Time to Decorate for Easter!!

I promised Isabel I'd decorate for Easter this year because I was lazy last year and didn't.  Naturally she remembered my promise (don't they always?), so here are the decorations for this year.

 Kitchen Window - where all cats and rabbits congregate!!  Isabel made the two cat cards, one for Grandpa's birthday and one for mine (I got mine only because I whined and whined until she agreed to do one for me "just like Grandpa's"!!)

 

 Close up of "wee tiny" rabbits!

 Easter eggs are everywhere!!

The Easter Tree!!

 

Close up - Doesn't Santos Lucia look lovely next to it?  And Dundee the Cat loves to sleep here too!

 

 Rabbits here too!

 

 More eggs! Yummy colors!

I never seem to photograph the chandelier well, but there are bunnies and eggs and all sorts of little critters throughout the greenery!

A very special tree that my daughter Liz won during a church Easter function when she was about 5 or 6. Memorable to say the least, because when they called out the winning number, we heard this very small voice from far off, say "I won!! It's me!"  Everyone eventually looked UP and there the little minx was, in the uppermost branches of a HUGE tree!! Somehow I remained calm, because I didn't want to scare her.  When she finally reached the bottom, it was a different story altogether! Parenthood!

 These are so precious! They're soft and almost squishy! So sweet!!

 No shortage of eggs in this house!

One of two Easter egg wreaths that hang on the french doors. 

 Aren't these so COOL!!!???  They're in an actual egg carton half and the chicks are actually candles (although I admit to cutting the wicks off the tops of their heads).  And the outer shell is actually hard resin!  They're also removable.  Yes, I do love the holidays!!

 

Well, that's it for this post!  Hope the sun comes out for everyone like it did for us today!!

 

Love and God's Blessings, Jan

 

Fabric Collage

Creative bug is biting hard these days (it's about time!!).  I just finished a collage of fabrics that I'm crazy about. It can be framed as is, or it would work as a pillow top, or it would also make a fabulous fabric journal cover! I haven't decided if I want to try and make more of these to sell in my Etsy shop (which I haven't been doing anything with for over a year), or just do some for myself.....or both!  Decisions! Decisions!  I'd love to hear what you think!  Here it is!

I started with a vintage linen place mat for the base.  It was pure white (not my favorite color), so I tea dyed it.

Several pieces are vintage - the fluer de lis shaped applique on the right, with a vintage button in its center, and the doily underneath it.

Do you see the heart shaped piece of abalone?  Isn't that cool? I love the fact that you can find all kinds of heart shapes in nature.  

Vintage buttons here. and although it doesn't show very well, the word "Create" and the "x's" are in a lovely teal green thread.  I also tried the button hole stitch around the pink flower; I'm a little rusty, but it came out okay - I think.

 This was such a lot of fun to create. I just kept adding bits and pieces, changing some pieces out for others, and moving them around until I got the "look and feel" I wanted.  I then pinned everything in place, then hand stitched everything to the base fabric.

 It's actually kind of therapeutic, stitching all this in place. Very peaceful.

This small crocheted doilyhad been ripped, but as you can see, there's no need to throw it out. 

Almost forgot to show you what it would look like as a fabric art journal. The front.....

And the back. 

And here it is! I started it last Sunday or Monday, did some stitching on it during a couple of evenings, and finished it up this morning.  Disregarding the lousy photography, what do you think?

 

Love and Blessings, Jan