March comes in like a lamb

By all accounts, a mild March is in store for us here in Southern Colorado.  As long as the sun is shining, it's okay by me!  So many Americans have been tested by their weather conditions lately.

My husband ordered me this pillow for Valentine's Day from an Etsy seller.  I just love it!  Other celebrations included a locally-produced play of Enchanted April, one of my favorite movies; it was wonderful, and while at the theater I bought the novel it was based on, and am loving it tremendously!

 We had dinner before the show at a local restaurant called The Blue Star.

It was fun and memorable.  Had we known that March would come and we'd still both be out of a permanent job, we would've been more frugal with our night out. I love to support the local arts and thoughtful cuisine, but it can be expensive!

As part of an effort to remain always grateful, I created this happy memories jar last week.  It's basically just a Ball jar (antique, with a zinc and porcelain lid) with strips of paper to write on whenever something good happens in 2017.  At the end of the year -- especially one that's going like this one -- it's easy to remember what went wrong and forget all the little blessings of daily life.  I hope this one fills up by years' end.

Here's what else I've been working on: a fabric journal with a Jane Austen theme!  I've gotten as far as choosing the fabrics, trimming the quotes, and sewing them on to the page.   Then, I sewed the leaves together at the top with felt in the middle for stiffness.  I can't wait to begin the fun part: adding all the embellishments!

This is a fabric printed with quotes from Austen novels that I bought on Etsy a while back.  I'm excited to be using it.  It seems as though many of the fabrics I chose for this project are new, rather than vintage -- but most of the decorating will be done from my vintage stash, so the book will be quite a mix.

Such a fun project -- and, meaningful for me.  I'm also working on a short story right now.  It's been very hard to get started on it, but I'm determined.

Not much luck at the junk shops lately, but I did come across this faded vintage runner with a hand embroidered patriotic theme.  You just don't see those everyday!

And this beautiful quilt in perfect shape -- King sized -- that is already on our bed making me happy with its cheery bright colors!

If you haven't visited Button Floozies in a while, please hop over and check it out.  I'm working on a plan to revitalize the page, as it has gone so still and quiet -- mostly my fault as I haven't been attending it as much as I might.  If you, or anyone you know, would like to write about buttons (or just post photos of your own pretty collection), let me know!