Damask for Dummies

I love finding easy and affordable ways to dress up a room. Don't you? My new love is stenciling. Now don't roll your eyes, I am not talking about your grandma's old stencil collection. I am talking about large, gorgeous stencils in a variety of motifs...my favorite of course being the damask pattern found at Royal Designs. Click on over to https://www.royaldesignstudio.com/ to be totally inspired by the possibilities. About $50 will get you one large stencil and it will hold up all the way around your room.

Once you have ordered your pattern, you will need to invest in a trowel and some kind of plaster (they are going to recommend plasters by Faux Effects, but I am convinced you can somehow make plain old Home Depot plaster work). And please, whatever you do, do not fret about applying a raised pattern to your walls! A little sandpaper will take care of that if you have later regrets. These walls are very elegant and beautiful, you will not want to get rid of them! Royal Designs offers instructions on how to use their stencils, but generally, they are pretty self explanatory. Anybody can do this! Be brave, have fun, create something beautiful!

Measuring Up

Dear Caroline,

Today, a kind woman we met in a store asked you if you liked being a big sister. You shook your head yes. The she said, "I bet you are a good big sister to your little brother". I have been having a hard time knowing how to process your answer. You said, "I have a big sister too, she is the bestest big sister". You might say that you were giving Ella a compliment. You always think of her...you always think of everyone else! If you are getting an ice cream cone, you ask for two...one for you and one for Ella. If you are receiving a compliment, it would hold true to your character that you would find a way to weave Ella into the niceties. On the other hand, I fear that you might have been saying Ella is a better sister than you are. How to know? I regret to report that you often measure yourself up to your big sister. I know that in many ways, that is okay. Ella is a really neat kid that I wouldn't change for one minute! But you my sweet Caroline are divinely precious and I could not imagine you being any different than you are!

I know what it's like to try to measure up to a big sister. Why do we do that? Why do we look outward searching for someone to measure ourselves against, rather than looking upward? It is not that our sisters are not admirable, goodness knows they are! But what makes us sometimes want to be more like them, and less like us? I see so much of myself in you Caroline. I remember trying to do what my big sister did, trying to make decisions like she would make, liking the people that she would like. It is a hard role to try to play...because you were never intended to play it! It is a trap really, a lie. I want so much more for you Caroline. I want you to know that unique you is exactly what God had in mind when He created you. That you were made in His likeness and you don't have to try to be like anyone else. Your identity can be found in a gift that is freely given. You don't have to try to measure up, you don't have to pretend to be someone else, you are free to just be...because He just is who He is! He measures up Caroline! I wonder how long this truth will take to sink in for you, for you to really own it? I was slow to learn. I wonder how many other mothers out there ponder the same thing? I will pray a different path for you Caroline, and I'll start believing God to make it happen!

I adore you!

Mom

Fighting Another Fight

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Sassy Seamstress, also a good friend of Amy, and I have given myself permission to do a guest post. You see I have been helping Amy enter into this blogging world and little does she know, this is how she is going to repay me! :)

You may have noticed that Amy hasn't posted in a while. Well that is because she is injured. You see, we had a playdate the other day at none other than Chick-Fil-A and something happened to Amy. It was something that truly would ONLY happen to Amy. I see her walking out of the play area with this little girl. My first thought was, "oh, that poor little girl. she must have gotten hurt. Amy is sweet to help her find her mommy." Then I hear this:

Amy: "Is this your daughter?"

Father (of sad child) "Yes."

Amy (with extremely sweet voice): "Oh, well, she has on my daughter's shoes and she won't take them off."

You would think that this man, like most parents, would've jumped up and said, "oh, i am so sorry." Nope! He just sat there. Then he finally utters these words:

Father: "Come on, sweetie. Let's sit down and eat something."

Amy (still smiling and being sweet): " Um, she has on my daughter's shoes."

Father: "Oh, I understand."

Ummm...apparently he didn't. If he had, he would've taken the shoes off, right? This is the part that gets even funnier. He then picks his daughter up (all the while kicking and screaming), and proceeds to point her feet at Amy as if to say "here, you take em off. I'm not getting kicked in the face". So, for the sake of some pretty pink glittery shoes, Amy then removes the shoes from the kicking feet...she may have even gotten the wind kicked out of her! I truly wish you could've seen my face. My chin was on the floor. All I can say is this oblivious dad is in for a real treat when his "little darling" (I use the term loosely) becomes a teenager.

It was fun guest posting on your blog. Love you, Amy. Oh, and I promise to never enter your blog without permission again!

The Sassy Seamstress as...