I have the loveliest neighbor. She invited us to help her decorate her gorgeous church for their Thanksgiving service. We accepted with pleasure. It is a beautiful place of worship. It was built in the late 1900s. I took some photos of the inside, and the spectacular stained glass windows for you to enjoy.

The windows created a bright kaleidoscope of colors.

We filled the altar with all kinds of pumpkins, gourds and leaves.

It looked beautiful after she was done directing all our decorating.

As we turned out the lights in the sanctuary to leave, the windows glowed even brighter. A quiet stillness settled over the place filling my heart with peace.

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving. I'm pulling out my Christmas decorations as I write this. I will post some photos soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo BHG

I just finished this order of small, jeweled-colored, shoes this weekend. They are going to be birthday gifts. I love the mix of silk cloth with the vintage papers. They were so happy looking . . . I wanted to share them with you before taking my Thanksgiving break.

Wishing you all a beautiful Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and joy!

New Shoes for the Queen

Marie de Fete

Being a part of Gabriela's Marie de Fete is just the thing I needed to spur some creativity on my part.

WHITE SWAN

BLACK SWAN

MARIE'S CORONATION SHOE

A Busy Week and New Storage

Hi everyone!

It's been a really busy week for me, and I haven’t been able to visit much. I'll be sharing what has kept me busy soon, so stay tuned . . .

Meanwhile . . .

I'm always looking for ways to store items in our little home, and this fits the bill perfectly. This roll away vintage basket will now tote papers and supplies for me throughout our home. I don’t have a permanent work space, so this rolling basket makes it easy to set up anywhere.

The handle of this basket was a bit rough and rusty. I wrapped a ribbon around it, and added the millinery flower for whimsy.

The inside liner is a large antique monogrammed pillow case. I've had this pillow case stored away for years. It's nice to see it out and having a useful life.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

A Heart Full of Love ~ Another Shoe Workshop

I had the opportunity this Friday to be a part of another wonderful shoe making workshop with the fabulous Miss Ulla. It was a workshop given by a special lady for her friends, on her birthday.

Each student was a pleasure to teach. We told funny stories, laughed, drank tea together and created away. A beautiful luncheon was served in one of the most gorgeous homes I've ever been in.

The hostess was a kindred spirit in her likes and loves. Each decoration for her home had been selected in thoughtful contemplation and placed with love. Whenever I enter a home like this I absorb the beauty and it makes me very emotional.

But what gave me the most cause for emotion was the hostess herself. She moved with grace and ease as she made sure that everyone was comfortable in her home and gorgeous workspace. If anything was needed, she was there to provide it quickly. In every conversation I had, her friends spoke of her love for others and her generosity. One woman told me this, "Her heart is full of love. She always thinks of others first. She is always there to help." Each story was personal and heartfelt.

Here is a small peek into the day . . .

Her amazing work studio

This space could definitely be featured in Where Women Create!

I love the installation our hostess created on the ceiling.

Does this shoe look familiar?

One of the student's shoes in progress

Love this tailor dummy

A wonderful assortment of vintage flowers

One of my favorite details in the room, a gorgeous gilded French chair. I'm not sure if I've ever shared with you all about how much I adore antique French chairs. If I had a collection this one would DEFINITELY be in included!!

Ex Voto

This sweet little Santo made me smile.

This is the only photo I took inside her home. When I walked through the door, this painting stopped me dead in my tracks. I felt overcome with emotion. It spoke to my heart. The really neat thing is that when I asked about the painting, it turned out to be her very favorite painting in her home. See what I mean by kindred spirit?

Thank you Kristine for including me in this very special day. My heart and eyes were filled with the beauty of your spirit.

Thank you too, Miss Ulla! Every teaching experience with you is magical! Until the next time . . .

Diamond in the Rough . . . or More of She Can't Not Touch

There it sat, shoved away in the back behind a bunch of stuff on the shelf in a locked cabinet. There was something about it that called to her. She asked the lady what it was. The shop worker unearthed it from underneath the pile. It was a pillow with vintage trims attached. She looked at it and handed it back with a thank you and moved on down the aisle.

She was looking for a good display pillow, and this wasn't it. She walked around a bit more, but found herself drawn back to the gaudy pillow. The pillow had been buried back under the pile and locked once more in the case.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but could I take one more look at the pillow?"

"Sure thing." The shop worker pulled it out of the cabinet again. "It's on sale, and the vintage trims are really nice."

"How much is it?" she inquired.

The price was next to nothing.

She thought maybe she could transform it. She bought it, and drove home.

When she brought it out of the bag, it was worse than she remembered. She began pulling the trims off, and discovered, to her horror, they had been hot-glued down. Glue?! she thought. What a mess! Who would use glue to attach this kind of millinery?

She tried ironing out the glue, but the material was beginning to stain.

It seemed a total loss. Then she thought. . . I'll just cut out all the glue gun part, and tuck the the material under. There was a pretty pink pillow insert underneath. After that it looked much better, but a tiny spot of the accursed glue remained on the pink pillow insert. Arghhh! What now?

She ran to her stash of ribbons and pulled out her very favorite. She took out a needle and thread, and painstakingly attached the French vintage rosette ribbons.

She stood back. "Yes," she sighed. "My soul is now content."

Until the next diamond in the rough . . .

Moon Dreams

The moon was full and beautiful last night. It was the perfect photo moment. I can't believe how the camera captured its beauty.

Photo by Fete et Fleur

Moon Dreams
by Nancy Burns

Silver energy,
Your beauty fills the sky

Silent glowing,
You look into my eyes

Beautiful Dreamer,
I must say goodbye

Until we meet again,
The sun has arrived