As A Little Child

Tuesdays are my piano teaching days. I have four students, and I like to call myself the "travelling teacher" because I go to the student's homes to teach them. We have a great schedule worked out that allows me to visit each home for a 45 minute lesson and even get to work on time at 2:45.

In the middle of that busy, ram-the-roads day, I take my lunch to a local park. It is in a pretty secluded spot, and while there are a few others there on lunch break sometimes, it is often a quiet place where I have a half hour to enjoy the peace.

The scenery lately has been beautiful. Situated on a river, the leaves peaked in their full autumn glory and the acorns have fallen thick on the ground. There is park benches and a swing set that always sit empty, squirrels darting back and forth beneath.

But not this day.

I saw his face as his mom parked their car beside mine. He didn't seem to see me, his only purpose was to get out of the car as quickly as he could.

I didn't hear any words exchanged between his mother and himself. She didn't instruct him on what he could and couldn't do. He merely exited the car. No words were needed.

He ran across the grass as fast as his un-coordinated legs would take him. He waved his hands in the air with excitement, then grasped the swing and carefully balanced on the seat. He began to pump his legs and go higher. Gaining full balance and control he again waved his hands in the air, overcome with excitement.

"Whee!!"

A smile on his face, pure joy emanating from his entire being.

And he kept swinging. Back and forth, back and forth...with no signs of growing tired. In fact, he was still there, still overjoyed, when I left for my next lesson.

Watching him brought a smile to my face. The happiness was contagious. I don't know what others around were thinking. Some gave him strange looks...after all, it is a little out of character to see a grown man, nearly 6 feet tall, swinging in a park. It took a second glance to realize the truth: that the grown man we saw had a mind as a little child.

As I watched him, I was reminded of how we look in the eyes of God.

We try to look and act grown up. We're adults, after all, and we bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. We have responsibilities, burdens, appointments and schedules.

But when we come before God, it must be as a little child.

The boy on the swing helped me see what that means.

His life may not be easy. Depending on his comprehension, it may be very difficult and frustrating at times. But none of that was visible. Only pure joy, not worried about what had happened that morning or what might happen later in the day, or week...or lifetime. Just complete trust, faith, and joy that wasn't dependent on his circumstances.

And that is the attitude I want to have.

Not an attitude that ignores responsibility or doesn't "man up" to things that need to be done. But the child-like faith that just trusts God to work things out and have things under control. The child-like faith that is joyful, not based on circumstances, but based on my God who holds all of us in the palm of His hand.

And so to the boy on the swing...thank you.
To the mother waiting patiently in the car...thank you.
And to the Holy Spirit who convicts our hearts and shows us these areas we need to grow...thank you.

I'm looking forward to my next day in the park.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4

Linked up to: Weekend Wind-Down

One Small Step at a Time

My own journey to healthier, greener choices did not begin until I was out of college. As I started to read blogs, research real foods and recipes, and make some healthy decisions for myself I found that I was quickly overwhelmed! Things like grinding my own flour, knowledge of herbs and herbal remedies, essential oils, etc. etc. went way over my head. Too much information, not enough time and money!

It is easy to feel like this healthy living thing is just a fad, and sales gimmic, and a way for companies to get more money. But after learning more about what we are really putting into our bodies each day and the truly negative effects it has, I have come to realize that it is a very important topic! Our bodies can not function the way God intended if we do not have the support and nutrition that he designed for us to need.

But it does take work, and it does take money...precious money we might not have. Trust me, I get that! I don't have the money to shop at health food-y, organic-y stores all the time. So along the way, I've tried to make small, healthier changes as I am able. Do I always eat grass-fed beef? No. Does my makeup contain all natural ingredients? No. But each time I make one small change that is one more area that is helping my body work how it was designed to work.

Here are a few of the simple changes I've recently made on my own healthy living journey:

Non-GMO cream for my coffee - I use Stonyfield. The ingredients on this carton are better than many other creamers, and the No GMO, no pesticide, no hormone standard makes me feel better about the whole thing. I love Stonyfield yogurt for breakfast, too.

I use lemon juice to boost immune system, and pair it with honey for a cough. I can count on one hand the times I've put drugs or antibiotics in my system. I know this isn't possible for everyone, but it is one small step that makes me happy! The lemon juice and honey methods that I shared with you here have worked well for me for several years now.

I recently started using Hydrogen Peroxide for a mouthwash. People, this is huge. I absolutely hate the flavor, but I'm doing it anyway because I hate going to the dentist even more. :) I dilute it with water and swish it around my mouth every night. Peroxide is the ingredient in whitestrips and whitening toothpaste, so this should not only clean my mouth and gums but whiten my teeth as well! I also use Peroxide to clean up foot fungus as I explained here.

I bought the Healthy Living book bundle. I know, maybe this doesn't seem like a "small step" to you...but I believe it is one of the easiest small steps you can take! It is available at the click of a button, and will provide you with so many resources and helps for whatever area of healthy living you are interested in. This is one small step we all can take....what are you waiting for? Take this step with me right now!

The Healthy Living bundle is no longer available...thanks for taking an interest! Subscribe to my blog to read more about my healthy living journey and get a heads up when the next bundle is available. 

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These are all small changes, I know. Compared to other people, I still fall way short, but that is why we don't compare ourselves to other people, right? {wink} I know I still have a long way to go. I know buying cream at the store is still cream from the store, not the farm. But it is something. And I believe it is better to do something than nothing at all.


Here are some other healthier changes I've read about and would like to try:

The "no 'poo" hair care method. If you haven't heard of this, it consists of not putting store-bought shampoo and conditioners in your hair and using natural ingredients instead. You can read about it here, here and here. There are possible side effects, however, after years of using baking soda on your hair: here is an example, and here is another. So perhaps just the occasional use of this method would be better? I've also heard that coconut oil strengthens and protects your hair, so maybe that fits into the routine somewhere?? We'll see!


The oil cleansing method for my face. You can read about it here, here, and here, but basically this is removing harsh chemicals and letting natural oils clean your face as they were intended to, with only a little help from you.

And other natural beauty routines. Here is homemade hairspray, deodorant, zit zapper, makeup remover and face scrub, just for starters! One step at a time, people...

I'd love to hear what small steps you are making, or what steps you want to make in your own healthy living journey! Have you tried any of the things I mentioned above? Feel free to share, and of course we won't compare your story to anyone else's. {wink!}

Linked up with Say G'Day, Hit me With Your Best Shot. The DIY Dreamer

Hello Monday! June 9th, 2014

It is Monday, time to say hello to a new week! Hello Monday posts were started by Lisa Leonard as a way to embrace a new week and a new perspective. Each week is new and exciting and brings opportunities! Join me by saying hello to your own week in the comments!

Hello Monday.

Hello dogsitting this weekend and peace and quiet and solitude.

Hello peace and quiet and solitude. Oh wait, did I already mention that?? :)

Hello busy, busy days. I'm getting ready for a local event this Saturday..crunch time!!

Hello sneek peek at new items. (I share them on my FB page often, make sure you interact with us over there so FB will let you see them!!)

Hello to a tweak in the So Sew Organized branding. I had my business cards and literature printed at Staples this time, and I'm in love with them!

Hello to visiting the fabric store every other day. After Saturday, I'm going to not spend any money for like, a year. Haha.

Hello to beautiful sun.

Hello to getting a tan. :)

Hello to singing and playing the piano at church.

Hello to trying some new things in my beauty routine. I'll share my finding with you later!

Hello to a new week, hello friends!! What are you saying hello to today??

Hello Monday! March 10, 2014

It's Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week.You are welcome to join me by saying hello to your own day in the comments section or over at Lisa's blog. Lets greet the new week with a smile!

Hello sunny days. The vitamin D is so helpful

Hello time change. I'm all for spring, but "springing ahead" throws me off. (I have to ask...did anyone forget??)

Hello cousins coming home. Can't wait to see them!

Hello packing...again.

Hello cleaning house.

Hello cousin time. Just love these girls!

Hello dreams for So Sew Organized. I have some new ideas for spring...can't wait!

Hello taking my sewing machine to the repair man. This is a problem when you own a handmade shop! :( Thankfully I have back-up!

Hello scholarships for Guatemalan teens Ruth and Alan. We had some sales come in last week...will you help us?

Hello great day in church yesterday. Sunday-school was especially thought-provoking...are we being good soldiers in the Lord's army??? 

Hello new week. Hello Monday. Hello blog readers! =)

What are you saying hello to today? Share it below!

Hello Monday! February 24, 2014

It's Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week.You are welcome to join me by saying hello to your own day in the comments section or over at Lisa's blog. Lets greet the new week with a smile!

Hello warm weather. It was above freezing for several days.

Hello snow. Despite warmer weather we can't seem to go more than a couple days without a snow storm.

Hello winter wonderland.

Hello Bald Eagle soaring overhead. Come closer so I can have a better look!

Hello closing ceremony. I enjoyed it!

Hello So Sew Organized giveaway. It was a fun few days! Did you participate?

Hello skype calls with my little brother. 

Hello sleepover with my cousins. 

Hello brand new accessories in the So Sew Organized shop. I can't wait to share all the details later today!

Hello to a new work week! I'm excited about what the week might bring!

Hello readers! What are you saying hello to today??

Hello Snow and Monday! February 17, 2014

It's Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week.You are welcome to join me by saying hello to your own day in the comments section or over at Lisa's blog. Lets greet the new week with a smile!

Hello Maine winter. After 8 years I'd forgotten what you were like.

Hello chatting with family and friends from home. 

Hello turkeys in my backyard.

Hello metal roof. Makes for an exciting day.

Hello making memories with family. Hoping to make more this week!

Hello roasting marshmallows in the winter. I am convinced that roasted marshmallows taste way better in the winter than the summer!

Hello baptism at church last night. It was a blessing to see two young boys in obedience to the Lord!

Hello funeral for a great aunt. A sad hello for us, but the best hello for her!

Hello days off of work and getting some other things done.

Hello sister in North Carolina and cousin in Connecticut. They are celebrating their birthdays today!

Hello to my blog readers! What are you saying hello to today?

Hello Monday! February 10, 2014

It's Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week.You are welcome to join me by saying hello to your own day in the comments section or over at Lisa's blog.

Hello Winter Olympics! I'm enjoying watching...and cheering for both the US and Canada. :)

Hello winter in my backyard. 

Hello sheets of ice coming off the metal roof. Its a heart attack waiting to happen.

Hello three days later...

Hello custom orders. I'm working on my largest tote yet, can't wait to share it with you when its done!

Hello sleepovers with cousins.

Hello new projects. Going to attempt to reupholster a big armchair with my aunt...a first for both of us! Any tips?

Hello Valentines week. I'll be so glad when its over!

Hello cold mornings. Its hard to get out from under my heated blanket!

Hello seeing family and old aquaintances.

Hello getting family pictures. We had these taken right before Christmas.

Hello to my blog readers! What are you saying hello to today?

Hello Monday! February 3rd

Its Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week.You are welcome to join me by saying hello to your own day in the comments section or over at Lisa's blog.


Hello, Monday!

Hello clouds. Its a hot beverage kind of day.

Hello getting back into couponing and deal shopping, thanks to a friend!

Hello restful weekend. Glad I could spend it with family.

Hello Football Whoopie Pies. This was so fun!

Hello Oreo Footballs! Recipe can be found at the end of this post.

Hello to a rather anti-climactic Superbowl. 

Hello work and office files.

Hello custom orders for So Sew Organized. I'm glad to be busy!

Hello grocery shopping. A task I enjoy!

Hello to a brand-new, busy week!

What are you saying hello to today?

Hello Monday January 27, 2014

Its Monday, time for some hellos! If you're just coming in, Hello Monday posts, started by Lisa Leonard, are where I greet the week with some hellos, and reflect a bit on last week. I'm trying to get better about taking pictures of small things throughout the week...didn't do so well in that area this time! :( Here are my hellos!

Hello cold weather, rain and snow.

Hello organizing projects. Clear spaces are so refreshing!

Hello putting printer and cables hidden out of sight. Such a great solution to a messy area!

Hello electric blanket. You are necessary on these cold days.

Hello woodstove. I'm still figuring you out...it was a bit chilly this morning!

Hello yummy salad. I could eat salad every day...actually, I think I do!

Hello to working on new products for So Sew Organized. Can't wait to reveal these!

Hello drinking lots of water with lemon. This helps me fight colds and flu, so far this year its working great!

Hello new opportunities this week. My week, and my heart, are full!

Hello Monday, and hello to my readers! What are you saying hello to today?

Hello Monday! January 20, 2014

I've always enjoyed reading Lisa Leonard's Hello Monday! posts, so today, I'm linking up my own. Will you join us by leaving your own hellos in the comments?

I'm trying to focus better on paying attention to small details and enjoying simple moments. This weekly post seems like a great way to do just that, and I'm going to try to take more pictures of daily life to go with it. I'm caught without a camera way too often...give me the bad blogger award!

So lets say hello to a few things today, shall we?

Hello warm sheets and down comforters. {Yes, that was plural.} It was hard to leave you this morning.

Hello visiting my uncle's cabin in the Maine woods.

Hello beautiful lake!

Hello to-do list. I'm working on being a better list-maker.

Hello new covering of snow. The trees are so pretty!

Hello brand new items in the So Sew Organized shop. I love coffee-themed accessories, don't you?

Hello free stuff. You can get this pouch free until the end of the month, just by purchasing the matching tote.

Hello to a new, temporary piano student. I'm excited about what other new things this week might hold!

What are you saying hello to this morning? Here's to a brand new day!

Happy Accidents + Inspiration

Psst, did you see the sale we have going on at So Sew Organized right now?? Click here to find out more!

Over the time that I’ve had my own handmade shop, all that creating and designing has taught me some things. One main thing that I am still learning is that inspiration is everywhere, and I need to be looking for it! Sometimes I don’t even realize a prime source of inspiration right away. Does anyone else do that? I have a feeling I miss a lot!

One of these instances happened recently. I noticed two spools of thread sitting side by side - one red, one brown. And I thought, “Hmm, red and brown...I haven’t played with that colour combo yet!”

I filed the thought away for later, thinking it didn’t apply to the present. I was wrong!

A couple weeks later, I was busy making a custom order. The lady had requested this pansy material inside and out, so I was finding a couple trim pieces that I had on hand to compliment it. I had the red band cut out along with a yellow trim piece, all ready to go.

But I felt a little “meh” about the yellow I had picked out.

(Another thing I’ve learned during the handmade process is that if you feel “meh” about something, it is better to wait until you get a better idea. Otherwise, you end up feeling so-so about the finished product.)

While I was putting the tote together, it struck me that those very same colours I had admired in thread spools were in the pansy print! Red and brown...could I pull it off??

Why yes, I could.

I was just over the moon excited with how the colours turned out. So much better than the yellow I was planning to go with!

Bonus: the customer was over the moon happy with it as well! In fact, her very words were, “Would you feast your eyes on THIS!!” =)

It was such a happy accident that I had some scrap pieces to use that exactly matched the pansy print. It was a happy accident that I had red and brown threads, from two unrelated projects, sitting next to each other. Don’t you just love those kinds of accidents??

I’d love to know: where do you look for your inspiration? Ever had “happy accidents” happen in your crafting or creating?


Linking up to: My Romantic Home

Scripture Memory for Little Ones

We are in the middle of an exciting week of VBS here at Calvary Baptist Church! I plan to share a detail post at some point with my game plan for the week, as well as some helpful links. But for now, I just had to let you in on one exciting and extremely necessary aspect of our class.

Helping these little ones hide God’s Word in their hearts.

My class so far this week has consisted of three 4-year-olds, and one that is age five. And yes, they are learning verses! You might ask, “Isn’t that a bit young?” but it isn’t! I have heard children younger than that recite memory verses in their own broken way. Fours and Fives are definitely capable of committing God’s words to memory!

I’m not talking lengthy passages, or even multiple verses per night. We’ve been focusing on one verse, or even just part of a verse, each night. Two of my kids came back Tuesday night and recited Monday’s verse. I can’t tell you how that thrilled me!

I know there are hard words in the King James English. I know that these kids don’t completely understand all I am teaching them. As far as I know, all four of these kids are unchurched, and sometimes when I speak about God they look at me like they don’t know Who I’m referring to.

But they are getting scripture, snippets of truth lodged in their little brains. God has promised that His Word will not return void!! 

Our theme for the week is Noah {did you see my “ark”??} so several of our verses directly mention his name. That has been easy for them to remember. We’ve used verses such as…

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did...all that the LORD commanded him.”

Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah...prepared an ark…”


I have found that the old wipe-a-word-off method is tried and true. I write the verse on a chalkboard, and we repeat it...and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. :) I make sure to point to each word as we say it. These kids can not read, but they can still associate words with their placement on the board, or even by the first letter. It is not hard now for them to recognize the name “Noah” or “Genesis.”

In the course of repetition I draw attention to other key words as well. I explained “commanded” and we repeated that long word by itself. I explained “grace.” And of course we talked about “Lord.”

And then I start erasing words. Just those main ones, mostly. Only 4 or 5 words, and each time we repeat the verse again. And before the night is over they know it!

Each night I send home a colouring sheet for them to finish at home with that night’s verse printed clearly on it. I reinforce that they need to have their parents help them memorize the verse at home, so they can say it to me the next night. They take it very, very seriously. And so far they’ve been doing it!

And yes, they also get rewarded! =)

It thrills me to no end that these precious little souls are grasping something...and that I have the privilege of giving them the gospel for the very first time. I pray that they will have many more opportunities to hear God’s Word in the future!

I’d love to know...what is your desire for your little ones in the area of memorization? How early would you start? Any other tips or tricks you can share?


Linked up with: Womanhood with Purpose, Classy Clutter

The Little Blessings {A photo series}

A couple of years ago, I launched a series of daily posts to catalog the little blessings I received each day...through pictures. You can browse through those daily pictures here. It was such a fun project! I enjoyed seeing the blessings from even the little things in life, and it was so rewarding to photograph my blessings each day. I only stopped that series because I don't have internet at home, and it was difficult to get those daily pictures posted.

However, since I've been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I've been motivated to start again! I already list the gifts God gives each day in my one thousand gifts list that you see each week, but I think starting a second list - a photo list - will be another helpful addition to this practice of seeing God in every detail of my life.

To switch things up a bit, I'm going to be posting these photos on my Facebook page, and I'd challenge you to follow along and participate! By posting them on Facebook, you will have the opportunity to share your own photos on my Facebook page as well, or just leave a comment sharing what God has blessed you with today. I'm excited to share these things with you, and see what God is doing in your life as well!

I will not be sharing a photo every single day, but I'm going to shoot for every weekday or as often as I can. You can be assured that even the days I don't get a picture up, I'm still counting the blessings God gives throughout the day and thanking Him for them!

I've already posted today's picture over on Facebook, but I'll share it here just to give you an idea of what is in store...

Small growing things that say, "Winter will not last forever!"

So will you share these blessings with me, and start taking a moment each day to thank God for your own one thousand gifts? I can't wait to see what He will do!

The Desires of my Heart

We all have dreams - visions and plans for the way we want things to turn out in our life. Often, those dreams do not go as we planned. Today I’d like to give you a brief testimony of God’s grace to me.

Have you ever made plans and dreams, only to have to put them on the shelf later and try to forget about them? I have. I’ve had to come to a place where I took my dreams and sacrificed them on the altar of my will, and gave the entire thing over to God, saying, “God, its yours.” Hard, people, hard.

But He giveth more grace...when I least expect it. One of those dreams - that I thought was completely and totally out of reach - was revived this weekend. It was like God reached down and said, “I haven’t forgotten about you, Nicole - so I’m giving you this gift, a token of my grace in a difficult time.” It was a small thing, and very insignificant to everyone...but me. He granted me a desire of my heart.

I played the piano for a radio broadcast.

I know you think it is insignificant and silly...and that is ok. You can call me silly if you want. :) But the opportunity to minister through radio broadcasting was a dream...a dream I had to put on the shelf. Until yesterday.

Many of you know that I play the piano for a small church that was without a pianist for a long time. This church was put on a rotation to have a service broadcasted locally, and yesterday was the first “radio Sunday.” It has been planned for a long time...but I was so afraid to even hope that I would actually get to participate. I was pretty sure I was going to come down with the flu or get stuck in a blizzard or something and end up not being there. Oh me of little faith! In fact, when I found out about this radio opportunity, I actually prayed that this church would not find another pianist until I got to do it at least once. Horrible, aren’t I?

I didn’t come down with the flu. No blizzards or any natural disasters. :) Everything went smoothly...and I was on the radio. When I walked in and saw this, it thrilled me to the very tips of my toes:

Yeah, those are microphones. Like I've never seen them before or something, right? :)

I wanted to sneak a secret picture of the rest of his equipment, (because bloggers do weird things like that) but he was sorta sitting there the whole time, and the picture wouldn’t have been so secret. So that ended up being the only picture I was able to get. But it was enough for me to document the day! We’re scheduled for another radio Sunday in February - and I’m sure you’ll hear about it! :)

The opportunity to minister and evangelize through radio is so important to me. The Bible says that the devil is the “prince of the power of the air”...so any time we can take those airwaves from him and use them for God’s service is a time that the ol’ devil is defeated! Victory through Christ!

Long story short...God’s grace is abundant. Don’t lose heart, or think that He has forgotten you. He hasn’t...and He is waiting to do in your life exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think!


Linked up with: Womanhood With Purpose

Radio Sunday!

I’ve had this day marked on my calendar for quite some time now…

This last Sunday my church had our second opportunity to be broadcasted on a local radio station. Just like last time, I continue to be awed by the greatness of our God. I love and look forward to each of the opportunities! As I sat in the service, I got goosebumps just thinking that this was going to be on the radio. Just think how many lives can be impacted by even a single broadcast...people that wouldn’t step foot in a Baptist Church can still hear the truths of God’s Word and the message of salvation. Tell me what part of that isn’t just plain awesome. :)

It is humbling that God has chosen to use our little church in this way. We are “just” a small, traditional, country Baptist church. Our auditorium would be packed out with 60 people. I’m not the greatest pianist that ever lived, and I just play on a small-ish keyboard {this time he put a microphone directly on the keyboard - yikes!}. Yet last time around, there were people that commented on “what a great choir we have.” (????) (FYI, we have no choir whatsoever) God uses us, even though we are humans with human limitations. Amazing, isn’t it?

I read these verses in Deuteronomy this week, and a truth really stuck out to me:

Deuteronomy 7:12-13
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

The following verses go on to say how blessed they would be, they wouldn’t even have any disease, but instead the Lord would inflict the enemy with those diseases. Chapter 11:13-15 gives a similar promise.

As I read these chapters I was overwhelmed with the thought of how many good things God wants to give us. He wants to! And He is asking us to keep His commandments and fear Him so He can give us all of this and more. It is our disobedience that keeps us from seeing this overflowing of blessing in our daily lives.

I feel that this radio opportunity is just a tiny peek into the storehouse of blessings that the Lord wants to give us...if we keep our part of the “bargain.” How thankful I am that the Lord has chosen to use me and bless me despite my limitations, my disobedience, and my lack of faith. Truly we serve an awesome God!

He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
Deuteronomy  10:21

Psst! You can hear our broadcast from last Sunday by clicking here. (We are Lighthouse Baptist Church) Just promise me you won’t listen too closely to the piano playing. {wink!}

A Miniature Shelf Makeover

I'm always on the lookout for small updates that can make a space just a teensy bit better. I've shared some of the changes I've made to my bedroom and my sewing area, and this week I made another small tweak!

I'm trying to make my tiny sewing corner a place that is not only fun to work in, but also be a spot full of color and inspiration as I create and craft. A stroke of genius hit me when I saw this small shelf at a local thrift store:

It is pretty tiny, and I have no clue what it was originally intended for. (bookshelf in a dollhouse, perhaps?)  I had an idea of a way to use it in my sewing corner, and for a quarter I just couldn't pass it up! First, it desperately needed a makeover.

I started by sanding it slightly. It was stained a dark reddish color with a very glossy finish. (You can't tell in the above picture, because it was so dusty, lol!) I sanded it just enough to rough it up and take away that glossy-ness.

When that was done I wiped the whole thing down with a damp cloth. We're almost ready for takeoff painting!

The only other prep work I did was to cover the hooks on the back with tape so they wouldn't get covered in paint. When the shelf is hung they actually show over the top slightly, so I didn't want paint spots all over them! #nothingsaystackylikepaintspots  #justlookatmyshoes

And yeah, I didn't have painters tape...so this packaging tape was used instead. It worked fine as a cover-up, haha!

I gave this bad boy several coats of white spray paint.

I should have started with primer or Kilz to help block the wood, but I didn't have any on hand, so I just decided to go at it anyway. I had to use a bunch of coats of paint, and still there are some spots that the coverage isn't that great, but it isn't noticeable in the end product. Next time, use primer. I'll remember that.

I knew I wanted to do some fun color on the back of each section (which is why you can still see wood showing through in that last picture) but I wasn't sure what. I considered paint, scrapbooking paper, or even paint chips, and finally decided to look through our craft paints and see what colors we already had on hand.

I was hoping for a nice turquoise (because teal makes everything look nice!) but when I saw this nice dark blue, I fell in love!

This is after one coat of "dark night blue." It took three coats to really cover well.

It is pretty imperfect around the edges (there was just no way to get anything straight in those little spots, so I just had to go slowly and do my best with a small craft brush) but I love the end result!

Yup, those are small spools of thread that were previously rolling around in my thread drawer. As to where I hung it, I just shimmied my embroidery hoop art over to make a nice display including the mini shelf.

I played around with what spools I wanted up there - I originally was trying to get a color gradient look - but in the end, these nice evenly-sized spools placed in there randomly seemed best. I have some others on smaller wooden spools, so if I ever need a change I can swap those in and be able to see more peeks of dark blue around them. For now, this is what is making me smile!

Here is the corner as it looks now:

I know the shelf looks crooked in this picture, and it may be slightly, but the whole wall is crooked, so it is hard to say!

Oh, and I put up my memo board again (I took it down off the other wall when I put up the embroidery hoops). It now sits just behind my machines, and is a great place to jot measurements or motivational notes to myself!

I am loving this space, even if it is tiny, as a space to sew, craft and create!

Ps. Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in the States! Eat lots of turkey and sweet potato for me today!