Pearls and Lace Thursday Pearls Giveaway Winner!

Howdy to you all!!

I have a winner picked!!

But you'll have to wait to find out.  That's 'cause I'm mean.

Yep, just plain mean.  And selfish because I want you see what I've been working on.

So.  Remember the collage I wanted to make for my friend 'L'??

Here is the start of it.

I have it all pinned, and yet there are still a LOT of items I haven't put on it yet.  You know I can't stop with it until there are buttons and pearls and roses!!  The picture below is my work area.  I'm supposed to be getting my craft room ready for Where Bloggers Create!!!

OK.  I need to stop first and tell y'all something I've decided.  I have been so late getting to everybody who has joined my party this last month or so that I've decided to take a break from hosting the Pearls and Lace Thursday party for a while.  Probably for most of the summer.  I will think about getting back to hosting the party after the heat of summer is over.  Now don't think I'll be absent from blogland, because I love to take pictures and have fun showing y'all what I've been doing.  AND there's the Where Bloggers Create party coming up in July and I want to participate in that again this year.

So until further notice, there will no longer be a Pearls and Lace Thursday party.  I must say that you all make it fun to host, and you all share such lovely things!!  I appreciate your comments and joining me so much.  I just need to take a break.

Hoping you understand!!

NOW, how about that winner! 

I had a TON of glass pearls that I found on sale a few weeks ago and wanted to share, so of the people who commented on my last post, here is the winner.

Drumroll please.......

Cynthia, would you please get me your address so I can send you a package of pearls???

I will try to email you and let you know...

Big hugs and blessings to you all!!

Doni



Pearls and Lace Thursday #138 Serving Up Pearls!

So what do YOU do when you come across a sale?  You know the kind, a sale where something you LOVE is on sale, and not just for a few cents off, but on sale for a LOT off?

Well, you BUY A LOT of them right????

So I'm justified in my thinking that purchasing TONS of pearls is alright.  Especially if I decide to have a quick giveaway, right??

I found glass pearls on sale this last week and even my husband understood!!

Here's what I found: (and please forgive the disgusting quality of my lighting in the following photos.  I cannot for the life of me figure out how to take pictures that look good in my dining area).

Now, I hate to do this for a giveaway, but because of the weight of glass pearls, I am only opening this giveaway up to people who live in the continental United States.  I'm sorry...
I will contact the winner and then after finding out a bit of information I will put together a small box of lovelies, including some of these wonderful glass pearls!!  Be sure and let me know if you are interested in your comment, and I will pick the winner and post it next week for P&L Thursday.

Actually, it was quite humorous.  My husband has this love for ink pens.  He uses them in all colors to mark the books he reads.  So, I was armed with a 50% off coupon for Michales, and we wandered around for quite some time.  Then I saw them.  The pearls that is.  On one endcap were these gorgeous lengths of deep colored pearls.  And I couldn't believe my eyes.  Did that "29" on the tag really mean they were only 29 cents each?  Oh dear, I'd have to get a price check on those....but what if someone saw them and grabbed them while I was at the register trying to get the price checked?  So I grabbed up a huge handful of them and headed to the front.

Yes, they were 29 cents each strand.  GREAT!!  Back to the endcap and as I hauled more of them into my basket, I was feeling great!  Then I headed to the front via another isle, and another display drew my attention.  It was full of all the pearl strands and they TOO were on sale, but for 40 cents a strand!!

OH WOW!  That's a good price too right?  So out came the basket to the floor now, and I'm quickly hauling in multiple lengths of gorgeous glass pearls.  I didn't drool on their floor either.  I was nice and left quite a few behind, and I even kept the different priced pearls separate from each other.

Now the hard part.  Showing the almost full (seemed like it to me) basket to my husband as we approached the front.  He had found a package of pens (50% off with my coupon!), and so he was happy.  And when he saw my haul, he did what only a husband who knows his wife well could do.  He smiled and said, 'Well you found the motherlode today!!"  And I told him the prices and he too was amazed.

So, person after person with only one or two items in their hands came up behind us (looking at me like I was a crazy woman), and I waved them ahead knowing that our check out would take a lot of time.  After all, counting all those lengths of pearls takes time!!  Finally, it's our turn, and we finish the checkout.  That bag of pearls had to be DOUBLE BAGGED because it was so heavy!!! I laughed all the way home!  And I thought of what I could do with them, and all sorts of ideas came to mind. 

I'm in Pearl Heaven this week.

SO, it's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday!!  Add the url code for your post to the link below and join us as we share our pretties.  It doesn't have to be a post about pearls or lace, anything lovely is welcome.  I feel so much less hectic now when I see my calendar!!  Last month was a doozy!  This month looks much better!!

Thanks to each of you who joined us last week!  I have enjoyed seeing your pretties.  And welcome to my newest followers and guests!  It's so nice to meet you!!

I hope you all have a lovely week,

Blessings,

Doni

Pearls and Lace Thursday #137 But God...

I wonder if it's just one of those things that every time May roles around, the calendar gets SWAMPED!

It seems there's not time to catch up, with graduations, trips, Dr. appointments and getting ready for this or that, well, the whole month is loaded with things!

I hope your month is good, and NOT too busy!

It's also easy to get so busy that things of God are neglected.  To tell the truth, keeping Him first is the most important thing there is, and putting other things down to take time for Him and read His Word is hard.

I have had this idea in my mind for a lot of months.  I want to make a collage with the words "But God" on it.  This little two word phrase means a lot to my husband and I as well as some dear friends.  I am going to make two of these I believe, and this first one will be for my friend "L".

Ephesians 2:4-6

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved:)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Amazing words, amazing Grace!!

Although we have had so many tragedies and losses in our country the last few months, we still stand strong.  There is nothing too hard for God.  Those two words are powerful, and that's why they are so wonderful to us.  I hope they are wonderful to you too.

I have not been able to make it to all the blogs that joined last time for Pearls and Lace Thursday, but I want you each to know how special I think you are!!  Please forgive my lack, and please know that I am very honored to have you join each week.  I am also excited to have some new followers!  Welcome to each of you!  I can keep up with my emails via my iphone or ipad when I'm out of the house, yet sometimes when I comment using them I loose function or availability to comment....which is exasperating!! 

So I'll keep trying and hopefully will figure out what I'm doing wrong!

Let's start our party!  It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday.  Please add your url code to the link below and share with us your pretties!!

May you enjoy a week of blessings,

Doni



Praying for Oklahoma This Week

My heart is broken for the people of Moore, Oklahoma this week after the devastating tornado.

Please keep them in your prayers as the survivors try to get their lives back together, and pray especially for those who lost loved ones.

We are so blessed, and take life for granted.



With heartfelt sorrow, Doni

Pearls and Lace Thursday #136 "THAT KIND" of Lace with Pearls

There's just something that makes a thrill go through my heart when I see "THAT KIND" of lace.

And it's even more exciting when I get to be the new owner, like if it's for sale on Etsy!!

There's a lovely lady on Etsy who has the most wonderful laces.  Her name is Alison and you can find her Etsy shop here. 
I've bought from her numerous times over the years, and recently I found this lovely piece:

It has little bobbles on it that have oodles of texture and give it a pearl effect.  Next to the wedding cap with seed pearls, they look very similar!

Even after I took the photos of this sweet piece, I was amazed at the detail.  Each bobble is a bundle of thread rolled up perfectly to form the whole, and the organdy background is embroidered and laces are formed to make the petals and leaves.  Are you drooling yet??

The 4 appliques are still stitched to the original backing paper.  I am so blessed to be the new owner and caretaker of such a lovely piece of history! 

 Can you imagine those pieces being chosen by a future bride and her mother one day while shopping for the wedding dress materials...they finger the laces until the young bride says, "Mother.  This is it".  Gloved hands pick up the papered lace appliques and the mother's eyes look at the bobbles and embroidery, the stitches and the textures and she says, "Nadine, this is perfect.  Are you sure?".  Nadine smiles softly and says, "Yes mother dear.  This one is perfect.  I can see it already, these appliques along the skirt and bodice of the silk we picked out earlier".

So they purchase the whole roll, because they MUST have enough to finish that dress!

After many hours of painstakingly hand-stitching each piece lovingly along the lines of the dress, it's finished.  In between each applique there are seed pearls to mimic the bobbles in the lace and to match the wedding cap and veil, and the dress is ready for the wedding.  Nadine tries on the finished dress and her mother wipes furtive tears from her eyes.

"You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen dear".

Nadine gazes at herself in the long mirror and then looks at her mother's face and says, "And YOU are the most wonderful mother in the world!"

Time goes by, the wedding takes place, everything is perfect.  The dress is worn, and each person attending the wedding gazes with admiration at the gorgeous bride and her beautiful dress  After the day is finished, loving hands carefully pack the dress and tenderly place each sleeve and each lacy ruffle in perfect place for safekeeping. 

The mother quietly goes about her days, thinking about her daughter now married, far away with her new husband.  Her hand reaches into her sewing cabinet and pulls out a small, carefully wrapped bundle of browning paper and opens it up.  She smiles as she carresses the beautiful appliques leftover from the making of the beautiful wedding dress for her darling daughter, remembering the words they spoke.  Happy tears flow down her weathered cheeks and she smiles.

Suddenly there is a knock at the door!!

"Mother!! It's me, Nadine!!  We've come HOME!!"

I hope you enjoyed seeing my newest lace.  I love to show it off!!!

Now it's time for YOU to show off what lovelies you have!

Please feel free to join the party by copying and pasting the url code from your blog post to the link below.

Last week I truly enjoyed visiting y'all and am so honored to have you come by to see my blog.

I'm also excited to have some new followers!  Welcome to you all, and I hope you each have a marvelous week.  Blessings,

Doni

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Pearls and Lace Thursday #135 Blue and White Trims and Laces

Do y'all have birds in your trees?  Do y'all have birds that sing all day?

Do y'all have a bird that sings all NIGHT????

We do.  It's a mockingbird.

And it's just after midnight, and it's SINGING!!

All night...every night.  But it sings different songs at night than it does during the day.

Do you have one?  Want mine???

OK...enough about that silly bird.

How about some blue today?  Mockingbirds are blueish, aren't they?

Oh drat. There I go again!!  And so does the bird!

OK...I'm trying to talk about lace and trim!!!

When I first started to get together the blues and creams for this post, I had in mind another collage that I want to make.  I have a dear dear friend (who made that fabulous heart cushion) that will be having a birthday later this year, but I want the collage to be ready in time.  SO, I pulled out all my fun blue stuff and started to take pictures.

I love the textures and the look of the trims, and the laces are just so pretty.  But the satin boxes are some of my very favorite things!  They are so easy to find, usually online, but sometimes at estate sales or yard sales.

These blues are so pretty!

I don't have a whole lot of vintage blue buttons that have shanks...those are my faves in my blue stash.  Others I have in my jar are newer, or plastic that I don't much like.  But, I'm always looking for more.

The ribbon I found online, and it's such a pretty color!  I found where I had placed it tucked under a stash of lace (ok...I know I have enough lace already, but who can resist??), and so it was hidden, but I found it now, and it's so pretty!  I hope I uncover some more goodies soon!

The music card in this last picture as well as the music cards in the other shots are a recent gift from a dear sweet French lady from Etsy!! I went to the mailbox yesterday and what was there?  A package from FRANCE!!!  Now I knew that I had not ordered or bought a thing from there (lately), so I was not sure what to expect.  If you'd like to have a peek at a beautiful Etsy shop with a sweet lady, please check it out HERE.

Thank you so much Sharyn!! You really did make my day!

And if you made it this far, yes, the bird is still tweeting his little heart out.  I try to imagine I'm sleeping in my garden, enjoying the sun, and it's just the most natural thing in the world to have a bird singing all night long.  Hasn't worked yet, but I'm gonna give it another chance tonight!

His name now...BIG MOUTH!!!

Monday afternoon I stepped outside because Big Mouth was hollering his loudest, and I found him. 

He was trying to get away from me, but I started whistling and tweeting myself.  He couldn't stand it and got closer and closer to see what OTHER bird was in his territory.  I got a few shots of him (with the camera...).

Looks like he likes to sit here a lot

I was totally overwhelmed with the large number of you who joined my party last week!!  It took me almost the rest of the weekend to get to every one of your posts!!  Y'all did a lovely job and I'm so excited that you shared so many wonderful projects and ideas and lovelies!

And to all of you who are my newest followers I'd like to say welcome!!

Your comments had me smiling too all week.  I think I have the best friends of anyone in blogland!!

My month of May calendar is so filled up all of a sudden that I told my husband I was overwhelmed.  I don't know how many days are left free!!  But of the ones left, don't be too surprised if I have to skip a week hosting this party.  We'll see how it goes.  I might surprise myself and be able to keep up!

So, with all that said, let's start the party!

Just copy and paste the url code from your post and link it to the linky below.

Hope you each have a lovely week!

Blessings to you!

Doni



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Pearls and Lace Thursday #134 Pink and Yellow Rose Inspiration

A few years ago my husband brought me a dozen roses....

IN POTS!!

A Rose bush in each pot!

SO...I have a dozen roses in my garden!!

The first bush to bloom this spring is this lovely pink and yellow variety (and no...I don't know the name).

And that's where inspiration hit.  I had an old sewing box that had those colors, some trims, some other things, and this is what I came up with.

I shared last week my thread and lace cards and promised to show you my violin shaped ones this week.  They ARE violin shaped, but I'm not thrilled with the way they turned out....maybe they should be larger...

The yellowed pearls seem to blend nicely with the other shades of yellows...

Below is one of two lace medallions I recently purchased.  I think it's incredible!

These deep red roses are called Sooner roses and their fragrance is so big and intoxicating...wherever we are in the garden, we can usually catch a whif of this lovely.

Do you have roses in your garden?  The freshness of a rose seems to take me to a place where old meets new...where nostalgia and present day come together.  The rose was a huge part of our ancestry and women (and men) all love roses and have taken them across the world.  Our own country was populated with rose cuttings lovingly and carefully kept during the expansions that covered wagons carried over the hills and plains.  I can only imagine how carefully they were maintained and how many women smiled when first buds appeared after a treacherous journey to a new and unbroken land was finished.

Whenever you see a wild rose growing along a highway or country road, smile and enjoy.  Perhaps it was planted by one of our ancestors journeying to a new home and hope.

It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday!!

And I'd love to welcome each of my newest followers!  It's always so fun to make new friends!

Thanks too to you lovely ladies who joined last week's party, and for your beautiful and sweet comments!

To join the party just add the url code from your post to the link below.

Blessings to you!

Doni