The Present Moment

Sometimes I find it hard not to be constantly in multitask mode.  I juggle a lot of things - I am sure you do, too.  We also live in an age where we have information and communication constantly at our fingertips.  Don't get me wrong - I think there is a lot of great things about technology.  But I think it can also make us disconnect as we become engrossed in what we falsely think of as "connecting."  Meanwhile we've tuned out to the people physically present with us.

I've been challenged to really try to slow my mind down and be present when I am with others.  You might recall that "Presence" was one of the words I selected to focus on this year.  One Sunday afternoon a few months ago, I had the chance to experience presence with my 2 year old in a way I had not before.

That day, on a whim, I asked Elaina if she wanted to help me make some muffins.  I have many fond memories of cooking and helping my mother and grandmother in the kitchen and she's getting old enough now to really be interested in "helping."  But it's hard to find the time and well, I don't like messes.  So this was a first.

For some reason, on this day, I didn't try to be efficient, or to rush her.  I slowed the pace down, and involved her in every step.  I explained each ingredient, and showed her how to measure and stir it in. 

Honestly, I expected her to lose interest after 10 or 15 minutes.  But she did not.  It took a whole hour and she was absolutely with me for every second of it.

It was all so new to her, and so ordinary to me - but I was struck by her wonder and excitement.  It was a gift to see her confidence and pride in herself as she did a step, and looked at me and said "I did it, Mommy!" 

It was an ordinary moment but it felt extraordinary.  I was so grateful that I was able to put aside my list of to do's and be with her in this activity.  As a friend shared in response to my story, it is a beautiful picture of how God probably views the joy in involving us in his work in the world.  He doesn't have to, and it's messy and takes a lot longer than if He did it himself, but so much more worth it in His eyes.

This experience made me more acutely aware of the times I spend "with" her - as in, we're in the same room.  But am I really "with" her - as in, at her level, in her world, seeing the ordinary as extraordinary as she does?   What am I missing when I can't slow down and be "as a child" for a few moments?

How about you?  Have you had a moment like this as a parent, teacher, friend or spouse?  Do you find it hard to tune out distractions and be engaged in the present moment?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Inspiration is everywhere

Where do you get your ideas?

People have often asked me this.  Like many who create arts and crafts, it is usually something ordinary that catches my eye.  When I worked in a hospital, I would often think about a colorful scrub pattern that I had noticed during the day and as I fell asleep that night, I'd think about how I'd use it in a card design.  (Really, I don't make this stuff up.)  More than once I've designed a card because of a dress or outfit in my daughter's closet - because, let's face it, baby and toddler girl clothes are stinkin' adorable and much more fun and colorful than my own!  A few weeks ago she wore this darling daisy dress (which was a hand-me-down, as most of her clothes are!) to church and it inspired me for a Mother's Day Card design.   Here is the result:

 

Other sources of inspiration for cards have been a colorful scarf, or a photograph of flowers.  And of course, much of the framed wall art I have created has been inspired by children's bedding or another decor item.  Home designers will often tell you to start with an item that you love, whether small or large, to choose color and design theme.  I'm in the process of updating my kitchen decor, and one of my sources of inspiration is this fun sunflower fabric I purchase on Etsy for curtains:

 

 

Kitchen plans are still unfolding, but I'll share pics when I have them! 

 

Inspiration can be found everywhere - next time you see a colorful piece of fabric, a magazine ad layout, or some other item that catches your eye - take note!  What is it about it that you love?  Can you incorporate this design appeal into your next project? 

 

Theresa Cifali shares some great places for color inspiration in this recent Bella Crafts Quarterly article.  Great ideas, here, Theresa!   I love the one about wrapping paper, will use that one soon, I am sure!

 

So - I'd love to hear, where do you get your ideas?  What kinds of things have inspired you?  Do you have a photo or post about it? Please share it below! 

Gratitude

Gratitude

It’s been on my mind, and on my heart. 

I chose it as one of my words for reflection in 2013.   Along with Simplicity and Presence, these are my attributes for attention and focus this year. 

Without knowing this, my dearest and oldest friend gave me the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp for Christmas.  Isn’t it great to have a friend who often knows what you are thinking, from miles away, without you saying it? 

 1: Perfect gift from your dearest friend

Ann writes about her journey in discovering more fully joy, and life, and the love God extends to us as she struggles to open her eyes and heart to embrace gratitude in her everyday, mundane, and often messy, painful life.  She’s a mom.  She’s real.  Her words are raw, are deep.  This is one of those books I can’t quite take in on first read.  Also – full disclosure, it’s not a warm and fuzzy, self-help book.  It’s about the struggle of life and surrendering to grace, and allowing Jesus to spill out between the cracks and holes of our lives.   She weaves throughout her story tidbits of the 1000 things she records to be grateful for.  I’m about halfway through, truly, so I cannot tell you if she exceeds this or starts over, but I'll keep you posted.

But it reminded me of a little notebook I had started once, in about 2001, someone had suggested this very thing.  So I started writing in it.  Not daily, no, definitely sporadically. 

I pull it out and from numbers 1-599 I see highlights of my first few years as a working professional, as a single woman, as a youth mentor, then…meeting my husband, falling in love.  And I see that it stops at #613….which seems sort of pathetic given that it spans about 5 years.  And it’s just about 13 items after #599 Elaina Grace Maners, who is my now 2-1/2 year old daughter. 

Ann writes early in the book about her first insight into this act of giving thanks.  She encounters in her Scripture study the Greek word “eucharisteo” which means “he gave thanks” from Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them….”  And then….this is the part that grabbed me, I think you’ll see why:

“The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning ‘grace’.  Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks.  He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks….Eucharisteo, thanksgiving envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis.  But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning ‘joy’.” 

Yes.  YES.  The reason for the name I chose for this little business adventure I’m on.  The story behind it.  This is it.  And now, a deeper understanding of what the word, and the act means. 

You see, these things – Gratitude.  Thanksgiving. Joy.  I am from the bottom of my heart filled with thanksgiving for being thankful.  What’s that?  Yes, I am grateful for gratitude.  It may seem simplistic, or cliché, but let me explain:  

Without making this a story about depression or mental illness, let me just share a bit about dysthymia.   If you have not heard of it, dysthymia is a kind of chronic depression, with less severe or dramatic symptoms, although at times those with dysthymia may have an episode of major depression.  Because of its less dramatic manifestation, it can go on for years before being diagnosed.  In my case, probably 10?  Or more?  Beginning in about 2007 and culminating in the months after the birth of my daughter in 2010, however, my symptoms did progress to – a turning point.  Or breaking point.  Or truly, a split-open-fall-apart-and-let-Jesus-patch-you-up point.

The birth of my daughter brought me to a point of facing my depression diagnosis, and finding my way to the right treatment and care.   I owe much of that to coworkers who know how to recognize these symptoms, and could help connect me.  And that I responded well and without side effects to the first medication I tried.  

 2.      Help to get help
3.      Zoloft.  Oh, yes, thank God for Zoloft! 

Over the past 2 years I have been utterly amazed to remember what joy and gratitude feel like. I had forgotten.  And this joy is wrapped in respect and tender appreciation such as one might feel toward a tiny baby bird that needs to be protected and guarded and may  also slip away if not guarded carefully.  Knowing my diagnosis means also an understanding that it’s not gone just because I feel better.  I wonder, what then?  What happens if the cloud envelopes me again?  What happens if I pass this on to my daughter?   What if I stop responding to Zoloft?  What if we have another baby and I have post-partum again?  What if?....

But, then too, I am grateful for what I have now that I didn’t before:

4.      Relief and confidence and freedom brought by naming something

The simple act of labeling my diagnosis and understanding it is something I am deeply grateful for.   And helps me calm the questions and the fears. 

Anyway, this story is not really about that.   But it helps to open the window to all that “Charis” represents for me.

There’s more to this word Charis, “grace.”  My daughter – her middle name is Grace.  This is not a coincidence.  I know more fully how true that is. How becoming her mom and reaching a point of crying out and stumbling toward help -  that motherhood itself is  high on the list of  the greatest eucharisteos I have ever witnessed.

6. The beautiful mess of motherhood

When I think about it - twice now, really, that God has used a helpless infant to save me.  To rescue me from a miry pit.  As Elaina learned to pray over Christmas:

7. For the baby Jesus

So….

The launch of my business is one outward symbol of this transformation – to do, to make, to connect, to initiate, to reach out, to appreciate, to promote, to create, to network.  These things that I now do – I could not do them 3 years ago.  So this, this little adventure in creativeness and entrepreneurship, it means a lot.  It means SO MUCH.  It means everything. 

For those of you who might be reading this because you’re interested in my handmade business and you’re thinking “Whoa….wait, this is about JESUS?  I thought it was about papercrafting and making stuff!”  I want to say 2 things:

1. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to use this forum to preach or promote an agenda; this is probably a rare post that looks so deeply at my heart.
2. But yes, it is.  It is about Jesus.  I hope that you can appreciate that even if you don’t understand it, and that you’ll stick around to hear also about papercrafting and making stuff!

8 Gifts for 8 Cousins

In this post, I want to share photos of my favorite custom order project thus far.  A friend of mine, with a lot of nieces and nephews - 8 currently, with more on their way.  She requested custom framed wall art pieces to give each of them for Christmas gifts this year.

The reason this was one of my favorites is that  love to create wall art for kids and babies.  I can customize these based on pictures or details about the room decor, bedding, or ideas about their favorite things to do, favorite animals, hobbies, or favorite colors.  So, the variety in interests for the 8: 4 boys and 4 girls, was a nice challenge.  I also kept in mind that 2 pairs of the cousins are siblings and share a room, so while I wanted each piece to be unique and special for each child, I also wanted to coordinate those sets to match in some way.

So, here is what I came up with, with input from my friend, who consulted with her sisters/sister-in-law and also shared some photos of rooms and bedding with me:

These were for 2 brothers. They have a dog, named Deuce. We puzzled a little about the second one, but the boys also have a tree house. My friend asked "how about a monkey in a tree house?" And so....this is what I came up with.

 

This is for the other set of brothers, I worked from the interests and the picture of their bedding, below:

 

Now for the girls: 

This owl is for a baby, and I worked from a photo of her quilt, which features an owl, and the nursery, which is painted in hues of purple.

 

 

This one is for a young lady who is a little bit older, so I wanted something that she wouldn't grow out of too quickly. I kind of liked the white picket fence!

And for the other two lovely ladies: a lady bug and a bunny (with a mini lady bug!).

The lady bug was the first to be made, and we later decided to go with white frames for all, so it was switched out, but I don't have a photo of it in white.  

For each of these, the frame opening is 5 x 5 inches and it can be hung on the wall and also has an easel a table/shelf display.   I've also made this type of thing in a matted frame, which is especially nice for a wall display.  See photos of these in the Nursery Wall Art Gallery. 

Thanks to the whole family for helping me with the inspiration - hope all the kiddos enjoyed their gifts!  

Would you like a personalized decoration for your child's room?  Contact me - I would love to design something for you!  



A Handmade Legacy

When I am asked how I started "crafting" I have to give full credit to my mother.  My mother is an amazing seamstress and when we were small, she made a lot of our clothes for us.  Her mother was a home economics teacher, so she had grown up learning skills like sewing, knitting, and other needle crafts.  I "dabbled" in lots of craft hobbies as a child and teen, and I give my mother many thanks for teaching me from a very young age to make things and be creative.  Although I never did pick up her knack for sewing, unfortunately.

One of the most impressive gifts I remember was given to me and my 3 sisters in about 1986 or 1987.  That was one of the years that Cabbage Patch kids were the BIG THING - stores ran out of them, parents waited in line for them.  They were a bit pricey, too.  There are four girls in my family and it wasn't in the budget to buy 4 of these dolls, although we - especially me and my next oldest sister - were begging for them.  So, my mother purchased the doll heads and kits to make the "Doll Baby" versions for each of us (incidentally, it seems by searching online that it's actually debatable about whether these were the original or the knock-off version).  Yup, she made 4 dolls.  And didn't stop there.  That same year, she made matching outfits for us all - it included a blouse, a corduroy jumper (dress) and pant jumpsuit.  Yup, that's a lot of sewing.  But there's more!  She made from the leftovers - matching outfits for all 4 of those dolls.

Here is a not so great picture of a picture, which is aged anyway, but you get the idea.  I'm on the left, the oldest.  I was about 8, and my sisters would have been about 6, 2 and 1.  Yes, it's cheesy.  Yes, the dolls are kind of odd-looking.  But at that age, we didn't care.  And now, as a mom, I fully appreciate how many hours of sleep were sacrificed to sew these gifts after our bedtime.

Well, my little Elaina is now 2-1/2 and she really loves playing with dolls.  So, it occurred to me to go looking in the basement for a box which I knew contained my "Baby Doll" - Angela - and some of the clothes that went with her.  I found her!  And since I was 7 or 8 when I received her, she didn't get as much playing as the others in the family did, so with a run through the delicate cycle and an air dry, she looked pretty good!

I was so excited to share this with my daughter.  The dress she is wearing in this photo is the one, I believe, that I wore home from the hospital as an infant.  The sweater was hand knit by a family member, and in the next photo you can see me as a baby wearing it.  Mom also made the diaper bag you see in the photo and some other clothes are included that were also mine as a baby.

One final special thing to note about Angela: she has two right legs.  Mine was the first mom made, and she realized that she'd sewn the legs together incorrectly.  We always talked about her going to the baby hospital for surgery, but....well, it didn't happen.  And I love that about her now.  I love that she is a little bit imperfect, but represents so much time and loving care that went into a handmade gift.  Back in 1986, I might have been a little disappointed to get a substitute for the real thing.  But I now appreciate so much what my mom did for us that year, and I am so happy to be able to pass on to Elaina this version rather than a doll that probably hundreds of kids got that year.  There isn't another one out there exactly like this one and I hope Elaina can get more play time with her!

Thanks for passing on a heritage of creativity and making handmade gifts, mom!  It's a treasure I am happy to share with my daughter.

Three Cheers for Handmade!!

Over the past 6 months, I have spent a lot of time at arts and craft shows and other handmade events – on both sides of the table.  This has given me a true appreciation for the folks that are out there trying to make a go of it by selling their handiwork. If you haven’t tapped into shopping handmade yet, here a few reasons I recommend it:

1. Handmade makers get really excited when you buy their products or share with your friends how much you like their work.   Contrast that to when you buy something at your standard big box store.  The person you hand your money too has absolutely zero connection to the product and really cares little that you happened to stop in that day.  Not so with your crafter (or really any small business).   They are usually thrilled to meet you, personally encouraged by your purchase, and would love to talk to you about what they do.  I’ve made some great connections with some local folks, such as Shelly from Neighborhood Blonde.  I attended an event in September and Shelly spent some time chatting with me and also encouraged me to apply to an I Madeit Market event .  When I crossed paths with her at the Harvest Marketplace in November which was my IMI debut, she remembered my name and our conversation!  That meant so much to me as a handmade newbie!  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a fellow maker or small business owner mention on Twitter or Facebook that they made a sale, or hit a milestone, or were mentioned in a blog.  These things make their day!  Really! 

2. Working with a handmade maker means you’ll get an item that is truly unique.  In many cases, your item may be absolutely one of a kind.  I know for example that in my work, even in a "set" of matching cards, invariably something is a little different in each one.  If you buy a purse or bag from a handmade artist, for example, you might be getting a piece of vintage material that they had just enough to make that one item.  You won’t be seeing the exact same thing on every shoulder on the bus.  Also, let’s say you like a jewelry design...but….you’d prefer a different color, or another strand of beads, or you want it to be a little longer.  Handmade artists often LOVE to do custom work.  I know that I do – in fact, there is nothing I like more than customizing a card or a wall piece with a particular person's interests as inspiration.   So don’t be afraid to talk to them, ask what they might be able to do to customize for you!  To see a few of the custom pieces I've done, check out my gallery here.  

3. Your purchased handmade items are really and truly a labor of love.  We will spend time getting it just right.  We’ll search for just the right item.  We’ll truly put a little bit of ourselves into it.  When we send it off with a customer, there is a part of us that is a little sad to see it go.  But we’re also really, really happy that someone loved it as much as we did!    

So the next time you are looking for something you could purchase at a big box store, or you could check out Etsy, or a local handmade event or boutique, or you could contact a friend or artist that has a business, consider the difference your purchase can make!

Is there is a local artist you really love? Spread the word!  Share their info with your friends; like them on Facebook; give feedback to them via social media venues.  The best way for a handmade artist to grow their business is organically through happy customers!  

Along those lines, I’d like to give a shoutout to a few of my local favorites that have spent time talking with me at shows or have made some of the awesome gifts I was able to purchase this holiday season.  I know they would LOVE to have you “like” them on Facebook, visit their Etsy shop, or drop by one of their local shopping venues (many of them have items at Boutique 208 downtown or Wildcard in Lawrenceville):

1.   Amy  of Bonne Amy (love her alphabet photography, especially with photos of Pittsburgh!)

2.   Gillian of Gillie Beans Boutique (I love appliqué and since I don’t sew, I am happy to purchase her items for the little ones on my list!) 

3.   Deirdre of Ride Red Designs (has made several custom jewelry pieces for me!  Its been so nice to get just what I want)

4.   Kali of Vehement Romantic (makes unique jewelry using items from nature, or her kitchen cupboard.  One of my favorite purchases this fall was a pair of red pepper flake earrings!)

5.   WhimsicalWonders, owned by Melissa and Lew.  They craft jewelry and other items from silverware.  My favorite gift received at Christmas was a spoon watch!  So fun!

I hope you’ll consider buying handmade.  Pittsburgh has some awesome handmade opportunities.  Carrie Nardini and the team at I Made it Market coordinate wonderful events all year long and select some great makers!  At the holidays, the Handmade Arcade is also great!  And of course, if you ever need a card, small gift or wall art item, please consider Charis Notes and Gifts!

Thoughts about Christmas Giving

Reflections on Gifting

Those that know me well could attest: I love gift-giving. That may sound like a passive way to say that I like to receive gifts – and this is true, I won’t deny it. But really, I truly LOVE to pick out special gifts, big or small for others – and whether it is reciprocated or not isn’t part of the joy I receive from the giving. I’m known for being so eager to see the reaction that I cannot wait until the designated holiday or event.

So when Christmas rolls around and EVERYONE is thinking and talking about giving gifts and marketing strategies inundate us, I begin to feel uncomfortable. Why? I’ve been thinking about this especially this year and I’ve realized it’s for a few reasons:
1. I hate to feel like I’m just following the crowd to do what is expected
2. I feel like the commercialism around Christmas gifting has robbed me of something precious

So, this season I was challenged to be truly thoughtful about the meaning of Christmas gifting and to consider how I might reclaim this in a way that is a more true celebration of the gift of Jesus, and not a glorification of materialism. To further prompt me in this reflection, our church services during Advent at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church were around the concepts of Advent Conspiracy, which is all about rethinking how we approach Christmas and especially gifting, with emphasis on these concepts:

1. Worshipping Fully
2. Giving More
3. Spending Less
4. Loving All

I’ll let you read details in the link above if you want to learn more, but in this blog I want to share just a few thoughts about how I’ve practiced these this gift-giving season. In subsequent blogs, I’ll share some more details about some specific gifts given and received, and some lessons learned in the process – but not all gifts have been given yet and I don’t want to spoil any surprises!

1. This year, my Christmas shopping experiences have been an opportunity to celebrate creativity and beauty. Since launching Charis Notes and Gifts as a business in July I have been privileged to spend a great deal of time in the "handmade" scene. Now, I know it’s super trendy and cool to buy handmade and local right now. And I’ll admit – I like being super trendy and cool. But as I have spent time at events as a maker and have connected with other artists and crafters in person and via social media networking, I have discovered other reasons to be committed to buying handmade. You do truly appreciate another’s work when you walk in their shoes a bit!

2. My launch of a business was for several reasons. The first, of course, was because I like making things. The opportunities to custom create gifts and cards so that my customers can give a special and meaningful gift is such a blessing! I am pleased to think of how many people across the country might be receiving something I made this holiday season!

3. A second reason was to contribute to our families’ financial needs, especially for things that are “nice-to-have but not essential.”  I kept hearing things about considering handmade gifts as a money saver but, in the spirit of being thoughtful and thinking of what others might really like, I felt that I could only give card sets or wall art out to my family so many times before it becomes lame and self-promoting. Instead, I took another approach and used the profit I’ve made by selling my own handmade items to purchase the gifts I am giving from other makers.   At least ¾ of the gifts I purchased this year were handmade, and most of them by local artists. An added benefit to this was that I have spent very little time in traditional retail settings, which has been a significant saver of time, energy and stress for me!

4. Part of the local handmade scene is a large emphasis on creative reuse – recycling, upcyling, using vintage products. It’s been a lot of fun to see the creative things people can do with stuff that might be wasted or thrown away! A number of times I have happened upon something that reminds me of a childhood memory, or a family member that is no longer with us. You can’t find that in a department store!! I have really grown to have a deep appreciation for thinking about the potential beauty in things that might be discarded (there is a spiritual parallel here); and to really treasure the things from the past, many of which have a story to tell.

5. If you’re familiar with the book “The 5 Love Languages”, it will be no surprise to you that my top “language” is giving and receiving gifts. A close second is quality time. So in an effort to rethink gifts that just add more “stuff,” I gave pause to think about whether a gift item would be truly used, appreciated, or valued. Is there a gift I could give that is more about time together and less about “stuff”?

6. I also acted in a few small ways to be prudent with my own time and energy level at the holidays. I’ll admit, it’s been busy juggling my Charis orders with my holiday preparations and other commitments. But in small ways I’ve made choices, like purchasing cookies from a small local business to free up a little of my own time to spend with my family.  This is a first for me, as in the past I've tried to do it all. 

7. The one thing emphasized in Advent Conspiracy that I cannot say I acted on sufficiently is sacrificial giving to those in need.   Tt is probably safe to say that my giving in general is not proportional to amount of need I could meet. I think that a part of me was a little resistant to giving to others as an alternate use of resources that would have been spent on gifts for others. In thinking more about why that bothers me, I think it’s because I know that if I am honest about my resources, there is more than enough for me to give to my friends and family a small token of love and appreciation (especially if done with the above principles guiding) and still find enough to give to someone who is truly in need. I feel that in my situation, the sacrifice should be in some other choice rather than less giving to others. So, my response to this is to spend the last few days of 2012 to think and pray about how a lifestyle change in 2013 could simplify my life and free up resources to give to others – all year long.

Merry Christmas everyone!