Links I'm Loving :: Eyes Opened and Sharing Creativity

Jean, The Artful Parent has a new e-book out The Artful Year: Autumn. Through Monday, October 22nd, you can purchase her book for what you are able to pay...If her regular price is out of your budget, click through to her site and you can name your own price that you can afford. Just remember that e-books take time, energy, and passion to create for all of us. Be generous and the few dollars you'd spend on a latte to the mom who is sharing her talent!

We Were Blind: How a Homeless Couple Taught Us to See...by Tony Kriz via the Huffington Post. I so need this constant reminder to keep my eyes open and my heart at the ready. Every individual really is a human being with feelings, fears, loves, and talents that can amaze you, grace you, and bring life to spirit. Remember that when you look into the eyes of the next person you do not know and offer them your love and grace right back.



A creatively made home...a home decore/lifestyle e-course via Jennifer Rizzo Learn how to turn your house into a celebration of what matters most; family.

Why the crazy sacrifices are worth it...from Ann Voskamp. You'll need tissues to watch these videos...but please do...it floods your eyes with tears and your soul with thanksgiving and joy.

Links I'm Loving :: Giving Thanks and Stitch and Send

This weekend a little sand, ocean, Christopher Columbus, a muscle car show and drag racing the lights until 2 am, OC Maryland, family time with grandparents, a little unplugged time, end of season Maryland blue crabs, and then returning to a crashed laptop, a skin rash, and a head cold...so are the ups and downs of this ride called life. 

Coming up soon, some progress news on The Giving Heart bag collection, other crafting for charity ideas, and that fabric printing how-to I promised. My, so much to do! Hope you are moving right along too!

Here are some of the links I'm loving...

As always, love, love, love, Ann Voskamp's inspirational words...Best Tips for Effective Time Management...don't miss the video at the end...a wonderful, awesome reminder.

As I am starting to feel harried by our carpool schedule and the bits at home, school, and a head cold...I wonder if this would be the best stress remedy for it all...

We were never meant to work seven days a week by Kevin Martineau of Shooting the Breeze via The High Calling.

Wild Olive designed some great simple embroidery patterns for the Stitch and Send project for charity! Stitch a simple embroidery patch, and send it to me to be affixed to a tote bag for The Giving Heart charity of Richmond, VA.

I have fallen in love with these 2012 Christmas wall art pieces by between You and Me! Head on over to their Etsy store for more information.

Links I Love :: God and Sewing, Color Choosing, and Knitting

God Sews by K Chripczuk of A Field of Wild Flowers via She Loves Magazine. Love, love, love this article...sewing and God in one...I don't need to say anymore.

Conversant in Color: Warm or Cool? by StephC of 3 Hours Past the Edge of the World blog.
For years, my mother and I have been arguing about what "color" I am. THIS article, well, solved the argument. **You wanna know who was right? We both were, kind of.** (I am a cool, but cool people can still wear pastels!! HA!)

**Interested in knitting for charity? Got an opportunity, at Knits for Needs, and you don't even need to use yarn from your own stash!**

Links I'm Loving :: fall crafting and a bit of inspiration and wisdom

It should feel like autumn no? It was 90+ degrees and humid outside this past week. And my son came home from school recess looking a little like a sweaty tomato.

My favorite season is fall. I love the way it smells, the way it sounds, and the way nature gets ready to tuck itself in for slumber. Acorns, felt fabrics, flannel sheets, apple pie, fresh pressed cider, and new knitting projects all signal to me days growing shorter, and nights cooler. I do however, have issue with pumpkin guts. I just can't get past the smell and the slime. But that bright orange smooth skin and funny green twisty stem, has me crafting these guys in a different way. More to come on that. But open one up? Not near me please.

So in the mindset of autumn, here are some nifty links I am loving...

Wonderful fall paper craft! Recycle those paper bags. From A Place For Us.

Witch-y silhouette Trick or Treat bag tutorial...from Positively Splendid.

This one is so inspiring! Can't wait to be a part of her next project. Congratulations on such a successful event! From Bits of Splendor...Project Hope.

 

Needed this read after a tough morning with my daughter...for the moms Choosing to Take Beauty from I Take Joy.

Links I'm Loving :: Sewing Knitting Embroidery Praying

It is the calm before the storm. Today is the last day my children are in summer mode. Wake up later. Play, play, play. Watch some TV. Ask Mama for snacks...that require an oven. Little do they know that their flu shot today was just the beginning of a bright and bold future...away from home and at school. (I secretly feel a little bad for the youngest. He is going to feel like an only child home all alone with Mama 5 days a week.) 

And so, I am soaking up all the joys of the last day of my summer, before my crazy carpool schedule gets going, and before I start freaking out. What do I do on the last day of summer? Go to the doctors office. Make kids snacks in the oven. And I squeeze in a bit of sewing (wash towels for my daughter's classroom,) knitting (Christmas present for mom,) and a bit of blog reading...

Here are a few of my favorites:

Gotta sew this! Iron-On Maiden  - DPN case

Gotta buy this! - Ikat Bag's Bella Bag Pattern 

Gotta try this technique! Wild Olive Embroidery Tinting with Crayons

Gotta enter this giveaway by Take the Cannoli on the blog Vintage Grey (ends 9/6/12)

Gotta read this. Discipleship in the Public Domain on The High Calling