Live Oak

We were in Texas this weekend. Fort Worth, to be exact. We really like all of the beautiful live oak trees that line many streets in Texas. They are evergreens that grow in the South.

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Maggie Jane's Vintage

Maggie Jane's Vintage is one of the vendors that was at the barn sale I went to a couple of weeks ago. Her Etsy shop has some cute pillows and vintage linens. This patchwork pillow is so cute - and I like the quote.

Thursday Tunes: The Goat Rodeo Sessions

There's a new album out that sounds like it is a great one. The Goat Rodeo Sessions is a bluegrassy kind of album by Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile (from Nickel Creek). It's only $10 on Amazon - you can sample it here.

Tartan Flower Pin

My sister Beth called yesterday to tell me about these tartan flower pins from Lands' End. They come in three colors, sell for $19.50, and are back-ordered. Beth thought they looked a lot like the one I made last year (see below). My version was made from my family tartan (which cost about $30 for one yard of fabric). For the center I used a gold golfer button that was my great-grandma's. I like the fluffier version - but now you know that they can be made for less!

Men's Shirt Redesign

Here's a fantastic project that I found through Pinterest. It's a cute redesign of a men's shirt from Old Navy by Tricia of Leafy Treetop Spot. It's always so hard to find cute shirts, and I think this is a great solution!

Pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest? It's defined as an online pinboard - you can "pin" projects and ideas. A friend from church told me about it, and I've looked at it twice and found tons of great ideas both times.

Friday Featured Art: Simple White

Joseph Alleman has some great new works posted on his site. This one is called Simple White. The colors and lighting are very different than his other works. I like it!

Thursday Tunes: Bride of the Noisemakers

I am really excited about Bruce Hornsby's new album: Bride of the Noisemakers. It's a 2-disc live album that runs about $9 on Amazon. We ordered it the other day, but it's not here yet - but I can guarantee that it will be good. Everything Bruce does is good. Except, perhaps, this silly picture of his band members!

Jane Austen Bookmark

For my class project I made some bookmarks to hand out. The quote is from Pride and Prejudice. You can download a PDF of the bookmark below. It prints three on a 5"x7" page - just cut along the lines. I hope it works!

Jane Austen Bookmark

Lost in Austen

I just watched Lost in Austen, and it was hilarious. It's an ITV series in which a girl from present-day London finds herself in the midst of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She frantically tries to make the story go the way that it's supposed to, but nothing works out. Check it out from your local library.

Velvet Ribbon Bookmarks

These velvet ribbon bookmarks are a fun project from Country Living. I worked on some over the weekend - I'll have to post them when I'm done.

Thursday Text: Forget Me Not

I hope you had a chance to watch the General Relief Society Meeting two weeks ago. If not, you should really take the time to read President Uchtdorf's talk, Forget Me Not. It was really great. Here's an excerpt.

"I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

It’s wonderful that you have strengths.

And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself."

Burghley House

While working on a Pride and Prejudice project for my Jane Austen class I learned about Burghley House. It is a fantastic estate built in Elizabethan times, and it served as the filming location for Rosings Park in the latest version of Pride and Prejudice. It looks like an incredible place to visit.

Na-Da Farm Barn Sale

Did you read about the Na-Da Farm Barn Sale in the latest issue of Midwest Living? It was this last Friday and Saturday, and it was not too far from where I live. So I went on Saturday. The barn setup was really fabulous. Here is what I ended up with: 1. hobnail milk glass vase (I love the ruffled edge), 2. baker's twine, 3. leather cuff bracelet "all who wander are not lost" Fun!

Saint Louis Toile

When we were in St. Louis a week or so ago, we discovered Saint Louis Toile at the Missouri History Museum gift shop. I think this is a great idea - custom toile for your city. As far as I can tell, they don't sell the fabric separately, but they do have some great pillows, dish towels, etc.

Etsy Shop by Color

One of the things that I really love about Etsy is its functionality. It is such a fun and easy to use website. Did you know that you can shop by color? Just pick a color, and they'll find items to match!

Thursday Text: Pride and Prejudice

My class has finished reading Pride and Prejudice. We're going to start watching the 1940 film version tomorrow. Here are a couple of quotes from Elizabeth on her engagement that I thought were perfect.

To Jane:
It is settled between us already, that we are to be the happiest couple in the world.

And later:
I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh.

Indigo Wild

Indigo Wild is the company behind Zum soap. They are natural soaps made in Kansas City, and the scents are fabulous. These examples are lavender rosemary and sea salt. Yum!

Memory Game, 2

Here's another fun option for a memory game. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright version from Bas Bleu.

Memory Game

This is a memory game project from the Purl Bee. I think it's a beautiful idea!