Saturday, August 31, 2013

Summer Outfit Post // All Natural Beauty Recipes ?

Hi everyone!
This week has been filled with putting our finishing touches on our projects for our County Fair that begins this coming week.Our items are due on Wednesday! We will be sure to gather our goods and show you all soon!  So, though we took pictures for three posts this week it has not happened.....I know you understand!   :)
These outfits are what we wore to church last Sunday.....We took our pictures at a bridge that goes over the Kalamazoo River, it is about a half mile away from our house.We love going down there walking or riding our bikes...It is so beautiful this time of year! I am sure that you will be seeing more of this wonderful backdrop! :)              Without further ado, here are the outfits-


Rebekah

 Rebekah's outfit:
Shoes: Landsend clearance  $9
Blue skirt:  Thrift store  $4
Green shirt:  Goodwill  $4
Purple undershirt: yard sale $1
Headscarf:  gift (from Sara)
Brown vintage purse: (borrowed) $5

                Sara (friend from church) came over after services and joined in on our photo shoot! ;)
               Then off we went, back home to watch the beloved Sense and Sensibility....
                                                        Love restful Sunday afternoons! :)


Sara's outfit:
Shoes: Payless  $20  (so worth it:))
Vintage nylons: gift from us :)
Green skirt: also gift from us
Purple shirt: thrift store $3

 My attire was built around this pretty pink linen shirt. My mom found it for me at one our thrift stores dollar days! :)    Oh, how I love thrifting!    I really like how it worked out with other things that I had.
My hair was a bit crazy by the time we got around to taking pictures, but oh well.



My 'where from list':
Brown shoes: yard sale  $1.50
Slip: made by me
Tan linen skirt: have had forever
White undershirt: thrift store $3
Pink linen shirt: thrift store $1
White belt: hand-me-down from aunt
Headscarf: thrift store  $1


                  Hope you all have a great Lord's day tomorrow! We are having an outdoor service before the cold weather comes.It will be so nice!  We will make sure to get some picture to share!

          I have been thinking of starting a series of posts containing all natural hair and beauty recipes that I have either tried or will be trying during the process. What do you think ? It sounds like a good way to share different ideas and thoughts about this wonderful funness (the computer does not like that word :p) to me! There is so much you can do with wonderful herbs and oils!

                                  So what do you think ?    
                                             Would you like me to take the time to do this ?
                                                        What do you like/dislike about our outfits ?
                                                                    What has been keeping you busy ?
      
                                                                                                                               ~ Cassie
        

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Quick Sewing Project//Pillows



 Happy Saturday to you!
 We had another car wash (fundraiser for mission trip) this afternoon so I really didn't have much time to sew/post about it.So I decided to do this simple project that I have been wanting to do for a while now and share it with y'all.

Have you ever had any beautiful doilies or hankies that either have a stain or rip and you just dont know what to do with them ? They always have such fine crocheted edges and beautiful embroidery it would be such a same to let all that time consuming work go to waste!  Well, I was thinking about it and came up with the idea to recreate them into throw pillows! So here are the few that I whipped up last night, but I hope to make some more in the near future!                                                                                                                      
As you can see this cute hankie had a rip right into the middle, so to'fix' that I just chose some coordinating fabric to use as the back and cut out a heart shape to shield the rip with the same fabric.

 Once I had everything picked out and ironed I layed the hankie on the fabric and cut around it, leaving enough for seam allowance.
 For the heart shape I just drew a heart right onto the fabric with chalk and cut around it with pinking shears.

            Then chose a decorative stitch from my mom's sewing machine and sewed it on.


Last step is to pin on your back and sew around leaving a small hole for stuffing.Stuff your pillow and sew up the hole!     I really like the cheery yellow and delicate edging .....







The finished product! :)


 This one had no rips but stains in the middle of it. This was actually a pillow cover already.It had four different clusters of flowers on it and a ruffle around it. I bought it (with the stains) with this project in mind.


   So I cut one of the four corners out that I liked the best and cut out a back for it. Added some rickrack and pinned it in place.Sewed only those two sides (right sides together) and turned it in side out. Then, after pinning the two ruffled sides together (wrong sides together) sewed those sides while leaving a hole for stuffing. Stuffed it and sewed up the hole!   So fun and easy!
                                                              
                                                                And here we are, done!

 This one is circular and only had a small slice in the middle. So to cover up the hole I took a blue rose embroidered hankie and chopped it up to lay over the hole.


  Here is what I did to use the hankie as a cover up...Cut around it in a square shape and cut off the other three corners and layed them over the plain, cut corners.Pinned it in the correct place.And sewed a small zigzag around the four sides and across the triangular corners.
             After I sewed around the four sides and corners, I went back and cut off the under flap of each corner.

 Once I had that finished I cut out a back for it and instead of trying to do a folded in seam I just stuck with the small zigzag that I had used before and sewed around leaving a hole for stuffing, stuffed it, and zigzagged the hole closed.    :)
 Beautiful!



 I had a fun time with these and as I said, hope to do some more soon!
I would love to hear any comments or questions!
                  
Which one do you like the best ?
                      Do you think that you will try this yourself ?
                                         
                                       Thanks for reading!   
                                                                              Cassie

Friday, August 23, 2013

Biblical Tolerence // In Brown 40's Dress

Hi all! This is an overview of our sermon from this past Sunday I thought was too important and encouraging to pass up in sharing.Our main scripture was from Daniel 3: 12-18. The amazing story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  And their true faith in God.


             In this picture is our lovely little rabbit, Mopsey, *who also appeared in the previous post*.


Reading through the main verses (Daniel 3:12-18) we see what is happening; the king has set up a huge statue of himself for all the people to bow down to and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow.Once some of the king's astrologers found this out they came forth and denounced the Jews, bringing up that some would not bow down.Verse 13 says that the king was furious with rage and summoned the three men to come to him.They came to him and were asked by him if it was really true that they refused to bow down(verse 14). Then he goes on to say that if they still refuse to bow down they "...will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace." Yikes! What would you say to that ?! Their replay was strong and simple...(verses16-18) "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this manner. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and if He will rescue us from your hand, O king. (v.18)  But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
  This is the main verse of the sermon. They wholeheartedly refused to worship the idle no matter what. And they were thrown into the furnace for their unbendable faith! They had amazing faith and trust in God. They would  not tolerate what others were doing.They refused to be a part of it themselves.Some people may think that if we only follow the crowd on the outside that it really doesn't matter, but what they are overlooking is that they are giving the devil a foothold in much bigger things.What is the motivation behind the action? Which brings us to another key word; compromise.
    While we are still sinners of course it does not matter what you have done in the past be cause Jesus excepts us.He knows we are sinners, that is why He had to come and save us! But once we are saved we are to 'sin no more.'     Hebrews 10:26 sums it up pretty plainly: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth (Jesus) no sacrifice for sins is left".   God wants us to trust in Him. We need to trust in Him more and more to mature in our walk with Him.We need to give up everything to Him. The Word of God or the pressures of this world are how we decide our decisions.We will either end up serving self or God.
   Just like nowadays, the king wanted people to worship (tolerate) his pride by having them worship the statue that he set up. And just like these three men who were so faithful to God, we need to not compromise our Godly values by what the world thinks is 'okay'. Or by what others are doing........We need to study His word daily and remember that when we hold on to God He will always deliver us."The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and they are saved". ( Prov.18:10) "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry". At the end of chapter 3 in Daniel we see that all three men were saved! Not even the hair was singed! And the king saw that the Lord had saved them(v.28) and commanded that the entire nation worship the only true God! (verses 25-29)
  We are called to "be holy as I (the Lord) am holy,and to be set apart from all the nations to be My own. (Lev.20:26) We need to rest assure that when we trust in the Lord that ...."all things work out for those who love Him..."(Rom.8:28)We have no idea what God has planned or how big it will be! And we need to make it a huge goal (this is my favorite verse) "...That whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for man. Colossians 3:23

Rebekah gave me this dress for my birthday and I have been looking forward to wearing it ever since! It is a Target brand knockoff of a 40's house dress! It has those handy little crocheted belt loops on the sides. I had planned to wear one of my brown leather belts with it, but it ended up looking too drab.So this white one was perfect! The buckle is brown! To tie it all together I wore my strand of white pearls.And wore my brown Campbell lace ups to keep up the 40's style going. I really like how it turned out!

                                                                  Shoes:thrift store-$3!  :)
                                                                            Dress:gift
                                                                  Belt:hand-me-down from aunt
                                                                 Pearls:gift from Grandma
                                                                Bobby pins:Also a birthday gift! 




                                                                                           


          
                                 Hope you have had a blessed week!
                                                                                                      ~Cassie 

              P.S. Also, our comment box was accidentally turned off! So that has been fixed and we hope to hear from you soon! Thanks for your comments! 

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Joy of the Lord Post

Sometimes you just can't help but feel gloomy...



 Ever been there? I bet you have. If today is one of those days for you, I hope these 'happy photos' of God's creations will be what it takes to give you a dose of joy... And hopefully you'll be looking more like this when it's over!



Matthew 6:31-33            "Therefore,do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat,what shall we wear,what shall we drink?' For the Gentiles seek after all such things, and the Lord your God knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added on to you."

Genesis 1:22        "God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in numbers and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth'..."


               Psalm 65:8    "The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns,where evening fades,you call forth songs of joy."
    

Proverbs 6:6-8         "Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider her ways,and be wise! It has no commander,no overseer or ruler,yet it stores it's provisions in summer and gathers it's food at harvest."

Deuteronomy 32:2        "May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew,like gentle rain upon the tender grass,and like showers upon the herb."

Ecclesiastes 47:9         "And whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said,'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'."

Genesis 6:20           "Of the birds according to their kinds,and of the animals according to their kinds,of every creeping thing of the ground,according to it's kind,two of every sort will come unto you to keep them alive."

Matthew 6:28,29         "And why are you so anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,how they grow: neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Matthew 10:29-31            "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Psalm 23:4          "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."


Song of Solomon 2:12           "The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."



Job 38:7              "When the morning star sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

         Proverbs 27:23          "Know well the condition of your flocks, give attention to your herd."
                                                                         [As God does]

Proverbs 27:27               "You will have plenty of goat's milk to feed you and your family, and to nourish your servant girls."

Genesis 1:29         "Then God said,' I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food'."

Psalm 4:8        "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

Psalms 20:7         "Some trust in chariots,and some in horses, but  we trust in the Lord, our God."

Proverbs 30:28         "A spider skillfully grasps with it's hands,and it is in the king's palaces."

Hebrews 4:13           "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and layed bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Proverbs 3:24         "When you lie down you will not be afraid; yea, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

Proverbs 21:31               "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord."

Ecclesiastes 11:4               "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap."

Proverbs 29:17           "Discipline your son and he will give you rest, he will give delight to your heart."

Hosea 14:5                    "I will be like the dew to Israel, he shall blossom like the lily, he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon...."


(The next few shots are from a few years back at our beautiful lake Michigan, the Van Kampens and us at the beach)







Genesis 1:6-8          And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made an expanse and separated the water beneath the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse 'sky'. And there was evening, and morning- the second day."

Well, in conclusion, I hope the verses I chose for each photo make sense to you...

(I took all of the photos except the jar of wildflowers, I was holding them  :-}   ... And Mrs.V.K. took the sunset silhouettes- thanks!)

                                           Do any of you enjoy photography?
                                                      What's your favorite joy-filled Bible verse?
                                                                  

I sure do hope at least a few of you were inspired by this collaboration of  'Quotes' from the greatest book ever authored! [I SURE WAS!]            Did you know the word joy is written 165 times in God's word?!   And different forms of the word, 244!   And the phrase 'do not fear' is mentioned 314 times! Now, God only had to say,"Let there be light" once, you really think he is pulling your leg when he tells you to not be afraid that many times?! I don't think so.   Does anymore need to be said? Again, I don't think so. (***Well, did I do okay on this post?   Please leave feedback if you read this.....*** )     THANKS!    

                    
                                                                                             ~Rebekah

P.S.

Romans 1:20               "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- His eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen , being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."