inspirations

Here is a snippet of some things that are just oozing with inspiration.

{via dreamy whites}

Um. Can this be my mantle? If I had a mantle.

{via tatertots and jello}

oh I think I might pass out because of how so darn cute this is.

{via oh, hello friend}

I mean really, who would have thought to do something so neat.

I am especially loving the couch pillows. Talk about color.

{via oh, hello friend}

a fixie.

{via oh, hello friend}

yum.

{via how about orange}

Such a neat idea to liven up a glass jar.

I've just come into possession of a handful of them so this is helpful!

{via see kate sew}

love me some acorns.

love me some wreaths.

love me some spray paint in a pretty blue color.

{via tatertots and jello}

I wish we had some trees with leaves like this in Texas.

Texas is kind of big, so maybe we do.

{via ruffled}

This blog is FULL of lovely wedding pics and them some. I absolutely love this wedding album on their blog.

And who doesn't love a good umbrella.

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This week's song is shadowfeet by brook fraser. I love her voice and the heart of her words.

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If you haven't yet clicked on the links below each picture, you're missing out. big time.

So I suggest you do so right now :)

(only if you want to. no pressure.)

with a trusting heart

My, oh my.

Where do I even begin. Let me just state that so much has happened or come about in the past two weeks that it renders me speechless. Truly I'm telling you, I am in awe of the way God moves in this tiny life of mine. As I sit here in my hotel bed, in dark silence, I get indigestion just thinking about everything. Let's go back a few days.

Actually I changed my mind. Let's go back about 8 months.

My world got rocked in the strangest of ways. Not only did the plans for my life completely get destroyed and shift (as they almost always do), a solid and good relationship was sacrificed out of an obedience to the Lord. I don't want to overspiritualize anything I'm saying, but I only want to explain the motivations of my heart. as honestly as possible. I cannot explain the number of questions I've searched through these past months just over that one decision. Even right now, eight months later, I am given only one solid and confident answer. That although it didn't make much sense to those around me, and wasn't the easiest move to make, I am confident that it was what God was laying on my heart to do at that very moment.

Did it take a while for me to listen and follow through? Yes, just a little. Was it extremely heart aching to end a relationship that was inches away from an engagement, with a friend you cared so deeply for and knew cared just as deeply, if not much more for you? Absolutely. But what came immediately, and I mean immediately after? A peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). I would be lying if I said that I still don't struggle with the heart ache of that relationship. I lost a friendship. We had both invested such so much of our hearts into it, so of course it hurts. But even through such things, especially through such things, I know God uses it for good.

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Fast forward to this past Thanksgiving weekend. We had just finished dinner (or supper as it is known to others) and we were all laughing and telling stories about the things we remember experiencing as a family, of which were few and far between. Then Grandmother turns the subject on a more serious note, one of going around the table and explaining what were were thankful for. Some were still enjoying the laughter as they shared. Then I noticed it was raining (rain makes everything a little better).

My dad's aunt had her turn to share, but it was difficult for her to begin. She has had more difficult experiences than I know about, especially this past year. I cannot remember all the details of what she said, but I sat there, completely caught up in her every word. She was so genuine and so serious. She was saying that she was so thankful for those hard experiences, in hopes that it would come to be used to help someone else someday (which it has). She said that she would never take back those moments because it has made her who she is and where she is today. She was so thankful. It honestly blew my mind. I think it did because I could see her honesty through the outpouring of her heart. That was possibly one of the best moments of my Thanksgiving.

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Which brings me to right now. So much that I never ever thought would happen, has happened this year. Good and bad. I never saw myself without the person I am now without. I never saw myself really getting into graduate school. I never thought I would actually pursue starting a small, side business OR have the opportunity to do so. I never thought that I would have to blog in baltimore. But crazy things happen. And I am constantly reminded that God has even the crazy in His control.

I can try my hardest to plan my life out according to the way I would prefer. But if I'm not going in the direction God is leading me, yielding to my own idea of what's best, then I am completely missing out on what God has created me for. In Jeremiah 29:11 He says, 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'. He goes on to say that, 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart'. What in the world am I doing trying to figure out my own life?! Its not about me. This life is so temporary and short. I need to be seeking after Him and what he calls me to be doing. He knows the plans he has for me, so that is nothing to worry or fret about.

I'm pretty sure that while I can only see what's right in front of my nose, God has hold of the entire universe and sustenance of existence. So with a trusting heart, I think I'll be okay.

p.s. If you are currently questioning my grammar, go right ahead. I am well aware of how utterly incorrect I am. Please feel free to correct me because, let's be honest, I need it. :)

booth, blog, breath.

Have I fallen off the face of the planet? no. Has it seemed like that via my non-blogging? most definitely!

There is a new song here this week. After seeing them as the opener for a concert I went to a little while ago, I loved how eccentric their style was. Their dance moves didn't hurt either. In fact, it made me laugh. So this week you'll be hearing Coney Island by the Good Old War. My mom is actually hearing it play right now, and she said, 'this is what we used to call folk music. Its the kind of songs you sit on the front porch listening to while drinking some lemonade.' I just thought that was sweet. It makes me want to do that too now, darn it!

This past week has been super chaotic over here, preparing for the Taste of Christmas at my home church. It was the most successful booth we've had so far and we were so excited. I want to thank everyone who came to see our products and the ones who purchased something from us, we are so appreciative of you for supporting us!

Along with a craft event, my birthday just happened to be the day before that. Seeing as how I had, oh, about 162 things left to finish that day, it ended up being a day of work. But I did get to grab lunch with my best friend and watch the pioneer woman on throwdown with bobby flay, which positively made my day.

{The Peach Room}

Here is meredith and me at our booth, ready to greet with a smile!

(Jaime, we missed you friend)

Now with Thanksgiving is right around the corner, a lot of traveling is about to take place, like tomorrow. Then the day after we get back, I'm leaving for Baltimore! Whoosh, its going to be interesting. I always seem to loose focus on this time of year. The focus of giving thanks. The focus of praising God for the blessings and the place He has me in right now. Basically being mindful of the things I should always being mindful of and thankful for.

While I'm away, I will try to blog a little bit more. I just can't stand putting it off for such a long time. Until then, let's count our blessings. The blessings of which are innumerable!

Much Love!

Psalm 118:1

'Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.'

stitched flower tutorial

Not only is it my sister's birthday today, happy birthday Mel!

It is also a day to share a TUTORIAL! Yes!

Today, I'm going to show you how to make these flowers pictured below.

In the midst of my Christmas product making time, I thought it would be good (especially since I promised forever ago) to take a few pictures on how I make these certain flowers. They are super easy and super gorgeous.

Materials needed:

-fabric or ribbon

-needle and thread

-scissors

That's all!

Secret:

I really like to use quilting thread whenever I'm making something that needs to stay put. It's much more sturdy than other types of thread.

First, with a threaded needle, I start on the left side of the ribbon or fabric (today it's ribbon) and just evenly stitch down the entire left side. I like to stay a decent distance away from the edge.

Keep stitching.

Pull the thread through, then stitch some more until you reach the end or you feel is enough to make a full circle.

Its a little hard to see the stitches in this picture but they aren't completely equal and they aren't perfect. That's the best thing about this type of flower!

Then gather all of the ribbon or fabric until it makes a complete circle, with a little overlap.

If it does not, stitch a few more stitches.

Generally, I don't cut my ribbon off until I know that I have enough to make the whole flower, but in this case, it was the last of this particular ribbon on the roll, so I had no choice.

hint: If your material does make a full circle but is kind of making a strange pull on the outside edge, stitch a few more stitches. More is always better for this.

Then, find both ends of the thread, like above, and tie them TIGHTLY in a few knots.

Your ribbon should make a full circle with ease and a little overlapping.

Then closely cut off the excess thread.

(you should see me taking these pictures. I needed three hands but only had two)

And there it is! Gor-geous.

Here is a side view to show you how the ribbon edges overlap one another. This is good because it camouflages any frays and edges.

see?

There are other ways to fix this, if you don't feel comfortable leaving them wide open. You can always stitch them together down their edges.

It just takes too long for me to make such an effort :)

Back view. Still pretty.

Here is it on a Holiday inspired onesie.

And on this.

And this.

And this.

Oh and this.

You can do so much with these flowers. I have another flower tutorial for later. I hope this was something you enjoyed! I enjoy sharing them! Now I cannot take credit for this flower, because I've seen it all over the blogs for the past year so. Wear I first saw it, I cannot remember, but it didn't originate from me!

Love ya!

burning, staining, and pricking.

Friends, I apologize for the distance between my self and my computer. I have been knee deep in fabric and ribbon, kneedles and thread, glue and elastic, and stain and canvases. I have one more craft show coming up soon and as soon as that is done, I can breath. Kind of.

This week, I put up the song Trouble by Ray Lamontagne. LOVE him, don't you?! If I'm being honest, I don't always know what he's saying word for word, but I do love his voice. It makes me melt.

Anyways, the next few days will be filled with burning, staining, and pricking my fingers. Can't wait. However, I will be posting a small tutorial soon, so keep a look out!

You know who else's voice I absolutely have fallen in love with? This little man below. Please pause the music and watch this video. The entire thing is precious.

Have a good Thursday!

what in the world are you?!

I need some help from you.

My grandparents came for a visit a few weeks ago and brought with them, this.

I have no idea what it is. A wine bottle? A bottle? A....um.....i give up.

The bottle has a screw like top as seen above. But it came to us with a cork....

And it has somewhat distinct signage like this. What it means, I have no idea.

And the bottom looks as if it was cut off. But the cut is super clean and smooth, so much that it doesn't look like it was. Like maybe it came like that originally, but highly unlikely.

All of this to say, what in the WORLD do you think this is? I mean really, we have no idea besides a certain type of bottle. But I just wonder what it really is. Not that it matters, but if you have any idea, clue, hunch, thought, feel free to leave a comment and help me out!

Until then, it sits on the kitchen counter staring right at me as if to say, 'you have no idea what I am do you?'

That just made me sounds strange. Ignore me please. But do help me out if you have an idea!

the epitome of strength

I sit here now, unable to put my thoughts into words that will suffice. In September, I wrote to you about a young lady, Ellia, who has been and is suffering from a very rare and painful genetic disease.

Ellia is just three years old.

My oldest sister is college friends to Ellia's parents and we've been talking a lot about it. I've been trying to keep up with Brett's (the dad) tweets and facebook notes, which give great insight to there current life situation. From what I've read, Ellia's illness reared its ugly head over a year ago and she has suffered from a few traumatic episodes of it since then.

Here is a quote from one of Brett's notes, but I highly recommend reading them for yourself:

"The genetic test on that gene came back today, and it showed that Ellia's 17th and 18th exons in her LIPN1 gene were deleted. This has shown to lead to acute, recurrent rhabdomyolysis. It's incredibly rare, but it's what she's got. It's a recessive disorder which means, apparently, that both Christina and I are carriers (extremely rare) which gave Ellia (and Olive, who will soon be tested herself) a 25% chance of having acute, recurrent rhabdomyolysis. It appears that the metabolic disorder is benign except when Ellia gets ill. There's something about her body's response to an illness (fever? virus?) that brings on acute rhabdomyolysis."

From what I've read, much of her episodes have included not being able to move her arms and legs, stand, walk, move. An inability to swallow or breath well. And an intense, severe pain has been something I read was amongst these times. No one, especially a tiny girl, should have to suffer through such moments. And I cannot imagine the God-given strength it must take for her parents to be there with her feeling helpless, unable to lift her burden. But from what I've read and heard, they are a young family of more than conquerors by God's mighty hand (Romans 8:36).

They have been to a specialist in Austin recently and found some wonderful information on her illness. Also from what I've read, there are only 20 known cases of this illness. This is extremely rare. They also have learned some more things through her pediatrician in Waco. Here are a few links for YOU to learn what is actually going on, not just listening to me blab like I know anything. :)

Brett's Tweets: Click here

Brett's Facebook notes: Click here

Brett's most current note: Click here

My heart is just broken for them, for her. I don't know the kind of strength it takes to deal with such things as this, but it is an encouragement to me to see someone so small, go through something so traumatic. And yet, be so strong and joyful throughout.

It makes my small, insignificant aches and life issues seem just that, small and purely insignificant! She reminds me that they are such things, and that I should be on hands and knees lifting this little darling up in prayer. Please join me by praying for Ellia and her family. For healing, for strength, for provision, for doctors with the knowledge to help them further, for her sister Olive to not be diagnosed with it.

Romans 8:37-39:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

a chance of rain

Oh my. Can you believe it is already November?! It came so quickly! Since I cannot add this song on my blog as of right now, I am placing it here for you. It is called Love is waiting by Brooke Fraser. I absolutely love her music, as so will you. So first pause my obnoxious auto-play playlist further down the screen, then click play below and enjoy. This is one of my favorites of her music, especially on a rainy day like today.

November is a good month. Its Fall! In fact, today was the first day I felt the need to wear a scarf. In Texas, that can be rare until winter time, simply because you never know what the weather will choose to be day to day. Most of the time, its warm. But not today. In fact, today was a 90% chance of rain AND the day I chose to schedule a campus visit for grad school. I have wonderful timing.

As many of you might know (many being 5 tops), I like to voice a personal to-do list for the beginning of each month. Well. That is somewhat helpful, but in order to make it more exciting instead of utterly defeating (since it clearly doesn't all get done), I'm going to just state what will be happening or what already has, so we can all be excited for life in November.

First lets re-cap this past month while cringing:

- I will finish that book its coming along, maybe.

- attend the Texas state fair Loved it!

- Tech vs. Baylor (Wreck ‘em!)

- Kelci Craig After a difficult time, we finally got to spend time together!

- October 16th - BIG DAY - The Peach Room Showcase = Amazing!

- figuring out some doctor appointments - figured out!

- work. out. for. crying. out. loud. P90X. Bring it.

- October 23rd - The Peach Room’s first craft fair! A learning experience!

- saving up for that new language.... slowly but surely

-setting up shop at either big cartel or etsy. I haven't decided but I need some insight. ETSY. Keep an eye out!

And now for the month of November:

Here we go.

This month is a BIG month for many reasons:

-quite a few birthdays (including mine)

-a world series game (oh wait, done! amazing and such a blessing to be apart)

-a Joshua Radin concert

-a craft show (where The Peach Room will be representing)

-THANKSGIVING in Arkansas :)

-a quick trip to Baltimore, MD.

-potential answers to life questions

-potential clarification of life direction (sound confusing yet? I'll explain later)

-working out, is working out. so far :)

I know most of this reads as small and insignificant, but a lot of it is either 1) something God has provided 2) something God has clarified or 3) something God is currently moving and stretching me in on a constant basis. More than anything, this month is a time of seeking wisdom through God himself with decisions that need to be made left and right. Some much more substantial than others, but all meaningful and life changing.

So as this month moves ahead, whether I'm ready for it or not, I hope you will join me in living it fully and enjoying the highs and lows (life-wise and climate-wise).

Today, for example, when I confidently voted, placed my 'I voted' sticker on myself UPSIDE DOWN without the slighted knowledge of it, and made my best friend question my quality vote.

I might come to you crying. I might come to you so excited. I might even come to you with my face buried in my hands (like today).

Won't you join me?