Inspire Me!

        I know, I know, I am have been M.I.A but I am alive and well. I am have spent the last 5 months trying to adjust to a new normal. Let me say it hasn't been easy and I keep putting off those things that are normal to me because I can't seem to get it together, things such as my blog. So tonight as I sit at my computer that little voice in my head said JUST DO IT. I don't have anything crafty to inspire you with tonight but I feared that if I didn't do this tonight I just might not do it at all. I can tell you now though, the moment my fingers touched these keys I already felt the weight lifting. :)
      
      So tonight I ask you all for a little inspiration. Inspire me, tell me what keeps you going? For me it has always been God and the way he uses the people around me to lift me up. So I thought what better place to start then here with friends. I just wish I would have done so sooner.
       
     So for now I will leave you, and myself, with a message from 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
                  
        I will be back next week! Until then......
                                                                          Hugs....... Naomi

 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