~ playing with clay ~

i hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas

with friends and family!
♥ ~I want to thank you all for your sweet holiday wishes ~ ♥

now that 

the carols have been sung

the gifts have been opened

the food's been devoured

and we're all back on our diets...

it's time to get a little crafty

i spent the day after christmas 

with my hands 

working the silky earthiness of clay

{love the cool, silky feel of it}

making those cute little tags 

that we've all seen around blogland lately

i really didn't know what i was doing at the beginning

but after receiving a little guidance from a trio of crafty ladies

(thank you - jami, ness, and sarah!)

i felt i could at least give it a whirl

so after more than one trip to hobby lobby for

clay

cutters

stamps

textures

ink

and other sundry items for future craft projects

{yeah - once i get inside those hobby lobby doors

some unknown creative gene inside of me

gets all martha-stewart-y}

 i squeezed and rolled

cut and stamped

punched and trimmed

and after laying them all out to dry

i did the happy dance

i found a new addiction love...

 i adore making clay tags ♥

i'm playing with the idea of maybe selling them at my friend's antique shop...

we'll see...

until then

i'll just keeping playing with a little clay

and doing a joyful little happy dance

right into the new year

{ new year hugs }

~ laurie

(linking with faded charm for white wednesday)

~ the glory ~

God glows ~

his glory illuminates the heavens

Jesus by his very nature is brilliance

the One described as the light of the world

does not contain a shadow of darkness

and the Holy Spirit ushers the spiritual dawn into our lives

like the fireflies of the sea that beckons our imaginations to another world

the truth of God invites us to embrace the fullness of the life we were meant to live

as we look to him

we can't help but become more radiant

the vastness

the beauty

the power

the splendor

the glory

He is all... *

~ may your Christmas be full of love and light ~

{ holiday hugs  ♥ }

~ laurie

(*from "the sacred echo" by margaret feinberg)

(linking to faded charm for white wednesday)

~ you bless me....~

when a pet dies

that special, warm place in our hearts

suddenly becomes empty

it will take time to struggle through the loss

but we realize

as time passes

that all animals have a way of teaching us about

love

loyalty

joy

and friendship

and whatever we've shared in their presence

can never really be lost

to my blogger friends & sisters ~~

thank you... 

thank you

for your sweet words

your comforting words

your encouraging words

and most of all ~ your prayers

you bless me in ways i can not comprehend

i love you all

♥

and when there comes a time when you're feeling 

complete and utter sadness

heartbreaking loss

and your soul is searching for a place of comfort

seek out

in the quiet 

kerrie is waiting for you there

with kind words

a loving embrace

and bright hope

through her words

you will experience God's love and peace 

in ways you've never known

and your heart 

will be healed

 ♥

 { with loving hugs }

~ laurie

 "he calms the storm

so that its waves are still 

then they are glad because they are quiet

so he guides them to their desired haven." 

psalm 107:29-30 

(from kerrie's blog "in the quiet")

~ "touched by an angel"... ~

farewell, sweet girl...

we all loved you so....

and we will all miss you so...

until we see you again at the Rainbow Bridge.

"touched by an angel" - tessa

~ dreaming of Christmas ~

good morning, lovlies!

it was a wonderful weekend here at heaven's walk,

full of christmas spirit!

watching our darling little granddaughter in her mouse costume

sing in the children's program at church...

our little red-headed actress...(2009)

walking 3 miles on the treadmill to pre-burn pre-holiday cals...

yeah...it's blurry because i'm moving so fast.....

listening to beautiful holiday hymns while wrapping presents...

trying to find a place to stack all the presents so that the cats wouldn't get into them,

eat the ribbons,

and then proceed to hack them up all over the rug...

(google-cat) because i've never really thought about photographing any of my cats hacking, to tell you the truth...

cleaning up all the sparkles from the wrapping paper and tags
before the cats try to eat those, too...

doing a little shoveling...

well....we don't have THAT much snow yet....thank goodness...but it's coming - this was photo from last winter

watching "Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe"
on tv - which we never get tired of seeing...

gathering up the kleenex from crying and sobbing while watching "Narnia"...

eyeing the rum balls in the freezer

that are IN the freezer so that i won't eat them...

logging 3 more miles on the treadmill because i LOOKED at the rum balls...

walking faster now...

and taking a few more pictures of the christmas love 

that has filled heaven's walk this holiday season.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

a tiny tree in a tiny bucket tied with twine

that sits on the dresser in the guest room...

tiny tree from hobby lobby; tiny bucket from ikea

looking into the dresser mirror you can see the tiny wreath hanging in the window

that overlooks the property

in the master bedroom

the armoire is dressed in a little holiday spirit too

the hydrangeas in the aqua mason jar have been replaced with pine and berries
in a vintage cheese box and enamel pitcher

cheesebox - barnowl primitives; pitcher - ikea; clay tag - marleyandlockyer

this large wreath was originally on our side entry door

but hubby kept knocking it down when he walked in

(big shoulders + small entry = disaster)

so i moved it to our vintage fireplace mantel headboard
 (which you can read about here. )

with another tiny tree in a tiny bucket

(ok....i just like saying that.....)

on the bedside table

i absolutely adore my grain sack pillows

 

 at the end of the bed on the antique blanket chest

rests a basket with a vintage-looking pillow

pillow - shellagh @ ticking and toile

a mix of delicious textures cover the bed -

hemp linen grain sack pillow covers

cream colored linen duvet cover

oatmeal colored linen throw

white cotton sheets

did i tell you how much i love my linen grain sacks....?

especially against the ruffled linen goodness of the pillow slips...

the perfect place to dream of Christmas

and forget about hacking cats and rum ball thighs...

{ holiday hugs }

~ laurie

(linking to between naps on the porch for metamorphosis monday,
 faded charm for white wednesday, 
and french country cottage for feather your nest friday)

~ winter whites... ~

good morning, all of you decorating divas ~

on this very cold, semi-sunny, partly cloudy day
while the shore along lake michigan continued to get pounded by snow
measured in feet
and inland
we received nothing but a few floating flakes of white ~

i spent the early morning doing laundry,

the late morning writing Christmas cards,

and the afternoon clicking away with my camera

so that i could share more holiday whites

with you

so grab your cup of java

a mug of hot cocoa

or your fav cup of tea

put your feet up

and enjoy some winter whites

here's some Christmas love
just for you.....

i kept the fireplace decor

simple

fresh

light
and a little rustic

with boughs of cedar, service berry, and pine cones 

an old found nest filled with faux robin's eggs

brings more nature inside

i love collecting nests 

and using them both inside and out

all year long

sweet, innocent
and very spiritual to me

one of my favorite new clay tags hangs from a chippy candlestick

that i nabbed at hobby lobby this fall

it looked so old and so vintage - i just had to bring it home

(one of my many winter craft projects is to learn how to make those adorable clay tags and sell them at a local antique shop)

a very realistic faux (yup, faux) three foot tree was plunked into a pickin' pot,

set next to the fireplace...

...and strung with tiny white lights

in the kitchen

the french body pitchers are in a holiday mood

amidst frosty white pine boughs

atop the pie safe

a tiny grapevine wreath wrapped in a white pine bough hangs from

a hook rack

that i made last month

from a piece of discarded vintage wood

from our barn

a quick coat of paint

a quick distressing with some sandpaper and

a couple ebay vintage wire hooks -

and i did a little snoopy happy dance when i hung it up

(considering i couldn't figure out how to 'unlock' the circular saw in hubby's tool room

and ended up sawing this baby with a wood hand saw...

which i would highly recommend as a very conducive bicep workout)

a tiny golden european tree found a home on the kitchen window sill
wrapped in a burlap coat and
soaking up the meager winter sunshine

a second three foot faux tree was plopped into a white enamel farm bucket
and nestled next to the buffet table

(i like plunking and plopping ~ 
it goes hand in hand with fluffing and floofing)

a cedar bough encircles the new farmhouse light in the foyer

simple, rustic, french farmhouse whites
embrace Heaven's Walk
in a warm Christmas hug

that i share with you

my friends.....

{ holiday hugs }

~ laurie

(my little starfish-wreath has been featured
over at completely coastal! (thanks, maya!)
and at french country cottage! (thanks, courtney!)

(linking with french country cottage for feathered nest friday!)