A Not So Fast Makeover

I purchased the black t-shirt for $6.99.

 The striped t-shirt was $2.99 and it matched my black and white striped skirt perfectly.

So I made this...

 

 

...so what do you think?  I think I love it!  But, it took me as long to remake these t-shirts as it took to make my Easter dress...makeovers are not a quick and easy job.  And I can't do a tutorial, because it was all trial and error! :D

I have joined something that is new to me.  It's called Family In Faith Blog Hop.  It's done by Lady in the Skirt.  Check them out, you might like it!

Have a great day!!!

Hugs, Cindy

What I Am Loving Wednesday

 I am loving porches and flower boxes!

Now that the warm weather has arrived my mind has gone to the out of doors and what I can do to bring in more color and beauty with plants and flowers around my house.

I found these on the internet they are all very inspiring to me.

I have two large window boxes, they are both in the shade and in the front of my house.  So I am looking for bright shade loving plants that will flower continuously or just put out lovely foliage.  I can't reach them very well, they are pretty high, so I don't want to have to dead head them.

This porch looks so cool and quiet, there aren't flowers in those hanging baskets.  I wonder what they are. 

I am loving the bright flowers on this one!  Flower boxes add such charm to a house.

What are you loving today?

Check out what others are loving over at lollipops.

Hugs, 

 

New Clothes for Easter

It was Saturday afternoon and I decided that I was going to make myself a dress for Easter.  I had some great flow-y lavender colored, linen like fabric and a pattern that I had used before. I had the dress pictured in my mind and thankfully it turned out just like I had hoped.  I love the gray flower on it, too.  It's an understated dress, plain and pretty, but very much ME.

Did you know that: 

The custom of new clothes for Easter began when the early Christian converts were baptized the day before Easter.  After their baptism, they put on new clothing to show their new life in Christ!  

New clothes are exciting and they give us an emotional lift, but we should always remember how this tradition began and celebrate our inner life in Christ mre than our outward display of new clothes.

~Taken from "When Love Conquered All"

I have also been making flowers for hair or to pin on a top, take a look and tell me if you like them.

You will find a tutorial for the pink rosette HERE.

The flower above is called a Ruched flower and the tutorial for that is HERE.

The tutorial for this one is HERE.  I glued it to a simple yo-yo.  You can just google  how to make those, they are super easy.  Have fun!

I am teaching the girls in my Today's Christian Girl club to make these, I think they are really it.  If you go HERE, you can find tutorials on dozens of different kinds of flowers.
  Tell me which ones you like best, of the ones that I have made.

Have a good day all!

Hugs, 

Lampshade Before and After

Happy Good Friday to you!

Last summer I found this lamp shade, I loved the shape of it, but never the color.  I put it on this floor lamp and it was an improvement over what was on it, but it was just too dark.    After searching for some way to fix it, I happened upon a gorgeous blog called, Dear Lillie.  She put up a tutorial for a lampshade that she recovered and so I have copied it.

I  think I like it!

A while back Novica contacted me, asking me to review a couple of their products.  They sent me a $100 gift card and I ordered a blouse and a cute little wool purse.  I was impressed with the speed of delivery, I think it took four days from ordering it until it was at my door.  I was impressed.  I love the blouse, it's called Pink Sugar Chic.

I normally wear a medium, so that's what I ordered

and it fits perfectly.  The blouse and the purse, called Pompom Rainbow, were both made in Thailand.  The purse is very sweet, it's made out of wool and is completely lined.  It's also a mustard yellow that is so popular right now.  I love it.

"A Nation of artists throughout the world --
a village of carvers in Bali;
a family of ceramists in Brazil who have handed down their craft
from generation to generation;
a farmer in the Andes who hand-weaves alpaca sweaters.

It is a community of artists who have been isolated
for centuries by distance, time, and geography --
isolated from the very community of collectors seeking
their unique, inspired, and undiscovered arts and crafts.

Now, finally, there is a bridge connecting our separate
communities into one worldwide nation --
this is The NOVICA Nation.

A nation of people inspired by the arts and
empowered by the Internet.
We are all members."

~Novica

Here are more links that you might want to check out.

I particularly hope you check out the Corporate Gifts that they offer.

<a href="http://corporate-gifts.novica.com">fair trade corporate gifts</a>
<a href="http://www.novicalive.com/">Novica Live</a>
<a href="http://eco-friendly.novica.com/">green gifts</a>
<a href="http://microfinance.novica.com/">microfinance</a>

What I like about them, is that they offer artisans from around the world, particularly those in third world countries, a way to sell the products that they make.

Have a wonderful weekend as you celebrate once again the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Hope of the Ages!

Love,

Yessir, I like it! ~me

Pretty Calico Plates

Happy Thursday, my friends, it appears that we have another sunny day ahead of us.   

On Tuesday I saw two robins, the first ones of the season for me, I was so happy and excited to see them.  So I would venture to say that Spring is definitely here!

Today I am playing with some very old little plates that I have.  They are a calico pattern that say BCM/Nelson Ware, Made in England on the back of them.  I have five, but one has a large chip in it.  

 

I think they are so sweet.  The colors are so perfect for Spring.

I have mixed them in with my table setting, they look so nice with my little Spring table runner.

I hope your day is sunny and bright also!

Hugs,

~For the Love of Music~

From the time that I was very young, like most people, I have loved music.  When I was nine, I started taking clarinet lessons and our family moved, putting an end to those.  Then I began to take piano lessons when I was eleven and our house burnt down and that ended that, because we no longer had a piano.  But at age 40, a dear friend gave us an old upright piano and I taught myself to play it  Now I have a full-size keyboard, I only chord, but I have spent many enjoyable hours playing and singing.

Recently, my ten year old granddaughter sang in a 150  voice children s choir accompanied by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.  Pairing the pure voices of children with live symphony music was SO beautiful!  I came away completely in love with live symphony music.

A few weeks back I mentioned that, for my birthday, my son and his wife had gifted us with tickets to a Steve Bell Concert, where he would be performing with the Winnipeg Symphony.  Mr. Bell is from here in Winnipeg.  He is a Gospel singer/songwriter whose music has been influenced by a visit to a monastery in India and other such experiences.  We attended the concert/symphony on Saturday evening and it was amazing!!!  I LOVE symphony music and I also very much enjoy Piano music and Steve Bells pianist, Mike Janzen, plays the most beautiful jazz piano I have ever heard.  The band was made up of four pieces and they each one are experts on their instruments.

I hope you listen to at least one of the videos.  The first one says that it was recorded with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra!  This next one was with the Calgary Symphony Orchestra.

This last one is very moving.  Do you enjoy music?  If so, what kind?  More often than not I have symphony music playing, Symphony Hall, on Sirius Radio is my favorite. 

I love the look of pianos, don't you?  You put a grand piano into a pretty room and it immediately makes the whole room more attractive.

House Beautiful

Traditional Home

I would love to have one, even if I did not play, they are so very beautiful.

Traditional Home

It looks so lovely sitting between two seating areas like this.

Please be sure to tell me which kind of music you enjoy!

Enjoy your day and thanks for coming by!

Hugs, 

Who Am I

Hello my friends!

Today I am going to attempt to define what my little blog, Oakview Cottage is all about.

I think of my blog as being a Lifestyle slash Cottage blog.  Simply meaning that it's about sharing my faith, my life, my home, my experiences, my country and getting to know you, my readers.

First and foremost I love my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Jesus is of first importance to me.  So that is interwoven throughout my blog.

Christmas of 2009 I told you about my grand son, who fell 15 feet and almost died.  But God raised him up and he suffered a small concussion, that was all. 

My blog is a place where holidays are shared...

Christmas 2010

...a place where I talk about my family, children and grandchildren whom I love so much.

My son's family.

 It is a place where I show the crafts that I have made.  I made this little apron for B when she was two.

Christmas baking, 2010.

It is a place where I talk about one of my favorite pastimes, baking...

...and a place where I show you my decorating projects.

I made the window treatment here after our kitchen was renovated.

My kitchen is one of my favorite places to dec0rate.  I showed all of the renovations that we made in the kitchen last year.

It is also a place where I enjoy showing off my photography skills, such as they are.

Add caption

These were taken four years ago on Easter Sunday.  This is my daughter and her husband and Nathan was a baby.  (Mark's birthday was yesterday, Happy Birthday to the greatest son-in-law around!)

My oldest sisters son Brian and his wife Theresa.

It's a place where I share the joys of extended family.  My nephew is a Chaplain in the United States Military.  He has spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is now back safe and sound, in the US at his base in Texas.  He and his wife are so precious!

Manitoba Legislature in black and white.

 And last, but not least where I share photos of this great country that I live in, Canada!

Flooding of the Red River 2011.

If you are still with me, I hope you will continue to visit me and share your thoughts on what I am saying and showing you of my Lifestyle slash Cottage blog.

I am joining Sarah, who is having a Define Your Blog party over at Modern Country Style.

Thanks for coming along, I hope you have enjoyed the ride!!!  I certainly have.

Hugs,