~A Token of Friendship~

This month I have been thinking about Valentine's Day, love, and the blessings of true friendship. I am very fortunate to have wonderful friends in my life who personify Proverbs 17:17. I wanted to make a little token for each of them...and then, decided to make a few extras for you...or your bosom friend.

 

 

I hope you'll stop by Early Work Mercantile to see my latest offerings. 

 

Until next time...

Rhonda

 

I heart YOU~Giveaway

 I can't think of a better way to tell you how much I appreciate YOU...

I am truly thankful for each of you who reads along here and in the magazine...your kindness warms my heart. Really...how can I thank you for being so supportive of my efforts?

How about a giveaway?

ONE sweet follower will receive the items pictured above. I'll be sending you one of my hand-cut silhouettes and a fancy wool heart stitched with love, from me to thee...as well as the spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings Magazine...filled with wonderful homes, stories, gardens, and projects. TWO additional followers will receive a copy of the spring magazine.

Here's what you must do to enter...

...first, you must be a follower of my blog. Next, leave a comment on this post telling me which of my blog posts is your favorite and why...kind of a, "I'd like more of this kind of post please". Last, please tell me if you are already a subscriber to Mercantile Gatherings Magazine (I'd hate to send you something you already have-I'll send you something else.)

I am truly thankful for each of you who reads along here and in the magazine...you warm my heart.

I'll draw the winners on February 21st, one week from today.

 Until then, I wish you love... 

Regretfully this giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.

Perfect Love~ Tuesday Display Chain

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". The theme this week is "True Love". Here's mine...

I’m not one to be preachy about my faith. I am a huge believer that the way you live your life is a spiritual act…that you worship God in the way you approach everyday things. I have however, decided to be brave and share a bit of my personal testimony today in honor of LOVE. I hope you won’t run away or skip over this part, but if you do, that’s OK…we can still be friends.

(The following passages of scripture are written in italics and paraphrased by me from memory.)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

  

Each time I read these words I am overcome with emotion. It overwhelms me to know that I am loved so absolutely…so perfectly. I didn’t always feel this way…there was a time that I believed love was earned. I believed that loved was based on merit, on accomplishments, on behavior. And certainly no one could love ME…with all my screw ups and flaws.

 I don’t think I truly understood love until I studied the scriptures and began to understand who God is. I came to know, and believe, that this perfect love is not about who I am, but who He is.

“My eyes are weak
I can only see a glimmer of Your gold
And through it all You've given me
A peace that overflows
Oh how I know that You are good
You're so good to me, so good to me, You're good

You are good.” (bleach)

One day I got a love letter from my Abba. It helped me get to know Him even better.

He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He set the world on them. (1 Samuel 2:8)

And I began to get a glimpse of who God is…The foundation of the world BELONGS to Him…and he chose me.

I read...

Though your own mother may forget you, I will not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. (Isaiah 49:14-16) 

He has my name written on His hand…a reminder that I belong to Him. And always will.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. (Romans 8:38)

He wrote: Don’t worry, be happy. OK, that's not exactly how He said it... “Be content with what you have; for God Himself has said, "I will never, never let go your hand: I will never never forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) 

Never, never…under any circumstances. No matter what I do, or don’t do.

He has my back…just like he did with the Israelites in the desert, when they refused to listen and failed to remember His miracles. They became stiff-necked and rebellious. But He is forgiving, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and ABOUNDING in love, and even when they were ungrateful and whined “What? Manna, AGAIN?” He did not desert them. (Nehemiah 9:17)

The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with UNFAILING love. (Psalm 103:8)

Did you read that? His love never fails, even when I do!

Some days I’m a mess…I give Him a reason to get up in the morning.

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you. He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. (Isaiah 30:18) Some versions say, “He RISES to show you compassion.” 

Any goodness found in me, any love I show others, is the direct result my Abba's love for me. Without Him, I would not understand the sacrificial love of my husband, the unconditional love for our children, the generous love of friendship, or even the stewardship of nature and animals. Everything I know about love, I learned from Him.

 I leave you with these words from the book of Corinthians, some of the most famous, and beautiful ever written.

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (Corinthians 13)

 

If you'd like to hear more about this amazing love, feel free to contact me at the email address on my sidebar.

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

A Sneak Peek...

...is all I can give you. Have I mentioned how excited I am about my debut at Early Work Mercantile? I hope you will be too...

OK, maybe just a bit more...

I hope you'll come back on January 15th to see what I've been working on.

Until then...

~Hearts~Tuesday Display Chain~

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain" by featuring items from their collections. The theme this week is Valentines.

This one was easy for me. I've always loved hearts and have collected them in various forms over the years. It was hard to choose only a few to share. So I didn't...

~Old blue calico heart on Grandpa Ralph's chair~

~Orders, ready to ship~

~A small sampling of my Rowe Pottery collection~

~Old Tin Hearts~

~I'm the proud owner of the first quilt my Mother-in-law ever made. It's a tiny little thing, faded some, but a treasure to me~

~Another treasure. Miss Edith with her heart shaped bling. We rescued Edie from a local shelter...she was a runaway. Please microchip your pets and make sure they wear identification in case they are ever lost~

~A special gift from a dear friend. She knows me well~

~A pinny and a paper cutting (from 1996!)~

~A simple wax heart accents a garage sale find~

~A bowl of crazy quilt hearts~
 

~Beeswax hearts~

 

~A favorite old Valentine card~

~Pottery from our youth and sea shells from Sanibel Island. The creamy white Scotch Bonnet brings back memories of one of the best days I've ever had~

 

~A garden wedding and bad hair, in the original 1970's picture frame...a gift from my maid of honor~

~A second paper cutting and a Bennington Pottery heart from my Momma~

~A panda and a pinny~

~A treat from Mr.Kattywhompus...gotta love that man~

~The man who stole my heart. Then...

...and now~

 

 

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

~Ringing in the New Year~

2010 went out with a whimper.  No parties, no champagne, not even a midnight smooch. I spent the evening curled up on the sofa with a box of tissues, Netflix and these two...

 Everyone here has the flu.

The weather here has been strange. One evening last week I walked outside to an eerie fog, every surface covered in the most delicate ice crystals. Breathtaking!

The next morning we awoke to this...

 and this...

Followed by two days of 50 degree weather, with a warm rain that washed away every bit of snow. Is it any wonder our bodies are rebelling?

Now, on to the good stuff...

My head has been dancing with hearts. I've been cutting paper, working on a new doll, and I have been stitching these little homespun hearts in preparation for my update on Simply Primitives today.

I've also been pouring some beeswax...

to make this funny little tree of hearts.

And finally...

I'm pleased to announce that you will be able to find my handmades on Early Works Mercantile as of January 15th. You'll want to stop by and check out all of the talented EWM artisans. Take my word for it, you really will.

Links to both Simply Primitives and Early Works Mercantile can be found on my sidebar.

You might also like to know that I am offering FREE shipping on all of my remaining silhouettes, both on Simply Primitives and in my Etsy Shop. Out with the old, you know...

It is a cold blustery day here in Northwest Indiana and I am indoors working on my SUMMER article for Mercantile Gatherings Magazine. Admittedly, it's a little difficult to conjure up images of summers by the poolside. I hope it's warm and toasty where you are.

Until next time...