God's winter beauty

A cold winter day at the beach, Olcott Beach, Lake Ontario.  Brrr, brrr!  Actually was warmed up to about 37 degrees, but that wind was making it feel much colder and this was a warm up for us.  Back down to the 20's this week, from up from the single digits we've been having.  I just felt so cooped up I had to get outside and take a few photographs. 

Enjoying His creation even in the cold temperatures you can find beauty. 
Blessings, Michelle

Coffee for your Heart

Today's theme:  is "You're Loved", from Holley Gerth, linking up over here:  http://holleygerth.com/youre-loved-coffee-for-your-heart/

Grab your coffee, smoothie, tea, lemonade, water bottle, or milkshake and sit and soak in these beautiful words form His book.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made compete in us.  --1st John 4:  7-12

Amazing how much our Father loves us, no one can take that away from you, relish in it, give Him thanks and praise and glory!

Blessings my friends, xoxo Michelle, loved by God

Coffee for your Heart

I'm joining in with Holley Gerth each Wednesday for the "Coffee for your Heart" Encouragement Challenge for 2014. Today is the first. Make sure you stop over and visit all the other great links. http://holleygerth.com/


This week Holley's prompt was: “What encouraging words do you want the people you care about to hear as they begin a new year?”. So grab your coffee, tea or water bottle and spend some time filling your heart and mind with the good stuff.


Reading through scripture these verses spoke to me: Jude 1:1-2 Christians everywhere--beloved of God and chosen by Him. May you be given more and more of God's kindness, peace, and love.


What an awesome way to start the new year to mediate on how we were chosen by Him and that we are His beloved, isn't that beautiful, doesn't that make you smile and feel good. To wish you this New Year more and more of God's kindness, peace and love, who doesn't want more and more of that, yes please! Amen.


Blessings, Michelle, child of God, chosen and beloved.


Sorry no photo, having problems with blogger loading one, :(

Christmas table runners and pillow cases

I just learned how to make these cute little table runners and they are so much fun, I have a few of them listed in my etsy store, and will be making a few more in the next week.

 Here are two sets of pillow cases I made for the my kids, I thought it would be fun to bring a little Christmas spirit into the bedrooms.  There are such beautiful fabrics available it is just so much fun making up so many combinations.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Blessings, Michelle

Kenan Quilt Show

Attended a great Quilt show last Sunday with so many beautiful quilts to show you.  I'll take a few posts to do so.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spend the time there and enjoy the show the way I wanted to because of a back injury, but I did manage to snap a photo of each quilt quickly and leave, so at least I can enjoy them electronically. 

 

It always amazes me the perspective from a distance and then viewing up close, I wish I had been able to take some close ups of each quilt, but time would not allow.  Hope you are inspired and encouraged with the eye candy. 
Blessings, Michelle

Gates of Pearl-God Sized Dreams

Excitement, excitement for me, because Gates of Pearl is a project I've been working on for a very, very long time and am so happy to finally complete my small dream.   I have all my loves into this, love of God, love of  photography, love of quilting, love of knitting/crochet, love of stamping,  love of reading, love of flowers all combined together.

 I'm not a writer, so creating a book is really just a love of photographs and words from the Bible (http://zondervan.com/bibles) and some other's written inspiration, photos with scriptures along with a couple of prayers and inspirational pieces.   I've created this into 3 separate books (which can be ordered in softcover or as an e-book)  from HP Magcloud :  http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/609976

 I thank my heavenly Father for the inspiration and gift of creation and Holly Gerth (http://holleygerth.com/) for the encouragement through "God Sized Dreams".

As always, anytime you try to encourage other's, which I hope that this does, it always comes back and refreshes yourself.    Blessing to you, Michelle

 

Zinnias and more Zinnias

Garden Zinnia's the workhorse of the garden, I've really enjoyed playing with them this year, so many beautiful shades of colors.
Linking up with Pink Saturday today too, go check out all the pinks,
with Beverly for Pink Saturday:  http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

 

 

You can't see to much in this photo, but the hanki is a really pretty fall one that I'm enjoying using.

Happy Pink Saturday, enjoy His beauty all around.  Blessings, Michelle

Fall Quilts & Quilted Pillows

Fall decorating, started inside with a table runner, pillows and a couple of quilts.  Then I decided I wanted to make a new fall quilt too.

 Linking up with Beverly for Pink Saturday:  http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

New fall quilt idea, starts with scouring the books for a pattern...short on time, so a simple patchwork is the answer and I found it here:

 Decided on the Rattan Squares pattern to showcase some really pretty warm toned fabrics. 

Roman glass, the red looking fabric here will be the sashing with the smaller square in between with the orange background and then the binding in the multi mirage striped looking fabric.

 

An assortment of Kaffe Fassett fabrics will be the larger squares in oranges, yellows, brown multi-fall looking tones.

So here a photo of the large squares, sashing with small blocks and the binding.  I hope to have the entire top pieced by next Saturday, so stop on by and see the progress.  Have a great weekend! 
Happy Pink Saturday, Michelle