Crafty Corner: Makin' a Crane

I was just flipping thru a few blogs I follow and someone did a little tutorial on how to fold some fancy paper dealy-bobbie. Then I remembered that I have one magical skill when it comes to the art of ancient origami.....the classic paper crane. 

I like to bust out this hidden talent while at restaurants or in other random places when presented with small square pieces of paper while sitting at a table (reciepts, mint wrappers at Olive Garden, ya know...stuff like that). It seems to always amaze the masses. I feel like all people should have the skillz to present a hand crafted paper crane at the drop of a hat when given the opportunity. So, here ya go:

Aaaaannnnd.....you're welcome. Feel free to amaze family, friends and waitresses with your new found talent.

Holding Hands.

I've been thinking about some life things lately and have been working through a few challanges that have been placed before me. I feel like sharing my heart a little today.

In my walk with the Lord, I have always struggled with trusting and believing that He sees ME. That when I call out to him in prayer, he hears me and acts in accordance with His will for my best. In all honesty, struggling to believe that he even cares that I am hurting and wants to help. At the same time, knowing full well and totally believing that He works in the lives of the people I love (other people, maybe just not me) and trusting that the Word is truth. What's the deal with that?

It's sometimes (ok, a lot of times) hard to keep focus and understand that His best for me is not necessarily the picture of what I hope for...that his answers to my cries may look different than what I expect. 

I have been feeling a little isolated/alone as of late due to a number of factors- working through a chronic health issue that seems to have no answers or path to restoration, thinking about my status as a single lady in my late (gulp...) thirties and how to quiet the lies in my head (and from the world around me) that I have somehow missed the boat and am less than worthy to be somebody's somebody, and to top it off (now this is kind of a silly one) my cute kitty has decided that spending time with me is not as cool as it once was. He doesn't even sleep next to me anymore...boohoo. His new found independence is a wee bit heartbreaking and fuels the fire of isolation. 

I was laying in bed last night pondering these thoughts and asking God to shed some light on how He sees me, what He thinks of me and to show me how He is working despite my unbelief. In that moment, He gave me a little gift. Mosby decided to stop by, curled up at my knees and fell asleep. In that moment, it was a comfort.

And this morning, He gave me a little more as I made a choice to spend some time reflecting and reading His Word.

The title for my daily devotional read 'Hold my Hand- and Trust'. Hmmmm. It talked about clinging to His hand as a child would their parent, being dependant on that grasp to carry you forward and protect you. And how letting go and venturing out on your own most likely leads to fear, anxiety and danger. I want to learn to hold on....tight.

A few passages to encourage:

Isaiah 41:10- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 62: 5-6- Find rest in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Philippians 4:8- Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.

Today, I think about such things. I hold His hand tight and trust in his guidance to walk with me forward.

Sequins & Sofas: Curtain Conundrum

The front of my house has a cute little 3 season porch full of windows. I love this!

It also has a full glass door from the porch to inside the house...it lets an abundance of light in and makes the room feel so open and happy. I also love this.

What's the conundrum? Well, when sitting upon my couch in the late evening hours, I was noticing that I could see the outdoors (street lights, cars going by, etc) and then realized that those on the outdoors could most likely also see me. Now, I don't necessarily feel like there are tons of people out there lining up to take a peek into my windows but I was feeling a little exposed none the less.

Here is my problem wall:

At first, I was coming up with all kinds of crazy contraptions in my head to cover the glass door....roman shades, Velcro curtain for easy daytime removal, etc). Then it dawned on me...there is already curtain hanging like 2 inches from the door. Maybe I should try to use that somehow. Yes.

I replaced the current rod with a longer one and extended it from the window on the right all the way over to the edge of the left wall past the door. Rehung the curtain and was then able to simply slide it over in the evening to cover the glass panel:

Conundrum solved. Privacy when I need it at night and beautiful sunshine during the day...all with a simple slide of a curtain.

#9....ok, as well as #'s 10 & 11

I wrote back in January about a future tattoo happening in June (see story Here). Well, it's June. And tattoo #9 is in the books:

I am so happy with how it turned out. Thad the Tattoo Master got it just right...the color, every knot and imperfection in the 'wood', depth in the shading. I love it.

In a week or so, it will for sure not hurt as much and be less crusty- gross. I can't wait for that....I will practice my patience.

What's that, you say? Was there a mention about a 10 and 11? Yes, I had a few teeny weeny tats in mind that I kind of bundled into the same appointment (since they were so small and would not require more than a few minutes for both).

#10:

This pic is not the greatest angle, but it is indeed my kitty Mosby's cute little paw. I know, it may put me on another level of 'crazy cat lady' to permanently display such things on my body. But I don't care. He is my first pet and I love him and it must be documented. 

Which leaves us at #11:

I realized a few weeks ago that I had no tat representing my dear 'Bestirs', my high school ladies that mean the world to me and are certain to be forever friends (see post about how much fun we have when we're together if you so desire). Anyway, i couldn't let this be the case any longer and then had a revelation of an idea. I decided upon a little heart. But not just any heart. 

My pal K has always signed stuff (notes passed in algebra class in 9th grade, yearbooks, autographs, whatever) with a little heart and her name since I can remember. It was perfect. I texted her promptly and asked if she would write a bunch of her signature hearts on a piece of paper and message a pic to me. She was like....what? And I was like....please? She came thru in minutes with a selection of lovely hearts.

I picked my favorite and that was that:

So, just 3 this time:) Not sure exactly what will be next but since I'm still working on a half-sleeve, most likely the arm will continue to be the focus. Time will tell.

Crafty Corner: Home Sweet Home

Some pals of mine just bought their first home and moved in last weekend. There was a great crew of helpers to clean, mow lawns, sand/paint cabinets, wash floors, paint rooms and move furniture. 

My duty was to remove 30+ year old contact paper layers from cabinet shelves to be resurfaced with fresh, white lovely contact paper. Since doing stuff with contact paper is one of my for real favorite things (is that weird??), this job was right up my alley.

In the process of removal, this gem of a pattern was uncovered:

Magic, right? It's the perfect balance of awful and wonderful. Obviously, it all had to go. But I have a heart for nostalgia and for holding to the memories of the past.

I kept a little piece of the floral paper that many years ago was chosen by someone who enjoyed such a pattern (that, who knows, maybe matched their 1960's dishes just right). 

I wanted to create a little art piece for them using the paper as a background...to be a momento of the history of their home as they make it their own.

I searched on the internets to get a few inspirational ideas and settled on making a fridge magnet. Got a mini frame:

Drew a template of a house on cardstock:

Found a lovely Bible verse about a home:

Practiced writing said verse on a tracing of the house about a million times to get the spacing right:

Cut out and placed the flower paper down on the matte, taped the finished 'House with Verse' in the center and popped the frame together. Next, I hot glued some magnets to the back:

And tried it out on my metal cabinet to make sure it would stay put....phew! It worked:

I'm a big fan of finding ways to merge old with new. I like thinking about the life my own house has lived and the people who have called it a home before it became mine. I am excited for my friends as they begin their journey and hope this little piece will be a fun way to celebrate their home (past, present and future)!