shop update.

well hello there and a happy saturday to you!
i spent some time today updating the shop.
i had a small stash of vintage goodies and decided today was the day.
they are now in the shop awaiting good homes.
as usual, all profits go to our adoption fund.
we may not know what is going to happen with davis' country but are still doing what we can to be ready when the time comes.
:)

nutcrackers.

i was wandering around hobby lobby a couple months ago and came across these nutcrackers.
they were 50% off so i threw them in my basket.
honestly, i totally forgot i even bought them until this past weekend while i was searching in the craft room for something else.
i never found what i was looking for, but the little kids seemed so happy to have something fun to do.
i covered the table with newspaper and gathered every paint brush in the house.
ben did so well and he painted most of the front by himself.
i did paint his a little bit, just to finish it, but used the same colors he chose.
anna wanted hers to have a smiley face and some pink and purple.
josh came in much later, after we had finished, and was happy to see there was one waiting for him.
his had a sword even--bonus points for mom.

scarlett and dreary.

the sun is not shining today.
it's cloudy and dreary and mostly grey.
i stood on my back porch and snapped these pictures just a few minutes ago.

the leaves are falling everywhere and onto everything.
the colors make me happy--the red, the orange, the yellow.

i made sure to ask the kids to bring handfuls of the gorgeous leaves inside this past weekend so i can dry them and use them for our thanksgiving crafts.
i placed them in between wax paper and they are hanging out under some heavy books to make them nice and flat.
i think we'll make something like this just for fun.
or maybe just hang them like this.

now it's hailing outside.
so weird.
i can't take my sweatshirt off without freezing.
winter's coming so fast now...

my sweet girl is sick.
we found out on saturday that she has scarlet fever!
she is feeling better but still peppered with this yucky rash.
this was her sweet little face this weekend.

she is missing school and her friends so badly.
praying she feels well enough for school tomorrow!

rainy day project.

i am completely smitten with this project i found on pinterest.
(God bless pinterest!)

homemade polaroid coasters.

remember polaroid pictures?
i sure do.
in fact, i remember taking pictures with my very own polaroid camera when i was a little one myself.
can you imagine then the sqeeeeeeel i let out when i found this idea?

 
photo from here.

these are definitely on my to-do list!
do you have any rainy day projects that you want to make?

for unto us.

anna has scarlet fever. (seriously)
i have a nasty cold.
our house is wrecked with a capital W.
there is laundry sitting in our washer that's been there for three days.
i can only imagine how good that smells. 
ben is eating goldfish crackers for breakfast this morning,

i'm not gonna lie, it's been a bummer of a weekend, filled with trips to the doctor, piles of tissues and lots and lots of boring tv shows.

BUT...

there is a silver lining. (isn't there always?)

my dear friend chrissie grace sent me an email friday to tell me something that's been on her heart.
she had an idea, a way she could contribute to the financial burden of our adoption.
and then she sent me the most beautiful pictures:

and man, did the tears start flowing!
awesome, right?

y'all, i am humbled and excited to share these with you.
my friend chrissie grace will be selling these beautiful CHRISTmas trees for two weeks only.
and she will graciously be donating 25% of the profits to our adoption fund!

in chrissie's own words,

"This piece is very special to me.

I really feel like God gave it to me to help Amy and her family bring Davis home.

Amy, I cannot wait to see the gifts it brings.  

I pray Davis feels all the love and positive energy out there, just for him :)

I feel so blessed to be a part of this.  

It feels like what Christmas is really all about."

please click HERE to visit chrissie grace's etsy shop and check out all the details.

i am feeling so blessed and full of hope this fine sunday morning.

chrissie, i just love your heart so much.  

your continued support, encouragement, and devotion to our family, and to davis, overwhelms me.

xoxo.  

 

the shop is stocked.

i spent the day stocking my etsy shop shelves with goodies from the street fest.
hope you find something you love!
feel free to share with your friends! :)
as always, all proceeds will go straight into our adoption fund.
thanks always for your support.
it means so much.
xo.

HAPPY SHOPPING!  click HERE to come on over!

cloudy with a chance of rain. madison street fest.

we woke up to drizzling rain and temperatures 25 degrees colder than the day before.
we loaded the cars while wearing scarves and gloves.
we set up in the dark and the rain subsided and we were grateful.
our plan was a success and the booth looked full and lovely.
and just as the sun began to rise, a heavy, drowning raincloud passed overhead, soaking everything in its path.
most of our things were drenched and dripping with cold rainwater.

i admit, it was overwhelming.
i sulked.
i was sad beyond sad.
i stood there, frozen, looking around at our things, not knowing what to do or where to start.
thankfully, my mom went into full-on mom mode and began furiously drying everything off.
she wiped and wiped and rearranged.

we were going to make this happen no matter what.


the rain began to move its way out of our area.
the parade started.
slowly (and i mean very slowly) the streets started filling with people.
the wind whipped and the cold was still lingering but the people continued to come.

the people were kind and sweet and very complimentary.
i met several folks that made my day--including a lovely little couple that i will most definitely be writing about here soon. they changed my entire outlook of my day and reminded me of exactly why i was there!  thanks for that amy and beau!
there were many times i felt like packing up and crawling back in bed, under the warm covers with a HOT cup of coffee...
but it was the people that came, the people that shopped and gave such amazing feedback to us...
they made the day such a success!

when it was all said and done, we raised about 2/3 of what we did last time.
it was not what i was hoping would happen but it was worth it.
i say that whole-heartedly.

another thing i say whole-heartedly is how much i love and respect my mother.
she is my biggest supporter and i am in awe of how hard she works to help me.
always.
thanks mom!

i will be posting lots and lots of items on etsy in the next week.
i will be trying my hand at another craft show in a few weeks and i'm very grateful for the opportunity.
if you see something in these pictures below that you just have to have, please email me!

i know this was just a craft show, and this may sound so cheesy, but...
 as usual, God has such a special way of revealing His ideas and plans to us.

there were moments throughout the day yesterday that i felt like i was exactly and precisely where i needed to be,
that God loves me and wants me to continue to push for our little boy Davis,
and that no matter what, i need to keep on going for Davis' sake and the sake of thousands of children like him.

and if i can reach people with things as simple as the words i type on this blog, or as simple as my desire to make and sell crafts, then i will continue to do so.
the Lord is with me and in me and i need only listen.
:)

wow.  deep thoughts this glorious Sunday morning!

how about some pretty pictures?

be sure to check out the SHOP in the next few days!
xoxo.

craft show / last chance.

i have been so busy today prepping for tomorrow's show that i forgot to take pics for today's preview.
but i do have a list of other goodies we will have tomorrow!

- pillows (lots and lots and lots and lots)
- dish towels
- bottle cap necklaces (made by anna)
- bangle bracelets
- headbands
- tote bags
- barrettes (made by anna too!)
- pumpkin yard decorations
and more.

last year's set up looked a little something like this:

my fingers are crossed and many prayers have gone up today!
we are so grateful for the chance to be able to raise more money for our little love, davis boy.
sure hope to see you tomorrow at the madison street festival!

craft show / preview four.

the countdown is almost over.
only one more day until the madison street festival is here!

one project i worked on a lonnnnng time ago were tray chalkboards.
i found some old ugly tole trays at the thrift store.
and then i found some more on etsy.
they looked sorta like this but yuckier:




some had pretty-colored edges but grandma flowers in the middle (and not pretty grandma flowers either).
some were just beat up and ugly all over.
like this:




the trays that had pretty colors on the edges i just painted with chalkboard paint in the middle and left the edge the original color.
the other ones i spray painted first and then painted the middle with chalkboard paint.

anna and i found some cool stickers at michael's to spell out 'notes' or 'to do'.
she told me i couldn't go wrong with adding a little bling.
:)

then we hot-glued buttons to the top of some small round magnets.
since the trays are metal, they can also hold a pretty picture or business or appointment card or two.

i kinda sorta really truly like them.
a lot.

anna does too.
and yes, a hot pink one will be hung in her room soon!

craft show / preview three.

continuing with the previews.  saturday is the big craft show!
you can see the other previews here and here.

inspired by a door hanger/pouch/flower holder thingy my mom bought at the country living fair...
i found a few old bank coin bags at a local junk shop.
i loved the typography and size of them.
good for filling with evergreens or dried flowers.

i made straps out of upholstery webbing (from the wal-marts) by folding it in half lengthwise and sewing a straight stitch the length of the strap.
i folded down the sides of the bags so the rough edges showed and sewed the straps to the sides.
(sorry for the lack of pictures.  i was a woman on a mission that day--no time for pics).

i cut some hydrangeas from my yard and john cut some cotton branches from a nearby field.
my mom and i made some arrangements so folks can get an idea what they can look like.

my mom also made some by attaching the bags to old porch spindles!
she even sewed her own pouches out of an old paint drop cloth.

any type of bag will do, even an old tote bag would work great.

it was getting dark out when i took these pics but you get the idea.
wouldn't these be pretty filled with branches and bittersweet vine?
yep, that's exactly what i'm going to do.

maybe i need to keep one for myself.
:)