Busy, busy

Chica Boutiqua is coming up this Saturday, April 16 from 10-4 at the Zionsville Town Hall and you don't want to miss it. I have been so busy this past week. I've got some new designs going on and Nature's Karma over in Carmel at Clay Terrace just got them in about a week ago. It's perfect for summer. Handbags with a beautiful flower on each one that compliments each handbag. And, in case you are wondering the flowers are made from fabric scraps that I have been saving a LOOOONG time! Melissa, the owner at Nature's Karma, is great! She just called me up and said it was time to replenish for Spring and so she bought up all of what I had - which I wasn't quite prepared for, but it was a definite blessing! So, I've been in my studio this week working feverishly to get ready for Chica Boutiqua and I think you're going to find that special handbag or piece of jewelry that you've been looking for. I'll have plenty of tshirts, hopefully some pillows and new jewelry with sea glass from Puerto Rico! (This is what happens when you love to make stuff) :) Here's some earrings that I've been working on. They're a double strand of sterling silver chain with 3 freshwater pearl bobbles.

This little trinket bracelet is made with artisan silver, leather and gemstones that range from turquoise, jasper, agate. It's unique as you can tell.

Here's another bracelet that I did. This one's a little different; it has the artisan silver heart dangling and no leather piece on the side. All of these will be at Chica Boutiqua or you can visit my ETSY website:

www.solstudios.etsy.com

Here's the store front at Nature's Karma. This store carries great fair trade items, an array of unique gift items and a great line of skin care products developed by the owner, Melissa. Her joy is contagious!!

Spring is in the air ...now, hang the door watchamacallit!

Spring has finally sprung in Indiana; I really hope Mother Nature isn't playing a joke on us! I think today we're supposed to hit 70!! Woohoo!!!!

In my cost saving and recycling mode, I made this great door hanger out of recycled coffee burlap sack. I lined it with some duckcloth and then used burlap webbing for the handle. It measures about 12" x 4" so it's tall and narrow which is perfect for a bouquet of flowers.



It's also a no-nonsense, easy door decoration. It's just simple; which is how I'm really beginning to like things.

something new....

Here's some of the latest things that I've been working on. These earrings are wrapped in brown waxed linen cord and then I added a red coral bobble. They hang about 2 1/2 inches. These are those pair of earrings that you could wear everyday and never grow tired of.



Here's another angle...



Here's a bracelet that I just finished. The center silver piece is a figure eight and it's flanked by two hammered circles. I joined the pieces by wire wrapping leather; something I've never done before, but it looks great. I added some bobbles -> an artisan silver heart and then a wire wrapped red coral. The gemstones in this piece are orange aqua terra jasper, green turquoise, cranberry red jade, kingman turquoise, chrysocolla, orange sea jasper & sea sediment jasper.


Here's a close up of the wire wrapping

Military uniforms make great handbags!!!

I met with Mandy about two weeks ago and she knew she wanted two handbags made out of her Dad's Air Force uniform. She preferred the messenger style handbags and then left the rest up to me. Here's her Dad's uniform which was in pretty good shape. His uniform had a few moth holes and it was faded, but that only added to the character of the bag. He was an airman.

Here, you can see the fabric has been cut and I've made good use of the pockets and design of the jacket. Mandy brought me her dad's total uniform (even the pants) which I had to use for the back of the handbags.

Mandy was able to find one military patch from her dad and I added it to the detail of the purse.

I used his trousers for the straps of the purse and then added his name tape to the strap and also U.S. Air Force. I love this detail and totally makes the purse unique.

Here, again, you can see the front of the purse. I added a lapel to the flap of the purse along with another front pocket. The silver buttons are a nice added feature.

If you know anyone who would like to have a handbag made out of a purse, please pass along my name. I loved creating this for Mandy and her sister and hope it will be a huge fashion statement!!

Single Moms' Super Saturday

It's so funny how things work out. Fifteen years ago, I was a single mom and I've always had a heart for single moms and their difficulties. I was truly blessed with Jay, but still I've had a soft spot for single moms. And, I really believe that God has a plan for all of us and it is baby steps all the way until he gets us where He wants us to go. So, He sends me to Africa to share my testimony with about 50 moms who have a lot of the same struggles that any American single mom would have. God orchestrated a connection with me and them that I could have NEVER done myself. He used me! Someone who never cracked the bible open until I was in my early 30's. I didn't even know where the New Testament started; let alone what it was about. Then, He opens the door for a single moms' lifegroup that I get to lead and He knows I'm nervous so He meets me where I am and He walks me thru it. Then, He places on the heart of Trader's Point Christian Church a Single Moms' Super Saturday and they contact me to kind of walk thru what a Super Saturday should look like and now I'm heading it up. I am totally out of my comfort zone, but that's ok because I know He has prepared me.

I just started reading this great book by Ann Voskamp called One Thousand Gifts and it is amazing. She really writes extensively about giving thanks for EVERYTHING-and that's something I don't do. She cites Phillipians 4: 11-12 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. She reiterates how Paul has said that he has "learned" to be thankful. She goes on to say, "Learn how to be thankful-whether empty of full. Could the list teach me even the hard language? Over time? Gratitude in the midst of death and divorce and debt-that's the language I've got to learn to speak-because that's the kind of life I'm living, the kind I have to solve." For me, I guess that's where I'm evolving. Thankful that Jay lost his job, thankful that life is hard now, but we still have our Faith and love and know that God is with us. Thankful that even during this difficult time that God is blessing me with Single Moms' Super Saturday and a time to spend it with some amazing women.

Ann cites 1Corinthians 11:23-24 "On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. The he broke it in pieces ...". Jesus offered Thanksgiving before his darkest moment. She says, "Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy. The mystery always contains more mysteries."

Inspiration

I have been so inspired by the jewelry I've seen in the Sundance catalog; each piece is amazing, but so doggone (funny family word) expensive. I love the turquoise and other gemstones that are used along with the sterling silver. For me, turquoise and the earth tones found in so many of the gemstones can be worn with almost every outfit. So, I guess you could say I've been "experimenting". Here's a pair of earrings that I finished the other day. The scroll work in the crosses is beautiful! You can check them out on my ETSY website.



Here's a decorative pillow that I just finished up. IT's made from the burlap coffee sacks that I use for my purses. The mixture of the wording on the burlap along with the burlap texture really adds to the richness of the pillow. The back of the pillow is a wide whale brown corduroy, but anything could be used.

Dear Rafik

Dear Rafik,

You may not remember me; I met you two years ago during my mission trip in Malawi. I was only in your village about 8 days, but in that short time you stole my heart. You just loved to be held and loved on and played with. You were a snuggler and I was happy to supply you with all the holding you could endure because my kids are grown. I held you on the front steps of the unfinished school house while you slept in my arms. The picture that I have posted is probably my favorite picture because your eyes look so big and your face still is chubby and you look so cute with that crown on your head. We taught all the kids at VBS that day that you are a child of the King and this is the crown you made. But, I'm not the only one that bonded with you, so many other people loved you from all the other mission trips; you blessed all of us with your joy and love for everyone.

I had friends that said I would want to bring a child home and they were right. After returning, I told everyone that if I could have adopted a child; you were the one. I would have taken you home in a minute. But I never pursued it. Although I knew your life was hard and your parents had both died from AIDS and you were living with other family members, I had reasoned that it was better for you to stay with family than to go through the transition of living with me. And, then, our church came up with a program to sponsor kids and we sponsored you and so I felt like I was taking care of you with money, but without really taking the responsibility and all the work that goes along with adoption. I sent picture albums so you could remember me and have pictures of yourself and know that I loved you. I had planned on coming to see you every couple years and following your life that way and seeing what God was going to do in the life of such an amazing young boy.

So, Rafik, my sweet baby you are in heaven now and I must ask for forgiveness. Because I know I should have done more, but I didn't. My life is so easy and there is medical care for everyone, cleanliness is not an issue and there is medicine. It never really sunk in with me that you may not live. But, now I see that my little amount of sponsorship money cannot get you out of the poverty and the diseases. I'm so sorry I didn't do more. I'm so sorry that I didn't really check into adoption, I remembered that to adopt in Malawi that you had to live in the country for two years and so I just accepted that. I should have fought harder, but I didn't. Rafik, I hope when we see each other again, that you will forgive me. I don't know what I'm going to do going forward, but I know that your 4 years of life have touched me and I hope that God will use this for something good and maybe we can save lives of other children that live in your village. Can we get a fund in place to pay for medical care? Can we hire a medical doctor? Can we teach the women in the village what to look for and care for sick children?

'Till we meet again...

Yippeee!!! I went for a walk today.....

Finally, we've had a crack in the weather today and Jay & I have actually been able to go outside and walk! The roads are clear from snow/ice, but the grass and cornfields that surround our house are still covered with the white stuff. We walked for about an hour and when we walked close to a sewer or stream you could hear the water pouring!! What a fabulous day.

Some of you may know that about a year and a half ago I had the opportunity to go to Malawi and serve. While I was there, I purchase a coin on a long string that I wore for a necklace until I realized that the string had some kind of oil on it that left a nice black mark around my neck ->not exactly the look I was going for! I've been thinking of how I could make a bracelet out of it and this is what I came up with. I love it! The coin is from when Malawi was owned by the English; I think and this was their money although it is no longer in circulation. I added some leather and sterling silver and then some great gemstone beads that match the style of the bracelet and me to a tea!


Because I fell in love with the bracelet I made for myself, I had to try and make something to sell and this is the first piece I've made. I love the tree of life sterling silver center piece and then, again, with the gemstones that are earthtone colors. There's some sterling silver beads, leather, fire in the sky agate, orange aqua jasper, green turquoise, cranberry jade, kingman turquoise, and african yellow turquoise. I should be listing it on my ETSY site in the next few days....



I met with my client today to design her handbag using her Dad's military uniform and it's going to be spectacular. The uniform is an Air Force dress uniform and a little faded which is going to have a great effect on the handbag and then she had all the insignia, buttons and name tape which will be added to the handbag. Can't wait to start working on it.

My sewing machine is going back into the hospital tomorrow. I took it a few weeks ago in for routine maintenance and cleaning out and I must be really hard on my machine because some of my parts on the machine are missing!!! Thank goodness I still have warranty to cover it.

Let's try this again...

Alright, so I'm going to be honest. I have not been the best blogger; I wouldn't even say I was mediocre -> terrible probably sums it up the best :) But, I've decided that I've still got some things I want to say and share. I've been really busy creating things and thinking of things. I've been soul searching (life changing events have that effect) and I found my best friend again. Well, I don't want to get too sappy, but I feel like I'm in a better place, but a harder one if that makes any sense.

It's kind of funny how I've been working with recycled fabrics. I don't remember ever setting out to "save the planet" from all the discarded gently worn clothing, but that's kind of where I'm at right now and I like it. I like finding old clothing and repurposing them into something better than it was originally. I recently came up with a great idea for old denim that I've repurposed into sandwich/snack bags. They're lined with vinyl and then have velcro across the top to seal. I love these bags for two reasons: each one has a pocket and the vinyl is only attached at the top so that it can easily pull out and be cleaned. The pocket is great for sending a note to your loved one or labeling what's in the bag or putting a name in the pocket which is really useful if you have a large family.





The earrings are something I created, but not out of anything recycled. I love the Sundance catalog that I get occasionally, but CANNOT afford one thing in it! Of course, I love most of the jewelry in the catalog, but there was a particular pair of earrings that I really wanted. And, so I decided that I could probably make them and I did. It's sterling silver faceted beads with turguoise chips from Nevada and then I added some sea sediment jasper beads to just tweak it a little. I may add it to my repertoire on my ETSY site!!!

And, last, but not least I've been knitting! This is something that is so relaxing to me and I've decided that I will probably not sell anything that I've knitted -> I'm too doggone (that's a favorite family word!) slow! And, this scarf that I've been working on is sooo easy to pick up and lay back down without losing my spot. It's 30" of knit 20 and slip 2 and then I'll need to knit a hole and then add another 10" and, voila! Finished!!! I've taken knitting lessons for a few months and I've stuck with the easy patterns; I'm sure Mary at the Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville would tell me I'm ready for a sweater, but I just like easing along and knitting something mindless such as this scarf. Maybe, I'll try a sweater someday, but I'm in no hurry.

So, I guess that's it for now. I can't show you everything; what will I write about next. I'm meeting a client on Wednesday to draw up a handbag pattern using her Dad's military uniforms; yeah!!! See what I mean, I haven't set out to save the planet, but it sure is fun to see what can come from something old. I've never sewn anything with a military uniform, but the wheels are turning and I'm getting excited! Pictures I'm sure to follow.

What do I do? Is there a word for it?

Let's see, I'm a mother, wife, daughter, friend.... WE all have titles and wear many different hats, but as I was working at a boutique sale this past weekend it got me wondering how do I lable myself? What do I do?

I love to sew and that seems to be what I go back to when I gravitate to other areas of crafts. I started sewing curtains and then moved into appliqued tshirts and quilt blocks. I totally enjoy sewing purses; especially recycled purses like the ones I'm working with now...coffee bags and men suit jackets. But, how do I label that. "Crafter" sounds so old fashioned and not what my friends are doing. We are creating some really cool stuff that goes beyond "crafts." Am I a seamstress? ... not really. That sounds so uptight and stiff. I envision a seamstress as one who could whip up a wedding dress in a week and still have a clean house and dinner on the table by 6. In case your wondering; that's not me. I can't sew a wedding dress and when I do sew large projects they are all consuming for me. The house grinds to a standstill and we have "free nights" for supper which means that if you can find it in the pantry and cook it yourself then it's yours! I don't clean, cook or do laundry when I'm involved in a big project. So, I wouldn't consider myself a seamstress. I also really enjoy knitting, but I think that will always be a personal hobby; not one that I will make and sell. Knitting is a lot of work and very time consuming. I think I will make things for myself and family. Okay, I'm getting off track.

Ok, so what's my title. My friends that are out there sewing and knitting what do you call yourselves? I'm thinking stitch chick. Stitch encompasses knitting and sewing. But, I guess that really just labels me and doesn't really say what I do. I want it to be something fun. I feel like Winnie-the-Pooh, "think, think, think".

What in the world is on tv?

I'm not sure if any of you tuned in to the VMA's this past week, but it was crude and disgusting. The opening monologue was Chelsea Handler being as crude and classless as possible. She was encouraging the stars to be over the top that night. She didn't mean girl on girl or guy on guy liplocking because we've already seen that; she wanted something over-the-top. She called out Taylor Swift's name and asked if she could give the camera a "titty wink"? Really? Is this what we are calling entertainment these days? Are these the people that the younger generations are looking up to? Have we gotten so low as a country that this is what must be done to shock the audience? Chelsea went on to say that she would ask Snooki to do a titty wink, but she's already done it. And, then of course, Justin Bieber (teen heart throb) could not be ignored. Chelsea said that she just loved him and his catchy little lyrics and couldn't wait to hear what he would sing when he actually saw a vagina. Unbelievable! This was on public television; 9 pm. I kept this program on for the first announced winner and it was Lady GaGa who needed help getting to the stage considering her shoes were 12" platform shoes and her dress was enormous! She graciously accepted the award and then announced the name of her new album/song dedicated to the men/women of the armed forces who have been discharged because of they are gay/lesbian. She also ended with " I f*****'n love you!" to her fans. The "F" word was bleeped out by the network, but it was very easy to read her lips and know what she said. At that point, I was totally done with this classless performance of stars who our children are emulating. It's a sad state of affairs when performer after performer is trying to "shock" the media to gain attention and increase record sales -> the end result being more money. We are selling our souls for money.

Coffee Bag purses, oh my!!!

Well, I'm just so excited with how things work out. Moving to Zionsville has been difficult. I miss my friends/family and I also miss my contacts for the boutique items I sew & sell. I've had my account set up on Etsy (www.solstudios.etsy.com) and it's been ok, but I haven't sold a ton of things and partly it's because I haven't taken the time to take pictures of all the things I have. I know-it's hard to buy something if you don't know I have it! Long story short, John Frechette, from MADE in Jackson Hole, Wyoming contacted me after finding me on ETSY and wanted to consign my purses! It was so uplifting and exactly what I needed. Consigning is not my favorite way of doing business, I much prefer a store buy them wholesale, but this is such a great opportunity. This store is much like I would like to open some day. So, I've posted a few pictures of the purses that I sent MADE. I love the look against the fence in our backyard.

Check out MADE. www.MADEjacksonhole.com

I've been Bieberfied!!!!

Here we go on our family adventure. This is Sophie's birthday surprise for her and her friend, Emma. We felt especially lucky because Hallie made the drive to Indy for this grand concert with Justin Bieber. We were all feeling a little unsure of what to expect.


Sophie has no idea where we are going, but she started to figure it out when we got into the mess of traffic and cars covered in Justin Bieber garb.

When is he going to come out? We're in our seats, we have our concert shirts and I am soooo tired of listening to 15,000 girls scream when there's any movement on stage!!

Yeah, here he is.

This was pretty cool. He sat in this heart and it floated above the crowd. I don't remember what he was singing, but he did a good job.

Last, but not least you have to watch the video of Justin Bieber opening the concert. It was crazy and extremely LOUD!!! Girls have a shrill voice anyway and when you add Justin Bieber it's nuts. He put on a good show and he is talented. There was no expense spared for his stage. Sophie and Emma had a great time and they were completely surprised.

Down, but not forgotten

This has been a very busy, busy summer. First it started with vacation, I know it's rough, we went to Atlantis in the Bahamas and it was great. We swam with the dolphins, rode waverunners and the boys even went down the Leap of Faith -> no thank you, I did not want to go straight down a slide that went thru a shark tank!

Everyone should wear a wetsuit at least once in their life!!

Sophie went to church camp in Tennessee and then I brought back 3 of Christian's good friends to visit with us in Indiana. Here we're having lunch at Bub's (local burger joint that takes your picture and hangs it on the wall if you can eat a 1 lb. burger). Christian's picture is somewhere in there!!

The Anderson's came to visit us for 3 days of total chaos. We had an absolutely fabulous time. Jay and Christian were hiking in the Rockies, so it was a total sleepover from start to finish. The kids stayed up late we were on no eating schedule and we had 3 dress designers in our midst for the stuffed squirrels we bought at the Indy Children's museum. Keleah and I solved all the world's problems. Sophie and Avery are at the Zionsville Sprinkler park in this picture.

My boys were hiking in the Rockies for a week, but now they're home and I couldn't be happier to have all my chicks in one coop. They took amazing pictures and I'm so proud of them for what they accomplished. They hiked well over 50 miles and carried their food/tent for the entire week. Not something I would want to do, but I can definitely appreciate all their hardwork getting to this hike. I can handle the Bahamas, and maybe a day or two hiking, but definitely not 8 days of the same clothes - no shower - and no toilet.

And, last not but least, I have been doing some sewing this summer and knitting. I made this knitting needle roll and have been advertising it on my ETSY website www.solstudios.etsy.com and I've been getting some great exposure. I just got contacted from a fan in England who blogged about this knitting roll and I feel so flattered. http://seconfiddlecrafts.blogspot.com

I really love sewing and knitting and making things. I'll be sharing some of my creations soon.

Tschuss!!

"knitting"

Yes, I know I've ignored you for too long! I was just about ready to give up. Almost done with blogging, selling crafts, just about ready to close up shop and do something different. I thought I would start volunteering and teaching a women's study (and I still might), but I was struck with this analogy in church today and wanted to share it.

Our town has a yarn shop and I always thought it would be kind of cool to learn to knit (coffee clatch girls don't be surprised if you each get a scarf sometime soon!) I've taken 2 classes and am almost finished with my 1st scarf. It's a lot of fun, but I'll probably never be as good as a friend of mine in our old neighborhood who can watch an entire swim meet while she knits the whole time!

So, in church today we're learning about the sermon on the mount and I get this analogy about knitting and how it compares with our life and our relationship with Jesus. Crazy timing, I know!

Imagine, a knitter picking up His first skein of yarn. He casts on his first 22 stitches onto the needle and those stitches are the base for the entire project. Without those 1st basic stitches nothing else can be done- that's our relationship with Jesus. And, then he starts stitching. Some of those stitches glide on the needle with ease, but then some of the stitches are a "little" too tight and extra care has to be spent to make sure that the stitch is done correctly. Sometimes a stitch is totally missed and now there is a whole in the project. I compare that with the life Jesus has planned for me and how I miss the opportunity he presented to me. So, the knitter can go on and leave the hole; it won't totally mess up the project and you may not even notice it, but the knitter will know that the hole is there. So, the knitter knows he doesn't want this project to have an open hole and he does the only logical thing; rips out the stitches, to the point where he can redo the project and fix the hole. I think that's where Jesus teaches us the lesson or brings the opportunity around one more time for us to grab on so we get the life he inteded us to have.
In knitting there is one yarn - a beginning and an ending. The whole project is completed with one piece of yarn that is woven in and around and can make all sorts of beautiful things. I think that is so much like the way Jesus weaves our lives. How many times have you had so many coincidences in your life that you think that just couldn't happen without Jesus -He is the knitter and we are merely the yarn.

Boys!

I hate the idea of using a cliche, but that's the only thing I can think of right now as I'm sitting down to write this post. "They grow up so fast." Christian is getting ready to turn 14 in a couple weeks and I can't hardly believe it. We just went to orientation to schedule his high school classes and let me tell you; that's another post in itself. His high school has four degrees to choose from! There's a regular diploma which may or may not get you into college. There's a diploma with honors (3 years foreign language + 2 AP classes which stands for advanced placement something beyond honors). There's International Baccalaureate -> my head started spinning when the counselor started talking about all the requirements for this diploma. I'm convinced the coursework is more involved than anything I did in college. And, then there's a diploma with honors in technology which is designed for students who want to graduate with more hands on training such as cosmetology or vet assistance or something like that. And, after 2 phone calls to the school counselor Christian decided on the honors diploma. We've mapped out the next four years and that's a little daunting realizing that after these 4 years he's going to college. Well, that's not wanted I wanted to blog about today, but thought it needed discussed.

Boys are such daredevils and I never thought that Christian would be that way. He's my worrier and my tender hearted boy. I still think of him as the 2 year old running across the bedroom floor in his batman pajamas. But, still here we are. Building skateboard ramps in our driveway and jumping them! Thinking of plans of what he can do next to top what he just did. And, then of course, I have to watch and take pictures. I really want to talk him out of doing it at all because I'm convinced he's going to get hurt. He just laughs....






Here we are into our 3rd year of wrestling and as much as I like to watch him; I'm nervous everytime he walks onto the mat. It's a total of 3-4 minutes of all out physical wrestling. It's pressure points and shoulders twisted to the max, it's bloody noses stuffed with toilet paper to continue the match. It's all I can do to watch him. If anyone could see me during his match they would probably laugh because I can't sit still and I grimace everytime he moves. The picture below shows Christian's finger which is about double the size it should be. He jammed it during practice and no amount of pulling would unjam it. So, it swelled and hurt to the touch. My suggestion was that he probably shouldn't wrestle at yesterday's match because his finger looked terrible and was tender to the touch. But, what do I know? "Can I have 2 advil and some ice; I'll be fine. I'm not missing this match." So, 2 advil later and ice on his finger he wrestled. His reasoning was that his finger could actually help him because it hurt so bad that when his opponent touched it it would make him wrestle harder and win.


Does this make any sense? Of course it does if you have boys!! They are daredevils and it doesn't matter how they were when they were little boys because at some point they realize that it's fun to push the limit . . .

And, I wouldn't want it any other way!!

I've been sewing

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to say today. I've got a lot on my mind. One thing that is one of my favorite things to do when I need to "de-stress" is sew. Just wanted to share a couple of things that I've been doing these last couple of weeks. And, don't think that just because I've been doing a lof of sewing that I've been stressed because that's not always been the case. We've lived in our house about 7 months and I'm sewing all the curtains and bedding which takes a while! Which is something I'm not very good at; I get so excited when I finally decide what I'm going to sew that I cannot wait to get it finished and will work night & day to get it done.






This is Sophie's room and I just added these paper lanterns above her dresser. One is orange and the other a baby blue- doesn't really show up that well in the picture.

Here is Sophie's bed & I'm so happy with how it all turned out. Her comforter is a bright orange print with 5 complimentary print fabrics sewn on all in circles. The back of her comforter is a luxurious brown fleece & then I bound it in a lime green. The bed skirt is also the same various fabrics. I made a long bed roll pillow to go against the back of the day bed to soften it and then made her pillow with her name embroidered on it. She had blinds in her room and I liked those but needed to add some color so I covered the existing cornices with fabric and added more circles. And, then I finished her room with seat cushions for her window seats. Not bad for not using any patterns. Yeah, there's some mistakes in the things I sewed for her room, but Sophie loves it and that's all that matters.

This is what I did for Christian. I've been collecting his tshirts since he was in tball when he was 3 and FINALLY, had enough shirts using front and some backs to sew a tshirt quilt for him. I thought this would be great for him for Christmas because this is everything he loved in Franklin. It was tball, football, swim team, Moore elementary, Freedom, "sister for sale" tshirt, church camp - everything! So, there's 6 rows of 6 shirts on the front and 36 shirts on the back. My suggestion would be not to do what I did (again, no pattern so it was trial & error) and that is to not cut the shirts into squares periodically throughout the years. I had been cutting shirts and sewing them as I had collected shirts and that was ok until last month when I was sure that all the other shirts were 12" x 12" squares (of course, I didn't measure the old ones) and then as I continued sewing I realized they were 14" x 14" squares. So, Christians blanket has some definite mistakes but he sleeps with it every night and loves it. ANd, I think I've discovered that even though the blanket has some flaws in it; they just add to the character of it.

Here it is in it's entirety! Maybe this blanket is an analogy of our lives. A little flawed, but still perfect to the maker!!!

**** I'm learning this blog thing. Just added buttons to sell my adoption pendants & coffee bags on my blog!

New year- New look

Yep! Look at me looking like a REAL blogger; can you believe it? After all those months - nearly 8 - looking like your average Joe! Well, thanks to Blogs for a cause, I got a new style and I'm so happy with it. I love the quote, although I'm not sure who said it. Someday, I hope to be this person. I don't want to ever look back and say "Gosh, I wish I had helped that person. I wish I had extended a hand to that woman sitting all alone. I should have found out how that kid gets to school because his mom is working 2 jobs trying to make ends meet." I want to make a difference; I want to pass the baton to my kids so they can make a difference. I don't want them waiting until they're nearly 40 years old before they start loving the people that God puts before them. We are not called to be alone. We are called to love everyone and love cannot look away when someone is struggling.

I'm going to really honest right now; I struggle with homeless people. People around me believe that homeless people are just looking for money to buy alcohol; honestly, if I was living like them it might not be such a bad idea. I don't think anyone sets out to be homeless. Psych101 teaches that shelter is one of the basic needs of our being. But, still when I pull off the interstate and I see someone homeless, I feel bad, but I used to just drive on by. Here's the beauty of having kids; Christian tells me that while we're buying things to take to our church for a homeless shelter that we should make "love gifts" using gallon ziploc bags for the homeless on the streets and keep them in the car. So, that's what we did and we included - deoderant, bottled water, beef jerky, dried apples, raisins, toothbrush/paste & peanut butter crackers. And, every homeless person we've given them to has been so appreciative. Not one person said "no thanks." as was expected because it wasn't cash. It's been such an easy thing to do, but it's demonstrating to my kids that love does not look away. We can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. I want my kids to get it. Even Sophie gets excited when we see a homeless person so that we can hand out our love gift.

Oh, no! I'm blogging like Ondrea! Somehow I started out all proud of my new blog and ended up talking about teaching our kids how to love everyone.

It's snowing ... and snowing ... and snowing

This winter has been such an eye opener for my kids. We've had snow several times this year and they still have to go to school! Buses can actually drive on the snow and just because the weatherman is predicting 7" of snow today is not going to keep the kids at home. I thought maybe we would have a 2 hour delay, but no. Then I thought maybe it was a little dangerous to let the kids ride on the bus with all the snow, but I decided the bus driver was probably a safer driver than me! I haven't driven in snow in quite a while. So, while the peace is over the land (the kids have gone to school) I decided that all my coffee clatch in Tennessee would like to see that we are still going to school today. I peeked over at Ondrea's blog and saw that Franklin cancelled school yesterday before the first snowflake fell; oh, how my new northern friends laugh!!!

Sophie getting on the bus.

Catching all the snowflakes in her mouth she can.

Posing for the camera. She was so excited to get out in the snow and wait for the bus. For her, going to school in the snow was almost as much fun as staying home. They still go out for recess. Each child brings snowpants, boots, gloves, scarf, hat & coat and they go out unless it's below zero. I would be crazy by the end of the day if I was the teacher; it's too much work to get everyone all bundled up!

something you don't see in Tennessee!!

** Sophie saw her first snowplow today!!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but my hat is so delightful!!

It's getting cold in Indy, so I made my hat from recycled sweaters. I bought a hat similar to this at Anthropologie and decided I could make one better and much more cost effective. So, here it is.

I added a flower to embelish the hat and add a little flair.

Any color combo works. It has a really comfortable fit to it and doesn't hug your head so tight that you get a headache.

Send me an email to order yours. I'm going to try to get it loaded on ETSY today or tomorrow.
I'm working on a website, but be patient. Estimated time of completion is mid-January.

**We got an inch of snow yesterday!!!!!