I have a sewing machine again!! :)

I am so happy, I have a brother back in my possession. Over Mother's Day weekend, my wonderful, amazing mother traded out the old one I was bequeathed, for her new one. She is so thoughtful and kind, she knows how much I love to sew, and how poor I am! So, now I have something to continue sewing ....

I wanted to touch on a couple of things in this blog post. First, my mom is awesome, as stated before!

Second, with the gracious gift of my mother, I am now able to sew. And I have discovered a super cute chica who is self-proclaimed poor lady herself, who loves to refashion clothing, she has a group called refashion nation and is a seamstress. Also, please check out her blog, and get some grand ideas.

One of my favorite items to sew are skirts, so this skirt is amazing! :)

Adorable right? let me know what you think...

i'm thankful for my family

I know it's not Thanksgiving,  but there's never a time like the present to talk about how thankful you are... and especially for your family. By the way, I have a great one. For Christmas, jeremy and i got to visit in st louis and stay with my folks. I also got to see some beloved friends, Rachel, Audrey, and Julie-dearest. I was very thankful for that time, and was so encouraged by those beautiful ladies... But, back to my family... here are some pics i got to take. I am blessed to say, that they each have had big roles in me learning about Christ and becoming a Christian.  I can say with praise to God, that my parents and my brothers have a strong faith in the Lord, and I have seen them grow in many ways in their faith. wow. it's just awesome to see it!

Ah! so funny, Adam made a fort for 'Quelf' game.

Rio de Janeiro

It's been so long since I have written! Going to Brazil was amazing, and I look forward to going back with my church. The people there are beautiful and vibrant. This is my friend Ellen.

I got the wonderful job of taking photos while we were in the favelas or slums. Although they don't have much by our standards, the people are full of life. It has nothing to do with how much money they have, but it is about relationships and experience. No culture is perfect, but Jeremy and I can see ourselves going back and connecting at least short term with Restore Brazil. We would love get training and experience for long term missions there.

It was such a good and growing experience to be around my brothers and sisters in Rio de Janeiro. They taught me a lot about serving and loving fully, with no reserves.

new crafts, home decor ;)

 I made some new crafts!! Decorative coasters :) I would like to work on some table runners as well as throw pillows. It should be fun!

The coasters are made out of scrap material from a batch of home decorating upholstery my brother donated to Prayergrove. The colors are fun and the prints trendy.

That is it for now! I added some pictures of Jeremy's (my hubby) 25th bday! I am so impressed, I made improv icing from sesame paste added
to the vanilla icing. We enjoyed fun-fetti cake, yum! You can see Jeremy working on

 his "Warhammer 40K" models while I took this picture...hence, the cake with an ax :)

What special thing have you done this week for a loved one? It matters! :)

Cute Coasters

re-purposed fabric, appliques, and purpose

I have found what I want to focus on most! In addition to the promotion of women Fair Trade items and justice, I would like the theme of my items to be re-purposed fabric! I have spent so many years in the past idolizing over the latest fashions that are exorbitantly priced. I now want to put an emphasis on creation that shows personality, using fabric that we already have. It may not always be possible, but I love the idea and want to pursue it.
I also love appliques too. I think it adds a focus to the item, something cute and unique. I am really into color coordination, and trying interesting mixes of patterns. I try to make appliques with these thoughts in mind.

Well, here goes; Spring is on its way!