Jesus loves Kylie too...

I've spent a lot of time lately mulling over a post that several of my friends have liked and shared on Facebook, and this particular article has really bothered me.  If you are one of my friends, family, or acquaintances that have liked and shared this article, then I apologize in advance if you're offended, but keep in mind, this is my opinion.  The article in question is this one found here, and it is all about why good, Christian girls should follow Sadie Robertson,

and have nothing to do with Kylie Jenner.  

The article greatly details all of Sadie's wonderful attributes and then contrasts them with reasons why we as Christians should be disgusted with Kylie Jenner.  I have one huge problem with this.  Jesus would not have responded to Kylie Jenner by writing her off.  

Just to be clear.  Sadie Robertson seems like a nice, moral, girl that proclaims to follow Jesus, and from what I can see, her actions back up her words.  That. is.  great.  I'm excited to know that she is walking the talk, even though I'm sure that it's not always easy (welcome to the teenage years).  Sadie is also surrounded by a family that loves her, cares for her, and shows her how to follow Jesus.  

Now, let's talk about Kylie.  Kylie is 17 years old.  She does not proclaim to be a Christ follower and lives her life in a very public sphere, thanks in large part to the fact that her older sister made and released a sex tape with a little known rapper over a decade ago.  Kylie is surrounded by a family that is consumed with fame and the pursuit of being famous, led by a mom who does whatever it takes to keep her kids in the spotlight, regardless of cost.

The article I referenced above calls Kylie out for the outfit that she chose to wear to CHURCH for Easter Sunday, saying

"While Sadie is an outspoken Christian who’s not afraid to speak out and defend her beliefs, Kylie’s Easter “outfit” for church featuring a midriff-bearing crop top shows exactly what she thinks about the Christian faith".

Let's be honest, Kylie's outfit is probably not something that most of us would throw on to go to church on Easter Sunday.  However, are we missing the point that Kylie, put on this outfit TO GO TO CHURCH???  I have to say that based on the reaction of people who call themselves Christians, it took a lot of courage for her to even go to a church, and I applaud her for going.  Who are we to judge her based on what she is wearing?  Sorry folks, when we follow Christ, that's not our job.  Our job is to love people, regardless of what they wear, or who they date, or how immoral they seem.  The Bible is really clear that it is only up to God to judge hearts.

"The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart".  

1 Samuel 16:7b

Guys, we might see this:

 

(Kylie with her boyfriend Tyga)

But Jesus sees this:

Kylie belongs to Him.  She is his precious, beautiful, one-of-a-kind daughter, and whether or not she has accepted that Truth, you and I don't have the right to tear her down and rip her apart.  I just can't believe that Jesus would do that.  He operated under and in the principle of love, always, and He has COMMANDED us to do the same.

Here's where I can agree with the article that was written originally.  We probably don't want to encourage our daughters to be like Kylie Jenner, not because she's a horrible person, but because she isn't Jesus.  We also shouldn't place undue pressure on Sadie Robertson to be perfect, because one thing I've learned so far in my life journey is that perfection has only existed once in the entire history of ever, and it was Jesus.  Sadie is doing her best, but it is inevitable that she will fail at some point...she is human.  Jesus is the only One that we should aspire to be like.  The Bible is really clear on that point.

Guys and girls, we shouldn't do anything to tear down other people, especially as people that claim to be Christ followers.  We are called to love...everyone.  That doesn't mean you have to follow them on Twitter, or Instagram, or be Facebook friends.  It does mean that the community of Christ should not be the ones that are causing hurt and destruction to others, regardless of how they live their lives. 

So, how about instead of teaching our kids why Kylie Jenner is a bad person and should not be followed, what if we taught our kids that Kylie is lost, and searching, 17 and trying to find out who she is, and we should love her and pray for her?  What if we taught our kids that no one is a lost cause and prayer is effective and proven?  What if we looked at Sadie and taught our kids that she has a lot of advantages and seems to be doing a great job, but the truth is, no one is perfect and we don't ever really know what happens behind closed doors?  

Bottom line we get to love people, not judge them.  Perfect or imperfect, holy or immoral, good or bad.  It isn't what we were created for.   

Let's Talk About Wreaths, Baby...

Ok, you know you are old if you read that in song.  I thought of it this morning, and thought, of course it had to be the title of my next post.  Which, I happen to have a lot of time for, now that I am busy with my new (old) hobby of monogramming.  I'm having a fun morning monogramming my very first item for a customer, and while I'm watching the machine like a hawk, I realized my computer is just sitting here and it is a perfect time to write a post.  About wreaths.  And monogramming.

My sister, Amelia, in case you haven't met her, is awesome.  And she's crafty.  I'm crafty too, but not like she is.  She has great ideas.  She's one of the people that thinks of the stuff you see on Pinterest, then puts it on Pinterest for the rest of us to copy.  

This is Amelia.  Best friend in the whole wide world.

Amelia makes wreaths and door hangers.  And they are presh.

It's a sweet door hanger.

Burlap ribbon, and a monogram...I need one of these.

And then there's this.  Don't you love it?  I'm hoping my sweet sister will send me one in the mail...(hint, hint).

She's super talented guys, and you want her to make you a wreath, so follow her on instagram @ameliamadelyne and check out the fun stuff she makes!

I've had a fun day today.  I got to complete my very first monogram for money job for a dear friend.  I was a nervous wreck about doing it.  It's one thing if you mess up your own stuff, it's a whole other thing to mess up someone else's.  (I've done it before, and all I can say is Sorry again!!)  All that to say, it's a scary thing to take something that you really love and offer it to someone else, because, what if they don't find the work that is so near to your heart, good enough? 

Risks are always worth the reward.

So I took a risk and monogrammed for a friend.  It was fun, and I didn't suck and the monogram didn't suck.  

I'm realizing that I had somehow buried a part of me over these last four years.  It can sound cheesy to say that this is part of who I am, and you are allowed to think that, but let me just say.."This is a part of who I am."  I really love doing this, and it brings me joy, so I think that it might be part of my DNA.  As in, I was created this way, so there's something in this for me, that I get to use to draw people to Jesus.  Love. That.

Monogramming looks beautiful, but some of you might not know the process.

Here's the process I went through with the blanket that I got to do today...It was so much fun!

Step 1:  Make the design.  I use Embird to put my designs together and then I open them in my Singer software to get them to go to the machine.  This font is Carmen by 8clawsandapaw.com.  It's a good font for a baby boy.  Not too curly, but still fun.

Step 2:  Hoop the blanket.  I hoop my stabilizer and then pin down my blank.  On this particular project I had my machine put down a basting stitch to hold the blanket in place.  This comes out easy breezy with a seam ripper once you are done.

Step 3:  Gather up the extra blanket and secure it together to keep things a little more manageable.  Float a piece of water soluble stabilizer on top, and then send the design to your machine!  Chip clips are obviously the high fashion choice when securing a blanket.  Duh.

Step 4:  Voila!

So there it is, from conception to reality.  In my heart, this is such a picture of what has been happening in me lately and this little piece of me getting to go from dream to reality.  I'm so grateful that Jesus has provided a way for me to chase after His heart by responding to the desire He put in my heart.

Thanks for reading guys!

The story begins again...

Wow.  2 years since my last post.  2 whole, entire years.  Well, 2 years and 2 weeks to be exact.  Sorry I left all of you hanging that long.  I'm sure you've all been dying to know what I've been up to, what the Land girls have been up to, and what Ken has been up to.  I'm sure you have been sitting on the edge of your seat trying to dream up what kind of deals I've found at Goodwill and assorted thrift stores over the last two years.

The girlfriends.

Me and my handsome hubs.

Well, let me tell you.  The last two years have been jam packed with lots of deals, lots of my sweet girls, and lots of life.  I think that I'll try to catch you up on some of it, but I'm also going to give you a look at where we've been currently.  Life has been happening.  Fast and furious.  And up and down. But it's been really, really, great.  I'm learning more and more everyday about who I am and what I am passionate about, and what I want to do (and you would think that at 33 I could have some of this nailed down by now!).

Lucky for you, my passions still include sparkly things and thrift shopping (I feel like this is an always for me).  So check out this chair and ottoman that I got at Goodwill, just a couple of weeks ago for $20.50.  That's right.  $20.50.

The chair that was a serious gift from Jesus to me, right in the middle of the Frankfort, KY Goodwill.

And, 2 weeks ago my sweet, sweet, generous husband gave me the best Valentine's day gift...a brand spanking new, not off EBay, actually bought from a store Embroidery Machine.  It is super, amazing, and just what my heart needed.  I had forgotten how much I love monogramming.  It's another one of my passions, I think.  I'm going to post some pictures of my beginning work.  Keep in mind it's been 4 years since I've monogrammed, so these might look a little rough, but have no fear.  My plan is to get better and better.

Just my initials.  NBD.

Behold.  A shirt that has a long story behind it for Annabelle's Valentine party at school.

We got a dog.  Norman, or as we call him Stormin' Norman.  Sometimes we call him Stormy Normy. He's this tiny little Maltese and even though he cannot get the hang of potty training, we LOVE him.  He barks at his food and he looks like a mop when he hasn't had a haircut, but he is so sweet.  (Ken says that he hates him, but I know he doesn't really mean it.)

Stormy Normy.

So, friends, readers, family, whoever you may be.  My promise is to not stay gone so long.  My pastor, Justin McCarty, gave a great talk today about awakening the passions in you, that you were created for  (you can find that at churchforyou.tv ), and part of that for me is this blog, and monogramming, and shopping, and pursuing my masters (almost done!). Can't wait to keep you guys updated, in the loop, in the know, and so on and so forth!

Homeschooling...

Warning...this one might be offensive to some of you...and there isn't anything thrifty...or sparkly for that matter.  Brace yourselves, this blog post is about HOMESCHOOLING (gasp).  If you are surprised I typed that word, trust me, it's nothing compared to how surprised I am that I am considering this.  I have a lot of great friends that homeschool their kids and do a really great job of it.  My attitude has always been, "I love that for your family, but never for mine."  I have always had this thought block about homeschooling...like it might ruin my life.

Jesus has such a way of turning all of that upside down. 

I want to be so clear about a few things.  The first is that MC is in 1st grade in public school and our experience has been WONDERFUL.  I don't mean we've had a good experience, I mean that we have had a great experience.  She has had stellar teachers and a caring principal and staff.  We love our school.  Me considering homeschooling has NOTHING to do with a personal negative experience at our public school.

Right now, my number one motivation is schedule.  I want to be free to take my girls where I want to, when I want to.  We have family that live in another state and I would love to go see them, but more often than not, Hubby's vaca time does not line up with MC's break time, so more often than not, we end up stuck at home with nothing to do because someone is always working.  

My girls are getting easier EVERY DAY.  I really mean that.  I have so much hope that I will soon be able to start taking road trips with them and it won't be a major headache (just a minor one), and soon even that won't happen.  I want to take them places so that they can have great experiences.  This also appeals to me on a daily schedule level...if I did not have to wake my 6 year old up at 6:30 every morning, I wouldn't.  

Another reason is safety.  Without giving into the fear and panic that I think every parent felt after the Newtown shootings, I would have to say I would feel 100% better about her being at home with me.  Again, let me underline that I love the school she attends and I know that they protect her and keep her safe, but they really can only do so much.

I'm also really crazy about the idea that I get to have the best hours of her days.  Greedy of me?...Maybe.  I want to spend this time with her, because it is never coming back around...

Just a few quick thoughts that are rambling around in my brain.  I would so love your thoughts and comments on this....Please be nice though!  Any suggestions on curriculum or co-ops would also be helpful! 

For those of you who read this, I want to clarify that we haven't made any decisions about this.  This is just me exploring the option, and I'm thankful to you guys for the freedom to do that :) 

I'm back...

Hi friends!
I'm back after more than a year hiatus. I have to have the bug to blog, and the bug has bitten me again :)
I wanted to do a quick post to show off my teacher gifts that I made at Christmas this year. Super easy, super cheap, and super cute!!!
I bought plates from the Dollar Tree. I free-handed designs with regular Sharpies, and then I baked in my oven at 175 for 30 minutes. The last step was tying a ribbon into a knot and hot gluing onto the plate. Give it a try! I was soooo pleased with how great (in my opinion) these came out :)

The Preschooler's Busy Book

Okay, so...this has been MC's and AB's fall break...this week.  Needless to say, this has interrupted my routine and schedule, just a little bit.  Interrupted in a good way, but changed it all the same.  We have made great use of their time at home.  We have been to Monkey Joe's.

 

We also went to the Pumpkin Patch.

I know, I have a super cute family :)

And...we have done a lot of hanging out at home.  Thursday, I made a Goodwill run and found a super book, that I absolutely had to have (for $.50).  When I saw it, I knew that it was going to offer me lots of wisdom and sage advice that I would have to put into practice.  Enter Exhibit A:

So, I got home, began to leaf through the book and saw some really great suggestions of how to fill my their time.  I thought that we would start with a somewhat simple activity...so easy that you are going to laugh when I tell you about it.  

Our first "fun" activity was money cleaning.  Seriously.  Money Cleaning.  All they needed was an old toothbrush, a bowl of warm soapy water, and some change.  And they were busy for 30 minutes.  Now, that might not sound like a lot of time, but trust me, when you have a 2 year old and a 5 year old, 30 minutes is a long time.  Enough time to unload the dishwasher, fold a load of laundry, and sweep the kitchen floor...maybe even use the bathroom if you are quick.  Basically, this activity bought me some time, and they had a blast!  They could not believe that I was letting them clean their money.  I couldn't believe that this actually worked.  If you try this, let me know how it works for you kids.  By the way, isn't that the cleanest money you have ever seen!!!

Saturday, I got out the construction paper, glue, and child-friendly scissors, and we made decorative halloween chains for our kitchen. MC wrote on hers and AB just cut fringe on her construction paper, but all in all it was a very fun, relaxing, time-consuming activity.  It kept them very engaged and busy for at least 2 hours.  Lots of fun and great memories made.

MC's chain

My chain

Also last night, after the gluing and crafting, my table was pretty disgusting...so I busted out the shaving cream and let them do some painting before bath time.  They had a huge time, and I have to tell you that my table has never been cleaner!  I am ahhhmazed at how sparkling clean and soft (weird?) my table is!!  Love. It.  We will do this once a week from here on out!

So, the smiles tell me that I did something right over the past few days, and that to me is priceless.  We will be trying out a lot more suggestions from my book, and I will share those as we go.  Let me know of  your great ideas for spending time with your preschoolers, and let me know if you try any of these!

Best Finds Contest

Okay Friends,
Doing my last post on Claire's finds, has really made me curious about what all of you have found.  Send me pictures and prices of your best finds and they will be put on the blog.  Not only that, but everyone who sends an entry will be entered into a contest to win a $10.00 Michael's gift card.  I will use Random.com to generate the winner.  Fall is upon us and I would love to see your best fall treasures:  clothes, holiday decorations, halloween costumes...whatever you have found.  Let's see who is a great thriftsperation, and who can inspire us to go out and find amazing things at thrift stores (by the way, that is the definition of Thriftsperation)!!!  I can't wait to see what you send me!  All entries need to be sent to thriftysparkle@gmail.com.  The contest lasts until 11:59pm October 14th.  The winner will be announced at 12:00pm on October 15th.

This is my sweet Ella Rose, and by the way, it has nothing to do with the contest, but she is wearing a really cute set that I got at Goodwill for $1.50, and it IS monogrammed with an actual "E."  I. Love. Her. So. Much!!!

The Amazing Claire and her Amazing Finds!

I have a friend named Claire, and I told all of you in my previous post that my next post was dedicated to her.  Claire sent me her deals to look through, and I had the BEST time checking them out.  Claire is a GIFTED thrift shopper, and has an eye for beauty in things that are not yet beautiful.  She can look at items and turn them into something great.  She has found many things at Goodwill that she has transformed into treasures.  I so enjoyed reading her great ideas, and I hope that you do too!!!

These are Claire's favorite find.  A pair of Frye Boots that retail for $249.00

Guys, I have to tell you, these are just a FEW highlights of Claire's amazing finds.  I am so thrilled that she chose to share them with me and with you!  She is such an thriftsperation...new word I am trying out, what do you think?

Claire,
Thanks for sharing with all of us!!!  I hope that I can share more of your stuff later on!!!
Anyone else who has awesome finds, send them to me and I will highlight you next!!

Remember to stay sparkly, but in a thrifty way :)

Baby Bedding and Home Decor!

Hi everyone!!!  Sorry that it has been a while between posts, but I am going to make up for it here in the next few weeks.  I am LOVING this weather, and it really puts me in the mood for SHOPPING, ThriftySparkle style! 
The first deal that I am going to share with you, is actually one that I found quite a while back...actually about 1.5 years ago.  At the time, I knew I was pregnant with our third baby, but I did not know if it was a girl or a boy.  I was shopping at Goodwill for clothes for my older girls, and of course had to check out the linens.  Sitting there on the shelf was a set of the bedding that I had wanted for both of my older girls, but had never been willing to pay what it cost brand new.  It was the bumper, the quilt, and the diaper holder...all for $8.98.  It was the pattern Bubblegum by BananaFish.  I had literally drooled over this bedding for both of my other girls, and was not going to pass it up here at Goodwill, even though I didn't know if I was having a girl or a boy.  Luckily, we had a girl and I was able to use the beautiful bedding, but I just have to say, that was my FIND of the year!  That bedding brand new is $100.00 for the 4-piece set.  I think we can all agree that is major savings!!

Another great Goodwill find is actually from this week!  I was at our Frankfort Goodwill and came across this beautiful oil painting, and it is going to look GREAT in my living room.  I bought the painting for $15.50 and there is an actual price tag on the painting of $65.00.  Definite Deal!! The painting is 2'x3'.  LOVE.IT.

Thanks for checking out my deals on this post.  My next post is going to be about some great finds from my friend Claire.  She is an EXPERT Goodwill shopper as well, and you will want to check out all of the neat stuff that she has found!!!  Remember to send me any of your deals, I would love to feature them!!

Monograms...to buy or not to buy

Okay, so this one might make a few of you feel out of your comfort zone, but that is part of what thrifty shopping is all about!  Let's talk monograms and personalization.  I have come across some EXCELLENT deals on monogrammed items at thrift stores.  I have a bag that I love, love, love...but it has someone else's initials on it.  The thing is, very few people actually pay attention to the initials that are on there, they just notice that it is monogrammed.  When people do notice that those aren't my initials, I just tell them the story of where I got it, and how much I paid for it and we always end up having a great conversation!!  Kind of a two for one deal, not only a killer bag at a great price, but also a very creative ice breaker!

My great bag that I got at Goodwill...I paid $2.50.  By the way this bag is about 24" wide and 18" tall,
so a great size for toting things.

Another monogram issue is kids clothes.  I have bought clothes for my girls that have the wrong initials on them, but that is because I know the options available to me....so let me share those with you. 

1. Place an applique square over the monogram.   Anyone with an embroidery machine can do this for you.  It is simply a piece of fabric appliqued over the monogram.  You can even have your child's initials monogrammed on the applique, before they put it on the outfit.
2. You can pick out the monogram (with a seamripper) and either leave it blank, or have your child's initials monogrammed where the other monogram was.

This is a Royal Kidz dress.  It would be approximately $60.00 brand new.  I have started to pick the monogram out, but haven't finished.  Be aware that this can be a slow process, but worth it in the end.

3. You can just let them wear the clothes with the wrong initials.



A dress I bought at Goodwill with the WRONG initials monogrammed on it :)

I wouldn't recommend number 3 in all situations, but if you came across an outfit that maybe had the same letters, but in different order, that might make it acceptable.  That was our situation with 2 Kelly's Kids outfits that I came across for Cutie Pie a few years ago.  Cutie Pie's initials are mLc and the initials on the two outfits were mCl.  Soooo, I bought them for $1.50/piece and she wore them loud and proud!  Loved them and got lots of compliments on them.  The jury is out on whether or not I will put Miss Sassy in them :) 

Kelly's Kids outfit for Maddy.

Let me know your monogram stories and I would love to post some of them on the blog, with pictures!!!