Hand-made gift exchange

I recently participated in a Handmade Gift Exchange sponsored by Craftaholics Anonymous.  This is a twice yearly event.  I always enjoy having an excuse to make something fun for someone and I get a fun package in return.  I was paired with Julia "Scrappy Jewels" for the exchange.  This is the first time I haven't been able to peruse a blog to get an idea of personality, so instead I perused a few of her Pinterest boards.  I found a ruffled apron pattern and knew that was my gift to make since she loves pink frilly things.  This is the apron I sent to Julia.  I'm glad she loves it.

I wasn't super thrilled with how the waistband turned out and would probably do it a bit different in the future, but all in all, it was a quick, fun project to make.

I was thrilled with the gift Julia made for me.  I told her that I didn't have much decor for my beautiful mantle.  It is beautiful wood flanked by built-in bookcases on both sides and has wood paneling above.  This is the focal point of my family room, and sadly it is a very overlooked part of my decor.  Mostly it provides storage for whatever we decide to stash there.  I have started hanging some printed banners for different holidays, but that's about the extent of my actual decorating, other than my nativity displays for Christmas.

Now I have no excuses, at least for the month of July.  Julia sent me these beauties:

A stenciled burlap canvas and mini pennant banner.  She says this is the first time she's worked with burlap.  I think she did a great job.  They look great to me!  I love the canvas since I like to think the heart is stamped approximately on my Nebraska home.  Over the past several years, this has truly become "home" to us.  I'm not normally a fan of chevron, but I like it when it's positioned vertically rather than horizontally on the banner.  Who knew?

If you'd like to participate in the next gift exchange, you can sign up here for a reminder email.

Beautiful Bridge

One of my favorite authors is running a "Beautiful Bridges and Special Kisses" promotion to celebrate the release of her newest book.

Since I can't think of many special kisses (although the one during our wedding ceremony and first kisses to each of my babies are great memories), I thought I would join in the fun by sharing a little bit about one of my favorite bridges, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

The bridge was completed shortly after we moved to Omaha and quickly became a highlight.  It is the largest footbridge to connect two states (Nebraska and Iowa).  Instead of just being a way to get from downtown Omaha across the river to Council Bluffs, it is a piece of visual art with sweeping S-curves and a lovely view of the Missouri River as well as the Omaha riverfront.  It's one of few places where you can be standing in two states at one time.  We've visited several times and made the 1/2 mile or so trip from one side to the other.  It's a great way to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful day.
A couple years ago we got a different perspective of the bridge as we sailed underneath on a riverboat cruise.

It doesn't matter if you're looking from above or below, daytime or nighttime (the cables are lit with fiber optics), this is one of the most beautiful bridges I've seen.