sewing fun

What does it mean when I've been invited to a birthday party and a baby shower (besides a full calendar)? Another opportunity to make some fun gifts for my sweet friends - yay!

For my daughter's 3-year old friend, I designed a shirt using heat transfer with my Silhouette and a matching skirt. For the scripture reference on the shirt I used Matthew 19:14, which says, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Children are truly precious in His sight! As always, I had great fun picking out the fabric too. I love looking at various color and pattern combinations. Luckily, I was able to find just the right combination using fabric and trim that I already had.

For my dear friend's new baby, I made another tag blanket. Since the gender was a surprise, the challenge was to make it neutral yet exciting (while using fabric and ribbon I already had). The colors I chose were a bit unconventional, but babies like to focus on things with high contrast. This time I made it a bit smaller than my first one, hoping that it can double as a "lovey" in a stroller or crib if the baby so chooses.

I had lots of fun trying to photograph these in an interesting, eye-catching way. I'm practicing in case I can actually find a way to open up my "Little Design Angel" Etsy store someday. Right now it seems impossible with my needy (yet precious) 5, 3, and 1 year olds. But I trust that God will provide the resources necessary for a little business if and when He wills it. For now, I'm focusing on being a Mommy to the little ones God so graciously gave me.

royal shirt designs

Wow! I had such a busy summer (and now Fall). When I started this blog, I had high hopes of updating it weekly, then I went down to monthly, now it seems to be only seasonally. With 3 little kids and a strong conviction to be intentional in discipling them, I’m constantly having to re-check my priorities to make sure I’m spending enough time with them. For now, that means less time on my computer, more quality time with my kids. These early foundational years are short and I don’t want to have regrets in how I spent my time.

Of course, this doesn’t mean I can’t do ANYTHING fun for myself. At times a good creative break is just what I need to be a better mommy. In addition to spending time with my Lord, it’s a great way to re-energize myself. With that said, I’ve been having so much fun with the heat transfer material for my Silhouette. I used the $50 prize I received earlier this year to buy a roll, along with some other items. Below are the first t-shirts I designed for the heat transfer.

These were made for some of my friends’ precious little kids and one for my own daughter. I was concerned about how the shirts would hold up in the washer/dryer and now I can officially say that they have been product-tested for 4 months. My 1-year old daughter has made all kinds of messes on her shirt. I’ve probably washed and dried it 20 times now and the heat transfer is still intact with no peeling or bubbles - even the tiny scripture reference on it. Kudos to the Silhouette people at QuicKutz! I have more t-shirt/heat transfer designs, which I will post a little later (hopefully before Christmas ??). You can also see some apron designs here.

For the "Little Princess" and "Little Prince" designs, I used 2 Corinthians 6:18 which says, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord."  The context in 2 Corinthians is about being unequally yoked with unbelievers. So, this promise is for those who are believers in Jesus Christ, His deity and His atoning work on the cross.  It's a reminder that because God is our Father and He is a King, we have a royal inheritance.  With such an inheritance, let's not live as beggars! We have been given EVERY spiritual blessing under heaven (Ephesians 1:3).  Let's take these blessings and use them for God's glory in our lives. :)

baby boy shower

My sister had a baby boy in June, which was an absolute miracle from God. She and her husband dealt with infertility for 5 years before conceiving. We are so excited for her – the first boy in our whole family! He is definitely fearfully and wonderfully made. (Isn't he cute? The picture above was created with elements from a free digiscrap kit from Digital Freebies.) Of course, her baby shower was a very meaningful event. I had fun designing a bunch of stuff for the shower. And I definitely got my money's worth out of my Silhouette digital cutter.

The invitation and Thank You notes (using elements from a digital scrapbooking kit from Shabby Princess)...

Banners for decorations (we had an ocean theme)...

 The signs for the shower and games...

For the “Name the Baby” game I found a cute onesie shape from the Silhouette online library and diecut pretty paper for writing name suggestions.

 The baby shoe party favors filled with M&M’s - also a shape on the Silhouette online library. I've seen plastic ones at the party store (no assembly required), but paper is so much cooler...

I had a bunch of extra material I was able to use to make cards...

My sis labored for 17 hours before having a c-section. The recovery was difficult at first, but she's doing much better now. I know the joy of bonding with her new baby will make her forget any pain she felt (eventually). She and her husband have begun the sanctifying process of being parents. The Lord surely knows how to build character in us!

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6