what God has done ((moving on))

Here's a piece of my heart.  I hope I'm able to communicate my feelings and faith effectively in this post.


How do you walk away from something that you love? How do you stop doing something that comes so natural to you? How do you give up something that you're passionate about?


Those questions have been two fold lately and I've been wrestling with these questions for over a year now. I've been a public school teacher for the past 7 years. I've taught 4th and 2nd grades and loved it off and on for the first 5. Loving and building relationships with the young is why I got into this profession.  It's no secret that the public school system has undergone major changes--most of them shifting from emphasis on nurturing and guiding young people to plugging students into a formula to output the highest test scores possible. Any educator I know will say that these shifts have dampened creativity, created an high stress job environment, and fostered a cut-throat profession where many   are overly competitive with their peers and themselves. I didn't thrive in this environment. I felt trapped. Confused. and a deep guilt that what I was being led to do was not (in all cases) the best for my students.

Once learning that I was pregnant with Noah my husband and I decided that we would Dave Ramsey the heck out of our finances in order to allow me to stay home for a year while I sorted out my feelings and frustration with my profession. I honestly thought stepping away for a year would renew my excitement for educating the young and I would zap back into Super Teacher and be back in the fall refreshed and renewed. Either that----or I would do lillypie full time.

Here I am doing lillypie full time. YAY! HOORAH! DREAMS COME TRUE!!! Not exactly. I've had this feeling deep in my gut that I needed to stop creating for Lillypie for a while. At first it was just a thought when I'd be up to my ears in beads and fabric scraps. Then it became  a big sense of guilt when I would knowingly choose to be filling orders when my toddler was begging me to play with her. When I'd refuse an invitation to sit and unwind with my husband after a long day because I knew I had "lillypie things to do in the studio".

I ignored the feelings and thoughts for a while. Thinking that this was just a season---a creative slump--adjusting to a new normal at home. Then the tap tap tapping became a nudging and later a shoving. In response to those feelings I moved my shop from made to order to strictly ready to ship. 

Naturally, the work load slowed down--and sales began to taper off. It was good but I STILL felt this uneasy feeling when anyone asked about lillypie. The passion and excitement I once felt about my business was dimming--and I couldn't really pin point why, other than the fact that I just had this constant feeling that something was off.


So I'm feeling uninspired. uncreative. annoyed. confused. and lost. --- then everything changed.

The Lord showed me where I was to be.

 I learned of a part time opportunity planning curriculum on staff at my church for the preschool department. I dusted off my resume and applied on a whim and was blown away when offered an interview and a subsequent job offer. WHAT?!

How do I know that this is where the Lord would place me? There are so many wonderful God-filled moments that cannot be strictly chance.

1. Without the Dave Ramsey gazelle infused kick your butt class that Scott and I participated in a year ago ( to the day) we would not be able to afford me working only part time.

2. My small group, husband, family ,and myself PRAYED for it. and it happened.  ( took three years---but it happened)

3. Our daycare/preschool for lilly just so happened to have an opening for Noah open up the DAY I called to inquire about placement for noah.

4. This job uses my strengths, encourages creativity, and inspires me to help create a community of people who are there to serve the greatest kids on the planet. :)

5. PEACE. and this is the main way I  know God is calling me here. I'm not a peaceful gal. I'm not. I worry. I stress. I struggle with anxiety. I question everything. but I feel peace. An overwhelming peace that ONLY comes from above when you're walking with Him.


So here I am! A new job. and I still feel a tugging to walk away from lillypie.

I can't keep adding to my life without subtracting. The only thing able to be subtracted is Lillypie. A year ago I would never of been able to close down my shop and have peace. I depended on it too much. It was me. It allowed me a creative space and outlet--filling a void in my life that I needed to feel whole. It brought me happiness. SO MUCH HAPPINESS. and now when I feel the gentle push to walk away and I feel PEACE about it---I know  that it's right.
It's right for my family. and because of that--I have to close this chapter. HAVE TO.

Thank you. and ohhhhhh---here come the tears. Thank you for loving lillypie because you were truly loving me. Other than my children there has never been something so much a part of me. Thank you for supporting me. Your purchases made my dreams come true and helped us pay off a car, student loans, and three credit cards---that ultimately helped me be prepared to walk away from my full time position to take this jump into ministry. WOW! Another God Painted moment---right?!

I'm so happy that you loved lillypie.  I loved you right back. The friendships started through this adventure will no doubt continue because while I might be shutting down my shop--I could truly never shut down my creative urge to get my hands covered in paint and glue.

How do you walk away from something that has made you so happy?  By walking towards something you know you were MADE and CALLED to do.

God is good. All the time.


I love you dear friends.



Thanks for reading. Whew---that was a long one!




I won't be shutting down my facebook page. I love that little community so much. Please continue to hang out and interact with me and each other there. I'll be selling off unused supplies and the remainder of my ready to ship items over the coming days through facebook and instagram.

Lillypie is READY TO SHIP ((shop update))

Lillypie is now READY TO SHIP.

Up until today --most  if not all my items were made to order. You order. I make. I package. I ship. Rinse annnnnd Repeat.

Now------ I make. You Order.  I Ship.  Rinse annnnnddddd Repeat. 

There are a few reasons for this change. The biggest reason is my little big man  in mah belleh.  I need more control over my business. Up until now it hasn't been an issue to keep up with orders. Busy weeks, slow weeks.....I really just went with the flow.  However with the arrival of the newbie---I need to control the amount of time spent on my business.

This will allow me to assess inventory and make lots of my best sellers--like the ruffled rose pendants, whimsical headbands, and  clip trios on my own time.

I'm hoping to curb the "ohhhmaaaaaaaaaaah gaaahhhhhhhh I need to make 6 head

bands, cook dinner, change a diaper, moby wrap my little, pay attention to my toddler, and keep mahself saneeeeee" breakdowns.

When I have time, energy, and the creative skitters (which I happen to get A LOT) I'll close myself off in my studio and make make make.

And what is REALLY exciting??

This change also benefits you, the awesome customer.

Everything listed in my shop is ready to go. No more production time. No more waiting for me to make-then package-then ship. The part that takes the most time will already be done!  You can expect your lillypies a whollleeee lot sooner. Whoommmmpaloomp!

So how will you know when I update the shop?

I will post updates as often as a can. Some weeks there might be dozens of items ready to fly. Other weeks----like early July (when mister arrives) there might be a few or heck....ZERO.

I'll ALWAYS notify via my facebook fanpage first.  Here's a link if you'd like to pop over. ;)

Shop Updates will also get their own blog posts on Mondays with lots of pretty pictures.

This is a big change for little lillypie but I'm excited for the opportunities ahead!

I just big fat puffy paint heart this business.

You're adorable,

Laura

Show time. Booth Display. Warm and Fuzzies.

Well that was an unintentional break. Three weeks go fast especially when you are busy perfecting your SMEYESING. Fierce?

No. Seriously.

So I had a show. Mah first big one. and it was fun! and i loved it!and! and! and!

I really enjoyed meeting my customers.  They were really sweet and some made a special trip just to see me. I was beyond flattered.  I worked really hard to create a booth display that screamed lillypie without screaming at my customer. I really enjoyed creating a space and could probably go around setting up booths around town and be perfectly happy skipping and humming along.

I debuted a lot of new pieces at the sale and recieved some wonderful feedback. I really love the combination of heather seafoam and cranberry--and luckily so do my customers. I sold out of 10 designs while there and was doing a happy dance all the way home.  I was beyond nervous for this show. Putting myself and my designs that I think are pretty is one thing on the interwebs.  I'm still hidden. At a show, I'm sitting right there. Vulnerable. GULP.

Thank you to all my friends! I felt so supported and uplifted through your sweet comments and tweets. I'm loving this little handmade community I've stumbled upon. You're all so sweet. I'm smiling from ear to ear on my side of the screen.

meet the name series--harper

I'm starting a new series today. I know, series....who am I? A writer? :)

Each of my designs has a name. It's been that way since the beginning of lillypie, and I love that I started with it. It is of the smart things I did when starting this business on a whim last May. These names are little girls that I know. They are my neighbors, daughters of life long friends, relatives, college friend's little ones, co-workers darlings....they are named after little girls that I adore. So when someone orders a  Lydia on etsy, I think two things.

1.) awesome. another sale!
2.) awww....it's a lydia.....she's so cute. I wonder if she's walking yet?

These girls are MORE than a name, and I'd like you to meet them! A few times a month, I'll introduce you to the name behind the design! 

First up? The Harper.

So here's Harper--from the eyes of her momma,  Sarah.
{Yes, the Sarah from Sarah-Beth Photography. My favorite photographer.}

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What is your daughter’s name?  harper grace

How did you decide on her name?  When I was in nursing school in 2004, I saw a baby in the nursery named Harper. She was the most gorgeous new babe, with a full head of thick dark hair and beautiful hippified parents. (seriously. they were straight up hippies). I was then pregnant with my firstborn, Ethan, and didn't know the sex of my baby yet. I decided that "harper" was first on my girl name list. When I found out I was having a boy, I decided that I would save that name for any other kiddos. Lucky for me, my next was a girl! But I was worried that my husband wouldn't like the name, so I was tossing around a few others, "Grace" being one of them. I was out to lunch with a friend of mine debating baby names, and she said, "why don't you just name her Harper Grace?" I luuuurved it. And luckily, my hubby did, too!


One word that describes your daughter. GO!  freespirit (two words I cleverly made into one!)

Okay, now tell us a bit more....
Miss Harper Grace, Harper, Gracie (whatever we chose to call her), is a lover, first and foremost. She seriously covers me with kisses all day long, telling me how gorgeous I am and how much she loves me. swoon. I try to remember and put back into my brain files all the sweet things she says, because I know one of these days...yeah. she'll probably hate me. You know, the teenage years thing. She is feisty, spunky, lovely, hilarious and so full of love. She prays every night for the people in her life with such a compassionate heart, even at three years old. She even prays for our neighbors' dog, who died last year. Seriously. She is a teeny bit boy crazy (okay, a lot bit boy crazy), and it just cracks us up. She prays for her TWO boyfriends (TJ, a kid in her preschool class, and Jake, our nanny's fiancee) every.single.night. About 400 times, until I finally tell her, 'okay okay, that's enough!' My eyes well up at the thought of her as a woman. She'll be beautiful, full of grace, love and a servant's heart. She is a middle child, stuck between two boys. Which, I think, will be to her advantage. She's the princess of the family (the ONLY girl on all sides), is petite and uber girly...but at the same time thinks it's hilarious when she farts. Yeah....that's something this momma is working on. She's my lover, my angel, my mini-me, my heart.




Thanks for sharing your daughter with us, Sarah! She really is a doll and so are you.

And...if you haven't already--check out lillypie's new spring line {pocket} full of posies

Click here for the design explanation and inspiration or here to shop!

{pocket} full of posies --spring collection DEBUT

 I believe that everyone woman, girl, and toddlerette is FABULOUS.  We are strong, beautiful, lovely, energetic, playful, soft, and fun. I believe that we love to feel put together. We like to create and add finishing touches to our work. We add garnish to a dish,  icing to a cupcake, hearts to our i's,  and shimmer to our eyes because we LOVE the end result. We enjoy taking a deep breath, soaking in  the event and giving ourselves the head nod of approval.  ::job well done, sister!::

{pocket}full of posies is my head nodding in approval. It has all my finishing touches.  It's the new collection of ruffles, flowers, colors, sparkles, layers, and pretties for spring and summer.   

{via}

{INSPIRATIONS} for this collection come from things I love...the combination of bright and muted colors, soft fabrics, coral and turquoise beading, feminine details, varying sizes--small for the soft and delicate days--LARGE for the BOLD & COURAGEOUS days.

images {via}

Enjoy! {pocket} full of posies

playful and enchanting

new colors-- coral rose bouquet and violet



sweet.

The posies in this collection are a new creation. They still have playful ruffles and layers--yet they lay close to the head and frame the face. I enjoy making them. I love the oodles of possibilities for adorning the centers.

Each piece in this collection is meant to be shared or used in multiple ways. The flowers are whimsical -but not too childish. They are contemporary and feminine. You're smart to start *borrowing* accessories early. ;)

aren't my models darling?

Sarah at sarah-beth photography took  these gorgeous photos of the little ones.  She nailed my concept  **PERFECTLY** If you love these photos, think about stopping by  her blog and telling her so. We all love compliments on our hard work. :) Thanks, Sarah!

Thank you for looking!! 

photo credits {1, 2, 3, }

double drats.

I'm taking a little blog break--I guess it kind of already started.

Like a teensy one. You know  when your to do list starts to get long.....

LONG.

and you start to feel like the things you really enjoy are a little bit of a chore?  like uhh...i HAVE to read US Weekly because brad and emily are on the cover. awww mannnn....i need to go see what's on clearance at Target this week. Double drats--i need to blog.

Feeling a bit like that right now. So...I'm stepping away for a few days. I'm  finishing up the last week of teacherdom before spring break. Getting my affairs in order --mountains of laundry, fabric explosions, and the flock of dust bunnies mating all over the house,

annnndddddd.....

putting the finishing touches on my new collection for spring/summer. Here is another sneak peek :)

love-love-love

See ya in a few!

you're amazing

I struggle.

I struggle with how transparent I am.  I struggle with how emotional I am. I struggle with my body image. I struggle with the fact that if I'm uncomfortable, vulnerable, sad, happy, excited, moved, or nervous...I cry. 

I struggle with self-doubt. with my self. my home.my capabilities. and lillypie.

It all came to a head Saturday night. I was upset. That resulted in my being upset that I was upset and it just sorta snow-balled from there. :)

God made me the way that he did. Why? Isn't that the big question we all ask ourselves?  Why are we the way that we are? Is it really the luck of the gene pool, the way we were raised, the friends that we keep, and a product of the environment?  I don't think so.

If I remember correctly, there is a sweet little Sunday school song that claims I am 'fearfully and wonderfully made'. :)  Oh..not just a song.  Psalm 139:14. Do you believe that?  I believe the fearfully part-- and I strive to believe the wonderfully part.  Chatting about this topic with a bunch of my favorite ladies last week really got me thinking. Who am I? Who are we as women? 

I asked you...

...and here YOU are.

We are SO much. Each and everyone of us is ALL of those things. We were designed that way--ON PURPOSE.

So while Saturday I was a puddle of 'woe is me'-- today I am strong. beautiful. inventive. and sensitive. And that's amazing.

You're amazing.

I'd like to remind you of that. :)


and....I'll probably need you to remind me of that come Wednesday. I'll  forget. hehe.