we "trash" people who are different from us?"
My Mom

Sweet Fragrance.....

Perfume and incense

bring joy to the heart,

and the pleasantness

of one's friend

springs from his
earnest counsel.

Proverbs 27:9

There is just something about finding a scent that defines your mood or sets a stage for your home. I thought I might use Sundays to share some "home comfort" things as I strive to truly remember that Sunday is the Sabbath and a day of rest.
And if through the week I have put in place things that make my home a warm, inviting, and a no drama zone...it makes "resting" in it much easier!

Here a some tips that I have found over the years....
Find a scent for your home for the month or for a season. I look to find something that compliments my home in some way...then I purchase candles, tarts, potpourri..whatever works!! I use these throughout the home...it connects it. It is much better to have one scent or a group of the same type of scents in your home. This makes for a calming flow when you go from room to room, and not a jarring to the senses that can occur when you go from one extreme to the other.

Next....when I can...I love to buy a box of tarts of whatever scent I am using. I place these in a decorative glass bowl or a crockery piece in my entryway. Then after friends come for a visit...you can send them home with a delightful reminder of your time together. The "fragrance" of you home.

You can find many inexpensive ways to scent your home....recipes abound online for linen sprays, room sprays, soap-candle-potpourri making. I have played with many of these and have had some great results.

Since I am working to redo and reorder my home....next Sunday I will do something about the Bedroom and share my bed linen powder recipe...SOOOO easy to make and a great gift idea.

Have a relaxing, worshipful Sunday!!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Simplify.....

A few years ago, a friend dropped by with her daughter. As they were looking around at something new I had done to the dining room (things are always "on the move" in our house...so who knows what the big change was that time...lol).....the daughter noticed a sign I had above my dining room window that said, "Simplify". She remarked, as only a teenager can..."doesn't it defeat the purpose when you have to buy stuff that says what you are trying to do?"

Ok, so maybe it is alittle counter productive to buy stuff to remind you to get rid of stuff...LOL

But I think we all need reminders at times....that note on the refrigerator to remind you that you really don't need another serving of pie, notes to the kids to remind them to do their chores, notes on the mirror to remind us to do those checkups that we would like to forget about...just reminders of what is important for us.

Thank you for the reminders that I have received the past day or two from several of you....reminders of God's grace, of friendships, of prayer warriors. Those are the reminders that lighten the load of all the daily stuff that comes into our lives. It is good to get those reminders....because it is amazing at times how easily we forget.

So this is your reminder from me....I want to remind you that your friendship is cherished and that you are all in my prayers, as I am so thankful for each of you.

Hugs,
Debbie

"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." 1 Cor. 1:4

Sanctuary....

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again
~Sarah Breathnach

This has been a different kind of day for me.... I can't tell you when was the last time that I was home alone. I mean really alone, no one here, no one on the phone...just quiet.....

We received some more bad news about my hubby's health today, and frankly I needed the alone time. As I said in an earlier post, when I sense changes coming in our lives, I long for home time and to "nest". So this day marked a time for change for me and for reworking my priorities....

Such as spending some time on the back deck with a cup of coffee....breathing in the view. Taking time to be grateful for the quiet.....and to really look at the intricate picture of nature that God hand painted just for me.

To listen to the quiet hum around the house as all the appliances were set into motion, getting order into my day.


And finally this evening to end the day in a relaxing tub...taking the time to count my blessings. Even in the face of the "bad stuff".....there are still so many things that we can be grateful for. If we focus on those gratitudes...it allows us to put everything in it's proper perspective. And further...if we can pry our fingers off of what is going on in our lives and place it in the hand of the One who is in charge anyway ..... That is when the miraculous can take place.

As the song says....sometimes He calms the storm, other times He calms His child.

Hugs,
Debbie

Home Comforts......

Ah! there's nothing like staying home for real comfort.

---Jane Austen

I was looking over my past blog posts and realized that I have been on here for about two years...and yet, there are only a handful of posts. Part of it is figuring out what I am using this for...who the heck is reading it and just how open can you really be?

The last week or so, I have been rambling around the web, looking at some great and not so great blogs. The blogs that I have truly enjoyed and can't wait to go back to are those that are the honest, from the heart posts.....not necessarily about earth shattering discoveries...but mainly about sharing the simple, sacred everyday "happenings" in our lives. You know, the things that you share with your best girlfriends......recipes, work, home ideas, family, heart stuff.... Those are the written conversations that I enjoy. I actually started out that way, drifted off and now I am wandering back.

At this time, I find myself longing for more home time....to get back to the basics.....order, hospitality, cooking/baking......things I have let slide until recently. It is funny, when I feel there are "changes" coming in my life...I tend to long for home and nesting there.

I want to share with you the fun things I find online, in favorite books, through friends....and hope that they touch you too.

Hugs,
Debbie

So What Have I Been Doing.....

So what have I been doing lately, you ask??? DOLLS!!! Lots of dolls...with more patterns ready to be traced...and ideas for original patterns too.
This is what keeps me busy and off the streets.....or that is what I tell myself!! LOL
This sweet doll is from Sweet Meadows Farm..I really love Maureen's patterns. Great designs and easy instructions.

And just who couldn't love these sweet faces!! Now I know, I love, love, love the grungy prim dolls.... But I am also developing a love for this type of "in between" doll too. They all have a place.....

Funny, but I have friends that these dolls scare!!! LOL Something about the "no face" thing that they can't quite get. I just like them for their simplicity.....there is just something sweet about them too.

So there, you have seen what I am working on this week. And new patterns from Sweet Meadows have arrive along with some from Ruby Moon and more....so the sewing machine will be getting a workout for the next few days.

On another note....just because occasionally, I like to share whatever life lessons that I am either learning, going through and something that I am having to put in to practice.....
A few years ago, I heard Maya Angelou make the comment that ... when people show you who they are believe them!!! Took awhile for that to truly take hold...but once you get it, you begin to see things a bit differently.
Many times we have placed people in certain roles in our lives and may not be seeing the real picture of who they are...and what part they really have in our lives. Then there comes the moment when you witness....true grace, extravagent friendship...or the other end of the spectrum.... malice, hautiness, and sometimes just behavior that slaps you awake. The good, the bad and sometimes the really ugly.
There was a time when some of these were a big surprise.....but now, while I still can be taken off guard when something comes from left field...I look at it now as God giving me a glimpse into someone's true heart...and from there I know better how to deal with the situation. Be it take a few steps back.....or know when there is a friend for heart.
Just a glimpse of the workings of my brain at times....LOL
Hugs to you all!!! and Sweet Dreams...
Debbie

Cookie Night!!!

Last night, my son and I had a "sweet attack" and thought we should make some cookies. Sadly, it has been awhile since I have made any..... We pulled this recipe from the web and then tweeked it with some of our favorite things....turn out great!!! A recipe that we will use again...and soon!!!

Zachary and Debbie's Favorite Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup baking M&M's

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt....then stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the remaining ingredients by hand.

Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Share these with your "favorite" cookie monster.....and let me know how you like them!!! Or share with me your favorite cookie recipe... send to: Debbie at dailygrace@bellsouth.net

Have a great evening!!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Treasures.....

Ok..I realize this shopping bonanza may not excite some people..but these were the treasures I found when we went to Knoxville shopping this week. Where I live we have a crafting and fabric drought...so every once in awhile I have to sneak away and find fun stuff to work with.

The boxes are something new for me..I want to cover them with fabric. Some will have beehives on top from a new pattern I picked up online...some will be filled with spiced eggs for a fun kitchen display and others...well, who knows!!!!

I also found birthday fabric to make one of Sweet Meadows Farms new Birthday Girl Dolls...LOVE that one!!! When I ordered the pattern this week...Maureen wrote me back to tempt me with two other adorable patterns she just added....all three are headed here...I am a happy girl!!! LOL

Looking forward to a weekend of major doll making and other fun crafting!!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Dusting Off My Ebay Shingle....

I have decided to dust off my Ebay shingle and go back to selling some items. So I am getting ready to offer Miss Ida Mae. I really love this doll...she is from a You Are Special pattern... It is funny, I have made several of these, but they all have their own "personality".
Her herb bag is filled with Sweet Annie...there is just something about that scent that I really like. I have had bundles of it upstairs in my workroom..and I love the fragrance as it greets me going up the stairs!!!
Well...I just thought I would share her with you....
Hope you have had a great week.....I am taking a few days off. Lots of Spring Cleaning and doll making are on the agenda.
Hugs,
Debbie

Circle Journal.....

Seems like I have an off and on relationship with paper arts. I LOVE decorative papers, pens, rubberstamps, etc...but lately there has been no time to play with them. So I am like some miserly old man from a Dickens novel, hoarding them away for "someday"....



BUT....a few months ago, I was browsing through some old paper arts magazines I had. I ran across Heidi Swapp articles (love her!!!)...and she talked about circle journals. Loved the ideas in the article and I did actually sit down and make one. It has started to make the rounds of my friends that I want to do a page in it.



The front of the journal says, " What are you to do with this, you say? le me know ho you feel about your life TODAY. Write it, art it or just have fun!! whatever you do...Do it Today!"

Well.....what would your response be????

Gracefully yours,
Debbie

In The Groove.....

Well, I know this will be hard to believe...but I am working at being more committed with this blogging thing. But I realized that I needed to work on seperating my personal blog from info that I wanted to do for the shop. Therefore, there is now a new blog for Folkheart.....

http://www.folkheart.blogspot.com/

As I am working to switch some things over there....I still have to admit that working there and making my handcrafts to sell in the shop takes up much of my time, so there is no way to get distance from the store totally. So with that in mind, I wanted to post several new pictures I have of the shop displays.....

Wishing you a wonderful week!!!

Hugs,

Debbie....

Btw...check out the guest book and leave me a note!!!

It's Been Awhile....

Sometimes I just get lost....in all the day to day "stuff" that we have to do. In all this busy-ness I forget to do things that I love. Then there come the time when I finally am worn out...and have a huge AHA moment that maybe, just maybe, I need to regroup and get back to some of the basics.

Reading, journaling, meditating.....just remembering to BREATHE on a regular basis would help!!! LOL It is not that anything is really wrong....it is just that I am a better person when I remember to do my gratitudes each day..those things help me get a clearer view of what is going on around me and that regardless of what is going on....I am truly and completely blessed.

So this is me...trying to get back to a positive routine. Yep, I will fall off the wagon, but I always know I can find my way home again when I need too.

Hugs to you all.....

Deb

Fall At Folkheart....

Just wanted to share some pictures from the store. To know where we started from and where we are today......and thinking of other fun adventures in the future...I am excited about this journey!!!

Hurry Fall....

I have to admit, I am not a big fan of Summer.....hot, muggy weather that makes me whiney and grouchy. Give me Fall, crisp, cool weather anytime..... Fall beckons me home...it makes me want to decorate in those warm, cosy colors of the leaves outside my window. I find myself in the kitchen more making breads or soups or great cocoas or coffees.

So I am thrilled with the new Fall items arriving in our store from the vendors. Problem is, I have to keep reminding myself that I really can't afford to take ALL of it home with me..but if I could..... And from the customers that have been coming in, apparently, I am not the ONLY one that has a bad case of "Autumn Decorating-itis". There seems to be quite the epidemic of it going around...and please, don't anyone offer a vaccine, this is one bug we want everyone catching!!! LOL

The top picture is a great clay "trick or treater" from Cindy's Clay Creations...her whole line is absolutely adorable!! One of the other shop owners told me about them...but they are definately something that you have to see to appreciate just how sweet they really are. Friday, she brought in turkeys....so darn cute....and yes, there will be one coming home with me!!!

The second picture is one that is a primitive room layout we have....the decorating was done by Stephanie Strader of Between the Vines...she did a wonderful job!!!

Just a few "notes from home"...and if you are in the area, stop by the shop...Folkheart at Northgate Mall in Chattanooga!!!

Hugs,

Debbie

Dolls....

This is the first doll I am listing here....
This one is Gracie Mae...made from a You Are Special pattern! She has a welcome light in the bucket she is holding...but her hands are not attached to it, so you could replace it with a welcome pillow or anything else that works with your decor! She is a sweetie!!! $32.00 and shipping.

What's New..... or Long Time, No See.....

Being computer illiterate...it took me awhile to figure out the new blogging set up for this blog..and so much has happened since the last time I wrote!

We have a new store in Chattanooga, Folkheart. It is a great mix of gift lines and wonderful handmade items from local artisans! We also have awesome customers/friends/students that come by not only to purchase...but to take classes from our talented teaching staff and share their ideas with us. Just a great "girlfriend" place to shop and share.

I am currently working on Prim Dolls!! It had been awhile since I had powered up the sewing machine and got to work on these. But in the last couple of months, I have pulled out the muslin, patterns....and got to work. I love creating these fun prim dolls for my own home and for others.

I am always asked why prim???

Maybe you are like I was as a child. I had the beautiful bride doll with the satiny white dress...she stayed in the box on a high shelf so she wouldn't get dirty. And was only brought down to be viewed on special occasions. Not so with my rag dolls...they are the ones that were dragged across the playground with me, they played dress up and any other game that I imagined. They were the ones that I held at night when I had a nightmare or when I was hurt.
So the dolls that I try to recreate are the ones I remember from childhood...and while others my look at them and think they are worn and torn....I just see them as "well loved".

Shortly I will begin to post some of these dolls as they are finished...they will be for orders or purchase through the store. So keep checking back for more finished items--dolls and other fun "needful" things.

Hugs,
Debbie

Girlfriend's Day Out!

A couple of weeks ago...we had a "Girlfriends Shopping Day" in our hometown.
Fifteen women showed up to have some fun, shop together, find treasure in our wonderful downtown shops.
This was such a fun thing to do..... And we have plans to do it again soon.

The End of One Journey.....

I have known for some time that this day was fast approaching. But it didn't really hit me till this weekend. My son is graduating from high school and making plans to step out into college life and the path that it will start him on.
To be honest, I am excited for him! College was something I was unable to do after high school, so I am thrilled that he is going. He wants to be in journalism and sports medicine and teaching.....there are so many opportunities ahead for him. And I know, whatever he choses to do, he will be amazing.

Last night, I attended the school's senior night...it is a talent night for the seniors to show their stuff. I am awed at the talent that I saw there...and even as I write this, I am listening to a CD that one of his friends made. These are the kids that have come and gone through our front door for several years....I have awoke to find them sleeping on the couch, the floor, wherever they could find space...and a snore free zone...LOL. I have woke in the middle of the night to their laughter....been blessed to hear them call me mom and be quick to share hugs...and even pretend to listen when they had done something that I KNEW they knew better than to do. I think the realization just hit too that many of them will be gone too.

By Fall, there will be a void in my home. There are so many things that I will miss about my son's school years and growing up years. There are things I would have done differently, and there are things that I would do again in a heart beat....regardless of how anyone else felt.

As I passed through the house this week..I have caught glimpses of that little red headed boy who stole my heart from the moment he was born...whose laughter filled the house and whose hurts broke my heart. The verse, "life is but a vapor and then it is gone" has resounded.....to quickly the hands of the clock fly by....it reminds us to make each of them count.....to not take those special moments for granted.

As I see my son stepping forward to get his diploma next weekend.....I know that wonderful little boy is still in there, even as the Man of such promise steps forward....

Now pass the kleenex.......

The Front Porch....

This is where I have been spending some of my time lately.

I had gotten away from having quiet time....I am working hard to make sure it is on the schedule.
That whole "Be Still" thing, well God knew what He was talking about.

It has been amazing to see what doors have opened since I pried my fingers off the "control" button. Once you get to where you can really "listen" it is really awesome to see the people that God brings into your life....

There are some "passions" that I have had on the back burner for awhile...not knowing how they fit, or if they were even things that God wanted me doing again.

I will share more soon. I just wanted to share with you...that even when we struggle...God loves us. He is the Shepard that goes back to look for us that wander off....get lost on the trail..... or try to find a shortcut home.

Hugs to you all!!!!
Deb