Inspirations......

 In this archway, leading into Norwich Catherdral from the side, the aging beauty of stone that was once fully white is beautiful!  I see so much potential in decorating a room in shades of cream and even adding a touch of grey.....

 This lovely window seat, and of course the beautiful window, was snapped inside a tiny cottage in England.  The once white stone has aged to a beautiful cream!

 Stroll down any street in Paris and every turn is a picture!  The white on white with the pop of red flowers says......BEAUTIFUL!

 Another Parisian photograph of blonde wood Entry Doors against ecru stone!

 This treasured pillbox hat was a gift to me from my Grandmother's treasures!   I can just see her now wearing this beautiful hat to church on any given Sunday!  The off white color inspired me this week to change a few things in one of my guest rooms where the hat now has a place of promience.  The pillows below in the following pictures are all made from cream linen in different weaves!  I used a French edge on all of them!  Sewing is so much fun......in just a few hours you can transform a room!  The seashell is a mushroom coral I found this week at our local shop that sells seashells! 

 The beautiful painting of the Angel was a gift from my daughter, Kristen, that she painted and gave to me after I helped a few days after the birth of her little girl, Olivia!  I love the whites against the blues! 

After finishing my pillows of cream, I needed a little pop to finish off the decor' so I found this scrap of fabric from another pillow I had made and realized that cream and grey  do look pretty good together!  One rule:  Never throw away scrap fabric...you might find it useful!

Beauty found in nature and the natural, unattended beauty of earth's creation is one of God's greatest gifts to mankind!  In His wisdom, God gave us such an inspiring and beautiful world to live in! The natural colors of the stone, wood, seashells, and fabrics used above are so beautiful to me and extremely calming.  Decorators are using less and less of color and more and more of natural creams and whites!

I  so enjoy  helping other people create homes that are comfortable and beautiful! I like to do this because the home is where my heart is! 

The beautiful people that live inside your home look to you each for inspiration too!!!  Who inspires you?  What inspires you? Where do you search for encouragment and direction when you need an answer?   As we are about to begin a new week, let me encourage you to  arrange your days so that you create an environment in your home where others are loved and nurtured. A house decorated with LOVE is the most beautiful!  Before the day begins, you and I have been given a clean slate! Thankfully, it is calm early in the morning. Turning toward the Lord gives direction (not perfection) for our day. 

We can begin each day by rejoicing in Him and being thankful for all the blessings around us.  As you begin your new week, may I share with you a passage from His word than sustains me daily as I look to Him for guidance.  In His way and In His time, He truly is able to make all things in our lives beautiful!  From the scraps of our lives, He is making something beautiful....even inspiring.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every sitaution, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable~if anything is excellent or praiseworthy~think about such things."  Philippians 4:4~8

May your week be blessed and may your home be a haven or blessing and peace!!!

Crossing the Bridge

Last year, I snapped this photo of this beautiful bridge at Stourhead Landscape Gardens in England.   Does it look familiar?  It is the bridge that Lizzie ran across in the film Pride and Prejudice. It's not a very long bridge but in the film the impact of her crossing leaves a life changing moment for her.  Bridges help us pass over rivers, streams, or valleys that we would otherwise be unable to cross.  We want to get to the other side safely and quickly.  My life has been full of bridges I crossed!  To draw a comparison,  we want to cross over life bridges quickly but sometimes we must wait until it is safe and we have a peace to cross.  For centuries and before bridges were safe, people passed by boat or ferries, or rafts!  Those passages took patience and often, much waiting.

In our lives as we wait for God to bring to pass all that He has promised we can depend upon His faithfulness and the promise that He will answer and lead us over the bridges.   In His faithfulness we must TRUST that He is constant, reliable, steadfast, unwavering, devoted, true, and so dependable.  At the right time, He will provide the bridge for us to cross over to what He has planned next for us.

As we wait, we are encouraged and called to pray, a earnest and sincere prayer. This kind of praying changes both body and soul for better.  We learn as we pray. We learn to be silent before God, to clear our hearts and minds of the petty things of this world that really do not matter tomorrow or most importantly eternally.  Prayer can be a way of life that teaches us more of God's faithfulness as we wait.  God has precious truths that often He wants to show us or change in us before we cross the bridge to what will be before us next in our lives....sort of like a preparation.   Deuteronomy 7:9 says "Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments."

In our lives, as we go through each day, we can rest assured that God is already in tomorrow.  He knows the plans and He knows us so well...... He will fashion each day to move us more into His image if we will allow Him in our day.  Let Him take your hand and guide you safely over the bridge of today and all your tomorrows.  Every morning His lovingkindess is fresh and new my friend!  What a glorious heart of praise we can have!!!  Enjoy your new day my friend!!!!

Lamentations 3:22-23

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is Thy faithfulness."

ANGELS.....

Blessings come in many ways and so do needs! God is always ready to do great things on behalf of those who place their trust in Him. Pastor Chuck Swindoll has always been one of my favorites because of his practical wisdom as he teaches what scripture is saying. He writes....."Let us be thankful for angels. Angels exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven, and they are frequently dispatched to earth in human form to bring encouragement and assistance. God's special messengers are often invisible but never impotent. It is amazing how many of us have stories of divine deliverance to tell yet seldom take the time to do so. Take time. It will strengthen your faith". "He will command his angels concerning you to guard you". Psalm 91:11