05/22/2010

Mother and Daughter, by Jan Frederick Portielje,  1829-1908 Belgium

Click on photograph for a larger view

Tin signs with antique roses are quite popular as magnetic bulletin boards, although they can be expensive. Here is a way you can make one, that really does not cost much money.

Using epoxy stickers, you can create magnetic raindrops for the roses, as you see in the photograph above.

Remove the stickers, mount them on paper, then glue them to the magnetic material, and cut out.

An old cookie sheet that cannot be restored to its original sheen, can be used for this project. This one is is very bad condition but I wanted to see what could be done with it.

First, a layer of paint, any shade you like. It can be spray paint or bottled craft paint, like Folkart or any acrylic paint. A small bottle sometimes only costs 50 cents.

For magnets, find flat buttons or fake jewels. Glue pieces of magnetic material (found in craft stores), cut to fit, on the back. I would suggest a sheet of magnetic paper, which you can cut with ordinary scissors, to the size you want. If you cannot get any, just take a magnetic strip off your old refrigerator calendar and cut it in pieces.

Use stencils, decals, or cuttings from scrapbook papers, to decorate the cookie sheet bulletin board.

Put heavy weight magnets all over the back of the cookie sheet if you want to use it on your refrigerator. It is not necessary to glue them, but you can.

Here is the tin bulletin board with butterfly buttons glued to magnet pieces, to hold down the messages and shopping reminder, placed on the side of the refrigerator. The picture is cut from a glossy calendar of roses, which I got at the Dollar Store, which is decoupaged. Elmers white glue can be substituted. Just paste the clipping down and then paint more glue over the top.  You could use any scene you like, or paint one yourself.

Years ago, cookie sheets had a hole on each end. You could attach a wire for hanging. They dont have holes any more, so you have to figure out how to hang them, or else prop them on a shelf that has a groove in it for plates.

If you do not have buttons to use as magnets, you can always cut more flowers, or anything that matches the picture you choose, and glue them to card board, and then glue on the the magnet material. Decoupage the tops of the pictures with glue or decoupage paint, to give it shiny finish. You can treat stickers the same way. For example, if you use a tea pot theme, make tea cup stickers for the magnets.

While it is always nice to buy something that is ready-made, it is satisfying to be resourceful with things that otherwise might be discarded. 

For magnetic memo boards you can buy, go here

and here. I see they are out of stock, in some stores, so it is a good thing you can make your own. The magnets are a lot safer than push pins or thumb tacks, especially if there are children in your home, so your home made one might be just the thing you need.

A Message to Daughters: Forsake Not the Law of Thy Mother

Gathering Poppies by Henry Yeend King

The Lesson, by Helen Allingham

Home Sweet Home by George Dunlop Leslie

The Schoolroom 1853 by Alfred Rankley

The Test, by Thomas Armstrong

Modest Weddings - A Reminder

There is perhaps nothing more uncomfortable than to be held captive in an audience during an immodest display of wedding party garments that can only be described as underwear.  The Bible commands women to dress modestly, and it is really simple to do so. These days, all you have to do is have a garment with sleeves, a bodice that has a neckline (at least near the neck), no holes or gaps, and nothing embarrassingly tight.

The bride's attendants should also be modest. Dresses with straps, and dresses without sleeves, are not modest. Dresses that reveal cleavage to everyone, are not modest, nor are dresses that cling so tightly to the bustline or hips that they leave nothing secret.

Church members here have established modesty policies for weddings in their congregation. They claim that anyone who had a wedding in their church building, would have to be modest. No cleavage, and no bare looking clothing; nothing above the knee, and no strapless.  I thought this was fair. These church members were just trying to put some limits on the immodesty that we are faced with at weddings.  I remember one wedding I attended where I was unprepared for the amount of immodesty that was displayed. I had no warning, and neither did anyone else. There were audible gasps from some people in the audience, and then some embarrassment, as people, even men, lowered their heads and looked at the floor as the bridesmades in their short, skin tight dresses walked past.

These pictures and paintings show a variety of dresses worn for weddings in past eras, proof that modesty can be maintained. I wonder if we could change the immodesty trend by refusing to give a gift or attend any weddings where the bride and the bridesmaids were dressing immodestly. This would require some sluething beforehand, but it might be effective enough to forewarn them, so that they could reconsider wearing immodest clothing at a wedding.  Other than that, the only way to prevent immodest dressing is to train your daughters not to wear immodest clothing any other time, and they will not want to wear a skimpy, trendy wedding dress in public.

I recently enjoyed looking at the photographs of the most modest and yet beautiful wedding I have ever seen. The clothes were perfection, hand sewn by the women on both sides of the family. The bride's dress had a modest neckline, elbow length sleeves with a shaped ruffle (longer in the back part) and a full skirt. The bridesmaids wore dresses with lace vests attached, all modest and all lovely.

When you dress modestly, you do not have to keep tugging at everything. Immodest clothes are not good for you. They do not protect you, which is one function of clothing. Too many weddings look like something other than a wedding.  We all need to come up with ideas to thwart the designers attempt to put every bride in a dress that barely covers her.  These dresses often cost hundreds of dollars and have very little fabric on them.  That is not a very good deal.  We must all stop following the pied pipers of fashion.

Clothing at weddings should indicate the seriousness and holiness of the event, not the sexiness of the women. I have observed over the years so many immodest weddings, and found that more than half of these marriages do not last two years.  If a bride is serious about life and has any maturity, she will see to it that her wedding is modest, and that she covers more than she reveals. We live in an era where everyone shows off their bareness, and people have forgotten that the flesh is private.  Weddings should be treated as something so sacred that only those who are dressing in the proper, modest garments, should attend.

(Titles and links to pictures coming later)

For more history on modesty, go here.

These Hawaiian dress patterns are great for wedding dresses: Nos 205, 101, 001 in particular. Click on for a larger view.

Good role models for modest wedding attire in church and civil ceremonies are the members of the European Royalty. Do a web search of the young royals in eastern and western countries and look at the up to date wedding attire that the women are wearing. No matter what you may think of royalty, the young women have, for decades, led the world in modest, beautiful wedding attire.

An Easy Leisure Craft

Reading By A Window

by Charles James Lewis (c. 1850)

To make a box similar to the old confectioner boxes, it is just a matter of making a card a little larger than the top of the box. Use any box you wish, from a shoe box, to a tea box. On heavy scrapbook paper or textured card stock, trace around the top of the box. Click on the picture above, of the finished box, for a larger view.

Now cut with shaped scissors, a short length away from the lines, at least 1/2 inch.

Click on the picture for a closer view of the faux diamonds used as dewdrops on the roses.

To give the card a lace look, use your hole-punch near the scalloped edges. Place your art and scraps and paste down. Here you see those little glass stickers that look like diamonds, placed on the dew drops of the rose bouquet in the picture. Choose the shade of paper and the kinds of scraps you like. Here, I have used a ribbon rose bud, a clear glass button butterfly, and some scrapbook papers. I have outlined the middle picture with glitter glue.  On a strip of paper is a written verse, which is then torn around.

Wrap the box in wrapping paper or thin paper, to cover it up. Paste it on the lid of the box, and fill it with the things you wish to give (or keep).  This one is going to be a small afternoon tea for one: a tea bag, and some little bites of tea foods, wrapped in a pretty paper napkin. I will be giving it to a widowed friend.

This is done with a large square paper lace piece, glued on to mauve card board. There was a slight imprint of an oval, which I outlined with glitter glue. The roses are cut out of scrap paper, found at So Shabby Pink. This is then glued on the top of a square box, which is just a little smaller in size.

Here is what the vintage confection box replica looks like, from Victorian Trading Company. I have not seen it up close so I do not know what kind of materials it is made from, but this can give you an idea of what you can use to make this box: ribbons and bows and metalic pieces, crepe paper and cut-outs. Glitter paper from the glitter stack might work for this topper, if you use lots of thick white glue for the doo-dads.

Replica of Confectioners Box From Victorian Trading

with satin ribbon, mica flakes, silk flowers,scrapbook papers $12.94

On family vacation times, even at home, time was spent in leisure crafts. Whether it was a sewing or knitting project, or a paper craft, it was one of the highlights of vacation times. Even a day at the lake or ocean warranted a bag full of these wonderful leisure supplies, to pass an hour away while enjoying time off.

 It is a great benefit to children to find things to do for relaxation, such as reading, writing, or art work. A good book for boys, any time of year, is "The American Boys Handibook," a reprint of the original boy scout book, which has a lot of basic and good activities for boys, from building a bridge, to constructing a brush shelter. You could easily make a boy busy every day of the year with these kinds of projects:- The handibook for boys includes making a kite, a sturdy hammock,  making outdoor furniture, creating a large balloon, making a tent, and many more, some which are very adventurous.  Girls can use some projects in "The American Girl's Handibook."  Both are reprints from Dover. which you can order or find in your local museams.

There are a couple more great boxes like this, here  and here which use good scrapbook materials.
Check this out for supplies. It has everything you need to make the lid of one of these confectioner's boxes, including the punch that makes the edges look like eyelet, sparkling butterflies, and some decorated boxes.
This glitter painting is interesting.  Any kind of card makes a good top for a gift box.  These are all a lot more advanced. I have posted a quick an easy recipe for relaxation and leisure. I believe if the craft takes a lot of time and effort, it can become more like work. The ones I have made here were much more relaxing, and easy to teach children.  I have seen some of these on sites for schools, where children have made gifts for their mothers. Here is a beautiful box top  made with the faux jewels. This one has the scalloped edges. Watch the entire slide show for more paper ideas for box tops resembling the vintage confectioners boxes. This one is more complicated, and interesting.

I still remember carrying a box of sewing and knitting supplies, books, writing materials, and craft goodies, on a trip or just summer holidays at home.

Paintings by James Hayllar, 1829-1920

A Family Grouping

This might possibly be the family of the artist. The wood structure is a painting holder. The father is showing paintings to his child. A structure like this was in a scene of one of Emma movies, where she was showing some of her paintings to Mr. Elton.

Paintings of previous centuries tell stories of the way people lived. They were quite like us, in so many ways, especially in their loyalty to the family. I appreciate James Hayllar's portrayal of family members. The men look strong and trustworthy (respected and revered) and the women look beautiful and understanding: devoted to their homes.

All The World Over

Notice how he painted a replica of his own painting, "All the World Over" on the wall in the background, in this painting called  "The Letter."

Keeping Out of the Cold

I like the tenderness showing on the face of this woman, and I enjoy the simple staircase and window in the background. The clothing is not elaborate, yet it is very dignified. 

The Only Daughter

I also enjoy seeing the inside architecture of paintings like these, and the paintings in the background portraying relatives that lived before them. It was a custom to show respect for the grandparents by displaying their likeness.

Where The Good Way Is

A picture from a nearby view looks just like scenes from times past.

The theme of this blog is the old paths. Following the old paths means to place a high value on the teachings of the Lord. No matter how modern we get, and how many conveniences we have, and how smart a generation is, they still have to be reminded to go back to the old paths, where the good walk is, when it comes to living.

More scenery from a road shows the beauty of God's handiwork in the sky.

Here is a quick and easy project for the home. It is a verse that will always be true, throughout the generations. It is worth meditating on daily.

Click on the picture, above, and then highlight it or save it. It can then be printed to put in a frame.

Remove the backing and padding of an 8inch by 10 inch frame for this project. There is no need to remove the staples; just bend them back with a butter knife, and when you finish the project, take the handle of the knife and press them down again. Wood frames are available at the dollar stores. This is an old one that will be re-painted.

Paint with craft paints of any kind. This one is painted with a plastic type of paint that shines. Before it dries, sparkle or any kind of texture can be added.

To understand the concept of this verse, you have to go back to the time of Jeremiah. The old paths to the Israelites were, of course, the commands to live by; the warnings, admonitions to be wise, understanding and to seek knowledge of the scripture.  The term old paths in the context of this verse, means the trodden path of God's faithful people, with regard to their souls. Those who cannot understand the depth of this verse will erroneously conclude that it means you have to wear sandals and walk through the desert for 40 years and only eat manna.  It is a spiritual lesson, that implores God's people to stay with His divine teachings in choices and in thoughts and in deeds and obedience.

Framed verses like this speak to the heart of everyone in the home. For a boy's room, tinker with your own fonts and find an appropriate background and frame.  This one sits on my desk.'

For more cheerful ideas and enterprises, you can go to places like Make Mine Pink or Cottage of the Month

and Mantel of the Month and look through the archives for the month you are interested in. I am sure there are more home tours and house tours each month online.