Fabric Frenzy

A co-worker of mine brought me a HUGE bag of fabric recently.  She sews (she is actually a great seamstress), and was willing to part with many of her leftover fabric scraps!  I am LOVING IT!  She has wonderful taste, so all the fabric is absolutely adorable.  I am trying to save the bigger pieces of fabric for some bigger projects that Mom and I have up our sleeves (down the road, so do not hold your breath), but in the meantime, here is a little taste of our fabric creations: 

And speaking of fabric, sewing, and whatnot...

"You hem me in behind and before,

And You lay your hand upon me."

-Psalm 139:5

And if you see something you like, please head over to our Etsy store to order!

Purple Power

Most things in life change. I would almost go so far as to say that life is just that: a series of changes, and then more changes, and then more. But some things just do not change. The first constant that comes to mind, of course, is God. The second? Purple. It has been my favorite color since I can remember. And that does not seem like it is ever going to change! It was my favorite color when I was three years old, and now, decades later, it is still my favorite color.

So... Here's to the few constants in our lives!

This is a lavender stretchy headband... I think it's adorable for little girls or babies.

Figured I should model at least one of the headbands!

These bobby pins are adorable on!  They are great for gals of any age!

I tried a few hair ties since we had so many requests for them at the last craft fair.

And of course, a ring! (:

"The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom." - Isaiah 40:28

"The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." - Isaiah 60:19

Bobby girl

Although I am not too great when it comes to accessorizing myself, I do have to say that I LOVE bobby pins.  They are discreet, tiny, incredibly functional and powerful... I hardly go a day without wearing them.  As wonderful as they are, the average bobby pins are nothing special to look at. 

That being said....

A new spin on an old faithful!!!

Check out our Etsy shop for more where these came from!

Oh, Baby!

Springtime always makes me revert back to childhood a little.  My sister and I LOVED playing outside together.  We loved dressing up in springtime outfits, we loved Easter egg hunts, we loved it all.  One of my favorite parts of spring are the flowers that come alive.  Lawns get a little greener, and gardens get a little more colorful.  Andrew and I went on a walk last night and our whole street just looked... happier!  Colors, flowers, and big, full, green bushes were everywhere! 

So in honor of childhood, of spring, of flowers, and of the newness that each season of life brings with it...

Floral Baby Bands

"To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven."

-Ecclesiastes 3:1



Introducting Two's Company Crafts

As you may have noticed, the name of the blog has changed!  Over the past several months, I have blogged less and less and crafted more and more.  There just has not been enough time to do both!  So... as my mom and I are becoming more busy with crafting, we decided it only made sense to tie the crafting and blogging together. Although my mom and I have been crafting together for years, we have only recently begun getting our act together in order to market and sell our little creations! So... my mom and I are now "Two's Company." 

Over the weekend, we made an appearance at Medina Middle School's FIRST EVER Spring Sting craft fair and had a great day!  Everyone we met there was so sweet and encouraging.

Here is a little recap of the day: 

Our next appearance will be at Bark in the Park in Lebanon, TN on Saturday, May 5th from 11am-5pm!  It will be a day filled with lots of shopping, food, pet photography, and even pet microchipping.  Come out and bring your pet... mine will be there!  (: 

And while I am on a roll, hop on over to our Etsy account for a quick look-see!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/twoiscompany

21

My sister Avery turned 21 last week.  To celebrate, we all went to dinner (by "all," I mean she, my parents, my husband and I, and her boyfriend) downtown.  As far as family outings are concerned, this was one of the best in recent history.  We all enjoyed each others company, and just had a really nice time.  At least... that is my take on things!

Ave opening her gift

Ave holding her "Jar full of Memories" up to the camera

Avery and Mikey

Avery and Me

Andrew and Me

Mom and Dad

Avery and Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting... aka: Possibly the best cake I have EVER tasted!

Verse of the Week

Psalm 16:8

"I keep my eye ALWAYS on the Lord.

With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Best Foot Forward

Andrew and I met went out to dinner with some new friends Saturday night.   Since Andrew and I are relatively new to our church, we do not know many people there yet.  A group of people about our age, and in similar walks of life as us, were kind enough to reach out to us by inviting us to dinner with them so that we could get to know them a bit. 

On the way to the restaurant where we were meeting them, I told Andrew how nervous I was.  I was nervous about my being awkward, or not having much to say, not fitting in... I warned Andrew to be on his best behavior, as he can be a little nutty sometimes (which I love, but I did not want it to catch others who do not know him off guard). 

I think this is what we do when we come before God in prayer sometimes.  We withhold our dirtiness, our realness... the inner most parts of our hearts.  Our fears, our mistakes, even our wounds.  We bring only our best before God.  And God wants our best.  But He also wants our worst.  He wants what He died for, and He died for every part of us... Our talents, our gifts, our passions and desires, our accomplishments.  But He also wants our ugliness, the dark, black places in our heart, the things we are most ashamed of. 

In his book "With Open Hands,"  Henri Nouwen writes of coming before God with unclenched fists... giving absolutely everything to Him.  The first few lines of Nouwen's introduction go like this:

"Praying is no easy matter.  It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched."

This is hard.  This is hard for me.  I am a Type-A personality, tending toward introversion, perfectionism, and a controlling spirit.  Why would I ever intentionally expose the ugly places in my life and heart... intentionally?!

Nouwen closes his introduction with this prayer.  

Dear God,

I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!

Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold onto?

Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?

Please help me to gradually open my hands

and to discover that I am not what I own,

but what you want to give me.

And what you want to give me is love-

unconditional, everlasting love.

Amen.

 

Speechless

Today is one of those days when I have absolutely nothing to say.  

Sometimes circumstances of life, both good and bad, leave us stunned... So much so that we are completely speechless. Life just leaves us speechless.  And that is how I feel today.   You know the saying, "Have you prayed about it as much as you have talked about it?"  Well, it seems like I am all talked out, and all prayed out.  My heart wants to pray, but my head and mouth are out of words. 

Fortunately, we have a Marvelous Intercessor through the Holy Spirit,  who speaks on our behalf.

Romans 8:18,26

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us....

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." 

Psalm 91

 "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”

 ³ Surely He will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with His feathers,
   and under His wings you will find refuge;
   His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

 ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For He will command His angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him My salvation.” 

Verse 15 of this passage says that God will "deliver him and honor him."  Not only does He command His angels concerning us, in order that we might be delivered from harm, but He goes even beyond that.  He HONORS us.  He brings honor to us for HIS sake... So that we may proclaim HIM to those who do not know Him, and so that our lives may reflect His.  A God who honors His people who, without Him, would be lost, purposeless, and hopeless... that is love.  Not only does He deliver us, but he honors us.  We are worthy of no honor of this earth or not of this earth.  But neither were we worthy of being died for, and He did that too.  

As January comes to a close, we begin to prepare for February... a month of the celebration of love (Valentines Day.)  And I believe that true love does not exist apart from Jesus Christ, so it is only appropriate to celebrate love in the context of Christ, who is love, and who showed us with His life, and who still shows us through His Holy Spirit and through the fulfillment of His promises, what love looks like. 

Progress Report

Well, we have made some slow progress on the closet since I last posted about it.  We purchased and hung shelves.... the purchasing part was no problem-o, but the hanging part was a different story... A story of overcoming diversity.  Thanks to drywall screws and a patient husband! 

After hanging the shelves I put some organization essentials atop them, along with some of Andrew's things.  The four magazine holders on the right are from Goodwill.  I paid less than a dollar for each holder, and then spray painted them and stuck labels on the outsides.
 

The "E" bookend was also from Goodwill... $1.99.  It was originally black, but I spray painted it too.  And no, no one in our family has a name that starts with an "E." 

The deer head is something that Andrew worked long and hard on, so I thought it would be a sweet gesture to include it in the space.  And he painted the Tarheel plate, so it only seemed appropriate to include that as well. 

Still to come:

• Magazine rack (I have it, but have not hung it yet)
• Curtain, rod, and hook to pull the curtain back on
• Chair (The one in the pictures actually goes at our dining room table.)
• Trash can
• Clock
• Lights
• Yellow and white photo boxes (Four boxes total)
• Pen and pencil holders
• BOOKS and LAPTOP!!!

Be Still

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."  

- Exodus 14:14

Take Time

Take time to work.
It is the price of success.

Take time to think.
It is the source of power.

Take time to play.
It is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take time to read.
It is the foundation of wisdom.

Take time to worship.
It is the highway to reverence.

Take time to be friendly.
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream.
It is hitching your wagon to a star.

Take time to love and be loved.
It is the privilege of life.

Take time to look around.
It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to laugh.
It is the music of the soul.

–Old English Prayer

Source

Thoughtful Organization

I am taking away a few pieces of inspiration from this photo, and thought I would share them so you can have a piece or two also:

bhg

I really like the baskets.  Along with the matching white binders, they help give the space a cohesiveness and take the eye clutter down a notch.  I also love the magazine rack on the wall.  I saw a similar one at Marshall's yesterday, but had to sleep on it before deciding if it is worth the $12.99.

The reason I am torn is because I prefer hiding my clutter, my papers, and my projects in folders, baskets, etc... anything to keep them out of sight.  Andrew is not that way at all.  He is all about convenience and ease.  If he is going to put anything back where it belongs at all, that spot has to be easily accessible and visible.  Otherwise, the project will either be forgotten about, or he will never put the thing back where it belongs; he will leave it on the floor, on the desktop, somewhere effortless.  And the office space is technically for Andrew and not for me.  So I am thinking the magazine rack is the way to go... It is still better than having stuff piled on the floor, the desk, or the kitchen table. 

The chair is also right up my alley; however, I am leaning toward a thrifted chair topped off with a pretty cushion.

The goal this weekend is to purchase 2x4s and brackets, have them cut to the proper measurements, and then paint them.  I am leaning toward painting them white as opposed to staining them the harsh color of the desk.  While I am at Lowes, I also plan on purchasing some LED lights to hang in the office space, since there is no overhead light in that [former] closet.

Another view

Along the Same Lines

Since I am kind of on this "getting organized" kick, I thought I would share this ORGANIZED PANTRY with you, from Courtney at A Thoughtful Place. 

Here is what her kitchen looks like:

 And here is her pantry:

Let me interject here by saying that the size of this pantry is very comparable to the size of our pantry.  And Courtney has two small children, so Andrew and I have NO excuse for not being able to maintain an organized pantry, in spite of its size. 

Here is a list of things she added to help her get organized:

• hanging wire shelving system from Target {$35}
• wrapping paper to line the back of my pantry {$1} Target
• plastic drawer from Target {$8}
• chalkboard labels . . . DIY here.
• two plastic bins from Target to use as makeshift pull out shelves
• ribbon trim {already had}
• three blue tins from Target $1 section {already had}
• oxo containers {already had and LOVE} 

And here is a handy list she came up with to clear to pantry clutter:

• take everything out of your pantry. Toss what you don’t use or need.
• put things in clear containers so you can see your inventory
• label so even the hubby knows where things go when unloading groceries
• keep things in plain sight {like can goods} so you use them
• place like items together
• meal plan to cut down on the random buys that end up filling your pantry

The reason I like her pantry overhaul so much is because it is totally do-able.  She did not go out and spend an arm and a leg.  In fact, she said that the whole job cost about $45, which is pretty darn good.  

Here are some other inspirational, organized pantry ideas, to help get your organizational juices flowing!

From here

 

This one is a little over the top for my taste.

This one is one of my favorites!

I really like the calendar, grocery list, and meal planner hanging on the door... very cute and clever. (: