Isaiah 1:19 (NIV) If you are willing and obedient you will eat the good things of the land;
     
     I am hanging on to God's promises as always but I am in need of that little extra right now. Moving is rough stuff and not just within the city but, to a whole new state! Trusting in God and moving, whether it is literal or figurative, when he says move takes much faith and right now I am leaning wholly on God and his promises. In Jeremiah 11 the Lord declares, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
     
    Again, I have been so busy, so not much time to be crafty even though I have the quilting bug right now, bad! When the weather starts to cool It brings out the quilter in me :) Instead, I have been painting and prepping my own house for renters and while I was removing wallpaper I discovered some old school craftygirl. The walls underneath the wallpaper were sponge painted!! I had to laugh. It is so funny to see how much my decorating style has changed over the years.

Ok, don't hate. What are some decorating ideas you've had in the past, that you look back on and think, " what the heck was I thinking?"

   

                                                             Hugs.....Naomi

   It is has been one heck of a week in this crafty girls home! I have had no time for crafting even though I have had a paint brush in my hand all week. This is because we are moving!! Such an exciting but busy time. There seems to be so much to do and not enough time. We have wanted this move for so long and now it is happening. I want to share a verse with you that has been my prayer during all of this, especially when I knew this is what I wanted but it wasn't so clear as to weather or not God wanted it for us.
   Exodus 33:15 "Lord if your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from this place."
   I know now this is what God wants for us and he truly has worked out all the details and it truly was a matter of timing and I know that God is leading us out of this place and into a new one. Exodus. 33:15 will always be my prayer because I never want to be in place where God does not lead.
    
    Because things have been hectic I thought I would share with you Sophie's tea party. I had mentioned it in a previous blog posting. So here it is.

 

   

 

I used tea cups that were given to me and some were purchased at a local thrift store. Sophie's birthday is in February so there is no shortage of heart and cupcake decor during that time of year. So the cupcake toppers are heart candies and the cupcake lollipops I made out of a chocolate candy making kit I purchased at the store. I sewed linen napkins and used some decorations that were mine as child to add that little extra something. I kept the party small so that all the girls could be seated at the same table and served hot tea, fresh fruit and sandwiches. The girls had a blast. I'd say the party was a hit!

 

 

Hugs.....Naomi

 

 

   

    Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven:
     3:2b a time to plant and a time to uproot,

      It is harvesting time! Here in California we have had such unusual weather this summer that most things took much longer than they should have to grow and ripen. This week I made and canned zucchini relish. It is so yummy.....

          This is just some of the mess I made preparing the relish, mind you the floor was covered in chopped zucchini.

          The mixture all together in the bowl. Now it has to sit cover all night long.

                                     
           I know I am missing a few steps.... but here is the finished product! 


             I love canning... I have many wonderful memories of canning with my mother-in law and my mom. It is something I hope to pass on to my daughters. Canning can is very time consuming but so very worth the effort. Every time you can share a jar with someone and see them smile and every time you open a jar and know that you made it and didn't have to buy it at the store, It is so rewarding!   
              Now I want to hear about your favorite home canned goodies.        
                                   
                                                   Happy crafting and canning.
                                                  
                                                           Hugs......Naomi                

      Hello to all! This week my kids started school. Such a bittersweet time because it means the end to wonderful summer and the beginning of a new phase of life. This year my oldest entered the 5th grade!! It is hard to imagine that I am the parent of a 5th grader and to top it off my BABY started kindergarten. It is so funny seeing him in school with all the big kids and his back pack is hanging down to his knees. He is still my little guy. I get very emotional just thinking about how quickly our kids grow up and how some days just drag on but years still, somehow, seem to fly by. So today I want to share with you wonderful idea to spruce up a plain back pack. And  since this week blog is focused on our children I would also like to share with you a bible verse that has become my prayer for my children just as it was Paul, Silas and Timothy's prayer for the church of the Thessalonians.
       2Thessalonians 1:11-12 (the message) 
    To My Babies,  
         Because we (I) know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we (I) pray for you all the time - pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Mater, Jesus Christ, giving Himself freely.   Amen!
     My eyes well up every time I read this passage, it is powerful!

       So here is my kindergartner's back pack. This was an old back back but in great condition and I didn't want to buy a new one if I didn't have to but I also wanted his  first back pack to be special.

I used my GemMagic to make the N and attach the gold stars above the pocket zipper as well. The army stars were iron-ons left over from a previous project.

Let me know how you spruce up those old or plain back packs.

Hugs.....Naomi

   1Corinthians 15:57-58 "thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, Knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
  
   Hello to all my crafty friends! It has been a busy week in this crafty girls house so, much of my crafting as been more useful than creative. I have been recovering seat cushions. So in the mist of all this 1Cor. 15:57-58  and  Colossians 3:23, from a previous blog posting, have been reminders that as long as I work with all my heart as working for the Lord himself then nothing I do is vain! Even if there are times it feels that it is. I pray that these verses leave you encouraged and lifted up! 

The cushions I recovered are my patio chairs

This is the fabric to the original seat cushion and this one is actually in good shape the others were completely ripped. I am just really bad about taking before pictures! I will work on it tho.

This is the new cushion I love the fabric and the chairs are on my to do list.

These next few photos are of my dinning room table that I refinished and just recently completed the seat cushions as well.

Before.....

The afters without the completed seat cushions.....

This is the first time I have antiqued anything.

and now the seat cushions.

I went with vinyl because I have four kids and it is easier to keep than fabric.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week.

Hugs.....Naomi

   

       John15:12-13 My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
      Today I didn't have to lay down my life for a friend nor did a friend have to lay down there life for me but they did stop whatever if was that they had going on in their busy lives to share the day with me and my family. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that you are loved by your friends but an even greater feeling to know, that your friends know, that they are loved by you. So to all who shared this wonderful day celebrating my babies birthdays with me, please know that you are loved!
    I have some pictures of our beach party that even came with Nor. Cal beach weather, that is cool and overcast! Can you believe that?! Is it August 4th or what? But don't worry we rolled with and decided with this kind of beach weather we would just throw in a bonfire. It was perfect!

                                        First stop decorating goody bags.

                             The view as you walk outside where the party took place.

CUPCAKES!!

Working busily on their craft projects.

Action shot of the ice cube races..... so much fun to watch.

And the after party! The kids could not stand seeing a fire without roasting some marshmallows! I enjoyed a cup of joe with two of my favorite people! A wonderful ending to such a special day.

I would like to encourage you to love on your friends today to celebrate with the people you love and love them like Christ loves us.

I can't wait to hear about some of the parties you've put on. So please make sure to comment and share your ideas too!

Hugs.... Naomi

     This week while engaging in God's word I have been given an enlightened prospective of grace and what it truly means to show someone else grace. When we show others grace we should do so without strings attached because by definition grace is " free unmerited favor" that means we did nothing that would cause us to deserve it! We can't forgive and then put expectations on others, if we do is that truly grace? I have learned this week that the word grace get thrown around a lot but that the word itself implies so much more.
    "And now that Christ has come and died and thereby satisfied the Father's demands on sin, all we need to do is claim His grace by accepting the free gift of eternal life. Period. He smiles on us because of His Son's death and resurrection. It's grace, my friend, amazing grace." (from The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll)   
     For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16  Let this be our perfect example of GRACE!
   
     This week has been busy, busy, busy! I am getting ready for my daughter's 10th birthday and my youngest son's 5th birthday. Their birthdays are just days apart so we are going to celebrate them together, not sure how much longer I can get away with it either. So.. I am throwing them a beach themed party with some home made decor.
     I love creating banners with fabric squares. I have done many of them as a matter a fact, almost one for every holiday or season. They are so much fun and really quick and simple! For the beach party theme I went with bright colored fabrics, and then I always choose something representative of the occasion to hang on the banner as well. So for this occasion I chose surf boards!  I cut felt in the shape of surf boards and then decorated the felt with scrap fabric, spangle and some pre-cut felt flowers and I even attempted to cut my own felt flower.

The blue flower is a pre-cut flower and the black flower is one that I did.

                    These are 6in squares folded over a piece of rope I had laying around. Thought the rope added to the beach feel but I have, in the past, used yarn and raffia. 

I will be making two banners and these are the other four surf boards that I designed.

                    I would love to hear about what you are crafting!

                                                                                                   Hugs.....Naomi

    

       I'm back! My goal is to blog weekly and I will do my best to have it posted Saturday or Sunday night. I can not wait to share with you what I have been crafting this week. But First....
       This week the Lord has really spoken to me a about stewardship. I know many time when we think of being a good steward of what God give us more often than not we think of things or money. Shouldn't we also be good stewards of our talents? Using whatever gift God has blessed us with to bless others. The Bible say in Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men,".  Need I say more? Whatever your talent is or isn't do it to glorify the Lord  and you will be blessed. God knows best how your talent can serve others.
      So this brings me to this weeks project which is a new one for me.

  
                        I have never worked with grapevines before nor had I made a wreath before but oh my, I loved it and I know there will be more to come.  I took a picture before I added flowers and now after......

The next picture is of another wreath I made.

When I started creating this wreath I really had no one particular in mind I just started working. And as I went on the wreath kind of naturally took on the shape of a heart and God laid it on my heart to give it to my friend Jessica. I at this point stared questioning weather or not she would even like it but God was persistent. So the next day I took the wreath to her and she was just so blessed by it. She also told me that she likes all things heart shaped! Can you believe that? God knew before I even started working who this wreath was being made for. What an awesome God moment!

So this coming week try something new and share it with a friend! I would love to see and hear about what you are crafting. Please share! Maybe you too can inspire someone to try something new.

Have a blessed week!

              Hugs..... Naomi

                                                   

1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them- yet not I, but the grace of God was with me."

              I am starting this blog as answer to God's calling for me to be more. Not for my glory but for his. I hope to inspire you, lift you and encourage you to do something today that will be a blessing to someone else. I do that through my crafting. I am also very aware that the talent I posses comes from God.
             I am 31, a wife and mother of four beautiful and wonderful children. As they get older I realize more and more that who they will become and confidence they will have is greatly influenced by how I live my life. If I tell them that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) yet I don't also live that promise they learn nothing. So this is me stepping out and living and believing that what God promises is truth! This has been a huge leap of faith and pray that you will come on this journey with me.
              I want this to be a place to share and craft together! To be inspired!

                                                                                             Hugs.....Naomi