A New Name, A New Blog

Soo, remember the time that I told you guys that I was considering changing my shop name? I do love "The Scrapperie", but it has two problems - one, someone else already had it as a scrap booking forum and two, as mentioned in number one, it sounds way too much like a scrap booking place and really doesn't incorporate the vision of my business. So, drum roll please...

Introducing Four Thousand Stories!

Four Thousand Stories sells custom initial calligraphy necklaces in a wide assortment of colors! Scarves  and boot cuffs will come back once winter rears its ugly head again. Each necklace is made by using watercolor paint. So, since each necklace is somehow made by water, portions of the profits will go for water. For each necklace purchased, seven people get access to safe drinking water!  It's estimated that approximately four thousand children die every day because of a lack of safe drinking water.  But we can make those numbers dramatically drop. Lack of safe water isn't a problem waiting for a cure. All we need to do is bring filters or wells to them. And what a fantastic way to introduce the gospel. Just as this water brings life, so does Christ!

I hope to let those four thousand stories continue to be told and with your help, we can!

The shop is already up and running and more products will coming in time. So, if you'd still like to follow along, come join me at the new blog! Can't wait to see you!

April goals

I didn't do so great with my March goals, but I only figured so much. Life was busy. But now that it's slowing down once again, and perhaps for the first time since September, I'm looking forward to getting back into a normal person routine. 

February Goals {even though it's late February and March goals just didn't happen}
1. Keep reminding myself of 1 Peter 1:3b. {check!}
2. Read Martha's Rules. {check!}
3. Work on putting decorations on back wall in the hallway. {check!}

Bonus: With the help of my sweet husband, we also finally put up some shelves in our living room. 
4. This month, I'm giving myself a "by-month" with my running. I'll start again in March.
5. Once again, giving myself a "by-month" on my handmade business. 

April Goals

1. Memorize John 12:43

2. Read 20,000 Days and Counting. 

3. Finish decorations on back wall in the hallway. 

4. Finish weeks 1-4 in C25K. 

5. Add six new products into newly launched shop, Four Thousand Stories.

Post-Event Depression

Man, that was awesome. Two 50 hour work weeks leading up to the event. Three hundred and twenty people registered. $16,000 raised. Helping over 10,000 people in third world countries. That Celebrate Children 5k race was incredible. We even had a former Compassion child come down to speak both at the race and at my church. My head is still spinning and I hope to blog about it more in the future.

But, for now, I'm struggling with the depression that happens after the big hurrah. When the signs are torn down and the last check is donated. For over seven months, we have been planning this and now it's over. It almost feels like a part of me is missing. There was so much that I wanted to do before the event that I was sacrificing in order to make the 5k happen. And now that it's over, I don't even feel like doing any of those things. Instead, I'd rather be elbow-deep in day of schedules and registration lists.

I know that this is a common thing. But, my plan now is to try to get back into the swing of things, back into a normal rhythm. I'm starting with blogging and running. I even launched a new shop called Four Thousand Stories where I make calligraphy initial necklaces that help people get access to safe drinking water.

And I'm hoping that with time, I'll get back to normal.

February Goals

Wellllll, my January goals are a little discouraging. I should have known, really. I've been so busy working on our Celebrate Children 5k race, DNOW and my two part-time jobs (that sometimes feel like full-time jobs) that I haven't been doing a good job taking care of myself. Isn't it funny how quickly self-care goes out the window when things get stressful? If I took better care of myself, there's a good chance things wouldn't be as stressful. Catch 22! :) Anyway, I'm giving myself a little bit of lee-way with my goals for February, seeing as there's only one more week of the month to go. And I'm a little swamped because I overcommitted. I don't need to stress myself out with more goals right now. So, here's a January recap and a February goal list. :) 

January goals {recap}

1. Memorize 1 Peter 1:3b. {done!}

2. Read The Book Thief. {done!}

3. Work on kitchen curtains. {failed. maybe in a few months. thinking about this stresses me out.}

4. Finish weeks 1-4 in C25K. {got majorly sick - bacteria infection and all so failed on this one.}

5. Make and list two prints in The Scrapperie and bow scarves. {yup, failed this one too. didn't have time.}

February Goals {even though it's late February}

1. Keep reminding myself of 1 Peter 1:3b. 

2. Read Martha's Rules. 

3. Work on putting decorations on back wall in the hallway.

4. This month, I'm giving myself a "by-month" with my running. I'll start again in March. 

5. Once again, giving myself a "by-month" on my handmade business. 

just a monday

Been a rough day. I haven't parted ways with my kleenexes almost all day and been awake since 4 am because I was certain that my head would explode. Oh well, grateful for soft light and bright paints nonetheless. (This is also a sneak peek of what I've been working on to add to my shop. So excited!! The first one is already listed. You can see it here!)

rest

In a post that I wrote for Inscription Ministries, I talked a little bit about resting and how important it's become in my life. The above photo is from my Christmas break when I went out on the lake with my husband and in-laws. It was so relaxing, almost like I tossed all of my frustrations and stresses into the water and let the wind carry me away to a happier place.

Over the break, my husband and I got some seriously much needed rest. We took a break from everything, even turned our phones onto airplane mode and got things done around the house. It was so freeing. I'm purposefully making myself stop and rest a lot more often in 2014. Even now, I see my schedule slowly filling up and I have to ask myself why I thought it would be a good idea to have 2 part time jobs and 2 major volunteer positions. But, life is full and that's a blessing; it doesn't have to consume me if I don't let it.

What about you? Do you have to fight to get rest too?

bloom where you're planted

When I first moved to my town, I really didn't like it. I couldn't put my finger on why, but I didn't. It just felt like wearing an awkward sweater. I didn't fit in anywhere. 

Sure, I was excited when we first drove through town, when we bought our house, when the furniture arrived and the last decoration was hung. But then routine set in and slowly, something rebellious curled up into me. I was becoming arrogant and condescending to people that I didn't even really know. I was miserable; but in many ways, I was making myself miserable. 

Time is a beautiful thing and soon, I realized that living that way was not sustainable. Although much of our circumstances was changing than when we first arrived, I was slowly choking out any redemption of a place that I had harshly criticized when I first got here. 

And then, it hit me. This is where God has put me. He gave me this place to serve and love. And if I don't have a perfect, cookie-cutter place to fit in, maybe that's actually a good thing. A true creative finds creativity in places where it seems to have disappeared. A true creative finds her place, even if she has to dig it herself. 

A Shop Update

I'm nearing the end of my 6 month experiment with my Etsy shop and I'm just as excited about it as I was back then! I want to continue with my experiment and expand my product line to include scarves for the winter. In the spring, I'm hoping to launch a new fun project that I'm currently working on - to be shared soon!

This Thanksgiving, I had a chance to break away from routine and think more deeply about my business and its future. It was exciting to consider new possibilities and options. I read Handmade To Sell which gave me lots to think about and even my mom got excited about the idea of helping me out if orders ever get too much. She's teaching herself how to crochet and knit, just in case. :)

I decided two big things during that week:

1. I'm going to change my shop's name. 

The Scrapperie is a cute name and I love it, especially the "-erie" at the end. But, it's a little confusing. It sounds too much like a scrapbooking place and after doing some Googling, realized that it is actually a scrapbooking business. So, I'm looking into new options. I'll keep you posted.

2. Increased prices. 
In order to keep my business sustainable, it had to happen. After reading Handmade To Sell, I realized that my prices were currently making me lose money. If I want this to grow, that just can't happen. I was so nervous doing it, but I felt good about it afterwards. It made me feel more like a business woman and more serious about my work.

I have fun and exciting projects on the horizon for January too. Next month, I've got three goals:

1. Ask my husband to help me take better photos of scarves, then list them! (The one above is the only good one from my selfie photo shoot.)
2. Finish making final scarf design, then list.
3. Continue experimenting with a new project.

I'm making progress and blogging about it is helping me see that more clearly. It's not as exciting or glamorous as I thought, but I love it.

Five Gratefuls

"When I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me." - Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts 

It's a season of being thankful so it makes sense to start photographically commemorating my gratitude. 

And yet, I want to make sure that I'm not only grateful during November. I'm so much happier this time of a year and I think it's because I consciously slow down and enjoy the season, soak in time with family and don't mind if people judge me for jamming to Christmas music. Sure, there are cozy sweaters and hot chocolate involved too but I don't need those to be grateful year-round. 

And so for this week, here is what I'm thankful for each day, even the small things because that's where life and beauty are found, right? 

God, may I be a more grateful person always. Not just this time of year. 

monday // hair

tuesday // my messy but comfortable bed

wednesday // sun after rainy days

thursday // a refreshing face wash on a sunny morning 

friday // this man {my husband} 

Celebrate Children 5k Update #2

It's a rainy fall day, dark and overcast. And I've been itching to blog for a long time. I've had so many projects, Etsy orders and work assignments that I haven't had a break in quite some time. But today, today is a day to write!

So much has happened since my last 5k update and our first meeting. Our committee has grown from five women to eight. We've surpassed our goal of $1,500 donated in corporate sponsorship money. We have a Compassion graduate who once suffered from a lack of clean water coming to the race. Exciting things are coming down the pike. And some amazing stories have come out of our two months of planning that I hope to tell later.

And, yet. 

Yet, the dark night of the soul keeps pushing in. That point in which the dream is no longer as exciting. When I start to wonder if I've got the energy to see this thing through, even though we're not even half-way there. I look at the work and the challenges to overcome and I can't help but be weighed down. Not knowing if we'll keep getting rejections from businesses or if runners will even show up on race day. Not knowing what to expect as we market or register or network.

But, God. 

Last night, I was on a webinar panel for Compassion discussing the process of starting the 5k race. At the end, the organizer asked all of us panelists what we wish someone had said to us at the beginning of our projects. I was speaking more to myself than to the audience when I talked about how Satan wants nothing more than for these children to suffer horrible diseases - to even die. Of course, obstacles will be flung my way. It shouldn't surprise me that I feel like this is an endless cycle of tasks. What we are doing is worth something. And if I have to suffer in a pile of rejection emails and unstuffed goodie bags for children to be safe, then so be it. So be it.

My job is to be faithful to God, through the dark night of the soul and the bright sunshine of success. Wouldn't that scare our enemy the most? To see someone discouraged and frustrated to just keep going? To keep marching forward, not understanding why such struggle is before them and trust God to find a way? Perhaps that's real courage.

I don't know, friends. I'm still learning. But all I know is that I'm just going to keep on marching, keep on planning, keep on hitting obstacles and praying for a way around them, trusting that God is bigger.

Inscription Ministries

Friends,

I'm so excited to announce a new project of which I'm a part. One of my close friends (and longest friend - known each other since 7th grade!) has long had a vision to help other women. She's done this in a variety of ways throughout the years, but today, one of her dreams took flight  with the very first post of Inscription Ministries, a blog designed to encourage and challenge women in their faith. I'm honored to not only be a contributor, but to also kick things off with the very first post!

With wisdom from a number of different women with different backgrounds and current life stages, we pray that this blog serves to encourage and inspire women wherever they are! For the next few weeks, we'll be talking about friendship, what it means to us, stories of being a friend or receiving the comforts of friendship. I hope you'll check it out and may it be a blessing to you!

Compassion 5k run update #1

On Thursday last week, crazy things happened. They might not have been things worthy of a book, a newspaper article, or even something you would tell a friend. 

But for me, they were wild, out of control, make me smile from deep within things that pound my heart.

I met with our 5k planning committee. It wasn't even the full committee. Only half could make it but we started setting the ball into motion. 

This idea that I had to help build a well is actually happening. 

We have a name. 

We have a date. 

We have a location. 

We have a strategy. 

Already, God is teaching me lessons. 

I saw on Thursday how powerful working as a team can be. These women have ideas that I would have never thought of. They have creativity that goes in directions that mine doesn't. 

I'm also learning that many times, people want to help. They just don't want to start things.  I love starting things. It means that I can dream big ideas. But, I often have trouble implementing and following through on my dreams. Having a team forces me to keep going and even, to give the dream that extra oomph to make it grow.

Before, I was hesitant to even work with a team. It could mean that "my" dream morphs into something that I don't want. Or I'll have to make compromises. 

And maybe those things are true and they might happen. I don't know. 

But what I do know is that dreams and life, really, aren't meant to be done alone. We need each other to make them happen, to feel alive and productive. 

I would have never learned that if I had stayed curled up with just a dream and a notebook. 

As soon as we are officially in the books with the city, I'll let you guys in on the name, date, and even our logo. It's so dang amazing!!

Thanks for following along. I'm learning so much already and I will definitely keep you guys posted! ;) 

Has anyone else seen the value of a team before in their lives? Has it ever scared you to work with a team? Or am I just crazy?

my work space

Well, this might very well be one of the scariest posts I'll ever put here. I do love my work space, but it's definitely not as pretty as other people's. I had to clean it up and there are pockets of clutter hidden away from the camera. But, just as I want to get to know y'all, I want for y'all to get to know me!

I work from home here in this little space. I'm the editor of a small community magazine in our town and I truly love the job. I get to meet so many interesting people and I get to work from home, which allows me to pursue other creative outlets, like crocheting and blogging.

My husband is a youth pastor, so in addition to all this, I also spend a good portion of my time with teenage girls, loving them and encouraging them the best that I can.

So what about you? Tell me about yourself and your work space! I'd love to hear all about it. :) 

El Salvador

For the past few days, I've been following Hayley from the Tiny Twig on her adventure to Ethiopia. She traveled with the good folks from fashionABLE to see their work overseas. It was moving to hear the stories of pain, to see the pictures of poverty, to peek into her own thoughts on her journey.

Reading her posts reminded me of my time in El Salvador, especially the challenge of a language barrier. Despite my several years of Spanish class, I still hesitated to understand or even try to communicate with any of the people there. It was easy to use our translators as a crutch and stick to the back of the huddle to avoid having an awkward conversation.

I finally decided on one of our last days there to step out anyway and try to initiate a conversation. A beautiful woman walked by and I pointed to the ice cream cart to get her attention. We were handing out free ice cream to any one who walked by. She smiled and put down the basket on her head.

We had a small conversation, largely taken up with the time it took to translate our words. It wasn't life-changing. She was a Christian who regularly attended church and had a strong faith because of an accident that happened to her son. I told her that I would pray for her and she said that she hoped I would. With that, she picked up her basket, ice cream cone still in hand, and walked away.

Despite the fact that nothing magical happened in our conversation, it'll be hard to forget her. I was able to put a face and name to poverty. It makes it more heart-wrenching when you know a person in true poverty. It has a family and a history now. 

Hayley's post also excited me. I love what fashionABLE is doing. Products purchased through fashionABLE are made by Ethiopians and they are given a fair, honest wage. Women are given hope, dignity, and respect, which gives them the opportunity to permanently break the poverty cycle for not only themselves, but their children too.

And we get to be a part of it.

I love, love, love this model. It's life-giving, creative, and hopeful. That even you and me here in the comforts of our very own home can give a woman somewhere overseas dignity and a hug, even if we may never meet them on this side of heaven.

This business model is one of the reasons why I picked up a crochet hook and started crocheting. Not only do I love the craft, but I know that I can help even in this small way - to give safe drinking water through Compassion.

I love what fashionABLE is doing and reading Hayley's process. It's giving me the itch to go back to El Salvador and to even dream big. That maybe someday we could establish something similar to fashionABLE in El Salvador.

If you haven't read Hayley's post yet, go read it! 

a guest post on Being Made Beautiful

Hello friends! I'm taking a break posting from here for today. I'm over at Being Made Beautiful writing about waiting and living in between the big moments of life. You can read more on my thoughts if you'd like over on Rachel's blog. And stick around after the post - she posts gorgeous photos of her lovely children, home, and life. I love just looking through it and I know you will too! :) Enjoy and I'll see you on Friday!

A Sweat- Shop Free Outfit {a summer outfit}

I think that it's about time that I do another sweat-shop free outfit post! This is a summer outfit because I'm basically melting in this 100+ degree weather. Thank you, Texas. You've proven how hot you can be. Is it really necessary to keep doing this?

Anywho, here are a few sweat-shop free goods for your viewing pleasure. It has a very bohemian feel to it. Make sure you check out these fine establishments. They're changing the world and we can be a part of it!!

top :: Dreamcatcher boyfriend tank by Sevenly

shorts :: Cairo short by Greenola

earrings :: Dreamcatcher earrings by Beautiful & Beloved

iPad cover :: Fikire by fashionABLE

sandals :: Mint chiffon Sandals by Sseko Designs

growing guts

Friends,

Does anyone else have as much trouble with fleshing out creative ideas as much as me?!

What happens to me is I'll get an idea. It's an idea that I'm certain will make the world flip inside out. I mull it over, think about it, strategize, become consumed by it...for a day or two. Then, at the very hint of an obstacle, I abandon the idea and think it was stupid. And then it's onto the next idea.

I realize that part of this is the brainstorming process. But when this happens for every idea, it becomes counter-productive.

The other night, I had a bit of a mental break down. And when I say "mental breakdown", I actually mean a pity party. I bemoaned frustrations and struggles in my life, you know, the usual run of the mill pity party stuff.

My husband, the sweet man that he is, gently and calmly got in my face. I had an idea to start a 5k race to benefit Compassion International. Our town loves 5k races and the income generated is often high. I had a vision of starting a 5k race and using the money to help build a well in El Salvador. I talked about it for a week or two, but then the excitement started to die down. I knew that it would be work. It would mean potential rejection from businesses for corporate sponsorships. It meant potential difficult runners. It meant a risk. And I didn't want the risk. I wanted to stay in my safe bubble where I could dream and not do.

My husband graciously told me to get my rear in gear. It's easy to complain about "not knowing what God wants me to do" instead of walking and trusting. Dreaming is easy. Trust is hard. Doing is hard.

But that's been my challenge in 2013. My two word motto for this year was to "make mistakes." I wanted to do, to move, to be active. And it's a struggle - more than I thought that it would be. Without realizing it, I was being stagnant.

The next day after my pity party, I decided to take a few small steps and asked two more people to join the team to make the 5k happen. I emailed Compassion. And you know what happened? Beautiful things.

The two people were overjoyed at the idea that I would ask them to help. Compassion emailed me back within the next few hours with a 70+ page document on how to specifically plan a 5k race. And now, we've got our first planning meeting on the books with my five person planning committee.

Holy guacamole, ladies. God is crazy. Over and over again in this season of my life, I'm finding how much I dream and then, crazy enough, how much I complain that the dream doesn't magically grow legs and sprint from my brain into reality. That takes time and it takes guts. I'm growing guts, I promise. Just takes a little bit longer than I'd like.

What about you, friends? Do you feel this way too or am I just crazy?

diy cell phone cozy for your car!

Back in the day, one of my best friends from high school had a fantastic little contraption in her car that I just loved. It was a cute little sock that she cut in half and fastened with a small hook on the console of her car. She put her phone in it, which not only made her car cute, but it was also super easy for her to change the current song playing, turn it off, etc. I loved it and recently decided that I would make my own. Except instead of a sock, I crocheted one!

To make this little guy, I used...

- gray Martha Stewart medium wool blend yarn
- baker's white Martha Stewart medium wool blend yarn
- Hook K (6.5 mm)
- my iPhone 4S

Abbreviations:
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch

If you are just now learning how to crochet, check out the PurlBee's helpful tutorial or YouTube it! 

Steps: 
 

(If you are making this for a phone that is different than the 4S, please make adjustments accordingly!)

1. Crochet 12 stitches in gray (or your bottom color).

 2. Sc in each ch across. Ch 1. Sc in each sc. Ch 1. Repeat for 15 rows total until you get the above picture!

3. When you have 15 rows (or the right size for your phone to fit snugly), press each side together. Use a yarn needle to sew the ends together. That's it for the bottom piece!

4. Using baker's white yarn (or your top color), ch 6.
5. Sc in each ch. Ch 2.
6. Dc in each sc. Ch 1.
7. Repeat steps 6 and 7 in order to create 19 rows. 

8. Just like with the bottom gray piece, use a yarn needle (or sl st) to connect the two together to create a wide loop.

9. You'll now have two pieces that need to be put together. You can either use a yarn needle, like above, or sl st the pieces together. Initially, I tried the yarn needle and did not like the look it created (but I did like the picture I took of it!). Sl st ended up giving it a little more of a clean look.

10. Should you chose to sl st it, this is what it will look like. You'll need to flip it inside out to hide the seam around the gray and white parts and on the side of the gray and white! 

11. And ta-da! Now all you need to do is secure a small hook (you can find a 3M hook or something of the sort at Target or Walmart) on your car console where it is easy to access. And hook it on!

Enjoy!

a baby, a wedding, and a lake house.

This past weekend, my husband and I jumped in the car to visit some family and go to a wedding. It was supposed to be an easy trip to simply move my in-laws, go out to eat with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who would be having their baby in 2 weeks, and get all fancy for this wedding.

Of course, as with all adventures, things didn't go as planned. 

It's 4:00 a.m. and all I could really understand was that someone was talking and I was sitting up straight in the bed. After a few minutes of coming to, I realized that my sister-in-law was in labor. Yup, in labor. Maybe it was the Mexican food she ate when we went out or my little nephew is extremely polite and knew that this would be the perfect timing for us to get to meet him in person. Either way, little Ryan came! All 7 lbs, 7 ounces of him. Just a sweet little bundle of joy.

Needless to say, though, that our relaxing weekend became chaos.

4 hours of sleep
8 hours in the hospital
10 hours of moving my in-laws and the wedding

Of course, there was something wrong in the kitchen at the wedding and it took them three hours to get our food out. I did my best to smile and create engaging conversation without going into the corner and curling up for a little nap. The wedding was gorgeous and I'm so glad we could go, but you know? A girl gets tired.

It all helped, though, having not only a cute new family member, but also my in-laws' gorgeous new lake house. We are so excited for them to be living in their dream home - and that we get to come visit. ;)

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell.

How was your weekend?!