Friend Love {un.tied update}

I shared with you back in April a little about my #soulsister's new handmade shop, un.tied, and I wanted to share an update now six months later.

As Theresa's self-appointed shop consultant and head cheerleader, I also wanted to put a bug in your ear to consider gifting one of her lovely items to a special someone this holiday season.

Her Etsy shop is in the process of being restocked, and there are some really great items there... but you should also know that's she's been working on a slew of custom orders these past few months as well.

My very own un.tied necklace.

Theresa surprised me with this necklace the other day, created especially for me, and I can tell you first hand it was a really special, one-of-a-kind gift to receive. Popular custom ideas include using one of dear old dad's ties or a husband's tie (perhaps from your wedding day or other special day). She also keeps a slew of ties on hand for custom orders, if you prefer to pick something from her stash. The bracelets and key fobs would make great teacher gifts as well.

Prices range from $9 to $38. Gift certificates are also available. All custom orders are specially packaged and ready to give in a unique keepsake cigar box.

And did I mention they are all handcrafted with love and then individually named?

I mentioned this before {but it's worth repeating}... all proceeds go towards helping to bring their little Finley Grace home from South Korea. Theresa has officially been {paper} pregnant for longer than an elephant and her mama's heart aches to hold her little dark-haired girl who lives across the ocean.

Handmade. Upcycled. Named. Reclaimed. Meaningful. Beautiful.

Bursting with a mama's hope.

Enough said.

Now {please}, run, don't walk. Happy shopping!

Etsy // Facebook // Blog // Twitter

A Simple Purging Process + A Link-Up!

We've covered a lot of ground this week: we shared the story behind Project Purge + we put a purging plan in place (including the why, where, who & what). Next, I wanted to share with you some of the how?

Read on & then check back on Monday for the details on the first five spaces we'll be working through together!

A simple purging process*:

1. Empty out the space.
2. Separate items into piles: keep, toss & sell/donate.
3. Ask yourself the hard questions {see below}. Be honest.
4. Remove toss & sell/donate items from your home.
5. Reload space with keep items.
6. Smile, breathe a sigh of relief. Repeat.

{*My full purging process here}

Questions to ask yourself as you purge: 

• Could someone else use it better?
• Is it beautiful or does it serve a purpose?
• Does it serve more than one purpose?
• Do you have duplicate items that do the same thing?
• What are the costs (and rewards) for purging this item?
• Do you use it on a regular basis?
• Does it work? (If no, throw it out.)
• Has your family or your current lifestyle outgrown it?
• Could you live without it?
• If you were moving tomorrow, would you take it with you?
• Is the extra clutter holding you back?
• Why are you holding onto these items?
• Are you being true to your true self? Are you holding onto items that are weighing your down or "should"ing you?
• Are you hanging onto things out of guilt, obligation or fear?

Some additional resources:

• 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life: A list by Francine Jay, an author, blogger, and minimalist who is seeking to live life a beautiful life with less stuff.
• Jen Hatmaker: Wife, mom, speaker, blogger and author of 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. Jen's writing is inspiring, authentic, and hilarious.
• Becoming Minimalist: Blogger and minimalist Joshua Becker's thoughts on why the best the things in life aren't things.
• Simple Mom: Tsh's life encompassing site is designed to help you live more simply and more intentionally.
• IHeart Organizing: Jen's spaces aren't only streamlined, they're pretty too. Stop by and admire her projects, including this series last spring on purging.
• Simple Organized Living: Check out Andrea's clutter control category for instant inspiration.

And now, a link up! If you're feeling the call to purge your home of the excess and you're ready to GIVE IT UP and pay it forward, please link up either your blog or a post pertaining to Project Purge: 15 Days of Giving It Up. If you don't have a blog, you can also link up your Twitter or Instagram accounts // #projectpurge. 

The link-up will be live throughout the month of August so feel free to check in at any time with your progress and add to the collection (the links will automatically sort themselves from newest to oldest).

Need a button? Grab one here! Looking for the printables? Check here.

Project Purge: Putting a Plan in Place

Theresa and I shared earlier this week how Project Purge was born. And while we think it's a great idea, we don't want to leave you hanging with only an idea. We want to make sure we're giving you the tools and the encouragement you might need to get serious, roll up your sleeves, and purge, baby, purge.

First things first, we need a plan: 

Why is it time for you to purge?

Now I have cleaned house before, I've decluttered, I've passed on the things we've outgrown. I actually enjoy doing these things so it hasn't seemed too difficult.

My intention this time around is to dig a little (OK, maybe a lot) deeper. I want to ask the hard questions and get a little uncomfortable. I want to really understand what it means to live with less so others can live with more.

My kids (like most American kids) are growing up surrounded by so much stuff: is this the best possible environment in which to raise them? What values am I passing along to them? How much family time do we give up because we're taking care of our stuff? What would it look like to re-orient ourselves around experiences vs. material possessions? Do we really need ALL of this stuff??

Where is the excess going? 

As mentioned in my last post, our excess is going to a friend's garage sale. Other women from our community will also be donating items towards the sale. The money raised at the sale will then benefit a local organization with ties to our church.

You might have an extreme adverse reaction to the term "garage sale" and that's OK. First, I would tell you, do it anyway. It's not really about you anyway, right? Garage sales take a tremendous amount of time and energy and I understand not wanting to take that on. However...if the end result benefits someone else, it might just be worth it to take that leap.

Second, gather some friends. Everything is more fun with friends. Maybe someone else is willing to host the actual sale (there are people out there who are very gifted garage sale hosts) and then you can just drop your items off and help with the logistics.

Lastly, if I really can't convince you to garage sale for Jesus (sorry, I could resist), then pick a worthy organization in your area who accepts donated goods for either their own resale shop or to pass along to others who need them.

If you are taking the garage sale route, here are some great posts to help get you organized: 5 Tips for a Killer Yard Sale, Project Purge: An Organized Garage Sale, and Hosting a More Organized Garage Sale. 

Who will you be helping?

The organization our garage sale will be benefiting is called The Manasseh Project. The Manasseh Project is an outreach ministry of Wedgwood Christian Services dedicated to ending the sexual exploitation of young men and women in West Michigan. Through community education and collaboration, the Manasseh Project provides support for victims of human trafficking and empowers the people of West Michigan to end modern day slavery. 

Through my friend Jami and her ministry All is Well Fitness, our community of women are connected to and committed to helping this (relatively new) local organization. {If you're local and would like to donate goods to the sale, please contact me.}

I'm guessing you don't have to look far to find a worthy organization that could use your support. If you'll be donating your profits towards another great cause, please share, we'd love to hear what you're up to!

What will you be purging?

To help you get started, Theresa and I put together a list of 15 spaces that commonly collect garage sale worthy clutter. You can find the basic list below. For the next three weeks, on Monday mornings, we'll share some more detailed thoughts to help guide you through the purging process. We'll share the expanded explanations of the first five spaces on August 6, the next five on August 13, and the last five on August 20.

Here's a quick peak at the spaces. There is also a link to a couple of blank printables if you'd prefer to tailor your list to your specific home and possession purging needs.

{Blank Chevron Printable}    {Blank Heart Printable}

Button & printables design credit: Nikki @ LDS Printables.

Check back Friday for some helpful how-to's including a simple purging process and a list of questions to ask yourself as your sort through your stuff. We'll also be hosting a place to link up your purging adventures: share your blog // share your posts, and get acquainted with some other kindred cleaners!

Project Purge: 15 Days of Giving It Up.

In order to help our friend Jami raise funds for an organization near and dear to her heart, Theresa & I (along with some other women) are helping to organize a garage sale. The funds raised will be passed on to this deserving organization.

Garage sales are always a great motivation for me to clear out some clutter because I have a deadline and a definite end goal in mind. This time around, because I know the items I unearth will be sold and the money will directly benefit someone else, I have extra incentive.

There's a book sweeping the Christian community right now called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. 7 is the true story of how Jen Hatmaker (along with her family) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess {food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste & stress}, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence. 

It's next on my To Read list and until I can get my hands on it, I've been following along on Jen Hatmaker's blog. I was struck by this blog post where Jen shares seven mini-projects to help jump-start people in the mutiny against excess. Her seventh tip is turn your excess into justice, with the idea being purge your possessions, sell your stuff, and pass the money you make along to a worthy organization.

Theresa and I immediately turned to our favorite treasury of ideas, Pinterest, to look for an organizing/cleaning/purging challenge to help guide us. (We did work through 40 Bags in 40 Days last spring but I have found there is always, always more de-cluttering to be done). 

This time around, our search came back empty.

And that's when the magic {insert God} began.

What if we created our own purging checklist to work through?

What if we shared it with others via our blogs?

What if we were inspired to live with less so we could give more?

What if we dreamed big, lived big, and gave it ALL up?

Via text messages and Facebook chats and Google Docs, a new blog series was born: {Project Purge} 15 Days of Giving It Up.

Theresa and I will both be posting on our blogs throughout the next couple of weeks. Some of the information will overlap (i.e. we'll be working through the same spaces), but we'll also be writing our own individual posts from our own unique perspectives.

While we like to think of ourselves as soul sisters from different misters, we are also quite different {I'm a beaver, she's a golden}. And while I provide the nuts and bolts, she provides the heart. We hope you'll follow along on both blogs for double the encouragement, double the fun.

We'll help you get a plan in place before you start, focus your purging by suggesting 15 different spaces and places to attack, and offer encouragement along the way.

We think it's time to give it up.

We'll do this together. 

We'll do it for us. We'll do it for Him. We'll do it for them.

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Etsy Extravaganza GIVEAWAY {Day 10}

Etsy Extravaganza 10-Day GIVEAWAY {Day 10}

Holiday Hair Clip Gift Set

from My Little Pixies!

Etsy Shop // Website // Facebook

Meet EB: I'm a stay-at-home mom of two sweet girls, age 3 and 6. I spend my days trying to soak up their sweetness and hold on to them just a little longer before they grow up. My husband's a local OB/GYN, so over the years we've spent quite a lot of time at the hospital visiting him when he's on call and enjoying being all together when he's home. We love finding adventures to share together! I'm really grateful that I can be a constant in my girls' lives and being able to work at home doing something I love is a great blessing!

The Story Behind Her Shop: I started making bows when I had my second daughter (February 2009) and quickly discovered that I loved doing it, and after lots of practice, I learned that I could be good at it! All I wanted to do in my spare time was make bows - and it wasn't long before I was making so many I could never use them all! My Little Pixies has become exactly that for me. I make bows because I love them! I love the creative winds that sweep through me and wake me up from sleep with new ideas to try. I love the way a project comes together and how I can make something beautiful with my own hands. I love how art is something that is always changing- and I love how the science nerd I have always known I am (hello, chemistry major!) is becoming an artist in this third decade of my life.

Making bows is more to me than just making money. It's about connecting with people. The majority of my clients are moms, just like me - I feel a kinship with them in our shared motherhood. Many of my long-time clients have also become friends, and I have found understanding and support from people I have never even seen. For that, I am so grateful. I love how today's technology can bring people together who might never meet in real life. The Etsy community is a truly cool place!

Prize Details: Holiday Hair Clips Gift Set, an 8-clip set including a hair clip for every major holiday, including Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas - plus a cupcake clip for a birthday. The set makes a great gift! It's cute all year long! Value $28.

Enter Here: Use the Rafflecopter gadget below to enter for this sweet prize. And phew! We made it! All 10 days of giveaways have been announced. If you missed any, please go back and check them out here!

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Etsy Extravaganza GIVEAWAY {Day 3}

Etsy Extravaganza 10-Day GIVEAWAY {Day 3}

Upcycled Bracelet & Key Fob

from un.tied!

Etsy Shop // Facebook // Blog // Twitter // Pinterest

Meet Theresa: Mom to three. Wife to Steve. A lover all things creative. Once upon a teacher searching for her true self hoping to change the world along the way. A lover of stories and all things creative.

About Her Shop: un.tied is a one-of-a-kind shop where all that is old is named and reclaimed. A store where each item has a name and each name has a story. un.tied started as a dream, a dream of following my passion for the orphans of the world and the stories they have to tell. I am trying to turn an upside down world right side up, one story at a time, starting with our Finley Grace.

All un.tied items are one of a kind items upcycled from old neckties. Our shop features beaded necklaces with accent flowers, bold cuff bracelets, unique key fobs and classic pendant necklaces {coming soon!}

Prize Details: winner's choice of one upcycled cuff bracelet and one key fob. Total value $23 USD.

Ready to Enter? Use the Rafflecopter gadget below. Good luck and check back tomorrow for another awesome giveaway from another cool shop!

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Etsy Extravaganza GIVEAWAY {Day 2}

Etsy Extravaganza 10-Day GIVEAWAY {Day 2}

$20 Gift Certificate

to Rylee's Collection!

Etsy Shop // Website // Facebook // Blog

Meet Kara: I am a stay (and work) at home mom of two simply sweet little girls, and another little bumpkin on the way. They have inspired my life, and inspired the creation of this business. I love working with my hands, creating things, and just about anything crafty and artistic. I also love playing sports and being active, most especially love me a game of competitive volleyball!

About Her Shop: I started making little clips for Rylee when she was about 4 months old. She had so much hair and needed something to keep her bangs out of her eyes. What started as a fun craft day between friends, making clips for our daughters, evolved into my obsession of trying out new and different things to make. RC fulfills a desire of mine to create and work with my hands, to challenge my business-oriented mind, and allows me to stay at home doing my most important job of parenting at the same time.

Prize Details: A $20 gift certificate to use on Kara's website. Kara creates and carries a full line of hair accessories and custom crocheted items/hats/photo props.

Ready to Enter? Use the Rafflecopter widget below. And come back tomorrow for Day 3 of the Etsy Extravaganza giveaway event!

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{Etsy Extravaganza} GIVEAWAY!

10 Etsy Shops | 10 Days | 10 Great Giveaways

10 WINNERS!

I am so very excited to share with you a very special, very fun, very Etsy giveaway!

My best ideas often come to me when I'm not even looking for them, 

and this one came to me one day while I was drying my hair.

The plan: host a multi-day, multi-winner giveaway 

and feature some of my favorite friends and Etsy shop owners.

I contacted some lovely ladies, including shop owners who I have personally shopped with before and those whose work I have been admiring from afar, 

to see if they would be interested in participating.

Much to my delight, they said YES!

The Etsy Extravaganza giveaway sponsors are all great shops (owned by super cool gals) filled with pretty things made by hand with great care and love. 

I am excited to share a bit of their stories, celebrate their dreams-turned-reality, peak inside their shops, and showcase their handmade goods!

There will be a NEW giveaway up each morning on my blog for ten days {almost*} straight! The first five giveaways will go live July 9-13, and then we'll pick up again the following week with the next five July 16-20.

*We'll be taking the weekend off so no one misses a great giveaway announcement while you're out beach-ing, picnic-ing or church-ing.

Check back each day for your chance to meet some new friends 

and enter for your chance to win some great {Etsy} loot! 

Each giveaway will run for 10 days, 

and you will be able to earn 10 entries to each.

I won't tell you which shop will be featured on which day (aren't surprises fun??) but I will give you this little preview in case you'd like to check out their super shops ahead of time!

 

Thanks for following along & GOOD LUCK!

{Help spread the word!}

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Friend Love {introducing un.tied}

Over the past few months, I have had the honor and the privilege of watching something come to life in the hands of a dear friend - something that at first was nothing more than a dream and a what if? - something that today is a very cool, very creative, very beautiful reality.

I am thrilled to be able to introduce to you un.tied.

Introducing Em- /em/ industrious, striving; eager

The word "friend" doesn't do justice to what Theresa means to me. You know those people you meet in life who you instantly connect with...the ones who make you wonder what you ever did without them? 

Why yes, we are rocking skinny jeans & tennis shoes. In a hammock. In the woods. At night. 

Theresa is my running buddy, my partner-in-crime, my soul sister. We are different in my many ways {she plays the Golden to my Beaver} and similar in other ways {among other things, we share a love for silent, ridiculous laughter, #hashtags, Coach Taylor, and a good martini}. 

Over the course of the past year or so, Theresa has been on a journey - a self-proclaimed path towards finding her true self. She has sat in the brokenness, wrestled with the tension, and slowly but surely untied her story.

Theresa's party of four - soon to be five!

In her words:

As I have untied myself and my story, bit by bit, piece by piece, I am finding the beauty that lies within myself. I am finding that with each wound there is a glorious chance of redemption and with each lie the possibility of truth. Slowly, I am putting my true self back together and relishing in the work of art God has designed me to be.

Her vision then, has been to take something broken, like old neckties, and name and reclaim them for a greater good. Bit by bit, piece by piece, she has created something beautiful.

Introducing Merideth- \m(e)-ride-th, mer(i)-deth\ noted ruler. 

Each of her pieces is handcrafted with great care and love {if there is one thing you should know about Theresa, it's that she's all heart} and then named because each piece carries a story, just as each of us does.

Furthermore, in naming them, Theresa wanted to represent the orphans and in the world who appear nameless and are desperate for a person to tell their story. Those who have been named all along by a God who is merciful and created them to be his one-of-a-kind child.

Introducing Sophie- \s(o)-phie\ wisdom. 

You see, adoption is very dear to Theresa's heart because her and her family are currently waiting to bring their beautiful Finley Grace home from South Korea. All profits from un.tied sales will go towards bringing their daughter home.

Introducing Finley Grace!

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I would love more than anything for Theresa to feel supported and encouraged as she sets out on this new endeavor. Whether you know her personally or not, I think we can all find something in her story that resonates with us.

Please feel free to send her a virtual (or non-virtual...she accepts hugs too) high five - follow her blog, like her Facebook page, favorite her Etsy shop, or make a purchase. 

{un.tied blog}
{un.tied Facebook page}
{un.tied Etsy shop}

Introducing Gabrielle \gab-rielle, gabri(el)-le\  heroine of God.

Today I celebrate a friend who has put in the hard work, followed her heart, and focused her talents, gifts, and true self towards making the world a better, more beautiful, more authentic place. Friend love indeed.

Craft Night: Accomplish It April

{Printable from Funky Polkadot Giraffe...more colors available}

We dubbed April's craft night Accomplish It April {pinboard}, and looking back on last night, I think the main things we accomplished were wine drinking and chocolate cake eating. {Happy birthday, Rachel!}

We did leave with a few takeaways - Kara worked on owl art, Lisa crafted a new necklace, Tami sewed fabric door jammers, Theresa created some flowers for her new launch {a complete "friend love" post coming soon}, and KMac and I laughed our way through some yarn pom pom flower making.

The fact that I barely paused to snap any pictures means I was very busy snipping yarn and stuffing my face with Amy's flourless chocolate cake.

{Pinspiration from My Simple Home Life}
Please excuse the lack of finish work. 
I still need to hot glue my poms on & trim my wire stems.

There are a zillion and one yarn pom pom tutorials out there {including here, here, and here} and it's fairly fool proof - although I had a couple poms end up in the reject pile, so what does that tell you about my crafting IQ?

Two tips: 
1) Make sure you tie your extra piece of yarn around the outside of your yarn ball* - not the inside, like I was doing at first.
*I would take a picture for you to illustrate but I am much too lazy.
2) Keep the faith that your little yarn poof will eventually take shape. It might look a little wonky at first but put on your hairdresser hat and keep trimming until it looks round and fluffy.

A perfect spot for some spring-y, yarn-y poms.

Post pom-ing, I also did a little shopping courtesy of Kara's Rylee's Collection hair accessory stash for three little baby girls of college pals (Go Hope!). Ayla Grace entered the world this week, and the other two little ones are due towards the end of May.

In the end, I call this month's social hour craft night another rousing success (good food, great friends, and a dash of hands on-fun...how can you lose??)  

And now I'm off to starting pinning and plotting for May's creative soiree.

{Linking up}