October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 30 and 31

Wow!  It's the end of October already!  Wasn't it just October 1st?  Well, here's the last 2 days of the October verse challenge.

Day 30 was "Clothes."  I could think of lots of verses about clothes.  Here's one.

"And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get." - Mark 15:24 (NIV)

And today's theme is "Whatever you please."  I'm going to take that literally.

"Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him." - Psalm 115:2-3 (NIV)

This has been a really fun challenge for me, and I've enjoyed finding the verses each day.  I'd love to do it again sometime.  :)

Oh, and Happy Halloween!  :D

Niki

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29.

Heh heh heh, let's not waste time on excuses.  Day 24.  "Weather."  There's a lot of verse about weather in the Bible, but I can't find the exact one I was thinking of, since I don't know the reference. This one's close.

"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " - Matthew 5:45 (NIV)

Day 25 was "People."

"I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” - Hosea 2:23b (NIV)

Day 26's theme was "Listening to."  I'm not sure if I actually ever settled on a verse for this one. 

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. " Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

The theme for day 27 was "Morning."  I thought of this verse right away.  It was very fitting, as it seems like a lot of people have been having bad stuff happening in their lives lately.

"For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. " - Psalm 30:5 (NIV)

Yesterday's theme was "Looking back."  Well, I thought of the classic Bible story of Lot's wife.

"But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. " - Genesis 19:26 (NIV)

And finally, today's theme.  "Moon."  And yes, I have used this verse before.  It's a good verse!

"When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him? " - Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)

Well, there you have it.  6 day's worth of verses.  I have been finding the verses on their assigned days, I just haven't gotten around to posting them.  :)

How's your week been?

Niki

"You just get cuter and cuter!"

 

 

Oops.  It's been several days since my last post.  Honestly, I haven't even been on the computer in a few days.  Partially because the computer gets used a lot by other siblings, and partially because I haven't had anything to post about. 

I finally wore something outfit post worthy to church yesterday.  I recieved some very nice compliments from very nice people, which is always encouraging.  (See post title)  People also kept asking me why I was so dressed up.  I thought I was dressed fairly casually with the long cardigan and whatnot, but it doesn't matter.  It was comfortable and I felt pretty in it. 

Anyway, this outfit was a great way to get more wear out of a summery dress.  The long cardigan with a belt was a twist on the traditional dress and cardigan combo.   This look would be awesome with boots, but my only pair is wintery and furry and I thought that would look weird.  I need to get me some new boots...

How do you transition your dresses to fall?

Niki

Dress: Old Navy.  Cardigan: my mom's (Chadwicks)  Belt: thrifted.  Tights: my mom's.  Silver flats: thrifted.  Ring: my great-grandmother's.

Jumpsuit to Dress Refashion

 

So, as you may have seen in my post the other day, I thrifted this jumpsuit that I would shudder to see anyone wear.  But the print was kinda sweet, and the price was right, so I took it home with me and transformed it into a little dress.

 



 See?  The print is a bunch of tiny little flower baskets.  Kinda cute.  But not when it's part of an outdated pantsuit with shoulder pads.  :P

Here's the finished product.  I made the pants into a skirt using the same method as in this post, then shortened the skirt to a more modern length.  I took in the sides a little and I cut off the sleeves, and changed the neckline by removing the collar.  I tried my hand at making some bias tape to finish the neckline with so that it would lay flat, and it came out ok.  Not wonderful, but better than my first try.  I also had to take the bottom button and move it up to the top because my neckline was higher than the original. 

Here's a back and side view of the finished dress.

 

Here's a closer picture of the bias tape neckline I made.  I don't know if you can see it very well or not.

So what do you think?  Should I add pockets to it somehow?  I'd also love to hear any styling ideas you guys have for this dress.  I'm still trying to figure out some ways to wear it without looking outdated.  Thoughts?

Niki

Jeans, Tea Cups and Jumpsuits, Oh My!

 So, I went to the thrift store.  Again.  I desperately needed a pair of jeans that fit me!  Ok, not desperately, but none of my jeans really fit me anymore, which is a good problem to have, but was getting annoying.  So off I went to Salvation Army. 

 

 

I tried on tons of jeans, and only 2 pairs fit.  Jeans shopping is always like pulling teeth for me, even at regular stores.  But I really like the ones I found.  They fit me well, they look nice, and they were cheaper than the other pair that I was considering.  $7.99 isn't bad for a pair of good jeans.  :)

 

Now, before you freak out about the hideous garment above, I am not going to wear it as is!  *shudder*  It's a horrid jumpsuit with shoulder pads and everything.  But it was the color of the day, so for $2, I thought I'd do an experiment and turn it into something much less hideous.  But that's a post for another day.  Hint, hint.  ;)

 

 

I also found this lovely cup and saucer!  It feels like a mug and looks like a tea cup.  And it's red!  It was $3, and cheap-o that I am, I almost didn't get it, but I'm glad I did.  It's been fun to drink tea and coffee out of something cute, and the plate is the perfect size for a snack. 

 

I also got a book of optical illusions for $1.  Always fun.  Makes your eyes a little buggy, though.  :)

 

Oh, and the shirt I'm wearing in the picture above will make an official debut soon, as well. 

 

Have you found anything awesome at a thrift store lately?

 

Niki

 

 

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 22 and 23

Day 22: "In your town."

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." - Revelation 7:9 (NIV)

What does this have to do with my town?  Well, people from my town will be part of that great multitude.  :)

Day 23: "The view from here."  Is it cheating to use a verse twice?  Ha ha.  I'll just do two verses. 

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

I've used this verse before, but it definitely fits.  Our view from here is so dim and warped. 

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?" - Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)

Another view from here is the stars.  Well, ok, it's cloudy tonight, but whatever.  When we consider the stars and the hugeness of the universe, it changes our view on things and we realize how small we are.  But yet, we are still so important to God!  Crazy, right?

Niki

Liebster Blog Award

I was honored when Helen over at the Blue Eyed Beauty Blog awarded me with the Liebster Award!  It's a blog award that is given to up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  No one really knows how it started, but it's just kind of a "Hey, nice blog!  Here's an award." type thing.  Here's the rules:

1. List 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.
5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

Let's begin with 11 facts about myself.
1.  I'm a pretty shy and quiet person in real life.  It takes me a long time to create friendships.
2.  I love good food.  Too much, sometimes.  :)
3.  I've lived in Oregon my whole life except for 1 year when my family moved to Texas.  I was 12 or 13.
4.  I can't stand when parrots talk in movies.  Especially cartoons, because they always make the bird way too intelligent. 
5.  Monkeys scare me.  Curious George is an exception to the rule.  He's cute.  So are sock monkeys.  But most other monkeys are scary.  Especially the one with the cymbals in Toy Story 3.  Pure evil.
6.  I used to think I wanted to be a marine biologist.  The ocean has always fascinated me. I love the smell of it and I love the sound of it, and I love the animals that live in it. 
7.  I love to read.  Not many things can beat a good book.
8.  I've decided that if I had to be a villian of some kind, I would be a pirate.  Probably because they get to live on the high seas.
9.  I've never met a Disney Pixar movie I didn't like.
10.  I took piano lessons for years, but never really enjoyed it until the last year or so when I started teaching myself to play songs by just looking at the guitar chords for it.  Now I play on the worship team at my church every now and then.
11.  I don't have a favorite color, but I usually say dark red when people ask.  Like deep, blood red.  But I also love teal, purple, blue, green, grey....Actually, it's easier for me to list the colors I don't like.  Ha ha.

Now here's the 11 questions that Helen asked me.

1. Where were you born?
In Troutdale, Oregon.
2. What is your favorite hobby?
Reading.  Closely followed by sewing.
3. If you could only have five pieces of clothing in your closet what would they be (not including pajamas or undergarments)?
My gray maxi skirt, my denim jacket, a pair of jeans, a button-up shirt and a plain t-shirt.
4. Are you happy living where you do right now?
Yes.  I've only lived outside of this area once, and it was a horrible year.
5. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
Getting to express myself in new ways and getting to share my projects and stuff with people who (hopefully) appreciate them.  :)
6. Have you ever gotten an award before--not just in the blogging world!-?
Blogging, no.  I've gotten a couple awards at AWANA grand prixs, though.  For style, never speed.  Ha ha.
7. Would you rather go for a walk or a run?
Walk!  I hate running!  I did track one year.  It was horrible.  I was the slowest person there.  I was always last and it felt awful.
8. How many kids do you want to have?
As many as the Lord chooses to bless me with.  :)
9. What are your favorite junk foods (3-5)?
Oh man.  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, salt and vinegar potato chips, brownies, Cheetos and Sour Patch Kids
10. What is one odd habit you have?
Stacking our colored cups in color order in the cabinet.  Like a rainbow. 
11. (I'm continuing this one from Julie) What was your first car?
I've never had my own car, but the one I drive now is an old Dodge Caravan.  It's ugly, but it runs.  :)

My 11 questions for my nominees to answer are:

1.  If you could be any mythical creature, (unicorn, mermaid, dragon, centaur, ect.) what would you be?
2.  What is your favorite book? I know it's hard to decide, so you can list a few.  :)
3.  What did you want to be when you were little?
4.  What's your silliest fear?  I promise I'll try not to laugh.  ;)
5.  What was your favorite subject in school?
6.  Do you speak more than one language?  If so, what is it?
7.  (Continuing this question from Helen)  If you could only have 5 pieces of clothing in your closet, what would they be?  (Not including PJ's, undergarments or accessories.)
8.  Did you have a favorite toy as a child?  What was it?
9.  What's your favorite color?
10.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
11.  What is your favorite thing to drink?

Here's the 11 blogs I want to pass the Liebster Award on to:

1.  Green Tea
2.  Much More than the Birds
3.  On a Whim
4.  Randomly Happy
5.  Secondhand Couture
6.  Sam Rosen
7.  Wunderbar
8.  The Sheer Stories
9.  Polka Dots and Pencil Skirts
10.  My Garments of Praise
11.  Crafty Girl

Thanks again to Helen for awarding me and thanks to you for reading!

Niki

Plaid and Polka Dots: Baby Steps to Pattern Mixing

Just a quick outfit post for ya.  I wore this a few days ago, and it was a really basic outfit.  But I liked the red polka dot shoes with the plaid shirt.  I'm not usually very confident when it comes to pattern mixing, but this was a baby step.  :)

Say, do any of you use Go Chic or Go Home?  It's a website that you allows you to upload pictures of your clothes, then you can drag and drop them to create outfits.  It's great for planning purposes and for finding new ways to remix your clothes.  I signed up this week and got carried away taking pictures of my clothes and uploading them.  I think I put most of my wardrobe up.  Ha ha.  But I've already spotted some outfit possibilities that I might not have thought of otherwise.  If you are already part of the site, let me know and maybe we can follow each other?  If you're not, check it out.  You may want to give it a try!  You do have to be invited, or request an invite, though.  If you want to give me an email address or something, though, I'd love to send you an invite!

I'm not affiliated with Go Chic or Go Home or anything, I just thought you might be interested in hearing about a good tool to help you discover new possibilities for your wardrobe.  It's great for thrifty gals like me who want to wear new outfits, without buying new clothes all the time.  :)

Niki

October Verse A Day Challenge: Day 21

I love today's theme.  "Calm."  I love that it was today's theme, because God was really speaking to me on the topic of peace and trust this morning in church.  Someone read this story, and it really got my attention.

^"14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
 ¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
 ²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
 ²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” " - Mark 8:14-21 (NIV)

This story takes place right after Jesus miraculously feeds 4,000 people.  The disciples are in their boat, and they've forgotten to bring enough food.  I don't think this story is really about them forgetting their lunch, but part that hit me was when Jesus asks them how many baskets of leftovers they picked up after His miraculous meals.  Did the Lord only provide "just enough?"  No!  He provided abundantly more than was required.  What does this have to do with "calm?"  I guess the Lord was just showing me that I need to chill out and trust Him, because He's going to take care of things.  We can have peace because of that promise.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  And just for fun, here's another story about calm for you. 

^"35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
 ³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
 ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
 ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”" - Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

Jesus spoke and there was instant calm.  Isn't that awesome? 

So there.  You get a lot of verses and thoughts from me today.  It was a good Sunday.  I visited my best friends church today, and it was a good spiritual change of pace.  So yeah, I was feeling extra wordy.  And I'm not sorry.  ;)

Niki

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20

 

Another catch-up post.  It's been a busy week.  I finally had a day off yesterday after working 7 and 8 hour shifts the last 3 days.  Anywhoo.

Day 16: "Something you wrote."  I wrote this verse on a piece of paper on a magnetic heart frame on my dresser so that I would remember to focus on it.  Theoretically.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." - Romans 12:1


Day 17 was "Fruit."

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." - Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)

18's theme was "Made you smile today."  Well, it was a beautiful sunny day, and the wind was blowing through the colorful fall trees.  That made me smile.

"He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." - Psalm 135:7 (NIV)

Yesterday's theme was "Letters."  There are lots of letters in the Bible.  Most of the New Testament is made up of letters to churches or individuals.  I've always loved the little personal greetings at the ends of some of them and the other things that remind you that it was a real letter written by a real person.  


"See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!" - Galatians 6:11 (NIV)

And finally, today's theme is "4 o'clock."  Nothing came to mind right away, so I did a quick Google search, and lo and behold!

"Come and see," he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day." - John 1:39 (NLT)

I intended do a post last night, but the internet stopped working.  Ugh.  Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this lovely October that is flying by all too quickly.  :)

Niki

The Fall-Back Outfit

I think this will become an easy outfit to fall back on for me.  I threw it together at the last minute for church and I really like it.  It's simple, but I think it's cute, especially with the pops of red.  It was comfortable, too.  I've said before that this skirt feels like pajamas.  Except you can wear it out of the house.  How great is that?  :)

Niki

P.S. Sorry for the horrible, late-at-night, self-timer with flash pictures.  I haven't quite mastered the art of outfit pictures yet.  :)

Jacket: thrifted.  T-shirt: hand-me-down.  Skirt: thrifted/refashion.  Necklace: self-made.  Shoes: thrifted.  Hair: side braid with red flower clip from Claire's. (not shown)

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 (Yikes!)

Oh dear.  It's been a while since I posted.  I've been kinda busy with work and stuff.  I haven't been putting together the greatest outfits, since the only place I've been going is work, and I haven't finished any of my many projects that are lying around either, so I haven't had any good post material.  But enough excuses.  Here's 5 days worth of verses.  I've found the verses (mostly) on their respective days, I just didn't get around to posting them. 

Day 11: "Something close up."

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV) 

Now we see dimly, but then we'll see face to face, or close up.  :)

Day 12 was "On the table."

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." - Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

Self-explanatory?

Day 13 = "Landscape."  This one was hard.  Probably because I was trying to find a verse right before bed.  I don't think I ever really settled on one that day, but here's one that works.

"I lift my eyes up to the hills -- where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)

I'm sure there's plenty of verses about landscapes in the Bible, but I had a hard time thinking of one that night.  :P

Day 14's theme was "Makes you laugh."  This one was hard too.  But this Bible story is a little humorous in a weird way. 

"Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number." - 2 Kings 2:23-24

It's actually kind of horrible...but it's so random, you kind of want to laugh.  I don't know...

And finally, today's theme for day 15 is "Dinnertime."  Perhaps a verse about one of the most famous dinners of all time is in order.

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” - Matthew 26:26-29 (NIV)

Well, I'll try to be more consistent this week.  :)

Niki

Do you Amigurumi?

So.....I went to the library today.  And that meant some time spent in the aisle with the craft books.  And while I was standing there, I decided I wanted to learn to crochet.  I've done a little crocheting before, but I needed a refresher.  So I got some crocheting books to learn the basics.  I also got this book.

 

 

I've been seeing these cute little crocheted animals all over the place.  Etsy has tons of them, and I've seen them on Pinterest as well.  They're so fun and impractical and cute!  So yes, I'm learning how to crochet so I can make little animals.  I watched a great tutorial here, and learned how to make a basic ball shape.  I'm kinda excited about how easy it was.  I think I'll try to tackle my first real pattern tonight.  You may be seeing some amigurumi critters around here soon.  :)

 

 

Have you ever tried making amigurumi?

 

Niki

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 9 and 10

 

 

Day 9's theme was "Red."  The first verse I thought of was this.

 

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord." - Acts 2:20 (NIV)

 

It doesn't actually have the word "red" in it, so I also found this one.

 

"Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads." - Revelation 12:3 (NIV)

 

Then today's theme is "Emotion."  There are so many I could choose for this topic.  The Bible can be a very emotional book.  :)  The obvious choice for today's verse is the shortest verse in the Bible.

 

"Jesus wept." - John 11:35

 

Sometimes, I think we tend to portray Jesus as an un-emotional person, and we treat emotions almost like they are sin.  I've even heard people say "You know, the Bible doesn't ever say that Jesus laughed..."  I don't think they're trying to say that Jesus didn't laugh, but it came across as if they thought of Jesus as a very serious person.  I don't agree.  Laughter is a gift from God.  Of course, it can be used in the wrong way, to make others feel bad, but true, joyful laughter is beautiful.  I believe that Jesus laughed with His friends, just as much as I believe He wept for them.  We also know that Jesus got angry.  He drove money-changers out of the temple with a whip!  Jesus understands our emotions, because He experienced them too.  Interesting thought.  Well, that's it for now.  :)

 

Niki

Scrap-Eating Elephant Tutorial

This is a cute and easy little project I whipped up one day.  I had been seeing all these adorable soft animals that other people had created, so I decided to make my own.  Here's how I did it.

 

What you will need:
-scrap fabric (I used cotton, but something softer would be fabulous too)
-needle
-thread
-scissors
-embroidery floss
-sewing machine (optional)

First, I free-handed an elephant onto my fabric. I based it off of a picture of a stuffed elephant, but it is a slightly different shape, especially the ears.  You'll need to cut 2 bodies and two ears.  This is great project for using up fabric scraps.

Pin one ear piece onto one of the body pieces.  You can do a tiny hem around the edge first, like I did, or leave the edges raw. 

Sew the ear onto the body piece.  I used a zig-zag stitch in a contrasting color.  Repeat for the other ear/side.

Pin your two body pieces (with attached ear pieces) with the right sides together.  At this point, you can give the elephant a tail and/or hair made out of yarn.  Just tuck them inside so that they're on the outside after you turn it.   Sew around the edge, leaving a small section open.

Turn your paciderm friend right side out.  I left the opening in the place where a mouth would have been.  You'll see why in a second.  :)

Embroider an eye on each side. 

This is why I left the mouth open.  So I could "feed" him scraps.  ;)  I decided to stuff my elephant with fabric scraps from the sewing projects I was working on, instead of using stuffing.  So it lived on my sewing table to eat my scraps until it was full.  So eco-friendly, right?  But don't be surprised if you start sewing more, and cutting things more generously just so that you can fill up your new friend faster.  :)

Once your elephant has had his fill of fabric scraps, stitch up the opening with a needle and thread.

And he's done!  You can also fill this little fella with stuffing if you want it to be softer and more squishable.  It would be an adorable gift for a baby or younger child.  :)

I haven't decided what to name it yet.  Any suggestions?  Ellie or Ollie are the obvious choices.

Niki

October Verse a Day Challenge: Day 8

Ok, so today's theme is a lot harder than any of the others so far.  "Angle."  There was nothing in the concordance for angle, and an internet search just corrected it to "angel" which isn't what I wanted.  So I had to get creative.  I thought of two possibilities.

"as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us. " - Psalm 103:12  (NIV)

 

As far as the east is from the west is an angle, right?  Sort of?  I also thought of this one.

 

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,'

declares the Lord.

'As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" - Isaiah 55:8-9

 

The heavens being higher than the earth is a math/angle thing, sort of.  Also, this verse talks about how God has a different perspective about things because He is God and we are not.  Different perspective equals different angle, more or less.

 

So there's my verses for the day.  They were kind of a stretch for the theme, but whatever.  :)

 

Niki

Dressed up for Sunday Meetin'

I felt a little old-fashioned when I dressed for church today.  I don't know why.  Maybe because my skirt is long and floral.  Maybe because not many people actually dress up for church anymore.  Maybe it was the key, watch and cameo on my necklace(s).  Who knows?  But I'm okay with it.  I've always liked old-fashioned things anyway.  Sometimes, I wish everyone still dressed up on Sunday's, hats and all.  It would be fun to have more excuses to wear pretty dresses and skirts without wondering if you look too fancy.  Not that I think this outfit was too fancy.  I'm just rambling. :)

A close-up of the pattern on my skirt.  I like the mini dots amongst the flowers. 

Do you still dress up for church every week?  And by "dress up" I guess I mean wearing a skirt or dress, or just trying to look nicer in general.  :)

Niki

Skirt: refashion.  T-shirt: Old Navy.  Cardigan: Old Navy.  Flats: thrifted.  Necklaces from various sources.

October Verse a Day Challenge: Days 6 and 7

Another two day post.  I did actually think of a verse yesterday, I just didn't get a chance to post it.  :)

The theme for yesterday was "I'm thankful for..."  There are so many verses about gratitude and thanksgiving in the Bible.  That's because it's important.  :)  And I have so much to be thankful for.  But here is the verse I chose.

"giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:12-14 (NIV)

That's what we ought to be most thankful for all the time.  That God has qualified us to be apart of the Kingdom of his Beloved Son, and has chosen to redeem us from all of our sin.  I definitely take this for granted sometimes, when I shouldn't.

Ok.  Day 7.  "Light."  Wow.  So many choices for this one, too.  But as soon as I looked at the list today and saw that word, I immediately thought of this verse.

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12 (NIV)

Just another thing to be thankful for.  We will never walk in darkness, because we have Jesus, the light of the world. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday!

Niki

Floral Dress to Skirt Refashion

I'm super excited to share my lastest refashion with you!  It's one of my favorites to date, and I can't wait to wear it tomorrow! 

 



 

I started out with this dress that I thrifted years ago when I needed something for a party. I wore it once, maybe twice, then it stayed at the back of the closet. Even though it fits me now, and it's a perfectly good dress, it just didn't love the way it looked on me. Empire waists aren't my most flattering look, unfortunately. However, I still loved the floral sheer fabric.

So out came the scissors. I chopped off the top of the dress under the waistband. I realized that the two layers of the dress were not the same width, which would have made it tricky to create a waistband, so I decided to fully seperate them. I had to cut around the pesky side zipper to take it out, but it all worked out in the end. :)

 

I started by making the inner lining into a sort of slip. I trimmed off the top where I had cut out the zipper.

Sheers can be tricky to work with, especially if you don't have a serger, but I just sewed a tiny hem around the top of the slip, then folded that over again  to make a casing for the elastic.  I used a thin elastic, probably 3/8" or so.  That's what I had on hand.  I threaded the elastic through the tunnel I had made, and sewed up the ends.  Then I finished sewing the casing closed.

For the overskirt, I had to close up the side seam where I had removed the zipper.

Then I repeated the same steps process as for the slip to make a casing for my elastic.  For the overskirt, I used a wider elastic.  I think it was 1" wide.  I didn't have to hem the bottom of either skirt, because I left the original hem intact.  That was nice.  :)

There you go.  A slip, a skirt and a sash all from one dress!  For the sash, I just cut the ties off the dress and sewed them together.  I can tie it in a bow in the back, on the side or even in my hair.  :)

 

I love, love, love the way this turned out!  It's floral and feminine, and the darker colors are perfect for fall!  Plus, I adore the way the sheer fabric drapes and swishes.   I think I may be a little too excited about this refashion.  I'll try to do an outfit post tomorrow when I wear it to church.  :)

Niki