Celebrating Love GIVEAWAY!!

Whilst I am still on a blogging break, I thought I would take a moment to share some happiness with you!

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I have a special giveaway planned for you today, my dearest friends!

I love showing you all how much you mean to me and I greatly appreciate your rich fellowship and sweet encouragement, so I am offering a lovely little something for your homes…

As this month is February…the month of love, I have asked my dear, creative sister to make something very fitting and truly ‘’love-ly” as a gift for one sweet reader!

 Nancy creates beautiful pictures with fabrics and her sewing machine, and she is working on a range of lovely cushions and wall hangings which she is hoping to market at our stall each Saturday…I absolutely adore her work (and not simply because she is my sister...), and she is making me one or two sweet wall hangings for my sewing room which is in progress at the moment in my mind…{{smiles}}

She very kindly agreed to make a pretty wall hanging for one lovely reader…  It says, “Love’’, which I thought was very appropriate for February (and all year round!) when our focus should be on loving one another as Christ first loved us…don’t you think having this pretty wall hanging in your home would be a wonderful reminder to love others…?

Now, to stand a chance to win this picture, simply do the following…

Leave a comment telling me how you enjoy showing those your care about how much you love them…

If you would like to gain extra entries…

Tell someone else about this giveaway in any form you choose.  But please be sure to leave another comment telling me that you did so…

There is also an extra entry for followers, so please include your following name in your comment.

Favourite heartmade shoppe on Etsy {here} or follow heartmade’s blog {here}…again, please let me know that you did so in order that I may give you more entries!

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As usual, this giveaway is open to all countries, and will close in ten days’ time which will take us to Wednesday the 10th.  I will announce the sweet winner on the 11th…

Oh, and if you are a first time visitor, you are more than welcome to enter…the more the merrier!   

It always makes my day to ‘’meet’’ a sweet new friend, so let the commenting delights begin!

~ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  John 13:34 ~

Spring is in the Air & a Little Catch Up...

Oh, how dearly I love this time of the year!
There is a joy that fills my heart as I breathe in the delightful scent of the coming spring...

The days are beginning to lengthen...there is a little more sunshine with every passing day, and it is happily warmer which means I don't have to wear quite so many layers of clothing...{happy sigh}

"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"  - Mark Twain

Gorgeous sweet peas grace our hanging baskets...they bring such cheer!

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August has been a busy month thus far for me as I finish planning our summer garden and prepare vegetable beds with rich compost...  There are pepper and tomato seeds to be sown, and chicks to be bought so that we can increase our little flock somewhat...  Usually I spend a Monday working in the glorious outdoors...

 One of my favourite flowers...Calendula...

The rest of the week is usually spent sewing new heartmade products, babysitting an adorable little boy, blogging and all the other lovely things that fill each day with both work and pleasure...

Before winter slips by completely, I decided to knit a gorgeous green cowl for myself as alas!  I have not picked up my knitting needles for months!  In the evenings we have been watching Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and I am happy to say my knitting needles have been clicking throughout...I hope I will have time to wear my new cowl before it gets too warm!

I sorted out my sewing and papercraft supplies just the other day, and oh!  How good it felt!

As I mentioned before, I am already doing some Christmas sewing, namely my fabric reindeer which are among the favourite products on the heart❤made stall at Christmastime...

A few brighter, busier days at the market meant I could visit my favourite quilting shop once again and stock up on a few more beautiful fabrics...at the moment I just buy fat quarters, as this gives me enough fabric to work with without tiring of the design...

Do visit heart❤made to ''meet'' the reindeer!

You might like to see my darling new Miss Lettice rabbits...on my recent visit to the Cape, my grandmother sweetly took me to the fabric shop there and spoilt me with some delightful new fabrics...I thought they would be perfect for Miss Lettice outfits, and set to work sewing them shortly after my return...oh!  Sometimes I do wish I could keep the items I make to sell!

 

My sweet sister, Nancy, crocheted these beautiful earrings for me...she has added these to heart❤made, along with a few more pretty designs!  I am hoping to showcase them on the heart❤made blog sometime very soon...

 

 I love these crocheted earrings...they complete a winter outfit perfectly!

Oh, and I thought I must show you a few photographs of the lovely baking and tea party my dear friend had for her 18th birthday in July...

Filling beautifully decortated glass jars with flowers for the tea table...

Heidi-Mari is so wonderfully organised and made sure everything was perfectly planned...each young lady was assigned a team, and she and her teammates were in charge of certain tasks such as baking coffee cupcakes, preparing the toppings for the mini pizzas and so on...it was such a delightful way to get to know the other girls and have fun while about it...we baked, chatted and then donned scarves and hats and took pictures outside...then we had a beautiful high tea and enjoyed the sweet treats we baked during the morning...

 

Dear friends...

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Other lovelies lately have included long letters to sweet far away friends...

"What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm humann hand-clasp."  - Author Unknown

 
 Pleasant walks along gravel roads and fields surrounding our home...

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therin."  - Psalm 24:1


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What have you been busy with lately, sweet friends...?

I am afraid I haven't been able to share as much here as I would like to...but springtime is always blissfully busy!

~ Have the loveliest of Tuesdays ~ 

A Few Garden~Inspired Projects....

 

 I think it is high time for a garden~inspired post, dear friends...don't you?

Having been away for close to a month and quite busy with sewing since my return, my poor garden is looking quite neglected and overgrown at present...

Before I start to clear the numerous weeds from vegetable beds and reestablish overgrown pathways, I thought I would spend a little time creating some beauty in the home with pretty flowers potted in a unique and lovely way...

 

Before I show you my handiwork, I would like to tell you of how my mother so sweetly cheered me up last Saturday when I wasn't feeling too well with a headache...  

As she was in town that day, she bought me the cutest terrcacotta pot and a punnet of dainty violas to 'play' with...

She knew I had been thinking of doing a few projects with flowers and decided to bring a smile to my face with her thoughtful little gift...

Wasn't that wonderfully kind?

Now, here is what I did with this little terracotta pot and my punnet of viola seedlings...

If you would like to make your own, all you will need is a length of beautiful thick lace, double-sided tape, a terracotta pot and a flower seedling or two of your choice...

Simply secure a piece of double-sided tape around the flat edge of the pot and wind your thick lace around it...

Fill the pot with good quality compost, pop your seedling(s) inside...and press down...

...And there you are!

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With winter having arrived to stay for the next couple of months, the house can become quite gloomy if not cheered with pretty touches here and there...  

Thus we have decided to keep our home looking cheerful and bright by adding splashes of colour wherever we can, whether it is a vase of freshly cut flowers, pot plants on the window sills or jars of homebaked goodies gracing the pantry...

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Here is my next project for which I used a faded vintage tea cup...

This tea cup I bought last year at a second-hand shop for a very good price along with another.  Having drunk tea from it on many occasions, I fancied it would make the sweetest little planter and popped a seedling inside with a handful of compost...

 

I didn't drill holes in the cup as I just couldn't bear to! 

Drainage could become a problem, but I am hoping that it will last a for a good few weeks, and once the viola outgrows the tea cup, I will transplant it into my garden...

 

This tea cup of happy violas would make a lovely gift for a person who appreciates flowers and pretty things!

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How does your garden fare, my friends...?

I know many of my readers live in the northern hemisphere where Spring has finally sprung and vegetable planting season has arrived, so I do hope they enjoy busy, happy hours spent tending their gardens and pottering about in the dirt...:)

~ Blessings ~

"...Plant gardens and eat what they produce..."  Jeremiah 29:5

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  This Post May be Shared with...

~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Roses of Inspiration, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up and Modest Monday ~

Loveliness Today ~ Strawberry Delight...

~ Homemade strawberry jam made from our own organic strawberries ~

Happy first of December, dear friends!

Lovliness Today ~ Awards

...A little while ago I received two lovely awards from Chloe from Bloomin Maiden...  Thank you Chloe - I am honoured that you chose to nominate me!

 

 If you could visit any place in the world where would you go?  Oh, definitely Italy!  And then France.  But I would also love to visit England one day.

How many siblings do you have?  I have five beautiful sisters.

Who was the first person you talked to this morning?  My wonderful mother.

Do you like morning or evening better?  There is something lovely about both times of the day…

Who is your role model?  Many people inspire me, but I think my mom is the person I look up to the most.

If you could meet any person on earth, who would you want to meet?  I would love to meet a few of the friends I’ve made through blogging over the past five years…

Do you like going to the dentist?  To be honest, no.  Fortunately I haven’t had to visit the dentist too often:-)

What is your favorite blog...other than yours :)?  I really don’t have a favourite!  They're all so lovely!

Have you ever flown over the ocean?  Never:-(

What are you most looking forward to in life?  Becoming a mom.

 Now for eleven facts about myself:

I am obsessed with the colour pink

I really dislike budgies

My worst vegetable is a patty pan

I don’t like chocolate (not much anyway)

I think flowers make the world prettier

I love Pinterest

Watermelon is my favourite, favourite fruit

I have a box full of treasures – it contains all the things that are dear to me

I love to dream

I think spring is the best time of the year

I’m a passionate cook

 What do you want to do on earth more than anything else?  I think my ultimate dream and desire is to live a life that glorifies God.

What is your favorite book (other than the Bible)...?  I think the most incredible book I’ve ever read was Christy by Catherine Marshall, but Little Women remains my absolute favourite.

What is your favorite subject in school?  I love learning and don’t have a favourite subject.

Do you have pen-pals?  Yes, I love writing letters to people and recently acquired a new pen-pal which I’m so excited about!  I also write every so often to my grandparents…

Who is your favorite hero (in books or movies)?  I don’t have one.

Who do you text the most?  As I don’t have a phone, I don’t text anyone…

If you could change anything in your facial features what would you change?  :-)

What is your favorite movie?  I’m always changing my mind about which movie I like the most, but at the moment it is the BBC series Emma.

What is your favorite thing to blog about?  I love to blog about so many different things…crafts, outings, books…

Do you have a best friend?  I have a small handful of close friends – unfortunately we very seldom see each other…

What is the most amazing thing you've ever done?  I think taking up music was the most amazing thing I ever did and I am so thankful for it every day.

Now for eleven questions for the bloggers I’ve chosen to nominate for the Liebster and Sunflower Blog Awards to answer…

Strawberries or blueberries?  Which do you prefer?

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

What excites you?

Would you rather take a walk in the forest or along the beach?

What words do you like using the most?

If you could go back in time, which period would you like to live in?

Romance, action or mystery, which genre of books do you prefer?

Do you have a treasure box?

What instruments in the orchestra do you like the most?

Would you be frightened to dive with sharks?

Name three cities in the world that you would like to visit.

And now for the eleven bloggers I’ve chosen to nominate for both the Liebster Blog and Sunflower Awards:

Kianna ~ Kianna’sKorner

Brianna ~ Dancing in the Rain

Khloe Grace ~ All Things Good

Klarabelle ~ Klarabelle Candy

Aaliyah ~ Growing in His Image

Kathryn ~ Chatty Kathy

Lizzie ~ Lizzie Photography

Christa Moriah ~ Uniquely Fashioned for His Glory

Grace ~ His Daughter

Amber ~ Blessings Blog

And my lovely young friend Grace ~ God's Grace

Have a very blessed week friends!

Kelly-Anne