DIY: Burlap and Tulle Wreath

 I have never been a "wreath on the front door" type of girl.  Other than a Christmas Wreath, I never had one on my door in Lufkin.  One of the things I liked about the Dogwood house when we were looking for houses in Nac, were the two beautiful wreaths the Combs had on the front door.  So this fall I made my first "non-Christmas" wreath purchase.  I guess I didn't realize how expensive wreaths are and even more expensive when you have to get them times two!  So, after purchasing some awesome fall wreaths as well as awesome Christmas wreaths, I've been wanting to get something that would last through the spring/summer months, but have not been willing to get off my wallet.

I went to Hobby Lobby this afternoon to get stuff for a framed calendar project; I left with stuff for burlap and tulle wreaths!  Each wreath cost about $35.00 to make, much better than the $65.00 price tag on the average 50% off wreath. 

Items Needed To Make Two Wreaths:

1. Wire Wreath
2. Floral Stem Wire
3. 5 yards of Burlap (buy this off the bolt rather than the pre-cut rolls, it will be about half the price)
4. 5 yards of Tulle (today it was on sale for $0.77 a yard, woohoo)
5. 30 feet of Ribbon of your choice
6. Flower Sprigs of your choice (an odd number is usually best)

Step One:  Take the wire wreath and attach floral stem wire about every inch around entire wreath.

Step Two:  Cut burlap and tulle in half along fold line from bolt.  Then remove three to four strings from cut edge on the burlap so it will match the raw outside edge.

Step Three:  Scrunch together the burlap and attach to wreath with floral wire.  Scrunch fabric again about four inches back and attach at the next floral wire.  The larger you want the bubble, the farther back you should scrunch material (for larger bubbles more material will be needed).  Continue until entire wreath is covered.

 Step Four:  Repeat step three with the tulle; however, when you are twisting the floral wire, twist to the back of the wreath so it will be hidden from view.

Step Five:  Make a bow with the ribbon and attach at the start/end area on the wreath.  It should have at least six loops.

 Step Six:  Attach Floral Sprigs as desired and your wreath is ready to hang.

Coaches for a Cause...Well a Personal Cause That Is...

First please let me testify that God provides in awesome ways.  I had a doctors appointment in S'port last week and the news was not great.  The meds I have been taking are no longer working which means we have to move on to the big guns.  I was expecting this and thus had prepared myself to be ready to do so. I just want to get this show on the road!  Only problem, big guns are expensive!  When I called Stephen and he checked on his price at the pharmacy, he told me he didn't think we would be able to proceed this next cycle.  I, who is (or should it be I who am?) the worrier, for the first time in my life was not worried.  I knew the money would show up, God would provide, and what do you know...  On this very same day after I had spoken with Stephen that morning, he came home at lunch with the unexpected news of a raise and to top it all off, that evening we got the email we had anxiously been awaiting from our accountant. We were expecting to owe and owe big time on our taxes this year.  Thus I have been saving feverishly since October.  While we still owe a lot, but it is going to be thousands of dollars less than we expected and the majority of the money we do owe is already in savings.  (I honestly believe this is part of the blessing God is giving us for using all the money we received in the fall to pay off the majority of our debt.)  

All of this to say I'm trying to be creative on the money side and so I am trying to sell three of my coach purses to help off set the cost of our next treatment.  I love them all and they are in really great shape.  Two of them do have some ink marks on the inside but they aren't super bad.  You can see them pictured below....

(May I please make a side note that I'd rather not be asked how treatments are going.  Just know that if there is something I want known about them I will share, but your prayers are greatly coveted!)

The first is a Black on Black Canvas and Patent Leather Bucket.  The dimensions of the bucket are at its widest 18" by 10" by 4" deep.  At it's narrowest it is 11" wide.  The height including the straps is 19".  It has a zipper pocket on the wall on the inside front as well as a phone pocket and flat pocket on the wall of the inside back.  There is also an open pocket on the wall of the back on the outside.  It has a small ink smudge on the inside wall where the zipper pocket is and a mark on the opposite side on the inside as seen below.

Asking Price:  $85

This Black and Grey Canvas and Patent Leather I used as a computer bag.  It's dimensions are 15" wide by 11.5" high by 5" deep.  The inside front wall has a large zipper pocket and the inside back wall has a phone pocket as well as a flat pocket.  Running through the center of the purse is a dividing wall that also has a zipper at the top.  My computer that is 14.75x9.5"x1.5" fit very snug into one side of the purse.  Everything about this one is in perfect condition.

Asking Price: SOLD...Thank you Crystal!

This one is still one of my favorites.  It's the Madison Leather Maggie.  You can see the actual purse here at the coach website to see dimensions and description (you will have to scroll down a little ways and then you will see the purse pop up in a larger screen).  It retails for $358 right now.

Asking Price: $225

No Boundaries

As I sit here in the waiting room and look around, I see a picture of God's creation and a reminder that infertility knows no boundaries. I see Black, White, Hispanic and Asian, Louis Vuitton, Coach and knock offs. We are all so different and yet so much the same. Pain is pain and struggle is struggle, but just like infertility, I am reminded God's love knows no boundaries.

Feeling Small

I hate how I let the actions of others make me feel so small. Especially when I overly concern myself to try and not hurt someone's feelings but the favor is definitely not returned. I wish I didn't care but I do and it hurts.

What We Go Through

As I sit here, yawning because I got up an hour and forty five minutes earlier than normal and bracing myself to spread for the umpteenth time over the past several years, I realize this is what separates my experience from the average person's TTC experience. The three and a half hour drive round trip, the money, the pokes, the prods and sitting alone, they are a far cry from a romantic night of love making.

This experience highlights to me that I really must be careful not to judge or presume to know what someone else's life is like. The old saying about walking a mile in someone else's shoes is so true.

While it's not romance, it is love that drives us to pursue the expansion of our family this way. While I won't be able to tell my child one day of the romance that brought about their conception or the surprise of an unplanned pregnancy, I will be able to say it was the intentional actions driven by a love for an unborn, yet to be conceived child that lead to their life.

And so, while the situation is not perfect and there are sacrifices being made that many will never know or understand, it is love that motivates and make is worth the journey.