Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Chic Handmade Pumpkins

Hi everyone.
It's that wonderful time of year again when 
many families are completing their 
Thanksgiving plans and working on 
putting everything in place for the big day when
family and friends come together
to celebrate the abundance
of blessings. 

Today, I wanted to share this 
fun project with you. 
It is:
Fabric Pumpkins. 
I realize 
that they aren't a new "thing". 

I've seen so many of them around and
was inspired by Becky at Timewashed.
She had a pumpkin give away. 
Her pumpkins were so pretty that I wanted to 
try making some for myself!
Thank you for the inspiration, Becky!

I wanted to share them 
because they were a real pleasure to make,
I liked the way they turned out
and the attached sentiment is
particularly meaningful. 

Gratitude has been my 
"word" this year. 
There's so much to be
grateful for and it's
the time of year that most people 
are counting their blessings.
_______________________________

The pumpkins are all made from 
thrift store fabric and the embellishments
are vintage, jewelry pieces
salvaged from there as well. 
Some of the pumpkins have crocheted, 
vintage lace around the stems which were
 found treasures also.

The cream fabric 
came from a thrift store shirt and the
black and tan fabric with roses,
used to be a vest that I
disassembled. I've had the pieces for years and
was waiting to use it for something special.

They are super-easy to make and would 
make a great craft for kids just learning to
sew by hand. 





"It's not happiness that makes 

us grateful, but gratefulness 

that makes us happy." 

Brother David Steindl-Rast

I hope you like them.
Thank you so much for stopping by!

Blessings,
Tamara

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Give What Lasts... "Living" a Gift For Others (and Ourselves)

It's a very cold, frosty morning here in the 
White Mountains
and we've had our first snow.

This morning, I've been thinking about 
what's important to leave behind. 
I've always thought that it
 would be a good thing to 
leave some kind of legacy.

 Some strong sense of something to ground,
enrich or inspire those who follow. 
And being so close to the holidays,
I'm also considering the possibility of these things
as gifts. Something that will make 
a difference to those that I
have the privilege to encounter.

Obviously, this type of gift isn't quite as convenient 
to give as one that can 
be wrapped in pretty paper.
So, I guess, they become a challenge as
well as a gift to ourselves.
Because, in order to "give" them
we have to be living them.  
So, hmm....I guess you could call it..
"Living" a gift instead of 
"giving" a gift.   
Or... 
Gift Living.   




Wouldn't it feel amazing to give something 
like this to someone
that we knew would hopefully be passed
down for generations?
We do that with heirloom pieces and 
handmade gifts. Wouldn't it be wonderful to
gift a person with some intangible "heirlooms"
as well?

Such as;
A sense of humor~ 
(Which is a little ironic.
Because I've never had one.
Hah! But I'm learning!)
What a great thing it would be to 
inspire someone
to laugh or be able to look at
circumstances from 
a "lighter perspective." 
Something that could help a person get 
through the tougher times of life.
And help someone else do the same!

Compassion~
There's something else that I feel
that I am having have had to "grow in to."
What a comforting thing to be on the
recipient of this loving attribute. 
Everyone needs compassion.
Kindness shown in a time of pain.
No matter what the source of that pain is.

Resourcefulness~
Another name for this could be:
Problem solving.
Being a thinker and then taking it a 
step further to the "doing" stage. 
What a fun way to stretch the 
imagination and be creative!
To apply gifts... talents and knowledge.
Or.... 
An opportunity to learn something new!


Of course, I enjoy going to concerts, movies and
and plays. They are fun, interesting and
 enriching. However, I don't want my life to
be characterized by that.

And it's so much more satisfying to use
what I've learned and the skills that I 
have acquired to enrich someone else's life! 

Everyday is filled with multiple opportunities
to apply this or to grow in it.

These are just a few that are important to me.
You've probably thought of your own while 
reading through this.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you so much for stopping by and
have a beautiful a day!

Tamara

















Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Being Present in the Moment

It's been a beautiful fall this year.
 
 Long on color, warmth and gorgeosness.
 
And though I've been thinking a lot about
making Christmas especially
meaningful, and working on Christmas
offerings for my upcoming
craft show,
I'm  consciously working at savoring.
 
Living in the now.
Being present in the moment.
 
The beauty.
Parties and music with family.
Walks and chatting with friends.
 
Noticing the small things.
The ordinary.
Because isn't that what life is
 actually made of?
 
And If I miss that..
I feel like I miss it.
 
I know that this isn't a new concept.
It's just become very obvious to me
that my quality of life
is greatly diminished if I neglect...
 
the present.
 
I have to practice this...
 
and when I do,
I find that I worry a lot less and focus
so much more on what matters ....
to me and others.
 
 
 Here is photo of some beautiful Side Oat
grass that grows native here in the
mountains of  Arizona.
 
And the verse..
A reminder that though
our world changes so much everyday,
this doesn't.
 
 
I hope you're having a peaceful and amazing week! 
Blessings to you,
Tamara xo
 

Friday, November 7, 2014

Shabby Chic Christmas Angel


Hello!
 Here is a project that I salvaged from my give-away pile.
 I can't believe I even thought of giving it away!
I have also come to like angels a lot.
I'm so glad I kept her.)

I had had it for many, many years.

I've been trying to be more frugal and use what I have
for decorating, gift giving and selling.
I had so much fun working on this.
With some paint, pinecones, buttons, old jewelry,
shabby flowers, hymn pages and lace, she was transformed!
(I forgot to take a before picture, But I'm sure
most of you have seen these sweet little angels around.
She's a little over 2 feet tall.)

Thank you so much for stopping by and
have a blessed day!

Tamara

I'm linking up at: