Finding Joy In Tears

I've seen a few people who are having a rough time lately. Some have lost babies and others are having trouble with fertility. Most of them have one thing in common. They don't want to be around friends or family who are pregnant because it hurts, so they distance themselves. I know that hurt.

It's been over a year and a half since we lost our precious baby. It doesn't seem like it's been that long.

My sister in law and I were pregnant at the same time again and it was always fun to talk about what was going on with us and our babies. 

She was a little farther ahead than I was and when she found out that they were having a girl, we were all overjoyed! I love party planning, so I told her that I would like to throw her a shower. 

In the midst of planning a celebration, it happened. I miscarried. I couldn't believe it was happening to ME! I was one of those women. How could this be happening to me!?

After we found out, everywhere I turned in my house, I saw baby things.. things for the shower. I remember just sitting and crying, wondering what I had done to deserve this. Why it had to be me.

Both my sister in law and my husband told me to forget about the shower. My sister in law had begged me to just forget it. She knew the pain too. She had miscarried a few years earlier.

I thought about canceling the shower for about a day. I spent a lot of time that week talking to the Lord. I had prayed about what should I do and asked that he help me figure it out. 

He did.

I decided to go on with the shower. Not because I wasn't hurting but because I was happy for her. Because this baby deserved to be celebrated. I didn't want my heartache to overcome her joy. I'm not saying it was easy, it wasn't. I cried on the way to the shower, setting up and on the way home but I tried my best to put on a happy face for the shower and for her. 

 

My sweet sister in law glowing!

 

The quilt I had made just for our niece.

After the shower, my husband asked if I was ok and asked if I was glad I had done it. I was. It was a blessing to be able to celebrate this precious baby that was joining our family. I wouldn't change my decision even if I could.

My sister in law is my best friend and I knew she was happy. I wanted to share in her happiness. I was hurting, more than I could describe, but I didn't want her to feel guilt for being blessed with a new baby. 

A baby!! If that isn't a reason to be happy, I don't know what is!

A few months had passed, we hadn't been able to get pregnant again and our sweet niece blessed our family. Seeing that sweet, beautiful face the day she was born was a blessing! I cried holding her. I cried for myself because I thought about my baby and I cried tears of joy for my sister in law.

Five months after our niece was born, we found out we were expecting again. It was joyful and terrifying at the same time. Three months ago, we had our rainbow baby. A sweet baby boy that I'm holding as I write this. He has been such a blessing! I don't know why things happen but I know the Lord has a purpose for them, even when we don't understand.

Had I avoided her and anyone else I knew that was pregnant. I feel like I would have missed out on a joyful time in their lives. As family, we are always there for each other, good and bad. Losing a baby was one of the hardest things and she was there for me. Her expecting their sweet girl was important to her and I hope she can say that I was there for her.

 My angel baby wasn't forgotten about and neither was her precious girl.

To My Children's Sunday School Teachers

Teacher appreciation just passed and being a homeschool mom, it was nice to feel appreciated by my "students". I saw all of these amazing gifts that my friends' children made their teachers. 

Some of my super crafty friends amaze me by the way!!

I didn't think much more of it until today, at church. I was sitting in my 2 youngest daughters' Sunday school classes to help their teacher if she needs it because it can get nuts in there sometimes. Today while sitting there I saw this wonderful teacher reading a bible story to her class, even in the midst of a little chaos. She kept going, telling them about Jesus, even if they wanted to just play.

After church my husband always asks our kids what they learned in Sunday school that day. My oldest starts telling him all about what they had talked about. She talks about the love she has for her teachers, how great they are and how if someone needs help, her teachers will help them. 

I wondered if Sunday school teachers knew how appreciated they are? Do they know what a difference they make in each child's life that is in their class? Do they know what a light they are being to their little ones? Teaching the thing most important, Jesus, his love and what he done for us! Do they know what an absolute blessing they are to not only my children, but to me?

To my children's Sunday school teachers, you are a blessing! I see the love you have for Jesus! I see the love you have for all the children and they are benefiting from it! 

I know that sometimes, when you are teaching to a rough and rowdy crowd, it seems like not a word you are saying is soaking in. But I am here to tell you that it is! The things you say to them, the care you show and the word you are trying to teach them is not only soaking in but it is streaming to their hearts! They look up to you just as every bit as they look up to my husband and I. 

I'm grateful for your dedication, kindness and love you show my children! I know that the great kids I get to say are mine are not only great because of us as parents, but you had a helping hand in it! I believe you pray for them and want to see their love for Christ grow as much as we do! 

You are special to my kids! You are special to me! I know you have days you doubt how well you are doing. Well, you are doing GREAT and I appreciate your dedication!

We love and appreciate you Mrs. Lynn, Mrs. Shannon and Mrs. Lwanna! You are a blessing to us! 

My New Adventure

Ever since my first daughter was born 6 years ago (today is her birthday! Happy birthday baby!), I have been a SAHM and I love it! Although being a mom is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever done, I would still like to contribute to the family finances.

That's when I started sewing for everyone else and trying to make some extra money for us that way. I LOVE sewing but it seemed like I never had any time to sew my kids anything, which I really didn't like and it made me feel bad too. So, I started this blog just as a hobby. Trying to share what I could with moms/grandmas/sisters/aunts... whoever wanted to craft and sew.

I was introduced to a company that I thought was too good to be true, Paparazzi Jewelry & Accessories. I've NEVER signed up as a consultant for anything in my life but I knew from my thorough research that this company was different! Everything is only $5! YES $5!!! We even have a kid's line that is less! 

I know this isn't anything about crafting or sewing but I thought that if their is a mom out there who wants to stay home with her kids but needs to earn money, or maybe a wife who wants to help her husband retire early or someone who is just waiting for a great opportunity like this, I HAD to share it! I'm new to the company but it has already been a blessing to our family and I know it's only going to get better! Paparazzi is a pretty new company, only being around for almost 3 years. So, the sky is the limit! This company is all about lifting each other up and helping one another! I want everyone I sponsor to be a great success and I want to be there for them in every possible way, all the way to the top!

If you are looking for "that something", please look at Paparazzi and what a great company it is! If you have anything you need answered, please contact me through one of these!

My Paparazzi Site

Facebook

And if you would like to just browse all the wonderful $5 jewelry and accessories, check out my group on facebook! 

$5 Southern Shimmer

How to make a cake plate cheap

So, a few months back I wanted to give my sister in law a little shower. This was going to be her 2 daughter, with 2 boys in between the girls. It had been 8 years since she had a baby girl and girl things have just gotten way more cute since then. So, a shower was a must! 

My sister in law didn't know about the shower and I usually use her cake stand and cupcakes stands if I ever need them. I didn't want to pay a bunch of money for a shabby chic looking cake stand and cupcake holder.

So I channeled my inner "thrifty person" and I made THREE stands for $5!!!

Get three plates that are flat or almost flat on the bottom. 

Get three crystal candlesticks and use E6000 to glue the top of the candlestick to the bottom of the plates and VIOLA... you have cake stands/ cupcakes stands for almost nothing!

Quilting Projects for Christmas

Ok, so I made a few quilting projects as gifts for Christmas. These were totally done just by me winging it. I didn't have a per say "pattern" to follow. I just mapped out on a piece of paper what I wanted and done my measurements. 

Never the less, most of the inspiring quilts I find on the internet don't even have a pattern. They are just quilts people have done and posted. So, I thought I would share mine too. 

I made 4 quilted gifts but I only have pictures of 2. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the other two.

This is the quilt I made for my kiddos' sweet Sunday school teacher. Her girls were sweet enough to get me all their hand prints so I could do it for her!

 

This is one I made for my little sister.  I tried to do a whimsical theme for her. The 2 biggest hearts are for our daddy who passed away 2 years ago of cancer and our grandpa who passed away.

Pajama Eater Review

Hello fellow crafters! I've been MIA for a while but I was very busy with trying to make things for Christmas AND making things for our newest niece, Snow! She is a precious little gal!

Anyways, my review for the Pajama Eater pattern from Sew Fearless... three words... I LOVE IT! 

First, the directions are written in a comic book form and I thought that was neat! Second, it was very clear in the directions. Third, it had nice pictures! I don't know about you, but I really like the patterns with pictures... sometimes directions get hard to explain or even understand and nice pictures can make a huge difference! (yes, I am sometimes a "picture reader"... don't judge me! hahaha)

I made 7 of them for Christmas gifts for my kiddos, nieces and nephews. They get carried everywhere! Who knew little monsters could be so cute?!

Here are the Pajama Eaters I made for Christmas.

Would I buy the pattern again? Why yes, yes I would!
Head over to Sew Fearless and start making some little ones in your life a Pajama Eater! I'm sure they won't be disappointed in them!

Flower Garden Quilts

I found the cutest little flower garden pillow tutorial with FREE templates at Don't Look Now!

I've been trying to find a quilt pattern that I wanted to do for my girls and I fell so in love with this adorable template that I decided to do them a Flower Garden Quilt!

My girls LOVE their new quilts! Head on over to Don't Look Now!  and get your FREE flower garden templates!

If you need help with your quilt, check these out!

How To Free Motion Quilt
How To Back A Quilt
How To Bind A Quilt

Homeschooling

Our oldest daughter will be going to Kindergarten this year and after a lot of thinking, we have decided to home school her. Lots of emotions going on here! I'm really excited and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous too!

I have a  lot of support from my husband, family, friends and church family but I'm still so nervous! So, if you do any praying, pray that our homeschooling adventure goes well and that this mama makes it through! hahaha

My very sweet friend home-schooled her boys last year and she gave me some wonderful things to start us out on our Kindergarten journey.

Just look at all these goodies! I know... I have a great friend!
I still have a lot of things to get in order but this was a great little start and very much appreciated!

I always loved school, so I'm excited to show my girls all the wonderful things about learning!

If you homeschool, please feel free to share any tips!

How to make a pettiskirt

What little girl wouldn't want a pettiskirt!?

I made Ella a pettiskirt to go under her "minnie" dress for her birthday and she loved it!

I actually paid for a pettiskirt pattern and it was HORRIBLE! No pictures at all except for 1 of the finished project and the directions were not very good at all either. I didn't read much until I knew I had made a mistake buying it. (And I seriously hate giving bad reviews! Not fun!)

So, I used the tutorial from Make It & Love It. I made a few minor tweaks but for the most part, this was the best explained way to make a pettiskirt! Making a pettiskirt does take a bit of time but it's so rewarding seeing the finished project and the little cutie twirling and loving it! Just take your time and don't worry... YOU CAN DO IT!!! 

Our "Minnie" Turned ONE!

My baby has turned ONE! This is a very happy yet sad time for mama! She is the happiest baby and growing so well, but I'm so not ready for her to already be one! The year has flown by way too fast!

Never the less, I pushed through my "sad mama stage" and planned her big party! We had a few gliches but thank the good Lord, we made it through! 

Our party theme!?? We had to do Minnie of course! hehe

A very sweet girl from our church offered to dress up as a Minnie mouse. She looked so cute!
All the Minnie and Mickey ears were made by my sister, step-niece and I. I honestly don't know if I would have gotten everything done if it weren't for them! They were a HUGE help!

I made her dress and pettiskirt. The head gear was a gift.
This is my first pettiskirt and I'm very proud! I actually bought a pettiskirt pattern from a seller on etsy and I have never regretted buying a PDF pattern until that one! It was horrible and it was so confusing! No pictures and they tried to make it as hard as possible. But now I know... NO MORE patterns from that seller! Okay... my little rant is over! After searching online and seeing many ways that people do them, I found the best one, I thought, made a few minor changes but it was very helpful! Read about the pettiskirt here.

You can read my review on the dress pattern here.

Tiered popcorn stand! 

Hey, we are from the South... fruit tea was a Must Have!

Mackenzie Dress

I done a Minnie Mouse themed party for my youngest daughter's first birthday. :( Makes me kinda sad that my baby is already a year old!

I wanted to make her a dress similar to Minnie Mouses and I picked the Mackenzie dress from Fairytale Patterns. So glad I did! I LOVE how the dress turned out and it was super easy! I did make a pettiskirt to go underneath just to make it a little more frilly and fluffy though. This is a pattern that I would definitely recommend and I'll be using it again too!

Burlap & Satin wedding aisle runner RUFFLES!! RUFFLES!! RUFFLES!!

I haven't posted in a while. Sorry! I was very busy with a special project for my cousin's wedding and now I'm doing Ella's first birthday stuff! (First birthday! NO way! Oh, my gosh!)

Anyways, I thought I would share some pictures of the burlap and satin aisle runner I done for the wedding. I LOVE how it turned out! It was VERY time consuming but the finished project was so worth it! Plus, my cousin loved it, which made me the happiest!

The runner was 30 yards long and about 120 yards of 6" wide satin!

Love the "N"? Me too! I found a GREAT site online for stencils! If you are ever in need of a stencil for any project, I highly recommend Wall to Wall Stencils! This is the second stencil I've done from them and it was super easy to do! 

She had a beautiful wedding! Very country chic!

The wind blew the ruffles over a bit but it was fixed before the wedding started! ;)

How To Make a Fun Girly Headband

Easter is next week!!! Oh my goodness... it totally snuck up on me this year! 

Easter is one of my favorite holidays though! Plus, I love all the bright happy colors, the excitement the kiddos have for egg hunting and of course mama gets to make all her girls a new one of a kind dress!!!

This year I used the Olivia Pattern by Ruby Jean's Closet (the same one I done Christmas dresses in) and done a little tweaking. Nothing major. I LOVE this dress and it's so super easy and with every great little girl's outfit, their must be matching hair accessories!

You will need:
* A headband - you can buy either one out of the craft dept. and cover it yourself with ribbon or buy one done. I bought mine already done.
* Felt for the top (flower)
*Fabric
*Button
* Hot glue gun

* Felt for the bottom
* Template for your felt flower (you can find free templates all over the net)

Cut 1 felt flower using your template. and cut TWO circle out of felt. I used white felt and cut my circle about 2 1/2".
For the fabric, you will want to cut a strip of fabric that is 18" x 2 1/2". Serge all the edges. If you don't have a serger, just add seam allowance to all sides. Ruffle your fabric until it forms the circle you want.

Hot glue one of your felt circles to the ruffled fabric. This is the base.

Turn it over to the front and hot glue the felt flower and button on.

Mark on the headband where you want it and then hot glue it on.

 

Take your second felt circle and hot glue it to the underside of the headband, covering the first felt circle.

Easy Peasy and cute! You could also just stick a lined alligator clip on the back if you don't want the headband.

I'll add some pictures of the girls wearing theirs soon!

How To Make a Custom Basket Liner

Making a basket liner is easy, fun and a great way to customize all your cute baskets for a fraction of the cost! 

See my great handmade soaps peeking out??? That is because I have the best SIL that makes some great smelling handmade soaps!!!

 Ok... so PLEASE forgive my inability to draw! Hopefully I can explain it better in words than what I draw!

Use 1/2" seam allowance.

First, you will need to measure the width (RED) by holding your measuring tape 2" on the outside of your basket... go down inside the basket, across the bottom, up the other side and 2" of the outside.
Mine was 19".

Now, measure you side (BLUE) by holding your measuring tape 2" on the outside of your basket and going down on the inside, stopping at the bottom. Remember, you will cut two of these.
Mine was 7".

Now on the outside, measure one long side and one short side to get your width for each.

My pieces measured 19"x9" and 7"x5".

Add 2" to all measurements for your cutting. My cut measurements were
21"x11" and 9"x7".

Sew your two smaller pieces onto your large piece.

Take you smaller pieces one at a time and pin the to the other end of your large piece. Sew. This will look like a bag with a whole in the bottom like above.

Time to sew your bottom up! One side at a time, pin and sew you edges together.

Fold and iron you top edge 1/4" and then fold and iron down a 1/2".

Sew around entire top except a few inches for the elastic.

To get the amount of elastic you need, you can just measure around your basket and subtract about 3-4".

Feed your elastic through the opening with your trusty safety pin.

Sew the ends of your elastic together.

Sew you opening shut. Add a little bow if you would like and Viola! A custom made basket liner!

I hope this didn't confuse anyone! This was kind of a toughy to explain. Maybe next time I do a toughy, I'll do a video instead. It would probably be easier.