so prepare and take shelter in God’s word

Linking up & Sharing my style @

Katherine’s Corner: Favorite Things Blog Hop

Old fencing, sheet metal and three iron stars and your done!

Next time you see a neighbor throwing away old fencing, stop by and pick through their trash pile

Chances are they’ll never know you did and old fence slats make really nice frames

I never imagined that sheet metal would be a staple in my garage one day, but it is…

there is always a piece to be found tucked behind something, usually barbed wire!

With a some mitered corners and glue, this old fence wood became a frame.  The patina on old weathered wood is really lovely, but this time I added some flat white paint for a good white wash.  Punched tin is a fun project.  I’ve done a few designs in the past, crosses, hearts and this star.  I chose to punch the star because of the three iron stars I had laying around and needed a home.

The stars where picked up at a flea market some time ago.  They were rusted but they also had some barn red paint on them, which just added to their rustic charm.

Depending on the mill thickness of the tin, punched tin art is really simple and fun.   I usually just find the shape I want on the computer and print out the outlined image in the size I desire.  Then I just tape the printed paper on top of the sheet metal.  Using a hammer, nail (size of your choice) and a scrap block of wood to lay the tin on top, pick a spot to begin punching, then work your way around the outline.  The spacing of the punch is up to you, but too close together and you might make one big hole.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, but once you’ve completed the outline and you remove the paper, you will be pretty impressed with your punched tin art work!

peace.love.rust

Are you like me?

What’s the catch?

I received this email today from Christian author, Tricia Goyer.  It went like this:

I’m writing from beautiful Little Rock where it doesn’t feel like winter at all. I’m thrilled to let you know that my newest release Chasing Mona Lisa (co-written with Mike Yorkey) will be FREE on the Kindle and the Nook today 2/20. (Then for the rest of the week it will be $3.99!)  

Why free? I’m the one who actually asked my publisher to do this promotion. I’ve found that when I give away my books for free I am introduced to new readers. I *love* it when someone picks up one of my books for the first time and then grows into a fan! That’s what every writer wants.  

Would you be willing to help me by sharing this with your friends and fans in any way you’d like: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest? I’m hoping that in ONE DAY Chasing Mona Lisa will become the #1 Free download on Kindle. (We’ll see!) Chasing Mona Lisa is a WWII novel set in Paris. Here is a short blurb:  

It is August 1944 and Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country, stealing countless pieces of art. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all, the Mona Lisa, as a post-war bargaining chip to get him to South America. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue DaVinci’s masterpiece before it falls into German hands?  

If you can help, here is the link to the Kindle page and here is the link to the Nook page. It will be $0.00 until midnight! 

Thanks in advance for your help! And let me know when I can return the favor!

Tricia Goyer 

www.triciagoyer.com

actually it went exactly like that   and since I have a lot on my plate today, I just copied it so you could read it too!

peace.love.rust

You will never here me say these words; “I’m bored”

I don’t believe in boredom, there is always something to do, read, play, pray, create, clean, hoe, mow, clip, trim,plant, wash, cook, bake, design, paint, bead, draw, dream up, sew, stitch, write out, whip up, organize, twiddle your thumbs or just day dream.

Boredom is dangerous, it can cause people to do strange things like overeat, spend more money than they have on things they don’t need or really want (crazy I know, but it’s true), watch too much TV or even act out in not so nice ways.  It’s just a place I would prefer not to be.

It’s even worse for animals. When dogs (Rudy) get bored, they get into all kinds of trouble.

I’ve walked in on:

feathers flying all about my bedroom, because the ceiling fan was running on hi, and a cute little black & white puppy in the middle of my bed thought it would be fun to kill a feather pillow,

a full sack of flour opened and spread all over my den,

pillows unstuffed and defluffed,

family photos that could not be replaced, ripped to pieces,

books shredded,

comforters ripped open and more feathers (contained by the four walls of my closet full of clothes, that now had feathers all over them),

trash tipped over and spread all over the house,

a loaf of bread eaten,

a package of chicken breasts eaten,

brownie mix ripped open on the couch, rolled in and covered up with  a pillow, then the precious rolled all over my new rug and he cleaned up quite nicely since it was now all over the rug,

then there was the baking chocolate fiasco (another blog post coming on that)

oh, and here’s the best one of all…

the disposable razor that was chewed up and swallowed!

My dog’s name is Rudy, not Marley I’m sure I’ve left something out.  Believe it or not, the dog still lives!  But we’re not sure how.

All of this was leading somewhere…I just had one of the those; “why did I walk into this room” moments.

Boredom. yeah no.  I don’t go there, I won’t, nope.  But I do get antsy, because I sit pretty much most of the day, at my computer, working, answering phone calls, replying to emails and a lot of other admin stuff I do for my “real” job.

The other day I got sort of antsy and I pulled a “Rudy”

I tore open a pillow and pulled out all the fluff and stuff!  It was deliciously fun too.  Now I see why Rudy loves it so much!

but in my defense, I was also making something, a pillow and I needed the fluff for the stuffing.  I didn’t want to run to Hobby Lobby to buy a bag of fluff when I had an old pillow that wasn’t being used.  A penny saved…blah, blah, blah.

I’ve had this seed sack for about a year now and I’ve used it for nothing much, it hung on my branch ladder

and it was a great back drop for some photos like this one…

but it needed to be more useful in my home, so I stuffed it and made a pillow out of it.  Not a fancy pillow, but a useful pillow.  Soft and cuddly and just right for placing behind my lower back when sitting on my couch.

It’s perfect and really squishy, nice to cuddle up with on a cold cloudy day while watching a movie.

Now here’s the million dollar question…

Will my awesomely wonderful seed sack pillow, that I blind stitched by hand,  be the victim of a bored Rudy?

here’s some more pillow talk for ya… you know, in case you get bored

Riley’s TOMS Pillow

Appliqued Patchwork Cross Pillow

Front Porch Pillow

peace.love.rust

Last night my 16 year old informed me that he needed map colors;

“do we have any?” he asked.

Now where did I put those? I replied. Because you know I use those everyday.

After some digging, I found a large bag full of wonderful goodness

Crayons, markers, pens, pencils, glitter glue, a deck of cards…lo and behold;

MAP  COLORS

Now for my quirky confession; I sifted through the bag and pulled out a gazillion map colors.

Unfortunately they were broken or dull and that just sends my little OCD brain over the edge.

There I was…sitting at a crossroad.

My choices were a manual dino pencil sharpener or desktop crank (old school) pencil sharpener.

Old school won out, but there was a little glitch in my process. You see, the old school pencil sharpener is designed to be attached to a flat surface with three screws.

aaaarrrrgggh…who has time for this?

Here comes the best part…

How many hands does it take to sharpen about 3 dozen map colors?

Only three!

One of mine held the top of the sharpener to keep it steady, the other hand did the cranking and Riley held the pencil in while I sharpened.

Teamwork!

Aren’t they lovely?

Yes, I know that I’ve just confessed my crazy obsession with school supplies, specifically map colors,  and the compulsion to have them displayed in their pristine pointedness.

What can I say?

I’m a dork!

I’m a few pounds heavier than I was yesterday morning and the reason why?

yes…I got a box of chocolates.  Don’t be too jealous, I have a tummy ache to go with those few extra pounds, due to my lack of will power. You would think I’d learn how to use moderation.  But when it comes to chocolates the only thing I know what to do is DIVE IN!

When it comes to getting those extra pounds off, I am fully aware of  what I need to do;

it’s what these things are made for…

WALKING! and a lot of it!  because you know what’s just around the corner?

Spring! Which means sleeveless and shorts. (ohhhh the visual is killing me) long shorts for me, more like capri pants

maybe a gunny sack

OH.  and I received these too…

and these remind you of…?

again…SPRING TIME!

it’s almost here in Texas

I love my hunky man, he bought me chocolates

and then he promised to start walking with me

I’ll let you know how that works out

Guess I better finish off that box of chocolates

wouldn’t want to keep that around too long

I say just get it over with

and then move in a more healthy direction, like…

down the road

around the block

x 1,000,000

that should do it!

102.5 temp, headache and achy body

my poor baby boy

at least he found a way to get fluids in his body without using up his energy

yes, that really is three straws stuck end to end…”the extension straw”

 I suppose necessity really is the mother of invention

and I really like the way he has his books out so I think he’s studying

you think he’s using the calculator on his phone? or maybe a history app

surely he’s not texting his friends while they’re in class

and the wii remote, that’s just a paper weight

odds are there’s a movie playing on the tv

all in all, he’s a pretty good patient

and obviously a wonderful multi tasker

he’s back in school now, this was last week

as for the rest of my family

so far, so good

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

peace.love.rust

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. ~1 Corinthians 13

Love is…

sharing

listening & caring

encouraging one another

Happy Valentines Day

Share your favorite “love is” in the comments

peace.love.rust

Want to know a little secret about me? I’m a bit quirky, a romantic and I’m sentimental. I adore and dream of living in a little cottage, filled with character and charm. You know what I’m talking about don’t you? Hard wood floors throughout, little nooks, a few of the period fixtures in working condition of course, exposed rock or brick fireplaces (the more the better)and…

lots of “built ins”.

A few years ago, we knocked out a wall and enclosed our back patio. We did this for two reasons; one, to open up our den by adding 72 sq.ft and two because we knew that we would get more use out of this space as an indoor space rather than an outdoor space. There were TWO things I wanted to have when all was said and done; french doors and a built in bookshelf. I envisioned an area that could accommodate two comfy chairs, a small table with a lamp. An area to snuggle in the sun on a cold day and read, or in the summer, an area to open up the double french doors to let the fresh air in and easy access to the pool and patio for entertaining. This of course is my dogs favorite feature, this way they can come and go as they please, bask in the sun poolside or in most cases, an obstacle free path to the trees where several squirrels play chase.

Rudy thinks they’re playing with him.

I’m happy to say that I got what I wanted, but…we’ve yet to use the room to it’s fullest potential. Plans are being made to make it more useful, but for now it’s functional and I love my bookshelves. For me they add character to my home. It’s just one of those things I would envision a little cozy cottage would have. Now here’s the quirky part; I scour Pinterst and blogs looking for ideas on how to decorate and arrange the six shelves of my built in bookcase.

Weird but true.

Here are some of the inspiration photos I’ve found recently…

I love the idea of mixing books with collections. The random color splashes and textures, intrigue me. Much like a piece of art on canvas,  I am captivated by the various shapes and sizes of the objects.

You see I don’t desire to have books perfectly placed in the shelves, a bit of randomness is what I prefer.  Some might even consider my style a bit junky and disheveled, with a touch of oddity tossed in.

In fact if I were building a home, I would build it to look quaint and cozy with loads of charm and character.  Utilizing every area for built ins. In most homes built today, there are so many under utilized spaces.

Since I’m not building a new home, I plan on making the best use out of what we live in now.   And while I don’t have stairs…I just couldn’t resist sharing this well thought out design.

I love to collect all kinds of things and read books, I imagine that I  would have a need for “built ins” in every room.

Even the entry way? Maybe so…I love how the photo above shows the built in up over the doorways. Nothing goes to waste. Same is true in the photo below. Every inch of that wall is being used in someway.

Awesome.

and if you ever lost me, you would look here first!

 peace.love.rust

I adore older homes.

They have nooks, crannies, charm, character and…built ins!

We bought our home new in 1986.  It now qualifies as an older home, but it didn’t come with nooks or crannies.  We made those.  It didn’t come with much character, but it has plenty now. Charm?  It’s getting there.

I guess you could say that our home had one built in…a wet bar.  I removed it after a few years and it’s now a nook. Not as cozy as I would like it to be, but that’s okay, now I get to imagine all of the possible levels of cozy that might fit just right into this little nook.

It could end up being a bit more functional that it is now.   Maybe a “built in” bench seat” with storage space underneath, a cushion and some pillows.  And place to curl up and read like so…

I think this is pretty cozy.

You might not find me for a few days if this were in my home.

Then again maybe a nice overstuffed chair or small sofa would be just as nice.

I’ll even take the cuddly little pooch with the cozy chair.  I don’t mind sharing. If this were your space to play with, what would you prefer? Functional or Cozy? How would you play this space?

peace.love.rust