A sweet RAK and a word about Pinterest

There's nothing that will make a blogger smile all day than receiving a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) in the mail....Happy Mail we often call it. It's what bloggers do for each other.  I have a blogging friend (who likes to fly under the radar so I won't mention her name) who has gifted me with books and beautiful cards when I've been sick.The gift giver gets as much pleasure out of the gifting as the gift receiver does...did you follow that? Anyway...I was fortunate to on the receiving end last week. My sweet friend Marie, of Spun By Me, sent me a wonderful assortment of treats. Marie not only makes wonderful art but she wraps up the presents in a fanciful way...this time she used sewing pattern tissue.

Each gift bearing a tag with a clue...

Really....wouldn't you love to be on the receiving end of all of this,...and I haven't even opened anything yet!

Some things were made by Marie...

and some were selected because Marie knows what I like...

A beautiful hand made card by Cherry of Cherrys Jubilee

A new dress form stamp for my collection...

and believe it or not...this is a dress form soap!

All of this left me quite breathless and very grateful for my friendship with Marie. Now you know we've never met in person (though we will one day because she lives a hop, skip and jump away from our kids in Maryland) but we do have a strong kindred bond. Dress forms and squirrels, grandchildren and soft vintage pieces, aches and pains....oh well, we're not going to go into that now. Good friends who now share another ...um, obsession  interest...

Do you pin? If you do and would like to link to me, you'll find my Pinterest link on my sidebar.

It's an awesome place to go for unending inspiration. Marie and I go there every day.

Speaking of my sidebar...did you notice my new mug shot. My previous one was 2 years old and I thought it was time to update my face.....I need to install my Photoshop program...pronto!

RAK....Random Act of Kindness....I'll be paying it forward this week. I hope my under the radar friend will be pleased! In the meantime...go pay a visit to Marie...she will welcome you with open arms!

Thanks Marie...I am blessed by your friendship.

xoxo

Joyce



Mantel update

In an earlier post, I showed pictures of my bird themed summer mantel. I liked all of the items displayed, but it lacked something and I had to figure out what it needed.....I know....height! Mirror? Framed print? I know...old window frame!

 



David: What are you going to do with that frame?

Me: Paint it

David: What?! Do you know it's over 100 years old?

Me: OK-but it's been hiding in a closet for a few years now.

David: But the kids' pictures are in it

Me: They haven't looked like that since high school...when they were taken (And the toddler pictures...longer than that) I'm not getting rid of the pictures, I'm just repurposing the frame....you'll see.

I lightly sprayed the frame (after removing the glass panes) Heirloom White (my favorite color) I didn't worry about covering evenly or completely...I wanted the frame to look old and faded. It is over 100 years old after all.

First I centered it on the mantel but that didn't look right. Then David suggested I place it off-center.

Much better!

 Even David likes the new look. I removed some of the items to have a cleaner look. I'm sure I'll be tweaking it all summer!

xoxo

Joyce

4th of July Fun

David and I have just returned from a quick 3 day trip to visit Eric and Jane and Charlie and Miles for the 4th of July. It is so much fun to be in a small town type of setting where there is a local parade

and then a picnic to attend.

Before we could walk to the parade however, there was work to be done...

A bike to decorate...

and hats to try on....

Almost everyone got into the 4th of July "hat mode"...

(That is our DIL Jane in the foreground...do you think she's wearing those dark glasses so that

 no one knows she's with the crazy woman wearing the sparkler headband???)

On with the parade...

After we marched in 90-degree weather for a while..we returned

home and some commenced to their favorite pastime together...

 

Other activities during our visit included a big water gun fire truck wash and some squirting each other... 

and then more of this activity...

On Tuesday, Aunt Michelle came for a visit...

Always a good sport, she played games and read books..

We packed a lot of fun into those few days...grabbed as many hugs and kisses as we could to last a while...

(Yes, I was there too. It's just hard to get in the photos when you're the one working the camera)

We love you sweet boys!

Be back soon!

xoxo

Joyce







Happy 4th of July....a little early!

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends!

I wanted to share this banner that I made for my friend Holly.
She and her family just moved into

an adorable cape cod house.
Every year they have a 4th of July Party so I thought

that a banner she could hang would be a cute housewarming gift.

Some of the elements I used are from this digital set from Elle's Studio that I purchased here

 It's not too late to make one for yourself. Just purchase, download and print it out.

 I used my own scrapbook papers (which happen to be from My Mind's eye) and some images of vintage sheet music. The digital kits from Elle's Studio are fantastic to work with.

I hope that you and your family and friends have a safe, fun-filled 4th!

We will be spending the day with some very special people...I'll tell you all about it next week!

xoxo

Joyce

Note: Holly just sent me this picture of her mantle