Pearls and Lace Thursday #117 Yummy Laces

I'm shaking with cold as I type this post!  It got down to 20 degrees here both last night and the night before!  We're in northeast Texas and not used to it getting very cold!

We have a wonderful home with a wood burning stove which we use exclusively for our heat source.  The only downfall to that is that the rooms NOT next to the living room stay cold!

I layed out a number of laces last night so that I could photograph them in the morning sun this morning, but with the sun moving further south, my sunny pictures didn't work out.

But I'll share what I got.

I love to find bundles of laces for sale in a lot.  There's just something about the anticipation of getting a box full of lovelies and then handling each piece and studying them.  I get endless amounts of joy as I see the workmanship and varied patterns.

This particular flower is especially beautiful to me!

Some of the pieces are crocheted, some are tatted, and others are made by machine or other forms, but each has its own beauty. 

It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday!  Get your url code from your blog post and add it to the link below to join the party.  This will be the last P&L party for the year, but I'll be back in January with more!

I hope you each have a safe holiday and a Happy New Year!

Blessings,

Doni

I will be joining some of the parties below:

 Mosiac Monday at

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Make it Pretty Monday

http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/

Today's Thrifty Treasures at

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Cowgirl Up Party Monday

http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/

Just Something I Whipped Up

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Knick of Time Tuesday

http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

Open House Party

http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Cottage Garden Party

http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/

Hope in Every Season

http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/

Blissful White Wednesday

http://www.timewashed.com/

Adorned From Above

http://www.adornedfromabove.com/

What's It Wednesday

http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Whatever You Want Wednesday

http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/

Grace at Home

http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Time Travel Thursday

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Vintage Thingie Thursday

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

Minute for Me Thursday

http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Feathered Nest Friday

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

It's a Hodgepodge Friday

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/

Frugalicious Friday

http://decormamma.blogspot.com/

A Crafty Soiree

http://www.katiesnestingspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Thrifty Things Friday

http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Simple and Sweet Fridays

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Shabbylicious Friday

http://shabbyartboutique.blogspot.com/

Potpourrie Friday

http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Flaunt It Friday

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturday

http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Sew Darn Crafty

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/

It's a Pink Kind of Day

So what do you do when you see a basket sitting there full of pink beauty?

Well you take some pictures of it and share it for Pink Saturday of course!!

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Now what am I going to do with all this pink?  Well, I'm thinking about another Fabric and Lace Collage!

The one below was my first (you can see it in my previous post here). 

Blessings,

Doni

I'll be joining Pink Saturday at Beverly's

http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/



Pearls and Lace Thursday #116 Fabric and Lace Collage: "God Brought Us Together"

Here is my first attempt at making a Fabric and Lace Collage.

I've named it "God Brought Us Together"

I have been pinning, searching, drooling, and fantasizing over some gorgeous pictures of projects others have created and have finally tried my own.

The pictures are of my Birthmother on the left, and myself on the right.  I chose pictures that show each of us around 18 years old.  For those of you who read My Adoption Story (you can find it here), you will know that God allowed me to find my Birthmother when I was 30.  We immediately clicked.

As we got to know each other better, we found that we had MANY similarities in our likes and dislikes, in our crafting, and in our thoughts and emotions.

I included what I call a 'Memory Chatelaine' hanging on the right side of the collage to represent some of our favorite crafts...needlework!  The threads were hers, and the key was mine.  The key represents the unlocking of the door to knowing her.

We were both born in January, so the garnet buttons at the top are perfect embellishments.

I used many different types of laces and trims, some of them are my very favorites.

Many of them were simply tacked on by a few threads, and others sewn with machine, but none were glued.

Isn't she beautiful?

With my love of laces I wanted to create something that would last, and yet NOT destroy any pieces of lace that I used.

 I spent HOURS trying this piece of lace, that piece of lace, and have finally put together a piece that I am proud of. No laces were harmed or destroyed in the making of this collage! Some pieces I used whole, as is, so that the integrity of the piece would be intact.

It took me forever to figure out how to put a piece of muslin through my printer, and since it's NOT an inkjet, NO moisture should get near it!  I will have to figure out another type of printing!

I thought my mother's picture was beautiful and have been wanting to create something beautiful to showcase it and our story.  I think she would have loved it.

It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday!  Just add your url code from your blog post to the link below!

I am thrilled to welcome my newest followers...Hello Ladies!!

Thanks to each of you who joined us last week!

Blessings,

Doni

I will be joining some parties this week!

Mosiac Monday at

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Make it Pretty Monday
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/
Today's Thrifty Treasures at
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Up Party Monday
http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/
Just Something I Whipped Up
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/
Knick of Time Tuesday
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/
Open House Party
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Cottage Garden Party
http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Hope in Every Season
http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/
Blissful White Wednesday
http://www.timewashed.com/
Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/
What's It Wednesday
http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
Whatever You Want Wednesday
http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/
Grace at Home
http://www.impartinggrace.com/
Time Travel Thursday
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
Vintage Thingie Thursday
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/
Minute for Me Thursday
http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
It's a Hodgepodge Friday
http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
Frugalicious Friday
http://decormamma.blogspot.com/
A Crafty Soiree
http://www.katiesnestingspot.com/
Vintage Inspiration Friday
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday
http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Thrifty Things Friday
http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Simple and Sweet Fridays
http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/
Shabbylicious Friday
http://shabbyartboutique.blogspot.com/
Potpourrie Friday
http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Flaunt It Friday
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
Pink Saturday
http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/
Sew Darn Crafty
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/

Pearls and Lace Thursday #115 Notions and Laces

It seems to me that those of us living in the United States are missing something.

As I've wandered the internet and visited so many other countries, I have found that the sewing items there are much more elaborate and beautiful than what we can find here.

The items I find here in Texas are useful and necessary, not so much lovingly handcrafted for beauty.

I guess that's why laces are so eyecatching to me.

They're beautiful!

A few years ago I purchased a very OLD, rusted, and neglected trunk that I wanted to restore.  Well, let's just say it's too far gone to be restored.  So I took the inside tray out and decided to try to use it for something.  It is very old and decrepit (is that the right way to spell that??).  Falling apart, dusty, and wobbly...it just needs some TLC.  But I wanted to use it for a post and fill it with lace.  And thread.  And buttons...

Now don't get me wrong here.  I love old sewing notions period.  Whether from near or far!  Whether metal, celluloid, wood;  buttons, lace, or thread...they all fascinate me.  I just can't pass a spool of thread or jar of buttons...and lace....well watch out!!

I'd love to have a shop that I could fill with things that were gently used so that others could enjoy them.

But I'm afraid that with my love for those kinds of things, I just wouldn't open the doors to the public, but would just play with them and take pictures....move things around and do it again!!!

With the collection of laces that I've lovingly hoarded collected over the years, I've slowly learned more and more about the way they were made, the regions certain ones were made, and the history behind them. Women all over the world love lace, and men too!  The industry of making lace in factories is also interesting, although those laces are not as exciting to me...

When I find an exceptional piece, I touch it with clean hands and great care.  I feel like I'm supposed to be a caretaker of lace.  I think that's why I have such a difficult time crafting with my laces!
But I did recently, and next week I'll show you my efforts.

One of my favorite things to do is to Pin on Pinterest.  You can see my Pin Boards here .  The fun of pinning is not just finding a picture of an object I want to pin, but burrowing further and finding the source of the picture.  Most of my finds have led me to a blog or a website of pictures that make my mouth water.  New blogs I've found have consumed my time as I click through years of back posts and I feel like I've found a new magazine that I can drool over!!

Now, I need to learn French, German, and a dozen other languages so that I can REALLY get the whole thing, but pictures say a thousand words, right??

And a wonderful surprise for me when I went to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!!
Dear Beverly had recognized my last Pearls and Lace Thursday post as being the most viewed last week for her Blog Party!!! I was blown away!!  Thank you Beverly, and thank you to all who clicked over here and visited!!

It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday, and please forgive me for being so wordy today.  It must be the (diet peach) pie from Thanksgiving!!
Add the url code for your post to the link below and show us your lovelies.
I'd like to welcome my newest followers too!  Thank you all for coming to visit and for joining me each week for the party!
Blessings,
Doni



I'll be joining some parties this week too!

Mosiac Monday at

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Make it Pretty Monday

http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/

Today's Thrifty Treasures at

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Cowgirl Up Party Monday

http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/

Just Something I Whipped Up

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Knick of Time Tuesday

http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

Open House Party

http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Cottage Garden Party

http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Hope in Every Season
http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/

Blissful White Wednesday

http://www.timewashed.com/

Adorned From Above

http://www.adornedfromabove.com/

What's It Wednesday

http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
Whatever You Want Wednesday

http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/

Grace at Home

http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Time Travel Thursday

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Vintage Thingie Thursday

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

Minute for Me Thursday

http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Feathered Nest Friday

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

It's a Hodgepodge Friday

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/

Frugalicious Friday

http://decormamma.blogspot.com/

A Crafty Soiree

http://www.katiesnestingspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Thrifty Things Friday

http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Simple and Sweet Fridays

http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Shabbylicious Friday

http://shabbyartboutique.blogspot.com/

Potpourrie Friday

http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Flaunt It Friday

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturday

http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Sew Darn Crafty

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/

It's a Sneak Peek at Pearls and Lace Thursday

Hello everyone!  Did y'all make it through all the cooking, eating, and shopping??

I hope you each have had time to rest, and BLOG!!
Tomorrow is Pearls and Lace Thursday #115 and I will be sharing a huge collection of guess what?

MORE Lace!!  You guessed it!

Here are a few sneak peeks:

Get ready to share your pretties and come back tomorrow to join the party!!

Hope you have a lovely day!

Blessings,

Doni



Blessings to You This Thanksgiving!

Hugs,

Doni

Joining Pink Saturday today over at Beverly's Blog!
How Sweet the Sound



Blessings To You This Thanksgiving!

The sun was setting as I jumped out of my car with my camera and tried to catch the beauty that was before me.  A lovely display of wild berries growing up an old rusty fence, just across the street from my mailbox.

Absolutely lovely.

If I could give you each a hug, I would.  So consider yourself hugged!

If I could invite each of you to my home and sit and talk with you and enjoy your company over a pot of hot coffee, tea, or chocolate, I would do so.

You are each so special, and you have touched so many people in so many ways.  Do you know that your comments are like lights on my daily walk?  They brighten my day and give me a boost.

My sincere thanks to each of you who click on my blog and visit me.  I love sharing lovely things with you and get SO much pleasure planning my vignettes and posts each week.

I wish you each a wonderful and lovely Thanksgiving week.  If you don't happen to have a special someone or family to share it with, please consider stepping outside your comfort zone and sharing your compassion with someone less fortunate than you.

And please remember to thank God for each of your bessings.

I thank God for each of YOU!!

hugs,

Doni

No Pearls and Lace Thursday this week.  The party will resume next week!

I have planned something pretty to share with you!



Pearls and Lace Thursday #114 Dress Form Loveliness

Can something old and worn and rusty and out of shape truly be called lovely?

It can if it's our grandmother or a dress form!

I don't recall ever having been anywhere in my childhood that there was a dress form.

I only saw them on television or magazines.

But regardless of not having been raised with them, there's just something about a vintage

dress form that makes my heart beat a little faster.

For the past year I have been trying to come up with a name for my own dress form.  Now don't get any ideas at all that this form is in my own SHAPE (just wishful thinking)...

I think her shape makes her look like she has a spunky personality; you know the type, won't take any sass off of anyone.  Stands up to the storms of life and goes on, yet is gentle and loving to family, friends, and animals.

Ok...enough of that!

As I pondered a name to call such a character, I thought of combining a few names like Emma and Ruth, middle names of grandmothers, and then I thought of the nostalgic names from the past like Cornelia or Gertrude or Ethel.  Then I saw a name from the past that broght to memory a dear sweet lady I knew when I was in college.  She and her husband, though very elderly, still had a spark between them of love and devotion.  They were members of my church and had decided to give their time to the college 'kids' class, and host dinners and such in their home.  Such a lovely home and such wonderful people.

Her name was Nadine.

So, I'd like to introduce you to Nadine, my cheeky, spunky, and very lovely dress form!

You know what?  She has never sassed me, never been embarrased when I've dressed her in pearls and laces (in fact LOVES them too!), and is just the perfect houseguest.  She never nibbles on our food (and that's how she keeps her shape I'm sure!!).  She lives in my spare bedroom and has never once scared me to death standing there!  She just makes me happy!

It's time for Pearls and Lace Thursday!  Please join us by clicking on the Link button below and show us something Lovely that you have posted.  I am so excited with those of you who joined me last week, as well as thrilled with those of you who have recently started following me!  And the comments you've left are so a sweet!  Thank you so much, and a huge welcome to you all!

Blessings,

Doni

I will be joining a few parties as well this week!  Sneak over and have a look!

Mosiac Monday at
http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/
Make it Pretty Monday
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/
Today's Thrifty Treasures at
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/
Show Off Your Cottage Monday at
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Up Party Monday
http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/
Just Something I Whipped Up
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/
Knick of Time Tuesday
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/
Cottage Garden Party
http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Blissful White Wednesday
http://www.timewashed.com/
Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/
What's It Wednesday
http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
Whatever You Want Wednesday
http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/
Grace at Home
http://www.impartinggrace.com/
Time Travel Thursday
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
Vintage Thingie Thursday
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/
Minute for Me Thursday
http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/
Open House Party
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Show and Tell Friday
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
It's a Hodgepodge Friday
http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
Frugalicious Friday
http://decormamma.blogspot.com/
A Crafty Soiree
http://www.katiesnestingspot.com/
Vintage Inspiration Friday
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday
http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Thrifty Things Friday
http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/
Simple and Sweet Fridays
http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/
Shabbylicious Friday
http://shabbyartboutique.blogspot.com/
Potpourrie Friday
http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Flaunt It Friday
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
Pink Saturday
http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com/
Sew Darn Crafty
http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/