Living for...

the next best thing.
money.
fame.
pride.
lust.
yourself.

Financial peace comes when you are satisfied with what you have.  When you're content in every situation. This week, I have been forever thinking about this verse:

" ¹⁹Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20 NLT)

 We live in a "me" society. We gotta have "me" time. Or "I did that." Or "look at my new outfit." Or "watch me drive around in my new car." Maybe its "look at my new house... I built it HUGE and placed it on the highest hill where everyone will know how successful I am."  The list could go on and on and on and on and on.  Don't get me wrong... do be proud of your accomplishments... but don't be prideful about them.  Don't live for those things you are trying so hard to attain!  And please, hear me when I say, "me" time is important. We all need down time. Even Jesus needed time alone!  But, it is the attitude of our "me" time and the things we choose to do during our "me" time that can be sinful.

So, about the verse... this week in particular I found myself thinking, "If I just had a new set of silverware, or some new pillows, or more home decor..."  And, this week when those thoughts have entertained me, I have immediately thought about the verse above.  Because, I don't need new pillows or flatware (I do not own one piece of silver and probably never will unless it is a gift).  I don't need more wall decor. Or house decor. I know those seem like little things, but when I thought about them, I wondered, "Am I truly satisfied? Am I storing up treasures on Earth or in Heaven?"  We want to show off.  But, we often don't show off the things we should be (myself included)... our faith. God.  We want to show off our STUFF. 

We will never ever be financially stable if we continuously live for the next best thing.  Because, in order to get the next best thing, we have to have more money. And that develops into putting work above God, putting finances first, charging things to credit cards, stealing... etc.  You get the picture.  Its okay to get new stuff (when you have the money, and spend it it wisely). 

And, its not just about finances either. We will never be spiritually stable when we want, want, want.  I just saw this (okay, like a month ago) in the news.  Seriously?!  I mean, the newest iPad might be totally awesome. It might be worth buying. But, why did Apple have to come out with something new? Because we, Apple's consumers, are NOT satisfied with the first iPad that ever hit the market.  We expect more. Same with cell phones. Same with computers. Games. Television... you name it.

Must. have. more.

With that said, when we desire these things. When we desire fame, fortune, the newest stuff, the best outfit, the nicest car, the biggest house, we are not storing up our treasures in Heaven.  We are storing them up here on Earth.  And, guess what, if you are nothing short of a rocket scientist, you know that if you drop your cell phone, it could break... permanently. When you leave your house, all your possessions could be stolen.  Let a car sit too long, and it won't properly start. Leave a house idle and abandoned and it will rot away.  We should desire the things that are pure.  Desire the things that are true. That will stay with us permanently. 

And, really, go shopping!  Nothing wrong with buying a new shirt.  You just have to have the right attitude about it (and the means to do so). 

Financial Peace Out,
Hannah

P.S. I could go on and on about this topic.  About how we don't really need a lot. About how so many times our income shows how "successful" we are.  But, I'll leave that for a new post!

Delia's Dress Preview!

So, I go through what I like to call "periods of creativity". For a few weeks, I will be into jewelry making or paper crafting... You know the gluing, pasting, taping. painting kinda creativeness.  Then, the next month I'll want to sew.  I don't plan these time periods in advance... my creativity just kind of takes over, and when I tire of making one type of "craft", I start a different one! With that said, my sis-in-law pinned (ahhhh... Pinterest) a pillow case dress tutorial (soooo cute and easy), which motivated me to sew up a pillow case dress.  But, of course I'm surrounded boys.  Two boy nephews (one on hubby's side, and brother's baby)... And my own son... And then there is my husband (ummm... get the picture)?  In other words: who in the world am I going to make a dress for???  Then, there is my most adorable youngest female cousin, Delia.  Ding, ding!  I have my model!  Too bad she's like 800+ miles away.  Well, I made her two pillow case dresses. The first was practice. The second needs ribbon. And, the third, well, its not really a pillow case dress! Its a jumper! I found it in this book that my dear hubby bought me over a year ago (hubby... please do not be mad that this is like the first thing I've made from this book)!  Well, I was soooo impressed with how it turned out, I'm also planning on making a paisley one (the paisley material I picked up was supposed to be another pillow case dress).  But, this next one is kinda my own idea! Anyway, here is her jumper dress. 

Cute, isn't it?! Looks way bigger in the picture than it does in person! She's a petite little girl!  I hope it fits her really, really good. If it doesn't, her momma can just save it for when she's a little bigger.  Sorry about the lighting... I am not a professional photographer... and I usually photoshop!  Anyway, just had to share. 

My sis-in-law has a fabulous pillow case dress tutorial on her blog if you want to check it out! 

Fabric Necklace Tutorial

Yay, a new tutorial (okay, I've only posted like two).  Anyway, I saw this necklace on Pinterest, and I immediately thought, hey, I could make that!  And, after researching it some more, lots of people have made "that".  So, this is my tutorial for that cute necklace. 

Supplies:

• Round wood beads or balls (I used 1" and 3/4" round wood balls found at Hobby Lobby). Please note, you do not need two different sizes. I used various sizes, but it is not necessary.

• 1/4 yard of 44-45" fabric (bold prints work best for this project since you are knotting the fabric, and it will be difficult to see smaller prints after knotting)

•  Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Scissors
• A few minutes of time

Now, the fun part! What to do:

• Cut the 1/4 yard of fabric in half length-wise, or the hotdog way, or long-ways... You should end up with two strips of fabric measuring approximately 4" x 45" (depending on the width of the fabric you bought). Essentially:

This should be about the size of your fabric before cutting. 
You want to cut right down the middle lengthwise.

After cutting, you should now have two strips 4" by 44"- 45"

• Okay, take your two strips of fabric and place one short end from each piece right sides together and sew.  Reinforce your stitch at each end.  You should now have one very, very long piece of fabric. 

• Now, fold fabric in half hot dog style with the right sides together and sew only the long raw edge.  Don't sew the short ends because we want to turn it right side out... creating a long fabric "tube". 

• Turn on the TV, make yourself some coffee or a grab a Diet Coke, and turn that tube right side out.  This takes a few minutes, but it is fairly easy with the tube being so wide. 

• Now, the fun part! Find the center of your tube. Doesn't have to be exact!  This will probably be where your seam that you joined the two long strips of fabric together is.  And, tie a knot. I tried to tie mine right into the seam, so that you don't see the seam... didn't happen, but you can't really tell anyway!  Easy, huh?! 

• Now, drop one of your wooden beads or wooden balls in. I chose 1" for the center.  Tie another knot really, really... I mean really close to the ball on the other side.  So, now your ball or bead should be securely encased between two knots!  This should be about the center of your tube.

• Keep going. I put a bead/ball on one side of the centered ball, and tied a knot. Then, I put a new bead/ball on the other side and tied a knot. I repeated this so that I could keep the necklace balanced. 

• Do as many beads as you like, but leave at least 12" on each side to tie behind your neck.  I ended up using five 1" inch beads and put two 3/4" beads on each side.  You can use more or less, or the same size beads, etc... make it your own!

• Once you have all of your beads/balls secured inside knots (make sure you tie a knot on each side at the very end of your beads too), then you need to put the necklace on!  We're not finished yet, however.  Find where you want the necklace to fall (long or short).  Then, tie a bow.  If you don't want long "tails" or bow ends, cut off some of the excess. Please remember to leave enough of a "tail" on each side in order to be able to tie a bow when you are finished! 

• Okay, now fold in the short raw edges, and put a stitch in it. I only had to fold mine in about 1/8".  Just depends on how you want to do it.  Do that on each side.

• And, you're finished! Yay! Now, put it on! Or give it to a friend! Or make more because they are so easy and fun and the possiblities are endless!

Note: These necklaces can also be used as "teething necklaces" as a safe alternative for baby to chew on instead of fashion jewelry or metal necklaces. Please, please, please DO NOT give to baby unsupervised.  And, always reinforce your stitches and make sure the knots are secured. Inspect before letting baby chew on or play with your necklace. The beads ARE a choking hazard if not safely secured inside the necklace. Also be aware that if you intend to use this necklace to wear as a teether, only use natural wood. Do not used finished wood beads or balls.  You can handwash your necklace easily, and air dry.  

Okay, So I'm a Blog Failure!

Yeah, so with all good intentions, I totally failed blogging everything I wanted to blog about this past week!  I did, however, post this homemade laundry detergent post. If you're interested in making your own laundry detergent, that is! 

I also finished my wholesale keychain order! I just took pictures of the keychains and listed them on my Etsy shop.  Want to see?! I'm going to show you anyway! This is just a small section of the set.

I'm not one to brag on my creative abilities, but I must say, they are cute! I think most of the cuteness is from the bright and colorful fabrics (and not my sewing abilities)!  Anyway, I was just excited to have the set finished, and excited that someone actually wanted to buy my stuff!  Yay!  I am going to give it to God, though! He gave me the abilities I have, and the passion for making things and trying new things!  It is only because of Him that I can create the things I create!  With that said, I hope with all my heart that the person buying these keychains really, really likes them. And, I hope she makes a good profit from selling these keychains at her shop!