Friday's Fabulous Finds . . .

I spy with my Etsy eye

some kind of wonderful...

Clockwise, starting top left:

Felted Baby Top

Wrist Corsage 

Triple Drop Earrings

Buckle Shoes

Pendant Light

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

August Plaque Attack is here . . .

I can't believe the Plaque Attack Club is almost a year old. Last September I started the club and with the completion of August's plaque every month of the year is symbolized in a plaque! In September we will continue on with the Plaque Attack Club with a different format. We'll use the same plaques but the wording will reflect important things or events in our lives! Should be fun and I'm looking forward to it. As I plan the plaques, it will be a little more interactive as I will ask for your advice and help in coming up with the wording and subject matter! All in good time...

Lemonade, county fairs, and fresh fruit represent the last days of summer and the month of August to me!

Without further ado, let me introduce the

August Plaque Attack...

In order to receive the August Plaque Attack PDF,

please follow the instructions below...

For those new to the "Plaque Attack Club," last September I introduced a new monthly feature on my blog and christened it "Plaque Attack." The best way to describe "Plaque Attack" is that it is a free plaque-of-the-month club. Each month, a few days before a new month begins, I will make a post featuring a new plaque. The plaque wording reflects holidays or activities unique to the coming month. If you are new to the "Plaque Attack Club" know that you'll need to check back every month to receive each new document. 

For a list of supplies and a tutorial on how to make these plaques, go here. I am offering August's Plaque Attack in a downloadable PDF document via Google Docs. As always it is free of charge. If possible, before you download the doc would you consider becoming a follower and be so kind as to leave a comment below?  

Important: The PDF Google Doc version is 1/8" smaller than the emailed Word version. After downloading the PDF, print it off on plain paper to determine the size. If you'd like it a little bigger, then request the Word document through email. 

Once you are viewing the document in Goggle Docs, you can click "File" to the left of the document for download options. Select "Download original" to download the file to your desktop or select "Print PDF" to print the file immediately.

If for any reason you would rather email me to request your Plaque Attack, feel free to do so. My email address is located on my sidebar. Just add "August Plaque Attack" in the subject line of your email and please remember to leave a comment below.

By downloading this copyrighted document you agree not to sell the document or sell any items that use this document. It is for personal use only. You may make as many copies for yourself or to use as gifts as you would like. If you post about your plaque on your blog, please link back to this blog post for your readers to receive the document. Thank you!

Click here to download

the August Plaque Attack document! 
 

If you are a newcomer to the Plaque Attack Club and would like the previous plaque documents, just email me with your request! My email address is on my sidebar. In the email make sure you mention which months you are requesting!

Favorite Craft

Still away cuddling grandkids, but I have one last post for review while I'm away.

This post was a favorite for viewers, but it isn't one of my most viewed posts. It does explain, however, how to create my most favorite craft idea ever. Every time I walk by this feature in our home, I smile and my heart goes pitter-patter. People visiting our home are drawn to this wall feature and love the sentiment expressed.

Go here to find out what I did with all these crazy frames...

Hope you're having a great day!

Friday's Fabulous Finds . . .

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

tangerine.

 

Clockwise, starting top left:

Cinnamon Orange Scented Candle
Edible Oyster Candy
Orange Heart Copper Necklace
Pumpkin Leather Briefcase
Wall Decal

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!

Most Viewed Posts continued . . .

Yesterday I mentioned that I'm away visiting a new grandbaby and his family this week, so I am highlighting most viewed posts from days gone by.

My second and third most viewed posts are both about birdies that are meant to bring comfort to little ones. The first is...

the Chick-sicle!

Goodness, I love these quirky little chickies! They are rice-filled cooling pads {that are stored in the freezer} for children to use when they need a something cold and soothing to put on their boo-boos. You can find the pattern and tutorial here.

My third most read post features another birdie...

the Love Bird!

This rice-filled heating pad for children is perfect for those winter months when they need a little something warm tucked into bed with them. This heating pad also soothes muscles pains and tummy aches. Go here for the complete tutorial and pattern for the Love Bird!

Have a great day!

Most Viewed Post . . .

I'm away visiting a new grandbaby and his family this week, so I thought I would highlight some of my more popular posts from days gone by during the week that I'm gone. This particular post has been my all-time most viewed post. That surprises me a little. I wrote it about a year and a half ago when I didn't have many followers, so I imagine many of you have not viewed this post.

I made this pillow for my mother for her birthday. It sits in her family room on a beautiful fabric covered chair something like this. You'll find a complete tutorial on how to gather fabric and how to make this pillow here...

Have a wonderful day!

Bloomin' Tuesday . . .

There's one in every crowd. You know the type. The one who craves attention and wants everyone's focus directed entirely on him. Right around the time my "Forever Stella" daylilies are starting to wane, out pops this attention grabber. When I bought my daylilies and planted them, this particular daylily was mislabeled. I planted him smack dab in the middle of the bunch. His foliage is about the same size as my Stellas, but his blooms shoot two feet higher than those around him. Geesh.

I will admit, however, that he is pretty good looking...

We've had very warm weather the last couple of weeks. Most of my garden is aching for a little relief, but some shade plants seem to do well with a little extra heat. My impatiens have finally filled in the area around my birdie fountain...

Can you see the hitchhiker on one of the birds?

With the warmer days my morning glory have started to sprout and climb. Their beautiful little faces give me so much pleasure. The rich bluish-purple variety below is one of my favorites. It's called "Grandpa Ott."

These flowers reseed themselves yearly, so I hardly have to plant any seeds each year. I know in certain climates morning glories are a noxious weed, but in Colorado they completely die back each fall, so they are considered a desirable plant.

Below is a new variety that I planted this year. Their flowers are small -- only about one and a half inches wide. Aren't they gorgeous?

Later this summer, I'll highlight the morning glories again. They are most beautiful toward the end of the summer.

For more gardening posts go here:

Bloomin' Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jeans's
Garden Tuesday @ Sidewalk Shoes
Tuesday Garden @ An Oregon Cottage

Friday's Fabulous Finds . . .

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

delightfully unique.

Clockwise, starting top left:
Laser Cut Wooden Alphabet Initial
Newborn Headband
Vintage Fabric Pendant
Chevron Notebook
Weekender Canvas Bag
Fine Art Print

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Another Arrival . . .

Our "July" grandbaby -- a little boy -- joined our family yesterday...

Isn't he adorable!?!

Bloomin' Tuesday . . .

It looks like we have a bumper crop this year...

I love the fruit trees in our backyard. We have two apple, a cherry, a pear and a peach. The cherries always are the first to ripen -- usually around the 4th of July. This year the cherries are a week or two behind schedule, but the tree is loaded with these gorgeous crimson orbs ...

When we have a crop like this I usually pick all we can handle and then let neighbors fill their buckets! We're very popular this time of year in our neighborhood.

A little later this week I'll be making some cherry jam -- one of my favorite things to do mid-summer. It makes me feel productive.

There's nothing better than a countertop filled with these...

...except maybe this -- some homemade Artisan Bread slathered with butter and homemade jam...

Linked to:
Bloomin' Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jeans
Garden Tuesday @ Sidewalk Shoes
Tuesday Garden @ An Oregon Cottage

Binky Bag . . .

The other day I was visiting my favorite blogs when I came upon this post at "Make It - Love It." Because of all the infants we have and are expecting in our family by the end of the summer, I'm loving anything baby-oriented lately.

I read over that post and although I thought the Pacifier Pocket was a cute idea at first glance I didn't know how useful it would be. It seemed to me that most diaper bags these days have a number of pockets to store a Binky in, so it seemed a little redundant to attach a little pouch onto the diaper bag to hold a Binky. Still, the idea kept percolating in my mind...

Finally, as I thought about possible scenarios I realized the wisdom in {what I will call} a Binky Bag. Consider the following experience which may help you to understand the prudence in owning a Binky Bag.

{This may or may not be a true-life experience.}

A young mother is walking her infant through the mall when the baby becomes irritable and requires a pacifier. Wasting no time said mother reaches for her diaper bag stored conveniently in the basket under the seat of her stroller. {Baby is becoming more and more agitated.} Eventually the mother is able to wrestle the diaper bag from its cubby-hole, and she begins the frantic search for a Binky to soothe the frayed nerves of the infant. She finally locates the Binky tucked, not in the pocket where it belongs, but "conveniently" located between the clean flaps of a disposable diaper -- just as the infant's screams reach the decibel level of a jet at takeoff. As scary as this scenario is, we've all been there...

After recalling about a million of these types of experiences I began to see the wisdom of having a Binky Bag close at hand. I considered making the Pacifier Pocket from the pattern linked in the post at Make It and Love It, but instead I chose to design my own pattern. (Mine's an easier pattern to make.)

If I was young mother I'd have about twelve of these -- per child. 

I'd put one here...

and here...

and here...

...and then I'd hang one from a chain around my neck. Don't judge. A pacifier is very important to a mother child.

I plan on making this pattern available at some point in time, but it may not be for a few weeks. Baby season has commenced in our family (another grandbaby is due on Tuesday), and I don't plan on doing much more than rocking infants, taking care of their mothers, and playing with the baby's siblings for the next couple of months! Some things are a whole lot more important than sewing.  ;o)

Have a great day! 

Linked to:
Strut Your Stuff Baby Ideas @ Somewhat Simple
Running with Glitter Linky Party
Mad Skills Monday @ Support Blog for Moms of Boys

Thankful Thoughts

What surprised me this week?

My husband is a do-it-yourselfer. This characteristic was passed down from his father. For example when the hubs was a young boy his parents decided to put in a swimming pool. They had four "strapping" sons so instead of hiring someone with a backhoe to dig the hole, his father gave each one of his sons a pick and shovel and put them to work. It took the good part of a summer to get 'er done. Soon after we married my husband told me that story. At the time I thought his father was on the cruel side to demand such from his boys. Later, after I'd birthed five boys of my own, I realized my father-in-law's perfect wisdom. He kept his boys busy and out of trouble for most of the summer with that and other similar projects. Pure genius.

My husband couldn't help but be influenced by his upbringing. This became apparent for the umpteenth time this week when he decided to take down one of our sickly aspen trees in our backyard. Instead of going next door and asking our neighbor if he could {please} borrow his chain saw, the hubs decided to hack it down on his own. The necessary tools were assembled ... saw, hatchet, ax, son-in-law. What surprised me was this: They had that tree down in no time. Usually when the hubs takes on a project with his bare hands, it involves the passage of time and a few choice words (mostly mine). This time that tree was felled lickity-split. Much of the credit is due to our son-in-law who has been lifting weights this summer and has the upper-body strength of an ox. {Bless him.} I'm grateful.

What inspired me this week? 

Recently I was asked to be a teacher for the women's organization of our church. Next week I'll teach my first lesson entitled, "Family Responsibilities." The lesson discusses the responsibilities of fathers, mothers, and children within the family. I've read this lesson a number of times, but this week I had an experience that gave me more insight than reading material ever could...

I have a close friend and neighbor who recently required major surgery. She has a young family and her parents live with them. I went over to my friend's home a couple of times this past week to visit her, and each time I went I noticed her mother busy at work. She was either cooking, cleaning, or herding small children here or there -- all with a light heart and a smile on her face. Through her actions she happily nurtures, teaches, and serves. She is such a wonderful example to me of a loving and effective mother. She takes her responsibilities and commitments to heart -- especially when times are difficult. 

We often think of "responsibilities" as something difficult or burdensome, but the responsibilities associated with motherhood have been such blessing in my life. It's a role that gives my life purpose, definition and direction. It also requires more of me than any other aspect of my life, thus demanding growth and fostering maturity.

I am inspired by wonderful examples of motherhood in my life and by the ever-changing, always challenging role of motherhood that is mine.

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye...

a hint of lavender.

Clockwise, starting top left:

French Blackberry Macaroons
Oatmeal Lavender Bath Soak
PomPom Hairpin
Fine Art Print
Lavender Sachet


Wishing you a wonderful weekend!