The other day, Micah and I set out to the park for a picnic and playtime with a couple of our best buddies. We had a wonderful time, but on the way home, I kept having flashbacks to another picnic with another bestie. And I thought I’d share my memories with you. Before you continue reading, you should know that this story has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It is completely random.
Let’s start with an introduction. This is my me with my fabulous friend Haley, circa 2004. This picture is from our senior year at Mississippi State, and no, I didn’t regularly wear pigtails. We were at the BSU Barn Party, a phenomenon which merits its own post.
We were roommates for two years at State, and we shared lots of common loves, including a love for pretty paper and entertaining. You can shop Haley’s stationery line in her etsy shop, and you can enlist her party planning expertise via localMINT events if you live in or around Nashville. She’s a great friend to have. I bet you wish she was your friend, too.
Haley and I were communication majors at State together, which meant that we took a little class called Small Group Communication from the one and only Hank Flick. Hank is a, how shall I say it, different kind of professor. His personality, and assignments, are notorious at Mississippi State. Particularly an assignment for his Small Group students.
Every semester, Hank required his students to intentionally violate the norms of society and then write a paper describing what you did that was so out of the ordinary and how people reacted. When it came time for Haley’s norm violation project, she decided on a picnic. In the middle of the Drill Field {basically the middle of campus}. With stuffed animals.
Haley was not interested in performing the norm violation alone, so she somehow enlisted coerced me to join her and her stuffed animals for a tea party in the middle of campus.
It was hot.
We were embarrassed.
And NO ONE paid us any attention.
The norm violation flopped because so many people were used to communication majors doing crazy things for Hank’s class. Essentially, we violated the norms so much that it became normal to see communication majors doing weird things.
And that’s the end of the story. Haley has pictures. She refuses to share them with me.
Sometime I’ll tell you about MY norm violation project. It involved a bridesmaid’s dress, tennis shoes, and the Sanderson Center.
Until next time, grace and peace.
A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for one of my sweet friends. Of course, I had to design the invitations and details for the shower, and I really enjoyed creating a special event for Heather. I love the simplicity of this umbrella baby shower invitation, and I’m quite taken by the swiss dots pattern. I stuck with a blue and white color palette, and I think everything was lovely, but then again, I’m biased.
Everything was sweet, simple, and lots of fun. Those white daisies are still kicking on my kitchen counter – they were totally worth the cost. For the decorations, I was inspired by the paper mobile tutorial I shared with you several weeks ago. Instead of strips, I used circles in various sizes to match the invitations, and the sewing machine handled the rest.
It was a lot of fun to plan an event for a special friend. I spend most of my days creating pretty paper for other people, so it was nice to be the one in charge for a change. Of course, the invitations are listed in the Senojal Designs etsy shop. You can find link here: umbrella shower invitations. The great thing about this suite is that it may be customized to fit any color scheme, and it’s perfect for gender neutral showers. The invitations can even be used for a bridal shower. So really, the options are endless :)
Next big event to plan? Micah’s second birthday party. It’s only six months away, you know :) Just kidding. I won’t be planning that for a while. I’m not that crazy!
Until next time, grace and peace.
I am blessed to have amazingly talented friends, and today, I’d like to introduce you to Caytee Belle’s Classics, the etsy shop of one of my favorite people in the entire world, Carly Carman. Carly is one of my best friends, and she’s also an incredibly talented and creative lady. She’s a good friend to have.
Remember that owl dress that Micah wore at her birthday party? It was a Carly Carman original. She’s also appliqued countless shirts and onesies, crafted a really special teddy bear, and even made some flannel sleep sacks for Micah. Did I mention that she’s a good friend to have?
A few of my favorites from her shop:
{1} Monogrammed Teddy Bear, {2} Tinkle Tents, {3} Travel Tissue Holder, {4} Cuddly Stuffed Owl
Her etsy shop is filled with all sorts of sweet little things for kids – and she has some things for mommies too. You should definitely stop by and visit if you’re looking for a unique gift for a special little someone in your life. Next time you have a few minutes to browse through etsy, head on over to Caytee Belle’s Classics on etsy and send Carly some love!
Until next time, grace and peace.
This is just a quick post to point you in the direction of some cool jewelry that also happens to be a fundraiser for my old youth minister’s family. They’re in the process of adopting a baby from Africa, and, as many of you know, adoption is expensive. To help fund the process, Kelly signed up at Hip Mom Jewelry , where 30 percent of each purchase goes to help bring a baby home.
If you’re looking for some unique jewelry and you want to help the Stewart’s out, stop by the adoption page at Hip Mom Jewelry and enter code 2011JANSte at checkout. The Stewart family will then receive 30 percent of the purchase price, and you will have both a really nice piece of jewelry and the satisfaction of knowing that you helped some really great people.
The code is only good through January, so swing by and take a look if you’re interested.
Until next time, grace and peace.
It should come as no surprise that I believe in the power of a word fitly written. Especially when it’s handwritten in a card that has been delivered the old-fashioned way. We live in a world that’s constantly connected and plugged in. We leave comments on facebook walls, carry on conversations in text messages and send tweets to one another all day long, which is all nice and convenient, but I really miss the days of handwritten letters and cards.
The best relationships of my life have been maintained by handwritten cards and letters, posted with a stamp and delivered to my mailbox. I have stacks of personal notes stashed in a box in my desk drawer, and I pull them out from time to time to relive a memory or receive some encouragement. Those cards and letters mean the world to me.
One of the greatest women I’ve ever known is a master of written correspondence. I don’t know how many cards, letters, and thank you notes she writes in the course of a week, but it has to be in the double digits. I have a stack of postcards in her signature script, all delivered to my campus post office box when I was a student at Mississippi State. Any college student knows the value of a real piece of mail. There’s nothing more depressing than trudging all the way across campus to peer in the window of your post office box, only to find nothing but a CD from AOL. Mrs. June taught me that a handwritten card can change a person. The fact that she noticed when I was struggling and took the time to sit down and write me to let me know that she was praying for me changed my life.
I’ve tried to emulate her, but I really don’t sit down to write a note as often as I should. I’ve been working to change that lately. I do, after all, own a custom stationery business. Recently, a college friend posted a snapshot of a card I had written her on facebook. The card was several years old, but she said she kept it because it still cheers her up when she’s down. My jaw dropped when I saw the photo. I couldn’t believe that a simple note that I had completely forgotten about had made such an impact, and it inspired me to pick up my pen and start using some of the stationery that I make. Over the past week, I’ve dropped two cards in the mail, and I’m planning on writing more over the course of the next few days. I hope to make it a lifelong habit.
So, keep your eyes open and don’t forget to check your mail. You may just find a note from me in that rusty old box!
What about you? When was the last time you got a handwritten note in the mail? How did it make you feel? Who are you writing to this week?
Until next time, grace and peace.
