My Sweet Things

Saturday was a super great day as I joined the Trail Dames on a hike through Statewater Creek Park. The 2,000 acre park is located outside of Atlanta and has hiking trails throughout that pass along spots including the George H. Sparks Reservoir and the ruins of a cotton factory destroyed during the Civil War. The hiking paths are easy in some spots and there are some areas where some rock climbing is involved. It was a bit challenging and a whole lot of fun! Cheryl our group leader was so helpful and guided the Dames along the trail, ensuring our safety throughout the hike especially through the boulder section! I met some amazing, strong, funny, women who all enjoy the beauty of nature. We all love laughing and making new friends and that is a good thing!

A quick group photo before we hit the trail.

Gathering together to start our hike. We count out so we know how many Dames are in the group so we can keep track and make sure no one is left behind on our way out.

We begin our hike on the Historic path which will  pass along the New Manchester Manufacturing Company.

This mill was built in 1849 on Sweetwater Creek. The mill produced yarn to form cotton and in 1861, the company had a contract with the Confederate Government to produce the materials for Confederate uniforms. In 1864 with so many men fighting in the Confederate Army, most of the employees of the mill were woman and their children. Sadly those women and children were arrested in July of 1864 when the Union Calvary captured the mill and village all around it. If they agreed to sign an “Oath of Allegiance” to the US Government they were released north of the Ohio River and Indiana. Those that did not sign the oath remained in prison until after the war ended. That my friends is a bit of Georgia history!

Sweetwater Creek

There are so many beautiful boulders all throughout!

One of the terrific things about the Trail Dames is that we have so many knowledgeable women who share the history of the area. Here we are taking a break and soaking up Georgia history.

Hello lovely! I had great love for this one and I gave it a big hug! Hug a tree, it’s good for your soul. Really now! There is even a lesson on how to hug a tree. Check it here!

Moving right along the trail you will find it can you give a bit of a workout as you will find the trail rocky as pictured above.

Here are the Dames, getting their heart rates up! There are several areas where climbing up and up is involved.

We take a few short breaks along the way and when we do, there is beauty all around. I love the color and textures we see all around us.

Trail Dames with Cheryl our guide right up front! Ladies, it was so nice meeting a lot of you for the first time. I so enjoyed our day and look forward to doing it all again soon!

For those interested in the Trail Dames, click here to check us out and click here to see another post from a past adventure I had with them.

It’s all good. ~ Donna

Happy New Year everyone! Time has flown right by over the last few weeks. Two posts for me in December? Lame. I’m working on several posts and hopefully you will be seeing more of me in the next few weeks. Now, to start back up, I want to share a Thank You sign I made for my son’s wedding back in October. I waited on this post until we received the photos back from the photographer and then I wanted to make sure everyone received the Thank You cards in the mail before I shared as to not ruin any surprise.

I came across a wooden “Thank You” sign on the Weddingbee site. I saved it in my Pinterest Wedding Board and headed to JoAnn’s to pick up the simple supplies needed for the project. Take a few minutes to follow along as I show you the easy steps to make a wooden Thank you sign.

I bought two wooden plaques in different shapes and primed them. You can find these at your local craft store.

I then spray painted them with Heirloom White. It’s one of my favorites!

I used my Cricut Calligraphy Collection cartridge and cut out the words. I think these letters were 2 or 3 inches. I played around a bit to get the right fit. Terrible photo I know but you get the idea!

I used Scotch Tacky Glue to glue on the words. I like this glue the best as it has a thin applicator tip and makes a perfect thin line.

I used my trusty friend Mod Podge and applied a layer across the entire front side, back, and sides of the wood to seal the letters and add a layer of protection. So are you ready to see the final project?

Here they are! Photo credits to Tillman Branch Photography.

This is photo we used for the post wedding Thank You postcards we created using Vista Print! I am so happy with the results. They were very easy to put together and very inexpensive. Total cost for me? $8.00 as I had the spray paint and Mod Podge on hand. The small wedding details are my favorite. I hope this inspires you as you plan your events!

I will be linking up to some great parties this week. There is so much inspiration!

Made by you Mondays, Today’s Creative Blog, WhipperBerry, Serenity Now

It’s all good! ~ Donna