I am alive....and well!

I promise that I am still here.....and I will be here. It's just been really crazy around here for the past few days, and won't be slowing down until the end of next week. So, if you don't hear from me for days at a time, know that I'm busy, but I will be back! =)

So, upcoming..........

~I promise I will be showing you my "project"! It's just been put on hold for a while, but like I said, by the end of next week, life will be back to normal so I will be able to do projects to my hearts content!

~Another fleece project is almost done, and one I have been working on for months. It's a completely hand sewn blanket! But I will save the rest for later!

~I really want to show you something you need to invest in if you like doing nails {I definitely do}. It's not that expensive and is SO much fun!

~I am going to be accomplishing my first painting soon {in a few weeks} so I will be happily showing you that! =)

Well, I think that's it for upcoming projects! I hope you will forgive me if I do not post as frequently, but I also hope you are looking forward to those upcoming projects!!

See you soon!

~rain reflections~

The rain has continued to pour for the last few days. Sometimes, it can be very dreary and melancholy when the sky is gray, but then I keep remembering the poem that I had to memorize in 10th grade {that I still remember....mostly} by W.L. Stidger:

I Saw God Wash The World

I saw God was the world last night

with His sweet showers on high;

And then when morning came

saw him hang it out to dry.

He washed each slender blade of grass

And every trembling tree

He flung his showers against the hills

And swept the rolling sea

The white rose is a deeper white;

The red, a richer red

Since God washed every fragrant face

And put them all to bed.

There's not a bird, there's not a bee

That wings along the way,

But is a cleaner bird and bee

Than it was yesterday.

I saw God wash the world last night;

Ah would he had washed me

As clean of all my dust and dirt

As that old white birch tree!

And this verse:

Psalms 147:7-8 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

The poem reminded me that I need to remain pure and that I need to confess my sins& seek forgiveness from a caring and merciful God. . We also need to praise the Lord for what he gives us, because he provides exactly what we need.

{easiest vase}

I love having this blog! It forces me to be creative, and come up with fun projects to share! This one doesn't involve fleece! =)

Just grab an empty bottle (mine was leftover from a Sobe Strawberry Banana! YUM!).......

and some fun ribbon!

Cut your ribbon to fit snuggly (I emphasize snuggly because you want it to fit tightly so it won't slip off or slide down). I also put a few little pieces of tape on the back of my ribbon to ensure that it would stay in place.

After you are done attaching the ribbon, stick a few fun flowers in it and you have a cute vase that will brighten your day!

It was the perfect cheery project for this rainy cold day! =)

Smocked by Mom

Today my project was helping my mom start a blog!! {Love you mom!} =) Smocked By Design I am so excited for her because I know how much she loves smocking and this will be an awesome way to "advertise". Make sure to check it out!

Let me just take this opportunity to tell you how much I love my mom! She is a blessing, an example and an inspiration to me! She used to make me so many smocked dresses, so you will probably see numerous pictures of them! =)

"Breakfast" for Jack

Since Jack is my baby, and since I love to spoil him rotten.....I made him a new toy! As you know, I am in love with fleece because it's so easy and quick so I've been making so many cool things! Like....this little egg toy! It even has a little squeaker in it that I took from one of his old torn up toys!

Jack loves his little sunny-side up egg!

I have been working hard to finish up the "project" that I gave you a clue about, so I promise that will be up soon. Also, I went to Hobby Lobby today and got 9 sheets of felt for $2.25!! I was so thrilled because felt is similar to fleece {just a little stiffer} so I will be using it for some projects! Hobby Lobby is a store that I could spend hours in and could definitely spend a fortune in. =)

Check back soon for the reveal of my "project"!!!

Hint: The best kind of fruit!!

This is a little clue to the project I am going to be working on over the next few days! I am dying to share, but I want to wait until everything is completed!

Isn't he cute? I love anything with a smiley face on it because it makes me smile!

Can you guess what I have up my sleeve? =)

Meet Jack

Meet my wonderful buddy, Jack! He is an eight month old Pomeranian, and the cutest little thing! I got him in March when he was just six weeks old, and he has grown SO much since then!

He is very hyper and rambunctious, but also has such a sweet side to him {especially when he's sleeping!! =) }

This little dog has been such a comfort to me when I've needed it most and shown me so much unconditional love!

This is a cute little video of Jack barking at himself in a mirror if you'll believe that! =) He's crazy, but that's another reason that I love him.....because he makes me laugh!

So that is my baby.....such a little dog, but such a HUGE personality!

Being A Witness

Today began our Missions Emphasis at my church. It was an awesome day! To see the faithfulness and genuine love for the Lord, was so encouraging and also convicting! How many times do I come in contact with people who are unsaved and say nothing because I am embarrassed or worried that they will make fun of me? I am so encouraged to be a more bold witness for Christ!

We will have more services on Wednesday and I am so looking forward to them!

I hope your Sunday was great! =)

~Truly blessed~

Yesterday was spent going to the zoo. Now, despite what most people say, I don't think you can outgrow the zoo! No matter how old I get I'll always enjoy it. It is a wonderful reminder of God's creativity, His majesty, and even sometimes, His sense of humor! =)

I think the Meerkats are my favorite! They are so adorable and they look so huggable.....I REALLY wanted to take one home with me.

After the zoo trip I did a little bit of shopping and found the cutest, the most adorablest (yes I know that's not a word) necklace that I think I am going to wear every day for the rest of my life!!!!

I love every bit of it! The owl, the buttons, the flowers, the little swallow! It's all so cute, and so me!

I am truly blessed, and most of the time I take what I have for granted or I just don't stop to take the time to thank God for everything he has given me! I definitely do not deserve any of what he gives me, but yet he continues to provide for what I need and more!

What a great God we serve!

{Tantalizing Treats}

Today I made these delicious mini spice cakes! They are the first real "fallish" treat I have made so far, so they really got me in the fALL spirit!

To make them all you need is a spice cake mix (follow their directions), and this adorable mini bundt cake pan from Avon. (I'm actually not sure if they still sell these, but I apologize if they don't!)

After you get them out of the oven, let them cool completely and then pour your delicious glaze over top of them!!!! YUM!

Am I making you hungry? Is your mouth watering yet?

Fall is definitely in the air! The weather is getting cooler, there was a wonderful breeze today and the leaves are finally changing color! Fall always makes me happy, and always reminds me of the good God that I have!

Talk to you soon! =)

Fleece Baby Jackets

I promise that I will have something original for my next post, but today the creative juices just weren't flowing! =)

So, here are a few fleece baby jackets that I made a few months ago. I am in LOVE with fleece! It is so easy to work with and you can make projects with it in a day! That's my kind of project...quick and easy!

This one is by far my absolute favorite!!!!! I love the combo of brown and blue and the little flower......so cute!

Another reason this is my favorite is that this one comes with a hat! Again, the flower, with the brown and the blue!! It makes me HAPPY!

This one is just a pink and blue plaid adorned with little gems!

This would be so cute on a little boy!

Especially with the little sailboat on the side.

I am hoping I will be able to give these out to people in my church that are having children, or possibly find some way of selling them too. They are so simple, and look great. Another great thing about them is all of the color combinations you can create with the fleece! However you do need to purchase the pattern book:

I promise new, different and exciting posts are on the way. But........I'm learning patience with blogger! =)

Have a great Wednesday!

Owl Project!!

Alrighty! I have my very first project for you today!

The first craft is this owl pillow!

I basically free-handed all of this, so I don't have a pattern for you, but I am definetly going to share step by step instructions, so feel free to recreate it!

Step 1:

Pick out your fabric! I used 3 different fabrics, but obviously you can do whatever you want! Go for it and be creative!

Also, pick out your "notions". This includes your buttons for the eyes, and the thread you'll use!

Step 2:

Cut out the shape of the body of your owl (and make sure you cut 2!). Then cut out the wings, the belly and the whites for the eyes!

Again, I did this all free hand, and no, nothing was perfect, but I like it that way because it looks handmade! =)

Step 3:

Now you can sew it. First I sewed the eyes and the belly to one of the pieces of the body.

Now, you can either sew the wings on now, or wait (like I did) and blanket stitch them on last. If you don't know the blanket stitch here is a link to some instructions: http://www.anniesattic.com/cross-stitch/content.html?content_id=46>

Then turn "him" inside out and sew the two pieces of body together. After that just stuff him full of poly-fill and you have the cutest little owl pillow!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and I definetly hope you will try it! If you do, please let me know how it came out! =)

Good luck, have fun, and God bless!

First things first!!!!

Welcome to A Cheerful Heart! I promise that more posts are on the way! I am hoping to share crafts, recipes and organizing & decorating tips with you in the near future!
I know that I won't have tons of people read this blog, but I am hoping that even if just a few read that I can encourage others to focus on being cheerful & joyful instead of focusing on yourself!
So, I hope you enjoy............... =)