January tea towel post and book study...

 

I've kept this year's free tea towel design quite simple, because I'd like to think it reflects the gentle simplicity of our domestic lives throughout 2023. 

As the theme on the blog this year is 'a new year of gentle domesticity', it seems prudent that I should be encouraging both myself and all of you, to seek after gentler expressions of homemaking, amidst the regular rhythms and routines of keeping house. 

There's a number of words I could have chosen to embellish this year's tea towel, but memories of sitting at nana's table enjoying the very simple and delicious meals she would bake each day brought joy to my heart, so 'baking' was what I decided on.

Memories of relaxed evenings watching The Waltons, where every scene of Grandma and Olivia working side by side preparing food, or the family gathered around the table laughing and sharing the fruits of their labour, always gave me cause to sigh and smile, because the love of eating a meal together, of simply "being" together, was another reminder of sitting at our own small kitchen table when I was young, and the love and laughter and gratitude which filled the air.

Gingham and redwork compliment each other beautifully, and genuinely do remind me of the old days, so when I found this turquoise checked tea towel tucked away in my linen cupboard, the idea for this year's free pattern came quickly to mind. I hope you make this for yourself, and maybe a few others as gifts throughout the year - they'd be so easy and inexpensive to post. 

Or, imagine wrapping your newly stitched tea towel around a batch of freshly baked scones or muffins, or maybe even a loaf of bread, to gift a neighbour? That would be lovely (and delicious) indeed. I find the simplest gifts quite often mean the most. 

Use the link below to download the pattern

DOWNLOAD the 'Baking' tea towel pattern

As promised last week, today we shall continue the Emilie Barnes book study with chapter five of Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home. 

This chapter is titled 'The Secret of the Kitchen' and it seems that Emilie's love for this productive and aromatic room began early in life through the inspiration of her father, a chef who was raised in the kitchen of a Viennese palace. After moving to America he opened many top restaurants, receiving standing ovations from movie stars of the era. 

Unlike Emilie, most of us were not raised by chefs, so our culinary skills are more attuned to the simple home kitchen, and creating day by day family pleasing menus - but fortunately for us, we are the women Emilie is writing to in this book. Let's begin...

Emilie asks, "What makes a memorable meal? The recipe for such a time involves four simple ingredients."

The Setting (ideas):

Fold napkins inside the water glasses or tuck them into napkin rings / garnish the dinner plate with a sprig of parsley / place a lemon wedge in each glass of water / use a floral sheet as your tablecloth / make napkins from an old sheet / add a jar of fresh flowers to the table centre or for seasonal displays use apples, grapes, pine cones, candles, twinkling lights - whatever is on hand.

The Food (ideas):

Use in-season fruits and vegetables / think about the aroma of food cooking as guests gather at the table - curries, garlic, fresh bread, coffee, chili, spices, roasts, fruit pies / make family favourites regularly to create memories.

The Fellowship (ideas):

Turn off the television / put phones away / be prepared to share about your day and be prepared to listen to what others want to share / use this time for family and friendships to grow.

A Peaceful Ambience (ideas):

"Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife." Proverbs 17:1 / plan dinner times thoughtfully so that all the components of the meal are ready to serve at the same time / avoid weighty or emotional conversations over meals / invite God to be present at each meal and give thanks.

The Year Round Kitchen

Not just a seasonal cook, Emilie also embraces seasonal decor in her kitchen and surrounds, using windowsills, countertops and the dining area to infuse elements of spring, summer, autumn and winter to her home. 

"...tuning in to the turning of the seasons will help make your kitchen more warming and fulfilling." (page 79)

Flowers in season are displayed growing in window boxes and pretty pots in the warmer months, or cut and placed in a vase or jar all through the year. Bowls are filled with pumpkins, squash and gourds in autumn, and through summer they overflow with fruits and vegetables. 

With regards to meals, Emilie chooses fresh ingredients in their season, delighting (for example) in serving the first spring produce on a white lace tablecloth beside fresh blooms - a celebration of taste and colour. 

"Setting a pretty breakfast table or food bar with placemats sends out good signals." (page 79)

Many summer meals are served outdoors, especially those cooked on the barbecue. Lots of big green salads with assorted vegetables and garlic dressing gave Emilie great delight and a desire to pray for long hot summers. She suggests shopping at a Farmer's Market in spring and summer for home-sourced goods such as jam, breads, honey and nuts if you don't make or have your own.

In the cooler months keep your kitchen warm and smelling wonderful with simmering soups, slow cooker meals and casseroles. 

Hope you enjoyed the overview on chapter five. Next month we will glean from the next chapter, The Secret of Stillness. 

If you're new here, last year we read through the first four chapters (there are nine in all) and I gave some highlights here for those who did not have a copy of the book. You can read through those first four chapter studies HERE

Love to hear your own thoughts and ideas on creating a welcoming kitchen. I'm still slowly working on mine, and find that some of her ideas won't work in such a small space with minimal countertop area, but that doesn't mean I can't take the seeds of what Emilie did in her home and bring to life some beauty of my own with what means I have on hand. Creativity is such a unique thing for every women, and that's fairly obvious when you spend time in someone else's home. 

I wonder how we'd arrange or decorate our kitchen and dining areas if we took some time to really ponder the things we like, the style which best suits our taste and budget, and considered what matters and what doesn't? Lately I'm thinking more and more about what I don't like, which is very helpful with decluttering, because when I know that, it's much easier to imagine a room/s makeover for the future.

For now, it's small inexpensive steps for my home, and I don't mind at all because in most things these days I enjoy taking my time before making decisions (what a change from a few years back). 

Have a lovely end of week, dear ones, and just for fun, why don't we all set the table tonight, light some candles, play some favourite music in the background, and 'welcome' home our loved ones. If you've got some flowers pop them in a jug or vase, or ask your neighbour for a few blooms if she has them. Bring out your napkins, best glasses and dinner plates, and bake a lovely dessert if you have time. Turn off the telly and don't answer texts or scroll social media - in fact put your mobile devices in another room. Give your loved ones some undivided attention...who knows, you may find this becomes a delightful new weekly rhythm to home life. 

I'm going to bake a lemon delicious pudding, but not sure what will be the main course as yet - have to check the fridge first and see what needs using up. Even the simplest of meals become special when served with beauty. Emilie taught me that. 

Oh, and if you're after a very simple way to make cloth napkins from old sheets, visit Jes at her blog Strangers and Pilgrims HERE where she gives some very easy instructions. Jes has so many wonderful homemaking ideas and examples that you might find yourself trying a few different things. 

hugs

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Appreciating the garden...

 If there's one thing which resounded through my reading of chapter four in Emilie Barnes' book "Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home" it was the many simple ways we can add beauty and function through gardening - whether you have a large acreage, an allotment, a small backyard, an apartment, a room at a nursing home, a van at the caravan park, or even a bedsit. 

"You don't have to have acres of land or an emerald thumb in order for gardening to be part of your life. Your garden can flourish in whatever space and time you have to give it." (page 53)

Emilie recounts her early days of marriage, living in a tiny apartment which needed much imagination and creativity to bring about an atmosphere of 'home'. The shelf below her kitchen window soon became a garden of potted herbs and bright cheery geraniums, sparking within her a love for gardening as a source of beauty, and also as a way to add flavour to their simple meals. 

There are  many books on the market which offer ideas for balcony gardening, and some of the sites I have visited and the photos seen, show abundant greenery and a variety of edible plants almost within arms reach of the living room door. 

We live in the hot humid tropics of Northern Queensland, and as you drive by the populated shoreline of our town, there are hundreds of balconied apartments to see...but the ones which stand out are those filled with miniature fruit trees, climbing vegetables, herbs and flowers. If the balcony is large enough there may be a swing seat, but most balconies are smaller, yet spaces of real beauty and productivity. 

Emilie reminds us that God created the earth out of nothing, and with that in mind, she encourages us to look with creative eyes at our own blank space of dirt, imagining what we can do to add life and bring abundant growth. 

Even though many of us do not have a green thumb, and neither did she (though her husband was blessed that way) she advises all who are starting out to research what will grow well in your individual climate and area - because she planted a number of things that failed.

These are her tips for garden planning, gained from her own experience...

1. Some plants do better in the shade than in the sun.

2. Not all plants will grow in your region.

3. When planting trees, the hole needs to be twice as big as the ball of the tree, and use a very good quality soil mix.

4. Weed regularly to avoid them taking over your gardens.

5. Apply a good balanced fertiliser regularly.

6. A well thought out watering schedule is important for good growth.

7. I love this one..."With a garden, God always gives you a second chance. With time, patience, and fertiliser, even major mistakes can be corrected and beauty will be the result."

With regards to the poem (above) which Emilie includes in this chapter, I'll be quite honest and tell you I never really liked it. I thought how wrong to imagine you'd be nearer to God's heart if you were in the garden...and that belief still holds true for me.

However, when we moved to this home, our very first purchased residence, four years ago, the garden was pretty much a blank slate and we had no idea where to begin, but we both loved trees and greenery, and we both wanted to grow our own food. Hubby was less fussed on flowers, but when I explained we needed them for the bees he came on board with my floral plans. 

As we began the long process of planting (both successful and unsuccessful) and almost lost the lot in the floods of 2019, a deep delight began to take root within my heart, and you know, I can tell you today that even though I can feel close to God anywhere, it is when I am tending my garden and chatting away to Him that I seem to have my most profoundly gentle and inspiring moments - so I look upon Dorothy Gurney's poem with delight now. 

The rest of the chapter is filled with different areas to display plants, such as the front entrance (inside and out), hanging pots around windows, or growing herbs on windowsills. Emilie also encourages her readers to involve our children and grandchildren in the hands on work of planting, caring, weeding, and harvesting. 

Lastly, when setting up your garden be it large or small, work with the seasons, visit open garden days in your town for ideas, buy or borrow books which are relevant to your climate and region, and most importantly, make a start. Just jump in and get your hands in the dirt...so much delight awaits you. 

Here's some pics from around our garden this week - some planting, some harvesting, some simply beautiful for bringing in the house. 

Radishes sprouting, which we eat in salads, but also use the leaves for delicious radish pesto...

More radishes and mizuna greens...

The final crop of baby beets pulled and ready to be washed and pickled. We use the beetroot greens in salads...

New beetroot seedling planted in hopes of more baby beets, but if not, the greens will do nicely...

A volunteer tomato popped up in the front garden, and though our tomato season is over (once it gets too hot and humid the pests destroy them) this one is doing well. Of course, being the only tomato we have growing now we can check it multiple times a day to remove bugs. 

The birdhouse hubby built three years back became home to a family of Myna birds this spring, so he was really chuffed! I can hear the babies, but can't see them yet and don't want to disturb them.

Beauty...tending my roses is a joy I cannot express well enough. They do much better in partial shade as their petals burn in our fierce tropical sun, so our large Poinciana tree has become for them a spring/summer shelter.

They make the most beautiful vase display on my desk. Cutting a few blooms every couple of days means a heady rose scent surrounds me as I answer emails, type and work on other computer things. 

The pink rose is my hardest, and the one with a fragrance that lingers and assails your senses. It's called Perfume Passion, and apart from this one we bought two seasons back I have never seen another. 

These two were picked at dawn...

That's all for today. Hope you're doing well and finding delightful tasks to do around home and the garden. If you have any gardening ideas, experiences, or know of interesting books on gardening, please let us know in the comments below. I found a wonderful book for growing fruits and vegetables in the Australian tropics that has proved invaluable for understanding this particular climate and its challenges (HERE) but as you, my lovely readers, are wide spread across the globe, please share titles you have found helpful because it may be just what someone else is looking for. 

Before I sign off, my darling friend Fee has begun blogging again, and her focus is on the garden, living simply and food preservation. Pop over HERE and say hi - she'd love to catch up with you. We've had some wonderful phone chats lately, about the life changes we've made to nourish and bless our souls, changes that show you're never too old, or too unwell, to make small or large positive steps towards a fuller and more productive life. 

I have always believed that as long as I have breath, God has work for me to do, to His glory...and if you're reading this today, dear one, He still has a plan for you too.

hugs

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Chapter 3 - femininity...

Continuing our study of Emilie Barnes book (Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home), chapter three's topic is The Secret of Femininity and in it we read of the many ways she found for nurturing femininity in her own life, and the lives of other women.

As before, I will write Emilie's words/thoughts in italics and my own thoughts in normal text. :-)

Emilie poses a few questions in the opening page of chapter three...

What better antidote for an impersonal and violent society than warm, gentle, feminine strength? What better cure for urban sprawl and trashed-out countrysides than a love of beauty and a confidence in one's ability to make things lovely? What better hope for the future than a nurturing mother's heart that is more concerned for the next generation than for it's own selfish desires? All these qualities - gentle strength, love of beauty, care and nurturing - are part of femininity.

The questions she wrote for us to consider, were in response to her own concern that this type of femininity had lost its value in the world of today. She wrote this book thirty years ago, and from my own observations today, I'd say yes, in many ways the world of 2022 almost shows disdain for true femininity. 

She adds her belief that in the heart of us is a little girl who longs to be a lady.

This made me think of my own little ladies, granddaughters 4yo Rafaella and 6yo Cully May, who love nothing more than to dress up as princesses, or to walk around in Mummy's shoes with a bag and scarf and lovely long beads. They set their 'table' and have pretend tea parties using the best of their manners...all the while pretending they are Mummy and me. 

Emilie expounds on the privilege of being a woman, a gift from God, and how we can use our femininity to transform an environment to make it comfortable and inviting. She goes on to remind us that there is no cookie-cutter woman, for we each of us express our femininity in unique ways, even in how we dress. For some it's tailored attire, whilst others will wear more relaxed and casual clothing...but both can express an air of gentleness and sensitivity. 

Personally, I love to wear dresses and do so at all times of the year, whether it be going out to the store for groceries, visiting a friend, scrubbing the bathroom or tending the garden. Dresses make me feel feminine, and though I have some casual linen pants and tops in my wardrobe, they are rarely worn, and in fact last year I wore dresses every day. 

And that's the key here, I think...when you consider what makes *you* feel good as a woman, and then make it part of your everyday life (if possible), it seems to naturally feed into how you behave and respond in day to day living. When I discovered during the early days of the pandemic that I was most comfortable at home in my pretty and rarely worn dresses, even though we were in lockdown and no-one would see me (before that I only wore them if going out for something special) it was as though a whole new world opened up and I 're-discovered' something I'd loved but forgotten over time. It gives me such delight each morning to choose a dress to wear! Some days I even use my perfume. 

For you, femininity (with regards to clothing) may be something completely different, so I highly recommend you discover (or re-assess) how you can delightfully elevate your own expression of personal femininity in what you wear. 

Emilie goes on to talk about other ways we can add femininity to our lives - such as perfume, bath oils, flowers in a vase, a hanky instead of tissues..."whatever awakens a calm and gentle spirit within you will nurture beauty in your life." Then she encourages things such as bringing our senses alive throughout the home with lavender sachets in drawers, adding a spray of cologne to notepaper or a card before posting, burning oils or simmering spices on the stove to fill the house with inviting fragrance. She encourages us to have music in the background - lively tunes for doing housework, and make sure you dance before the Lord too. Change cushions around, freshen dull spaces, and experiment with recipes...there's nothing self-indulgent about such small pleasures when we approach them with a spirit of gratitude because God's gifts help us to go about our tasks.

Self care, with regards to a healthy lifestyle also feature in Emilie's approach to inviting femininity into her life. 

But above all else, Emilie draws our attention to the most important way we can express femininity - from the inside. 

"True femininity comes from the heart, and I nurture it when I pay attention to what is really important in life." No interior decorating scheme (and no dress) can give it to me. (1 Peter 3:3-5)

Femininity is so much more than lace and flowers. A feminine woman is a woman with a teachable heart - a heart that can forgive, protect and respect...a heart of praise. 

Highlighting strong feminine women of the Bible, world history, and her own life - Queen Esther, the Proverbs 31 woman, the evangelist Jonathon Edwards' wife Sarah, and Emilie's own mother, she writes that beautiful women of all ages have shaped the world with the power of their femininity.

It seems fitting for me today to write about our beloved Queen Elizabeth 11. During her 96 years of life, 70 of them as Monarch, and in a position which required more strength of character and fortitude than we will ever need or know, was always, without a doubt, feminine. Not one to don a power suit and wield her authority over man...she was taught by her parents to be humble, to bow before the true King, Jesus, and to have a servant heart. She kept her word, she gave more than I can imagine to the Commonwealth, and every night (until too feeble) knelt at her bedside to pray. 

There are many women we can name who had strength, courage and faith, and still carried the genuine and gentle air of femininity with them for others to see. Women such as Elisabeth Elliot, Susannah Wesley, Ruth, Mary the mother of Jesus, my Nana...and probably yours. 

Emilie ends this chapter with an encouragement for all women to pass the feminine spirit on to our daughters, and all young women in our lives. 

"We do it when we teach girls the secrets of caring for themselves and others. We do it when we share our pride and skills in such classic "domestic arts" as cooking, sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery...passing on the heritage of femininity is most of all a process of teaching values - caring for ourselves and others, shaping a godly and welcoming atmosphere in our homes and our lives, and working hard to affirm life, making the spirit of loveliness a priority."

This inspiring chapter ends with a prayer from Emilie...

For my part, being a woman, having that gift so freely given by the Lord, is something to be treasured. 

I rejoice in my femininity and never cease to be surprised as whilst my many years have passed, new lessons are still being learned, deeper refinements continue to be made, and gratitude - oh yes, gratitude - overflows more abundantly with each new dawn.

I pray something in this chapter has blessed you...it certainly blessed me.

Back soon, hugs...

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Chapter 2 - creativity...

 

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing bits and pieces from chapter two of Emilie's book, Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home, and I hope it inspires you to look with fresh eyes at how to use your God-given creativity within your own abode.

As with chapter one I will highlight Emilie's words and thoughts in italics. My own are in standard text.

Emilie begins this chapter by repeating a comment she had heard a million times by women - "Oh, she's so creative!" - and goes on to make an observation that usually this statement is describing what many would call an "artsy" kind of person. 

Fairly quickly Emilie debunks that theory as she reminds us that we are all made in the image of God, and therefore we are all uniquely creative, though we may not describe ourselves as being creative. 

From my own perspective, I too have heard the comment "She's so creative" spoken with awe and sometimes even a touch of envy, and I think that can be a lovely compliment about a person's gifts we admire, but it can also cause us to think less of our own creativity.

For example, I have been told for over a decade how creative I am to be able to design and stitch...and I see this as a manifestation of God's gift to me in this area. But I cannot paint, makeover old furniture, create beautiful table settings for a dinner party...and hundreds of other creative pursuits. But I'm sure that just as I have a small creative niche, you are also very creative in your own way and with your own natural gifts.

As many of us are crafters of one sort or another, it's probable that we consider creativity to be craft related...but that is a small corner of the real picture, and I'll chat more about that near the end.

Emile shares the story of their treasure hunts to auctions, yard sales, antique shops etc, and the odd things her husband would purchase, items which she thought of as incredibly ugly. 

But given time he would make them over into something beautiful, because he'd already imagined in his mind's eye what he could do to transform the item when he bought it.

Referring to the pioneer women of the old days, she writes, "Even in the tiniest frontier cabin, pioneer women found ways to express their creative urges and to add touches of loveliness to their environment." 

Then Emilie draws our attention to the Amish and their beautifully handmade quilts, whilst also noting the friendship shared in their quilting bees, the recipes exchanged, garden problems solved, child rearing issues shared, and all the while their hardworking fingers sewed tiny stitches.

This section reminded me of Ma in the Little House on the Prairie books, and her precious "little china woman" which was so carefully unpacked with every move and placed on the mantle above the fireplace. The children knew that when at last Ma displayed her china woman it meant the house was ready and they would begin the normal routines of life again. 

When I considered the Amish sewing bee, another thought came to mind. How precious these regular bees were for passing on skills and womanly advice to the younger women while they all sat together around the quilting frame stitching quilts. 

The Amish - the spirit of creativity flourishes in their simple, homespun traditions. Quilts are priceless examples of folk art and a beautiful testimony to creativity. 

"People are rediscovering the fulfilled and homey wholesomeness of the days when women gathered to pool their creativity and beautify their homes with warmth and comfort."

Thinking outside the box:

Using repurposed sheets for all kinds of home furnishings, such as curtains, tablecloths, napkins, sofa covers, pillow shams, table runners, shower curtains...Emilie has done this, as have many of her friends. She remarks on one friend who even lined her kitchen cupboards using a pretty sheet, and another who wallpapered a room.

"The world around us can be changed by the smallest of creative touches. The woman who takes time to think creatively can put together a homey environment out of whatever she has. 

Cost, size and possessions really have little to do with a beautiful home. In fact, if we own too much, we can easily let our lives degenerate to the point that we are merely a keeper of things." 

Magazines, books and Pinterest:

The book we are studying was written in 1992, and back then Emilie encouraged borrowing ideas from your friends, magazines, books and shop displays for creating beauty in your own home. This made me reflect on the avenues I roam down looking for homemaking inspiration, so along with all her examples I'll add Pinterest - which I'm sure she would have loved had it been around then.

Now, I only go to Pinterest if I have a reason - for instance, lately I have been looking for kitchen curtain ideas because I'm about to make some, but what a great resource it is for home decorating ideas. Just remember, work within your budget, and never compare your home to that of someone else, okay? I have fallen down that rabbit hole in the past and it was a very muddy climb back up to reality. 

Many ideas caught my eye, but it was actually a compilation of a few that inspired me to sketch up my own and in another couple of weeks I will have duplicated for real. 

I also love to browse through books for ideas. These are a few I picked up for a couple of dollars each at garage sales. They are displayed in the bookshelf in our bedroom and some afternoons I take a rest in there with a nice herbal tea and look through one or two of them for twenty minutes or so ...

I also love to go through my collection of Country Living UK magazines, especially the older ones from around 2009-15 as they were really home focused back then.

Inside are gardens, decor, arts and crafts, baking...so much that sparks my creativity!

Here's my latest book purchase, A Woman's Garden, by Tanya Anderson who lives on the Isle of Mann. If you've never been to her blog (HERE) let me encourage you, especially if your interest lies in preserving your garden plants and even using them in crafts.

Creative Sharing:

"Creativity is not just for self-fulfillment...experience the joy of creating and sharing when you stitch a Scripture for a friend, write up a recipe for a new acquaintance, or hand letter a special card..."

A Legacy of Joy:

"One of the most valuable ways we can share the secret of creativity is by modelling it for our children....teach them to use their own God-given creativity to instil beauty into their own lives and homes."

"As images of the Creator, we have the opportunity to fashion our lives and our homes into works of art."

Some creative ideas from Emilie:

* Make time in your life for things that stimulate your creative juices - even if you have to schedule into your calendar.

* Make the table special. Tie ribbons around the napkins and add a fresh flower. 

* Create centrepieces for the table in season...such as pumpkins of all sizes in Autumn.

* Before throwing something away that is worn or cracked, think of some way to reuse it. A cracked mug or teapot can hold flowers, or worn out jeans can be torn into strips to make a rag rug.

* Try using a quilt as a tablecloth, or to drape over a worn out sofa. 

* Cover boxes in pretty paper (or fabric) and use them for storage. Stacked together they would look lovely.

* You can do so much with a Mason jar - above all, think beauty in the ordinary.

I am not the most creative person, but I am very aware that God has gifted us all with some of His creativity, so, room by room I've been looking with fresh eyes, taking ideas gratefully from many sources, and have begun to 'subdue' my home and mould it into a prettier and more peaceful place to be. 

Here's a few very simple things I have done, some in the past few years, others in the past few months, some this week. 

Adding more hanging plants, using a doily to cover a hole in the curtain, using empty vases, water jugs, teapots and coffee mugs as vessels for propagating Pothos cuttings, painting an ugly old wooden tray white...

Using a lace scarf as a curtain sash...

Displaying small rose cuttings on my desk in a tiny cut glass milk jug...

Painting a black $5 garage sale towel rack a lovely deep cream and using it to display quilts...

Painting an ugly green votive candle holder with the same cream as the quilt stand and using it to display plants on my kitchen windowsill...

Painting an old shelf a vibrant turquoise and attaching to the wall in our entrance where it holds plants and special displays...

Hanging aprons on my small pantry cupboard...

And making the new freezer, which lives in our lounge/dining room for lack of space elsewhere in our small home, look not so ugly and out of place.

And you know what, we have a queen size mattress in the middle of that room too, because it's only a year old and we need to sell it and there's nowhere else it can fit...so I thought creatively. Ha ha!!

The mattress was a very expensive Tempur memory foam which turned out to be not right for me...I could barely walk each morning and would climb out of bed during the night from the pain in my hips to sleep on the couch. Hubby was horrified that it was causing me so much pain, so bless him, we went and bought an ordinary soft mattress, and I am no longer in pain and sleep well. 

But now we are left with an expensive mistake, so while it's here in the middle of our home it can look pretty. :-)

I hope you enjoyed the overview of chapter two, and that you have thought differently about what it means to be creative. 

I have a few friends who are quite creative in their homes, so I'll leave links to them below...

JES who blogs at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth

ROSIE who blogs at Home with Rosie

ANNABEL who blogs at The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm

JULIE at My Threadbare Life

Hope you have a blessed weekend and get to enjoy the garden and your homes. I also pray that in all things you tap into the God-gifted creativity within yourself and look for ways to beautify your surroundings.

Start with a smile...I find it makes all the difference!

hugs

Chapter 1 and a free pattern...

 

As we begin our new book study, Emilie Barnes's "Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home", let me give you an overall view of what we shall be reading.

A beautiful home is not actually a dwelling full of expensive decor. As you read through the chapters you will discover that from Emilie's perspective a home gathers a garment of beauty from the atmosphere we homemakers create within our walls, from our use of simple adornments, how we cultivate a sense of 'welcome' for all who cross our threshold, and from the attitude of our very own hearts.

A home can, of course, be magazine beautiful, yet empty of a loving and nurturing atmosphere, so this book aims to lead us through various ways we can add beauty to our dwelling place through the work of our hands, using what we already have, getting our hearts right with God, and choosing to love the home we have - no matter the size, condition, or location.

The book is broken up into nine chapters, so hopefully I can prepare a chapter study twice a month until we finish the book. I'll type in italics when I'm sharing stories from the book. The rest will be my own thoughts.

So let us now begin with chapter one...

Emilie was a 17yo child bride when her husband carried her over the threshold of their first apartment, just three tiny rooms. They used their initiative to create a home which was not just lovely to look at, but was a comfortable and inviting place for themselves and visitors, using what they had on hand, such as a box for a lamp table and an old trunk for a coffee table. She sewed curtains for the windows and made over an old wrought iron outdoor table with white paint to serve as a dining table. 

When I read this my mind was immediately transported back to Nana and Pop's three room ground-floor flat (apartment). When I pondered those memories and walked through each room in my mind, I suddenly realised how much creativity it took for Nana to make a home in such a tiny space, a home which they eventually shared with a toddler (me). Every bit of space was needed, without making our home look or feel cluttered, and she did an amazing job of filling those rooms with beauty, cleanliness (everything sparkled) and a wordless welcome for myself, Pop and any visitors.

She wrote after one move, later in her life, "We're finding that we love our new home as much as we have loved our previous homes...we are homemaking - literally making a home. We are working to create a lifestyle that says "welcome" to ourselves and everyone around us." 

Emilie believed that we all need a spiritual centre and a place to belong, and that very much inspired her to make her home a place of sanctuary, but she also said, "Home is as much a state of the heart and spirit as it is a specific place."

Something which resonated with me early in this chapter was reading that Emilie and her husband moved many times in their marriage, just as my husband and I have. She carried a love for making a house a home with her into each new dwelling, be it great or small. 

I remember during our homeschool years, reading from one of Sally Clarkson's books, where she said that if we want our children to love being home that we need to create an atmosphere within our homes to nurture that love in their hearts. I expanded on that in my thinking because it's not just the children we want to love being home, it's our husbands too. 

Our family have moved 22 times, from one side of Australia to the other, and right up the centre. With every move my first intention was to create a comfortable, functional, beautiful and welcoming space for every family member. Being conscious that our stay may only be six months, or perhaps a year or two, it was essential that the children felt relaxed with familiar items around them, a continuation of their favourite meals, delicious morning and afternoon teas where they curled up on the couch in rapt attention while I read aloud epic stories of adventure and courage. We really took 'home' wherever we went. 

Emilie reminds us that a welcoming home is where real life happens, not a hole where you disappear to eat and sleep. We nurture personalities there, our own included. The caring, nurturing quality of home (not the absence of noise or strife) is what makes a home a refuge. 

Using our senses to create a refuge at the end of the day is a wonderful welcome for those just arriving home. Here are a few of Emilie's suggestions -

* soft lights such as candles, lamps or an open fire

* soothing music

* something delicious baking in the oven or simmering on the stove

* a tidy entrance area

* burning essential oils in the oil burner

* adding flowers to a vase on the table (even just a few sprigs from your own garden) or some fresh herbs displayed in  small glass

And don't forget about yourself - what stirs thoughts of sanctuary, beauty and contentment in your own mind? 

Many people live alone and the art of curating a welcoming home is just as important for them as for a couple, or a family. Just because there's only one or two of you in the dwelling, this should not stop you from taking time to fill your personal space with things that speak beauty, and are unique to your personal preference.

For me it's creating in the kitchen (aromas), tending the garden and bringing in produce to fill a bowl on the kitchen bench, relaxing with handwork such as embroidery or crochet to eventually display around the home, sitting out under the beautiful Poinciana tree with a book and a cool drink because we planted that tree for just this purpose, cutting my roses to fill vases for the living room and my desk, rearranging furniture and changing the cushion covers seasonally for a fresh look, just resting with a large cup of tea and music as the afternoon winds down, and adding lemon myrtle to the oil burner just before my husband arrives home from work.

A welcoming home is where real life happens. It's where personalities are nurtured, where growth is stimulated, where people feel free not only to be themselves but also to develop their best selves.

As this chapter progresses Emilie writes on the importance of organisation.

A welcoming home is organised around the purpose of making life easier and more meaningful.

Just as God is a God of order and not chaos, we automatically feel more comfortable and more welcome when we sense His kind of order in our lives.

Organisation, even if your home is now in chaos, doesn't have to happen all at once. As we open our hearts and attitudes to God, putting Him first in our lives and looking to Him for guidance, He will show us little ways to organise the chaos and lead a more peaceful, ordered existence.

Most important, a welcoming home is a place of blessing - a place where you are made aware of God's blessing and through which you pass on His blessings to others.

Have you ever walked through the rooms of your home and prayed a blessing over each one? This is something we did with every one of our 22 house moves. However, now that we have bought a home, and God willing, will see our days out here, I forget to walk through and pray those blessings every so often. This will be done today, and I shall leave a reminder in my diary to do this every season, for a home blessing is a very precious thing.

When we gather to pray over a dwelling, or whether we pray alone, it is a wonderful time to remember the whole point of 'home'. 

For home is not merely a structure of wood, brick and metal. Home is what grows within its walls, nurtured by the hearts and souls of those who live within.

Emilie closes this first chapter with a long list of 'simple secrets' to creating a beautiful home, which I won't include in this post, but here's a few that stood out ...

* A gentle modulated voice does wonders for making those around you feel loved and welcomed. Screaming only causes stress.

* Does your telephone voice speak a welcome? Is it warm, helpful and gracious? Does it represent a sweet spirit to those who call?

* Monitor the noise levels in your home. Turn off the television and play soft music to soothe the soul.

* Stitch a home blessing. 

You can download my free pattern 'The Lord Bless You' HERE

Finally, a recipe from Emilie Barnes, one for a welcoming aroma at dinner time!

Marinate a cut-up chicken in fresh orange juice, crushed garlic, sliced ginger root, and one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Bake slowly for two hours at 125C (250F)

Chapter Two: We will study chapter two mid-August. 

FREE PATTERN - "Welcome"

I have a brand new pattern for you to stitch as you ponder and apply the ideas shared for creating a welcoming home! I have this hanging in my kitchen now, and the colours/fabrics were chosen to blend with the cupboards and drawers, which are a light latte brown. 

This to me is part of creating with intention; looking at our surroundings and decorating in a way that gathers everything together in harmony. As most of you are home sewers and stitchers like me, creating items for the home from our fabric stash is a budget friendly way to slowly enhance decor.

You may have a place in your entrance way where this "Welcome" design can hang, but as I am so often in the kitchen, especially when family visit, I felt that was where it would be loveliest. 

The bird is appliqued in two sections, and the basket is also appliqued. Trace the design onto your background fabric first, but omit the applique sections. Once the tracing is done, then position your applique pieces in place. Blanket stitch around the applique with a single strand of matching thread.

I added a line of chain stitch around the wing after the blanket stitch using two strands of thread.

With two strands of thread...

The flower petals, stems, the outside of the leaves, and the large tail feathers of the bird are sewn in backstitch.

The inside of the tail feathers are lazy daisy. 

The inside of the leaves are blanket stitch.

The centre of the flowers are satin stitch, surrounded by chain stitch. 

Inside each petal is one lazy daisy stitch.

The eye and beak of the bird are satin stitched.

The word is chainstitched.

After trimming the completed block I added a 1/2" border (cut the fabric 1") and then a 1 1/2" border (cut the fabric 2") before quilting and adding the binding. A hanging sleeve was also added to the back.

If you need help with making this project here are a few of my tutorials - just click on the ones you are interested in.

How to trace a pattern on to fabric.

How to prepare a block for applique.

How to do blanket stitch applique (with free practice pattern)

How to backstitch and sew lazy daisy stitch (with free practice pattern)

How to sew leaves with a blanket stitch centre (includes free pattern)

Use the link below to download my free "Welcome" pattern.

DOWNLOAD "Welcome"

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of our new book study, and I'd love to hear your own thoughts about creating a welcoming atmosphere in your home.

Bless you heaps,

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