2 for 1 photo shoot

Last week I posted my photo shoot with the quilts.  While we were there, I also took some pictures of my own aprons and shawl.  Here a few of them.  I'll be putting them on Etsy soon.

 These artist/vendor/gardening aprons are sturdy and a lot more fun to wear then the plain black one's, wouldn't you agree!?

 These Spring Crescent shawls are incredibly soft and very versatile.

 Also a triangle shawl.

Just photo's

Spring has arrived early this year (yes, we may still get a snow fall, but lets just ignore that fact for now!)  And with a new phone that now supports instagram, I can now join in the daily photo challenges.  I tried one of the 365 challenges, but found it a bit tough to follow, so now I joined the fmsphotoaday http://fatmumslim.com.au/ challenge.  One of the last words was macro, and I love macro, so it was hard to narrow my favorites down to only one.  Another word was matching, so I also included a few of my other matching pictures.  The rest, such as these train pictures I'm starting off with, are pictures I took will out on Saturday.  I love when I'm not driving, it makes picture taking so much easier (safer! :) )

Matching silo's

Matching socks @ Extreme air park

But I finally went with matching headlight on this old truck @ Rebel Concepts. 

I choose this Hellebore (Lenten Rose) for my macro shot 

Love the center of the crocus 

The details on a bee never fail to amaze me!

A lily 

The first tulips in my garden 

Quilts for the Ukraine.

'What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for the world and others remains and is immortal!' ~ Albert Pike.

My mother-in-law has always been an amazing seamstress.  As long as I've know her, she's made beautiful children's clothing, teddy bears, quilts and many more things that I'm sure I'm forgetting.  Some of you many remember her store, Country Side Boutique, which she eventually sold, and is now known as Teddy Bear Dreams (I bet a few of you learned something new just now ;) )  Many of her children and grandchildren have beautiful clothes and quilts that she made for them over the years.  My kids still use their quilts all the time and love them. 
Fast forward to 3 years ago, when my MIL became aware of the opportunity to make quilts for the Ukraine.  There is a Ukrainian church just over the boarder in the USA that gathers up all the donated clothing and quilts and then ships these much needed items to the poor folks back home. 
Over time her own supply of materials ran low, but by then others were becoming aware of the amazing work she was doing, and the donations began to flow in.  Now each month or so, we get together to do a photo shoot of  the quilts that are just completed, before they get sent off.  Not only is it nice for her have a record of all the quilts she made, but this way people who donate material can also see what has been done with it.
With the demand constant, and the materials flowing in generously, my MIL put out the word that she would welcome some help.  Mrs. Beekman took her up on the offer and is now also making quilts. 
In the past 3 years, my MIL herself has make 360 quilts!!!!!!!!  I know right!!!!  Crazy amazing!!!!
As a photo shot in the same location can get a bit boring, my MIL asked if we were allowed to use this barn for this weeks photo shoot! We were so fortunate to have warm (almost hot against the sunny, south side of the barn) spring like weather for our shoot.  Thanks to the Goudzwaards for letting us use your barn.
For these quilts, several of them are made with left overs from the Hygiene Packs that one of the local churches is making (you may have read about them a while ago in the local paper)http://www.theprogress.com/community/275802201.html  It does mention the quilts in this article, but instead of going to Croatia, as the article says, it of course the Ukraine.

 

 

Most of the quilts I posted here are my mother-in-laws, but the one's below are made by Mrs. Beekman.  There were of course more quilts that we took pictures of, but I really like how these one's stand out against the barn wall.

 

GCC Manner's Tea

Each year around this time, the Timothy Christian School 'Girls Craft Club' has it's annual Manner's Tea.  All the girls and leaders get dressed up fancy, some wearing wedding dresses, bridesmaid and grad dresses.  To receive their Etiquette badge each girl has a list of things they are required to learn about proper Etiquette, and although each year is slightly different, the basics are the same.  Good manners, table settings and other common manners in our everyday life.  Here are just a few pictures of this years tea.  For privacy reason I can of course only post pictures of my own daughters.

 We used iced instead of hot tea, which the girls enjoy much better.

 Everyone got served dainty finger foods.

 Megan enjoying her tea.

 Each girl also had her picture taken.  This is Angela, wearing a vintage dress.  (some of the girls told her that this dress made them think of Cleopatra)

 And this is the Etiquette badge that the girls can now add to their sash.