Summer is A-Coming!

Can you smell the summer season coming? It smells to me like dirt and fertilizer and flowers and herbs too. Speaking of herbs June is a wonderful time to plant lavender and I have just the kit to inspire you mothers and daughters to get your hands dirty! Go to my website The Patchwork Heart, Co. and featured this month is my The Loveliness of Lavender Kit! It has all you need to start your own lavender plant, as well as, make a luscious silk lavender sachet together. What a wonderful way to kick off summer fun than to work side by side doing this project together!

Girl Time Tidbit #2

#2. Get your daughter involved!

Have her be in charge of gathering the materials for your craft, setting up the table, or making the tea! Let her set things up. This allows her freedom to begin to set her eye for decorating her home and practicing the gifts of hospitality. What a simple and delightful way to try new arrangements. Remember we don't always get it right the first time, so gently (if at all) guide your daughter as she learns these new skills!

At our table we usually have a pretty table cloth, lace doily with a candle lamp(this is a large candle with a shade for the top, ours is clear glass). My daughter also likes to be in charge of making the "tea tray" which she lovingly decorates with a doily, our tea cups, sugar bowl and teaspoons. I love watching her to see what she comes up with. My heart swells with joy to see her sense of hospitality and attention to detail blossoming forth. I could have told her to do all these things, but now, I get to praise her efforts! This is a wonderful and eternal way to bless her. This is a large part of "Girl Time" in our household. Intentionally making time to praise my daughters and teach them something in the process!

Next time I will share how to make a special tea light for your table!

Spring Sale

Spring is Bursting into Bloom with some great sales!

I have been a busy bee trying to get all things ready to burst forth alongside of spring and I am really excited to bring to all some New items available at my website The Patchwork Heat Co. I hope you will grab a cup of tea and come on over for a visit. But in case you are short on time here is a sneak peak at what is New for Spring.

Wouldn't it be lovely to give your Mom a special corsage for Mother's Day that would last for years to come? Well, you can! For the month of April in plenty of time for Mother's Day, all my Ribbon Rose Pins are 20% off!


Here is another great sale beautiful reproduction vintage needle cases for the special Mom that sews or quilts! Vintage needle cases will be on sale for the month of April at 10% off. Happy Spring! I hope you will come by for a visit leave a comment! Happy Spring Blessings!

Tangible Art For Intangible Feelings

I have a wonderful artist friend, Laura of Layers of Color, who someday I will post an interview with but, until then I wanted to share something that she created. Wednesday's Child full of Woes Bottle! (Click on her website above to check out what she did) This piece is so like her too, full of symbolism! Her art is lovely, her piece reminded me of how important it is as an artist to take the intangible and give it form. She took her woes and shut them up in a bottle. A clever cathartic way to tangibly "put a cork in it!" Sometimes we need to don't we? I know I do and this project got me to thinking and creating. Here is my own version! This is what I came up with. I used recycled coffee drink bottles and lots of fun papers, embellishments and ribbon, of course!

Often there are times in my life when I am struggling or I am moved emotionally and I am unable to articulate my feelings about it. Sometimes, I have articulated it too much and I don't want to hear the words come out of my mouth any longer(neither does my husband:o). These are times that I need to create a tangible reminder of the thing I am struggling with to remind me of my victory or that I am still wrestling in process. Sometimes it is just good to get it out...get it out of me, quit my yammerin' and complaining and well, put a cork in it! Instead, I should create!

The bible talks in Matthew 6:21 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This is applicable to my life and I can interpret this passage a couple of ways. As a positive, My heart can be filled with the love I have for my husband and children my treasure is my family... but what if I spend too much time dwelling or allowing my heart to ruminate on a struggle in my life does that struggle then take shape and form as part of my treasure? I think it does, when we think on the struggles and negatives of life they infect other areas of my life and soon my treasure is a heap of tarnished and dingy struggle that I have learned to love and admire and hang on to, when frankly I shouldn't! I have become burdened, disappointed, frustrated and miserable but I am not going to let go of the tarnished heap of struggle why? Because it is my treasure. Have you seen Lord of the Rings? It could be likened to Scheme's Precious. Get the picture? Seems a bit ridiculous...but really how often do we do this? The bad relationship or the over indulgences and sin. We come to like the struggle or chaos. Weird!

I am here to tell you that life is much better without the tarnish. Sparkle is much more fun and freeing! So this project got me to thinking about putting those unlovelies into something and doing the same with the lovelies too, to remind us of "whatever is true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things...and the God of peace will be with you." Phil.4:8,9b The rest we can just cork!

I am going to follow Laura's example, but I think I am going to make one called woes and one called wonderfuls! Hopefully I will have more wonderfuls than woes!