A burlap vase on a quiet afternoon...

 Hello everyone, I hope you have had a great week so far. 

source

  

It rained today, but the sun peaked right at my favourite time - when the light is soft and gentle and it slowly glides through the window filling the room with a dreamy glow. 

We enjoyed a little bit of this today.  Tomorrow is another day...I wonder what it will bring...

Not a lot of words from me today.  I hope your day is wonderful.

much love,

Lucy

I used an old tin can, covered it with some Canvas Corp burlap and a Sharpie for the text.

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(Vintage) Keys to the Past...

 Hello friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

We had a great weekend along side our visiting relatives.  We ate and talked...and ate and talked...and ate and talked some more.  But the best part is that I understood their English accent....:) I look forward to spending more time with them. 


Today, I wanted to show you a couple of photos of one particular place I love visiting...

While it's a bit chaotic (okay, overwhelming) when you first walk in and it may look like piles of mess, the nice lady who owns this little shop has a method to her madness.  She knows every nook and cranny of the store, can find anything/everything within seconds and if you're so inclined, will tell you a little story about each item.  

She has been doing this for the past 50+ years and admitted things can get a 'little' cluttered at home.  We came to appreciate why after a couple of our attempts to purchase items were met with 'I'm not in a rush to sell this' or 'I don't think I want to sell that today'.  Perhaps they held a story so dear to her that she could not let go or perhaps they were given to her by a beloved relative...I'll never know.

She confessed that she had brought some of her husbands old cameras to sell but soon took them back home because she could not part with them.  I wondered how many times she had tried. 

I can somewhat relate to 'collecting' as I have always had a tendency to do so in the hopes of making something else out of it at a later date or 'just in case one day I need 100 bottle caps...(?).  So I can understand how continually bringing 'finds' home or failing to get rid of jars, tp rolls, bottles, old frames (insert your own here) can begin to take over your space.  But as hubby can attest, there are times when the cleaning bug hits me and I purge all those items without thinking twice about it. 

Amongst all the treasures we saw that day, I spotted these keys.  Reluctantly and prepared to once again hear 'I'm not selling those today', I asked her about them.  She quickly picked them up and as her fingers inspected every groove on the keys, she admired them.  Was she replaying their story in her mind?  Was she suddenly taken back to the moment those keys had become hers?

She told me that the large key was her favourite and the smaller one was made of brass so it would probably cost more.  She fiddled with them for a moment and told stories of well made things of the past, 'unlike things of today' she smiled.

'I used to have more of these', she continued 'but people seem to like them'.  I was preparing myself to hear her say 'not today', but as if she was giving me a part of her she extended her hand and handed me the keys.  "Thank you" I said. "I love them, and will take good care of them..."

I meant it.  I love these beautiful keys and will probably hold on to them for years until it's time to hand them over to our grandchildren, who will hopefully give them to their grandchildren and perhaps one day, these keys will have a story to tell.  Suddenly, I understood her reluctance.

So friends, here's a quick question for you.  Are there things you can't seem to part ways with?  Do you think it's unhealthy to be so attached to certain material things? 

I look forward to reading your responses.

Have a great day!

much love,
Lucy 


Linking to
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Funky Junk Interiors
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Crafty,Scrappy,Happy
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The girl creative
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Finding fabulous
My Romantic Home
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I heart naptime
Today's creative blog
It's overflowing..
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a.k.a design
Thrifty Decor Chick
Cedar Hill Ranch

The weekend...

Quote from Crafty Secrets creative scraps

Sea and Wine...Canvas Corp product models

Hello everyone!  The weekend is upon us and we are preparing to welcome a relative from England.  It should be a lot of fun, once the first few hours pass and I re-familiarize myself with the accent.  It's so foreign and fascinating to me and admittedly, I can't understand half the words they are saying.  It's funny because after a while, hubby's English accent kicks in and it's quite sexy cute.

I even start talking with a bit of a weird mixture of Spanish/British only God knows what type of accent...it's a real mess.

Today, I wanted to quickly show you a few of the models I created for the Canvas Corp booth, displayed at the CHA Conference in Chicago.

I wish I could have gone along with the models but I was still honoured they asked me to help out all the way from here...:).  The above was made using their natural stretch canvas.  I used tattered angels misting spritz and white acrylic paint to write the words. 

The little sail boat was made from a little piece of driftwood and a canvas mast painted with acrylic paint.  The ombre effect was achieved by using Tattered Angels mists.  I glued it all onto a stretch burlap frame. 

As you have likely concluded, the theme was Nautical and sea to tie in with their new nautical line of papers.  I made the little bunting with their fabric shapes.  These are great because they are sewn together to avoid fraying, yet the edge is still exposed and raw.  

I decided to embellish several different size canvas totes with various nautical flags and pictures.  For the the larger, I used their denim fabric page.  I originally wanted to dye the jean fabric with bleach, but it would not discolour.  So I used my trusty DecoArt acrylic paint. 

Here is a closer look of the tote.  I painted a little wooden ring in white and added the details to make it appear like a life preserver ring. 

These photos were sent to me by Canvas Corp so I could see the models in action.  I have never visited one of their display booths but they always seem to be a favourite with the attendees.  Check out their Christmas display here.

For the next set of models, the theme was wine.  I had fun with this one and even though my kiddies thought I was being 'irresponsible' by writing these messages, they made me laugh...
'Mommy's sippy cup', 'tomorrow is another Chardonnay', 'Drinks well with others', 'You had me at Merlot' etc.  I can't take credit for these witty phrases....maybe if I had been 'testing' the props (aka wine) ...:)

I used acrylic paint to write the messages but since its chalk paper, it is intended for chalk or chalk pens. 

A quick cheers canvas. I usually do all my writing freehand and that's why it might look a little (a lot) uneven. But I think it adds character to it...yeah, we'll go with that...;)

And lastly, I made this wine bag using their gorgeous embossed paper.  The bag was made using the brown polka dot embossed paper, I used the brown handmade script and the words were written on linen paper using acrylic paints.  The burlap rosette is also from Canvas Corp. 

So there you go...a lot of crafting but well worth it.  Hopefully you were inspired by some of the creations ..:)


Well my sweet friends, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

much love,
Lucy 

Healthy mango sorbet...

Here I am with another foodie post. I hope you don't mind, but with the kiddies on summer vacation, there hasn't been a lot of crafting for this momma (or much exercising for that matter), so I'm always looking for delicious and healthy treats to offer the kiddies and myself.

This delicious dessert is so easy to make and the best part is that you don't need an ice cream maker to make it. All you need is a blender or food processor and of course, your freezer...

Ingredients

3 ripe mangoes

1/3 cup or less of coconut milk/soy milk/almond milk or regular milk

Honey or Splenda to sweeten (optional) 
vodka to avoid crystallization (optional)

1.  Cut ripe mangoes into small cubes and place in the freezer to freeze
2.  Place frozen cubes in a blender or food processor and slowly add milk a bit a time until desired consistency is achieved
note: the consistency is dependent on your own taste; if you want a softer consistency, add more milk or less milk for a firmer consistency
3. You might need to scrape the sides of the blender or food processor from time to time, but be patient
4. Continue blending until smooth and if you like a little more sweetness, you can add a couple of tablespoons of honey or Splenda.
Optional - you can add 2tsp of vodka to avoid the crystallization of the mixture. I did not add it to this dessert but I have done it before and there is not enough alcohol to be able to taste it. 
5. Serve right away or place in freezer for later

You can customize this recipe by using other fruits such as peach, banana or berries.

I hope that by sharing these recipes, I can show you that there are many alternatives to eating delicious treats without the added calories. 

Now if I could only get to the gym..:(

Have a great day!

much love,

Lucy

Linking to Savvy Southern Style

Funky Junk Interiors
Carolyn's homework
Home stories A to Z
Primp
The 36th avenue
Someday Crafts
French Country Cottage
2805
Crafty,Scrappy,Happy
Whipperberry
Tatertots and Jello
The girl creative
Chic on a Shoestring decorating
Finding fabulous
My Romantic Home
Simply designing
The Shabby Nest
I heart naptime
Today's creative blog
It's overflowing..
Ask Anna
a.k.a design
Thrifty Decor Chick
Cedar Hill Ranch

finding inspiration...a peek into my sketchbook

 The sun is slowly setting and as my eyes capture the 
magnificent warm hues of another day completed, I am inspired...

 Inspired by the sun's beauty and the way its cloak leaves trails 
of pinks and oranges as it walks away and gives way to the night.

Inspired by the delicate flowers on the 

field, that like ribbons adorn the landscape...

 I am inspired by the mysterious sunflower whose 
eyes stare back at me hypnotizing me with its beauty...

 With every stroke my brush takes, my soul sings...

...and I am content as I give way to my inspiration.

After painting the mural, I had not felt inspired to paint. Yet today, I couldn't help feeling inspired by the beautiful sunsets and the glorious sunflowers. 

 So alongside my kiddies I painted...

Wishing you a beautiful day,

much love,

Lucy 










linking to Savvy Southern Style

a grateful heart...

Happy new week!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

Over the weekend, I got a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.  After adding some wild purple flowers, I think it may have made it even more beautiful.  It reminded me of my younger years and my obsession with this beautiful flower.  I loved them so much that I was intent on naming our daughter the Spanish equivalent of sunflower Girasol (hee-ra-sol).  Hubby didn't agree and well, Isabella was a better choice...;) 

I wanted to  share some of the photos I snapped this weekend and at the same time say thank you.  Thank you for taking the time to read my words and in turn, offer words of encouragement.  I am humbled by your wishes and hope I can continue to encourage you on this journey. 

It was only a couple days ago when I wrote to one of my dearest friends to express how it has felt a little lonely in my blog lately.  But once again you have lifted me up with your kindness, so thank you.


Have a wonderful day.

much love,
Lucy 

Creating for YOURSELF...two years of blogging

Two years ago, feeling nervous and unsure, I pressed the publish button for the first time.  Not knowing if anyone other than my husband and perhaps my sister would be reading, this little blog - initially intended to serve as a journal of our lives - has became more than that.  Not in terms of the numbers of hits, readers or features, but in becoming a place where I challenge myself to face some of my insecurities, share my passion for creating and my deep love for God, family and life itself.

Even though two years have passed, I'm still learning how to let go of those insecurities and still feel as if I just got here; as if I'm still waiting for the right time to press publish.  This little blog has brought me so much joy yet there have been times when I felt as though I was talking to myself and my efforts and time were for not.  But then I would receive a beautiful email telling me I have inspired someone to paint again after many years and that's all the encouragement I need to keep going.  

Blogging takes time and effort and we all need some validation from time to time.  Sometimes when I feel as though things will not work out the way I envision them, I think of the reasons why I'm here, the doors that have opened and have yet to open because of this little place and it becomes very difficult to be unhappy when you are grateful.  Similarly in life, I cannot help but to look around me and think to myself, 'I am so blessed.'  

Today, as I celebrate my second year of blogging, I want to encourage those of you who are just starting out to keep going.  Sometimes it will feel like a lonely place but remember that there is somebody that loves you always.  Be yourself; you can only be someone else for so long before you start to forget who you really are.  So be honest, be kind and do all you do with love. 

Yesterday as if planned, I received a package in the mail.  It was a beautiful magazine and inside, was a dream coming true...

I was published in two of the most beautiful magazines I have ever read - Somerset Life and Artful Blogging, both by the Stampington Company. 

I am humbled and so honoured to have made the pages of such beautiful magazines, featured amongst talented and deserving bloggers and photographers...

I am truly blessed.

Care to celebrate with me?

My sweetest friends, thank you for making this journey so enjoyable.  Thank you for walking along with me and lifting me up when I needed it most.  I look forward to the future and I hope that you will continue to walk with me as together we nourish this Craftberry Bush.

As always, much love.

Lucy 

A love note to hubby

Dear Baby,

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your patience and support through this blogging journey of mine.  You are my biggest fan and without you I could not do this. You are not only the best editor a Spanish girl could ask for, but you are my daily inspiration.

Thank you boo...I love you.