Custodians of Beauty

Time for another patch for the birthday crown ! My daughter will be turning three in a couple months, so I thought I'd sew this patch lickety-split so I don't forget. Since I didn't document the first time I made one, I thought I'd share the step by step process of sewing felt patches in this post. I used dark and light blue felt with matching light blue floss for the edging. Using the font Typewriter, size 175, I printed a "3" and used it as my template. Below you can see how I pinned the felt and paper template on top of one another. Sewing on the paper, I followed the outline of the "3".  Pinned in place and ready to sew Removing the template  After sewing all the way, around I removed the paper from the felt to reveal the stitched number. Then I used a seam ripper/scissors to cut through just the first layer of dark blue felt. I chalked in a circle around my number and trimmed it to size. Starting at t...

Today, on the feast of St. Maria Goretti (my confirmation saint), our lilies are in full bloom! The orange, deep red, white and yellow lilies are bursting with color this week. It's always been a desire of mine to own a home with a yard that is sprinkled with flowers that grow all summer long. Growing up, my mom would cut a fresh bouquet from what we had growing around the house and place it either on the dining room table or at the family altar next to a statue of Mary. I hope to carry on this tradition for my girls. This framed image titled, "Aspiration" 1897, was given to me from my Aunt Mercy the year of my 16th birthday. It's a print of the watercolor painted by British artist, Henry Ryland. It now hangs in the girls room of our new house. Interestingly, the year this was painted, the young Maria Goretti was only 7 years old. It is a beautiful and stunning image. My hope is that it will inspire my girls to live a life of holy purity and encourage them to...