~ HOME SWEET HOME ~

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. ~ John Howard Payne

I'm back from my trip to visit with my mom and am so very happy I was able to spend some time with her and my two sisters!  Things seemed to be going fairly well until my mom had a set-back and ended up in the ER on Mother's Day!!!  She was very ill and it was not exactly how I expected my trip to be, but I was so glad I was there for moral support!!  She had to stay in the hospital the second week I was there, but we saw her every day and she had the best of care!!  I was so worried that she would still be there when I had to leave, but thankfully, she was released 2 days before my return flight and is really doing well now!!!  It was a scary time for all of us, but God saw us through and I thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!! 

When we were not at the hospital visiting, we had a special project going that had been started but had to be put on hold due to all that happened!!  They had been wanting to paint their kitchen, including the cabinets, and so we decided this would be the perfect time to complete it as a surprise!!

All the cupboard doors are removed, waiting to be sanded and painted!!

There were 14 doors and 5 drawers.......plus all the actual cabinets!

Here is the finished result.......What a difference paint can make!!!!

Another view!!

My mom was absolutely SHOCKED when she saw the finished result and was so thrilled!!  I think that was the best gift we could have given her, besides just bringing her back home!!  She kept saying how good it was to be in her own home and I quite agree with her!!!  There REALLY IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!! 

Now that I am back home, I wanted to also take the time to say a BIG THANKS for all the wonderful comments about my last post!!  Four of the dolls have already sold, but the last 2 are on my picture trail if anyone is interested!

  I so appreciate your encouragement and love that you take the time to visit and share your thoughts!!  It really means so much!!  Thank you too, for all of you who follow along, and welcome to those who have just started!!  It is so hard to believe that this will be my 81st post too!!  Thanks for coming along with me on this journey!!!

While I was in NC, I did have some time to work on some projects.  I hope to have these done soon, but for now, here is a little "peek" at what I have been up to!!  I hope to post about them soon!!

Thank you again so much for all your kind thoughts, well wishes, emails and comments!!  I loved my visit but as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz so wisely said, "There's No Place Like Home!"

Wishing you the Warmth of Home~~

Julie 

~ MEMORIAL DAY - A LEGACY AND AN INHERITANCE~

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Remembering with deep gratitude, all those brave men and women who have served and continue to serve in order that we might enjoy freedom.....Their Gift and Our Inheritance as Americans!! 

 

 

May God Bless America, land that we love!!

 

Wishing you a Blessed Memorial Day~~

 

Julie

~ MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS~

I finally finished up some sweet little Doll House Dolls in honor of Mother's Day and here is a set I made for myself, a daughter and a mother, proudly propped up in an old basket on my wall!!  The pattern is by that amazing Mother/Daughter duo, the Schneemans, and it could not be more perfect or more fitting as we celebrate this wonderful day!!  I just love them!!

Each time I look at them, they make me smile and when they are grouped together, they are simply delightful....like a group of sweet girlfriends, sharing special times and secrets that only they can understand!

These dolls have all made their way down to New England Saltbox and if you think one of them will make you smile, please send me an email!!  I know they would love to come home with you!!

I'm getting ready to leave for my visit with my mother and am really excited to be going, especially as this will be the first Mother's Day I have spent with her and my two sisters in years!!  What a perfect gift for all of us!!! 

May all of you have a  wonderful Mother's Day, celebrating or being celebrated, and remembering and giving honor to that woman who you will always call.....MOTHER!!

Wishing you a truly special day filled with love~~

Julie

~ THE REVEAL~

After hours of stuffing, stitching, and poking myself NUMEROUS TIMES (now I LITERALLY know how a pincushion must feel!) I am finally done with my new MAKE DO PINCUSHIONS!!!  What do you think??

They were really fun to create though I must admit the stabbing part is not my favorite thing to do!  It seemed like I just kept poking myself this week and my poor fingers were really sore!  Speaking of sore, it was also a bad week at the dentist!  A simple filling turned into a very painful root canal.....my very first one, and hopefully, my last, and I still have to go back to finish it up on Friday, but at least all that terrible pain is gone!!!  I have come to the conclusion that though I love pincushions dearly, I certainly DON'T want to be one!!!

My new pincushions will be added to my Picture Trail shortly and I hope you will stop by for a visit to see them "up close and personal!"  With Mother's Day just around the corner, they might be just what you are looking for!!

And speaking of Mother's Day, I am actually going to be able to be with my mother this year!!  Since we live so far away from each other (WA and NC), I don't get to visit as often as I would like to!  She recently had surgery and is recuperating at home, so I am flying there next Tuesday to spend some time with her!!  I would so appreciate your prayers for her continued healing and look forward to being with her and my two sisters!!  My husband and daughter will miss me, but we will celebrate when I get back....you can be sure of that!!!!

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments and encouraging emails to me, and for all of you that take an interest in what I do!!  It means more than you know, truly!!  Also, a big WELCOME to all of you who are new to my blog!! Thank you for joining!!

May each of you have a lovely week, filled with  bright sunshine, gentle breezes and warm hugs~~

Julie

 

~ SCRAP HAPPY ~

I save all of my fabric scraps!  Big scraps, medium scraps, skinny scraps, little scraps and even snippets, another name for very, very tiny scraps!

Here is a pile of some various pieces, some larger than others, but all used in other projects and saved for just such a time when I want to make something small!

Little pieces of scraps, that become wings for angels and wings and tails for birds!

More small pieces from other scraps that will become.......

These!!

I love making pincushions and here are a few that I have just started from a wonderful pattern by Kindred Spirits!  They need to be distressed and embellished and to think that they all started from a lowly piece of scrap fabric!!!  It makes me........just plain HAPPY!!!

My very favorite pincushion is made up of various scraps of homespun, mounted on an old hogscraper, stitched with a herringbone stitch, and filled with all kinds of old pins!! I just love it and it always reminds me that a lowly scrap can become something wonderful!!  Some of the pins are even covered in some old velvet and satin!  And to think those scraps could have just ended up in the trash, but are now proudly displayed!

If you have never saved those small pieces of fabric, I encourage you to start saving them today!  They may just become a new pincushion, an angel wing, a strawberry, or any number of sweet little creations that you can treasure!!  Let's all get SCRAP HAPPY, shall we??

Wishing you lots of snippets and scraps my friends~~

Julie