did you hear??

Did you hear? My blog has moved over to my website and I'd love to have you join me over there for tutorials, new products and more. I'd love to have you come on over and subscribe so you don't miss anything. We've made it super easy to re-subscribe to the new blog since there won't be any new posts here. See that handy "subscribe" button? Click the link below for various options for how to subscribe.

You can also find all of my social media pages like Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook on the top of the page. The search bar for the blog is also there if you're searching for specific blog posts or tutorials.

I hope to see you!

changes....

Hey all! This is my last Blogger post! Today I launched my brand new website, blog and products! You can read my latest post about the change here and please don't forget to subscribe to the new blog. Come on over and see what's new!

Freebie Friday: Free Earrings

 It's Freebie Friday time again! Today's Freebie is a free pair of the Large Pearl Earrings ($12 value) with any purchase over $50. Simply add $50 of product to your cart as well as the large pearl earrings and enter code "freepearls" to get the earrings FREE! Happy Friday and happy shopping!

Easter 2012

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" Matthew 28:5-6

We started off Easter morning at our church. It was such a wonderful service. We started with a slow song, then a drama describing the fact that Jesus was not dead and building up to a huge, energetic worship set with songs celebrating the fact that Jesus is alive. It was amazing and just what I was hoping for on a celebratory Easter morning. My God's not dead! So awesome.

After church, my side of the family came over, including my grandma who has been in a nursing home for a few months. It was so great to see her and see her laughing and smiling while watching the kids act crazy. The kids had a blast and got TONS of candy {of course}.  Our niece and nephew are so great with the kids, letting them get a head start on the eggs and leaving "easy" ones for them to find. They love their cousins.

The kids had to wait at the mailbox till we counted down and the mad dash was ON!

hunting, hunting, hunting

I love these kids!

Our fabulous niece and nephew with the E's

It wouldn't be a family picture without funny faces (and some scary!)

How was your Easter weekend?
Did anyone travel for spring break?

who will you bless today?

This morning I received this text from one of my friends as I was soldering rings. It blessed me immensely just to know that someone was thinking about me and praying for me! Has that ever happened to you? Someone sends you a random email, message or text telling you that they're thinking about you? I don't think I've ever come across a person who doesn't appreciate a message like that. What a difference that short, small message can make in a persons day to know that someone is thinking of them at that moment.

So my challenge to you today is this: randomly send a "thinking about you" message to someone. I'll make the challenge a little harder and ask that you send it to someone you haven't talked to in a long time or someone who might be a "frenemy" (come on, we all have them). See how it blesses them, and you as well. I'd love to hear how the encounter turns out, so be sure to leave a comment describing the impact, even if it's just the impact it had on you!

{{editors note: I texted a friend who now lives in Florida that I haven't spoken to in too long...loving this challenge even for myself!!}}

inspired {blogs}

There are so many blogs that I'm inspired by...it always amazes me the awesome people out there and the fabulous things they blog about. So much creativity, inspiration, wisdom and love. It's one of my favorite things about the internet. There's quite a lot that has inspired me in the past week so here's my list with all different topics & themes:

Sam & JT Plus Three - Samantha is a local mom that I know IRL and in addition to her three adopted children (ages 2, 3, and 4) she's recently taken in a baby that came to them in the middle of the night via Safe Families. Her most recent post is a wonderful example of her heart and love that she has. She's younger than me, but I have learned so much from her. She has so much love and she is just about the closest I've met to a person who lives like Jesus. She's truly an inspiration to me.

My Top 10 Tips on Running A Business via Becky Higgins - Anyone who's followed me for a while knows that I love Becky and Project Life. Her scrapbooking system is revolutionary and I'm so grateful for it (even though I've done horrible with the start of 2012). Last week she put out a post about tips for running a business and I have to say that all 10 are SPOT ON. She shares so much wisdom and even though I've been in business for 9 years, I've learned a lot from this post.

Autism Awareness: Helping a Friend in Need via Sew Chatty - My friend Elizabeth is paying it forward. A while back she was gifted an iPad to help her autistic son with wonderful results and now she's helping to raise money to help a fellow blogger with 4 children that has Asperger's. I love Elizabeth's heart...can you help?

Discerning Your Strengths via Tiny Twig - Hayley is doing a Passion series on her blog this month and this post really resonated with me. Sometimes I feel like I'm pulled in so many different directions and just plain tired. I'm pretty sure it's because I'm not focusing my energy on only the things that mirror my strengths. I'm thinking that this book is going to be on my "purchase" list the next time I order books!

Dancing in the Rain via CaronlineG - Carrie is so inspirational. She's a dreamer and is living out her dreams right now. I'm so amazed by her, her enthusiasm for life and her desire to help others live out their dreams. This post talks about how the rain comes and how she's learning to dance in the rain instead of letting negativity consume her. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning how to dance in the rain." I love this girl!

What blogs are inspiring you?

Please share - I'd love to read them!

inspired {books}

The kids and I had some fun at Barnes & Noble the other day. Momma gets coffee and the kids get to browse books & Little E gets to play at the train table. It's a win-win for all of us (when the kids aren't rowdy). I got to peruse the books and found some that I just had to have!

Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes
I'm really excited about this book. I consider myself to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to creating...which is why I don't draw or paint often, because I WANT to do that type of creating, but I'm not great at it so I just don't do it. This book is perfect for getting me out of my perfectionistic slump in regard to creating things. The first page is a warning: Do not try to make something beautiful. There are assignments for each page like soaking the page with water and trying to write on it with ink. Another is "smear something here with your hands purely for the tactile sensation." I can't wait to get started!

Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book
I purchased this book because my best friend Chrissy had two doodle books last year that she did with her daughter and we got to see them when we went to visit. I originally wanted a doodling book for me to do, of flowers and swirls and things to draw with fine tipped pens. We headed over to Barnes & Noble and saw this book and knew I had to have it to do with Big E. It arrived yesterday and we did our first doodle together last night (pictured left). The assignment was to finish the brick wall. E had a ton of fun (and, who am I kidding? I did too!!). She said "I LOVE this book" and the first thing she wanted to do after breakfast was work on her doodle book.

Found, Free and Flea: Creating Collections from Vintage Treasures
This, by far, is my new favorite book. Since redecorating our downstairs in antique/country/shabby decor, I'm now fascinated even more with going to flea markets and finding old treasures that have been forgotten. The book tells the story of a couple who purchased an old family summer camp. As they went through five years of renovating the property they found amazing treasures hidden there. The most amazing story of what they found on the property was a huge shelving unit of vintage Fiestaware that was paneled over. Can you just imagine tearing down paneling and finding shelves and shelves of bright colored Fiestaware? I would be in heaven! This book is igniting a dream within me that I'll share more about later.