Gabrielle Messina Just a Girl

Good Luck Charm

It's really the littlest things in life that prove to bring us comfort, isn't it? A warm blanket, a steamy cup of tea, a tattered toy, a reassuring phone call from a friend. It brings comfort to think at the end of the day, these things will be there to take even the slightest edge off  of our day. I wanted to make a little something for a friend to do just that; to take just the smallest trifle of stress off of her day. It's such a small token, how I wish I could do more...  A friend who's made many trips to and from doctors with her sweet child; her faith unwavering and her spirit so strong with the sweetest smile.
 I decided I wanted to make one of those moist heating pads that you can heat up in the microwave. Only I wanted a a prettier version and one that carried a message. I found a beautiful vintage postcard in my collection and printed it onto fabric and then went about creating a pillow case for the heating pad to slip into. The pad itself is filled with rice, lavender buds and lemon essential oil... it's smells divine! 

I used velvet on the back so it's soft against skin and while not in use as a heating pad and because it smells so lovely,  it can be used as an over sized sachet.I hope she will enjoy her gift and if it can provide the smallest bit of relief of a rough day, then it's doing just as it should. 

 

Hippity- Hoppity Easter's On It's Way!!!!!

Before it comes and goes, I wanted to wish you a very Happy Easter! I hope it's filled with pretty pastel dresses, patent leather shoes in lovely hues and Easter bonnets too! I hope Mr. Rabbit leaves you lots of chocolate treats and marshmallow PEEPS, plenty of sweet smelling flowers and green grass with hidden painted eggs for the kids to find!  I have a few projects started around the house and this is one of the little ones I finally got around to making one of the adorable paper clay dolls that the fabulously talented Amy Hanna contributed to Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas Christmas Magazine. So much fun! I need to make two more still.... Right now, my sweet little chick's just hanging out on our Easter tree!  A spun cotton bunny's there too! Lots of vintage flowers and eggs hanging about!  A few months ago, after seeing and swooning over it, I made one of Amy Hanna's Baskets of Love, also featured in Amy Powers' Spring edition magazine!!!! Let me tell you how much I love, love, love this project! Loads of inspiration in those pages, I'll tell 'ya! Well, very soon my little man will be waking from his much needed nap and this chick has got some Easter preparations to tend to! In the midst of all the bunnies and candy hope you'll enjoy the beauty and peace of the true meaning of Easter!!!

Lots of pastel kisses coming your way! xooxxox

 

Good Tidings

 Hello friends! I just can't believe Christmas is in two days!! Time just seems to slip away faster and faster as the years go by. Please tell me, it's not just me that feels this way! I wanted to take the time now to wish you all the Merriest Christmas, 'cause come Christmas day, we will be at our church's traditional Midnight mass, something I look forward to each year, we will go to sleep and wake to find those presents under the tree that Santa left. We will load up the car with gifts and goodies and head off to enjoy the most wonderful day of the year with our family!  There will be kissing(and pinching!!) of babies and gifts and games for the kids. We are expected to have a white Christmas, here this year too! Something, in my book that just makes Christmas all the more magical! I can hardly contain my excitement! Isn't this the very best time of year? I hope your day is filled with peace, hope, joy and laughter. With family and friends and good food. I hope all your Christmas wishes come true!  Merry Christmas, friends!
 
 
 
 

And the Winner!

  The winner of the give away is Debi! Please email me with your address and I will send you your winnings! Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. It looks s though I'm going to do sheet music all over!

  Thank you also, for the warm anniversary wishes in the last post. After we put the kids to bed, and watched a movie on the hammock outside. Nothing too fancy, just something a little different. We both liked it so much we said that we are going to do it much more often!  I really did not leave any sort of hints to my husband as to what gift I wanted this anniversary, I actually said I wanted nothing. He obliged, happily. Instead he gave me a beautiful card he made. Well, as I said earlier,  I dropped my camera. So, I guess that will be my anniversary gift. Going to look for one hopefully this weekend. 

  My mother in law has just returned from visiting her family in Germany. So, the house is now stocked with lots of German chocolate, plenty of gummy bears, Birkenstocks in an array of colors for the girls, the hubby and myself , and some cute little German made toys for the bambino.

Happy Easter Indeed!

 Finally, a good picture of all three. That never happens! Never, ever! 

                                          Happy Easter! xoxo

Good Friday

  An image I hold near and dear, reminding me of God's gift to the world.

  After putting the kids to bed last night, I decided to make some more eggs. Papier Mache( these do not open like the others)decoupaged in vintage book pages, glittered then embellished with teeny tiny vintage forget- me-nots. I have them siting on our table right now in a little egg shaped dish. Something so simple sometimes does the trick. Doesn't it?

Hello There...

Well hello, so glad you stopped by. This is my very first blog post. I have been debating whether or not to begin blogging for quite some time. And today is the day. Didn't even get fresh flowers for the picture. The inspiration was here so I acted on it. So, here goes nothing. Over the past year and a half I have been captivated and inspired by some wonderful women out there in the blogging community. They capture their everyday life and share it with the rest of us. Sometimes the everyday is ordinary sometimes extraordinary but always beautiful, always intriguing. I have discovered there is vintage loving, super crafty and extremely friendly women out there. As I see it, blogging creates friendships you wouldn't have otherwise. So that is my purpose here. To create friendships and share my life. I do hope you'll come along for the ride!