ETC: Heart Touching

My husband's birthday was the weekend before Thanksgiving, Day one of our pilgrimage to Pittsburgh. I wanted to be sure it was duly noted given the craziness of the trip and the tightness of the budget. He deserves to have a special day, but he also understands that where we are special has limits.

At the same time, I want our kids - mostly Grace at this point, to learn how important it is to show others how special they are to you. I suppose I am sort of bias in this, because I teach her to do the things I would do to show someone they were special...but anyway. In the midst of packing and preparing, I made sure to take her with me to buy his gift even thought I could have ordered it on-line or gone while she was at school. She needs to see me to nice things for her daddy. Then we wrapped! And then she made his card.

This is the part that totally touched my heart...and it wasn't just that she had to make him numerous cards. And it wasn't just the sweet way she asked me to write things like "I love you, Daddy" so that she could copy them herself onto the card. She made him a birthday banner....Just like the one's I have made for her, and her brother and some very dear friends. She was so proud and so excited.

It meant so much to me that she saw what I do for her as a way to for her to show her daddy love. I love that she got it...with out me saying a word!


Check out the other ETC'ers over at The Anderson Crew!

Made of Monday...Handmade love

Today I turn 32...

I remember my dad's 32nd birthday...at least I am pretty sure I do.

My mom and I had baked my dad a cherry pie. I sat down to eat my piece and lost two teeth. I was six, almost seven.

I wonder if my kids will remember my 32nd birthday.

Last night, I was showered with gifts by my sweet children and husband. Grace had made me a book. She had colored and drawn and sticker-ed. Her daddy helped her by writing the words. She was so proud.

But there was one more gift, in a blue gift bag, "hidden" at her desk...

Just before it was time for her to nap today, she was sitting on the floor next to me as I feverishly worked on an over due project. She asked me how to spell love, then asked for an eraser and then how to spell love one more time.

Soon she handed over a teeny scrap of paper with all the letters to spell out Grace, Love and my initials. Using my best mommy voice and interpretive skills I asked if it spelled "Grace loves Mommy".

Yes and it goes with this she said as she handed over the mysterious blue bag.

Do we need to wait for Daddy, I asked.

I was told it no, that it was a special mommy - daughter gift!

She had asked my mom to make me a quilt for my. Thought I knew that was not what was in the bag, I did know it was something special. And it sure was...

A yellow pillow with Grace and her brother's hand prints stitched all over it!

I don't think she could have been more proud had she made it her self.

I love my baby girl and I love my mom and husband for helping foster her creativity and the value of something handmade for someone special.

Handmade with love...is what I am made of.

Tuesday Treasure - My Dad!

Today is my dad’s birthday. He is a pretty amazing guy.

He is patient. He is kind. He can make anything. He is always busy, but not like in a million different directions, just never still. He thinks with his hands the way people talk with their hands. He loves me. He loves my mom. He loves my kids. I think he might even love my husband.

My dad is today’s Tuesday Treasure.

The Etsy treasury is made up of things that my dad loves like burgers and pizza and cookies and Pittsburgh Steelers football.

There are also jigsaw puzzles and kites flying on the beach, model trains, and lots of other good things that make me think of my dad.

And electricity because he loves his job, too.

Happy Birthday Pops!

Tuesday Treasures…

All of these things and then some will be in the shop soon!

Today’s treasure is Halloween…and since Halloween is my birthday all the great things in my Etsy Treasury have to do with both Halloween and  Birthday’s…even if it is just something I would like to get for my birthday!

I have started to put some Halloween things in my own Etsy shop, The Things I am Made of, but alas the weather has thwarted my attempts to finish up (start) photographing a few of the things. Please check back once the rain has past for newer photos. I will also try to get additional photos posted to Facebook, too!

As we head into this rainy Tuesday, enjoy a little spooky celebration and some Halloween Treasures!

Made of Monday....My Birthday!

No, it is not my birthday...

My birthday falls on a holiday, and not just any holiday….HALLOWEEN! Having a Halloween birthday is part of who I am.

I have always had wonderful, homemade costumes. We have always carved fantastic pumpkins. There have always been fanciful, wonderful, spooky decorations. And my family continues that now for our children.

There are some folks who don’t like Halloween and they have their reasons, but for me Halloween has always been a magical time of being a little scared, a lot excited, and celebrating. The anticipation for my birthday begins to build from the moment the stores first put out decorations, and then grows as the Halloween candy fills the aisles. The annual trip to the pumpkin patch is like the beginning of the celebration. And the choosing of the costume and ensuing making of the costume is most exciting of preparations.

I thought I might write about how Halloween isn’t a bad holiday or doesn’t mean what some folks think it means. I even started to research Halloween to see if what I thought matched up with what it is. The more I read, and the more I thought about what Halloween is to me, the clearer it became to me that Halloween is my birthday.

Yes, there are draw backs. There are always lots of Halloween parties so a birthday party is not nearly as exciting as a Halloween Costume party, but my mom did a good job of making my parties special when I was little. And there is never a party on my birthday because everyone is out trick-or-treating. Now, my birthday takes a back seat to taking our own children out. But seeing my kids have a good time is a nice way to spend my birthday.

I am just now realizing that not everyone has the build up to their birthday that I do. The months of anticipation, not only by me, but by everyone who is into Halloween. Not everyone has all of the pre-celebration traditions – like pumpkin gathering and carving, and costume making. Not everyone has a birthday surrounded by festivities and parties, parades and decorations. Some people have birthday’s that are just another normal day.

Not me, my birthday is on Halloween…and that is what I am made of.

And so it is Halloween Launch week at TIAMO! In the next day or so I will be listing all sorts of spooky Halloween items – vintage button bracelets, hair tutus, supplies, cards, banners! I hope you will stop by and check them out!