Napkin flower bouquet

Here we are at it again with our napkins and watered down paint.  

This time using an eye dropper and lots of differnt colors. 

When we made these flowers it was a cold snowy day and 

I found a lot of delight that my daughter made such a warm colorful sun.

Here are our napkins drying on our heater.

I wanted to post this because I love these colorful napkins of my kids bright creativity.

While we were waiting for them to dry the girls bundled up and left the 

warmth of our 5th floor to play in the snow, soon to be slush. 

I am guessing this is one of the last real cold hot cocoa days for this winter.  

This weekend we will be seeing 50 and 60s. :)

Here are our napkins flowers. If you remember we made them for our Cardboard town playhouses. 

However our little town has recently been recycled in the trash, but our flowers are still sweet and pretty so since spring is just a jump away,I kept them. :) Even though today is cold and rainy I am holding out for that great forecast this weekend. 

Little Cardboard town playhouses. 

Hope you enjoy our little napkin flower bouquet,

 tied up with scrap fabric as much as I do. 

In my west corner enjoying my kids and their creations. 

Becky 

ps. please do not loose heart there still is a giveaway planned and a colorful blog header coming this way...just an itsy bitsy delay. ;)

Sweet isolation and the beauty of ordinary

Living here in a different culture away from the things I used to love to do has forced me to find new outlets and embrace the beauty around me.  I don't tend to run so much or go for bike rides on trails, or visit thrift stores, or sit at Panara and drink tea for hours with friends or with just myself, my Bible, journal and my sweet little girl in her carseat... life has changed and I have had to discover different parts of myself. 

I believe that God has asked me to enjoy the process of discovering new loves here in this culture.  As I have surrendered my discontentment of not having what I was used to, to him I feel like my eyes for art and beauty have been enhanced and opened to new colors, inspirations and possibilities.  I have not necessarily surrounded myself with what some would say is beauty but I have found beauty in the ordinary and the everyday cultural differences all around me. 

I find there is much richness in quietness, loneliness and hardship…true contentment in Christ is invaluable.  Loneliness, hardship and isolation are not something to be pitied in a person but rather it would be better if it invoked some self-evaluation and a deep gratitude for what has been given. Out of hardship comes splendid growth, acceptance of oneself, sparkling perspective, depth of character, relentlessness trust in God and a faith and courage for great accomplishment! That is why my theme 'using what I have' is so dear to me.  I found that what I had was rich with creativity just waiting to be explored. He is more than enough!

Turkey and Me:

Sewing

Fabric love

Gardening in pots

Turkish black tea

Greater and richer moments of reflection 

Discovering Ebru (Turkish Marbling)

Color all around me

In my little west corner ~ full of reflective thoughts,

Becky

Homemade Lavender fabric pouches (& a bit of culture)

This little project is perfect for small sweet gifts to fit into any type of card.

This is also great for those pieces of scrap fabric and ribbon.

Each little pouch has a different front and back.

The little story of how my lavender fabric pouches came to be:

Circumcision is quite an event here. It is kind of like a coming of age party for the boys. Usually they have the party for the boys around age 7or 8. We are being invited to several these days because so many of Autty's little class mates are of that age. No, my daughter has no real understanding of these parties, she just thinks it is unfair that the boys get these parties and the girls don't. :) So as we have attended a few circumcision parties as of late, I have found that lavender is a popular thing to give to the guests. Who knew? Usually the lavender is in some sort of vellum pouch, so it got me to thinking. I decided to go find myself some lavender, figuring it couldn't be that expensive. 

I have been able to make 8 fabric pouches with this bag of lavender and I think I can easily get 2 more out of it.  So that is 1 lira (.65cents) for 10 sweetly scented pouches. Oh the things you can learn at circumcision parties. Love it!

Here is a pic of us at one of Autty's friends circumcision party. 

Two little kids and a bunch of tiny little flowers, equals a need for concentration. 

Sweetly placed in a drawer to make you smile. 

Off I go sewing up a little storm of lavender pillows, sachets, pouches etc.

Smelling sweetly here in our west corner,

Becky

Ps. Please keep your eyes open for the giveaway planned this month. Also I have finally got a Facebook page up a running..feel free to find me there. :)

Under construction

Hi  and happy Saturday.  As you can see my blog looks a tad, well, naked. No worries
Creatively Content will be up and dressed in no time with a sweet colorful surprise.

Here is a little peek at the colorful goodness that will be adoring my blog soon..
Aren't you curious??

A dear fellow blogger, mother and believer in Christ over at
Delightful Distractions has been helping me put together all this fun color. She has been a huge help and sweet new friend that I am grateful for.


The new look will also be accompanying a fun giveaway. Keep your eyes tuned in.

In my west corner...behind on laundry,
Becky


<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3185478/creatively-content?claim=qc5prfwa463">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Felt circle tree pillow

Here is a peek of something I have been working on, on and off for a bit now. 

I am hand quilting and enjoying the process and slow pace of it. 

This little pillow is going to be a gift to someone so very very special!

I love giving handmade items...especially pillows. I really hope the receiver likes it lots.

What do you think? Should I add something more or leave it simply the tree and grass?

I will show you the finished product...whenever that is. ;)

In my little west corner,

Becky

Candy bar holders & thoughtful love.

Here is a little peak into our Valentines Day. It is coming to a close and kids are almost all tucked in bed. 

It is will be super nice to be JUST with David for a bit.  

Valentines day at our house is simple and I REALLY like it that way!!!

In Turkey Valentines day is just for the lovers, no kids or parties, but I guess it is cultural because me and my honey can't seem to leave the kids out of valentines day. :)

Here is what we each did to bring a bit of celebration to our Valentines Evening. 

Cute little candy bar holders for Valentines fun. 

(Idea inspired by: This idea)

I made this today and stuffed these little personalities with candy bars. 

The big fat guy is Dave's with his favorite candy bar here in Turkey. 

I then stuffed them in our newly decorated cardboard Mailbox.

Isaac's cute candy bar holder guy, took a beating. :) :) 

Every year Dave gets us girls all the same thing. It is sooo fun.  For example: one year all three of us received purses, another year fun headbands, another year handmade shawls and this year we each received a necklace. I didn't post a pic but each was perfect. I especially love mine, it is small and sweet. :) I tend to always get the nicest item. ;)  Sweet Isaac got car and he was happy. I love this tradition and so appreciate my husband for the care and thought he always puts into these thoughtful but simple gifts. 

Here are our lady bug love cards. ~

Much care to each of you.  David you are perfect for me, absolutely perfect!!
Happy EVERY DAY love to you.

In our west corner,
Becky

Cardboard love #6 ~ Oh for the love...

For all of you following along, you know that my love for cardboard is a tad obnoxious and that it is one of my all time favorites for crafting. So sharing this post with all its cardboard goodness is fun for me (maybe too much;)).  To bring a close to my Cardboard Love Series, here is a round up of the 5 cardboard love creations in the series, plus a quick look of the different cardboard creations we have made over the years. Enjoy! I have included all the links.  

Oh for the love of Cardboard...

5. Polka dot town playhouses 4. Super duper drop box

3. DIY white board 2. Cardboard wreaths made by my girlies

1. Thankfulness mailbox

1. Cardboard chalkboard buddies 2. DIY building blocks

3. IKEA cardboard box Dollhouses

4. Cardboard playhouse 5. Cardboard Kitchen

Oh and lets not forget our SWEET TREATS SHOP 

all made by cardboard and recyclable materials. 

We used the box from our Theater night for the Sweet Treats shop.

and then one of my sons all time favorites the Button slots made from a shoe box.

(I love shoe boxes, perfectly systematical with great lids and so sturdy.)

There are other bits and bobs of cardboard running rapid throughout my posts that I did not include but these are some of our highlights and it is so fun to look back and remember. 

So which cardboard creation is your favorite?
Thanks for all you who followed this series and gave such fun encouraging comments. 

In my west corner dreaming up new ideas for my cardboard stash,

Becky

Simple quotes on contentment ~

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives.
We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us.
We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something.
We have to be content with what we are." 
Majorie Pay Hinkley

Source: August Wren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead. The grand and the simple, They are equally wonderful." 
Majorie Pay Hinkley

Please keep your eyes pealed I have reached over 300 followers and have a giveaway planned for you all. Also I have a fun surprise with some changes in my blog. Ok that is all for now..

Enjoy your day, your week and the amazingly beautiful life God has given you. 

HE is the contentment of my heart.

In my little west corner,   Becky

3 simple indoor 'use what you have' activities

HI! (This was my guest post from Mess for Less a few weeks ago... 

enjoy again or enjoy for the first time. ;))

Winter is here and Christmas has past soooo ... I am passing along 3 fun indoor ideas to break up the mundane and create some extra squeals of delight in your home.  I hope you can find some benefit from these simple activities that we are sending to you from our little west corner of Turkey.

Indoor activity #1
What you will need:
Fleece blanket, felt cut outs and masking tape

     Fleece and Felt

Use your fleece blanket like a life size felt board. If you have more than one child tape off an area for each to have their own fleece board space to create on. 

We purchased a Fun with Felt book years ago that came with a bunch of cut out felt and ideas with all different kinds of creatures to make. However with three kids I decided to cut out several more pieces of felt on my own and have added some yarn and pom-poms into the mix. 

When you cut out the felt pieces make sure to add all kinds of shapes and sizes, also include a few pieces of yarn and different sizes of pom poms. This activity keeps all three of my kids engaged (ages 8, 5, and 3).

Here are a few of our creations and some ideas for you too. :)

Indoor activity #2

What you will need:
Buttons, shoe box

With your shoe box use an exact knife to cut small and large slots in all different places in the top of the box. If you have a button collection you can give lots of sizes and variety. This activity is for children 3 and up. 

If you like this please check out our

Super Duper Drop Box .

Indoor activity #3-
What you will need:

chalkboard, paint brushes and water

 

With this idea the kids seem to enjoy several different brushes of all sizes. The kids initiated this idea and it has brought our chalkboard back into use on a daily bases. 

Sometimes it is just mixing up the things you already have that can help with the longer hours indoors. ~ Happy indoor play to all. :)

In my little west corner~ 'using what I have'
Becky

I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION, WHETHER WELL FED OR HUNGRY, WHETHER LIVING IN PLENTY OR IN WANT. I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH." PHIL. 4:12,13