Apples of Gold Pillowcase

This pillowcase set was actually made with gold and silver floss. That was an adventure. It took me a few tries to keep the distance between stitches even and to keep the thread from tangling. However, the final result is, as you can see, fabulous! I used regular floss for the leaves and stems and highlighted it with the gold so that you get the illusion that they sparkle too. This was inspired by a verse in Proverbs where it speaks of "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)

For a Homey Country Quilt 2

Here it is! This pillowcase was a breeze to work on. Satin stitch is my favorite, and for this pillowcase I made it a padded satin stitch, so I got to do it twice. ;) I loved working on it and watching the leaves fall from the trees. It was nice to be cosy inside. :)
This pillowcase was a gift, and it was meant to go with a gorgeous blue and green country quilt. I thought that adding the subtle accent of the white flowers (a technique called candle-wicking) picked up on that homey vibe.
I am so grateful that the Lord has given me many opportunities to share my gifts with others! I pray that they are a blessing.

The Pearl of Great Price: An Anthology

Dearest Readers,

Check out my second book! It is a collection of my poetry and short stories to date, and a few other sweet surprises. ;) You can find it here. Feel free to leave a review! Also, some tidbits: Amazon Prime subscribers can get my books for free! And, starting tomorrow "Apples" will be given away free to everyone as part of a promotion!! The promotion only lasts five days, so get your copy soon!

Free Promotion! July 23rd to 27th

Starting Monday, you can get my book, Apples for free! This promotion only lasts five days, so upload your copy soon!

                       Find it here! 

Summertime

Ahh, the last days of summer. You know those summers where you have a huge list of lovelies to complete or pet projects that you have always wanted to finish, and they somehow never get done? My summer has been a little like that. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. ;) College is coming soon, and so is structure to my days. I did manage to pull together a bunch of projects too enter in the 4-H section at the county fair, and my crewel embroidery, crotchet blanket, and bird mobile are all going to the state fair! It was nice to see that my work keeps improving (and getting larger!).

Another interesting development is my new room. I am now in the little basement room, and I LOVE it. So does my cat. ;) We are preparing for me living in a dorm, because currently, I share practically everything with my three lovely sisters, and I need to figure out what I still need. I have enjoyed re-styling the shelves with my books, and it has been interesting to go through all my craft supplies and make sure I don't have a bunch of extra stuff in there. :)

On a different note, I have library problems. I love to read, as you know, and I hoped to read some incredible fiction this summer in preparation for lots of textbooks this fall. ;) Unfortunately, there were not many books at our library that I am willing to subject my brain to. When I read, I like to challenge myself with vocabulary and get a well-written, interesting, wholesome book. Let's just say there aren't many of those in the teen section at our library. And there seems to be a surplus of vampires. So I filled out a request form for eight books. Apparently, they don't normally get a request for that many forms to fill out-I received some funny looks. :) Hopefully, they will get them all in before I leave, because I only have a month to go. They were interesting books. Have you read: Eon? Eona? (By the way, I am still trying to figure out the order of those...there are eight books total, and it looks like there are two series...)Soulbound?
Albeit, some of these books I am getting because their covers looked cool, but I do think their plots sound interesting after reading the descriptions online. If you have suggestions, I would love to read them!

Bird Mobile for Baby

Well, Readers, I have the cutest project to show you all! It is an adorable baby mobile made from sticks and little stuffed birds. (When I mean little, I guess I mean about six inches long.)

My good friends from Florida, who used to babysit me and my sisters just had babies! I am so excited for them, and for the little girl I made this mobile. I found a different bird pattern to use for the little boy mobile, which I will take pictures of later. 

I found this project lighthearted and fun, and the only trouble I had with it was getting the faces of the birds to look the same every time. :) I think they all look a little bit different. ;) It can be our secret. 

All in all, it was lovely to make the birds, but the coolest part for me was finding a stick to put the birds on for the final product. I ended up using this "curly stick" that comes from some tree or bush in a couple that goes to our church's backyard. My mom likes to make flower arrangements, and the couple thought the sticks would add some neat texture and interest. Well, they certainly did in my piece!!! I LOVE the sticks, and I LOVE how God makes His creation so wonderfully interesting! 

That's it for now!

Alexis

Bells are Pealing

Hilari Bell. Incredible author-and I love her style! I have been reading her series: The Farsala Trilogy. They are excellent, and I am going to the library today to get the third one. I have also been reading fairytale redo-type-things that are so innovative and fun! I think I would like to try my hand at another one. You can catch my first one here: Apples, which is the re-telling of Snow White.


Have an awesome day!