Simple pleasures, life's treasures...

The past few weeks I have been working on a new design for 2018, one which has a message that to me 'says it all' as I prepare to step into another year of living the gentle domestic life.

Mr E and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday and the plan was to pack a picnic tea of corned beef and pickle sandwiches and enjoy it down by the Marina after sunset...if the temperature cooled a bit. 

Alas, the temperature stayed high and it was really muggy (humid) which brings on my migraines so my beloved rang our favourite Indian restaurant, praying they'd accept a last minute booking, and they did.  Thank you Lord!

Having a back up plan, being flexible, prayer, they all remind me of marriage, and in fact they have each been important to our marriage, to the ebb and flow of its trials and joys, the lean times and the prosperous, the dark grieving times and the blessed events we get to celebrate, the plans that fall through and the ones which seem to slip into place without a hitch. 

I'm almost 59 and as I reflect on growing older, celebrating another year of wedded-ness as Mrs Reynolds, and preparing to welcome a new grandchildren into our fold in a couple of months, my heart feels more settled that it has been before.  

I'm becoming comfortable in my own skin, loving the ever increasing silver white patches in my hair, the softness around my eyes even though there are more lines appearing, the fingers that lose their stiffness when I draw on fabric with needle and thread, and the deepening desire to embrace a gentler life, a simpler life, one which treasures the hidden jewels within. 

Those personal reflections, desires and plans had a lot to do with this new design. One afternoon last month I sat in the shaded corner of my sewing room and sketched little bits and pieces, small things that made me happy, thinking they'd be nice as little motifs for different projects. 

And then I thought about next year and what I would like to focus on.

Simple Pleasures

Life's Treasures

So I put them all together and the next day slid my needle beside that first piece of applique and began to stitch.

It looks gentle and I felt gentle as I stitched. 

The words slipped further into my heart and there was a sense of knowing this pattern was a reflection of my life as I'd like it to be. One big thing that can be used in many smaller ways. 

Like a big Sunday roast with leg of lamb and oodles of caramelised sticky vegetables.

The roast is a delicious lunch on the day.

The leftover veggies become tomorrow's bubble & squeak for breakfast when served with a poached egg and lots of tabasco sauce. 

The leftover lamb fills sandwiches spread with mustard the following day, shepherd's pie a few days later, and then that big bone with all it's bits and pieces of lamb-y goodness stuck all around goes in the pot with vegetables, herbs and barley for a small pot of soup. 

One roast for a Sunday dinner becomes many more meals. 

One large stitchery gives opportunity to become many little ones.

So I decided to stitch the pear again, this time as an applique shape...

It will become a bookmark tomorrow.

In fact I'm going to make a few more bookmarks using other little motifs from the larger pattern, and pop them in my gift box. 

I didn't follow through on that plan this year but through 2017 I've been reading Annabel's blog once a week and can see now how thrifty, wise and fun it is to create throughout the seasons with whatever skills you have and come Christmas and birthdays, get wells and celebrations, or 'just because' days, there's a precious gift made, ready and waiting to give. No stress, just delight. 

If you visit Annabel's blog you'll understand what I mean. 

Stitchery Club members will receive this design along with two others in January (see more here).

Looking ahead.

I want to add a bit more balance and order to my working/domestic days so I purchased two diaries for next year and they arrived a few weeks back.

One is a Tilda planner for day to day business notes, and the other is a gorgeous Daphne's Diary for reminders about things which matter to my health - physical, spiritual and emotional - and it includes beautiful extras inside. 

Beautiful things inspire in so many ways, don't you think?

 For our anniversary Mr E bought me an elephant. 

Funny how many people assume I love elephants because of my blog/business name (Elefantz with an f), but I don't collect elephants and the name has nothing to do with them. 

Back in 2004 I had a dream.

In the dream I was sitting at a cafe having coffee with the Blossom-girl and I was writing 'elefantz' all across the white tablecloth in pretty cursive script like my Nana would have used.

When I woke the next morning I thought God was giving me the name of a bookshop/cafe the Blossom-girl and I had planned to open when she'd grown up a bit more. She was just 11 at the time.

My sewing life at that stage was nothing more than making simple dresses for Blossom or machining a straight seam to hem curtains. 

I had no idea that a few years later everything would change.

I taught myself to hand embroider late in 2005 and in September of 2008 I penned my very first 'Jenny of Elefantz' blog post.

I knew exactly what the dream was directing me towards.

Not what you expected, eh?

God has a sense of humour!

We didn't take many photos on Christmas Day...just two. 

It was such a special time for the five of us that it felt almost 'intrusive' to bring out the camera, so after those two pics I put it away. 

Mr E bought Cully May a Thomas the Tank ride-on. She *loves* anything Thomas!

I snapped this just as Blossom was tying back Cully's fringe. Bloss made Cully May's red dress and it is gorgeous with those frills and a big bow at the back.

My beautiful girls...

Have I rambled again, wandering from topic to topic, following streams of thought and straying from one path? Sorry. Just so many lovely things that pop into my mind as I write and then I imagine we're chatting across the table about all and sundry...and this blog post may be that all and sundry. LOL!

Well it's time to go fix dinner for my man and tonight we're having that picnic of corned beef sandwiches, but just here at home. With a pot of tea and gingerbread for afters. 

Relax sweet friend, ponder your simple pleasures and rejoice in the treasures of life that sit right before you. 

Let the rush pass you by and choose the gentler things that nourish your soul and bring joy to your heart.

Choosing to live gently will bless you, and in turn in will bless those around you. 

Rather than making a New Year's resolution consider writing a list of things you can 'let go' of...ah, the freedom.

Simplicity that may be just around the corner...

Love

PS: The first pattern in my 2018 Block of the Month will be shared on Monday. Yay!

Christmas past and present...

When Blossom was 10 she gathered what scraps of felt she could find in her little craft cupboard and made a nativity scene to hang beside the Christmas tree. 

Neither of us were stitchers at that time, so each December I would cook and she would decorate with whatever she could find.

I treasure this Nativity Scene from her childhood, and even though Mr E and I have been shopping for a porcelain one recently, nothing has compared to the simple felt scene our daughter made all those years ago. 

Since her mid-teens Blossom has been embarrassed when I bring it out each year, a natural reaction for most children as they grow up and their parents insist on displaying those junior works of art, but I don't let her protests stop me.

As a young mother herself now she has a greater understanding of why this Nativity scene means so much to me...

Blossom's second baby is due March 1st, but she's had a scare this week when the baby's head dropped overnight and severe lower back pains began. Assessment by her midwives confirmed the baby was now very low, head almost engaged, much earlier than it should be. 

She also discovered her health had taken a downward turn and blood transfusions were needed, one on Thursday and another scheduled for next week. 

I sounded the alarm in our Gentle Domesticity group and an army of prayer warriors took up the call and held Blossom and her baby in prayer for three days. Bless their hearts!

What could have been a very early delivery has slowed right down, and though she must take things very easy from now on and let that little cherub in her womb keep growing strong for a safe and healthy birth, Blossom is calm and giving all her extra attention to one on one time with Cully May (who is the happiest little munchkin ever!).

I've spent a lot of time with my daughter and granddaughter this week, assisting where I can, praying and just being available if she had need of me, and it made me incredibly proud to watch my daughter conduct herself with such grace and kindness towards all her health professionals even though she was frightened of what may happen with her baby if labour began.

 Today we have stayed in our various abodes and texted funny things back and forth - she entertaining Cully May and keeping her feet up, and me nursing a rather ghastly migraine but having Mr E beside me as physician. How very blessed we are to have each other, to be a family, to live nearby and be able to step in to help out in times of duress. 

I think this Christmas what's sitting solid in my heart is gratitude.

Gratitude for God in giving us His Son.

Gratitude to God for giving me this daughter, my youngest, the child I almost lost my life giving birth to yet who every day 'gives' more to me in love, respect, honour and friendship than I could ever have imagined when I held that tiny bundle in my arms almost 24 years ago. 

I have gratitude for the Word of God which every day speaks into my heart and gives me understanding, correction, hope and direction.

And I am grateful for Christmas, for the quietness and gentleness of this particular Christmas, for even though it's been a week fraught with concerns and hospital visits and a few fears, there has been this underlying sense of God's hand holding us all, securely, lovingly, peacefully. 

Mr E put the tree up and I gathered some simple decorations and made merry because my heart was overflowing with LOVE for Jesus, for my family, and for those whom God may bring across my path one day and will want to hear why I love Him so much.

Simple decorations...celebrating a simple but miraculous birth over 2000 years ago.

A birth which changed my life and made it a testimony to love which no author could have dreamed to write. 

May the LOVE of Jesus fill your heart this Christmas in ways it never has before.

May His birth and the miracle of it fill your thoughts with wonder and awe. 

May you find HIM at the centre of every conversation, every laugh, every tear, every dream, and know that it will all be okay even if things don't turn out the way you hoped because He loves you and He cares about your whole life, from the big issues to the little ones and everything in between.

From our family to yours,

MERRY & BLESSED CHRISTMAS

hugs

Change of heart...

It's been longer than I'd planned between blog posts, but when we drove away to Cairns last Tuesday morning for a two-night refresher of soul a phone call came through during our lunch stop that literally caught us unawares and we've spent the last week letting the news sift and settle as we pray over the ramifications for next year.

We'd been in this house just eleven weeks and finally felt settled, life becoming a gentle rhythm of routines and Mr E having just finished teaching for the year we were looking forward to beginning his six-week summer break with this mini-holiday up the coast. It was needed after our recent move and a few late in the year health challenges.

About two hours into our drive we were eating fresh baked pies at a cafe in Cardwell, right beside the ocean, when the call came through.

The owners of our rental home had decided to sell.

Prospective buyers would soon begin coming through and we'd be given 24 hours notice of each inspection. Our private secure home, our sanctuary from the world, would now be on display and a stream of strangers must be allowed access because legally the owners have that right.

I was angry.

My heart was raging for the next 24 hours. In fact I wanted to pick a fight with the owners just so I could shout how rude and unfair this was, how they should have told us eleven weeks ago, how they were insensitive and selfish. I wanted to be heard. 

Over the next few days I shed some tears, and bit by bit unpicked all the anger and the accusations that I never got to make, giving my hurt to Jesus, the Great Unpicker of all my less than lovely attitudes.

The anger didn't go away immediately but each day since my meltdown it's gotten less, until today I realised it's not there anymore. 

My soul is calm, my spirit is bright, my outlook is positive.

Legally, even if the house sells, we have the right to stay until the end of our lease at the close of next September.

We might, we might not. 

The thing is that life is a set of incidents which by themselves make no sense, but when brought together by His hands you realise there was more going on behind the scenes than you imagined.

We can sit here and plot our path, we can make wonderful plans and hope the best things.

There's nothing wrong in that.

Unless you're rigid and unyielding, refusing to let go and follow a different map when those plans are clearly not to be.

When we hold on too tight to what we want, something wonderful and amazing and 'just right' may slip right on by.

Regrets are not new to me, but they occur less the closer I walk with Jesus and let His ways take precedence over my own, even (especially) when I don't fully understand them.

And I don't understand what's happening right now.

But I know Who holds our life in His hands and I trust that what's to come is better for us than what we have now.

Placing my hand in His each morning is a day by day decision. Not sure why I have to keep making that decision but it's probably because I still see my way as the best way? 

"Thank you, Jesus, for another day" upon waking, coffee brewing and my Bible open and ready to guide me...yeh, my way really isn't the best, but when His way becomes my way it never fails. 

The right everyday decision.

So we're letting the peace of God reign, but we're also being mindful not to leave precious things around the house while we walk this season of intrusion.  

"Be wise as serpents, innocent as doves", Jesus instructs us. (Matthew 10:16)

The night before we left for Cairns I found these stitcheries from 2014 in my UFO box and decided to display them as a bunting. I trimmed each block before fusing Pellon behind them, cut fabric for the binding and left everything on my cutting table to finish the next day.

When morning came around Mr E suggested we pack and go north for a few days so I closed the door on my sewing room and prepared for our trip instead, but when we arrived home again on Thursday, still a tad raw from the news of the house sale, I didn't feel like sewing at all, so I scooped my pieces up and put them aside with the idea of finishing the project next Christmas instead. 

When peace returns, when you allow it to fill you, some of the things you previously rejected become interesting again. And that's what happened this morning.

I thought about the words in those three little stitcheries.

"Hosanna" originally means 'save me please' and you know, I really needed saving from my angry attitude this time last week.

A "merry" Christmas spirit is exactly what I felt robbed of for a while but now I am merrier than ever because I realise my security, my sanctuary, is not this house. It's Jesus. 

"All is bright"...yes it is. Now that peace has returned and our eyes are fixed on what is to come and not what is behind, we can see through the darkness of our initial despair and into the everlasting Light which fills us with hope.

Whatever surprises have unsettled your life this year, this month or today, lift your hands to Jesus, let the anger and disappointment wash away and look forward with hope.

Our situation has not changed, our health issues are not resolved, and we cannot see the path ahead.

But we are changed, and all is merry and bright in our hearts once more...

hugs

PS: The set of three stitcheries are here.

Some encouragement and a festive tutorial...

My plans to rest up haven't followed the path I'd hoped. I suppose this time of year has a way of calling you off in different directions and though you want/need to rest, the opportunities aren't always as forthcoming as you'd like. But I do feel a little better, which is wonderful, so thank you sincerely for your prayers. I actually sat here this morning and thought about that very thing.

Have you just stopped what you're doing and thought about who is praying for you?

What a beautiful, humbling, grateful experience I had as I did this. It made me want to hug each and every one of you who have lifted my name before Jesus. You bless me beyond words. xx

Between the various tasks these early December days bring into our lives I think we each look for a parcel of hours in which to create, a morning or afternoon here or there when we can disappear into the craft room or clear a space on the dining table 'just to make'.

Some of my friends create with paper, others with wool, and some like me use fabric or thread.

Last week you saw the simple ribbony buttony lacy card I made for a friend, and this week I'll show you a different simple gift for another friend.

I've made a pretty three-tiered shabby chic style Christmas tree pincushion in soft pastels, but once you see the basic steps you'll realise it can be made to any size and have as many tiers as you want.

I began by sewing three circles of differing sizes and stuffing them.

Before you make the circles stack your fabrics on top of each other and mix them around until you have them layered in such a way that it makes your heart flutter. 

Using Perle thread or three strands of embroidery thread (I used Perle 12) criss-cross back and forth, always bringing the needle back to the centre, until you have eight sections in your circle. Pull the thread gently as you sew each section until it puffs a little.

Secure the thread in the centre of the bottom side when you're done.

I used pink Perle thread for the bottom and middle pincushions... 

...and white for the small top one.

As this is a Christmas themed project the addition of some bling on top was important to the overall finish so I found the perfect button in my stash and sewed it in place.

Nice, huh?

Assemble the round pincushions one on top of the other and using a very long beading needle sew them together through the centre. 

My bling button had a shank so I gently pushed it to one side and was able to get the needle through the middle of the little pincushion and down through the other two without my trouble.

An alternative is to use a hot glue gun to secure each pincushion on top of each other, especially if you intend sewing 5 or 6 tiers.

The final touch was a piece of crinkly ribbon wound between the large and middle pincushions and tied in a bow. 

I told you it was simple. 

Simply beautiful actually, and I'm sure my friend will love it. 

The fabrics used in this pincushion are from the "Meadow" collection by Camelot Design Studio. 

I've had them saved and uncut for a little while now, but I do believe they were just right for this project. In fact, I may have to make another for myself...as soon as December passes by. 

Will you make one, or two?

There's much in my heart that over time I shall begin to share with you, things pertaining to living a life of gentle domesticity, but today I will leave you with just one thing, something I shared with members of our Gentle Domesticity facebook group yesterday...

Too often I tend to drift past life's daily rituals without truly observing their significance; without stopping to be grateful. But the things I attend to within my home are a privilege because within these walls I get to care for people I love and people who love me.

I am free to create an environment which family and friends assure me is welcoming and homely; an environment that tangibly wraps itself around them and says, "stay awhile, I love having you here".

Just as apple pie or fruit buns straight from the oven fill a house with the aroma of home-baked love, so too the fragrance of our attitude can carry itself through every room and each heart, the effects lasting well beyond that afternoon tea.

Have you pondered the attitude of your homemaker heart recently?

Like me, you may need to do this every once in while.

I think it's almost like checking the chocolate cake with a skewer to see if it's baked through and finding it sticky. No-one wants to eat raw or under-cooked cake so we return it to the oven until it's fully baked through and delicious to eat.

In a similar way, we must take time to check our attitude regularly. No-one wants to stay long in a home that causes them to feel unwelcome or in the way, so like that cake we should examine our heart attitude to see if it's right, and if it's not we must be honest with ourselves about why and begin to make changes that will bring about a gentle and gracious spirit. 

At the core of every gentle domestic homemaker is a heart willing to make her home a sanctuary with an atmosphere of beauty and rest, a dwelling place that exudes love and welcome. 

If we do this there is no shortage of JOY to share and no lack of JOY to receive.

I am still learning how to do this, how to be that gentle homemaker, but truly my heart is willing to grow and change for the better and that's really all we need do. Just be willing. 

If we are, then what a bounty of goodness lies before us...

Much love dear ones,

Lacy buttony ribbon trees...

Do you spend time on Pinterest?

Maybe once or twice a week I settle down with my iPad and a nice cup of tea about an hour before bedtime and have a look-see at pretty and inspiring ideas like new recipes, decorating on a budget, tutorials for things I'd like to learn, gifts, or lovely quotes. 

At the moment my eyes seem to fall more often upon 'seasonal' projects which may (or may not) be made in time for December 25. 

I think it's nice to make something new for the home each year, and even though I have a number of my own Christmas designs to display there are many more ideas out there which make me smile and inspire a different kind of creativity to surface. 

This year it's lacy, button-y ribbon trees.

I found some beautiful photos on Pinterest and wanted to start on a framed version for our home straight away but it's been a very busy fortnight here with family, car, health and business matters so I've had to breathe and pace myself until such a time as I could 'play'. 

Yesterday was that time, but first I chose to make a hanging card and leave the larger framed tree for another day.

I thought the aqua stripe fabric would make a nice background and from there it was simply a matter of preparing a piece of thin cardboard, cutting lengths of lace, ribbon and braid, and gathering some buttons and a tiny bit of bling. 

Mr E came home to find me busy at work with my lacy tree and to be honest I was so caught up in what was before me that I hadn't noticed the sewing room was dark so what a surprise when he switched on the light and everything became clear! 

He assures me I do this a lot, and I assured him that any crafter worth her salt probably does exactly the same thing. We get in the 'zone' and away we go on our project, oblivious to whether the sun or the moon is setting or rising. Right?

Anyhow, with a nice organic chicken roasting away in the oven with an abundance of vegetables nestled around it and a large lemon stuffed inside, I continued on.

This will be an ornament card for a friend and I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

Not sure what colours to use in a large framed tree in this style because the red wall in our living room robs me of all desire to use red elsewhere...and pink would just clash.

Perhaps green and silver...I don't know right now, but it will also depend on what's in my stash as I'm not buying any extras.

If this sort of project appeals to you here are a few of the lacy, button-y ribbon trees I found on Pinterest in very different styles.

You can see more HERE on my Christmas Ideas pinterest board  and when you click on any of the the photos from that board it will take you to the original web pages for the photos shown below...

Blossom has left her baby & toddlers clothing business as her hands are full with Cully May, a new baby due in 13 weeks, moving house early next year and Christmas, but she hasn't stopped sewing.

Years ago when I taught myself to do patchwork I would teach her as I went along and she made some beautiful projects including her first quilt at age 11. But then she progressed to embroidery, beading, crochet, scrapbooking, writing...and patchwork fell by the wayside.

Now she has a hankering to patchwork again. Zippered pouches to be exact.

And guess who was the recipient of her first two practice pouches?

Me, and I love them!

She even made them from my all time favourite fabrics (which I'd given her months ago) - Flower Sugar and vintage Tilda from a decade ago...

The smaller pouch is for my migraine medication, lip balm and other essentials that need to stay in my handbag, and the larger pouch is for carrying a stitchery, threads, scissors and needles in the car so I can embroider as Mr E drives us across the state. 

Our little dumpling has recently taken up colouring with crayons and it was lovely to watch her and Blossom drawing pictures together in the early morning light when they stayed with us recently. 

I'm taking a few days break in order to rest up and get on top of a health issue (not my migraines). It's nothing serious, but it's not getting any better and Mr E thinks I should rest up a bit so my body has a chance to heal.

He's such a wise and loving husband, I'm very blessed to be Mrs Reynolds.

Until next time (and always), may the Lord bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you and give you peace,

hugs