Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor Part 1

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Part 2

God Bless you Gianna for sharing your story......and for not being bitter about what happened to you, instead using your story to glorify our Lord. You are more inspiring than anyone I have ever heard and I thank you for your incredible, powerful testimony. When I feel down or weak, thoughts of you will lift my spirits..............

New rug patterns....

"Bunny Love"
punchneedle shown here
but I've adapted the design into a rug pattern for all you hookers out there
©teresa kogut

I spent most of yesterday uploading prints to my Etsy shop and early this morning I added two new rug patterns to my website! Dontcha just loooove "Bunny Love".......I designed this punchneedle pattern several years ago but I used pinks and creams. It was cute but I really like it with the darker more folk-artsy colors. (folk-artsy....is that a word....well, it is now!) Wishing you all a blessed week.

A wonderful weekend....

Friday, September 24, was our 22nd anniversary.......Kevin and I spent the evening at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) setting up our booth for the show on Saturday. After setting up we dined at a Japanese Steak House called Genji. Oh so delicious! We enjoyed our time together...even if work was involved......in our busy lives we take what we can get ;)

Our friends Bob & Peggy were in the booth next to us. They own a wonderful Country Store called Wren in the Willow in Goodrich, Michigan. They also make all kinds of clever & whimsical creations to take to art & craft shows. (pictures below)

Kevin's cousin, Art, and his wife, Elaine, had a booth right behind us, too! We were surrounded by friends and family during the show and enjoyed visiting with them.

After the show Saturday, Kevin packed up his drums and headed for a gig, I picked up Ryan and headed for a bonfire at some friend's house in celebration of his promotion....then Sunday, church, Ryan's football game and back to church for the youth's Edge night. Busy, busy, busy....but all really good stuff!!

New prints on Etsy!!

After surviving the show in Minneapolis, I took the afternoon yesterday to post prints for sale on my Etsy Shop! Check them out here. Wishing you all a blessed week and hope you are having incredible weather like we are here in Michigan.....sunny, breezy, mid 70's.....ahhh, early Autumn, there's nothin' like it!

The Creative Connection Event

at the Hyatt in Minneapolis, Minnesota

My best friend and Mom, Yvonne

Dontcha just loooove this business card holder......a great find on our annual Ohio antiquing trip this past August

Jennifer, Me and Pat

Wednesday night we attended a book signing and dinner gala. Many ladies that were featured in the Autumn issue of Where Women Create magazine were available to sign copies as well as many other accomplished authors were available to sign their books. I was especially excited to meet Pat Murphy of Murphy Bears and her daughter Jennifer Murphy of Jennifer Murphy Bears. I have a nice collection of Pat's amazing mohair bears and hope to add Jennifer's adorable treasures to my collection.

Irene is a fun, whimsical creative artist just down the aisle from our booth. I frequently visited her and her husband, Dan. Love, love, love her work and she is just the sweetest friend.

Directly cross the aisle was Olive and Ollie. Heather pictured here with her sister offered colorful and creative clothing for children. Heather designs and sews the clothes using mostly Amy Butler fabrics. If only I had a lil' girl......the dresses and skirts were incredible. Check out the adorable Halloween dress on the table.....how cute!!!

Barb of Lantern Hill Candle Works and Barb Fredin Designs

Our sweet neighbor across the way had the best smelling booth at the event! Mom bought us each hand lotion that smelled of a luscious dessert, I also bought a orange spice reed diffuser and to top it off, Mom ordered a personalized hand crafted charm bracelet!

Kecia Deveney of Lemoncholys

Another creative soul across the aisle had one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using vintage or found objects. Extremely creative thinking went into each piece she made. Oh and she celebrated her birthday at the show too!

Mom and the Fiber Goddess, Connie

Connie was our talented and charming next door neighbor at the event. She offered the most beautiful hand-dyed ribbon and satin cording for making everything from jewelry to purse handles.. Connie also invented the Diva Cord Maker......an amazing tool that is simple to use but the finish cording looks very complex and gorgeous.

Mary, Mom (Yvonne), Bert, Me and Dana

The friends we made at the Creative Connection was the true joy of this event. Bert and Dana are a Mother/Daughter team of expert jewelry designers. They travel all over the country teaching their techniques.....from basic stringing to bead crochet. Their jewelry is not only beautiful but durable. You know those bead bracelets that are strung on what seems like a rubber band and one day while pushing on over your hand the band snaps and the beads roll everywhere.....well that will not happen with Chicken and the Egg / The Well Done Experience's beaded bracelets. They are crocheted with cording...very strong and durable. Looking forward to keeping in touch with these beautiful ladies.

Last.....but certainly not least.....

Stacy from Buttermilk Basin and Me :)

As we were hauling our booth into the hall, we passed by Stacy's booth and it immediately caught my eye. She designs the most wonderful quilts, wool applique, punchneedle, pillows, and embroidery! Being that Halloween is just around the corner, most of her booth was decked out in celebration of the whimsical holiday. Little did I know that we would become fast friends over the next few days. Stacy is not only very talented but she is a kind, vibrant, generous and funny person. I am glad to have connected with her and look forward to seeing her again at future shows.


Thank you to my Mother, first of all, for coming with me to this event. We had the most incredible time together....many great memories were made! Thank you to all the amazing women that put this event together, mostly Jo Packman and Nancy Sarino. Thank you to all the wonderful friends I made......and helped make the "slow" times pass with much laughter.

I hope you can take time to click on each link I've made on this post and check out the beautiful work these talented ladies create. The idea for the Creative Connection event was to bring together women from all over the world and from every level of creativity to inspire us all to live a create life.........in my opinion the event did just that.......here's to living a creative life!!

Inspiration Monday

Scouts Honor
© Norman Rockwell

I subscribe to Zig Ziglar's newsletter and last week's writing really moved me so I wanted to share it with you.

Zig On…The Boy Scout Oath

The Scout Oath in its entirety says, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” Let’s look at the final portion of that Oath.

“Physically strong”
When we take care of our bodies, we’re energized to do more in our personal, family and business lives. One study of top-level executives revealed that 93% of them have a high energy level. Less than 10% of them smoke, 90% of them exercise regularly, and virtually all of them can give you their cholesterol level. The benefits of physical fitness are great.

“Mentally awake”
This is obviously important. In our day of change at a pace unheard of in our history, mental alertness is certainly important. Mental preparation through reading, attending seminars, listening to or viewing educational audio and video tapes as well as studying are certainly part of a young lad’s life. In addition, the things they learn in Scouting about being mentally alert include the shunning of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs which are mind and body destroyers.

“Morally straight”
The morally straight portion is perhaps the most significant. One study of the CEOs of the Fortune 500 Companies revealed that their number one asset was their integrity. The Harvard Business School Graduating Class of 1949, which is recognized as being the most outstanding class in their history, almost unanimously stated that their ethics, values and commitment to being morally sound with their families was a prime reason for their success.

When you put all of those things together, it validates that the Scout Oath, followed in its entirety, will produce a disproportionate share of the winners in our society today. Think about it. Make the Scout Oath part of your own life and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator. He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings. He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars. See him in action!

Quote:
When I discipline myself to eat properly, live morally, exercise regularly, grow mentally and spiritually, and not put any drugs or alcohol in my body, I have given myself the freedom to be at my best, perform at my best, and reap all the rewards that go along with it. ~Zig Ziglar

Abraham again.....

"God's side"

16" x 20" acrylic on stretched canvas
©teresa kogut all rights reserved

Most of us go through life making plans and hoping for God's approval of OUR plans, rather than, seeking what HE wants us to do....because if we follow His plan, it will be perfect and right. I wish the leaders of this great nation would live by these words and make decisions based on what God wants for us. . . .not what they think we need. . . . just sayin'

A day to reflect, remember and pray

USA

acrylic over collage papers on antique board
©teresa kogut

God Bless all those who perished on this day 9 years ago. God Bless those families that lost a loved one. God Bless the heroes who risked everything to help another. God Bless those who were there to witness the tragedy in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania yet survived. God Bless the USA.

and the winners are...........

Congratulations Eileen, Chocolates4breakfast and Krista!!! I will be contacting you to get your address to ship you your new Angel tote bag!!!! Thank you to all who entered the drawing. If you didn't win this time, keep checking back for the next give away!!

Inspiration Monday......a day late

Picture borrowed from Simple Truths. It reads
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." - Jim Rohn

I recently read that the key to success is "Do what you should do, when you should do it, regardless of how you feel." You could apply this quote to every aspect of your life really, but I find it gives me the boost I need when it comes to exercising. Don't get me wrong, I do like exercising but some days it seems like there's a lil' devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear "ah, do it later". I know me........if I don't exercise in the morning......it doesn't get done. After work the evenings are full with making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, laundry, errands or school-related activities......then I hit the wall and have run out of steam.

Another mental note that helps me to "get it in gear" is that I have never completed a work out and thought "geez, I wish I wouldn't have done that"....instead I feel a sense of accomplishment and have more energy throughout the day. Exercising also clears my head so it's a win-win.....like Nike says "just do it".

Wishing you all a successful week in everything you do.

Originals or Reproductions??

©teresa kogut all rights reserved

thank you for respecting the rights of artists :)

I am so thrilled with how these prints turned out!!! It really is hard to tell if they are prints or originals. I had birch plywood cut to size, painted the back and sides black and then I adhered the prints to the plywood.....let dry for several hours and finished with three coats of matte varnish to protect the print. I am preparing for The Creative Connection Event (Mom and I leave on the 14th...yikes!) so these and any I get done between now and then are going with me, but when we return I will be offering prints for sale at my Etsy shop.