Fashion Steals and Deals

  I love to find deals on clothes! Most people who know me will tell you that I'm a bargain shopper. When I say bargain, I mean bargain! My idea of a good deal is buying jeans for under $20.00 and shirts for less than $15. :) I wanted to share some recent finds that I got for great prices, where I got them, and how much I paid for them. Part of become a Proverbs 31 Woman is finding deals and being wise with the money God has given us! 

I love, love, LOVE Target! Who knew that they'd have such cute clothes too? haha. But I have discovered something crucial about buying their clothes... I usually don't buy them until they go on clearance. There have been a few times I have seen something there, loved it, bought it, and regretted it. Only because the item I bought went on clearance just a few weeks later for almost half the price. So now, I refuse to buy any clothing at Target unless it's on clearance. Of course, sometimes that clothing item you want doesn't go on clearance or they won't have your size when it does, but a lot of times it pays off to be patient and wait. 

Just recently I really, really wanted a particular maxi dress I saw. It was put out at a staggering $29.99... (to me $30 is a lot to spend on a dress at Target) so...I prayed and decided to wait to see if it would go on clearance. I checked every time I went. First, they marked it down to like $20.98 (still too much) So...I kept waiting! Lo and behold I went back a couple weeks later and guess what was on the clearance rack??? That dress... for.... drumroll please.... $8.98. And no, I'm not joking! :) Praise the Lord! I got my dress for $8.98 instead of $29.99. 

Here's some pics...

 Another place I love to check is Ross. They don't always have the best selection but sometimes you can really get good deals! I recently wanted another dress so I decided to check the clearance section at Ross. I found this dress (pictured below) for $5.99! 

Another awesome place to shop for nicer brands is Marshalls! They really have nice, quality clothing for great prices. I found two shirts there recently that I absolutely love! One was $12.99 (mustard color) and the other was $14.99 (blue color)...

Lastly...I also love to buy vintage clothes. I find that the best places to buy vintage clothes are Estate Sales. Buying them on Ebay or in Antique stores is a lot pricier. I found this beautiful dress from the 40's/50's at a yard sale for $7.00! I would have paid at least $40-$50 on Ebay for a vintage dress in this great of condition...

I wear it with a pair of cream wedges from Forever 21 to modernize it...

Here is another outfit from the 1940's that I found at an estate sale for $12.00 (jacket and pencil skirt). I paired it with a tank top and cute belt to modernize..

I hope these tips help you to find some clothing deals in your area! Remember to pray! I prayed for that maxi dress to go on clearance and it did, for an amazing price!

Feeding the Birds and Clothing the Lilies

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Matthew 5:25, 26 (NKJV)

 I love to hear birds sing and I love to watch them as they flutter around my backyard. The other night my husband and I were watching two little hummingbirds that have recently made our backyard hibiscus tree their home. They were so adorable! I just wanted to hold one in my hand! :) 

There have been so many times in my life that God has used birds to remind me of His love, His providence and His concern and care in my life. I absolutely love Matthew chapter 5 and starting in verse 25 Jesus begins telling us about birds, lilies and not worrying about where our next meal or set of clothes is going to come from. I recently heard a message on this at a Woman's Bible Study and it was awesome!

Worrying about money, finances and paying the bills has been something that concerns me and all of us at one time or another. There have been a few specific times in my life that I remember being in desperate need of God's provision. Once was right before my husband and I got married and the second time was when I quit my job to become a stay-at-home mommy. Both times were huge stretches of faith and worry always, ALWAYS seemed to get the best of me. Somehow I can trust that God created the world in 6 days, can keep my heart beating and my lungs breathing and yet, I can't trust that we'll be able to pay the electric bill or buy diapers. Pathetic, but true. 

Time and time again, in every financial crisis situation, God would lead me to the birds. I would look out my window and see them fluttering away and I would hear God's voice say to my heart,

 "I will provide for you."

In all of our financial stresses and leaps of faith God has always told me to put the calculator away. Seems like the first thing I always do when I need to figure out a financial need is pull out the calculator to make sure we'll "have enough" or that the "ends will meet". And yet, God always tells me to put it away! Any time I've had to trust God financially it never, ever adds up on the calculator. I get stressed out and think... "There is no way we are going to survive!!". So, God has told me to put it away... And, in HIS providence everything always works out. We always have just enough. The bills are paid, and we have food in our fridge. :) Truly, God is a GOOD heavenly Father who loves us and who will really provide ALL that we need. 

We have a part in this too as far a finances go. Sometimes we can be guilty of not honoring God with what we have; and that might be why things are so tight and difficult financially. We know in scripture that we are told to give a portion of our income, first and foremost, to the Lord. If we are not being faithful to do this then we can't expect God to bless us. My dad always used to say, "You can't afford not to tithe". Tithing is so important! Sometimes it might seem like we don't even have enough to tithe but we must be faithful to obey God in this and to trust Him. He tells us in His Word...

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."
Malachi 3:10 (NKJV) 

WOW! If we are tithing and honoring God with our finances, then we know we have the promise that He will provide all of our needs! Can you imagine God pouring out blessings that you can't contain?!

What financial burdens or fears are you facing today? Remember...

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

 I challenge you to watch the birds for a minute or two and meditate on Matthew chapter 5:25-34. God loves you so much and He knows what you need!

Waiting in the Cave

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall renew your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

What are you waiting for? What have you been praying about for what seems like an eternity? All of us have waited anxiously for a prayer to be answered or fulfilled. On some rare occasions the answer or fulfillment might come instantaneously but for most of us we have to WAIT. Do you like that word? I don't, to be honest.

Waiting isn't fun but time and time again in scripture we hear the word wait. Psalm 27:13, 14 carried me through some of the most difficult waiting seasons in my life. Seasons in which I was forced to wait. Forced to wait for fulfillment of promises, hopes and dreams.

One of those less dramatic waiting seasons was when we were waiting for a house. My husband and I lived in a one bedroom apartment for 5 years. I lovingly referred to it as "the cave". Why? Because there was NO direct sunlight in the apartment. There were windows but no direct sun. Everything was covered by the third floor. I lived in a constant state of artificial light. Not to mention, we were sandwiched between the bottom floor and the top floor. Almost every night I swore there was a stampede going on upstairs by the way our neighbor would run, jump and pound on the floor at 2, 3 and 4 in the morning. I'll never forget when I was pregnant and a wild party was taking place upstairs. I was already having hot flashes, night sweats and temper tantrums. I didn't need pounding music and loud obnoxious voices waking me up at 2am. The straw that broke the pregnant camel's back was when two of the partiers decided to carry their conversation down to the edge of my patio. I had definitely had it. I jumped out of bed, flipped back the blinds and started pounding my fist on the sliding glass door. My poor husband jumped out of a sound sleep yelling, "GET DOWN"! He thought my pounding on the door was gun shots. Yes... it's true. :)

Fast forward and now we have a baby sleeping in the one bedroom apartment. There was no "baby room" so he slept in the living room with the couches and fireplace. It was definitely a difficult season. We were very tight on finances and I had no choice but to trust God and continue to wait. It seemed like everyone around us was decorating their baby's own room, or moving into a new house. And here we were waiting like bats in "the cave". Don't get me totally wrong...despite all the funny stories and lack of space, we were blessed; we had a roof over our heads and it was exactly all that we NEEDED at the time. Memories in that apartment are going to be treasured for a lifetime by me and my hubby. The Lord is truly faithful!

But I have to admit that I wasn't a gold medal winner in the marathon of waiting. I didn't even come close to bronze. If there was a tin foil medal...I might have gotten that, for partial effort. :) And yet, God was so patient and loving with me and carried me through every moment of that waiting season. And just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore; God did what only He can do. He answered my prayer. I had half given up but He hadn't. He knew exactly what He wanted to do; when He wanted to do it and He brought us just the right house.

And can I share something with you? I'm so glad I had to wait for our house. I'm so glad I was in that apartment, baby and all, for 5 years. If I had been given a house any sooner than God had ordained I don't think I would have been as thankful for it, as blessed by it or as joyful. I wouldn't have a testimony of God answering my prayer or of God providing for us day by day in that little apartment. I can say that about everything I have had to wait for!

Waiting isn't fun when you're in it but the rewards are way better than you can imagine.Waiting is so much better in the long run than rushing ahead, making things happen or taking things out of God's hands.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."
Lamentations 3:25 (NKJV)

There have been much more emotional, dramatic things, I have had to wait for namely, a child. And I will definitely share on that in the near future. What you are waiting for could be much more emotional or heart wrenching than a different place to live.

What are you waiting for?

Marriage

Children

Financial Help

A House

Car

Job 

Healing

Don't lose heart; don't give up. God hasn't forgotten you! He loves you and is going to do something in His time. Even when it seems like everyone else is moving forward or getting the very things you are praying for...don't lose hope! God loves you and is working everything out. So while you're waiting, don't be miserable and dishonoring to God; look for the joy, look for the ways God is providing for you and helping you exactly where you are at. One day you will look back and see memories and thankfulness for this season of waiting.

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

DIY Necklace

I love DIY projects! Recently a friend of mine had a super cute necklace on and I thought to myself... "I bet there's a way to make something like that!". So I decided to pray, and see if I could make a cute homemade DIY necklace similar to the one I saw!

I started by getting one of my old chains from a necklace I used to wear..

Then I picked some fabrics from a pile that I had left over from another DIY project. I picked lace and some light turquoise fabric. They were sections about 2 inches wide...

 I then cut the fabric in about a 5 inch piece and fan-folded it...

 

I then sewed it through the middle and top ends to hold it together...

After that I sewed it directly to the chain...

 First Addition Complete!

Then I repeated the first and second steps and added the turquoise!

Lastly, I added another lace section...and...TADAA! :)

This was super easy and I'm sure you could add your own special designs or elements!

I'm going to also use a hot glue gun to secure some edges together to keep the fan fold fabric sections from getting moved in different directions!

I love that the Lord has given us imaginations and creativity! It's so easy to ask the Lord to help you come up with your own cute fashions! Soon I will post about taking old clothes and making them into something new! :)  
I encourage you all to pray, be creative and have fun with fashion!

Snippy, Snappy and Definitely Unhappy...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

Matthew 11:28

What does a typical morning in your house, in your life, in your day look like? Does it consist of the smell of Starbucks wafting through the house and sunlight glittering through the windows while you listen to the sound of bird's singing their hearts out, as you read your Bible? If it does, don't tell me, I might be jealous. :) A typical morning for me usually consists of the smell of a dirty diaper that needs changing on my toddler, feeding the dog with my eyes half shut, making my coffee then forgetting about it until it's lukewarm and fixing my husbands hair as he rushes out the door. Pretty soon, I'm running errands, wiping up a spilled sippy cup and folding a load of laundry. Before I know it, it's time to make lunch and put the baby down for a nap. What happened to my morning? Well it packed it's bags and decided to come back tomorrow. 

Most of you might relate but with a few modifications. Maybe there's not a toddler, but there's a job to get to, work to be done, bills to be paid. Maybe there is a class at school that you can't miss or a job that you better not be late too and you'd be willing to drive like "you just don't care" to get there on time. Cutting people off, tailgating and breaking all traffic laws while you're at it.

How do you feel most mornings? Snippy? Snappy? Unhappy? I have to admit that a lot of mornings have looked like that for me lately and I know exactly why. 

I failed to spend time with Jesus before I started my day.

I was at a Bible Study a couple weeks ago and the guest speaker gave a message that dealt a lot with the importance of doing DAILY devotions with Jesus. And the importance of doing them in the morning. It was amazing! And God totally used it to help me start getting back on track with my devotions. I used to be so strict about doing my devotions every single morning before I went to work. It was awesome and so many mornings God would speak something to my heart. But then somewhere along the way, I had a baby and I started getting slack on doing them EVERY day. It didn't take long for me to start noticing changes in my attitude and behavior. You know the phrase, "if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy". Well, it's very true! :) When I don't spend time with Jesus first thing in the morning I'm not happy, therefore nobody's happy. I get snippy with my toddler, snappy with my husband and just plain unhappy everywhere I go. My attitude and face starts to resemble someone who's been eating way too many Warheads. My husband will sometimes ask me, "What did you read in your Bible today?"....I'm convinced that this is his sweet way of telling me that my attitude is not going the right direction. :)

Jesus knows us; He knows how we as women run around and do so many various things all day. I love what He said to Martha in Luke 10...

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)

Jesus knows how busy we are, He knows that we have responsibilities, jobs, families etc. But what was most important? Sitting at His feet; that was the "good part". When is the last time you really sat at Jesus' feet? Not just read a chapter of the Bible, said a 30 second prayer and ran off to do something else; but really SAT at His feet?

Up until two weeks ago, it had been way too long since I had really sat, listened and prayed. I usually am so much like Martha and not Mary. Running, running, running and not resting at Jesus' feet. But lately, the Lord has been helping me every day to start setting my alarm and get out of bed to spend time with Him. Before the rush, before the day begins. And I have to tell you, it's been so wonderful! God has been showing me so many things that my weary soul has been dying for. Encouragement, peace, hope and joy have started to flood my heart again. Not every day has been a lightening bolt of revelation but every day has been a blessing. A blessing because I'm finally putting the most important thing in my day, first. God's Word!

I have to give a word of caution though...
The enemy HATES when we decide to spend more time with Jesus. Don't expect it to be as "easy as pie" to start doing your devotions every morning. It will take the Holy Spirit's determination through you! Just be prepared... You'll be more tired than you've ever been when that alarm goes off and you'll be so tempted to hit the snooze once, twice or maybe even 20 times. :) And that's just the beginning. You will begin to pray and before you know it you'll be reminded of the lunch date you can't miss, the shirt you forgot to wash last night, the dirty dishes that need washing in the sink, the fact that you have to run to Target later, the realization that you really need to get a good grade on that next test, what color shoes match with the shirt you're wearing and the list goes on and on and on and.....
You get the idea. :) And let's not forget that number one distraction in all of our lives...our cellphones. I'm just going to say something right now... HIDE IT! Put it away when you do your devotions. The whole world isn't going to come to an end if you don't text that person back right away. I literally have to keep my phone in another room so I won't be distracted and it has really helped me!!

I even find that during the times I'm most faithful to spend time with Jesus; the enemy steps up his attacks and temptations. He seems to throw those fiery darts the second I leave my place of devotions.
So be prepared for attack! But most importantly...be prepared to be BLESSED, to be changed and to be spoken to from the Lord! It is so worth it to spend time with Jesus every, single day. You won't regret it; ever! And the more you spend time with Him, the more you will become everything He wants you to be.

 If you're not quite sure how to begin doing devotions, let me share with you what I usually do for mine!

#1. Read a daily devotional reading...my favorites are: Morning and Evening (Charles Spurgeon), Streams in the Desert (L.B. Cowman) and My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers)
These daily readings are fairly short but they include a topic verse to read and some wonderful thoughts, poems, scriptures and quotes. There are 365 days worth of devotions in each one.
#2. I read my Bible. I will usually read the whole chapter of the verse discussed in the devotion or I will pick a book in the Bible and read it one or two chapters at a time, every day, until I'm finished with that book. 
#3. I spend time in prayer.

I hope we can all stay committed to spending time with our Lord so that we will all be the women He desires us to be!  

Let me know how the Lord speaks to you as you begin this awesome journey with Him!

Pom Pom Decorations - Tutorial / Directions

Recently I made Pom Pom decorations for my best friend's baby shower! (Pictured above) They turned out so pretty and I loved the way they hung them in the trees! 

Pom Poms are such a great decoration piece for so many different occasions. I did a post earlier this Summer about Pom Poms. You can use them for Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties, Weddings and even Baby Nursery Rooms. 

I thought I would go ahead and do a tutorial for anyone who wants to make them! They are very easy but they do take time. I  learned how to make them at Martha Stewart's website and various others places online. 

Here are the basic directions...

You will begin by purchasing packages of tissue paper. 10 sheets or more per pack is perfect. Any less will not produce a nice full Pom Pom. You can buy packs of tissue at party supply stores for about $0 .99 cents a pack! It takes one whole pack to make a large size Pom Pom. You can get two small ones out of one pack if you cut the tissue pack in half.

Step #1: Begin by unfolding the tissue and laying it will the folded crease lines going horizontally. 

Step #2: Keep all the tissue sheets together and start "Fan-folding" the tissue pack until you have folded the whole stack together.

Step #3: Once you are finished folding, find the center and securely tie it with a wire or pipe cleaner. I use pipe cleaner that I cut in half. It's about $1.00 for a whole pack of them!

Step #4: Once you have secured the middle, cut the ends of the tissue in a rounded pattern (for a scalloped edge) or pointed (for a pointed edge). I'm using a rounded edge for this tutorial. I think it is prettier! :) 

 

Step #5: Now that you have rounded or pointed the edges it is time to start the fun! Carefully start pulling every piece of layered tissue away from the stack. Since there are 10 layers you can pull 5 layers upward and 5 layers downward on each side.

 

 First side complete! Yaay! (below)

Step #6: Once you have pulled all of the tissue pieces apart you can fluff them and place them exactly how you want in order to create a nice rounded look. 

 

 Whaalaah!!! And here is a beautiful Pom Pom! :)

When you are all finished you can use fishing line, twine, ribbon or string to hang these beautiful decorations. You can anchor the hanging material to the middle, inside the Pom Pom!

Have fun making Pom Poms!!! 

(If you prefer not to make them yourself, I can make them for various occasions for you...contact me via comment or email for more information)