Still having fun!!

Victorian stockings:
Here's where i started.
A pile of fabric, buttons, making
a pattern, lace, trim, and jewelry. And this is one of the finished products.

And two more.

You may have noticed that I have had no deep, soul searching things to write about lately.

Guess that's because I'm just too busy having fun!!

Yes, I'm still working on the Victorian stockings. I think i have 7 done now! I've been spending as much time as I can on them. I did find enough trims at home that i did not have to wait for a trip to the shop, or fabric store, to get some done. (although i will make a trip out tomorrow if i have time). I guess I could get them done a lot faster if i just made them all the same, but where's the fun in that. Besides, one of the things i want at the shop is to have unique one of a kind items, thus my 'tag line' as they call it: A unique collection of old and new.

More fun to come!!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings

Restful Day

I had a great day today.
I stayed home all day! Didn't even get duded up or put on make-up or anything.
Just stayed home. It was wonderful.

Now you have to know i did not just lay around. Anyone who knows me knows i don't know how to do that. I have a hard time even sitting still to eat something.

What i did do was make a pattern for some new stockings for the store.
Below is the first one.
The thing i love about creating is that the more you do the better they usually get. You kind of get those creative cells going and things just get cuter and cuter.

Right now I'm working on the Victorian stockings.
I have to say I get a little frustrated when part of my supplies are here at home, and part are at the shop. Seems like what i need is always at the other place.
Know what i mean? Or worse yet, it's still at the store!!

Today i made due with what i had for this one. It turned out pretty good.

I have my basic pattern down now so it's just a matter of picking out which material i want to do first. Then I'll sew up two or three basic stockings, and take them to the shop (where most of my trim is) and add the cuteness to them.
(Awful lot of 'cute' going on here). =0)

Hope you all had a wonnderful day.
Give someone a smile. They might have lost theirs. =0))

Blessings,
Barb

Changed perspective

As many of you know I opened a gift shop last May. In doing this i have spent a lot of hours cleaning, sorting, putting together displays, and learning all kinds of new things. (This blog being one of them). Although many of these things have been overwhelming and frustrating, I have learned a lot and it has overall been a wonderful experience.

Right now we are in the middle of our "Holiday Faire". That is our big holiday sales time of the year, and we have all worked hard to have a nice variety of top quality inventory on hand.
We have spent long hours putting up displays, painting, crafting, arranging and rearranging things. That is an ongoing process with a store.

Time to time i am concerned about whether i will have enough to put in the store, then will i have enough room to put all the things i've found to put in there, and does anyone even know we are here, and will they like what we have when they find us.

The selling issue became more important when i took in consigners. I can be pretty laid back about selling my own things, since this is all a fun adventure for me, but when it involved others my perspective changed. It became more important to me that my vendors sell things than any need for me to sell my own things. I want them to feel successful in their endeavors.

It also changed my perspective when i decided to give 15% of my sales to the "Support our Troops Campaign" at our church.

It's interesting to me that at the end of the day I am not thinking about how much i have sold, but how my vendors did, and how much did we make to give to the troops.

So I have concluded that my changed perspective is a good thing.
It is surely true that it is more blessed to give than to receive,
whether it is your time, or your money.


Blessings to you as you give freely of yourself to others.

Hi. How are you?

"Hi. How are you?"
"I'm fine."

That exchange has become America's way of greeting people, of acknowledging them as we pass them by going our own way. That greeting is OK on a certain level, like passing people you barely know in the store or at the bank.

But what about the days you greet a friend that way, or they greet you, and you are not fine?
Have you ever out of habit just said "Fine", and life did not seem fine? And what about the other person? Do you take time to see their face? To see if things looked like they were fine or not? You can tell a lot by looking into someones eyes for a moment.
But, do we take a moment? Do we take the time out of our own busy lives to look, or listen, really listen, for an answer? Maybe they say "fine" because they know you aren't going to take the time to listen, or care about their world, which may at that moment seem like a world of hurt.
Do you say "fine" because if you say anything else they may see that your world is falling apart, and you won't be able to maintain if you let them look you in the eye?

Are we so afraid of falling apart or letting someone else in that we will just carry whatever weight is on our shoulders by ourselves? Are we so busy that we can't help carry someone elses weight with them?

I know there is a time and place for everything, but maybe when you're passing the next person you know, and giving the traditional "Hi. How are you?" and walking on by, you look them in the eye to see how they are really doing? You touch them on the shoulder so that even in passing they will know you care even a bit, and, if you can make time, share their load, or let them share yours.

Just a thought

God never intended for us to make a "to-do" list the purpose for our lives.
We can never get it all done.

We have to take time to prioritize, and only you can do that for your self.
What are the most important things in your life?
Or maybe better, who are the most important 0nes in your life?

Are you taking the time needed with them? Quality time? Or just rushing them from one activity to another time, while your mind is already doing the next thing or going to the next place.

It won't just happen. It takes a conscious effort on your part. And it takes your heart, not just your day planner.

There will always be a list of things to do, but the people you love won't always be there.

Now, I'm going to call my grand kids and see if they can play.

Have a wonderful day as you take time for those you love.

Holiday Faire

We have been busy, busy with the Holiday Faire and loving every minute of it. So many nice people have come into the shop. I love visiting with them all, and just seeing what they like.
We have wonderful brainstorming sessions sharing ideas.

We have decided to give 15% of our sales this year to the "support our troops campaign" through our church. We have a wonderful couple there who have been organizing this for several years.
It seemed with Veterans Day right before our sale started it was such an appropriate way to say "thanks" to our guys and gals who are serving our country.

So, if you want to get some nice Christmas gifts made by local crafters, and support our troops, this is the place to come.

Photos of some of the store on my other blog.
www.treasuresfromtheheartgifts.blogspot.com

Title?

This is the unnamed blog. Maybe you can help me name it.
Pondering? Sharing my Heart? This is the real thing? Part of me? Consistency, or Feeling?
or, pick your own name.

Have you ever been so busy with life, you forgot to live?
Going through the motions of life, but there is not as much emotional attachment?
Today I am pondering these things: thinking, checking in with myself, re-evaluating, hoping I can re-connect, and maybe help someone else in the process.


I realize that maintaining a certain level of "consistency" in life is a good thing. We continue the process that is every day life. We get up, get dressed, do our chores, help others.
I choose to give thanks to the Lord, read, and pray, serve Him, even when my heart isn't fully in it.

But I am a feeling person!! I want to, maybe even 'need' to," feeeel " life! And I'm not just asking for HAPPY, I would even settle for tears! (Maybe 'cleansing' tears, not sad tears). Just more feeling than i am having lately!


I don't want to make this too long, just doing my 'soul searching' with you this morning.
I have gone through this process before, and come out on the other side just fine, smiling, or crying, glad to feel like my old self again, and realizing that is all part of who i am. All part of the process. Just remembering that, has given me a smile from deep inside.

And speaking of smiles, thank you to all those who encourage and help me, who share my joys and my sorrows, and love me right where I'm at.
And thank you to my God, the Creator of the heavens and earth, that you care about every little detail of my life, you know my heart, accept my prayers and praises, and always hear me when i call. WOW!!



Have a wonderful day. Share your heart with someone. Listen to a friend. and know God hears you when you call.

Little Darlings in the Pumpkin Patch

I have been having so much fun making these stuffed pumpkins, but the "Cream of the Crop' are these three sweet grandchildren of ours. There they are piled on the couch with the 15 pumpkins i took to sell today. The little guy helped count them with his sisters, and was celebrating the fun when i took this photo.

I love the way kids celebrate life every day, and the smallest thing can make them smile.

Try, Try Again

Well, as insightful as I may seem to some of you, I do have a hard time following my own advice.
That is to say, these past few days I have not sat and had a cup of tea, or read a magazine yet.
(previous post).
I have been racing around making pumpkins, arranging and cleaning, getting evergreens and flowers out and ready to make up into gifts and decor, and just plain too busy.
And boy can I tell.
My body is complaining! Who would have thought that spending hours using the glue gun, spray cans, and a paper cutter would make a person sore?! Well, I guess when you had 2 herniated discs few months ago, your body is quick to tell you when you are doing too much.

So, I took today off, at least as much off as I have had for awhile.
The problem with a day off, at least for me, is that my mind just keeps on going, and going, and going. (yes, like the EverReady battery bunny). And sometimes I feel like he looks, just beating his drum and going around in circles to nowhere. =0))

Well, I'm not going to dwell on that, but will say, I'm having a cup of tea, and I'm going to sew a new bird. That sounds restful, don't you think?? And what will this new bird do? He'll add a little charm to an almost finished project. He may even make someone smile. And don't we all want someone to add a smile to our day?

Here's smilin' at ya',
Barb