Handmade Gifts...

This is a gorgeous gift I received recently from my dear friend Theresa!  She has no blog.  Her talents are many and she is amazing.  This gift was so unexpected and I was truly overwhelmed.  This is a hand felted and beaded clutch envelope purse.  The funny thing is that I didn't even know Theresa does felting and beading.  I am so very grateful for not just this gift but for the friendship I share with this wonderful woman whom I have yet to meet in person.  Thank you sincerely my friend!

Along with the felted work of HeART Theresa gifted me with a lovely hand made card and Tag in the style of T!m Holtz.  I will be able to add these to the beautiful hand made book she gifted me with and I shared on this post. 

Here are some simple little hand made gifts I have sent out.  Angel earrings on a tag with fabric sewn to it. 

No scraps go to waste at my home.  I sewed them to manila tags and then attached some ceramic heart charms I put together.  Off in the mail to surprise some of my faithful blog readers.

This little boy on Toile just begged to be a tag with heart charm.  He arrived safely at his destination.

Here is another idea I like to do.  Simple piece of fabric attached to a card as the background for cut outs.  Nature theme here.

Here is the inside of the card and another little bird attached to offer a beaded dragonfly charm to the recipient.  This has also arrived safely and was very much appreciated by the birthday girl.
My love of hand made gifts is truly a gift in its own right.  I love to give and receive what someone has spent time and thought and talents to create.  Do you like to receive hand made gifts?  
June is here and moving briskly along already.  I am going to find JOY in every day of June.  I can't slow down the clock however I can be mindful and enJOY what each day holds for me.  This will be a very busy month as Summer seems to be here.  Mr. C and I have a lot already filling out our calendars.  I will have no excuses not to find a lot of JOY in every day this month.  I'll be sharing with each of you along the way.  Creative Bliss and JUNE JOY...

Downstairs Reno Update...

 I am so happy to show you the progress Mr. C and I have made with our Downstairs Renovation.  I originally posted the beginning on this link.  When you see what we began with you will agree we have entered the 21st Century and left the Mauve '80s behind.  Our home wasn't even built until the '90s.  So it was really crucial to eliminate all the Mauve we had downstairs.  I believe we have achieved our goal and exceeded my greatest dream vision.  I LOVE this new style we have now.
Greys and Taupes and a very neutral pallet now. 

I love this higher vanity with dual sinks.  We had only a single sink in a seven foot vanity before.  Mr. C actually chose the mirrors and light fixtures and I think he did a fabulous job.  We are very traditional so nothing trendy or fashion forward for us. 

I like the soft white robe hanging on the new hook.  It gives me the feeling of a nice high end hotel.

Here is the new Porcelain Tile flooring.  I really like the colors and the feel and the ease of cleaning it.  No carpeting now in the bathroom or in the hall and I am a very happy girl.  The old Mauve carpeting always attracted dirt and grease and was never really clean no matter how hard Mr. C or I would try to clean it.   On a side note we had to change out all our lighting as the previous light bulbs just washed out all the beauty of the tile and the gorgeous colors. Nothing is too detailed for Mr. C and his discerning  excellent taste.

This photo shows the curve of our stairs.  I love our antique table in this circular space.  Mr. C did a great job on all the baseboards including this curve.

Here is the view from Mr. C's Toybox aka Grease Garage.  Those steps add to the levels of our home which has no flat surfaces without stairs.  It really feels so good to have this phase of our downstairs renovation completed.  It took longer than expected and we did more than we had planned...like painting the entire hallway a different color than we painted the bathroom.  Next phase will be to gut the office and possibly paint it before new carpet is installed.  Then we re-carpet the two downstairs bedrooms...one of which is my sewing room and I cannot imagine having to empty it.  The closet alone is a lifetime amount of fabrics and sewing supplies and I most definitely am NOT looking forward to emptying that space.  However when the time comes I will gladly do what it takes to eliminate the Mauve carpet we currently have.  Thank you for your encouragement on this renovation along the way.  I do know I did my fair share of whining about the incredible concrete dust and all the cleaning I was doing every day.  Now I am able to work outside on the weeds that have completely taken over.  I know it is overwhelming but I just do a little bit at a time.  If I only pull a handful of weeds then I am that much closer to having a clear space.  Even "inches" over acres is better than nothing!
I am happily able to spend precious time in my studio and sewing room.  I will share soon. 
Creative Bliss and EnJoy the beautiful weather most of us are having.  Prayers for Texas and Oklahoma with all the flooding they are getting.  We are still completely dry so it really makes it all the more important to de-weed our land surrounding our home.  May is quickly coming to an end and Summer is here along with June soon.  Winter for my friends across the globe.  Blessings...  

Chalk Paint Re-Do...

As I was reading blogs one day I came across a wonderful post by Kathy of Creative Home Expressions and I was smitten right away. Her blog post title that day was "Knife Block Makeover" and it really spoke to me.  I have a knife block and love how functional it is but I have never really liked the look of it.  When you visit Kathy and see hers you will understand why I loved it.  So out came the jar of Annie Sloan's chalk paint in Paris Grey that I already owned from a previous project. 

I gave my knife block a coat of paint.  Then I gave it another coat just for good measure.  I don't know about you but my hand is not very steady when I put those sharp knives into their respective home slots.  I expect to get dings and marks over time.  Ahhh..."character".  I am old enough to appreciate "character" when it happens...like dropping a can on my wood floor...that tiny dent is now "character" and I am very accepting of it instead of freaking out like I used to do.  Life Happens!
After my two coats of chalk paint I put on a coat of Annie Sloan wax.  Then I got out my stencil and with simple acrylic craft paint I stenciled a flourish on the side.  Oops the first side got messy.  Instead of chalk painting it over I decided to lightly sand my stenciling and I liked that look.  So I did the very same stencil technique on the opposite side.  Now my block is not the same as Kathy's.  I have rounded edges so I decided no paper for mine.  I kept it simple with the stencil. 

Another coat or two of wax and Viola.  To the front I affixed a T!m Holtz frame with the word "Knives"...just in case I forget what I have in my newly painted block.  Mr. C was very skeptical but I do believe he likes the end result after all.

Here it is sitting on my kitchen counter and looking beautiful if I say so myself.  Thank you Kathy for the inspiration.  Hmmm...now what else can I chalk paint or alter?
Take a look around and see what you might be inspired to change with this simple and quick idea.
Our weather is continuing to be glorious.  The skies are clear and blue and the daytime temps are in the 70's.  Pollen season is over so the windows are open and wonderful fresh air is plentiful.  I am still cleaning and finding dust in places I guess I don't clean that often.  Reno photos soon I promise. 
Joy and Creative Bliss...

Banner Play May...

This is the banner I created in the month of May.  Then I mailed it to Jan of Jan's Arty Junk in England.  I really enjoy this swap by Linda of A Swap For All Seasons.  Each month we elect to participate or not.  Each time we create and send to one person and then receive from another person.  It really is quite fun.  The size is very doable at only 4" x 6"...the size of a standard postcard.  Jan has received this and reportedly liked it very much.  Thank you Jan.

The back of my banner.  I always try to make it pretty too.  These banners are all sewn...either by machine or by hand.  Very easy to do.  No paper or glue on these little gems.

Now this is what I received in May from Sally of Sally Annie Magundy blog.  I feel very Regal and Queenly with this lovely package of handmade treasures.  Thank you very much Sally.

Sally created this using my favorite colors of blue.  Then she also did some amazing "Blackwork" embroidery to enhance the Queen's Crown.  Just click on the photos to enlarge them and see all the beautiful details. 
Now I am signed up for June and I am ready to get my Banner Play game on.
Mr. C and I are still working on the downstairs reno.  Yesterday we painted baseboards surrounding the new porcelain tile floors.  I never knew how tedious this job is and how hard it is to be on the floor painting and scooching along for a couple of hours and then try to get up and walk!  Mr. C says I am whining to all my friends...well maybe so but the baseboards look fresh and beautiful now that Mr. C has completed them!  Photos soon I promise.
We still have had no rain however there was slight moisture on the deck this morning.  Not even enough to wet the BBQ cover but at least heavy dew on the railings.  I am still hopeful for full on rain soon.  Many of you are deluged and sick of rain and certainly Texas is drowning in floods so I pray for safety for all.  Here in California we are being warned daily of how to be prepared for fires. 
Joyful and Creative Bliss to each of you...

Sew Happy Today...

I am "sew" happy today because I have gotten to sew!  I almost feel selfish...but not too much.  Instead of doing indoor or outdoor chores I decided to spend my time sewing.  With all the fabric I have I get to feeling very guilty because I am not sewing.  Mr. C often tells me to get rid of my fabrics and that is just not possible for me to do at this time.  Therefore I felt it was time to use some of them and sew!  Since it has been a while I of course had to make some adjustments in my project.  As a matter of fact if you look closely you will see two items with one behind the other.  I wasn't quite happy with my zipper skills on the bottom project.  I like to make these envelopes for holding projects.  Or...for holding lingerie or jewelry or scarves.  I needed another birthday gift and this is what I created for the recipient.  Sewing is truly stress reducing for me...if I am not making mistakes.  lol
Our weather continues to be dry and cool and overcast.  We almost had a couple of raindrops yesterday but they dried up on the way to the deck.  Nothing made it to the ground.  I shall need to hand water a few more plants.  I am still praying and hoping for rain!  So sad that some of you are having too much rain and flooding situations.  May you be safe from harm.
I am keeping this post short so I can get back to my sewing.  I shall share my next project soon. 
Creative Bliss in this month of May...