Centerpieces to be Thankful for. . .

This past weekend, I got to help decorate for the Thanksgiving lunch banquet at my church.

Two other ladies and I decided to go with a vintage autumn theme.

We brought in some vintage stuff from our homes and paired it up as centerpieces.

We incorporated projects that the Children's Church classes had made

(like the painted jars and pumpkins made from Mason jar lids).

We added artificial fall leaves here and there.

We used vintage book page table runners.

Come back on Monday to see more about those!

Who would've thought that scales look so cute as centerpieces?!?

The silver base here is a vintage film roll canister.

Old books work great to give height to different pieces.

Here's another film canister.

I brought my easy autumn mason jars (on the right).

Here are the doily topped pumpkins that I showed you here.

This is a chicken feeder filled with all sorts of vintage goodies!

One of the gals brought this from right off her dining room table at home!

I love how the oranges brought a little pop of color and added to the autumn look!

You can go here and see how I used jute, a leaf, and a book without a cover

 to create the book on top of this pile.

This jar is filled with lots of treasures including a cross stitch piece that one of the ladies' grandma started but never finished. I love how she displayed it in this jar!

See how we used the old crochet thread to sit out as décor?

Scrabble tiles always add to any type of décor if you ask me:)

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,

 and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5

 This post is linked to My Repurposed Life, Today's Creative Blog,
My Salvaged Treasures, Embracing Change, Funky Junk,
Between Naps on the Porch, and Craft-O-Maniac.



Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving.

Enjoy your family.

Count your blessings.

Take lots of photos.

 

 Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Psalm 100:4

 

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Lovelies That I Love

One of the biggest shopping days of the year is nearly upon us,
and, yes, I am one of the crazy people who go out on Black Friday.
But if I can be honest, I think I'd rather just stay home and find cute deals like these. . .

Who doesn't love marquee letters?!?
I love the look of this one.
It's the initial of my last name and in one of my favorite colors!

 

 

Can you believe this bracelet is made with part of a wine cork?

I love it! The graphic is awesome!

I am such a fan of cute little buttons.
These are awesome.
I think I'd like a machine so I could make these . . .

 

Isn't this monogrammed wreath beautiful?

I love the red berries and the printed ribbon.

 

 

This vintage pitcher is so lovely.

I just love old dishware:)

 

You won't see unique stuff like this on Black Friday!

 

I'm not associated with any of these companies, I just like their stuff.

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

 

  This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, Tip Junkie, I Heart Naptime, and Natasha In Oz.

Recipe of the Week #146- Snicker Doodle Apple Cobbler

Snicker Doodle Apple Cobbler
6 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter
1 pkg refrigerated sugar cookie dough, pre-rolled

Peel and slice the apples, and place them on the bottom of a greased 9"x 13" pan. Pour brown sugar on top. Cut 1 Tbsp butter into small chunks and place around the pan on top of the apples.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon, and roll each dough ball in the mixture. Place the dough on top of the apple mixture evenly spacing the dough balls over the entire pan.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until the cookies are baked.

This is a super easy cobbler, and so darn good! I love the extra sweetness that the sugar cookie dough adds. This was gobbled up at my house. It is surely a repeat recipe!

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

Psalm 98:4

This post is linked to Skip to My Lou, My Girlish Whims, The Handmade Hangout,

and It's Overflowing.

Mini Album Monday #43- Thankful Album

Several years ago, I put together this mini album around Thanksgiving time.

In it, I used an acrostic- I spelled out the word "Thankful" and then wrote something about each of those letters about how thankful I am for my boys.

 

 

I placed the mini album inside this lunch tin and decorated the outside.

 

To make the pages, I trimmed pattern paper to 7 1/2"x 5 1/2" and rounded the corners.

Then I sandwiched two pieces together and used two pieces of ribbon to adjoin each set of pages.

 

My journaling says, "This album is dedicated to you boys so you'll always know

how very thankful I am to be your mom."

 

 

Using the ribbons in this way, I was able to make hinge pages for this album.

 

The journaling says, "T is for time. I'm thankful for my time with you two. Getting to be a stay-at-home mom has been the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I've done in my life. I get to be with you from morning til night experiencing every little situation with you. I wouldn't trade anything for the time we spend together.

 

The hinge pages flip upwards and each layout is actually one page on top of another.

 

The journaling says, "H is for happiness. I'm thankful for the happiness you two bring into our lives. I love watching you grow, taking delight as you pass through each phase. I love listening to you two play together. So often, Daddy and I look at each other and smile

at something one of you has said or done."

 

"A is for adore. I'm thankful that I adore you. Some parents are so busy that they don't always stop to adore their kids. . . adore their habits, their personalities, their uniqueness. I adored you both from the first moment I held you in my arms. Every day I adore you more and more."

 

When my second son was a baby, I made a set of pilgrim hats just for pictures.

Every year, I posed my boys in these same hats.

(kinda cheesy, I know, but now I'm so glad that I did it!)

 

This journaling says, "N is for need. I'm thankful that you need me. You need me to get your breakfast, wash your hair in the tub, and listen to your stories. You need me to be the peacemaker when you disagree. But you know what, Boys? I need you two, too.

 Probably more than you need me.

 

 

For most of the layouts, I used one 4"x6" photo and two wallet size photos.

This year's photos; however, were so cute, I couldn't choose just three. So I printed out four additional small photos and staggered them across the bottom.

 

The journaling says, "K is for kisses. I'm thankful for your kisses and hugs. You are such loving boys. Ethan, when you get excited about something, you just have to hug somebody. Sam, when you crawl onto my lap when we're reading at night, I cherish that closeness with you. I'll always have hugs and kisses for you two." 

The journaling on each layout is handwritten.

 

The journaling on this page says, "F is for faith. I'm thankful for my faith. Daddy and I try hard to teach you two about God. We read a Bible story every night and attend church on Wednesday nights and Sundays. I value and cherish how deep my faith has become while trying to instill faith in you."

 



 

Each layout has the same embellishments, too: a pilgrim hat and photo corner on the top part of the layout, and a larger photo corner and some sort of embellishment on the bottom part of the layout.

 

This journaling says, "U is for ultimate. I'm thankful that God chose me for this ultimate job of trying to raise you boys. Guiding you, teaching you, loving you, taking care of you. . . hopefully raising you to be good, strong, Christian men."

 

Somehow, my last layout is missing a photo. . . I'll have to go through my files and find it!

 

The jounaling says, "L is for love. I'm thankful for all the love in our family. The first word (besides family names) that you both learned to spell was love. Ethan, whenever a piece of paper is left out, whether it's a grocery list or one of Nonny's school papers, you scribble "Love" on it."

 



 

The last page in the book is just a final note to my boys.

"Sam and Ethan, I am truly honored to be your mother. . . to be part of your daily lives. . . to witness the amazing changes as you grow. . . to make a difference in your lives. . . . to help you become great men. I love you to the moon and back, Mommy."

 

I actually hadn't looked at this book for some time. I was so tickled as I read it and looked at the photos. It truly is a keepsake. I'm thankful that I have these thoughts documented for my boys!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

 

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:3

 

 This post is linked to Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, 

Tater Tots and Jello, and Plucky's Second Thought.

Twine Covered Letter

I've been collecting all different kinds of letters in plans of having
 an alphabet wall in my living room.

Some of the letters that I bought are ready to be hung,

while a few need some work-like this one did.

 

I started with a plain wood letter that I picked up at a thrift store.
If you'd like to make one, you can find wood letters at your local craft store.
Then, you just need to start winding jute around the letter.
I used my glue gun to apply a line of glue along the front and back to adhere the jute.

At the top and the bottom, I wound the jute until the entire letter was covered.

 

That's it!

Jute makes anything look cute, doesn't it?

Wouldn't it look cute to spell out a whole word like this?

 

Have a lovely weekend!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

 

Serve the Lord with gladness;

come before His presence with singing.

Psalm 100:2

 

 

This post is linked to My Salvaged Treasures, My Repurposed Life, Tatertots and Jello,
 Funky Junk, and Simple Nature Décor.

Thrifty Thursday #144

I love it when I'm out running errands and I happen to pass right by a yard sale.

It makes it feel like it was meant to be for me to stop. (ha ha:)

That's how it was when I drove by the local high school last Saturday.

The drill team was having a big yard sale in the parking lot.

Since I was right there, I couldn't help but stop:)

I found some good stuff and I only spent $2.35!

I got these four rolls of crochet yarn for ten cents apiece.

While I really want to learn to crochet, I think I'll use these for something else.

You'll have to come back to see what-it's something you wouldn't expect!

 



 

I love vintage spools- of any size!

I spotted these two big beauties and was pleasantly shocked that the lady only wanted

a dime for each one!

They are now sitting on a shelf in my living room with two other large spools.

 

Another item that I love is old books- especially in foreign languages.

I spotted these German books and knew that I'd have to get at least one.

When I found out the lady only wanted a quarter per book, I picked up all four. . .

plus these three on shorthand/speedwriting.
They're all so pretty, I don't plan on cutting them up.
I think they'll sit on shelves as part of my decor.

That's it. Not much, but definitely enough to make the stop worthwhile!

I hope you come across an unexpected sale this weekend!
Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Psalm 100:2

 This post is linked to Glitter, Glue, and Paint, Craft-O-Maniac,
Be Different, Act Normal, and Ivy and Elephants.

Layout of the Week #98

I read a quote yesterday that said, "There's no wrong way to document your memories."
I think that's so true.
While I am a scrapbooker at heart, I also keep a plain, old photo album for all our pictures.
That way I don't feel the need to scrapbook every photo I take.
I think that helps to keep scrapbooking fun, instead of overwhelming.

 

If you've never tried scrapbooking, I encourage you to give it a try.

 

Every other Wednesday I do a tutorial to complete a simple layout from start to finish.
I try to use as few steps as possible while still creating a cute layout. All of the layouts can be completed in under an hour.

 

Here are my three favorite Layouts of the Week from this year. . .

 

 

You can go here to see how to make this one.

 

 

This one is layered, but I walk you through from start to finish.

 

 

This one is fun because it lets you use up embellishments from your stash.

 

 If you find one layout that you really like, you can use it more than once. All you have to do is use different papers, embellishments, and photos.

 

Feel free to look back through all my Layouts of the Week. I walk you through step by step and intend for you to use products that you have on hand.

What a great way to get your photos scrapped while using supplies that you already have!

I'd love to have you come follow along!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

 

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Psalm 100:1

 

 This post is linked to It's Overflowing, Tip Junkie, Too Much Time On My Hands,

 and Embracing Change. 



Recipe of the Week #145- Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
20 oz chicken breasts, cooked and shredded into bite size pieces
5 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
15 oz chicken broth
2 cups potatoes, diced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup peas
2 1/2 cups milk
6 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

In a large pot, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter over med-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and saute for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, potatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover with a lid and stir occasionally until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in the chicken and peas.
In a separate pan, melt 4 Tbsp of butter. Add flour, stirring constantly for 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in milk, stirring to prevent lumps. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add this to the mixture in the large pot. Stir in lemon juice. Remove bay leaf.

Note: I omitted the bay leaf- my hubby isn't fond of that flavor.

The name of this soup hits it right on the head! It tastes like you're eating chicken pot pie! All you need to do is make some biscuits to go with it, and you've got a delicious meal that's perfect for the cold weather:)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,

that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

1 Cor. 2:12

 

This post is linked to Skip to My Lou, My Girlish Whims, I Heart Naptime, and Natasha In Oz.

Mason Jar + Leaf = One Cute Project!

If you're wondering what to do for a centerpiece for Thanksgiving I've got a cute idea

that will take you about five minutes to put together. . .

 

 

these autumn leaf luminaries.

 

 

All you need is an old Mason jar, a leaf, and some twine or raffia.

 

 

You can use small jars or large ones.

 

Then just tie the leaf to the jar using raffia or twine.

I wrapped the raffia around twice before tying it.

 

Place a  tealight candle in the jar and you've got a darling candle holder.

 

It would look really cute paired up with this autumn project from Friday.

 

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 

Your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1 Cor. 2:5

 

 This post is linked to Between Naps On The Porch, Plucky's Second Thought,

 and Daisy Cottage Designs.

Old Book + Leaf = One Cute Project!

I've really been on an autumn kick lately.

 I have a plastic bag full of artificial fall leaves and I can't wait to use them on projects.

 

That's kind of funny because where we live, we don't have many trees

that turn pretty colors in the fall.

 

 

I used the books that I showed you yesterday that I had picked up

at the thrift store. (for 10 cents apiece!)

I started by cutting off the covers with a box cutter.

 

Then I tied a piece of twine placing a small knot at the back.

 

 

Finally, I slid a leaf under the twine.

 

How cute are these?

 

 

Not to mention that it's like a five minute project.

Boom!

I love cute, quick, and easy!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

 

Oh sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous things

Psalm 98:1

 

 

 This post is linked to My Repurposed Life, The Creative Collection,
Funky Junk, and Tatertots and Jello.