The Farm Chicks Show Giveaway

You must have heard about The Farm Chicks Show? It's put on each year by Serena of The Farm Chicks and is T-D-F (to die for)!! It is top of my destination wish list, and if you drop by Serena's site and then blog or tweet about her show, you'll also be entered in the giveaway draw, which includes.... (drumroll please)...

....being Serena's guest on set-up day

.... arriving early for the show on Saturday

....and then being Serena's special guest at the Vendor Dinner on Saturday night.

Swoon!

plus you get to write all about it as a guest blogger on her amazing site when you get back

now I'm really hoping I'm the one to win, but want to give all my fellow bloggers the chance too!!

oh, and don't forget to check out Serena's yummy recipe for rhubarb crunch today

Happy days,

Tracey

burlap and ruffles, ruffles and burlap.....

what's a girl to do on a blah day?

eat chocolate?

create?

I decided to go with the create option. I have this yummy piece of burlap I was planning to make into a table runner for my kitchen table. See how nice and light it is, I believe it is called oyster, but it's basically off-white!

Teamed it up with some nice creamy white muslin and white broderie anglaise lace

Anyways, after I saw the gorgeous coffee sack runner my junking friend Janis of junkdreams created (you have to hop over and follow her blog, she is so amazing and unbelievably creative)...

I decided to leave the kitchen table runner for now and make a smaller rectangular one

okay, I confess

what I really wanted to do was make ruffles. Nothing cures the blahs like a few ruffles...

so here we have it, I put on two fluffy ruffles and a piece of lace.
Okay, I added the lace 'cos I was too lazy to finish the top of the ruffle!

but honestly I hardly ever get to finish a project in one sitting and today I just had to!

it is perfect for my narrow shaker nesting tables

white pitcher. white nemesis flowers. shabby white candlestick.vintage jars with scrabble tiles and boggle dice

doesn't get much better than that girls

looooove vintage glass jars

looooove scrabble tiles and vintage game pieces

looooove shabby white candlesticks (for sale in my etsy store)

turned out pretty nice I think!

and this is how it looks in my real world, with my lamp that needs a shade revamp and an outdated family photo. shabby at heart I do like a touch of black in the room!

feel so much better, and now I'm off to eat chocolate!!

and gaze at my pretty ruffles

Be sure to stop by these linky parties and see lots of great projects and ideas!

Metamorphasis Monday @ Between naps on the porch
Made by you Monday @ Skip to my Lou

I made the world cuter today @ Making the World Cuter

Made It on Monday @ The Persimmon Perch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Do It Yourself Day @ A Soft Place to Land

Toot your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Take a Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Craft Edition

Lucky Linky Tuesday @ Lucky Star Lane

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
100 ideas under $100 @ The Picket Fence
Fun Finds Friday @ Kojo designs
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Happy days,

Tracey

pink flower basket

I thought I'd show you the little flower basket I put together today

one of my very dearest friends was moving house, if you've been following my posts this week you'll know I haven't had a lot of spare time...

...but I wanted to drop something by today, something a little different than a bunch of flowers

so I picked up this cute wicker basket at the thrift store, and wouldn't you know they had a plant sale going on, saving me an extra trip to the garden centre

I gave it a quick coat of fresh paint - glossy white (sorry, forgot the before shot!)

grabbed a piece of burlap and another of white broderie anglaise to line the basket

tucked in five mostly pink geraniums

tied a bunch of vintage laces and ribbons on the handle

and there you have it!!

now I know I could have done a whole lot more with it, but the point is, I only had a couple minutes which just goes to show it doesn't have to take a long time to pretty a gift up a little:-)

oh, and then I found this cute card which I thought would be great as a "welcome to your new home", so I tucked that in the basket too

 

Happy days!

Tracey

I am woman - let me sleep, it's all about perspective!

Wow, I post a blog about how crazy my life is this week, and get all these kind comments back! Thank you!!

obviously a lot of you lovely ladies are feeling the same way...

funny thing is, this year I am really trying to slow things down...well, as much as I can at this stage of life with a busy household

sometimes it just takes a little perspective

you know the day I posted, the really crazy day...

well, that evening I drove my son up to his volleyball game, and ran to a local coffee shop to grab a quick coffee before the game started

it was quiet in the coffee shop, with it being dinner hour and all, so I struck up a conversation with the sweet lady serving behind the counter

I was explaining why I needed a coffee (albeit decaff!!), as I was off to watch my son's game...

she looked wistfully at me, and said "I wish I had a son to go watch"

misunderstanding her, I replied "Oh, do you have a daughter?"

she proceeded to tell me how they have been trying for a year for a baby, about all the tests and Dr visits...

it brings tears to my eyes just remembering her face and quiet words

I heart her courage

THAT was perspective ladies. No matter how crazy this stage of life, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am blessed with three young lives I get to raise and disciple

and there are people out there with much bigger challenges, maybe even some of you reading this now... 

so good to know God is bigger than all this

and one final note for those of you who read my blog and are in the wonderful baby/young children stage of life

...don't stop creating, be realistic about what you can get done, but don't give up something you love. If being creative is a part of who you are, just fit it in where you can. Just look at how creative God is and we are made in His image!

Happy days,

Tracey

PS. This one was my favorite...

I am woman...let me sleep!!

ever had one of those weeks....

you wish there were more hours in the day...

well, this is one of those weeks for me!

 I just put dinner in the oven at 8.30 am...

that's right, I said 8.30am...

otherwise dinner ain't happening today...

just one of those weeks when five schedules collide....

don't even want to think about the weekend - birthday party, volleyball tournament, soccer practice, soccer game, baseball, picture day, opening ceremony, dance class, theatre class, double 40th party...

need a nap just thinking about it!!

that's why I create....it's my sanity saver

but first, I have to do some "real" work, one of the hats I wear is that of editor, and I'm in the middle of a manuscript and the heat is on...

but while I'm working away with dinner simmering I'll be dreaming up my next couple projects (course I can, I am woman!!)

I am woman...hear me ROAR!

Happy days and happy creating,

Tracey

Shabby vintage sheet music frame how to

happy white wednesday...

first, some dreamy chandeliers, high on my wish list...

and here's a white project I worked on this past week

what to do with a cute frame...upcycle it into a shabby frame with vintage sheet music!!

I started out by painting the frame heirloom white (my favorite white). This frame has cute detailing around the edge which really showed up once I painted it

then I cut a piece of sheet music to fit the inside of the frame, and glued around the edges. didn't realise quite how vintage this music book was until I had torn out the sheet...

oh well!!

I lightly sprayed the sheet music with matt varnish as I'm not using glass in this frame

cut a double layer of batting to fill out the space

covered the back with a piece of wallpaper -  just used spray adhesive to secure the batting and wallpaper

hot-glued organza ribbon to the back and loosely tied it at the top

doesn't it look cute!

hanging...

or propped up against the wall

ta-da!! shabby vintage sheet music frame

be sure to hop on over and see all the talent at these linky parties:

Look what I whipped up Monday @ The Girl Creative

Metamorphasis Monday @ Between naps on the porch

Made by you Monday @ Skip to my Lou
I made the world cuter today @ Making the World Cuter
Made It on Monday @ The Persimmon Perch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tutorial Tuesdays @ Hope Studios

Do It Yourself Day @ A Soft Place to Land

Toot your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow

Take a Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Craft Edition
Tuesday Talent show @ My house of Giggles
Lucky Linky Tuesday @ Lucky Star Lane

White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

100 ideas under $100 @ The Picket Fence




Happy days!

Tracey

etsy finds featured my pitcher - yay!

I was featured on etsy finds today - yay!!

well not actually me, but my cute little vintage ironstone pitcher, here it is...

I have several of these adorable pitchers, so if you'd like one,  hop on over to my etsy store:-)

Happy days!

Tracey

sunday blessings

just love these photos of church buildings...

my favorite, the little country church

Happy Sunday and blessings to each of you!

Tracey

picnic on the porch

spring has arrived, but it is still chilly in the northwest, and I'm itching to fill my planters, but have to wait a while longer...

you see I am a fairweather gardener - I don't like late frost and I don't like to stand shivering outside watering my planters...

but I can still have fun on the porch, right!

so I picked up this picnic basket at a thrift store for $3.99...

propped it on my chippy bench outside the front door...

lined it with a piece of burlap (love burlap, it is inexpensive and you can do so much with it)...

added my white pansies in their wooden crate...

tucked in a vintage apron and vintage gardening fork...

and of course my favorite old shovel...

hmmm, still missing something though, and have to hide that ugly plug socket...

I know, of course, a pile of vintage white linens!!

see the white enamelware pot, it's waiting to get planted up - I'm thinking lots of trailing bacopa...

picnic on the porch, why not??

and the whole project only cost me $3.99 as I already had everything else:-)

I'm linking up to

Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest

and

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

and

Tuesday Talent Show at My House of Giggles

Happy days,

Tracey