I can’t be the only one obsessed with things like Kickstarter and SharkTank, amirite? There is something about people making huge sacrifices for something they believe in, and then seeing other people believe in the dream as well. If I had to pick a favorite though, it would be Kickstarter.
Today, I’d like to challenge you to head over to Kickstarter and see what The Parative Project is doing for women who have been trafficked, exploited and forced into labor. What I love about these t-shirts is that they were designed to speak backwards as the founder, Drew, describes.
The messages on these specific shirts are not for the consumer, nor the people who will see you wearing them (although of course we think you will love them too!). Instead, we designed these shirts to speak to their maker. The woman who is working to end the cycle of poverty for the generations after her. The woman who is diligently fighting the ghosts of her past. The woman who might need some encouragement to know she is remembered. We know that a t-shirt isn’t going to erase everything that has happened to her, but like a greeting card can turn around someone’s day, these tees will serve as comfort and support to her. As she works, she will read the messages, “You are loved” and “our freedom is tied together.” So when the product she made is purchased, she will know that we believe in her freedom and want to help grow her business.
The power of words. It gives me chills. The honor to be involved in something bigger than me.
Harlow has something she wants to tell you!
You better believe we supported this Kickstarter project! I can’t wait to see the final tote bag design: #nevertoomanybags is my life motto. ;) I kid.
But seriously. Kid shirts are now available, and they are SO very close to meeting their goal. Imagine if we all join in what can happen.
Y’all know we are huge fans of Rack Room Shoes over here. I was so excited to finally step foot into a brick and mortar at a mall close by! Ordering online is awesome, but sometimes perusing in person takes the cake.
We’ve decided to homeschool Harlow next year for preschool – cue panic and fear in my eyes and another post for another time – so I’m excited to create little back to school traditions for us as we venture down this path. Will we continue homeschooling? Who knows. I’m taking it one year day at a time.
Harlow is definitely in an “let me do it, mommy” stage, and I love it. I also can’t believe she’s not a baby anymore, so I’m constantly prying my hands open to let her grow and flourish. Man, it’s so hard to loosen that grip! I love that these Sperry shoes are so perfect for her to put on.
She loves asking me, “this way?” to ensure she has her shoes on the correct feet, so we’ve made up a little saying to help her remember: pinky toe, velcro. I love hearing her recite it as she goes to the closet to grab her shoes.
I’m wearing these VANS just about every day — getting a lot of compliments on them too. They are such a great shade of grey and go with just about everything! Rack Room Shoes has shoes for the entire family — and you can’t beat their everyday “buy one get one 50% off” deal.
For this back to school outfit, she’s sporting her bubblegum pink Sperry Hallies and her favorite dress. It’s cute and simple, and both items pass the rigorous “comfy” test that Harlow puts every garment and shoe through.
She’s one tough cookie!
I can’t write about our favorite Shoe place without sharing some of the amazing things they are doing! Rack Room Shoes is raising funds for families in need through their yearly Shoes that Fit campaign. This campaign provides new shoes to at-risk kids at the start of the school year.
I love how easy Rack Room makes it to donate: simply donate when checking out in the store or donate online here. 100% of donations will be distributed locally where the shoes are purchased.
I often think of laughter as a distant memory or an old friend. I look back on it fondly, missing its authentic sound and voice. I never forget, but as time goes on, the small details lose clarity.
What exactly did her voice sound like?
That door was what shade of blue?
And time continues. Moments and faces fill the spaces once occupied by those tiny details now fussy in my memory.
I often think about laughter in this way.
I often think of laughter as a muscle once used, once strong.
The memory of the motion — the running, the lifting, the punches — is still there, but the memory isn’t enough to maintain the strength.
It must be flexed and used. It must be broken and strained, so that it can grow stronger.
I often think about laughter in this way.
With motherhood came the responsibility of more lives than just my own. Lives I put before mine — even as I sleep, with one eye open. Always watching, always looking, always thinking….
always worrying.
I find it so easy to worry, yet so difficult to laugh. The worry plays the trump card in every hand. The laughter is moved to the “do tomorrow” list.
I’ve strengthened the muscle of worry. I’ve revisited its memories and face. I’ve let my laughter muscles atrophy.
The worry voice sings loudly:
Did I play with them enough today?
Did I show my love?
Did the bill get paid?
Why didn’t he nap?
What will others think?
What if… what when… how will…
From the lightweights to the heavy-hitters, I allow them to consume me. Punching down the genuine laughter, leaving reasons to worry behind.
If you can get me to laugh — really laugh — you’ll hear chuckles turned to silent, shoulder-shaking laughter. As I silently laugh with tears streaming down my face, small squeaks make their way out as I inhale. An friend of mine used to call me “window washer”: my laughter mimicking the tiny squeaks you hear as the glass is polished until it is shiny and clean.
Shiny and clean.
Motherhood isn’t shiny and clean — you can do it all “right” and still be left with heartache.
Is it possible to laugh while the heart hurts? It is possible to genuinely laugh when life just feels hard and heavy?
I want to be the window washer again.
Harlow has a laugh that is simply beautiful. She squishes up her nose. She squints her eyes shut. She giggles loudly. She laughs often.
The other day I said to her, “Harlow, I love your giggles.”
She replied so matter of factly: “I just love to laugh, mommy.”
And in that moment I realized that laughter is like so many things forgotten: it doesn’t have to be.
It is a muscle that doesn’t want to be lost. It is a sound that wants to fill the air. It is a feeling that wants to be experienced, contagious to oneself and others.
In that moment, I realized my motherhood needs my laughter.
Laughter doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. Laughter doesn’t mean that I have this motherhood gig — or life gig — figured out.
Laughter means finding joy in the tiniest of moments: to even for a moment forget all the reasons to worry. I want to show my kids that life is more than responsibilities–being their mommy is more than the weight of it all. It is having the honor to laugh at the crayon mural on the freshly painted wall, to laugh at the joke you’ve heard one thousand times, to laugh with joy when it doesn’t mean you are happy.
Even in the middle of heartache.
Laughter may not make the world shiny and clean, but I’m beginning to believe that the sound of true laughter has the ability to polish a small piece of the heart. One moment at at time.
Well this project might be my new favorite. I know. I know. I always have a new favorite…but that’s probably a good problem, right? I love pushing myself creatively, but I also love making something we would maybe otherwise buy. A mobile, coat hooks, snack bags, and now fleece socks for Harlow’s rainboots!
If you know anything about Pittsburgh, you know it rains a lot. It can be gorgeous and sunny, too, but I always joke that it’s why we pay Pittsburgh prices. If we had weather like San Diego? We’d be paying for it too! Well, it’s also been raining a good bit here in Boston…and we don’t pay Pittsburgh prices…so……. Anyways….I digress.
Rainboots. A must around these parts, but they always seem to eat the little socks Harlow wears when she takes them off. I knew I could buy a pair of fleece socks, but we decided to have fun making and customizing a pair together instead!
The PDF patterns for the actual sock is available at the end of this post, but to alter the pattern to fit your selected boots, you’ll need a few measurements of your own as well.
The first measurement we will need is the sole of the boot. The biggest thing here is the length — then determine how the boot fits/how wide you want the fleece sole piece to be cut. I used the outline of the boot as my sole piece — including seam allowances.
You can take the length of your sole measurement and modify my pattern. Using the .JPG available below, you will want to resize the sole to the correct length — depending on how much you are resizing it, you may need to change the aspect ratio or the width will be off. Be sure to modify all of the pieces at the same time — especially the “foot” and “sole” pieces.
The next modification you’ll have to make is for the leg of the boot. The best way to do this is simply place your boot on the pattern piece — the ankle of your boot should hit at the bottom of the pattern piece. Extend the piece with more height or change the width, etc. Just make sure it’s about 1/4″ taller than your boot leg and the opening is about 1/4″ wider as well.
When you’ve created your leg boot piece, you’ll need to alter the cuff of boot piece to match the opening width. I promise this will make sense as you do it. :) You can also change the height of the cuff piece if you want more or less folded over!
After you’ve created your pattern pieces, cut everything out of the fleece. Be sure to cut the pieces on the fold that need to be — the foot, leg of boot and cuff of boot.
If you are just creating the fleece boot, you can skip to the construction section of the project, but if you are embroidering the cuff like I did, then keep reading here! As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m still very new to embroidery, so between learning about all of the thread and stabilizers and designs and whatever else, I’m also figuring out what works for me. I’ve decided I’m approaching it like quilting: there is not just one “right” way of doing things.
Moving on! Goodness, I’m a bit rambl-y today — sorry!
Because we are embroidering on fleece, I’ve chosen to use 2 layers of a medium weight stabilizer and a layer of water soluble stabilizer on top. I love the water soluble product for materials like minky, fleece and velvet — it keeps the design from sinking into the fabric. A quick rinse and it’s gone.
Hooping — getting your sandwich taut within the embroidery ring — can be a little intimidating at first. Try to hoop your fabric as centered and straight as you can. I find loosening the outer ring, pulling the layers tight and then tightening the rings seems to work best for me.
After I’ve hooped my fabric, I use the plastic guide to line up where I want the embroidery image to go. I’ve purchased this image (Hallie the Hippo from Doc McStuffins) from iBroidery — there are thousands of images and text available.
Align your embroidery pattern using the PE770 screen. I always check the perimeter of the design — as shown in the video — so I can see exactly where it will stitch. When you are ready to begin, just follow the color instructions on your machine. This design took 20 passes to complete.
I always recommend watching the thread throughout the entire process. One catch of the thread can mess up an entire color, so you want to be sure it’s loosely feeding the thread, as the tension on the machine takes care of the rest.
When the design has been embroidered, you can begin the construction of the socks!
I used a serger for mine, but a zig-zag stitch would work great too. You don’t need to worry about the fleece fraying, but the zig-zag stitch will allow for stretch. First, mark the middle of your boot leg and foot pieces.
Using pins, line up the top of the foot piece with the bottom opening of the boot leg piece, as shown below.
Serge in place.
Next, pin the cuff piece to the boot leg piece as shown below.
Sew in place. Be sure to check the direction of your embroidery design, so it’s right side out and up when folded over the boot.
For this next part, you will be pinning the back of the sock and also pinning the sole to the foot piece. I like to do this in tandem, so you can remove any excess from the top of the foot piece. (No matter how many times I measure, I always end up with a little excess on this piece.)
Pin the back seam down to the top of the foot piece. Pin the sole to the foot piece, starting at the center of the toe.
When you get to the back, pin in place and cut the excess fabric either with a scissor prior to sewing or with your serger.
If serging, be sure to tack your threads in as shown above! After you’ve sewn down the back seam, sew around the sole.
One thing that terrifies me most about being Harlow’s mommy is making sure I cultivate and encourage her contagiously joyful spirit. Don’t get me wrong, girl can throw one heck of a tantrum….and she may or may not practice crying in the mirror….but she brings a smile to most everyone with her joy. Add in her sense of humor and goodness gracious she has me in stitches.
She’s witty and finds fun in the smallest things. She has the most incredible imagination and nurturing spirit.
One way I see her joy for small things is her naming or nicknaming people or things. She does it with such authority and intention that they usually tend to stick. She also just has a knack for rattling off something that makes sense and is cute to boot. Andy’s parents requested to be “Grandma” and “Grandpa,” but no matter how much we used those names, she would see them and declare, “MEMA!! POPPOP!”
The names stuck.
She’s named TeeTee (my sister, Kaitlyn), Cat Kate (Aunt Kate), Oranges (who she also named Jonesy, which has also totally stuck), and a handful of others, but the naming doesn’t stop with people. She names Andy’s work buildings (Red Work, Green Work, Grey Works and now Blue Work), stores (the “ball store” = Target), food (princess pasta among others) and lastly, shoes. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but we will move on to shoes — since that is kind of the entire point of this post. ;)
These boots have proven to be much more than just your average cowgirl boots, however. I honestly wasn’t sure how much wear these boots would get, as Harlow can tend to be a princess and the pea about how things fit, feel, etc. (The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in that regard.) These Chiara boots are made with leather, so they are breathable and durable. In the fall and winter, Cowgirl Boots were worn with leggings or jeans, but wearing them with skirts and dresses is her favorite look for spring.
Am I giving you the impression that Harlow is pretty opinionated when it comes to her clothes? ;) She is, and I honestly love it. The other day she was wearing pants, but decided as we were walking out the door that she needed to have a skirt as well. She left the house wearing a floral skirt over floral pants, and she sported that look for the rest of the day.
I guess what I’m saying is: Harlow has an opinion about what she wears, and if she hated these boots, she wouldn’t be wearing them. Comfort is her biggest hold up — every sweater get the itch test around here — and shoes go through a rigorous test as well. These Umi boots have been through the Harlow test and made the cut. I love that they are made so well, because it means they can be passed down to others still in great condition, even after being worn a ton! I’ve tried to shift into a buying less quantity, more quality mindset, but so far I’ve been extremely pleased with the result.
I’m loving bright and bold colors this spring! Here are a few in particular that I’m loving!
Thank you all for your encouraging comments, texts and emails over the past few weeks! I’m so behind on replying, but I promise I am trying — and I’ve read them all–crying usually!–and I’m beyond thankful for them.
It’s starting to feel like spring around here, well, a little bit. I’m ready for sunnier days, but early next week is forecasted to be in the low 70s! YES. PLEASE!
Tomorrow we are heading in on the train to spend time with this fabulous trio — can’t wait!
It just so happened that Harlow began a mild obsession with the Berenstain Bear series when these adorable shirts from Loved by Hannah and Eli arrived! Harlow takes her role as big sister very seriously, and I love that she calls this shirt her, “I’m a big sister bear!” shirt.
Loved By Hannah And Eli was a dream, inspired by a hobby, turned passion and ultimately a calling. I’m a Mom….I do this out of my house with a couple of friends and try to have as much fun with it as possible.
I’m Sarah….
Married to a Super Supportive Dude, 2 kids (Hannah and Eli) thus the name….
We live in Sunny California :)
The LOVED BY HANNAH AND ELI “brand” has been around since early 2012
My dream is to impact people through genuine kindness, bring families together, and do so fashionably
The Team is made up of willing friends who don’t need sleep…we are moms!
We absolutely love Sarah’s designs, and ironically she seems to take the little names I call my kiddos right out of my mouth. Grumpy bear, anyone?
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