Sunday Thoughts

Psalm 8:1 (New Living Translation)


O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

Friday - Artist Date

In 2001 and 2004 I took an "Artist Way" class at our local Art Studio. The author, Julia Cameron,  recommends two ongoing activities that will conquer blocks and self-destructive tendencies: morning pages and artist's dates. Morning pages are three pages of writing, performed daily, about anything at all. This exercise overcomes the writer's internal censor and makes writing habitual. The artist's date is a weekly block of two hours spent observing, experiencing, and sensing.  I loved the class..and loved the activities, my favorite being the Artist Dates.  I was faithful in planning my date each week during the twelve-week study, but have found, since that time, it's so easy to push it aside when they are not part of my weekly calendar.

Beginning this January I am involved again in a book study of an artist book called, "The Creative Call" by Janice Elsheimer.  Ms Elsheimer's book comes from a position of God's design on my live.  While Ms Cameron's book deals with artistic development as a spiritual issue, her book seemed to fall short for my own spiritual experience.  While she encourages finding yourself through practicing your "art",  I wanted to delve deeper and find expression in my art that would lead me to discover a deeper relationship with God.  To offer my art as an act of worship to God. 

The exercises in "The Creative Call" offer me the potential to transform myself as an artist and to understand more fully who God originally created me to be.  Ms Elsheimer encourages writing...but instead of the mandatory 3 pages, I'm only writing for 20 minutes each day.  (Doesn't feel so overwhelming when I have NOTHING to say!)  Hopefully, it will also provide me the courage and discipline to actually produce work! I am looking forward to working through the material in the context of a group so we can encourage and challenge each other to be creative!

That being said...one of the things that I have introduced to my week again is the Artist Date...so on Friday's I will be "creating" something or going somewhere to be inspired to create!  This Friday I sewed.

I have been saving this piece of drop cloth canvas leftover from another project.  I had in my mind to create a pillow.

I thought of painting a design on the canvas, or maybe an iron...but that would have required an outing to the store and I wasn't feeling up to leaving the house...so I printed my postcard picture onto a piece of poplin.

A pretty piece of lace (a donation from by girlfriend's mother.  I love when Oma cleans out her "junk"!)  I also wanted to incorporate some furniture webbing into my project.

I stitched the webbing down the sides of the canvas, stitched the lace down,

then stitched the postcard piece on top using a blanket stitch on the machine.

Next step was to decide on a backing. 

I went with a piece of chenille decorator fabric that I thought was pretty as an accent.

Once I completed my sewing I headed to Miss Janice's to raid her button collection.  I knew I could find just the right buttons to finish off the project.

The buttons added just the right touch for completion of the project.

The pillow idea was inspired by the chair...so I needed to see the full effect.

I think it's the perfect compliment for the chair!

What do you think?

Till later...

debi

Sunday Thoughts

Comfort, comfort my people,  
says your God...
but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:1&31

Cork Floor

The prep for the floor began many, many months ago.  My daughter and son-in-law wanted to pull up the old linoleum and go from there (it was already peeling.)  Once the linoleum was pulled up, there was paper left on the concrete to get up off the floor.  They scraped, sanded, and used every method available to get the old stuff up from the floor.  Their original idea was to pull up the old linoleum, prep the floor, then use a concrete stain to color and seal the floor and leave it "natural."

  As the project progressed (and the never ending sanding of the floor continued) they decided they just needed to lay tile.  So...they headed down that path.

BUT...in the end they decided on a cork floor.  They ended up having to float out some of the "sanding" divots...but that was a lot less prep work than for laying tile.

The guys started by painting the glue on the floor...

Then...wait!

Once the guys got in the groove, the floor went down very smoothly.

The girls had their own system of painting the backs of the tiles in the garage and letting each batch dry as the guys laid the last painted/dry batch.

After several hours (and a pizza break) it was finished.

Austin was just happy...he had cake!

And some of the workers...well, they're just silly.

We left around 10:30 and the kids continued working until about 1:00 am.  They still had to get the entry way and the laundry room tiles laid.  This morning they got one coat of sealer on the floor and they want to get another coat on the floor, but it's been raining today so I think it may take a little longer to dry.

All in all, the project went quickly and was very easy.  I'll post a picture once they get all the furniture back in and show the sheen of the floor with the sealer.

Till tomorrow,
debi

Vanity Projects

I seem to have so little time for sewing these days, so when I get a few hours, I seem to gravitate to the sewing machine. 

I recently bought material to make new curtains for these windows.  They let a lot of cold in during the winter and I want to be able to close them when the temperature gets really low (not like it does a lot here in Texas, but I'm also able to close them against the sun and heat.)

These are the new curtains I made.  I really like the brown and teal colors together and hope to add some more brown into the space.  I want them to be able to slid easily, so I still need to take them up a little bit (they hang too long behind the furniture).

I still had projects hanging around since Christmas.  Emily bought this little vanity stool on sale and wanted the cushion recovered.

She decided not to paint the legs since they are in such nice shape.

Whoever last covered this stool must have used a whole box of staples!

Emily picked her fabric and I finished it in a very short time.  Here it is...couldn't figure out why it looked so crooked, but realized it hadn't been screwed down to the legs yet.  I think it turned out rather nicely!

Here it is at her vanity.  Looks cute!

I also had a vanity stool from my sister that she wanted recovered! She put this fabric on when she first got this from our grandmother...and as you can see...it needs HELP!  She's been covering this up with a towel.

She had an old chenille bedspread she wanted to use as the new vanity seat and she wanted a little ruffle to dress up the vanity.

I think it turned out pretty cute.  Haven't heard from her, yet.  Her husband picked it up today...so I'll have to wait and see?

If she decides she doesn't like it....well, she'll have to recover it this time!

Headed to my daughters to lay a new cork floor.  I'll be sure and take my camera so you can see the progress.

Till then,

debi

Not a normal Sunday!

I had Sunday all planned...church, lunch, nap.  There was yet another football game in the afternoon, so it would be a perfect time for napping.

Our local temps have been in the single digits.  It hasn't been this cold in our area in over 30 years!  The weather man kept saying, "1977 was the last time we hit these temps!"

Miss Janice's new Mister had a "gully washer" in his apartment!

I don't believe the water caused this damage above his door...but, seriously, these apartments already didn't feel safe.  The two units upstairs were empty and there was no electricity and no one ran the water to ensure the pipes didn't freeze...so...guess what?  Water came pouring down.

The temperature was still hovering around freezing when we arrived to survey the damage and help remove some of his larger pieces of furniture!  The firemen arrived during the night and punched holes in the ceiling to release the water. They also pretty well destroyed the apartments upstairs...breaking in the doors and knocking the toilets off their perch to stop the water! (Guess turning on the heat would have been cheaper!)

BUT...the Lord is good!!!  Take a look at how the water soaked the carpeting.  It only soaked in areas that were not under the furniture.

You can see how the water meandered around areas and didn't touch the furniture.  Most of the gushing water came down into the master bath.  The water that did come down in the living room area was dripping only inches from the couch, but never on the couch.  The water dripped near the TV, but not on the TV.  The Lord really protected his things!

The guys began moving all the really large pieces out before the water eventually wicked into that area of the carpet.  As you can see the pieces are huge (more on that in a moment.)

Miss Janice was happy that the "Troops" showed up to move the furniture...she certainly didn't want to do it all by herself!

Mister's son Trevor came from Arlington to help with the move. He was a big help!

A few good men, a big concentrated effort...

a lot of hefting and heaving into the trucks...made the work go quickly.

Once everything was loaded and tied down we headed out....to Waxahachie.  Long story short...his son , Scott, made the furniture we moved out.  Scott is going to refinish the pieces and he's going to cut then in half so in the future they will not be so cumberson to move.

Scott's business is on the edge of Maypearl and Waxahachie.  Taylored for Texas can be found here at their warehouse work space, selling in Canton - in the Arbors I, Booth 3 and 4, or here on their website.  I was thinking "small" shop...but it looked like he had ALL the space in this warehouse complex.  We were able to tour a little and see some of the things they create and explore the shop space.  The most exciting part was that Scott was preparing to leave for Houston on that Sunday afternoon to be part of the Extreme Home Makeover show. 

Taylored for Texas created one of the beds for the show.  I'll keep you posted as to show time, and hopefully you will be able to see the AMAZING bunk beds he created!  You will be SHOCKED! Every little boy in the world would want one!  I won't give a thing away, except to tell you to stay tuned!

We had additional help once we arrived and the furniture was quickly unloaded.

All the pieces were placed into an emplty warehouse space.  It will be awhile before the Mister needs these pieces or awhile before he can resettle in another apartment.  He won't stay long, though, in February his lease is up and he'll be moving into a house he plans to rent.  So, looks like Scott has time to work on the furniture pieces and get them ready for a new home.  I wish Scott and Dee all the best success for the Home Makeover event!  Millions will see his designs and workmanship.  They'll be swamped for business.

Emily rode with us to Waxahachie, since we loaded everything into her truck.  I told her she could stay home and use my car...but NO!  I knew she was hoping to find some Antique store open.

We did find a few antique stores open...but just as many were closed.  This place above had a cute sandwhich shop inside, but it was dark!  We had to race through the stores that were open because they were closing soon and we didn't have a lot of time to just wander and touch everything.  However, Emily did find a treasure...some turquoise glasses.  She was very happy she came along for the ride.

We drove around the square and scoped out all the places we want to come back and see when everything is open. The Buffalo Creek Cowgirl shop looked very intriguing.   Looks like a Saturday outing soon!

We found this cool gate down a side street...I love how it looks.

The little gate was close by this really interesting looking shop.  I look forward to returning to Waxahachie and spending a whole day exploring.  My husband was kicking himself that he didn't bring his "good" camera and lenses.  Oh well, he had to use my camera to catch a few shots of the courthouse!

I'm really anxious to hear about Scott's adventure with Ty Pennington.  I wonder if they will like Scott's handiwork?  I'm sure they thought it was FABULOUS (to use Miss Janice's word!)

Be sure and check out Scott's website and stop by and visit him in Canton.  Tell him I sent you!

Till next time...

debi