How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? When I lived in the Buffalo area I could have attended a parade and enjoyed lots of Irish food, music, dance, and drink. Here in my new neighborhood, I haven't even noticed any shiny shamrocks popping up on front doors. Not yet, anyway. Is there any Irish in your blood? Do you wear green, decorate your home, or enjoy some Irish festivities? Do you celebrate with any special foods or beverages? There's no Irish in my blood, but I thought it would be fun to bring out this vintage cocoa set … [Read more...]
Have you ever thought about the intricate complexity of the human eye? It amazingly allows us to not only view objects, but to view depth, color, size, and every little detail of the world around us. Really, the eye is a super complicated machine with many parts. And usually we take it so very for granted. For fun today, my husband and I went on a 100 step walk. You may remember the 100 step walk we took last fall. Today we stepped off in a different direction, through the alleyways, and into the business area of our small town. Every 100 steps we stopped and my challenge … [Read more...]
A pause at the end of the week... On the way to one of my favorite parks I would drive past this farm with barely a notice of the ancient delivery truck. As the branches bared their souls and the snow piled up it became noticeable. Each time I passed by, I would slow down and wonder about the past life of that lonely truck. One day I parked on the side of the road and trudged through deep snow to get close enough to shoot a few frames of shadow and twig and rust and snow. Will we grow old and sit abandoned like this assembly of steel? Or will we somehow manage to keep our … [Read more...]
Remember how I said I was embracing Winter? Not anymore! Today I flung open the doors and welcomed Spring with open arms. Well not literally...it's only 27 degrees! Instead, I exercised my decorating creativity and paper crafting skills to make a fun pennant banner embellished with colorful birds and music pages from vintage hymnals. My vintage window has now undergone its third transformation since I received it as a gift on Thanksgiving. Take a peek at it as a Christmas Window and later as a Valentine Window. Who knew that an old window would make such a fabulous … [Read more...]
Faith in tough times... Several years ago a co-worker gave me a copy of Streams in the Desert, a devotional with 365 daily readings. Over time I would pick it up and include it in my daily routine. And then it would set on my shelf, waiting as I enjoyed another more current devotional. The other devotionals might have been more contemporary, but not more current. At this time in my life, it seems that it was written just for me, right now. I am in the desert, again. Thirsty for God. It's as if I am walking through vast stretches of nothingness and yet, … [Read more...]
Lovely. Floating. Flakes. Gathering. Whiteness. Snowfall. The other evening we had an unexpected snow at dinner time. Look closely and you can see the large falling snowflakes. It was a magical few hours. Truly extraordinary!! Supper was ready and I sat down to eat. However I could not contain myself. It was getting late and the light was getting low. So, I excused myself from the table, grabbed my camera, and attempted to capture the moment. The windows which had been locked against the winter winds were cranked open to capture this photo and many more. Such a … [Read more...]
Happy Valentine's Day! On this day of hearts... red and white and words inspiration to live a life of Love. Images ~ White Keyhole :: Sweater Heart :: Heart Knocker Images ~ Red Door :: Tin Heart Images ~ Barn & Banner :: Heart Cookies :: Gift :: Ticking Hearts :: White Twigs Images ~ Red Mug :: Red Door :: Patterned Heart And now I leave you with this.... "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." Mother Teresa OO & XX Diane P.S. This photo gallery is an … [Read more...]
The other day I wanted to do something fun for St. Valentine's Day. And I wanted to do it quick. Let me present to you this sweet... Framed 3-D Valentine Heart & Tutorial This is a quick and easy bit of Valentine home decor to make.... using a photo frame, a piece of fabric, magazine pages, scissors, and glue. This day of love will be here before you know it! Here is a great way to use things you already have on hand to create a sweet, heart-moment for that perfect spot that needs just a little bit of loving. But before we take off on our little … [Read more...]
Cloches. I love the look of a cloche in a vignette. You too? But, cloches can be expensive. What do you do if you love the look but don't have one in your stash? Choose any tapered cylindrical container... invert it over your object and voila! you have a cloche! Isn't that easy? How many glass containers can your repurpose for a cloche? This vignette on my sideboard may look a wee bit familiar to you. That's because I recently shared about it here. Marty from a Stroll Through Life also enjoys cloches in her decorating. So much so, that she decided to turn her regular … [Read more...]
Did you wake up this morning with a twinge of anxiety? Do you fear the unknown? Or maybe you have a fear of the future? Fear. Most of us are afraid of something at sometime in our lives. I grapple with it. I bet you do too. Think back to when you were a small child. Do you remember a time when you were out in the great big world and mom or dad took hold of your hand to keep you safe? Your small hand nestled inside that larger stronger hand. Firmly holding on to you. Did it make you feel protected? Maybe you were completely unaware that there was any concern for your … [Read more...]
I finally settled on my word for the year... Joy. If you read my previous Joy Day! post you already know that. And so I thought it would be fun to show you how I put together this little Wintry Wall Vignette over my sideboard and share a little more of the behind the scenes meaning. Plus, a brief tutorial! Ready?! The JOY Basket. Last year during the Christmas season I created this basket of joy. This year I didn't have a place for it. After all the gold and glitz of Christmas got put away, I came across the joy basket again and propped it up on … [Read more...]
Joy. I write about it here all the time. I even have a regular feature called, Joy Day! So then, why did it take so many nudges for me to realize that it is my word for the year? Last night I was working on the weekly Joy Day! post. It was 10:30 and I had been at writing and reading scriptures and sharing my heart for nearly 2 hours. The post had been completed except for photos and I wanted my husband to read it to see what he thought. So, I hit the preview button on my WordPress dashboard, and nothing happened. And again. And then Chrome couldn't connect to the server. … [Read more...]
Winter came roaring back this week. Cold temps. High winds. And plenty of those frozen crystals that fall from the sky. Though we would like to be seeing daffodils and tulips....it's still a bit early. With that in mind, I spent this week embracing winter. Inside. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link An Extraordinary Day will receive a small commission which will help with the costs of this site. Thank you! St. Valentine's Day will be here soon. But, as much as I enjoy hearts I want Winter to be the lead with St. Valentine … [Read more...]
Twenty-five days ago I embarked on a new leg in my life's journey. My goal was to do my part to make this journey, though challenging, a God-honoring one. I did not want this to be about me....I wanted it to be a time where those around me will say, "Look what God has done." One of the ways to accomplish that is to mediate on God's Word, pray boldly, and trust Him. Have you noticed that trails aren't usually flat, and their surfaces may be marked with stones, roots, and in the snow, unforseen areas of treachery? What happens if on this journey you receive an unexpected … [Read more...]
Rose of Sharon husks. Long forgotten blossoms. A nod to Cotton Bolls. Frozen crystals. Snow. Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they do when they stick together. Verna M. Kelly Today I walked to the grocery store. A pleasure I have living in a small town. School buses and travelers were filling up the main street so I elected to walk a half block over...down the alley way....on my return home. Roasting chicken in hand. The journey turns into a wander as I forget the falling flakes and see new shapes and wonders enhanced by … [Read more...]
Moments. That's what my friend calls little vignettes. Don't you just love that term? How to Create a Simple and Easy Valentine's Day Vignette As I was organizing my studio, you know, the one I talk about showing you but never do? I uncovered a little frame I picked up at the thrift store last year, and I remembered Jennifer's post I had read that morning and pinned, and just like that...I was inspired. So instead of defaulting to "too busy," I sat down at my table and had some Valentine fun creating a little 'moment.' If you follow An Extraordinary Day on Facebook, you'll … [Read more...]
Beauty for your day.... "Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart." Victor Hugo Whether you're enjoying snow or milder climes.... know it's what's in your heart that counts. Love, Diane Please “Like” An Extraordinary Day ~ A Place of Joy & Inspiration on Facebook. To receive bits of inspiration like this in your inbox or reader, subscribe now. Sharing with Scenic Weekends + Weekly Top Shot + Simple As That * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thanks so much for reading! Please stop … [Read more...]
