The Valentine bug has hit me. My head has been whirling with projects. This little project from last year is one that I enjoyed way beyond Valentine's Day. It just made my heart smile. So, I thought I'd bring it out from the archives. And, since this little blog has grown a lot since last year, you probably missed it the first time around. It's super easy and you can follow the framed dimensional heart tutorial here. And now on to our Extraordinary Link Party.... Mary Beth from Cupcakes and Crinoline ~ Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday Stephanie Chan from The Silly … [Read more...]
Faith. It's a complicated word. For some...it has great spiritual meaning. For others...it's a bit nebulous. A long time ago, when one of the girls from my youth group got married, I created some counted cross stitch art for her as a wedding gift. I stitched these words from Hebrews 11:1....Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Why in the world was I so enamored with this verse that I created cross stitch art? And for a wedding gift, no less. I can't answer that. One thing I do know.... In order to navigate through life, faith is a … [Read more...]
We are just a month away from Valentine's Day. Are you looking for a little Valentine's Day decor inspiration? Here's a post from the archives for a super simple Valentine Vintage Window. I love simple and easy projects and this Valentine vintage window certainly was all that and delivered a huge bang too. Plus it's been pinned nearly a thousand times. Click here to pin-it. And now on to our Extraordinary Link Party.... Mary Beth from Cupcakes and Crinoline ~ Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday Stephanie Chan from The Silly Pearl ~ Diane from An … [Read more...]
This birch branch winter woodland tablescape just might be my most favorite table setting ever. What is it about natural elements that make my heart sing? This winter we've been having fun decorating with birch branches. You may have seen some of it here and here and here. We had a few longer birch branches that hadn't been used over Christmas, so I thought creating a birch branch winter woodland tablescape would be fun. Actually, creating a centerpiece of the branches for the table would set the stage and theme. Birch branches are perfect for winter … [Read more...]
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8a If you don’t slow to count the gifts in the moments, God in the moments — when exactly will you taste and see that the Lord is good? The losing of every battle begins when there is no time to taste and see and savor that the Lord is good. When you don’t have time to taste and see that the Lord is good — you begin to taste and believe that life is bad. Ann Voskamp, A Holy Experience My days are pretty full. I get up early and go to bed late. I'm an early bird and a night owl. Would that make me an early owl? No matter what I do, or … [Read more...]
It seems like the whole country is in a deep freeze. I rarely watch TV so I miss the hype regarding major storms, but I've been seeing the term "polar vortex" in status updates on Facebook and elsewhere. My husband had an appointment to meet someone a few hours away and it was cancelled because of the cold temps in Indiana. Here in Michigan it was minus 17 degrees last night and today I don't think we got above minus 3 degrees. It's cold. And that vortex brought in plenty of snow. Seeing all that beautiful frosting on the trees, the porch, and cars made me want to make snow ice … [Read more...]
There's something exciting about the New Year and a fresh start. So many new things await us. Recently my e-mail box had a very special invitation from Mary Beth of Cupcakes and Crinoline, to be a part of the hosting team for Project Inspire{d}. I've been linking up my projects since Mary Beth birthed this link party and through that initial invitation we became blogging friends. So of course I said, "Yes!" I'm so blessed to join the gals who host Project Inspire{d} and hope you will plan to meet me here each week. If you're a blogger....bring your most inspiring projects to the party … [Read more...]
Do you choose a Word for the Year? Lots of people choose a word rather than make resolutions. Last year my Word for the Year was JOY. You can read about it here. If you've been following on Facebook you might have picked up that I decided to skip on choosing a Word for the Year and choose a Verse for the Year. Okay....I changed my mind. Instead.... I decided to do both. Sorta. The verse isn't just a verse...it's several verses...okay....a whole section of scripture. But before we go there let's visit my Word for the Year. Restore. It isn't what you … [Read more...]
Since I live in a very snowy region of the country I can do one of two things.... Embrace the snow and cold or bury my head in the snow and pretend it doesn't exist. The former works much better than the later...believe me. For me...pine cones and snowflakes are nature's decor for winter. I know snow makes sense....but pine cones? I have no idea why I think this. Maybe it's just an excuse to decorate with pine cones. And faux snowflakes. I like those much better than the kind that melt. Though I must say, looking out the window and seeing the landscape with a fresh blanket of snow is … [Read more...]
“The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year, but rather that we should have a new soul.” G.K. Chesterton Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Whether the resolution is to be more organized, get healthy, read more books, or run a marathon....as significant as all of those are....the resolution to restore our souls is the more lasting resolution. What do you resolve to do in 2014? The photo quote above by Chesterton is available as a Free 5x7 Printable. Download the New Year's Quote and Printable for 2014 here. Save it to your desktop to print out at home or take to your favorite photo … [Read more...]
[sigh] It's the end of a year. Tonight we gather with a few friends and usher in the New Year. I'm making Swedish Meatballs. My cookbooks are in storage and so I'll be depending on my memory. I guess it will be a splash of this and a sprinkling of that. But, mostly, I'm hoping that they taste like I remember. Because today, I have a yearning for the familiar. Memory lane can be a lovely beautiful place filled with blooms and petals drifting in the sweet breeze. Or...not. Most of us like to travel down memory lane for the good remembrances. Often those remembrances are triggered by aromas. … [Read more...]
It's been an extraordinary year here at An Extraordinary Day! It's been a year where I've been forced to dig deep and get creative. It's been a year of discovery as my eyes have undergone a sort of training to see life and things in a whole new way. It's been a year where I've learned that we really can have beautiful homes and decorate with a zero dollar budget. It's been a year of discovering the most amazing elements in nature for decorating our homes. And...It's been fun. Truly. But most of all, I've discovered that An Extraordinary Day! has the most encouraging and supportive readers. I try … [Read more...]
What was the best Christmas gift you have ever received? I would need to think long and hard about that one. As a child there were too many gifts under the tree for me. I'm not quite sure what my parents' thought process was on Christmas gifts. Most kids get some new clothes to start off the school year. Not me. Sometimes I got new shoes....in the first few weeks or months of the school year. My parents were not into starting off the school year all shiny and fresh. For all the picture-taking, I never remember, one time, a first-day-of-school picture. But, always, there was a new wardrobe of clothes … [Read more...]
Twenty Fourteen will arrive in just a few days... Are you ready for the fresh start and opportunity she will bring? The New Year is like a beautiful blank book..... We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce What words are you hoping to write in your new book? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Catch up on all that's Extraordinary... this week at An … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas!! I am the light that has come into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not live in the dark. John 12:46 Today we light the Christ candle and celebrate Jesus, the Light, who came into the world to free us from the oppression of darkness. I've been contemplating this concept of Jesus being the light of the world lately. And wouldn't you know, last night I attended a Christmas Eve service and the theme of the service was about Jesus being the light. Isn't that just like God? The time when Jesus entered this world as a babe was … [Read more...]
Since it's Christmas Eve and you don't have lots of time to read.... Just for fun....Let's take a look at some sweet red and white Christmas kitchen vignettes. My friend and I had a bit of fun arranging items in her lovely red and white kitchen for Christmas. It would be so fun to have you over for some Christmas cookies and a cup of Christmas tea.... I love this old hutch combo. The upper cabinet originally came from an old New York post office and the bottom is a garage sale chest of drawers which my friend painted in just the sweetest … [Read more...]
I played with power tools this weekend. Just two. But, one, in particular, got me totally excited. I may or may not have posted something about it on Facebook. One tool was a power miter saw. That wasn't a big deal. I used to own one until I allowed some other people to use it and it came back to me in pieces. That's a story for another day. Maybe. I've always wanted to use a nail gun. I can't tell you how fun it was. It made quick work of assembling the birch branches. But, you can make a wreath like this without power tools. So just for fun, I put together a simple … [Read more...]
