2nd Hand Holiday

Orphaned buttons, an old flannel shirt, some white spray paint, hot glue, and an old wreath; will make an excellent door ornament for this lovely season!
Step 1: Poor orphaned buttons.
How sad to be a button with nothing to close and open. Give them a JOB, or at least a little white paint.

Step 2: Old flannel shirt.
Almost everyone loves a nice flannel shirt. I am of those people. Why not use this beautiful shirt! For the loop to hang the wreath with just simply cut along the front of the shirt where the button holes are. After you've cut up the front of the shirt, lay that piece aside. Then you will want to cut a LONG, THICK piece of flannel. I cut the along the middle of the shirt (this is for your bow) If you want your bow to be skinny, then cut a skinny piece, I prefer mine thick! I am a fan of bows!

Step 3: GLUE!
The messy part of this DIY project is now. Plug in your glue gun and let it warm. Set aside 5 or 6 smaller buttons. When the gun is ready just simply take your wreath and glue the white buttons on evenly through out the wreath. Try not to leave any big spaces between them, you will almost all of them in the end. Give your wreath chicken pox, or button poxs :) After you are done with your buttons on the wreath take the 5 or 6 you've set aside and place them evenly on the strip of flannel with the button holes. Glue a button in between each hole. Then GLUE on back of the very top of the wreath. So when you hang it, the ends of the flannel strip won't show. ALSO glue the flannel where you see the little buttons you've just glued. Let the glue gun (still on) rest for a few minutes.

Step 4: Bow.
Now you make your bow out of your long strip of flannel. You can make it however you want, make it your own! I like my bows big! After you are satisfied with your bow, glue it the the top, front of your wreath. Glue it in the very center of the top.

Step 5: ENJOY!

Be Handmade

In our generation; we do, we make, and we learn. Why can't I be apart of this desire?

I read blogs all about crafts, fashion, bicycles, photography, and flowers. They inspire my creative side and help me explore the world of lovely things. All of the blogs I read are so original. The blogs are individuals or teams that dream up beautiful things.

I'm jealous. (period)

How does one become original? How did you become original?

I am currently working just two days a week cleaning house for my grandfather. Its nice to not be working 45 hours a week. Now that I have all of this new found freedom, I want to work on all of the projects that I've been bookmarking for years. I've done a good job of finishing them, but I want them to be appreciated.

I would really love to start an Etsy store and go to fiber shows or handmade fairs. How do you start this process?

Sewing is really what I love to do. I need to practice more but would really LOVE to be great at it. To rip apart old clothes and make new, fresh clothes.

I want to be original. I want to dream up a killer skirt or lovely dress! I want to use my hands that God gave me to do something beautiful and good.

In Africa, I thought up a company that would give back to the children that I spent the summer with. Slum Skirts, making skirts from recycled skirts, dresses, or shirts. The money would go to needs of the children I met in Togo. Slum Skirts wouldn't just go to Togo, but to families in Malawi, Thailand, Ethiopia, or other third world countries that are in need.

Take care of the widows and orphans, God tells us. So why do I worry about being original when I already am? God made me to have a heart for Him and for the church. This is my inner struggle. I want to be a beacon for Gods love, and I want to do that through being handmade.

Love for all.

The Words to Speak

I want to blog so badly. I follow blogs that talk of, and show beautiful things. The time to sit and write is not something I have. I want to fill my blog with words for my Father, ideas from my heart, and products of my hands, but until Nov. 19th, I won't be able to fulfill that want.


God is beautiful and sovereign. Love to all.

Save the last dance for me

She was so beautiful, wise, selfless, brave, stern, gentle, Godly, & everything else that makes a wonderful lady.

I used to spend most of my summer at her house. She would help my cousin Katleen & I make pies, cool-aid, & lunch. In my life I never knew her to miss church any Sunday morning, Sunday evening, or Wednesday afternoon. She was the glue of our family, the "love glue"! The oldest, wisest, & most loving of our family.

She is with her King now. Its a beautiful thing for her to be in heaven. After 95 years of living for Christ & her family, we all understand that she was tired. Everyone has joy & sorrow in their hearts today.

Bamommie was at my wedding! She got to see me walk down the aisle & marry my prince. I am so grateful that God placed her there.

My mom's mother died young. For my mom & her to sisters, they still had a mom in Bamommie. She looked out for them & never left them.

So, to my wonderful, Godly great grandmother, you will be missed. You will be missed so very much!

"a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Ecc. 3:4

New Perspective

"We are unashamed to witness to the sufficiency of Scripture and the power of the gospel as the only hope for genuine Christian unity." -John Piper


Back in America, its overwhelming. All of the cars driving around, I can read all of the signs, & I look like just another face in the crowd. Please pray for China.

I came back because my great-grandmother was given 1-2 weeks. Now, she is 94 so this isn't something that wasn't foreseen in a way. My mom's mom died when my mom was 16 so my great-grandmother (Bamommie) raised my mom and her two sisters. She is the glue of our family, it will be interesting after she is gone. So I came back to be with my family and grow together through this tough time. Please pray for my family.

China was amazing, beautiful, heartbreaking, urban, raw, big, small, smells bad, smells good, populated, dark, & unforgettable. The craziest thing I heard while I was there was from a missionaries wife, she said "While you are walking around in the crowd, look at their faces and remember that the person you see may have not been prayed for, never, not once." Now if that doesn't break your heart, you need Jesus. People that have never been prayed for. Look at in a bigger light, can you think about how many times you've asked to be prayed for or told you are being prayed for? Most of those people, not once. Sure, there are people who do devoutly pray for China but they don't know that. Pray for the Naxi people.

We got to know a couple of students at the University very well. There was one girl that I grew very fond of, her english name was Laura. She was always so happy to see me and spend time with me. We both cried when I had to leave. One night at English Cafe, I was talking to her, Lindsay, & Mara. They were talking about how light and beautiful my skin was, I held up my arm to Laura's arm, we were the same color. She just beamed! Her and the girls just laughed and smiled, they had beautiful skin like mine. All three girls grew up on farms so they worked and had what they considered "dark" skin. I got to tell them about God creating them in her image and how beautiful he thought they were. How all three of us are sisters, and God is our Father. By the end of the conversation, we were all three hugging and smiling. They knew they were beautiful and loved dearly. Pray for Laura.

China is in need, the power of pray is undeniable.

Love.

Away We Go... again

GB & I are in the Hong Kong airport waiting for the 3rd leg of Asia trip. We have 4 legs in all, it hasn't been bad being stuck on an airplane for 16 hours next to my good-looking husband! Love getting to travel with him, I think its really going to borden our marriage & light our traveling flame. I've said it before but its a key point of our relationship to each other & G-d, we LOVE to travel! We are getting better & better at traveling the world. Love it so much that we want it as a career, for real.

It is so exciting getting to travel to China. We've never been but we are up for the adventure! Its really a blessing that we are here, we've only been planning this trip a week! Yes, a week, crazy we know but it has been amazing seeing things coming together the way they did. I'm so thankful that I am Loved by Him.

I wish I could write more but I am being summoned by the great big bird. Wish us luck, & say a few words for us.

Love.

Fear of the Unknown

I have a job interview today... For a full time job.

My whole "employment" life, I've always had the usual summer jobs: lifeguard, camp worker, clothing store model, office assistant, ect. Now, I'm married and I feel the need to contribute to my family. Working in an office, 40 hour work-week, and benefits; what have I gotten myself into.

I am scared. Growing up is not glamorous or exciting, it's just downright scary. My husband (GB) and I are pretty proud of our free-spirit nature. We LOVE to just go, wherever the wind takes us, just go. Our hearts belong to God, each other, and Africa. Its a passion we both agree on more than anything, the need to GO.

So if I have a desire to GO with my husband, why am I applying for a full-time job that I will be at ALL summer? Is this what God has made me to be, a "working wife"? Am I to be in America living the "American Dream" the rest of my life?

This job is a great opportunity to borden myself. I want to learn and grow. I don't think that I am going to be a "house-wife" forever. My heart tells me that we are going to travel the world and just love on people. I do think that we are going to have to pay our dues. I pray that we are where we need to be to learn about God and His glory. We are ready to grow.

New things are coming, prepare our hearts Papa.


"Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not
perceive it?" Isaiah 43:18