Joy: A Mini Quilt and Auction for Ashley Hackshaw of Lil Blue Boo

I've been on a little creative journey for the past couple of years. Never ever EVER would I have suspected that I might just fall in love with creating anything (except my children...they're pretty great)! But somewhere along the way, blogs came on the scene. And splashed on the pages of those blogs was inspiration. Fabric and color and words and ideas started swirling around in my brain. Something finally clicked and I realized that it was OK to be inspired by someone. And oddly enough, I don't think that I knew what inspiration was before then. Aspiration, yes. Inspiration, not so much.

Ashley Hackshaw over at Lil Blue Boo was one of those initial few people to capture my heart by way of the creative. The first thing that won me over was her heart to SHARE creativity with the world. Not only through her shop, but by offering oodles and oodles of tutorials as well. I'm pretty sure that I immediately subscribed to her blog-- and I'm so thankful that I did.

It followed that I fell in love with Ashley's positivity, joy, strength and spunk. She has purposed to "Choose Joy" in each and every circumstance that life throws her way. So when life threw her a curve ball this fall and an invasive cancerous tumor began as a result of a molar pregnancy, it kind of rocked my heart too. But Ashley is one amazing fighter. Full of life. Full of faith. Overflowing with JOY.

(Click on the photo of Ashley below to see more about her journey)

A sweet group of women affectionately dubbed "Team Ashley" sent me an email asking if I was interested in donating an item to an auction that would raise money to benefit the Hackshaw family. Amy over at Evy's Tree wrote a post explaining how this auction will help cover Ashley's mounting medical expenses in greater detail. Please hop over there to read more.

I wholeheartedly wanted to make something-- but I wasn't sure what. And then this idea for a mini quilt came to mind. So I sketched out the letters, created a template and got to stitching. Unfortunately, the binding fabric took a little longer than expected to arrive and they have over 260 (that's right, TWO HUNDRED and SIXTY) items donated so far, so I think that my photo and item may not make it directly into the official auction now. (Lesson learned: send confirmation email with a note saying that photos will follow next time!)

Nonetheless, I will list the mini quilt on the Lovespun Studio Facebook page and here on the blog and open it up as a teeny tiny private auction with the proceeds going to benefit Ashley 100%-- that means the shipping is on me too friends! Please check out the auction when it goes live. There is a button posted on the sidebar of the blog that will link directly to it as well.

Please pray for sweet Ashley and her family. Also, please spread the word about this auction. Let's link arms and make a difference.

Dirty Dreams {Part 2}

Ok, so that "(to be continued tomorrow)" statement didn't work out so well. One thing that I'm learning about blogging is that you have to go with something when you feel like sharing (and perhaps not commit to a part 2 unless you're certain you're ready to write.)

You've probably noticed that along this ride that we've called the past 2.5 years, I've been enjoying some time sitting down at the sewing machine. I've NEVER EVER EVER used the term "creative" to describe myself. And yet, there is something freeing and beautiful that creating has brought out of my heart. I can't articulate what it is.

Maybe it's a freedom to feel comfortable enjoying something without having a plan of action in place for what to do with that creative outlet. Or maybe it's because it has birthed a dream in my heart. A dream without an eternal purpose (that I can see yet). And for once, I don't feel like I'm wasting anything by nurturing this dream-seed. In fact, it may even find a place to plant eventually.

Do I want to change the world? Sure. Vision itself isn't bad or wrong, but it can throw dreams by the wayside. There's a stark difference between guilt and conviction. I think I've often confused the two over the past ten years. I think that for now I'm ready to change the world heart-to-heart and person-to-person. After all Jesus said, "Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." Matthew 10:42 (MSG)

In the meantime, while I do my best to live like Jesus,  I'm going to let my heart be light and shake off the idea that I can't live with purpose while entertaining a dream.

I'm fairly certain that this quilt I stumbled upon on Pinterest sums me up nicely. I'm also pretty sure that my heart dreams in happy fabric hearts. Who knows, maybe if you just allow yourself some room to dream, the vision will follow? We'll see.

Source: flickr.com via Kirsten on Pinterest

Joy in Progress

It's been a productive day here. Parker is on the mend, and I'm feeling a little better too. We decided that since Jeremy had to be at work early this morning and Peyton was going to church with Mamaw and Papaw that we'd make the 60 mile trek down to Indianapolis to pick up some groceries from Trader Joe's.

They were out of "Green Plant" juice...so sad. So I snagged this "Beet and Purple Carrot" juice instead. I'm pretty sure that eating stinky over the past four days has been what's thrown my body into a tailspin. Yech. Back to fruit and spinach smoothies I go. (That sentence alone would've churned my stomach back in my days as an avowed vegetable-hater. That's progress friends!)

I'll let you know if it makes me gag. M'kay.

Once the groceries were unloaded and P-man came back home, I sneaked into the sewing room while the two littles got lost in Imagination Land with all of their new toys from Nana Kate and Papa Eddie. 

I made some progress on my secret "JOY" project. Now I'm feeling a little stuck, but I really need to get it done by the end of the day tomorrow. I think that will be my "after school" project.  (Who knew when I decided to be a homeschooling mommy that I'd feel like I had to go to school every day too?)

Darla by Tanya Whelan for Grand Revival Fabric Applique

I hope you're day has been filled with joy! I've got a pot roast in the crock pot, my punkins snuggling up next to me on the couch and about 9 hours left of a Lynda.com tutorial to finish. Don't worry...it won't get finished tonight either. After all, I'm no superwoman. What a relief.