Yee Haw, Cowgirl Swap! ~Take Two~

My Cowgirl Swap goodies I sent to Liz B:
An Art Journal, 4 Altered Cards, a Lipstick Mirror & Lip Gloss.

I figure she can use these altered cards as hmmm..., altered art, or tags, or perhaps add them to an atc collection?

Lipstick mirror (aka: altered bottle cap)

And last but not least, the altered art journal, using lots of fun vintage papers, scrapbook papers, handmade paper, and pages from a vintage children's book about cowboys
(cowgirls are alot harder to come by!).
I've had a ton of fun making these lately, some of which will be in my etsy shop soon. Hope you like your goodies, Liz!

I want to thank Tina for hosting such a fun swap!

Yee Haw, Cowgirl Swap! ~Take One~

These are the goodies I recieved from my partner, Liz B for Tina's Cowgirl Swap. I wish I could link Liz, but she doesn't have a blog (yet) ;) ...I was so thrilled to see such a cute little "cowgirl" apron... she made it, and did a terrific job. Then she also made a little fabric needle book with vintage fabrics. Little did she know that I had made several felt ones, but had given them all away and didn't have one! She also sent the cutest little gun & holster with barbed wire lasso. So, so cute! And to top it all off, she personalized it with a lovely little blingy 'S' lapel pin! Thank you so very much, Liz! I love all my cowgirl goodies!

Poetic Reprieve...

I picked up a book from the Salvation Army a few years ago titled, "A World That Sings!" from Helen Lowrie Marshall. I absolutely love this little book... so many little verses that touch my heart. Even the few illustrations are quaint. I hadn't picked it up in months, and yesterday I did. And I'm so glad I did. I have felt so overwhelmed lately, and this little poem puts the REAL picture in perspective. God has such a funny way of talking to us, doesn't he? ;)

Even though we feel overwhelmed from day to day, imagine what it would be like to have ALL of life come at you in one day, rather than in the thousands of days over a lifetime? I think I'll take my small dose here and there, don't you agree? After reading this, and a couple other verses... it lead me to read some of my old children's books, including a childhood bible. Aaahhh. A breath of fresh air. I felt a bit refreshed, and hmmm, not so overwhelmed?

So I think I will share her words with you today...

ONE DAY AT A TIME

I'm glad life is given to us bit by bit,
In minutes, and days, and years;
For if we were faced with the whole of it
How filled it would be with fears;
With all of its laughter, and all of its pain,
It's sorrow and joy and care-
Why, even its beauty all at one time
Would be more than we could bear.

But God drops a bit of happiness here,
And lowers a shadow there,
and each of us has his portion of both,
The bitter and the fair.
And, whether the way be rough or fine,
It's a comforting thing to know
We've only one step to take at a time,
Just one little day to go.


{{{{{HUGS!}}}}}

100th Birthday Card...

Karla Nathan's Great Auntie is turning 100 years old this month, and she had asked her blogging friends if they could make 100 cards to give to her on her birthday. Aunt Caroline is and has been a crafty gal herself, and Karla thought it would be fun to give something crafty back to her... So she has ended up with over 100 cards to give her Aunt Caroline! You can see all the cards in her Flickr group here: Great Aunt Caroline 100 Birthday Cards

This is the card I made and sent...

A little interaction is always fun, right?

It was a fun card to create. I have so many projects going and have not cleaned up from, that I just used what was sitting around. (That's one way to tidy-up, now isn't it?)
So this is just some more of my past-due blogging! And there's yet more to come... ;)
(including my 50th post giveaway! ~
So be sure and come by again!)

POWER LAB SUCCESS!

We did it! VBS was a total success! Even with the threat of bad weather, a power outage, and a stormy morning or two.... Through it all, it proved to be a truly amazing event... Over 1,100 kids total, and a week full of spiritual blessings! I had a team of five working with me to finish odds and ends for the preschool crafts. They were a fantastic bunch of ladies, and new friendships have begun through our time spent together. The Lord poured out His blessings on us all. And I am so very thankful. The week ended with the Family Fusion Night on Friday night. There were jump houses, water slides, rock climbing, a petting zoo, popcorn, pizza, lemonade, hair painting, ice cream, kid tattoos, laser tag- whew- Let's just say a really BIG celebration! Glory, Glory! Our kids had a ton of fun, even little McKenna- she really didn't want to leave the big fire truck jump house. Bailey tried to dry off climbing the rock tower... but was still soaked through from the water slides. And Braden had the energy of the Energizer bunny still going at 9:00pm!
Still going...
and going...
and going....
which then led to be interesting because they both had friends, Amber and Jared, come spend the night! (Well, actually, it wasn't too bad- they all had the lights out and were almost asleep by 10:45... and that was after they all had showers!)

Here is what the final crafts were and how they turned out:

Day 1 Friendly First Aid Kits

(Our budget allowed 4 band aids ($store) and a smiley sticker (for cheering up ;) Pink color is a cut piece of card stock that fits snugly inside the lid portion of the soap box)

Day 2 Oozy Goop Experiment

(Recipe: 4 tbls cornstarch, 3 tbls water, 1 drop food coloring)

Day 3 Growing Friends

Day 4 Friendship Wrist-Ties (they made two, one for them and one to give to a friend and invite to church or the Family Fusion Night)

& Picture Frames...

So much fun, lots of high energy, and tons of prayers answered...

HUGS,
Shannon


Valley Creek Church

(Click into new window, then right click and save to your computer)

Show and Tell Again...

I know, I know, I've been a bad little girl and not keeping up lately! WELL..... among the end of the school year activities, VBS (Yay! it's this week!), a swap, kids library camp, kids with unexplained symptoms/sickness, and a little treasure hunting are what was and IS happening around my neck of the woods...

Heidi (Birds of a Feather) is hostess of " Show and Tell Sunday" this week and it's all about Flea Market Finds! Well, in my quest for cornstarch and (yes, you read right- cornstarch for VBS this week. LOTS and LOTS of cornstarch... 50 boxes to be exact!). Anyways- I HAD to stop by the Estate Sale on my way to the store, and I happened upon a Flea Market on my way to the other store. ;) Here's what I found... (And by clicking on Heidi's link, she has a list of S & T Sunday participants)

Vintage Journal/Record Book- 75 cents ( I have never been able to find one of these unless it was on Ebay or in an antique store for a WHOLE lot more) Most of the used pages had been cut out, unfortunately, but that's okay- there was plenty of blanks to use!


Vintage Baby Thank Yous- 75 cents for 8 w/envelopes


Vintage Children's Books- 25 cents each


Vintage Piano Books Lot of 8- $20 (Truly- I can't believe I happened upon this one)



Here's a few from past outings...

Vintage Cabinet Photos $2-$3 each


Vintage 1940's typewriter- $22 Works great!


Vintage Playing Cards- 25 cents to $1 each


Vintage 1902 Sears Catalog- $3 (Another truly amazing deal I couldn't believe!)


Wish I could find a handful of these hat pins!

Vintage Crown Brooch- $3


Pretty Pink Towl- $1



Diamonds in the rough, I say.... I love a cheap treasure! Thanks for stopping by. I have soooooo much more to share with you! Stay tuned this week... But I must be off to the church again for VBS. I will visit everyone later! ;)

Hugs,
Shannon;)

HELLLLOOOOO!!!!!!

I know it's been waaaay too long for a post. I'm post overdue! It's the end of the school year, and we are just crazy busy... I'm off to the 4th grade End-of-the-Year Party now.... Watch for new posts of the goings on- soon! ;)
HUGS! Shannon