"Whatever" Purses are here!!!!

     As some of you may know I had foot surgery almost 5 weeks ago---and, although it went very well, a reaction to the meds and edema in my foot caused me to be laid up a little longer then usual.  Now, I am NOT one to just lay around and watch soaps (and what's up with cable?!-all those channels and nothing good to watch!!!) so I decided to try to get a little creative work in.  However, not being very mobile kinda limited what I could do.

     So, I gathered as many bolts of laces, trims, fabrics, kitschy items and STUFF that I could grab, sat myself down on my sofa, propped my foot up on a pillow and started sewing!!

     The one rule I made myself stick to was "JUST HAVE FUN"!!!   Under no circumstances would I let myself stress out over, 'does it look right?", 'is it too small', is it too big', is it kitschy enough', 'is it too odd'!!?? and on and on and on........NO!!

    And so I just started grabbing whatever was within my reach and sewed it on the purse.  Some purses turned out cute, some turned out a little odd, but ALL were fun to make!!!  And it was GREAT therapy as I recovered.  As a matter of fact, it was sooooooooo much fun that I decided to finish them up and I've posted them in my etsy shop for sale- www.aremadelife.etsy.com  .

     And that's how the "Whatever Purse" was born!!!  I do plan on continuing making them, even though my foot is doing better.  (I'm still in that silly 'boot' thing but will hopefully be out of it soon!)  Here are a few pictures of my Whatever Purses---let me know what you think!

Please be sure and leave me a comment, let me know what you think!
And be sure to 'like' us on facebook--'Remade Life Emporium"
Until then, God bless all and any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life
www.aremadelife.etsy.com
www.lovethatvintagestyle.etsy.com

Saying Good-Bye to a Wonderful Woman

     We experienced the loss of a wonderful woman the day before Thanksgiving, my precious mother-in-law passed away.  In truth, she was actually my 'ex' mother-in-law since I've been divorced for over 20 yrs, but she has always been "Mom Gill" to me.  She had been ill for several years now, including a recent pace-maker operation and Alzheimer's.   She had become confined to a wheelchair, mainly due to her loss of balance which had caused several broken bones from falls.  Her little 90-yr old body just could not take anymore! 

     She was an amazing woman, raising 9, yes 9, children while moving from base to base---my father-in-law was in the air force.  I believe it was the loss of her husband, my ex-father-in-law, just 1yr ago, that took a major tole on her.  She and "Big Morris" as she called him, had been married for 76 yrs!!  She told me stories of moving to Panama and arriving at the base in the middle of the night.  She turned on the lights to their base home and found........it was FULL of giant roaches!!!  Not one to get discouraged, she cleaned one of the rooms, placed all 6-young children in there to sleep and then spent the rest of the night 'de-bugging' her new home-----and she was pregnant with her 7th child at that time!!!  AMAZING!!

     I was very fortunate to have her in my life.  She was a wonderful example of the Proverbs 31 woman:
                                "She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
                      She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
                      Her children rise up and call her blessed, Her husband also and he praises her:"
                                                                                                          Proverbs 31:26-28

     I could say soooooooo much more about this wonderful woman, her creativity, her stamina, her LOVE for all those she came in contact with.  She was a constant inspiration to me and I will miss her greatly.

     And so I say, "Good-bye, Mom Gill--rest well in the arms of Jesus.  I will see again someday"

God Bless all and any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life

Vintage Hats are Cool!!

I have a confession to make---I looooooovvvveeee vintage hats!!  No really, I have this fetish for just about anything vintage/retro, but I LOVE vintage hats!!  I look for them everywhere I go---garage sales, estate sales, resale shops--anywhere I might be able to find them.  And because of that, I've attained quite a collection.  I find it very hard to 'let go' of many of these hats, some are just so beautiful.  I find myself wondering about the woman who wore it.  Did she only wear it for 'special' occasions or was it a regular part of her attire?  Was it a church hat or more a party hat?  Was it worn with a party dress or to a funeral?  How did she feel when she wore her hat--did it make her feel pretty, more confident?  Silly questions, maybe, but hats are such a personal choice and are a little 'window' into what the wearers life was like.

I managed to acquire some wonderful ladies accessories recently and thought I would share the beauty of a time gone by when hats were not only an addition to your wardrobe but a statement of  life!

These are just a few of the many wonderful hats I've been blessed to find.  Some are very elegant, some are dressy and some, like the 'fruit' hat, are just for fun!  All these will be posted soon in my etsy shop--so if you're interested in a great accessory for your new outfit then drop on by and try one on!!  And don't worry......I've got plenty more!!!

God Bless all and any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life
www.lovethatvintagestyle.etsy.com
www.aremadelife.etsy.com

Introducing My New Logo!

My new logo is here!  As you can see, I've posted it as my header.  I really, really love this logo---it's been several yrs in the making!

'Back in the day', I studied in college to become a graphic designer.  I loved creating/designing/drawing and  hoped to make that my goal in life.  But things change, marriage happened, three children came and then divorce, things that redirected my life down a different path.  Creating was forgotten as I struggled to raise and take care of 3-children by myself.  It wasn't easy.  All thoughts of doing ANYTHING creative were lost to the daily grind of just making a living.

But my Heavenly Father is a good Father and He began placing in me the need, the desire to begin creating again.  And so, my business "A Remade Life" was born, a testimony to God's love for us and His ability to 'give new life to gently used items'.  But the process has been hard.  Unused for soooooo long, my creativity is slow in coming----ideas don't readily pop into my head as they used to, my 'creative' vision doesn't see like it did so many years ago.  But again, my Father God is good and I am learning all over again to be patient and listen with my heart to His voice, to have Faith in this area of my life as I must in all things!

And to remember that God's plans for me are higher than anything I could ever image---"For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope..."  Jeremiah 29:11

I love my logo--have I already said that?!  It's simplicity reminds me to slow down, stop making life so complicated, to let the love of God bloom fresh in my life everyday.  I'm sure I'll be tweeking my logo here and there over time, just like God is 'tweeking' me--- but the joy of this budding, new creative life is awesome!!  I will look forward to each day as a new beginning, a new 'dawn'---I hope you will come with me on this exciting journey!!

God Bless all and any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life

"My Mom" project

Here is the finished project I did for the sketchbook challenge this month. It's been a looonnnnngg time since I sketched/drew/doodled or anything like that!!   I wanted to honor my mom who is fighting cancer for the 3rd time and since the theme of this months challenge was to sketch something you 'highly price'--well, enough said.  So here it is:   
               Although I know everyone thinks their mom is the 'best mom ever' I KNOW my mom is! She is currently fighting cancer for the 3rd time in 8 yrs and at the age of 85, that's no easy task. But she's a fighter and I know she is doing her best to be victorious again! Here is her story. Please say a prayer as you read on and then call/kiss/tell your mom how great she is:


MY MOM

My moms name is Goldie Marie and I love her very much. She is currently 85 yrs old and is fighting cancer for the 3rd time. She developed breast cancer 7 yrs ago and overcame it with little effort. It returned 2 yrs later in the same breast and was inoperatable due to it's closeness to her heart. Through medicine and lots of prayer, my mom overcame the cancer again. She started having breathing problems a few months ago and so my sister and I took her to a doctor--we discovered the cancer has returned but this time in her lung. My mom is a fighter but she is so tired and feeble. I love my mom and pray for her every day. She is a good mom and I love her very much." No words can truly say how much I love my mom but I tried to express it with this picture.