Saturday, August 30, 2008

Wedding Bliss






Oh, how glorious was Jonathan and Johanna's wedding! Such a handsome groom and lovely bride. It was a joy to watch these special people pledge their love and commitment to God and to each other. How sweet to see two people who have waited for just the right one follow God's plan. Thank you, Jesus!

And the beautiful bride gave me the pleasure of making her jewelry for the special day. Thank you, Johanna. It was such a blessing to me to see you wear it.

I made a special pendant that is two hearts joined together. At first it was at the front of the necklace. But after trying it on, Johanna and her mom thought it might look good in the back. So, I reworked the necklace to include a pearl drop in the front and made the pendant to be a removable pendant in the back. What a wonderful idea! I am thrilled with the result. As Johanna stood at the front of the church, it looked fabulous through her veil. Then, later when she removed the veil, there was the pendant!

So many women wear their hair up for their weddings. I must say that I think Johanna and Ramona had a wonderful idea. I may have to start a bridal line of jewelry!

I can't believe that the wedding is over. It seemed to happen so fast. But, the journey of their marriage has just begun. I pray that God will richly bless them with love, joy, and peace. I pray that they will be used in a mighty way to spread the love of Jesus.















The journey begins!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Learning A Lesson

Isn't she a beauty?! Misty has been a wonderful companion for the last 10 years. What a blessing she has been to our family. But I certainly hope she has learned a lesson this week! Thursday night she had an encounter with a skunk! Oh how awful! She came back into the house and we immediately scooted her into the garage. Matt began brushing her and spraying her with Febreeze. I looked online for advice as to what to do. Washing with a mixture of peroxide, baking soda and liquid soap was what several people recommended. So, Misty had to put up with the indignity of being scrubbed with the solution. She looked so ashamed! Thankfully it was warm outside and she spent the night in the garage. Wouldn't you know, we were scheduled to leave the next day for the weekend. So our sweet neighbor had to put up with her. (She should get an award.)
Well, we are home again. The smell still lingers on Misty and our home has an odor. But it is not as bad as I feared. I dreaded it all weekend! My only hope is that she has learned a lesson, oh and I also hope that the odor leaves! Please, no more skunks!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Rings!

I decided to give making wire rings a try. It's been really fun! I've worn them for awhile and most are working out well. One of my rings, not pictured here, has problems. The crystals are breaking off.

I'm learning! I guess it's not a good idea to use square wire in the crystals. As the wire moves its broke the crystals. So, I'll keep working on it. I am enjoying wearing them. Just need to make them tougher!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Now I'm Sewing!

Jennifer has inspired me! After seeing the fun that she had making my dress, I decided to try sewing again. I have sewed in the past, but it's been about 20 years since I've done anything besides patching things. So, with apprehension, and pep talks from Jennifer, I decided to jump into handbag making!

I love looking at the fabric bags that are available in the stores now, with their bright fabrics and fun details. But usually something about them doesn't suit me. So, I made my own! I stumbled around quite a bit, had to pull out a lot of seams, but had fun and I'm happy with the results.

The upper photo shows my first bag. I love it, but it is too small for all the stuff I carry. I guess I could carry less. But I love to have my cell phone, camera, camera charger, wallet, sunglasses, (you get the picture) with me at all times. I must admit that when I scaled down and used this purse for a couple days, my shoulder didn't hurt!
But, on to the next bag. This one is definitely bigger! I call it the Happy Hobo bag. I went for brighter material. And glued rhinestones in places. It was interesting installing a zipper when I haven't done it in so long. Made some mistakes, but it came out okay. I think if I ever made this bag again, I'd add a zippered divider pocket in the middle. Gotta love pockets in handbags!

I really enjoyed making these. Now I feel torn. Make jewelry or make handbags. Hmmm.....