Buttons as rare as Hen's teeth!

Look at these lovely buttons, aren't they just exquisite????
They have been hand-painted for me by the
wonderfully talented Paula at
Painting New Memories
I'm afraid the picture does them no real justice at all,
they are so detailed, yet quite small.
It's amazing how she does it! Wonderful!
Paula also sent me 2 tiny china trinket boxes.
She asked a while ago if anyone had those initials, and no one had,
but my Mother-in-law does, so Paula kindly sent them to me
to pass on to her.
Also Paula read that I like geese, so she sent me
the cutest little goose, with freshly painted bill and feet.
Isn't it just so sweet
Thank you so much Paula, I love everything!
XXXXXXXXX

I thought I'd give you a quick squizz at a couple of
teacosies I've been working on.
Another Elaine at Shabby Chic Cafe
asked me a few weeks ago if I would have a go at
making her a hen or cockerel teacosy
and these are what I came up with.
Elaine chose the sage and lemon one
and I've put the other one in
my blogshop.
Thank you for asking me to make them Elaine
I really enjoyed designing them.

Love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxx

OOooo Lush !!!

Just a quickie for now,
but I wanted to show off the latest addition to my stash.
How gorgeous is new fabric!!!

Oh, and a sneaky peek at some bits
I've been making this week

Love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxxxx

A gift for you..........

...............if you are one of the first 3 to leave a comment!
Such a sweet idea, thank you to
The Crafty Trundler at
Clover Cottage for including me.

So the first 3 people to leave a comment
will receive a handmade gift from me
though I'm not sure what that might be yet!!??!!
I know they won't be huge or heavy gifts which
means I'll be able to post them anywhere!
(so if your in the US or Oz,
or Timbucktoo, still join in)
And then, if you wish to join in you can
do the same too.

Such a lovely idea.
Another good idea is The Toy Society.
This involves making a small gift toy
(or thrifting one) to leave anywhere
for someone to keep.
Whoever finds the toy is the owner,
just a lovely simple way of spreading smiles.

Love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxx

This Glorious Morn

Good Morning!
Such a wonderful day, the promise of sunshine
and full of hope for a bright new beginning.
We shall be off to church later
(after opening the chocolate of course)
and then a lovely family afternoon at
my Mam's.
I've baked and whisked
(though still have the custard to do)
and we have a nice piece of lamb to go
in the oven ready for dinner
(or lunch if your not from the north LOL)
MMmmm Lamb, roasties and mint sauce,
it's got to be one of my favourite meals.

But of course there is a message in all this,
the hope we have is not just in the weather
or in our own determination to start afresh,
but there is a greater, better, and
more stead fast hope,
The sure and certain hope that the
resurrection brings.

Matthew 28v5-6
The angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay".

Happy Easter, Happy Spring,
and most of all
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
He is Risen indeed, Allelujah!!!

With love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxxx

Good Friday

For many of us, today heralds the start of
the Easter celebrations proper.
Yesterday churches all over the world
celebrated Maundy Thursday,
for the Jewish community, they have been
celebrating passover.
This is a wonderful time, very joyful,
and it's a pity that many Christians forget the origins,
that Maundy Thursday actually comes
out of Passover.

Today, in our little town, we have an
outdoor service marking the importance of
Good Friday.
It involves most churches in the area,
we have a worship team that has been
gathered from many churches,
meeting for the last 2 months,
to try to get everything just right.
I am part of that team (a very nervous part!)
And my start to the morning has been to
laminate all the words of the songs
for the singers (rain forecast)

Sometimes, the preparations can
take over, nerves, practices, typing,
PA systems,............
all things things need to be done, and more.

But, for Christians, all this is as nought.
The important thing is remembering the
amazing sacrifice that has been done for us.
Today's verses from Bible Gateway,
is a timely reminder for us all from
Romans 5 v 6-8

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

With love and blessings in Christ

Elaine
xxxxxxxxxxx

Today I'm loving the spring, such a wonderful time of renewal.
I love this photo, it's right at the bottom of the
Weigela in the garden.
By next month it will be a mass of green,
and shortly after be full
of the most luscious cerise flowers,
but for now it is still almost bare.
Yet, tucked away at the bottom is the signs of new life.
Sweet little Grape Hyacinths
promising that new life can, and does,
spring up even in the most unlikely places.
(Btw, the little fellow you can see is Peter,
a very reliable little chap)

The spring season helps me so much,
reminding me that we have life,
and can have it in abundance,
even when the times seems dark.
Today's verse from Bible Gateway,
is a reminder of that too.
Whatever we do, whatever we go through,
we can still have
the hope of new life.

“For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life!”


We have been doing our monthly swap at Shabby Chic Cafe,
and this month the theme is Spring/Easter.
And it was my turn to have gifts from the very talented Mitmot.


I really have been blessed,
so many lovely goodies,
I couldn't possible choose a favourite.
A lovely handmade card,
with such inspiring words.
2 gorgeous china mugs,
a beautiful fabric heart and broach
that have been cleverly turned into chickens,
a stunning fabric bucket
(that is already full of my smaller bits of fabric)
Beautiful painted and lacquered eggs,
and delicate hanging eggs,
and Galaxy chocolate eggs (mmmmm)
Cute chick napkins, and Easter stickers
and the scrummiest tote bag!


Everything is so pretty and spring-like, the bag will definitely be
coming shopping with me this week!
Thank you again Mitty,
(you can see more of Mitmots lovely work
at her blog, Etsy and Folksy)

With love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tis the week for reflection ...........

In the Christian calendar we use this week as a time of relection, a time of putting thing in order spiritually.
I'm not very good at order I'm afraid, usually I live in clutter and chaos, but at the very least I can try to reflect on my faith, and get right with God.

I love this verse (the verse for today from Bible Gateway) from Galatians 2 v20 (NIV)
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
For today I want to be able to reflect on this verse, absorb it, and live it.

The photo at the top and the one above were taken a few days ago.
We don't have a very nice garden at the moment (but I won't bore you with that LOL)
but we do have a few nice little shrubs.
Except the Flowering Currant is no longer little eeekkk!!!
It is HUGE
It's even managed to self-set a few yards away!
I think it might be time (well in a few months) to get the garden back into some sort of order.

Would anyone like a Flowering currant ??? LOL

With love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxx

Palm Sunday

Ride on, ride on in Majesty................

Love and blessing in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxx

Chopsticks and Fabric

If anyone has been reading Shabby Chic Cafe recently,

or seen me around Facebook,
you will know by now I have been painting chopsticks,
I've even speckled my chopsticks!!!
(actually the should have been spotty
but speckles were easier)
So just for those who have been wondering,
here are the chopsticks,
painted and speckled!

And this is what I need them for!


I shall put some of these lovelies in my blogshop soon.



On Wednesday I received a lovely parcel through the post,
not a complete surprise, but very, very welcome.
It was from Little Gem.
We had organised for her to get me
some lovely gingham fabric,
but Gem, bless her heart, has gone the extra mile
and sent me some extra too.

Thank you sweetie xxx

So today I am a happy bunny
(even though my hand/wrist is bandaged.....that's another story! Let's just say washing up is dangerous even when I don't get cut or scalded!!!)

With love and blessings in Christ
Elaine
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx