Grey Dey Thursday at Petite Michelle Louise's!

Good Thursday to you!

I realized that I had not posted all the pictures about the 

Gorgeous Greys Fabric Collage Inspiration Embellishment Kit

with Antique French Linens, Laces and Buttons


that I received for my Birthday in December from LuluLizinLalaland.

 This is the Grey Kit as seen in Liz Etsy Shop ~ LaCroixRosion 

Her shop is closed for a few weeks while they are at their cottage in France, however.

I showed you some of the items she included in the kit on my blog post about the

Anniversary Tag/Card  I made Hubby for our 33rd Anniversary this month.

However, I did not show you ALL of the things she gave me!

There are so many pieces it is hard to get them all in a picture where you can see them all!

I had these on the table in my "studio" (ha!) for a few weeks and just loved looking at them!

Everything is displayed on a silver cake pedestal I have and love to use.

I had a lovely tablescape for Valentines Day, but always forget to take pictures! So I left some of the 

table decor out to use in taking these pictures of the Grey Kit.

Liz dyed most of the laces Grey. With the same dye, she started with the darker pieces, and then added more water to the dye vat so the next few lace pieces would be a lighter grey. She did that a few times.

HERE you can see her lovely pictures on her post about making up the kits.

I am so amazed at how many different colors of laces she was able to come up with. I know each piece of lace takes the dye differently, and it is wonderful to have so many variations! 

Isn't that stem of millinery coral bells so pretty? If you know Liz, you know she loves vintage millinery flowers, so I feel very privileged to receive a stem of her finds! She uses them very judiciously!

All of these laces and trims, wide or narrow are so unique and I look forward to making a collage with many of them for Daughter*4's bedroom. We painted her room Grey and white this summer and have a few more things to finish before I show you.

 These sequins, pearls, faceted metal beads, and tiny seed beads she has found at a particular family booth at the French Brocante. For a few years past, they have been selling the remainder of their Grandmother's stash of lovely things for embellishing clothing she made for celebrities. They are very high quality embellishments, and are just gorgeous!

I forgot that I had only take SOME of the items out of the paper bag that contained my Grey Kit and after a few weeks I noticed the bag sitting on the counter across from the table. 

When I opened the bag, I saw the rest of the things I had forgotten were in the bag!

These GORGEOUS Grey Fabrics were also in the kit, there is a piece of Grey sweater fabric, two different pieces, a dark Grey and a medium light Grey, that are vintage french linen...heavy and will be wonderful for a collage! The piece of crushed Grey velvet is so soft and pretty, even that back side of it is an interesting texture that will be a wonderful option!

The three rhinestone beads that are next to the single flower are the kind that you sew onto clothing. If you look closely, there are two tubes on the back that you sew through to secure them to the fabric.  It is a little hard to see, but there is a piece of grey gauze fabric...I have a plan for that piece!

Here is a close up of the linens and the rhinestone beads. I cannot remember the name of these beads, I will add it when I find out again.

This vintage cupid I purchased at a local Vintage Store, Patina, in Richland, WA. It is metal and competely covered in Silver German glass glitter, both sides. It was just so cute, I had to get it! When we get our mantel finished on our bedroom fireplace it will live on the mantel. The dishes and bowls and all these candles were also part of our Valentine Tablescape. It was a white and silver, with pink carnations night of family love and fun. Candle Light Dinner on elegant dishes. I was not feeling well enough to do more, but we had fun and enjoyed Pizza by Candlelight!

Speaking of Love, I wanted to share with you again this vintage lace, buttons and music collage with the image of Jesus Christ that Liz sent to me a year and a half ago.

 Lately, I have been so gratefully feeling His love for me. Making a daily connection with Heavenly Father and my Savior is really helping me to find the balance I want to feel in my life. Their love calms me, and gives me hope and confidence that I can make the changes that will help my life be more balanced.

Liz was making some beautiful collages of  Madonna and Child and posting about them on her blog.
I thought they were so beautiful, but I was telling her how much I loved them and that
a collage of the Savior would be magnificent, as well!
Liz emailed me back and said "I just made one of the Savior!" and she posted about it the next day.
I thought is was amazingly beautiful and it made me smile and filled my heart with joy!
About a month later, I was having a rough day, and feeling a bit down and overwhelmed.
I came home from a long chat with a friend who was having some troubles with her children,
and I didn't have a clue how to comfort her. So, I was feeling a little sad.
And sitting on the counter, there was a package from Liz. I had ordered some vintage pans, I posted about it HERE, and included in the package was the Collage of the Savior that she had made!
I just began to cry, it was just what I needed that day. To be reminded that
He was waiting for me to come to Him for comfort and to have faith that He would comfort my friend,
in ways I never can know how to comfort her.
He knows how to comfort each of us because He felt what we feel.
So, I am reminded each time I see this amazing collage of how much the Savior loves me,
and how much my sweet bloggy friend thinks of me!
This gorgeous collage has a Vintange Image of Jesus Christ with the Sacred Heart,
a background of Vintage Music, and I LOVE music about the Savior,
surrounded by Beautiful Vintage Laces, crochet motifs and buttons.
On the very bottom of the collage she added this religious pendant that makes me smile
and warms my heart when I look at it closely.
It is a pendant of the Savior of the World, kissing a small girl on the forehead.

I close my eyes and can imagine that kiss on my forehead.
and in humility my heart soars because,

I Know That My Savior Loves Me!

Thank you, LuluLiz, for your kind and generous heart!

I am remined everyday of all my dear bloggy friends, I enjoy your comments so much and love the connections we make in sharing our ideas and creations and thoughts about life.
Hope you feel loved this week!
YOU ARE TIED TO MY HEARTSTRINGS!

HEART HUGS,
BETSY
POSTING AT
GREY DEY THURSDEY
THANKS, MICHELLE!
Go see what other grey lovlies posted there!

Grey Dey Thursday and "Grey" Tag Tuesday

Since I have been viewing blogs, I wanted to learn how to make tags.

Beautiful  grey vintage beads, sequins, and laces.

My dear friend Marcella talk to me about making them some

years ago, but at that time my kids were younger and I was making lots of things already.

  I wasn't looking at blogs at the time, and I wasn't interested because I couldn't see what tags 

were "about". Also, I didn't want to put all that effort into something small, made from paper, and

I wasn't sure what I would do with them. I wanted to invest my time and effort into something 

more ... substantial. She suggested that I give them as gifts, 

but I have a very difficult time giving gifts I have made. 

Have you ever had the experience giving a hand made gift to someone 

and it was obvious the receiver was not happy with what you made?

I have had that happen so often, I stopped making gifts for people,

unless I was SURE they would like it. Mostly now

I "Just Send Money". People are always happy with THAT!!!

When I make a gift I am so anxious about it. I rarely surprise people with handmade 

items unless they have had a part in designing it. I don't handle that kind of rejection very well.

My children tell me to just make it and surprise them, they like the things I make, or

I know what things they will like, so I don't worry about them. . . much.

Vintage grey, silver, cream and Mother of Pearl buttons that came in a kit
from LuluLiz.

I particularly loved the tags that LuluLiz from Lalaland was making

and posting on her blog. This last two years, I have found there are so many bloggers who make lovely tags, and I just had not seen them when Marcella had spoken to me about it. 

I GET it now...thanks for your patience with me, Marcella and Liz, and for teaching me how to make them! Their expertise has been invaluable.

Gorgeous Greys fabric collage inspiration embellishment kit, including
vintage French linens, laces, beads, bobbles and bits.

Each one is a small piece of artful beauty you can make out of snippets of this, and pieces of that,

many times those little bits you don't have enough to make a large project with, 

but you just can't seem to part with them. And you CAN give them as gifts, or keep, or send as a

birthday card or Christmas card or ornament. It isn't something

to agonize over, or fuss about...hypothetically...

I have only made a few tags in the This Past Year. If you look at those posts, you will see I 

have not done many. Liz commented on my New Year Resolutions Post that I 

really should include a tag a week for Tag Tuesday.

I am not an official participant, but this will be fun for me to make some...

substantial tags!

The Tag Tuesday Theme for this week is

Shelters/Homes

and this verse came to my mind.

This came from a cross stitch chart I worked on years ago,  designed by D. Morgan.

I had some "Issues" with the project and gave up on the pathetic piece! 

I have yet to remake one for my Hubby. He wants a cross stitch piece from me because 

I have given most of them away. So, this is a short term replacement!

This is going to be his Anniversary card when we celebrate our 33rd Wedding anniversary next month...Shhh!!! He doesn't KNOW! 

(about the card, he knows about the anniversary!)

I wanted to make something with the grey kit that Liz gave me for my birthday, and this 

picture of a home from a Vintage Christmas card was just the look I wanted.

Wintry, and farm like. This fit so very well with my feelings.

Our home is protection for us, but I truly feel sheltered when he is here in it!

In our younger years, he was the one responsible on the farm to get the hay cut, raked and baled.

The baling had to be done after the dew came in, those years ago. Thank goodness we have someone custom bale during the day now! Before our children were born,

I would go out with him some nights, I would rather be with him than home alone. 

After the children came, I was home with them.

 I was always so glad when he baled in the hay field near the trailer we lived in. 

I could hear everything that happened. When the baler stopped, my ears perked up, and I listened

until I heard the tractor and the baler start up again. 

Or, I would call on the Citizen's Band Radio (CB) to see if everything was alright. 

But, when I heard the door open and close and his footsteps down the hall, I would breathe in deeply and relax. It was as if all was right in the world, and I would sleep peacefully.

I really appreciated his hard work for us, and was so very glad he was safe at home, sheltering us.

He will love the card, not because of the Vintage Lace and beads, or because of 

its prettiness, but because he KNOWS how relieved I was and 

how grateful I am to him and for him. He knows I sleep best when he is here. 

And He knows how much fun, joy and satisfaction I have from making these 

beautiful pieces of art!

Liz has another Gorgeous Greys Fabric and collage inspiration kit
in her LaCroixRosion Etsy Store. Thanks so much for the birthday Gift Liz!

Hugs to you all!

Betsy

Go check out others tags for this theme at

Tag Tuesday
and
GREY DEY THURSDAY

PS ~ Liz...where is your Tag Tuesday Tag????  ;)
Here is Liz's Tag Tuesday Post! I just had to tease her you know...

I LOVE MAIL!!!!

I have been so busy, busy, busy, I hope I am able to post all the pictures of the amazing, 

fun, relaxing, hard work things I have been up to this summer. 

I am still in the middle of painting, organizing, going to the airport, going out for dinner
and cooking dinner for guests, helping with wedding receptions,
coloring with grand girls, sewing fun things to play with at tea parties,
making cookies, getting professional family pictures taken, having 

welcome home parties, going to the beach and celebrating Christmas in August! 

Makes me tired just writing about it!!!! 

It has been hard work and lots of FUN!!!!

And in the beautiful middle of all of this, I received
a package... in the mail... 

From Australia!!!! 

Tag created by Suzi Q....so gorgeous!

Do you see the button on the left sidebar of my blog announcing a blog give away that 

Suzi Q from "Suziqu's threadworks" 
hosted on her "Where Bloggers Create " post?

I really enjoyed her post about where she creates, I have admired and loved her 

work since I started looking at blogs. I saw her give away,
 but you know, with her over 5,000 followers, I was completely sure I would not win it.

So, I posted her blog give away button to help others see her offering of a gift to a follower.

Tag created by Suzi Q,, love her love her Vintage laces!

Well, knock me down and pick me up, I am the blogger that won the 2nd place 

item she was offering to one of the many, Many, MANY bloggers who put 

her button on the sidebar of their blogs!!!!!  I was screamin' happy,

and that is NO exaggeration!! I could hardly sleep that night!

If you have not seen Suzy's creative genius, you will want to go to her  Blog and look around. 

You don't have to look far to see her amazing, gorgeous creations that will 

take your breath away..... I have wanted to touch something of hers for a long time. 

Every item is detailed and has a delicate beauty all its own...

This is Suzi Qs picture of the lace cuff she so generously offered bloggers who shared her giveaway link.

Her vintage lace books and journals, fabric books, quilts, her "heartstrings"....

(wonder why I'd like those!!!) doilies and tags are so detailed and so exquisite, 

my mouth is drops open the entire time I spend at her blog.

Created by Suzi Q

Her textures and fabrics are so interesting in every detail...I am in awe!

Doesn't Suzi Q make beautiful things????

This is the beautiful cuff she made and I received as the give away winner! It came "wrapped" in a pattern piece, and along with it came the gorgeous tag in the pictures above. She has used more than a dozen different kinds of laces on this cuff, 

Made by Suzi Q

It is covered in hand dyed lace motifs, vintage buttons, beads, pearls and vintage jewelry pieces.

Cuff made by Suzi Q

The vintage doilies look hand crotcheted and some are made with silken threads.
I love the jewelry pieces, vintage pearls and buttons she hand sewed onto
a base of vintage wool felt.  

Beautiful details by Suzi Q

I love the beaded flower and the hand stamped "Paris" on the pink and white pieces of fabric.

Suzi's pearls and bling and gauze, amazing combintions.

The vintage jewelry pieces and beads give so much detail to the piece, I just keep turning
and examining it and turning it again...

Suzi chooses beautiful embellishments...

My blue finger~nailed model was happy to be wearing it, I am not sure I can keep it off of her!!!
Suzy, she, the model, has decided that this is what we will be making for her bridesmaids
in the future dreamy wedding reception of hers, we have had such fun talking about it....
But first, she must find her prince, and she is just 17 so that is
certainly NOT at the top of her list in life right now!

Suzy also sent some pretty napkins with lovely images and sayings on them,
I look forward to using these on future projects!

I love how she nested the taupe~ish gray

pearls into the stained gauze, it is just so exquisitely Amazing! 

The gorgeous vintage lace cuff.......ah....I can't believe it is mine!!!!

I never thought I would win her give away, but I am so honored and thankful to Suzy for her generosity and kindness in making such gorgeous items and offering them to her follows as gifts!!!
 I hope I can make and offer something as wonderful to my followers one day!!! 

You know the professional pictures I mentioned? 

Wait till you see how I included the cuff!!!!

I think you will like it!

SUZY, YOU ARE SO AWESOME !!!

and so is your work!!! 

Thank you, so very much, dear friend!!!!

Hugs to you all!!!!

Betsy 

PS ~ Yes, I am aware that there are other punctuation marks on a keyboard 

in addition to an exclamation mark.  Just sayin'...

The Letter L

LuluLiz in LalaLand gently bullied me yesterday,

those were HER words, not mine..... ;)  into making a tag for 

Tag Tuesday

Actually, she has been encouraging me for months to do it. Even though the

"Official Tag Tuesday" is no longer open to new participants, I want to make a tag each week so I might learn to make tags quicker and try new ideas and techniques. But I guess she is right....

I have to ACTUALLY MAKE a tag 

to learn something new!
The background lace is a newer piece of lace that Daughters*1 and *3 bought for me in Germany three years ago. I love it! the lace is about 5 1/2 inches wide and LONG. I lays in the windowsill of my Quiet Room window, with three Willow figures I have been given as gifts. It is just the thing for the front window! Thanks girls!

I love lace...so this "L" tag is dedicated to 

"The Love of  Lace"

I even used some champagne pink lace,

I tell ya, you pink gals are rubbing off on me!

This has three layers of lace on the edges

with some fussy cut pieces.

I also have a heart fetish, as you know, and I have plans to build a mantel around the

fireplace in our master bedroom.
I saw this verse on
 Suziqus Threadworks

on her Valentines Day post, and I just adored it. I changed "hundred" to "thousand"
and contacted Kerry of 
French & Sparrow
to see if she would custom make me one of her beautiful clay heart garlands
with the verse on the main heart.  And she said she could! Kerry sells these and other adorable clay items in her Etsy Shop,
FrenchandSparrow.
Oh, the garland will go across the new mantel...Yes I am putting the hearts before the mantel...

The garland is 4 1/2 feet long with seven hearts and extra twine on each end to attach it and hang down each side.
I just love the impressions she places on each of the clay hearts. Leaves and florals,
French writing and swirls and fancies.
Some hearts have impressions on both sides.
I love the Champagne Pink Lace.
I will have to use it judiciously because I
have only a very little bit...
If you like the garlands and tags,
check out her Etsy shop.
Kerry is in Paris right now... I am trying to figure out a way for her to have to work HARD when she gets back...
I could always order more...
That would really show her.....
**rolling eyes at self**

In just the right lighting, you can see the shimmers on the tag. I really did have fun making it, though I hope to get faster. It still took longer than I wanted it to. I guess I'll have to let go of some of my perfectionism. That is what making weekly tags is about for me, learning to create and not fuss over every little thing. I will let you know how successful I am with that...













Thanks for coming by,
Hearts and hugs to all of you followers!

PS ~ Did you notice the difference in my header? I am so happy with it!

Sisters Gifts

I Love my Sisters..... And I am thrilled to be spending the next few days with them at a reunion! We have a complete family, (ie, siblings, sibling spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren)  reunion every two years and on the year in between, we have a Just Sisters Reunion. For obvious reasons, our brother opts out!

One of the things we do at our sister reunion is bring birthday gifts for each other. We each bring eight of the same gift. Since we are spending just a few days together, we open gifts two or three times a day. A sister will bring out her gifts and each of us opens a gift at the same time! It is such a fun party time, multiple times a day!

For my sisters gifts, I made a "memory collage" using vintage ephemera from our Mother's extensive collection of sewing, art and crafting supplies. When she passed away, there was enough for each of us to have as much as we wanted... Our Mother was very creative and was working on something most every week.

She had old boxes wrapped in gift wrap full of tidbits of laces and trims, lace appliqués and buttons, needles and hooks. She also had boxes and boxes of fabrics of every kind... She had charms and chalks and beautiful amazing crocheted doilies...

The first layer on the card is a scan of our Mother's handwriting. The music is of a song we sang as children in Sunday School about Mothers. The photograph is of our mother at the age of 12...our Mother is a beautiful woman. Though we can no longer see her in person, we feel her love still and are so grateful for her example and love.

Since I have learned about tags, I have been wanting to make some with family pictures on them. "Familiar Faces" tug at my heartstrings and warm my heart and my life...
My sisters really like the cards!

Heart hugs to you,
Betsy


PS I was going to finish up the cards and my sisters decided they wanted to make their own! So they did! Here is a picture of all of them together. I will have to make one more for one of the sisters who could not be here. Didn't they make them all beautiful?