Gorgeous New Items in the Shoppe...

Hello dear readers...happy April to you!

I know that many of you are enjoying the arrival of Spring, whereas here in the southern hemisphere, Autumn is being welcomed with open arms!

Truly, the cooler days are a gift after a very warm summer, and even my garden is growing ever so beautifully with the rain and cool days we have received lately...

Although I have not been the most consistent of bloggers over the past month or so, my hands have not been idle...  Ah, quite the contrary in fact...

My sewing machine (or rather my mother's which I am blessed to be using till I purchase my own) has been whirring almost every day, and I am glad to announce that our baby's nursery, or rather ''corner'' is complete and that all I set out to do in regards to decor is done!

Stay tuned for a reveal post coming soon...{{smiles}}

In between taking care of the smooth running of the household and doing some delightful pleasure sewing, I have also re stocked my little Etsy shoppe with a few lovely new items!  What a joy it to send packages of love across the world to sweet customers!  

And because I simply love what I do and enjoy bringing a smile to a person's face through my handwork, I have added a couple more items to my shoppe as well as one or two new things...I hope you will pop over and take a look...

You will find...

Whale softies for baby boys and girls...

Sets of two padded fabric hangers...

Ellie softies...

 A patchwork cushion with cross stitch motif...

...and ribbon taggy balls!

Can you tell I am enjoying making baby items at the moment...?  {{smiles}}

~
I am sure you must be wondering whether our baby brother has made his grand entrance yet...not yet I am afraid!  We are so eager to meet this little fellow, but babies will come when they're ready...{{smiles}}  I look forward to sharing his birth announcement very soon...:)

In the meantime...I have a special gift to you ~

When you make a purchase of $25 or more and enter the coupon code APRIL16, you will receive $4 off your entire purchase!  This coupon code is valid until the end of April and is especially for my blog readers!  Visit HeartmadeSouthAfrica on Etsy HERE!

Blessings dear friends!

Sweet Little Valentine Cards...

Valentine's Day is swiftly approaching once again, and it just happens to be one of my very favourite events of the year...

I simply adore all things red and pink, and I love hearts of all shapes and sizes...

If you've been reading Beautiful Girlhood for some time, you will more than likely have discovered by now that I don't celebrate Valentine's in the wordly sense...

I am waiting on the Lord to reveal His perfect will for my life, and if that involves a Godly prince somewhere along the way, then I shall be very glad indeed...I want God to write my love story someday, should He see fit...{{smiles}}

 ~

My lovely sister, Nancy, has been creating these sweet heart cards for the market, using beautiful scrapbook paper and fabric remnants...I thought I would enjoy making a few for my gift box, which I most certainly did!

I love sewing paper as the result is quite striking and oh so simple!  

Perhaps you would like to make a few of these lovelies for your stash of cards, dear friends...?  

They don't just have to be for Valentine's...they can be for any occasion...I know they would light up the face of a sweet friend!

 

I used reds and pinks, but you could also use different colours if you'd like and perhaps a different shape in place of a heart - the possibilities are endless indeed!

~ To Make ~

To start, cut brown kraft cardboard to size...I made mine 2.25" x 4.5", then scored and folded them in half to create a little card...

 

Then cut patterned scrapbook paper or card to size - make your paper a little smaller than the actual card by leaving off a 1/4" or so... 

 

Now cut out a heart template which will fit nicely on your card...trace onto the wrong side of assorted fabric scraps, and cut out carefully.  

 

Use a small piece of double-sided tape to adhere the fabric heart to each piece of patterned scrapbook paper as this makes it easier to sew.

Thread your machine with black cotton and sew all around each heart, being careful to keep the shape intact!

Now secure each piece of patterned scrapbook paper with the fabric heart to the little cards with acid-free scrapbooking glue.

...And there you are!  

~

Praying you will have a truly blessed week, lovely readers!

 ~ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only beggotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16, KJV ~

  ~

  This post may be shared with...

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

How~to~Make Pretty Tea Time Cards...

Hello friends and a happy weekend to you!
After a very busy week celebrating two lovely birthdays, among other things, I am looking forward to a little rest...

Should you be in the mood for creating...I do hope you will join me in creating some paper happiness!  {{smiles}}

If you are needing a sweet little card for a friend to say thank you or simply to let someone know they are in your thoughts, I have just the project for you!

Oh so simple that you will be pleasantly surprised and such fun that you will want to make a few more to stash away in your collection of goodies...{{smiles}}

I saw an idea for a tea time card whilst perusing some lovely blogs the other day, but I decided to change a few things as well as make the actual card a little smaller...

To make these little cards you will need...

Some pretty patterned paper {I love using scrapbook paper}, pearls or gems, a packaged tea bag of your choice {I love Twinings tea...so flavourful!}, ribbon or Bakers twine, double sided tape, acid free glue and tools such as a punch, craft knife and distress ink {optional}.

 

Begin by selcting two coordinating sheets of paper...and cutting the first one to 6" x 4".

Score a line in the middle of the paper - this is your actual card - and fold in half.  

Distress in matching ink all around the inside and outside edges.

Now cut a 2" x 2.75" piece from the coordinating paper and ink around the edges. 

Place double sided tape on the sides and bottom edges and secure to the inside of the card.

 

Cut another piece of paper to 2" x 1.1".

Distress around the edges and add a greeting of your choice...

Add pearls or gems if so desired and secure greeting to the front of the card...

Now punch a hole in the side of the card, place tea bag in the slot and thread a length of matching ribbon through the hole to keep the card shut...and there you are!

Beth and I had such a lovely time creating these tea cards as thank you gifts for the sweet young ladies who came to Nancy's sixteenth birthday high tea party...now I feel like making a few more to put away!  {{smiles}}

~

Happy crafting my sweet friends!

  ~
 And do come and visit my Esty shop to see some of the new items I have been adding over the past few days...{{smiles}}



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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, Cooking and Crafting with J and J and Modest Monday

Precious Baby Gift Making...

Aww!  Who can resist a chubby babe, so precious and new...?  ❤

I love hearing of a momma expecting her first, second, or even sixth baby...

It is a joy indeed to create something lovely and special for the new one,

and I was blessed to have the opportunity of working with pretty girly fabric and

my sewing machine this week...

~

 As it is always exciting trying something new, I decided to attempt a fabric covered 

hanger and pretty little bag and matching heart...

Nancy, who loves crochet, agreed to crochet a lovely lacey edge for the bag and also made a pretty length of chain stitch to tie as a ribbon around the hook of the hanger...

 

My dear mother got out her knitting needles and made this adorable baby beanie from gorgeous soft baby pink wool...she added a crocheted flower and a cute button...

 

Mom also decided to try make baby mittens...she lined them with the same fabric I used for the hanger so as to create a sweet set of goodies!  So fluffy and sweet...

Of course I just had to make a card!  {{Smiles}}  How I love pearls, pink and...buttons! 

...And then Nancy and I had fun wrapping the gift...we went with a similar idea to this one, but stamped pink hearts on the kraft paper box and tied a broad pink ribbon around the box, adding a little tag...

And what gift would be complete without lace...?  ❤

  Do pop by again, sweet friends...I have a little tutorial planned for sometime soon...would like to know how I created this padded fabric hanger...?  

It was a delight to make...in fact, I made a few more for my sisters!  {{Smiles}}

 

~ Blessings on your Wednesday, friends! ~

 ~

 Do stop by and visit Beautiful Girlhood on Facebook and Pinterest!

 ~

  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 ~

Lace Loveliness & Joy in Doing What You Love…

The other day I was given a bag of lovely crafty goodies that belonged to an older lady who passed away a couple of years ago…  Her husband recently had cleared out her creative corner, and passed his late wife’s supplies on to another lady who then thought of me…

It was quite sad to look at each item and think of the sweet lady who treasured them and loved adding new lace, fabric, books and wool to her collection of crafty goodies…

Such  gorgeous lace…

  This broad lace looks as if it belongs on an elegant bridal gown...

 

My favourite...delicate pink lace...

I love this borad cream coloured lace...such a beautiful design... 

This white is so pretty with the light pink edging!

Soft blue lace... 
 

One doesn’t see lace such as this all that often…at least not where I live…

~

It is such a joy to have a hobby…to have collections of goodies you can turn into beautiful creations and bless others with…

These are just a few of the cards I made yesterday afternoon with my beautiful new lace…

 

Vintage butterflies...

 

Red and cream...

I am blessed in that my hobby turned into a business last July, and I am able to use beautiful fabrics, pretty buttons and lovely lace almost everyday…

But sometimes it is delightful to spend a little time creating something for yourself…trying a wonderful new pattern or sorting buttons, lace and fabric scraps.

I believe we should all do something we love to do…perhaps it is calligraphy…music…painting…cooking…  Maybe like me it is a few things such as quilting, knitting or gardening…

It is lovely dreaming something up, and then creating it with your hands and your heart, pouring love into every detail…there is something uniquely satisfying in this process…

What are a few of your hobbies…?

~ Saturday blessings, dearest readers ~ 
 

 ~ And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.  Psalm 90:27 ~

Papercrafting Happiness...

 Happy Monday, sweet friends...  

A new week has happily begun, and I am enjoying a lovely time 

away visiting family and precious friends...:)

But I thought I would show you a few of the cards

I made just recently...  Is there anything more delightful than

creating with pretty papers, ribbons, gems and pearls...?

Oh, I always love playing with my supply of cardmaking goodies!

And I especially love making cards for dear people...

It brings me such pleasure...how true the 

Bible is when it says it is more blessed to give than to receive! 

"I have shewed you all things

how that so labouring ye ought to

support the weak, and to remember the

words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is

more blessed to give than to receive."

~ Acts 20:35

~

 This adorable bird card is for a very sweet friend of mine...

I just had to add some of my new hessian twine, and a few striking green gems,

and a simple greeting completed the card...

Do you enjoy using gems on your paper creations...?

 I always seem to have a little trouble creating a masculine card!

I made this simple blue card for my dad for Father's day, hence the 'F' 

which I created using some of the more masculine buttons in my little collection...  

Again, I used some hessian twine, as well as dark blue grosgrain ribbon

 Do you like making masculine cards...?

...And as many of you know, sweet Miss Rebekah celebrated her

sixth birthday in June!  I thought a simple

monochramtic card would be just lovely, so I layered different

patterned and textured green papers and added a length of

gorgeous lace as well as a cute cream coloured straw hat!

How do you like creating monochramatic cards...?

~

Thank you for stopping by, my friends...

Wishing all my dear readers a wonderful and very blessed week!

I look forward to visiting each of you very soon!

~ She seeks out wool and linen with care and works with willing hands...  ~