Gratitude Giving...Again!

SOME THINGS I'VE LEARNED...

for today, for lessons learned yesterday, and opportunities tomorrow brings.

With a

heart you can overcome feelings of stress and worry.

Gratitude inspires feelings of

and


Gratitude gives you a sense of fullness and

Gratitude also inspires you to

that you'll continue to be supported on your journey

through this

You can

that gratitude will

give you a

and give your

Gratitude will make your life glow with

and true
***************

The Give-away...

How about a scrap shirt?! You can choose which words you like best from all those above, and of course, this little book that I like so well. Please leave a comment here

today (Wednesday) through Friday. Say something you're grateful for today. On Saturday I'll draw the name of the winner. Yahoo!

(a little scrap shirt info...)

Paddywacks Scrap Shirts are womens' tee-shirts, and come in sizes S,M,L, and XL (I have a couple of them in 2XL also). They are one-of-a-kind, so the word you pick in your size may not look exactly like what is pictured here. :) Scrap shirts are made from re-purposed tee-shirt letters - each shirt is designed and sewn by me. :)

HAVE FUN - THANKS FOR PLAYING!!

Gratitude Drawing Winner...

Daniel reached his cute fingers into this little cup and pulled out the winner. And the winner is.... Bethie!! Bethie is from Colorado, and has a darling shop called Chic Junque and a fun blog. Bethie, I'll be e-mailing you today. :)

Because Daniel couldn't stop at just one (he's two, remember), I decided to draw two names this time. The second winner can choose from the two goodies that remain after Bethie has made her choice. What fun....and the second winner is....Katie Nash!! Katie lives right here in my very own town, and her Dad is my very own big brother - well, what do you know?:) I'll convo ya, Katie!

Thanks for playing, everyone!!
Later today (after I snap some photos) I'll post about the next give-away drawing. This is so much fun...check in again tomorrow so you can enter your name! :)

********
Today I'm grateful for

Home

This is our front door today. I'm really grateful for our home - it's our dream home, really. We've been working on our home addition for about two years, and it's several months behind schedule- not finished yet, not sure when it will be. I'm taking advice from the "Attitudes of Gratitude" book and living in the "moment" and realizing all the things I have to be thankful for today, even through the predicament of ongoing construction and quickly approaching holidays. My new house will be so spacious! We'll (someday) have every type of room we want. What a blessing. I'm so thankful for this... :)

Look at the houses I've lived in during my adult (married) life...

I really liked all of them, by the way, because I love the "cottage" feel.

Flagstaff, Arizona - this was an old carriage house.

Jackson, Wyoming - I lived at the theater where I performed nightly and managed the theater box office during the day. I lived upstairs...

Bloom Cottage - I had three kids in this tiny house. We had fun flower gardens!

This (below) is a 1920's bungalow that we renovated. Before we painted, the house was this horrible chalky black color - just like a chalkboard. So, we enjoyed drawing on it for quite some time...until it was painted a cheerful "butter yellow".

And, here is my home now, this morning.

The outside is mostly finished - everything to the right of the white van is new.

It's exciting to have lots of space, but that's not what makes a home wonderful....

I'm really grateful for my home, but mostly for the love and people that fill it up!

HOME IS WHERE THERE IS ONE TO LOVE US
Home's not merely four square walls,
Though with pictures hung and gilded;
Home is where Affection calls-
Filled with shrines the Hearth had builded!
Home! Go watch the faithful dove,
Sailing 'neath the heaven above us.
Home is where there's one to love!
Home is where there's one to love us.

Home's not merely roof and room,

It needs something to endear it;

Home is where the heart can bloom,

Where there's some kind lip to cheer it!

What is home with none to meet,

None to welcome, none to greet us?

Home is sweet, and only sweet,

Where there's one we love to meet us!

-CHARLES SWAIN

ENJOY THIS DAY!

We Made Brownies...

Tonight I'm grateful for:

Our Blessed Land of the Free.

The chance we all have to vote.

The election is finally over.

So, we made brownies to celebrate this historic election.

No matter who your favorite candidate was, this is a very special time in history!

And...this is my FAVORITE month!!
Why? Holiday warm feelings, family, food, and fun times.

This month I'll be sharing recipes. My favorite carrot cake (above),

and my favorite chocolate pie (below).

These are seriously fabulous recipes! You must try them - so check in often!!

And, I've begun my annual reading of this book ...


I read this every November. It's a great little book - so inspiring. It's easy to read, with nice little chapters that you can jump around and skim, or read straight through and soak in.

I just really feel that focusing on gratitude is the very best way to overcome the worry we may feel during these unstable economic times. And, if the holidays are not quite as "care-free" this year as they were last year - well, more attention to an "attitude of gratitude" may be just the thing to bring in some sweet peace, and the warmth and love of the holidays.

In fact, to celebrate this month of gratitude,

I think I'll have my first give-away!!

A copy of the book, and.....wait and see!

Happy November. hehe

Blissfest!!

Why have I not posted in over a month? Something just had to go, and it turned out to be blogland. :( Every time I sat down to think about a post I was just stumped. Seriously, my brain was too full of things and ideas and plans, etc.
I re-vamped my class schedule {which still is not updated in my Paddywacks Studio website - hopefully tomorrow :) }, then I decided to join in the Blissfest activities with only about three weeks to prepare. wow. I already had a small supply of things for sale at Blissful Living Studios, but not nearly enough to fill a booth.

So, I got my idea lists out and figured what I wanted to make with all the supplies I had {lots of shirts!}. I thought about what I like to buy at craft shows...with little money to spend. I just like a little something fun. A nic-knack! That's really what Paddywacks Studio is all about. My love of the small, sweet handmade thing that makes everyday stuff more fun and personal.

Here I am showing my niece some of the goodies. I'm glad I enjoy sewing so much! I was rather amazed that I didn't get sick of it through that last week of preparing. Then, when I saw just how much I had made all spread out in the booth, I was amazed again. And thankful - for talents and skills that I've developed over the years. I really loved making every single thing, and I'm excited to make more funky re-creations!

The picture below is of my planner covers. I love, love, love them. They have pockets inside, and, well, they just make me happy. :) I made one early this year and have enjoyed it so much! Now, I can't decide which new one I want to keep for my 2009 planner...

Vintage linens made into sachets. Not many people are "into" sachets. I, however, really love to keep them in my drawers and other places. It makes putting laundry away more fun when there is something special and pretty to nestle in my clothes. This is a home keeping ritual I embrace! I also keep vintage hankies in my purse...

Lots of scrap shirts! I made 133 shirts for the Blissfest. Amazing! Each one thoughtfully designed and carefully sewn. The really cool thing is that no two are alike! One-of-a-kind.

About these aprons, I love them - they are so fun to make! Like a little artsy collage to wear. They're not so much for protecting your clothes while cooking. Rather, they are a lifestyle tool. I live a creative lifestyle {everyone can, I believe - try it!}. These little aprons are just the perfect thing for wearing around the house. I keep many various items in the big pockets - note paper and pen, scissors, my cell phone, lip gloss, a Hershey kiss or two, gum, my boy's little action figures, my girl's bobby pins from all over the house, small prizes for my kids - you get the drift. I just feel more creative and fun when I've got my apron on.:)

More nic-knacks from Paddywacks Studio. Rosy Toes shoe stuffers. I realized after-the-fact that some people must have felt a little awkward sniffing my shoes to sample the scent of the shoe stuffers! Then there were a few folks who mused aloud that they couldn't give the Rosy Toes to a friend because their friends don't have stinky feet! Funny! I love to use the Rosy Toes to keep the fronts of my shoes in nice shape. Yes, I'm a shoe lover!! I buy shoes as souvenirs when I travel. :) I'd have shoe stuffers in all my shoes if I ever had time to make that many - ha, ha, ha. I'm going to add a neat travel pouch for shoes to go with the Rosy Toes. That way, shoes will be protected and smell sweet and fresh (like strawberry or cucumber) in the suitcase. Yum.

Tissue covers made from the shirt sleeves. I love them! And the button pin is so fun. :)

Jewelry...my button bracelets and Charming Magpie necklaces made partly from vintage and reclaimed pieces. Everything has got to have a little "past". These are another favorite of mine. I'd like to keep all of them!! Zipper coin pouches and cosmetic pouches with fun messages. The knit lining and words are from the leftover tee-shirt fabric after I've cut it up for scrap shirts.

A couple of the kids shirts for holidays. I really will take more pictures of my scrap shirts. There are so many fun words...

I just have to say that I'm really grateful for my nieces who came over and helped me with the final "push" before Blissfest. It was so much fun to work together! I also appreciate my parents who helped with the little boys all the week before so I'd have extra time to sew. My Dad helped so much getting the tent set up and hauling stuff around. What a wonderful, generous family I have!

I think about Stephanie and Christian Neilson a lot. Their tragic accident has put life into perspective for many people, I'm sure. We try to be more aware of the things in life that bring us real joy - and be grateful every day for them. That is real bliss.

My littlest cutie at the Blissfest.

More later - I won't wait a whole month to post. Check back soon! :)

Art and craft and all my stuff...

I really should have started organizing and sorting before now...oh well! I'm super excited because it's time for our home addition to really get moving. We're adding about 4000 sq feet to our home - included in that is an art and craft room for me (wow)! Finally, tomorrow they'll open up the walls and connect the new and existing spaces. So, I've been busy shuffling kids and stuff (all my art and craft things) to new places. My boys have to share other rooms , and sort of camp out until we're all done in August. It's going to be an exciting summer - we'll probably escape up to the cabin quite a lot...

Here's my new craft space - a whole room with a nice window that opens to the front yard! There'll be a sink under the window. Now I need to plan the layout of the studio space. Sewing (I have three machines), hand work, papercrafts, jewelry, floral stuff, work space, and storage for supplies. Any advice out there??? I really want to plan well ...

This is our guest room which I've gradually overtaken. There was a bed where that table is just a couple of days ago (it was also covered with stuff!), and most of the little shelves and things were in the closet, which I just had to empty because it's going to be deconstructed! I took this picture just now - in the middle of sorting and deciding what to keep here and what to temporarily store until the new space is finished. As you may imagine, I think I need to keep EVERYTHING - but there really isn't room. ha! I feel really blessed to have a whole room of my own to create in. I've always had crafting things (sewing machines at least) out and at the ready. I can't imagine living without these things... in one little house, I set up my crafting station in the hallway!

Back to the work of it all... I'd love any advice about creating my new studio!!