A Reflection on Psalms 23

Psalm 23A psalm of David.The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Some of my very earliest memories are of going to church. I remember as a tiny girl of 3 years I learned Psalms 23 by memory. I even remember getting a Hershy's bar for doing so...even better huh?

GOD has used this passage over and over again in my life. Many a night as I lay restless and unable to fall asleep, these words often come to my mind. Have you heard the secret of falling asleep faster? If you start going through those bible verses you know, before long you will drift off to a sound sleep. I have heard that Satan would rather have our thoughts wandering into the wee hours and causing havoc in our minds than bring sleep and rest..so if you start quoting scripture, he of course DOES Not like that at all and allows you to fall asleep instead. Cool huh?

I just love thinking of my Savior as a Shepherd. A loving, ever constant, proding Savior that gently uses His rod to guide me back to where I should be. He leads me into times in my life of Greener pastures. Oh how I relish in those times. He often quiets my soul when dissapointments in others, my own sins and life seem to be screaming for my attention. He restores me to Himself..even carrying me often in His strong arms of protection. I feel lately I have been carried a lot.

And in the Valley's of my life..well do the last 3 years count? There has been some awful shadows lurking and nearly overtaking me many times. Can I firmly believe and NOT fear the evil all around me? He tells me YES...I see it all..let me handle that, you go on now. His rod and staff provide me comfort? How can that be? yet it's often in being Thankful for what I am going through, that I can begin to take focus off of me and put it where it should be, on others and on HIM!

As the Prodigal Son's Father prepared a table for his return, I can HOPE in the great banquet Feast that HE tells me awaits me someday, it just seems so far off at times. Oh what a glorious feast it will be though. So what does "Even in the midst of my enemies" mean? hmmmm

I know how HE will overflow my life with HIS unfailing love and that's hopefully the outpouring of HIS Glory in me to you. Do you know that LOVE? Will you dwell in HIS home forever and ever?

Blessings sweet ones!

Lorena

I'm Still Here

Hi Blogging Friends!
What a busy past few days I have had. I was helping one of my dearest friends decorating for her daughters wedding on Saturday. Stay tuned cause I did get some neat pictures of what I did to help out! It was so much fun and what a Beautiful Bride and wedding we had yesterday! So that's why I haven't been on much and I do need to do another installment of *What I collect*!

Now I am about to get mushy! This is a HUGE milestone year for this lady. I soon turn 50 years young, my only child, my sweet Michaela turns 18 in December and... she is also a SENIOR in high school. Whew!!! Can you believe all of that? In saying this, I just had to show you all what a BEAUTY she has become. Not only on the outside, but truly on the inside too! She Loves the Lord and I know will follow him with her whole heart. This is one of the over 175 pictures that were taken a couple of weeks ago. This is one of my very favorites.

It's going to be a busy and I hope fun year for our family! I am Planning to do another blog soon about her, cause I am just a bursting with *MOMMA Pride* for my girl. I think what tickles me most, is Michaela has never been the girly girl her momma is. In fact I have often referred to her as my *JILL Jock* cause of her love for sports and sweats. So you can certain sermise why I get all mushy looking at what I think is my now *girly girl* senior!!!
Then..I just threw in some random Victorian pictures that I just LOVE. Feel free to copy/paste these if you choose and enjoy them as I do!

Wishing you all Blessings and a Great Week Ahead!

Lorena

Trash to Treasure TEA Service Makeover ~ A How To...Kindof

I am always so excited when my vision for an item I paint exceeds what I had hoped for. This TEA Service set does just that and more! So I had wanted to share with my blogging friends and followers a TRASH to Treasure Makeover. This particular teaset was purchased by a friend for me at a Garage sale, cheap but I cannot remember the exact cost. Now, usually these are just castoffs, not used any more, someone doesn't like silver or may they have a slight boo-boo or ding here and there. You know what?...that just doesn't scare me at all, in fact I really do believe it adds charm to these pieces and makes their makeover that more special.

As an artist I was so thrilled many years ago when I realized I could paint on Silver plate or differing types of metal. To begin, before you prime and paint, make sure your surface is CLEAN...this is VERY important! To start, for me, I prefer a good spray primer like KILZ or Lowe's Valspar which is a bit cheaper. Now if you use Valspar spray primer and decide to use their spray paint...you NEED to use Valspar paint on it or another brand of spray paint may bubble up on your project! Trust me on this, cause I have had it happen, UGGHHHH. Rule of thumb, use the same line of primers and sprays unless its on a Kilz primer. On these types of projects spray primer covers the hard to get areas so much faster and seems to dry quicker. Once the primer is good and dried you can use any type of paint over it. On this project I used a Metal Paint that I picked up at Michael's on the clearance aisle. Painting white is like painting red, you NEED to do many coats to get good coverage.

Once the paint had curred this Tea Service sat for a while on my desk. When I paint, I do not always paint my items right away. I have to wrap my brain around HOW I'd like to look when they are finished and that takes time.
Okay...this above picture I need for you to put on your *thinking caps* and roll with me...lol! I Know, this is NOT a before picture of this exact set that I have made over...Ok, you got me, I forgot to get a before picture so I took a picture of my own Silver Service that is in need of a good Polish so you'd get the idea of what this looked like before hand.

Here's a picture of the entire project and each piece that was painted. I have embellished them with my signature roses and then touched the delicate but intricate edges with a hint of blue. I believe final outcome is just stunning!




Now the interiors are all in good usable condition on the teapot, creamer and sugar bowl. So you would be able to use these as well or leave out for many years of display.

SPECIAL NOTE about cleaning these items: To clean these pieces they CANNOT be immersed in water. I cannot stress that enough. Now, I do recommend a damp cloth on the outside and then makig sure to dry each piece very well. They will be sealed, but water can get under the seal and then cause a bubbling or errosion of your sealed items. These should be able to be used for a lifetime with proper care.

I have listed this item in my etsy store...so stop on by there if you are interested.

Happy Trash to Treasuring!!!
Lorena

My Collections~Week 4

Fun Ways to Display VINTAGE Hankies
Well, I must explain away my absense! I have been somewhat busy and we got to take a fun family trip to Kalamazoo over the weekend for a day of FUN in the sun. Then coming back, for me, those type of activities wear me out..so I must recoup for a few days. Then molds are really high in our area and they make me feel just a bit under the weather...so I just take it easy for the most part. That's where I have been..but I have been able to visit a few of you blogging friends out there and I hope to visit some more.

OH MY...I am SO excited to share with my dear blogging friends my Vintage Hankie Collection. I have to thank Grandma Lane again for getting me started on this collection. She sent me a beautiful hankie filled with lavendar all tied up pretty...well this girl took that pretty hankie apart to display (Now I can't believe I did that)!!!

Being a frugle kinda gal, over time I have come up with some very different and hopefully fun ways to display my growing collection. These delicate beauties NEED to be out where their artistic beauty can be enjoyed. Now most all of my hankies reside in my ever so dreamy blue Master Bedroom. I have decorated this room in blues, whites and pastel colors.

This picture above, is over our master bed. I have this HUGE vaulted wall that makes this room hard to seem cozy. So I decided to FRAME 3 of my favorite hankies. Each frame needed to be painted in a creamy white. I also placed some handpainted plates above them in an arch.

This center one above is my absolute favorite. I just LOVE the delicate crocheting all around the edging. It truly is a piece of ART!

The next few pictures are of vintage SPOON Holders. My dear friend Rhea of Sweet*N*Shabby Roses, let me borrow this darling way to use these vintage holders. This one below is painted in soft white with a pale pink inside. I then added my roses all around for a Shabby 2 Chic affect. I will be listing the delicate holder on my etsy, later today, if anyone is interested. This one can hold up to 9 hankies.

This gorgeous pink holder is ALL mine!!! It was actually my sweet momma's. I painted one for her and she gave me this one, so of course I had to keep it for me. This is quite a bit larger and could probably hold more than 20 hankies at a time..but I don't display that many cause I like to see my roses peek through and NOT crowd the hankies I have displayed.

Oh you are gonna love this. This is a TRASH to treasure piece. A friend just gave me this and said *you are so creative, I am sure you be able to us this!*. You bet I could....do you know what it is? Its one of the wood pallets that holds goods one. I got out my spray can and turned this into a GREAT way to really see my hankies. The very TOP one is my grammies!

These next four pictures show some very sweet little vintage vases and 1 creamer that I have folded hankies into, and then spread them throughout my room.

I just LOVE that picture of my baby. She is going to be a Senior this year and turn 18 too. Oh my, where has the time gone?

Well, there you have it. I hope that these ideas will help you find creative and imaginative ways to display those treasured HANKIES you may own!

Thanks for allowing me to share these with you.

Blessings Lorena

PS. Be sure to stop by my friends Vicki's blog at Bunny Cottage to see her sweet Victorian Pictures of Children

My Collections ~ WEEK 3

Okay, for those who follow me, here's my third installment of what I collect. This weeks collection is one of those COLLECTION's that just happened over time. More so because some were gifts, others were made by me or I picked them up just *because*. Each one is unique it its own way and that's why I love them.

As I did my spring cleaning this spring, I decided to put a majority of my Birdhouses in my Living Room Parlor. This is a corner that I right outside of the entry to our den, off the Parlor. I centered them around a darling High Chair that was given to me and then I painted it.

The birdhouse above is one that I have painted and then added a milk glass base to raise it up a bit.
The mauve colored birdhouse (above) can either sit for display or actually be placed on the wall. I freshened this one up a bit as I have had it for many years and it seemed to need sprucing. I am happy with how it turned out.
Lastly, I have 3 more rustic looking birdhouse in a shelf display that is in my entry over the door to our parlor. I love this arrangement and how it looks in this room.



Are you a collector with many collections? Join me next week, on Thursday for more collections. If you decide to do a collections post, please let me know and I will come by for a visit! I also LOVE to hear what you think!Blessings...Lorena

PS...this is JUST and after thought. I want others to know I am NOT about things or the collecting of them. Many years ago GOD gave me a Passion, a Passion to create. With that I can share what I believe is the CREATIVENESS the HE put into me. I DO love to shop and the thrill of the hunt but my greatest thrills are those FINDs for just pennies to what they would REALLY cost. That is probably why this girl can spot those THINGS that I love to add to my home. I LOVE EYE candy around me..and I can do it for almost nothing. That gives me pleasure and JOY comes in my being able to SHARE this with others.

You Are Invited to Join Me in Celebrating

There's a special day coming up in my life! Yep, its a special milestone day for me. So instead of being sad, depressed and dreading this day...I have decided to make a special offer to those who enjoy my Love of Roses and creating.

Birthdays for me have always have held wonderful memories. My mom always made us feel like *OUR Birth~day* was the most specialest day in the WHOLE wide world. Special privaledges included choosing our favorite meal, relieved of our daily chores (any childs dream) and anticipating our special gifts all. This made our day one to be remembered.
In saying all of this...in September I will be Celebrating 50 years. Yes, a MAJOR milestone for this girl who only celebrates anniversaries of her 29th...21 to be exact! LOL
With many *Hearty Wishes* I decided to have a SPECIAL sale in my etsy shop. If you buy one item in my store, your 2nd item is 50% off. This Special Sale will be in place until September 5th, so hurry on by to my etsy shop.
As my cuties above are showing...I love all things roses! I also just might be inclined to include some of my special handmade roses in all orders as well.

Blessings, Lorena

*LOOK* What I've Been Up To!!!

As an artist, I get so tingly all over when I do something and I really think it works!!! That's how I feel about some of my newest creations. I spend many evenings with my sweetie watching TV and making my clay roses. It's gotta be one of the MOST theraputic things I do. And then to be able to share them with others, well that's like icing on a cake, YUM!!

Here you can see I have 2 plates stacked. I have taken Vintage castoff plates and married them with a pretty glass pedestal. These now can perform a miriad of jobs. When you stack them, these could be used for serving speical treats for guest. Or, you may put a pretty candle on them in your Powder room. These might even hold pretty soaps, cupcakes and the list goes on and on. Your imagination is your desire! So, the aboave plate is about 6.5 inches. I have place one of my perfume bottles on top for you see how it looks. These were both embellished with my clay roses and some vintage floral goodies.
This pale pink plate really had seen better days. It had a big chip and could have just been thrown away..but wait!!! I fixed it's booboo by yet again placing a pretty bow and my roses and now its..GOOD TO GO!!! On both of these pedestals I then embellished them further with MORE roses! What do you think? These are being listed in my etsy!

Lastly, I have done another PINK Cross. What a delicate pretty way to share your faith. I think these crosses are some of my favorite accomplishments!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you enjoyed my little sharing or show n tell!

Blessings...Lorena

A FEW More Vintage Victorian Post Cards.

It's been a while since I shared some of the precious Post Cards that I was so graciously able to scan. Here are a few more to enjoy and use. In order to get the correct size to download...be sure to click on the image you want before saving it!









Be sure to stop and leave me a comment! I love hearing from each of you! BTW..thanks to those who came by the first time. Its just so neat have other LOVE and appreciate what I love too!

Blessings...Lorena


PS...I spent most of last week sprucing up my Studio. Its to the right of my side bar if you are interested. I took some FRESH Pictures of my work..or labor of love. I must be organized to create..anyone else relate?

COLLECTIONS ~ Week 2 ~ Collars

This week I decided to share with you what I think is a very different collection. My sweet lacy shabby chic collars. Now these are not vintage or antique..but many have very special meanings behind them which I will share as I go along.

For me, collecting has a sentimental side. Many of my collections started by something a dear loved one gave me. Are any of you like me? I am sure I am not alone in this. The creative sappy side of my personality just cannon let go of *things* dearly given to me..so alas, that is how most of my collections started.

Now if memory serves me correct, collars were worn in the Victorian times. And I do know that in the 1950's it was also a hug fad. They just seem to be a wonderful acessory item..not necessarily needed, but one that adds to your outfit.

The collar above I cannot remember where or how I came by it. But I love its lacy edging and delicate nature!
This dear collar was crocheted by my now 95 year old grammy! She did this probably 30+ years ago for each one of my sisters and I. Well they were so special to me that I wouldn't let my sisters get rid of them and so I ended with 2 others that she made. Each one is different from the other. I love to find vintage satin covered hangers to use for displaying my collars. So most of them will be shown as they are displayed in my Master bedroom today.
This peachy gem was another one that grammy crocheted...just love it!

This delicate, but larger collar was one i believe my mom found a gifted me with.
I have adorned my lamp with this white collar, which once again, my grams crocheted. Aren't they just beautiful? She still crochets at 95...little booties and hats for the local hospital in Bosie, Id where she resides with my Aunt.
I saves the BEST for last. I FOUND this PEARLY GEM at a Antique Mall out in Kent, Washington over 20 years ago. Pearls have to be one of my favorite gems, or course, next to diamonds!!!...but I just could image myself using this in a very special way...someday.
If you decide to join me..please let me know so I can come visit. And..if you have just happened upon my blog...I LOVE comments and meeting new bloggers....just give me some time to come back and visit..I will, I PROMISE!

Blessings...Lorena