Recycled Playdough Container Wreath!

Recycled Playdough Container Wreath by Heather

 When you visit Infarrantly Creative, Jaime from That's My Letter guest-posted with this wonderfully colored wreath that is made from recycled playdough containers and dollar store plastic tablecloths! It is weatherproof, and hangs on an outdoor playset, I love it! [how to make a recycled playdough container wreath]

It is very cute and ingenious!

Blessings,

A Butterfly In My Stomach

A Presence A Day: Homemade Candy Dish: Day 11

How does this look?



1997 “Good Thing” feature from Martha Stewart

 






















Want to make it? YES?  OK!  The tutorial is here!  Thanks goes to Keen Inspirations and Creations!



Keen Inspirations and Creations made this!

 

























This lovely dish is great for entertaining.  Entertaining is mentioned in the Bible too (nice segway, huh?)!

Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Now, I always assumed this meant to have company over and be a gracious host.  This verse could include that assumption....BUT the verse is bigger than that...

Being a preacher's wife, I have been more open to people than I ever have in my life.  When I say "open"  I  mean that I really listen and I try (don't always) to put myself in their place...to see where that person is coming from.  There are countless times that I have had "encounters" with people that have helped me spiritually. I hope I have returned the favor and have helped them too!  Help people, not just family...I know family is important, don't forsake them, BUT there is a SPIRITUAL FAMILY also.  How often do you entertain your SPIRITUAL FAMILY?  If you don't even know what I am talking about, you may be estranged! 

Do you donate clothes to a charity (Goodwill, St. Vincent De Paul, Good Samaritan)

Do you help stock the food pantries in the community (Grayson has very low donations this year!)

Do you visit nursing homes?  I haven't in a while, but we are going to get back to it.

Don't only use your home to entertain angels (although this is VERY important as an example for your children to follow) but every activity in your day could be used to help others.  Also, when you do help someone, don't look for instant gratification....actually, don't look for any reward.  Do your alms(deeds) in secret and your father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly (hint: your reward may not be monetary!).  Jesus helped us all, and his reward was the cross. So carry your cross, and use Jesus as your example.

In a traffic jam?  pray to God and get the cobwebs out of your spirit (not judging, if you pray all the time lift me up too!). 

Nasty coworker?  Something has happened to them (probably something very bad) that has shaped them.  Put your spiritual glasses on.  There was a phase in my life that I always tried to be as Jesus and I would try to "see" them as Jesus would....It was a rewarding time...I need to do it again...

Kids acting rude, rebellious, and ungrateful?   How did YOU act at their age..Understand where they are at and talk WITH them not AT them...Then after you have bonded, DISCIPLINE them (they may have had a bad day, but they need to know that disrespecting parents is never tolerated --take phones, computer time, and games away as examples)

Disconnected from your BETTER HALF?  Pray together. If he/she refuses, YOU pray!  God can change your heart.... You may think that God needs to help your spouse in a certain area but he may be wanting to change you.  Pray to him to find out.

We all have the choice everyday to entertain strangers....what will you do with it?

God bless your Christmas!

A Presence A Day: Homemade Flower/Rosettes: Day 8

There are so many fab tutorials to make flowers from fabric:

Our Best Bites makes a rolled flower from fabric here!

Lex makes one here!



Wise Craft makes one here!

Make It Do makes a great peony from ribbon here!



Luke 2:1 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)


3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.


4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)


5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.


6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.


7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

I don't have much to say today (shock, I know!) but I just wanted us all to read about the FIRST CHRISTMAS! 

On that silent night that Christ was born, this day was not even called CHRISTMAS!  The word "Christmas" is a combination of the words "Christ" and "Mass. The word "Mass" means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church.  Christmas was actually PAGAN, but thanks to Pope Martin Luther (1517) he started a reformation to take out the paganism of Christmas (THANK YOU MARTIN LUTHER).
So, I just want to remind us of Jesus' birth...it means so much to me...I hope it means a lot to you too!

God bless your Christmas!

Repurpose a lampshade, I did, you can too!

So, I walk by my lamp *several* times a day, and my lampshade has holes in it and one of the kids knocked a metal spindle loose on it so the metal pokes through the lampshade adding insult to injury...It is my "holely" lampshade. It is hideous.....


I feel a refashion coming on!




You can roll the lampshade to trace on wax paper a pattern(leaving a 1-inch margin each side) OR you can tear it a part and cut around it leaving a 1-inch margin around each side. That's what I did.





I then took the old lampshade with the material and ironed it. It actually stuck very well to the old lampshade so I didn't use spray adhesive. If you want to use spray adhesive it works really good. Just keep it in line and press out bubbles or lines with a straight edge(like a credit card).



Next, I used Mod Podge to seal the ends (I could have used spray adhesive but I had Mod Podge). I put the metal loop at the base of the lampshade and wrapped the material -with Mod Podge- all the way around. I did this to the top also. I let it dry for a while. To secure the material around the lamp shade, fold extra material under and hot glue from top to bottom.






Because my lampshade was in such bad condition at the top, I made a bias for stability. To make bias, I cut material 2 inches wide and the length is according to your lampshade. Then I ironed the center of the material. Take the two edges, fold them to the ironed center, and iron again. Bias is born!



Now get the trusty hot glue gun out and glue the bias on the outside first. Work in small sections -hot glue dries fast. I turned the lampshade upside down to glue the rest of the bias to the inside. I kept looking at it from both angles to make sure it looked good!









I used heart material because Valentine's Day is coming and I am in that mood. Hearts are good year round, right?

Refashion - women's skirt transformed into a girl's dress

I had a skirt that was just too high above the knee for me (yes folks it is possible), so I refashioned it into something for Abigail. I just cut a backward "C" on both sides. Then I made a very long bias of a coordinating fabric and I sewed them to each side. I added a pocket as an embellishment...Abigail loves the pocket. This looks cute with jeans or leggings underneath. The dress can even be used as an apron....I keep all kinds of old clothing around...you never know when a REfASHION will hit you!



Here is a complete layout of the skirt-turned-into-apron-dress. I cut each side for the armholes and just made bias for each side....Had all the material...yay!




This is proof that this was my skirt!




One side tied into a bow the other side loose...




Here is my angel striking a pose...she is so camera shy ;-)