From House to Home

This past weekend I went to a Ladies meeting where the theme was about gaining wisdom for every area of your life. I had the priveledge of having a booth with ideas listed about working with what you have and turning your house into a home. I really enjoyed all the wonderful ideas given at the various booths. Just wanted to share my thoughts from this past weekend so I will include the booklet that I made for the event. I will also post pictures from before and after of my home and well as of the booth that I displayed last Saturday. 

First, here is the article:

From House to Home:

Anyone can livewithin four white walls, whether large or small, and still not be able to calltheir place of shelter a "home." No matter the shape, style, size orside of town you live on, as the daughter of the King, you have the wonderfulopportunity of making your house, a home. Webster's dictionary defines a house as, “abuilding that serves as living quarters for one or a few families.” Althoughbuildings are meant to be used as a shelter from the rain, the purpose of ahome is far more excellent. We also learn in Webster's that the home is a place, "inharmony with the surroundings.” With this concept in mind, I would presume thatour house is to be a place of refuge for all who enter. A place to harbor,nourish and love.

           As we all know the purpose of a lighthouse isto serve as a guide to all passing ships through dark and tumultuous seas. Ourhomes can also be compared to this very purpose. Take notice at where alighthouse usually sits. You can recognize that lighthouses are purposefullybuilt upon a hill or a rock, up above the surface of the sea. She is set apartfor a protective purpose. Her boundaries established deep within the earth. Ipersonally can’t help but to be captured by the beauty and presence of alighthouse. Anytime, I see one, I must stop and take in all its majesty. Thereis just something about their splendor and grace.

We are allfamiliar with the passage in the Bible that refers to us being the light of theworld. Let’s read it again, but this time, keep the thought in mind, that weare the lighthouse. 

Matthew 5:14-15

"Yeare the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."

   I personallybelieve that God intended for not only our outward appearance and actions to bea manifestation of His light but also our homes. As I mentioned previously,that it isn’t about what we have or don't have in our four walls that make ourhouse into a home. It is far more important for our homes to be a safe havenand refuge for our families against the storms of life. May we be gooddoorkeepers and protect and preserve the light that God has given us.

HomeyHints:

Paint,Paint, Paint!

I have recently found a new love in paint due tothe dramatic results that it instantly gives. From my own experience, I havelearned that painting vertical stripes add depth. If painting an entire wallseems a little too bold for you, a favorite of mine is to add chair rail. Chairrail will make any old room, new.

Stencils: Purchase astencil that you can use in more than one room. Again, if you do not wish topaint then purchasing the peel and stick designs are the way to go. I have themin my bathroom and they were only about $20 from Michaels. Look for a coupon inthe mail or online and you can most likely find a coupon for up to 40%off.  

I can relate to the fact if you are in a rentaland are unable to paint. Some alternatives are, ACCESORIZE! Adding colorfulcurtains and throw pillows can also give your house a homey feel. 

You can also decorate the back of a bookshelfwith wallpaper etc. if you'd rather not paint.

Mirrors& More Mirrors!

I love mirrors and the power they have enlarge asmall or dismal space.

Chair rail or crown molding also looks greataround a plain bathroom mirror. I am still in the process of accomplishing thislook in my home. Changing sink handles or drawer knobs are another great way toupdate your bathroom look.  

SimpleChanges:

I have recently learned how to make a simplepillowcase cover for an updated look. I haven’t perfected it but simple changessuch as these go a long way. It probably cost around $5 to do this.

Lamp shades, pillows and curtains can either makeor break the bank so why not make them? Making these little investments can change the entire feel of your home.

FavoriteStores to find Attractive Decor:

HobbyLobby!!

This is by far my FAVORITE store! Be prepared tofall in love from the moment you walk in. The first time that I went into thestore, I easily spent more than I should but it was worth it. I happened to goon the Saturday where all items with a wood frame of any sort, was 50% off sothis meant all picture frames and wall decor. Only one item in my cart was not50% off. To view their scheduled sale dates go to HobbyLobby.com. :)

Ross/Burlington

While shopping sporadically at these stores, Ihave picked up key pieces to accentuate my home. Mirrors are a great find atthese stores.

Michaels/JoAnn's

How I love Michaels! I am a crafty person andfind it almost therapeutic to make or recreate something. Michaels is theperfect place to go to when you are in a crafty mood. They are always a seasonahead so go right before the next season is about to begin and be sure to catchdeals. A great tip is that Hobby Lobby/Michael’s and JoAnn's all accept eachother’s coupons! You can also bring your coupon up on your phone and they willaccept it! Never pay full price unless you have too.       

WebsiteAssistance:

Below I have listed a few websites for you tolook at.

I first off would recommend opening a Pinterestaccount. It free and gives you access to so many more websites and ideas thenwhat I am sharing.     

http://www.theyellowcapecod.com/p/31-days-of-character-building.html

http://www.bhg.com/photos/i-did-it/indoor-spaces/6509600002/?photoId=6480300003

http://www.homedit.com/34-diy-headboard-ideas/

CitedSources:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homepo

The Tale of Two Shirts

With several loads of laundry to fold, a house to clean and other domestic duties to accomplish, crafting this morning was the farthest from my mind. I blame it on my new love, Pinterest! Why is Pinterest so amazing and addicting?? As I was searching for different style flower pins to make I fumbled upon this incredible website that had a dozen tutorials on how to make a cardigan and embellish with flowers. That did it for me. I was a goner. Goodbye laundry & hello sewing machine! I was so easily persuaded to ignore all my chores and create what I saw. You seriously need to check her Blog out! http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/
 
My first inspiration was to make a cardigan. So I rummaged through my closet and found a shirt that I loved but there was no way I was going to fit into it. So humm, why not make a cardigan?

Here is where I had a dilemma. What material can I use to make the stripes pop? Again I went rummaging through the house, closet, garage, hubby's clothes & finally, voila, I found it!! It was a nice blouse that I purchased last summer for like $4 from Old Navy. I never ended up wearing it because I couldn't stand the collar. Made me feel like a Grammy. (No offense to all you wonderful Grandma's out there.) Ever buy clothes just because they are on sale. Sighhh, I do. :( 
 

 

  

So I took my measuring tape and measured as Ms. Grosgrain suggested and then cut halfway between the overall width of the shirt. Cutting from the bottom up.

 

 

 

 

After cutting down the middle of the shirt making a full opening down the front, I went and tried it on. Sure enough it was still to small so I looked at the other blouse and decided to cut each side of the front seems to the the middle of the shirt. I then attached each side to the opening of the stripped shirt. This not only added more wiggle room but added style. I didn't even have to add buttons or ruffles etc. I was one happy camper!

 

 

  

  

I didn't care for the big gap on the top of the shirt and being extremely new to the sewing world, my seams weren't all that pretty.

I knew that I had to have ruffles in order to really love this shirt so I cut more of the green fabric . From one piece I made three and then cut those pieces  into circle's then sewing them together. I just pinched the ends together and sewed over the pinched area. Each circle does not have to be perfect and neither does the stitch. I think as long as the edges are pretty smooth your flower shape will look fine on the blouse.

 

  

 

I then cut them into the shape of a bean to give it more of the bow look.

 

 



 

 

I hesitantly decided to cut off some of the sleeve to add variety to the overall look. I didn't want green material on the top of the blouse that is already green. 

 

I then sewed a few of the bows together into one piece the placed them on the blouse. I crisscrossed the stripes with the green to give more definition. Again, since I am new to the sewing world I decided to use the striped material over the green to hide the poor stitching job.

  

 

 

After placing all the flower bows where I wanted them and sewing them to the blouse, I hemmed the sleeves and was finally done! I'm so excited about my new blouse and can now surprise hubby with the fact that I didn't go out and spend a dime on new clothes!!! Hooray for me! So here is the finished product!

 

 

 I LOVE IT!!!!

 

Bresina Family: Enjoying Fall~

Bresina Family: Enjoying Fall~:    I absolutely love fall! The beautiful colors, the brisk breeze...the delicious flavors of coffee that come out. (Haha!) We've been enjoy...

Greeting

In my new profession of domesticated wife hood, I have found myself thoroughly enjoying almost every moment of it. There are moments that I miss my personal independence outside the home yet am grateful for the mounds of extra time for crafting or decorating. I've been able to do so much in the past two months that I never even dreamed of doing! Thanks to Pinterest, I have been addicted to becoming the perfect domestic goddess of my home. I have been able to upgrade the look of my bedroom and kitchen, (still working on my guest room), make gobs of crafts and even learned how to sew some! Oh and I can't forget that I have been able to organize my pantry! Talk about MIRACLES! I am far from an organized person. I can coordinate my clothes in a second but getting organized is not second nature for me. Yes, my degree is in Organizational Leadership but that has nothing to do with being organized, lol. I truly believe that if your calling is to be a stay at home mom/wife then why not make the best of it? I'm not quite a mother yet except to my sweet precious little 8 month old puppy, Bella. She's such a doll but she does have her moments of Princess Stardom. The Maltese in her can over take her shih tzu side at times.



 

 

When we got our precious Bella, hubby was not too thrilled about it. Actually, he wasnt at all. poor little thing was sick the first night we brought her home. I took her to the vet in the morning and the Vet said she didnt even know if she was going to make it. Bella was a lil' trooper and pulled through.  Here is a  little video clip of our first week with her. She looked so sickly.  

 

 

Daddy was so great about taking her to her Doctor's appointments. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Anyhow, let's get formally introduced.

 

 

 

From: Born and raised in Southern California, I am definitely not your typical SoCal girl. I wasn't raised living on the beach and I don't have all of daddy's money. I actually grew up in the wonderful High Desert about 2 hours away from Vegas. Hardly, ever went there even though I was so close. Taken by my adopted grandparents, this was one of my favorite views of the desert. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I currently live in Washington. It is quite a difference geographically speaking but over the past few years I am learning to love it here. Today on my way to church I saw a beautiful tree that I just had to take a picture of. Fall here is nothing compared to that in California.

 

 

 

Age: I am almost 30 years old!!! Help me Lawd! Sighhh, the big 30 will be here in less than 8 weeks.

 

Kids: If this doesn't include pets than I have none. Waiting on God for this one. Praying its soon. :)

 

Relationship Status: I am married to an amazing man! He is everything I prayed for, dreamed of and can't imagine how God saw fit to bless me with him. We married December 19, 2009. Three whole days before my 27th birthday. He is the polar opposite of me when it comes to some things yet were so like minded that we mesh well. I never believed in the whole compatibility thing until I met him. God surely knew what I needed. Jason is from a little town in South East Missouri, Portageville. Yes, he has a drawl. Sure enough it has rubbed off on me some, as much as I hate to admit it. He is currently 3 classes away from his MDIV and will then go on to serve as an Army Chaplain. Talk about smart, his current GPA is 3.87 and of course he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pacific Lutheran University. I, on the other hand barely made it through some of my courses. But that is why we are together, right? God chooses a Helpmeet for us. :)  

 

 

 

Education: This took me quite sometime to achieve but thank God I did! I graduated with my AA from Victor Valley College in June 2008 and then went on to Azusa Pacific University to receive my Bachelors in Organizational Leadership. I finished all my upper devision units about a week before our wedding and completed my additional 21 elective units after I was married. This took sometime and finished them in September 2011.

 

 

 

Leadership Training: My hubby & I are currently the assistant Pastors at our local church organization with the United Pentecostal Church. I married into this while he held this position before we met. He is also the Youth Secretary of the WA district with the UPCI.

 

For the past 10 years up to current we have both worked with the youth in our congregations. What a great blessing and challenge it has been to be able to give back to others what has been given to me. I would not be where I am today if the Church had not invested in me. So thankful for all who sacrificed so much for me!  

 

 

 

 

That is all for today! I will post more this week hopefully. It's going to be a busy one with Ministers & Wives Retreat.