Mission Trip to Ethiopia

Hello friends!! I wanted to let everyone know that from now until Sept 1 all money from my crafting projects/ SweetSamantha store will be going towards funding my mission trip to Ethiopia. I have the awesome opportunity of going with 8 other individuals from our church during Sept 17-25 on a mission trip to Ethiopia. From the moment I heard about the trip I felt God calling me to go, and I accepted the calling dependent upon Him to supply the way. Needless to say, I am incredibly excited!!

I also wanted you to know that even if you're not able to contribute to the trip financially....I am asking even more for your prayers. Prayers that I will be able to raise all the funding to pay for the trip, prayers that we will have safe travel, prayers that everyone in our group stays healthy for the duration of the trip, and most of all....prayers that we would be able to share the gospel vividly and clearly and that people would be open and accepting to it.....that the lives of those people would be forever changed because they accepted Christ.

Thank you all for your support! I could not do this without you!!

My shop is open but....

Unpacking these bad boys is slowing down my sewing! Actually it's halted my sewing for right now. I finally unpacked my sewing materials, but I have yet to get everything set up the way I want it. Hopefully I'll be back to sewing soon!

Shop is closed for a while

Hi all! I am closing my shop for a little while due to moving. We aren't moving far, but still the process of packing and moving leaves little time for sewing! Not to mention that my precious machine, fabrics, and threads will have to be packed away too. No worries! SweetSamantha will re-open soon when the moving is done and my machine is unpacked!

New shoes in my shop!

Now in my shop....new baby shoes!

Seriously....they are so adorable!

To re-finish or to not re-finish...

That is the question! I have no idea how or why I stumbled into this. There is something extraordinarily appealing to me about obtaining a used piece of furniture, taking it apart, sanding it, painting it, and putting it back together.

I have already done it once before.... I found this beauty on craigslist for a whopping $25:

A little paint.....a little hardware...a little while later.... (OK, maybe a couple of months later....)

And yes....before you wonder too much....I got the wrong hinges for the doors, and these hinges make the doors separate a little in the middle. I need to go get the correct hinges, but I just haven't yet. This little beauty is my *new* sewing cabinet. I absolutely love the blue, and couldn't have asked for cuter knobs (Thank you Home Depot). Well, since re-finishing this piece I found this website that I absolutely love! She finds the most beautiful pieces and re-finishes them. Then she sells her re-done beauties to homes who are anxious to enjoy them. Her FAQ's are very well done, and honestly they make me feel like I can re-finish anything. Her website made me so excited that I just had to show it to Andy and say, "Can I do something like this?" Now, my husband loves and believes in me to the moon and back....he knows I can do anything I put my mind too, and I don't give up until it's attempted or at least well researched (already learned my lesson to look before leaping). But he's hesitant to give his blessing b/c he doesn't want our garage to look like a used furniture depot...and I don't either. So, like all good married couples, we made a compromise.....I can find and re-finish one piece and after that I'll see how I like it and how I wish to proceed.


It's a VERY good compromise because after looking around I can see how we would end up with 3 dressers that I purchased for $20 sitting in our garage forever.....blocking ample parking and storage space. This motivates me to finish so I can proceed. (Something I'm also doing in fabric purchases.....using fabric I have before buying more).


And motivated I am.


I found this website that is an estate sale company with a liquidation center for things that have yet to find a home. Like the first beauty in this picture...

See it? The darker dresser? It was love at first site. And sometime this week I plan on driving over to their liquidation center and seeing if she's still there. If the price is right, I'm pretty sure she'll be coming home with me. :o)

We'll see.....and after that? Who knows. Only time will tell. But I can tell you the "hunt" is really too much fun...

Valentine Snow Storm

I should be sewing....

But....

we're playing in the snow!

Sending out Valentine love from Georgia!!

The pics I promised...

Here are the pictures I promised yesterday of the minky/cotton blanket I made. I know it doesn't LOOK hard to make, but trust me...it was an adventure!

I LOVE the polka dots!

I chose the soft pink minky to go on the other side, but I was sooo torn on whether the light blue or even white minky would be better. I like the pink, but I really think the others could work too.

My sweetie just had to get her picture with it...I do think it will end up being hers b/c now she's kind of attached to it.

I will do another one....I just have to decide what it will look like! :o)