A New Year

          

                                                                Photo from Pinterest

A New Year is here. I would like to welcome the ladies who visit here, and note that there are men who also read this blog and they are welcome, too. If you are new here, I would appreciate it if you would click this link and read "About This Blog" and "The Purpose of This Blog." Please click on the first link now and read it. You are welcome to leave a question in the comments section. You may do so anonymously if you choose. If you are not familiar with webLogs and their function, please go to the list of blogs on the left and click on the pictures to see what other ladies are publishing. 

 I have been thinking back over the things that homemakers have dealt with online and have overcome.  When networks of Titus 2 web-logs began, naysayers who did not believe the message was valid in modern times tried to intimidate the homemakers and get them to quit writing and remove their blogs. Christian ladies have received threats, hate sites, online gossip, mocking and slander, but still keep on reaching out with their generous online hospitality and encouragement. Some of us have been publishing online for 15 years.

Because of the perseverance of these ladies,  the admonition in Titus 2 to teach and show things to help others to love their husbands, love their children and be keepers at home is increasing.

Over the years, this message has been broadcast through blogging. So this year, I hope the home-keepers will stay online and publish ideas and lessons whenever they have something of value to pass on.  Many young women who have no personal mentors are benefitting greatly from the Titus 2 blogs. You can type in the phrase "Titus 2 websites" and see just how numerous they are!

         

Home keeping sites include pretty and creative ideas as well as instruction, or just sharing the home and your thoughts any way you like. Today I am showing a simple vinyl covered tray useful for serving a guest or yourself.  The items, above, a roll of stick-on shelf liner and silver-look trays, are from Dollar Tree.

  I have used these trays before for transporting glasses of juice or cups of tea, sandwiches and light snacks. Because it is metal, the surface usually corrodes and rusts in a short time, so this year I am pressing a piece of waterproof shelf paper in them to protect the trays from spills and give a little extra cushion for a china cup. Once covered in this lovely vinyl, the try's cannot be submerged in water. Simply wipe it with a clean damp cloth.

                              

Above: the toile pattern of roses and foliage makes a nice background for my tray. One of the trays is for my bedside table to hold water or a teacup and prevent spills on the wood table. I also use it to hold a pen and notebook and to prevent scratches on the table from wear and tear.  I have a cloth under the tray.

                                   

Simply cut a piece of the shelf-paper an approximate size (a little bigger than needed) and press into the tray firmly with your fingers so that it makes an impression of the crevices in the tray. Remove and cut around the impressions, pull off the film on the back and press the sticky part into the tray, smoothing out any bubbles.  The piece can be removed and re-placed to get it just right. 

It helps to put a piece of this sticky shelf-paper on the back of the tray too to protect the surface of any table where it is placed. It just makes the tray a bit softer and less likely to collect rust.

     

Above: the serving tray is small enough to transport a cup of fragrant lemon tea and some homemade short bread made with maple syrup as the sweetener. Would you like to come I to my sitting room and let me bring you this treat? What shall we talk about during our visit?  

    

Check your dollar store for other colors and prints of this removeable shelf-paper. This project is quick and  and if you do not like how it looks, it is easy to undo it and start over with another piece in a different color. It might be nice to match it to an inexpensive tea cup, add some treats and a tea bag, cover the entire thing in a cellophane bag, add a note and leave on your neighbor's door step.

                                     

Happy New Year to all Titus 2 teachers and all ladies who are looking for things to make home life the way you desire it to be. Make up your mind to do your duty before God  regarding home living, and many other things that you are apprehensive about might be taken care of.

                                                                   Lydia

     

Ps. I found the book, Storybook Cottages and as I look through it I will make notes about it on my weblog here. One chapter is titled: "God in the Design" so I am eager to see what it says.

The book is more of a study manual with historical quotes and details of construction. It tells of the origins of the trims and outside embellishments and carvings on these cottages. Wallpaper patterns, stairway details, doorknobs, window treatments and much more is described in this book.

Below: it helps to stick some of that shelf paper on the underside of the trays in order to prevent moisture and rust from forming and marring a tabletop.  Note that this is not the same as contact paper, which is not as easy to work with, however, it may be used on this kind of project.