Cute as a button

I know it's been awhile since I've posted a blog.

Frankly, I've just been busy and a little overwhelmed with the amount of things I want to write about. Mostly because I'm afraid they'd come out extremely passive aggressive; down fall of post-missionary lifestyle. It's crazy how you can spend 6 months loving on strangers halfway around the world, but have the hardest time being understanding and compassionate to those who are in your immediate life.

Which is why I've decided to change up my blog for today and post about something I'm grateful for. I feel the more things I acknowledge gratitude for the more I work on being understanding and compassionate.

One of the things I've realized I'm most grateful for lately is for the ability to craft. Yes craft. I love it. I have always loved art, I have always loved being creative and most of all I've always loved using my stubbornness to make things for less.

I've been working on trying to make my room... "home". I moved down with my parents to a new city when I got back and it was a hard adjustment, still is actually. So I've tried to make my room over and a place that I can go and just have some "me and God" time.
I found this really adorable headboard that I absolutely loved...but really didn't love the price. (even though it's now $100 less then when I first found it)

So I set out to make it for less. 

I followed this tutorial from little green notebook and loved it!

This was my end result:

I ended up spending only $75... take that world market!

Here's a couple step by steps if you want to take a look!

I loved making all these buttons-even if my thumb was killing me after. They're surprisingly easier to make then I thought too.

I just bought 1/8 of a yard of each fabric at joanns and have a ton left over. 

 This was my bed before:

All the supplies to get started!

I got my foam at Joanns as well (make sure to take a coupon with you-it'll save you a ton of money)

They'll cut it to the length you want right there at the store.

Had to figure out all the measurement for the amount of buttons I wanted to add and marked it off with chalk.

PS-in case you haven't noticed yet, I used pegboard instead of plywood. no drilling holes and about half the price! $15 at lowes-can't beat that! especially if it's a little damaged like mine, I got half off. Plus they'll cut it right there in the store to the appropriate dimensions and you get to take the rest home for whatever else you want to use it for. I really had to try and not look like a rookie while I was there and actually ended up having an awesome conversation with a guy about how God used me while I was in Ethiopia. Love those kinds of moments!

 Then took a permanent marker and marked all the holes to make the tufting easier

I forgot to take a picture but I actually cut out these little holes with a paring knife so that the buttons sunk down in and made the tufting look even better!

 Then you get to glue! (make sure you take it outside and lay your board on newspaper, otherwise you'll have little glue dots on your concrete)

 Lay out your batting and fabric on the front-it doesn't have to be pulled tight or wrinkle free.

 Indy wanted in on the action.

 Then add your button and pull as tight as you can, then staple all different ways to keep it nice and tight

this is what the back will end up looking like

Then pull tight starting in the middle and staple out making sure to do the sides last.

I bought 2 legs to help stand up my headboard instead of keeping the full sheet of pegboard intact. 

I drilled two holes for the screws.

 then wrapped the legs in extra fabric I had to "camouflage" them

 Add the legs and there you go!

I'm absolutely in love with it. 4.5hours of pain and sweat was well worth it.

Proposal

This blog was started and written to allow people to join me on a journey. A journey of watching God use a simple girl like me, to be a part of His work.

I believe that each day, hour, minute, second he is using me to be a part of His work.
I believe that each thought I have and each belief I conclude, is a part of who he made me to be and part of the book he has written for me.

I believe I was made solely to glorify God and simply put-that's how I will live my life.

I feel that in order to glorify Christ though, I can't live my life just settling. I refuse to settle for mundane because I believe I have a relationship with God so deep, so amazing, so head over heels incredible that even the slightest thing (although it could never reach that level of intimacy) has to always measure up to "more".

I've realized something about our society and generation. We settle.
Too many young adults are content with just sitting on the couch playing video games, working minimum wage jobs, hoping to lose weight but never getting up to do anything about it, saying they want to feel God yet never spend time with him or with his people, say they wish they could travel but never save the money to actually do it.
We settle.
Too many young men settle with living in a bachelor house spending money on new cars or new toys and never saving to actually support a family one day.
And yet, too many young women settle for these men. They never hold out and they are content with just the minimum.

I read this story yesterday and it brought me to tears. I'm proud of this girl for investing her time in a guy who is willing to remember all the little details and things that she cherishes the most.  I'm proud of this guy for taking a simple proposal but making it more than that. Making it a day that he gets to show her how much he loves her and how much he is willing to invest in a future with her.

http://www.susanlinesphotography.com/2012/09/21/megan-john-a-virginia-proposal/

I'm not saying this is a poster for how every proposal should be. But I am saying this is an example of how we should live our lives. Not settling. Going big or going home (yes, I just quoted Donald Trump-bad hair and all, he's right). Instead of glorifying what others do and "wishing" we could do the same-we need to do it!

There is a song on the All Sons and Daughters new EP called, Called Me Higher. The lyrics go like this:

I could just sit, I could just sit and wait for all your goodness
hope to feel your presence
I could just stay, I could just stay right where I am and hope to feel you
hope to feel something again


But you have called me higher you have called deeper
and I'll go where you will lead me Lord, where you lead me


I could hold on, I could hold on to who I am and never let you change me from the inside
I could be safe, I could be safe here in your arms and never leave home,
never let these walls down

But you have called me higher you have called deeper
and I'll go where you will lead me Lord, where you lead me


As I listen to this song over and over-yes it's quickly made it's way to my top 10 most played songs, I am constantly reminded that this needs to be my prayer. Lord, I could just sit and be content with where I am in my relationship with you, but you have called me(us) to something much higher and much deeper. I've learned each day I have to say, Lord I will go where you lead me.
It may not be easy, but I've realized we will never be content with where we are and we should never be. Now don't get me wrong, I realize some people are in a state of brokenness and a need to realize where they are and be content in it, but that's not where they are supposed to stay.

There is more. So much more. Don't settle for a boring proposal because there is a man who has planned out an entire scavenger hunt for you just to prove how much he loves you and wants a deep long lasting, forever life with you.
He's kind of awesome.