Texture Tuesdays--Theme- Orange

http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe
Stop on over to Kim's today and check out all the other blogs linking up!

I guess these can all be varying shades of orange, I couldn't decide which one to post today, so I posted all three.  Do you have a favorite?  I took all the original photos to start with.  Have a terriffic Tuesday! Michelle

Mosaic Monday

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/mosaic-monday-gardens-of-alcatraz.html
Be sure to check out Mary's blog and view the other links for Mosaic Monday.

Check out two post below for more photos with these delicious treats.  Happy Marvelous Monday, Michelle

Homes & Nesting

"In my Father's house are many rooms...I go to prepare a place for you" -John 14:2

Reading the book from last Sunday's post "We Shall See God" (Charles Spurgeon's/Randy Acorn) and devotion #35 is on  A Prepared Place For a Prepared People. 

 I'm going to mix some of my thoughts in with what I've read. So here goes, hopefully I can get across visually and with a little written word what I am feeling and take away.   As a woman, nesting is our "thing" to do, we love it, I'm thinking it's an inherited trait from our "Father".  We want our homes to look and feel and be comforting,  loving  and happy.  The photos are not ones I've take but found on the web.

The King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world".  Matthew 25:34

"Heaven is a pepared place for a prepared people" -Charles Spurgeon

Theologian Donald Bloesch suggests, "Our greatest affliction is not anxiety, or guilt, but rather homesickness-a nostalgia or continual yearning to be at home with God".

Bible scholar W. Graham Scroggie puts it this way: "Future existence is not a purely spiritual existence; it demands a life in a body, and in a material universe".

As Spurgeon says, "Brothers and sisters, he will do it well, for he knows all about us.  He knows what will give us the most happiness...I know he will prepare us nothing second rate, nothing that could possibly be excelled.  We shall have the best of the best, and much of it; we shall have all that even his great heart can give us."

PAISE GOD, praise God, Can you even imagine....Thank you Jesus!

Blessings, Michelle

Kisses & the color RED=Heart it!

Visiting Pinterest and saw a photo with this idea of raspberries and chocolate, so I just happened to be at the grocery store again...feel like I live there.  I do beleive the fruit cancels out the chocolate so they it is a healthy desert!  I have to tell you they are delicious...the berries are in season now where I live and they just burst with sweet juice when you bite into them!!!  Enjoy the photos, I had lots of fun, simple, simple, simple.

 

A Little "Eye Candy" to start your weekend off!  I think you could add a glass of champagne and it would be make a spectacular night!  Hugs, Michelle

Irish Chain Quilt

This is a client's quilt that I quilted this summer, it was beautifully pieced, and I really looked for a design that went well with her use of color with the cream and it flowed very nicely.  The last pic is of the backing border.  She had this top laying around for a few years and just hadn't done anything with it.  I love to quilt these and bring them to "life" to be loved.
Hugs, Michelle

Praise God-Heaven is on my mind!

I shall rise from the dead...I shall see the Son of God, the Sun of Glory, and shine myself as that sun shines.  I shall be united to the Ancient of Days, to God himself, who had no morning, never began...No man ever saw God and lived.  And yet, I shall not live til I see God; and when I have seen him, I shall never die  --John Donne



I have one of her CD's and I can tell you it is beautiful to listen to.

Saturday night at one of my faviorte places, Barnes & Noble, tonight I came home with this book:  A 50 sermon compilation of Devotions.

Author Randy Alcorn has compiled the most profound spiritual insights on the topic of eternity from Charles Spurgeon's sermons and arranged them into an easily-accessible, highly inspirational format.


Prepare to experience paradise!

No author in history has more material in print than Charles Spurgeon. Today, more than a century after his death, countless people continue to have a passion for this London preacher, and more and more continue to discover him every day.

Some of Spurgeon's most powerful sermons were those that he preached on the topic of Heaven. Up until now, however, very few of these sermons have been accessible to a mass audience.

In what is sure to become an instant classic, best-selling author Randy Alcorn has compiled the most profound spiritual insights on the topic of eternity from these sermons and arranged them into an easily-accessible, highly inspirational format complete with his own comments and devotional thoughts.

Whether you are familiar with the works of Charles Spurgeon or not, you are in for a treat as Alcorn invites you to sit at the feet of the Prince of Preachers and discover timeless pearls of wisdom about Heaven from one of the greatest theologians of all time.

Charles Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. He served for thirty years at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, and it is estimated that during his lifetime, he preached to more than 10 million people. His collected sermons fill sixty-three volumes and remain one of the best-selling writing series in history.

Interesting isn't it, to think about Charles Spurgeon and the 1800's and his preaching.  I'm intrigued.

Blessings, Michelle

Pink Saturday

Stop over to our hostess  sweet Beverly and check out all the other linked blogs.
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Random pinks today, as I'm sitting outside enjoying the warm weather, movement of the pond water and sun glistening upon it, and listening to the sounds of summer.  The wind is blowing a sweet breeze, the birds are chirping a song, and it is peaceful in the neightborhood {there are lots of kids not a peep, not even any lawn mowing}.

Love these late blooming annual zinnias, and they last long once cut!

Come clematis decided to creep down and join in some conversing with the black eye susans.

A little sneak peak at a quilt I've been working on for myself, with all my favorite rose prints and quilting roses!

Another pretty new daylilly I planted this year, I was so thrilled they even bloomed this year.

My coleus took off like crazy this year, they are about at least 2 feet high, and I kept pinching them back so, they are pretty bushy too.

Happy Pink Saturday, have a great week! Hugs, Michelle

Granny Square Blanket Update #3

Thought I'd toss the blanket in the garden for a photo or two, just for some added fun.

Since there seemed to be lots of flowers around with multiple colors just like my blanket!

The larger it gets the slower the color changes go, I think I'm in row thirty something, here, I have since surpassed the photos.

Starting this project, I was thinking it would be nice to have a blanket that was a different texture than all the quilts, but I do have to say I am really loving this project, very addictig, I used wool-washable.  You can scroll down to see previous posts on this.

Texture Tuesdays-Movie-"The Holiday"

http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe
Stop over to Kim's to check out all the other links. 

This week's theme was is A MOVIE.. pick any movie, your favorite movie, the photo just has to go along with the the title or scene from the movie.

I picked the Movie "The Holiday" because it reminded me of my photo I wanted to use, of course I could have picked the movies Home Alone, but the photo really went straight the the other movie for me.  The movie had one location  featuring a cottage in England and hence my slection for today.

The Holiday - In London, Iris Simpkins writes a wedding column in a newspaper and nurtures an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom. Near Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged to marry another colleague, and her life turns upside down. In Los Angeles, the movie-trailers maker Amanda Woods has just broken with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and wants to forget him. Through a house exchange website, Amanda impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey for the holidays. While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Iris meets her new next door neighbor, the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur, who helps her retrieve her self-esteem, and the film composer Miles, with whom she falls in love with.

I photographed a friends gardens and she has the most adorable 1940's cottage style home. I applied a couple of textures and I'm very pleased with the result.  Blessings, Michelle

Pink Saturday-miricle makeover

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/08/pink-saturday-and-a-miracle-makeover-august-13-2011.html

Well, intranet kept me for posting for 3 days, now I lost my post, so I'm trying again.

Please stop over at the above link and view the videos and leave comments on the other blogs that have linked up.

help to raise money for another Miracle Makeover.
Welcome to Pink Saturday. Please link and join in the fun. Please join us by linking your Pink Saturday post permalink using the linking tool provided at the bottom of this post.
Linking begins at 3 p.m. EST every Friday and continues through midnight Sunday night.
So, be sure to link and show us your Pink and share your blessings. Be certain to link using your pink post permalink. And please remember to include a link back to my blog within your post so that your visitors will be able to visit here.

And,
the big news is that your blessing post will earn another $5 donation toward the next Miracle Makeover. You just need to e-mail info@miraclemakeover.org so they can count your post toward the total.

I want to thank those of you that take the time to leave me a comment.

Each comment you leave here and at each of the other Miracle Makeover host blogs earns a $1 donation for the next Miracle Makeover.

The goal this weekend is 5,000 comments.
Please, Please, Please leave your comments here on this post.
One Comment From You Left Here & at the 4 Blogs linked below =
$ 5 Donation on your behalf from Design Gives
Design Gives Back @Design Gives Back/Kelee
Spiritual Sunday @Spiritual Sunday/Charlotte & Ginger
Country Wings in Phoenix @Country Wings in Phoenix/Sherry
Metamorphosis Monday @Between Naps On The Porch/Susan -
comments on Monday Only
Art Therapy/Expressive Arts @Art Therapy
*********************************
Following is more information you need
to put your comments and posts
to work for another Miracle Makeover.
Here is a special message from Kelee:

Here are some details for you:
There will be many places for folks to help earn donations by JOINING - Commenting - Like ' ing - Or Posting. Here is how it works in 4 WAYS:

1) Comments: Comments at any of the host blogs earn $1 each.
2) Joining Google Friend Connect: We have createding our volunteer blogger roster of the future thru Google Friend Connect.
We will Donate $1 for each person that joins Design Gives Back Google Friend Connect. PLEASE come by now to connect! :):)
3) Facebook: "Liking" Design Gives Back/or Guideposts Facebook earns .50 each donation from us and comments earn $1.
4) Anyone that does a post with something positive, uplifting, spiritual or miraculous and a link to the video or embedded video and link to us will earn a $5 donation from us to the charities!!!
They must email us the link to their post.--- So it gets counted. E-mail: info@miraclemakeover.org
Bless your 1,000 Times.....

HUGS with Gratitude and Anticipation!
Kelee

Texture Tuesdays

My first Texture Tuesday, I'm joining in.  After stumbling upon Kim Klasson's blog from another fellow blogger Arful Diva {Pat}, I tried for the first time using layers....need I say anything more, I'm addicted, so much fun and with Kim's tutorial, so easy.  Not sure about the rights and wrongs, but I am just playing around with textures and opacities until I see what I like.  Please stop over and
check out the blog and other posts.  http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe

Here's the before, hopefully someone will tell me how to post so you just run the mouse over it to see the before, until then I can only offer two photos to see individually.  :)

With a couple of alterations, here's the after.  .

This week's theme was "the little things".  To me just just one flower, any little flower can inspire to boost me up, even wildflowers.  The color, shape, fragrance, texture, all make me happy.  So a little Queen Ann's Lace with some of Kim's texture layers and what a difference.

Have a terrific tuesday! Hugs, Michelle

Praise God-You tell on Yourself

"the older women [are to] be reverent in behavior"
Titus 2:3
? am I, over 5 decades now, I guess I now started considering myself an "older woman"....

You Tell on Yourself


You tell on yourse;f by the friend syou seek,
By the very manner in which you speak,
By the way you employ your leisure time,
By the use you make of dollar and dime.


You tell what you are by the things you wear,
By the spirit in which you burdens bear,
By the kind of things at which you laugh,
By the records you play on the phonograph.


You tell what you are by the way you walk,
By the things of which you delight to talk,
By the manner in which you bear defeat,
By so simple a thing as how you eat.


By the books you choose from well-filled shelf:
In these ways and more, you tell on yourself.


Taken from "A Woman's High Callling" by Elizabeth George

Blessings, Michelle

Pink Saturday-Photoshop Filters and Textures

Pink Saturday-stop on over to Beverly our lovely hostess and check out all of the links. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com//

Before and Afters...just for FUN--
As I was visiting Pat, Artful Diva, http://patkumicich.blogspot.com/,  from Last Pink Saturday, her post lead me to a new blog, http://www.kimklassencafe.com/thecafe, which lead me to another new blog, http://pixeldustphotoart.blogspot.com/ and so on.  Before you knew it I was hooked on using layers/textures in Photoshop, I had used filters before but not experiemented with layers.  Kim Klassen has a wonderful tutorial video, two on using layers in photoshop, watched them for 5 minutes and I was off.  So watch for me joining in Texture Tuesdays that Kim coordinates, so much fun to come.

From my garden, Before.  {very sweet fragance}

And a filter and layer texture and a little adjustment with opacity and the After.

Again the Before with so many possibilities awaiting....

After...so which do you like the before shots or the manipulated afterward photos?
Happy Pink Saturday, have a great week, hugs, Michelle