Holly Hobby Time!

This week I am introducing a topic that I will enjoy SO much... hobbies! I particularly like crafts. I usually have several planned at once and have a hard time picking what to work on.

And with that introduction, I would like to say “Do NOT laugh at the first picture that I post!” Really, that's an order!! My wonderful husband is entirely, completely and absolutely supportive of me doing things that I love. (He might secretly wish that I loved cooking... but the dear man accepts that I do not and would never tell me if he ever did wish differently!) He will pay attention to little things that I say about needing this or that or just wanting something and one afternoon we'll be out and about and he takes me to get just what I mentioned. He will patiently stand with me in fabric stores and walk the aisles of Michael's with me (that was for my birthday!) when I have some new, grand scheme to work on in the house. I have many projects to share with you, but here is my hero. He is at the table marking a wood frame that I painted for the wall clock that he gifted me on last year's birthday. He then attached the clock, fastened the hook/hanger thing to the back and had it on the wall for me last week.

I've been posting a bit about tackling tasks around the house, wanting to get it clean and organized before the holidays hit. And in that I shared that this year I painted my bedroom. For months I have been planning and dreaming of how to pull it all together. I'll let each project have it's turn in the spotlight, but for today I want to share the finished project.

Having a lovely bedroom is very special to me. Those words don't do justice to the strength of my feelings on this subject! To walk into the room... my own room... to have my space... to breathe in a bit of beauty... is life to me. To sit on my bed reading my Bible. To ponder lessons on God's sovereignty. To write endless articles and books in my head as I try to drift off to sleep. To wrap and stack presents on the floor at the end of my bed. To dust the shelves and look at each figurine, knowing where they came from and what they mean. To slowly dress, looking at pictures of Scott and I on the dresser. To cuddle my 3 year old grandson and read Max Lucado picture books, watching his eyes dance. To dream of days to come where I can snuggle future grandchildren. To pace the floor, thinking through tough choices. To pray. And pray. And pray some more. To rummage through drawers that I've stuck a little of this and a little of that in to... fingering through piles of photos, re-reading cards and notes, finding a school craft brought home by one of the boys, holding the doll that I played with endlessly years ago, finding treasures sent to me by my mom when she knew I was down. Yes, my room is very special to me.

And a few days ago after looking at a store, looking online and not wanting to continue the search in multiple other stores, Scott took me to purchase the fabric to make the curtains that I cannot find to buy. Would you believe that they are pale purple? Yes, my husband who reels in 6 foot sturgeons in the middle of the night (his idea of a hobby!), who climbs I forget how high to the tops of cranes that he has built himself, would not care if the curtains I pick were pink, flowered or polka dots... if they made me happy. One very special thing about Scott is that he delights in seeing me happy. So, when I planned out decorating our bedroom... when I picked out a quilted bedspread with embroidered rings of purple/lavender flowers... when I really quite adored the pink-ish clock... when I decided to hot glue purple flowers, ribbons and wood stick forms to make decorations... when I thought that the best curtains would be light and flowy and pale purple/lavender... he smiled and said, “Sure! If that is what you want and it makes you happy!” Now, that might sound cheesy, but he is quite sincere. I am spoiled by him. Like a daddy's girl gets spoiled when she is young.

Today I made up the curtains. I have fallen in love with sticky tape... double sided... the kind that fuses the edges of lightweight, sheer fabric! While I could envision the results of my purchase hanging at my windows, I was stuck on the thought of running the sheer material through my sewing machine and messing it up. A dear sales lady came to my rescue and talked me through the steps of simply ironing this stuff at the edges, folding them under and not having to sew at all. And it worked like a dream. Today I did all of the drapes in the photos and each of the edges turned out beautifully.

Stay tuned... I am eager to share close up photos of the projects around the room and then some! For now, I think I will head to my lovely oasis... my very own dreamland. Looking around the room I will see my mom's imprints... her crocheted doilies... and know that she passed on the love of making things to me. I will slip into bed and remember being my daddy's little girl and I will thank God for such a good dad. Then I will look around and reflect and thank God for my indulging husband. I will see his smile, knowing that it's because I have my smile.