Gratitude & A Giveaway Winner

On another cold, cloudy breezy day here at Heaven's Walk,

I spent the day washing linens;

reveling in the scent of my favorite detergent and dryer sheets filling the warm house with sweetness.

Pillows were stripped and piled high on sofas.

New pillow slips were pulled from the linen closet.

I tossed and arranged.

Re-tossed and rearranged.

Grumbled and complained how the mix of fabric patterns just wasn't making it.

A quick look at a friend's blog post photos.

Back to the linen closet.

More scented pillow slips in my arms.

Do the "dash and turn".

Frown.

Sigh.

More re-tossing and rearranging.

Another "dash and turn".

Hmmmmm...

My goal was to create a mixed goodness of shabby chic prairie-type patterns.

A room of simple rustic sweetness with a touch of elegance.

A mish-mash of dusty pink, smoky blue, sage green, and white.

Florals spilling over stripes grounded by solids.

I truly think there is a special talent in creating the perfect blend of patterns.

Magic takes place when it's done right.

While I contemplated my feeble attempt at this magic,

I was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude for a warm house on a cold day.

For down-filled pillows held in my arms.

For the sound of the dryer rumbling softly in the basement.

For fresh roses in vintage vases.

For big old barns and acres of trees.

For another year of being able to hug my mother and father.

For a loving, devoted husband.

For my furry little heartbeats at my feet.

For a God who loves me fiercely and unconditionally.

Google image

A sighed whisper. 

"Thank you, Lord."

I reached for the basket which held slips of paper with friends' names on them

who had entered my giveaway for Rachel Ashwell's new book, 

"Couture Prairie and Flea Market Treasures".

I closed my eyes.

"Thank you for my blog sisters, Father."

I reached in and picked out a slip of folded paper.

It read:  Maureen Hayes

Congratulations, sweet Maureen!

I will contact you for your address!

Maureen has a beautifully inspiring blog called "Being Chronically Ill is a Pill".
Please stop in, say 'Hi", and leave an encouraging message for her.
You will be blessed by her thoughtful, giving, and grateful heart!

♥

Thank you ALL for being such supportive and encouraging followers.

 Thank you for your sweet comments,

your outpouring of love,

and your continued prayers.
You ladies rock!

I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community!

Google image

I pray for you each

Comfort

Peace

Health

Healing

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

Eucharisteo!

~  Blessings  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Autumn Day

Leaves rain gold onto emerald grass

skitter across the drive

catch in roses bushes

whirl across the yard.

I look out onto work.

Hours of work.

Grateful for a backpack blower,

warm winter mittens,

and a full can of gasoline.

It would take that much to complete my task.

Wind turning cheeks pink with cold;

skies a mix of blue and white ~

I push large piles of leaves back into the woods;

leaving the lawn neat and clean 

...for the moment...

until brisk winds grow to gales.

Gales bring rain lashing at the windows.

Unexpected thunder growls.

The furnace blows warm air as

I squeeze and roll earthy scented clay in my hands

and push it out onto the bread board with an old rolling pin.

A Hope Heart takes shape.

Tiny clay petals hold my fingerprints.

Dream catcher streamers catch the warmed air and flutter in big farmhouse windows.

My eyes travel from one to another and I smile.

My mind envisions them in their new homes.

"Winter Willow" and "Playful Pink" dream catchers.

Baskets of shabby flowered fabric,

containers of round beads,

tubs of clay,

a box of shipping supplies ~

all litter the floor of the studio.

My head bows to continue working.

Trees groan in the wind.

Wet leaves paste to pavement.

Temperatures drop.

Winter knocks.

My head bows in grateful prayer.

Eucharisteo.

Wrapped loosely around my wrist.

Held gently in my heart.

Leather cuff: Michelle Verbeek, Etsy.

Grateful 

for a warm house.

A creative studio.

The thick Turkish rug beneath my feet.

Maizie snoring softly on the sofa.

Sophie, a small ball of calico fur pressed against the register.

Dinner simmering in a crock pot.

Husband working in his tool room.

Autumn bows to Winter.

The clock ticks quietly.
Candles burn in the growing twilight.

Rose petals drop silently to the tabletop.

Raindrops fall heavy outside.

Eucharisteo.

~  Blessings  ~

There is still time to enter my Thank-You Giveaway here!
Giveaway ends on November 23.

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

A Thank You

Your prayers
your support
your encouragement
your sharing of experiences
and
your love
meant so much to me during the past month.

Google image

I was amazed by the number of friends who have traveled the same journey.
You stepped into it with grace, fought your way through with miraculous strength,
and learned how to fly.

You bared your heart
embraced me with hugs
lent comforting words
and
shared calming scripture.

Google image

You touched my heart over and over again
and ultimately blessed me.

Because of your purchases of my Sacred Hope Hearts,
I will be donating over $100 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Thank you so much.

And in complete and utter gratitude,
I want to do something for you ~
you sisters-in-Christ who are so gracious and kind.

I am giving one of you a copy of Rachel Ashwell's new book,

"Couture Prairie and Flea Market Treasures". 

All you need to do is be a follower of my blog.

Just leave me a comment and let me know you are.
You can also share it on your blog sidebar if you'd like.

I will do a random drawing.

You love
and
are loved.

~  Blessings  ~

[Oh, and here is the latest addition to the Heaven's Walk Dream Catcher Collection.
Introducing....."Winter Willow".
An 8" natural willow ring frosted with white streamers, wooden beads, sparkling crystals, and snowy white stones.  A soft, natural beauty whispering of quiet winter days. ($45)

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Religious Cross Altar Box

After spending days and days dreamily floating through Rachel Ashwell's new book,

immersed in beautiful bedrooms, enchanting entryways, fabulous flowers,

and luscious living rooms,

needless to say ~ I was in heaven.

As I slowly turned each page, my eyes landed on a beautiful vintage cross altar box.
I remembered that my friends, Tausha and Stephanie had created their own.

I decided to try my hand at making one, too. 

Although I am not Catholic, but a Protestant (brought up in the reformed church),
I loved the vintage look this small altar box had

and knew that it would add a serene, inspiring feeling to Heaven's Walk.

While perusing the aisles at Michael's,

I found a small wooden trinket box,

wood pieces to make a cross.

a thick wood piece for the bottom,
and a thin one for the back.

I glued the thick base onto the box and let it dry for a couple hours.

Next, I glued the thin piece of wood onto the back,
resting on the hinges.
I also used tiny brads to nail it in place to make it sturdier.

I measured out the cross,
cutting off any extra inches for the horizontal piece.
Using tiny brads and nailing in from the back, I secured the two pieces together.

Then, centering the cross on top of the box,
I nailed it from the back to the back piece.

A quick swish of stain, some drying time, 

a splash of white chalk paint,

a bit of distressing ~
and it was completed.

It quietly reminds me of the cross we have up in the front of my church.
During Lent, it is always draped with a swath of white silk.

A gentle reminder that I have so much to be thankful for...

Whispering eucharisteo...


~  Blessings ~

[And in gratitude to all of you, I'm planning a sweet giveaway very soon.

Stay tuned!]

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebarhttp://www.jenniferrizzo.com/.