bloggingfifty – French Ethereal

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Just a little love today with some ideas for making your own Valentine’s Day table linens

perfect for celebrating the day with your special someone

some fun places to visit and lots of “heart-spiration”

to share in this post!

I’ve shared before on making your own tea towels

but I don’t think I’ve share before about sewing your own

napkins and tablecloths for special occasions.

Here are some super easy directions for you…

How to Sew a 45″ Square Tablecloth and Napkins

Cutting out your fabric

*Purchase 1.75 yards colorful cute Valentine’s fabric ~

wash, dry and iron out the wrinkles.

*Open the fabric out widthwise and take the top upper selvage corner and fold diagonally across and down so the fabric edge overlaps the opposite selvage creating a very large triangle.

Smooth out any wrinkles as you create this large triangle

of fabric with both selvages together.

*Cut a straight line across under the lower edge of the triangle

across the remaining fabric ~ when opened out this will

make a 45″ x 45″ square of fabric.

{this will use up 1.25 yards of the total length of fabric}

The remaining fabric will be enough to make (10) napkins

measuring 9″ x 9″ square cut before sewing {use the selvages! They will be turned under and sewn so they won’t show}

or buy 2 yards and the fabric can be adjusted to

(6) 13.5″ x 13.5″ napkin squares before sewing.

A table set for a past Valentine’s Day.

Pressing and Sewing

*Fold under all four edges of each napkin once, then twice making “hospital corners” or mitered fabric at each corner.

Try to make very small turns to have as large a napkin once

fully sewn.

A seam roller really helps with this if you have that

attachment for your sewing machine.

*Sew from the topside with decorative stitches, if desired,

catching in all the edges and corners.

*Lace can be sewn and added afterwards to create

a larger napkin too and to change the look.

Go back and restitch by hand or machine as needed.

🙂

*Press once more and starch if you’d like.

Set your tea table and enjoy

your lovely table!

A few years ago I was able to drive down to see

author and artist Fifi O’Neill on Valentine’s Day and she gave a talk and shared stories about being editor and her new book

at the time.

Later on I wrote about Vignette’s the store Fifi spoke at which is a treasure trove of antiques and collectibles for the soul

located in sunny Ocean Beach, surf-side in

San Diego County, California.

Here is our former home’s front doors decorated

for Valentine’s…

Funny, I don’t know why I never made a second

wreath like the one on the far right but then

on sale after Valentine’s one year

I ended up buying this beautiful wicker one

decorated with reddish-pink berries.

Last year I found this sweet heart inside a great pie shop

called The Texas Pie Company.

I loved their bohemian decor and this heart was awesome!

Last year too I set a Valentine’s tea table outside

and had fun decorating and sharing a little Cinderella

story with you all, dear readers.

🙂

Sharing with

Wow Us Wednesday ~ Savvy Southern Style

Thursday Favorite Things ~ Katherine’s Corner

Tablescape Thursday ~ Between Naps on the Porch

Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage

Dishing It and Digging It ~ Life and Linda

Friday at the Firestation ~ A Fireman’s Wife

Sew It Cook It Craft It ~ Sew Historically

Really Crafty Link Party ~ Keeping It Real

Happy decorating!

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A Little Nordic Christmas Home Tour

November 20, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Welcome to my home tour here at

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French Ethereal !

When I was thinking about what kind of theme

I wanted to create for this Christmas I kept coming back to all of the beautiful snow scenes

that I’ve seen over the years in lovely magazines ~

pictures of homes from all over in Europe…

Our garden angel last Christmas time.

A Nordic Christmas ~ I wanted to recreate a little of that

here in Texas so today I’m happy to take you on a

little tour of our prairie home.

If you are coming over from the

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Creative Christmas Link Party

Welcome!

I’m really glad you are here.

🙂

Presents waiting to be wrapped, boxed and shipped ~ fun!!!

Any Nordic style Christmas has to include

silver and whites as nights are long during the winter-time

up along the 49th parallel.

Europeans like to brighten their homes year-round

but especially in winter with light colored walls

painted in soft greys and whites.

Often their furniture is of Gustavian or French origin and is

also painted in those same brightening shades.

Other favorite colors used in Nordic style are

pops of red, silvery greys of tin and antique silver,

and of course the green of pine boughs.

I’ve added these colors to my Christmas decorating

with cream-colored throw pillows,

a pure white sheepskin throw wrapped around the base

of our little Christmas tree,

and sparkly silver and white ornaments

hung from our tree’s deep green branches.

Our home also includes more of these Nordic touches with

our white leather couch and reclining chairs

plus a soft cream and grey plaid blanket draped over

the back of the couch.

Subtle pale red and grey stripes run crisscross

along its breadth and length

bringing in more of this wonderful look.

My one break with all this European Christmas goodness

is including a little more pink perhaps…

Pink is my favorite color along with white

and I had to include a bit of that when I found

dear old Santa Claus available online.

The floral stocking came from there, too.

Europeans appreciate good wood furniture whether

painted or stained and here in our prairie home we have a lot of stained wood which is thankfully

not too dark.

Reading material ~ always a good thing.

As we move into our master bedroom just a little reindeer

accompanied by a snow-dusted Christmas tree

is all that is needed

to bring in some holiday cheer.

Our bathroom also has a little bit of

Christmas spirit…

And no home tour would be complete without a visit

outside to a festive table set for family and guests!

More Nordic touches abound out here with bright red

and snowflake-white napkins

boughs of fresh pine boughs running the length

of the dinner table and dried Christmas-red tea and

sweetheart roses

tucked among the greenery.

One lit candle scents the air with its

pure vanilla perfume…

It sits snuggly in an old soup tureen turned

candleholder for the day.

Our Pekingese Yoda enjoys the outdoor scene, too.

One last look inside…

I hope you have enjoyed our

little home tour today ~ it has been

my pleasure!

* God Jul! *

Also sharing with

We Are Pinnable Thanksgiving Link Party ~ Fairies and Fauna

https://www.faeriesandfauna.com/2017/11/22/we-are-pinnable-thanksgiving-link-party/

Jennifer Rizzo ~ Next Years Holiday Housewalk 2018

https://jenniferrizzo.com/2017/12/nexts-years-holiday-housewalk-2018.html

and

Jennifer Rizzo’s 2017 Holiday Housewalk

The Creative Christmas Link Party is hosted by Janet of Shabbyfufu and the the bloggers of Blogging 50. Please visit all of the talented bloggers below!

An InLinkz Link-up

https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js

Also….please visit some others and show them a little love and PIN. PLEASE SHARE or there is not a heck of a lot of benefit!

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Just a Quick Post…

July 26, 2017 French Ethereal

Just a quick post today sharing just a couple

photos from some upcoming posts I’ve worked on

for the past couple of weeks ~ will be including these

great Texas longhorns, visiting a museum or two

and checking out some great shops!

but…

Sometimes having an Apple iPhone and an

Apple computer is NOT a good thing ~ like when

they both “think” you might be stealing someone else’s

photographs… grrr!

Anyway, I’m emailing all 157 photos from my phone

to myself and will trick the system!

{Ha! Take that, evil Apple programming!!!}

I WILL have this post on visiting the

Fort Worth Stockyards

ready by Friday at the latest.

🙂

Sorry, I know this has been a slow month over here

at French Ethereal. Pretty typical as I look back over

the past three July posting. Just my slow season,

I guess.

😉

But, isn’t that what summer

is for?

Summer vacation!!!

Sharing with

Wow Us Wednesday ~ Savvy Southern Style

Welcome Home Wednesdays ~ Five Kids a Dog and a Blog

Vintage Charm ~ Our Hopeful Home

Have a great evening,

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Inspirational Furnishings ~ Cynthia Rowley’s Gorgeous Furniture Pieces

June 21, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Riding the downward escalator inside

Dillard’s

at the

Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas

a couple of weeks ago

I spied this gilded bedroom beauty and

an armchair that made my heart go

pitter-patter…

“Mimi” wing chair ~ available at Dillard’s online and in stores.

I tend to fall head over heels for rose strewn pieces

and having two upholstered couches decorated with roses

just waiting to come out to Texas…

this lovely armchair

would fit right into my home perfectly!

A year ago in the spring at the

Design Blogger’s Conference in Atlanta

Cynthia Rowley came and spoke during one of the

sessions about becoming a designer.

In her slides, she shared this table from her new line

which was then going to be coming out in the fall

and of course I remembered it

because of the roses!

The Antoinette gilded upholstered bed, king size along with other Cynthia Rowley designed furnishings

The gilded twig mirror in that first photograph

{sharing again!}

is also part of her collection for

Hooker Furniture.

I love the play on faux bois with the twigs

around this gorgeous mirror!

The tables, chairs and other items you see around the

Antionette bed and the rose armchair are also

part of the collection.

I am thinking my daughter would love

that mirrored dresser ~ it’s so glam and

Old Hollywood with its retro 1930’s/1940’s

vintage look.

One last quick photo ~ I only took a very

few photographs with my iPhone while I was

looking at these lovely pieces.

The part of me which loves anything and everything

in a vintage French style wanted to share this

amazing detail with you.

Loving the soft blue grey velvet

paired with the gold ormolu crest!

Trés bien, non?

Have a great Wednesday!

Sharing with

Wow Us Wednesday ~ Savvy Southern Style

Create Link Inspire

Welcome Home Wednesday ~ Five Kids a Dog and a Blog

Vintage Charm ~ The Blue Willow House

Talk of the Town ~ My Simple Home

Dishing It Digging It ~ Life and Linda

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Places to Visit ~ Lavender Ridge Farms

June 6, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Gorgeous pink roses mixed in with tall lavender perennials.

Over the Memorial Day

weekend

My hubby and I took a drive out to

Gainesville

to visit a lovely little farm ~

Lavender Ridge Farms…

A newly planted upper field on the farm.

Lavender Ridge Farms

2391 County Road 178

Gainesville, TX 76240

(940) 665-6938

http://www.lavenderridgefarms.com

I love the little tagline Lavender Ridge Farms

has on its flyers:

“An herb’n experience you can’t get in the city!”

And they would be right!

Memorial Day weekend was warm up in Gainesville

but not blistering and our 20 minute drive

up the freeway then another 10 miles

with some rights and lefts and some bumpy roads

brought us to the farm.

Plenty of parking and much of it shaded

was spread out over the farm.

Lots of folks were walking around

although it was the last day

of the annual three day lavender festival.

Some people were having lunch under

the shaded table area.

Others were picnicking out on the lawns.

Part of the lavender festival included

crafters and vendors selling:

*lavender jams and jellies mixed with

lime and other flavors

*handmade purses and bags

*handmade clothing

*repurposed vintage glassware made into

the cutest garden flowers and

melted into three dimensional

window frames

{I’m sorry I didn’t get any picture but I was afraid the owners

would think I was trying to steal their ideas! If anything, I would be

promoting them. So, no photos from the vendor area.}

*wood crafts

*recycled and upcycled lamps made into

solar yard lamps {very clever!}

And, of course, there were lavender items

for sale, though all of the lavender plants

and most of the lavender products

had sold out during the festivals

previous two days.

These echinacea and plumeria were available and

I was tempted by both but decided to

pass until I see how my current plants

survive this summer’s coming heat.

{maybe next year!}

🙂

We had parked up above the lavender field at the top

of the farm then worked our way down

through the vendors tucked under the trees

arriving in a shaded area where some ducks and chickens

and four soft and cuddly looking lemurs were!

Isn’t he cute?

{How they got four lemurs to live at their farm I don’t know, but they looked

like they enjoyed being around all the people. I kept thinking that I had a

cantaloupe in the car I could have cut up and fed them…}

Love this armillary!

Just beyond the animal area still heading left towards

the farm’s giftshop and restaurant we found

this armillary amongst some greenhouses.

We made our way down to the rose and flower garden

next where Hubby decided to take a seat in an

obliging wooden chair underneath a shady tree.

This incredible lavender tree was situated up towards

the main house and giftshop. I don’t know if it is a type

of lavender but it sure was pretty and blooming like

anything!

The lower fields are set up with a large

arbor entrance flanked by two potted junipers

where visitors pass into the garden over

a planked footbridge.

This steps right down onto the garden’s

pathways with these gorgeous pink roses

everywhere!

Since I haven’t seen many pink roses growing here

in this part of North Texas

I looked to see if any of them had name tags

but alas I didn’t find any.

🙁

I did find lots of blue salvia, many perennials and

a host of annuals planted among the Spanish

and English lavender plants.

Next time my friend Julie from the park

wants to come up and have lunch as

they serve lavender tea sandwiches

lavender scones

and other lavender treats

like lavender sorbet.

In the fall the lavender farm has several

events going on so do make plans to

come on out for a visit.

Really a lovely lavender

time!

Sharing with

Wow Us Wednesdays ~ Savvy Southern Style

Totally Terrific Tuesday ~ Savvy Apron

Welcome Home Wednesday ~ Five Kids a Dog and a Blog

Tuesday Cup of Tea ~ Antiques and Teacups

Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!

Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondocks Blog

Vintage Charm ~ Blue Willow House

Share Your Style ~ The Red Painted Cottage

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Flash Forward ~ Lightroom and the Canon Speedlite

June 2, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Oh my! Even though this photograph is

still dark on the statue’s face…

I am loving what the program Lightroom

and the new flash

Canon Speedlite 430 EX III

{picked up a couple of weeks ago}

and a soft diffuser can do for photographs…

This was an accidental photograph

I took and was going to erase

but

then I thought maybe I’d include it…

Totally ugly, isn’t it?

I was just shooting in the room checking

the lighting and hit the shutter

without focusing.

***This second photograph was really the third photograph ~

taken after shooting a photograph using the auto focus.

I learned a little bit this week about

using math to figure out what f-stop

to use when photographing.

All this time I have been playing around

with the aperature and shutter speed ~

the length of time

the shutter needs to be open.

Most of my photos are grainy

and

I like a lot of them that way.

They have a 1970’s look to them

that I grew up with shooting film

with my old instamatic cameras.

However if I really want to get better

at this whole photography thing

{and I obviously do}

I need to bring some

Big Girl photography skills

to the table.

🙂

This one was one I took with the Canon Speedlite

attached to my Canon EOS Rebel SL1 camera

but without the portable pop-up

diffuser on top of the flash’s clip on plastic diffuser.

It’s blown out but not a bad photo overall.

This pop-up diffuser is a portable 16″

round “cover” that gets put overtop

of the flash unit.

It works great and is a good

first diffuser and less expensive

than purchasing a large umbrella-type diffuser

professional photographers use

in their studios and on location.

The portable diffuser I purchased is the

Fstoppers Flash Disk.

Hopefully these two pins I saved from

Pinterest will show for you.

🙂

And here’s one final photograph

that I copied to bring over

to share.

I can work with this one and lighten up

the statue’s face and sharpen it up a bit.

Our washer was spinning at the time

so you can see the shake

in the picture…

lol!

😉

Oh, and that watercolor which snuck in

up above in amongst the photos…

That’s a work in progress and a project

I’m getting some help with…

Hope you like the changes

going on,

Happy Friday!

Sharing with
Friday at the Firestation ~ A Fireman’s Wife
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Friendship Friday ~ Create with Joy
Dance with Jesus ~ Susan B. Meade
Saturday Sparks ~ Pieced Pastimes
Dishing It Digging It ~ Rustic and Refined
http://www.rustic-refined.com/2017/06/dishing-it-digging-it-link-party-151.html#more

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Happy Memorial Day ~ Remembering the Fallen

May 29, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Happy Memorial Day!

A good day to remember our military

family members who didn’t make it home…

Decoration Day was the first known observance

of remembering fallen military members

here in the United States and had its beginning

in 1868,

three years after the Civil War ended.

Major General John A. Logan

the head of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

{a veteran’s organization}

issued an order

for the annual tradition of decorating

the graves of the war dead.

Remembrance Day is observed across the

British Commonwealth on our Veteran’s Day

recognizing the end to the Great War in 1919,

WWI.

Members of the British royal family observe

two minutes of silence at 11am

on every November 11th and

place wreaths of poppies on the graves

of fallen soldiers.

Small plastic poppies are also worn

commemorating these heroes.

In the United States, many of our

veterans organizations

have also adopted the tradition of

passing out small red poppy boutonnieres

to be worn in remembrance

of the fallen.

In Belgium the day is called

Armistice Day

which is the name that has poignantly

stuck in my mind all these years.

Poppies are also their flower of

remembrance

and are released from the top

of Menin Gate in Ypres

{shown above}

after a wreath-laying and a

Last Post bugle call there

in Ypres, Belgium.

The bugle call sounds every evening

at 8:00pm; however, it is particularly

moving as it began

So whether you call this day Memorial Day

Remembrance Day, Volkstrauertag {in Germany}

Armistice Day, or

by another name ~ enjoy the day
celebrating and remembering.
Display your country’s flag proudly

remembering those
military members across the world
who gave their lives

the ultimate sacrifice
during wartime…

Blessings to you,

Sharing with

Dishing It and Digging It ~ Life and Linda

Inspire Me Monday ~ Create with Joy

Monday Social ~ My Heart Lives Here

Family Joy Link Party ~ Thinking Outside the Pot

Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make ~ Blue Willow House

Vintage Charm ~ Blue Willow House

Share Your Style ~ Red Painted Cottage
Tablescape Thursday
Dishing It and Digging It ~ Rustic and Refined

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5 Fun Beginning of Summer Things to Do with Bandanas

May 25, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

My Girl Scout Brownie troop around year 2000 hamming it up in their super cool flying cow bandanas!

Today’s post is all about things we all
like to do and wear that’s fun for our kids and
for grown-ups too
and with
summer coming up and this weekend being
Memorial Day…
Patriotism and good memories of loved ones
and fun times
is on my mind and
were the inspiration for this
perfect
beginning of summer post.
I’m talking about something that is a
staple in everyone’s drawers
and camping supplies ~ good for
washing dishes on a campout
to
making a mini backpack to tie
to a little pole ~ it’s those wonderfully versatile
bandanas!

One of the first times our girls washed dishes. This was many of these girls first time camping. 🙂

Bandanas are great for many things!

So today we are talking about the

wonderfully handy sometimes a hanky

but often utilitarian

bandana

and

some of the other fun things

for which

a bandana can be used:

1. Tying back one’s hair

The number one use for a bandana

(and probably always will be)

ever since these darlings

were invented

is to tie back one’s hair.

Always wonderful for keeping that hair

out of one’s eyes when the wind is blowing,

bandanas come in such a variety

of colors and patterns now, it’s just plain

fun to wear them.

Pick up a few for everyone in the family
like we did back
during our Scouting days and
be “twins”

with your kids for the day!

Our Girl Scout troop had these cool

flying cow bandanas

my co-leaders and I found at

the local Army-Navy store

one day when we were picking up

GS badges and other items.

I think we gave them to the girls that

first year we were together.

They were something the girls could

wear together which helped

gel them together

as a group and it was part of their

color-coordinated unofficial uniform

for when we went on hiking trips

and for this

our first camping trip.

A spring breakfast tea using the trustworthy bandana!

2. Bandanas as Napkins

A while back I had a post sharing

these fun pink napkins used

in place of other napkins I’d

normally use.

Because bandanas are usually made out of

100% cotton

that makes them perfect for

cleaning up spills

or for

wiping one’s lips

when jam or BBQ sauce

gets all over.

I just think it’s fun to change up what we

think of as a napkin!

Guess I’ve always done that.

How about you?

What do you like to do for your napkins?

Have you sewn any of your own?

It’s super fun to create something

to coordinate with an upcoming

party’s theme!

I’ve used leftover fabric when making a

tablecloth to create tiny fingertip napkins.

Check out an old Valentine’s post where

I’d made matching napkins.

🙂

While I was starting to write this post

I got to thinking about

where and when were bandanas invented?

Turns out that they have officially

been around for over 200 years!

There’s a really cool article online about

“Bandana History” by BandanaShop.com

which talks about how bandanas

have been used as giveaways

promoting political figures

{George Washington being one of the first to be thus immortalized!}

and as a promotional tool for

that newfangled invention

“the talkies” ~ handkerchief bandanas

with Snow White and the seven dwarves

likenesses being one of the first

out there promoting children’s films.

I found the article fascinating

and I think

you will too!

Do follow the link over and check it out.

🙂

3. Bandanas Belts

Tie or braid several together to make

an impromptu belt to coordinate

with a summer outfit…

With the 4th of July coming up

it’d be fun to sport

red white and blue bandanas

woven together into a belt.

The belt I whipped up for the photos

above is just

*two bandanas laid on an angle

*fold each opposite point inward

then fold the bandana in on itself

making a long rectangle.

*Tie together in back with a granny or

square knot.

*Slip through belt loops and tie in front.

Easy peasy!

If you want a Patriotic Bandana Belt~

you’ll need six bandanas (two of each color}

to braid together.

*These can be folded as above

they can just be scrunched

and tied to its twin lengthwise

*tie the three colors together on one end

*then braid all of three long bandana “ropes”

at once.

*When braided, tie the three ends of the

three colors together.

*Slip through your waistbands

and knot around in front.

4.Bandana Dog

I saw this hot diggity dog of a bandana

idea and knew it had to be

featured here at French Ethereal…

;)’

I contacted Marci at Stone Cottage Adventures

and asked if I could use a couple of her stories.

She was delighted to have

a few of her bandana posts

featured!

The blog link above will take you

to a quick bandana star story

she just posted.

The pink headlines and I think the

Pinterest photos

will take you to her posts, too!

{the pink links for sure!}

Marci shared how to make this incredibly

cuddly cute dachshund

that she made for her granddaughter

out of just one bandana

per dog

plus a little from a coordinating color

for each of the sweet pup’s ears.

Naturally, she made several of these

hot dogs…

{pun totally intended!!!}

Stop on over to see the other cute dogs

she made.

I could totally see a 4th of July dog…

yep

{or is that “yelp!”}

to go with our theme.

;)‘

5. Sweet Dress for Your Baby

I also saw this darling baby dress
over on

Stone Cottage Adventure’s blog

and knew it had to
come on over, too ~
just check out how adorable
Marci’s sweet granddaughter
looks with her purple bow
and matching
purple bandana skirt!

Marci gives a whole tutorial on
how to cut pieces of
bandana to create the bow
and then
how to create the dress.
Several other photos show
this cutie modeling
a couple of other outfits.
She is quite the fashionista
which is part of the title.
An outfit for your baby or for a family
member’s or friend’s new baby
out of
patriotic colored bandanas
could be just the ticket
and a real crowd pleaser!

Happy Memorial Day
this weekend,
Remembering the fallen…
Barb 🙂

*The red is for the poppies… since 1919 when Memorial Day
was called Armistice Day.

Sharing with
Wow Us Wednesdays ~ Savvy Southern Style
Share Your Style ~ The Painted Cottage
Friday Favorites ~ Creatively Homemade
Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondocks Blog
Friendship Friday ~ Create with Joy
Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage
Friday at the Firestation ~ A Fireman’s Wife
Vintage Charm ~ Blue Willow House

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Uncategorized

Sunday Sentiments ~ Scripture Quilts and a "How To"

May 22, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Happy Sunday evening to you!

I thought I’d share a little on

something new I found recently:

scripture quilts…

This photo is a bit over-lightened but I need to lighten to share this quilt
as this room is a bit dark.

When I first visited my friend Peggy

we took a tour around her lovely home

decorated with family antiques

and wonderful vintage

family photos and also these

soft and sentimental scripture quilts

she had sewn.

A friend of hers had made some and Peggy

had seen them and asked if she could

get a pattern to make

some scripture blocks.

These first squares ended up being the

beginnings of three quilts

she has made for her husband

and adult children.

More are on the way, too.

😉

I love how this room is decorated with many lifetimes of passed-down family heirlooms ~ taken with my old iPhone 5.

Quilts blocks based on biblical stories have been

made since women began making quilts

however

these more modern scripture quilts with

scripture quotes written in a

family members’ handwriting are

a relatively new idea.

I saved a number of biblical and scripture pieces out onto my

Pinterest Faith board

if you’d like to stop by there

and take a look.

Love the tea dyed quilt block to match the variegated cottons prints used for the rest of the quilt. This quilt was
presented to Peggy’s husband Tony for his birthday one year.

These quilts are a nice way to keep family members

close especially when everyone lives are so busy

and many of us live far away

from our family

and hardly have time to get together

much except during the holidays.

These quilts also a wonderful way to remember

a family member who has “gone on home.

A fun idea is to have each family member

write out their favorite scripture verse

and sign his or her name along the

bottom edge above where

the seamline would be.

This could be a great thing to do over

Thanksgiving while the turkey is cooking

or at a family summer BBQ.

A station to set up in your backyard while

everyone is together celebrating.

Also, this idea could be easily adapted to

other types of handwritten quilts.

Be sure to sign your quilt when it is done

and this separate quilt block

looks lovely placed on the

back of a quilt.

Drawn “square” is the “cut out block.” The center horizontal and vertical
axes are drawn first.

How to make a Scripture Quilt Block

Supplies needed

*parchment paper

*pencil

*ruler or straight edge

*markers to draw over pencil lines

*permanent marker in black or favorite color

to use for final handwritten block.
*muslin washed and dried ~ cut to size of final
quilt block(s) plus seam allowance.

Instructions

*Begin with cut squares from parchment paper

in the size you need for your quilt block
plus 1/2″ around all four sides
for the seam allowance.
Also cut out actual muslin

*On your computer, type out your scripture verse(s).

*Print the verse onto regular computer paper

large enough with roughly 3/4″ intervals

between each drawn line.

{leaving about 1/2″ of open space between lines of words}

*Adjust your printing and reprint as needed
making the spacing to
your liking.

I used 1″ spacing on the photos above and that

was too much, so I re-drew the lines
to half-inch spacing.That worked better.

3/4″ I think is what the ones which

Peggy made were measured.

When you create your own scripture quilt blocks,

play around with the computer font sizes.
The above printout would need to be re-spaced on
the computer accordingly.
{see how it doesn’t quite fit?}
This is just a template anyway and your
handwriting can be adjusted
as you create each scripture block.
Play around with each one until each
looks right to you.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from ourselves it is a gift from God —(9) not by
works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2: 8-9

Instructions continued

*Place the typed paper underneath the parchment
paper that has had center lines drawn
horizontally and vertically on them.

*Draw as many horizontal lines

above and below the first centered line ~

enough for your whole scripture quote.

*Align the typed sheet underneath
the parchment paper
adjusting the centers of each line
until it looks centered.
Tape down both papers as needed.

*Write out your verses in a dark marker
on the parchment.

*Lay out your thin muslin
over top.
If available, use a light board or projector
underneath to light the words.

If that’s not available?
Press down firmly
on the muslin to make the marker
show through for copying.

***Practice writing out your verses
on a scrap of muslin first using a
fine-point permanent marker.
😉

Sew your scripture quilt blocks
together with other lightweight cotton
strips to create your quilt in whatever
design you’ve chosen.
Oh, and don’t forget to sign your
beautiful quilt by placing
a special quilt block with a heart-felt
message on the back.
Enjoy!

Blessings to you,
Barb 🙂

Sharing with

A Life in Balance

Inspire Me Monday ~ Create with Joy

Monday Social ~ My Heart Lives Here

Thinking Outside the Pot ~ Family Joy Link Up Party

Dishing It and Digging It ~ Rustic and Refined

Vintage Charm ~ Blue Willow House

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 🙂

For more information about

Biblical quilts

please click here.

🙂

Uncategorized

Places to Shop with Sparkle on the Menu

May 19, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Some days start off as normal

everyday run-of-the-mill days

but after a

morning eye appointment

where the doctor had dilated

both of my eyes,

I wasn’t just seeing stars

because of some eye drops…

😉

Driving over to pick up our mail after that

eye appointment

I saw a sign that made

my heart jump.

a wall area of artwork in front and behind the camera

A place I’ve wanted very much to visit

was here at the mall and so

after a quick lunch I went inside and

enjoyed looking around.

The first store I found was

ZGallerie.

These first photos were taken there.

ZGallerie is a home decor store which carries

office supplies, tableware and bedding

at medium prices

making it a place for that little sparkly splurge

for your home or for something to

give as a lovely gift.

Of course I am always on the lookout for fancy sparkly chandeliers!

What caught my eye in ZGallerie were all the

purple and white ostrich plumes

standing tall in a

large floor vase

and

velvet chairs and sofas.

I’m sorry I didn’t snap a photo of the

tufted cream velvet sofa

I found

seated together with a few other velvet

and leatherette chairs.

{I’m pretty sure it was around $1600 which is not unreasonable

for a beautifully built piece of furniture.}

I was kind of gaga eyed at the moment

just taking it all in…

😉

Had to share this one again ~ love all the gold and white… and those tall blooms!

When my photographer senses kicked in

I started snapping photos

to share with you!

The chargers under each place setting

are made of glass.

I’ve seen some before in magazines

but I was quite surprised

that the

free-form purple glass charger

I picked up

was only $18 per piece.

ZGallerie was a lovely beginning to my

eye candy shopping adventure!

***************************************************

Part of the outdoor garden room at Restoration Hardware ~ love the whole courtyard feel!

Restoration Hardware

is the shop I have wanted to

visit for years!

And when I saw that sign viewed

just off the freeway

I knew

today was that day

I was going to finally stop inside.

🙂

Sleek modern outdoor furnishings for anyone who likes edgy and angular with just enough
curves and sparkle to keep those who prefer more curves comfortable.

I knew the company had begun as a store

carrying antique and vintage

hardware for restoring old homes and

to use on furniture

but

Restoration Hardware has evolved

now carrying specialty furniture

for indoors and outside.

Walking into this room which leads into the garden, the wonderful earthy smell of leather is sooo inviting!
Wouldn’t this be a lovely library and dining room in your own home?

I loved talking with the sales staff

about the shop and the furnishings within!

I found out that they are interior designers, too,

and they are there to help with your

room design needs

and will help you create

a curated lived-in look.

Here I was trying to capture the three chandeliers for you!

Being a huge fan of pier mirrors

and having a pier mirror of my own

I had to share these beauties with you!

Love pier mirrors for their French charm!

Don’t you just love how adding a mirror

to a room

really brings in the light and creates

just the right mood with what is

reflected in it?

Sorry this is a bit dark ~ this is actually lightened up for you. Photos today were taken
with my iPhone 6.

Restoration Hardware paired these two very

simply framed mirrors for a bathroom scene

set with a more ornate

old buffet turned into a lavatory cabinet.

Love it!

I also love the soft neutrals flowing through

all of their pieces ~ very masculine

but soft enough for that

feminine touch.

This too has been edited and lightened to see the cabinet’s detail. Love, love the marble top!

One final view of the back gardens…

sigh!

🙂

So what I came in for

In the form of just tons of old rusty crusty hardware and door knobs

though no longer found in the shops anymore are still available as beautiful reproductions online {I checked! ;).
These shops are wonderful resources to find a classic piece to grace your home or garden ~ just ethereal!

(I was not compensated for any of this ~ just purely fun visiting!)

As always, feel free to share this and any other post.

If you like my style, please follow along… Thank you!

Sharing with

Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondocks Blog

Vintage Charm ~ Blue Willow House

Share Your Style ~ The Red Painted Cottage

Home Sweet Home ~ The Charm of Home

Centerpiece Wednesday ~ The Style Sisters

Happy Friday,

Tag: bloggingfifty

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5 Fun Beginning of Summer Things to Do with Bandanas

Bandanas are great for many things!

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4.Bandana Dog

5. Sweet Dress for Your Baby

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Sunday Sentiments ~ Scripture Quilts and a "How To"

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Supplies needed

Instructions

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Cutting out your fabric

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Bandanas are great for many things!

1. Tying back one’s hair

2. Bandanas as Napkins

3. Bandanas Belts

4.Bandana Dog

5. Sweet Dress for Your Baby

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How to make a Scripture Quilt Block

Supplies needed

Instructions

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