::video while you wait::

I have the most amazing thing to show you but I think I'll wait a bit.

My Mom and I went east yesterday to pick up more meat for our freezer.  There is an Amish establishment about an hour and a half away and there we buy our meat and some bulk foods.  The meat is healthy, hormone-free, antiobiotic free meat.

And there is fabric store there that we just love.  So, YES, the amazing thing I can't wait to show you is from the fabric store.  :) [...which I'm sure you find shocking.]

Meanwhile, I thought I'd share this video with you.

Inspiration much? Makes me want to go practice my cello for hours.

::winner::

Congratulations, Debra.  Email me your address and fabric selection and I'll get your package out to you.  [rebeccagaus@gmail dot com]


WOW! 

You all made this giveaway so fun for me!!

It was an absolute pleasure to see the entries rolling in.  My phone was jumping up and down with all the incoming emails at times.

Thank you to all the new followers and subscribers.

As a thank you to everyone, please use the code THANKYOU for 15% off your order from now until next Friday night.

Happy weekend + Happy Sunday tomorrow!

I'm looking forward to church!  :)

::chalk paint cards DIY::

Yesterday, I had inspiration hit me.

Several months ago, I bought a pack of plain white cards. I've been sending them out plain -- they're great to just write a simple message in. But I've long wanted to embelish the cards; it was just a matter of what and when.

I've wanted to work with chalkboard paint since it first came out. What a neat invention! I already had a bottle of chalk spray paint from a project that failed.

Plain white notecards + chalk paint = idea

Now, this idea has already been utilized by someone on Etsy.  I checked first.  I thought maybe I was the first to come up with this idea.  Ha....um no.  But it was a nice thought.  :)

It's super easy.  The cards I purchased are a nice heavy cardstock and the paint did not bleed through.

Just cover the opposite side of the card that you do not want to be spray painted.  [This is technically the back of the card.]  I used painters tape to make sure the edge was crisp.

When you spray the paint, do it quickly...one sweep horizontally and one sweep vertically and that's it!

After about a minute, I removed it from this area and let it dry.  I let it dry overnight which was less than the 24 hours suggested by the paint manufacturer.

Then, this morning I wrote a little something on the outside.

Something else to note:

I did spritz it with hairspray then slid the card in and out of the envelope to make sure the chalk wouldn't smear.  It didn't.  But next time, I'll try not spraying hairspray on the finished product.  It made me nervous to see a splotch on my card but it did dry clear.

This was so much fun!  And I definitely plan on spraying up a big batch of cards and have them ready to go.  It's versatile way to embellish plain note cards.



ps....And the giveaway is still going. THANK YOU for all those who have entered. THANK YOU especially to sweet Jolene. She got the ball rolling for the giveaway and some of her readers have popped over here. Welcome to Cotton+Wood. I hope this site is a blessing to you.

::fabric giveaway::

This week, I want to giveaway three yards of fabric (worth $25+). 

I absolutely love the fabric pictured above. It is my fav-o-rite in the shop.

But you can have any combination of fabric from the shop if you're the winner.

Here is what you do to enter:

entry one:
subscribe to my blog through Google Reader or email or become a follower through GFC or follow via bloglovin

entry two:
like Cotton+Wood Shop on Facebook or Pinterest

entry three:
talk about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook or Twitter

Come back and leave a comment for each entry.

That's it!  There should be plenty of options for you to enter and [hopefully] win!!

Giveaway closes Saturday night.

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.**

::new this week::

I am so very excited to introduce the newest product in my shop!! I have always loved these clutches with frames and determined a while ago it was definitely something I wanted to offer in my shop.  I try to keep the premise of my shop to be products that I truly love and would use myself.

I started with a 4 inch frame and it is the perfect size to toss in your purse or larger bag.  Inside is a small pocket to hold lipstick or something similarly small.  

The frame is truly a great and sturdy frame.  It will hold up well to wear. 

Shop it here!

Another reason I am very excited about this product is that this is my very first pattern.  It took about four tries.  It wasn't necessarily fun to fail and fail and fail and fail again but the success was definitely sweet!

Have a lovely Monday.

It is quite dreary here but that doesn't change the outlook on my day.  I am so excited about a new week.  Sunday was another fabulous day in the Lord's house.  I am so thankful for a wonderful church where I can be challenged in my spiritual life.  I am also so grateful for the working of the Holy Spirit in my life.

On to another week, ya'll.....!

::small talk::

Oh.  I haven't much to say.

But these things have occupied my mind lately.

1. amazing sermons at church on Sunday. potential to be life-changing if I keep them in the forefront of my heart.
2.  cello lesson on Tuesday night.  ah.  so much to learn.  so little time.
3.  moroccan mint tea [hot].  with honey.  thankyouverymuch
4.  bran cereal with honey and strawberries for breakfast.
5.  friends.  friends.  and friends.  grateful.
6.  another dress for a baby girl.  can't wait to meet that sweetie.
7.  praying.  praying.  praying.  It's amazing + humbling how the Holy Spirit speaks to a Christian through His Word when we are willing to listen + change.
 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons, Psalm 16:7 << reins gives the idea of submission.  I can only expect God to guide me when I am submissive to His will.  sweet peace.  :)
8.  working on a new product. working.  working.
9.  snooooooooooow in January.  unreal.
10.  50 degree temps in January.  unreal.

::Cotton+Wood shop update::

Back in August, my first big fabric order arrived.

However, all of the fabrics that I initially ordered did not come in.

Recently, more of my original order made its way to my house. The new fabrics are now listed in my shop. There are some great pairings!!

Summer House by Lily Ashbury

Urban Cowgirl

Urban Cowgirl

::ten on ten::

I have been wanting to participate in Ten on Ten for quite a while. It finally worked out!

Here we go!

::good morning, beautiful day::coffee in my new favorite mug::

::sunshine through the trees::airport trip::

::Coca Cola on the way home::reviving a vase of cheerful daisies::

::cute little dress for a friend's baby::dark chocolate Hershey's::

::home from work::lovely candle::

at 

::a visit::

I mentioned in a post a bit ago that I had to blog friends coming to visit. Well, their visit has come and gone. I just dropped them off at the airport a few hours ago. It was a great delight to have them here. It was fun to show them around Chicago and my little town + meet people in my church [and a few other fellow bloggers].

Saturday, we zipped up to New Buffalo, MI.  It was a windy, sunny, beautiful winter day.  The shops were closed but it was fun to walk on the deserted beach.

Friday the three of us plus a friend whisked away to downtown Chicago where I did not pull out my camera once.  But it was great fun, nevertheless.

I cannot get over the winter weather we have been having.  It's bad for my brother's snow-plowing business but it's good for tourists and visitors.  :)

Hopefully [prayerfully], snow will make an appearance on Thursday.  We shall see.

Thanks Maggie and Kali for coming!  It was a delight spending a few days with you!

::endless gifts 601-615::

This year, I am using the word more to push me through this year. I don't have a list of New Year's resolutions, per se. However, I want 2012 to be a year of more prayer, more thankfulness, more obedience to the Holy Spirit, more kindness, more immersion in ministry and service to others,etc.etc.

Several years ago, I first heard the quote

What if you only had today what you thanked God for yesterday.

It struck a chord with me then and it still makes me pause and think.

I believe that no matter how thankful we are, there's room for more thankfulness.

When I actually begin to think + thank God for all the blessings in my life, it is easy to become overwhelmed.  There is no way I could compose a complete list of thankfulness in one blog post.




601.  new mercies from my Heavenly Father every day.  [Lamentations 3:22-23]
602.  the Bible, my Guide Book
603.  the Holy Spirit, my Comforter.  [John 14:26]
604.  delicious food every day of the week
605.  wonderful parents who love the Lord and want to serve + love Him all their lives
606.  a brother who has the same goals as me -----> marry a godly mate + serve the Lord + honor our parents
607.  a wonderful church family
608.  a good job
609.  modes of transportation to get me where I need to go
610.  my five senses [sight, taste, smell, touch, hearing]...can you imagine not having one of those??
611.  friends of like-minded faith
612.  ministries to serve the Lord in through my local church
613.  my salvation
614.  an education
615.  small blessings each day that are evidence of God's goodness

Now, I need to tuck my thankfulness journal in my purse and begin anew to use it more frequently.

::dinner downtown::

So, if my prayers are answered this year, meals like the one I enjoyed last night will be few and far between in the future.  We had dinner at an amazing restaurant.

The service was ausgezeichnet, schön, and über pari.






The best part of the night was spending it with my grandparents. 

They have been "the same" for so long and it saddens me to think they will not be here forever.  None of us will, for that matter, but life seems so final and the moments so fleeting as dear loved ones get older.

::new year, new book, new snow::

Happy New Year's everyone!

With Christmas Day and New Year's falling on a Sunday, it didn't necessarily "feel" like a holiday.  Each of those days were spent in church for me, which is the best way to spend those holidays.

My grandparents are here for a few nights then they will make their exodus to the wonderful Floridian world.  Tonight, we are eating at a fancy-pants restaurant.  My parents have been there recently and it sounds phenomenal.  So I am saving up my appetite for dinner tonight.

Also, today we got a bit of snow.  What a nice way to start off the new year.  I'm a sucker for snow; I love it!!  I'd love to get snowed in at least once this season.

I wanted to share a book with you that I received for Christmas.  My beautiful Aunt Sue gifted it to me for Christmas.  It's a journal, of sorts, and of course, I first heard of it on a blog.

It asks a question a day for five years.  This should be fun to look through.  In 5 years, I will be in my 30's [oh the horror!].  No really, I'm looking forward to my 30's but let's not rush it.  :)

It's fun to look on birthdays of family members to see what my question will be.

On my birthday, this will be the question of the day...

 So how was your New Year's?!