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How to use a Hanging Basket {differently}

August 12, 2014 By Erica Deuel 4 Comments

kids_wall_decorDo you ever have an urge to buy something, even if you don’t know what you will use it for? It happens to me all the time. Sometimes it works out, and I find a place for that unneeded item. Other times, it was a waste of money. Then there are the very exciting times, where I hold onto something for a long time before the reason hits me on why I needed to buy that item!

That is the case of my hanging plant basket. I loved the shape and size of this little hanging plant basket, or I guess it could have also been a fruit hanging basket.

hanging_fruit_basketI saw it at the Dollar Tree at the beginning of the summer, and I bought it. I knew I wouldn’t use it for either of the ideal purposes, but I wanted it. It sat in my pantry (literally) for several months. This past weekend, I was purging, and it finally hit me what I could use that cute, black, metal basket for.

It was meant to be wall art. I slipped off the metal chain, turned it on its side, stuck a push-pin into the wall, placed it on top with some cute stuffed animals and it was perfect.hanging_plant_holder

kids_dresserI love that it is not the usual shelf. I love that it adds height and dimension to my son’s dresser while holding some cute little toys. It was simple and so cheap to do! After hanging this plant basket, I foresaw how cool it would look with several going up the wall. Of course, the Dollar Tree is no longer selling plant baskets, but I needed to share this idea. Maybe there are plant baskets still for sale at other stores, and you too can scoop one up for some fun wall art.

It’s amazing what can happen when we hoard use our imaginations and think outside of the box. Imagine the possibilities!

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Saying Yes

July 25, 2014 By Erica Deuel 11 Comments

I sit here and I don’t exactly know what I want to say. I know my heart is raw and tender, and I want to always remember this feeling. The moment I am empty of myself, I find the most beautiful. It is these moments where I find it easier to rely on God, stop trying to do it all on my own, and surrender that I don’t have control.

I think it would be safe to say these last five months with our sweet foster son, my heart has largely been in this sweet, yet difficult place.

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stone_mountainYes, it is very hard to live day in and day out with such raw, heavy emotions, but it can be beautiful. Let me explain. When we said “yes” and brought a child in crisis into our home, we were bringing brokenness, hurt, pain, lies, bad habits, etc with him. It is a very trying experience to walk day in and day out with love in the midst of these circumstances. Not to mention having three other children in the home, who are little sponges. It was a constant balancing act of our hearts to care for everyone well.

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martaThere were many days where I was exhausted and cried. I couldn’t do it on my own. I learned that from our last foster experience. So, I think I was set up better this time around, but it didn’t change that it was still hard. The truth is though, all those things that lived in our FS, also lived in me. I have just perfected the art of putting up masks and shields.

This experience had me running to Jesus. I needed him. I relyed on him to get me through conversations, to give me grace, to not expect changes overnight, and to give me the qualities like patience, compassion, and mercy. I wanted to instill these in my kids, but couldn’t before emptying of myself.

love_is_patient_shirtThis sweet, sweet boy was used to change me. He made me see Jesus in a desperate way. Jesus is real, he is alive, and I saw him move. He moved my heart. I went from wanting a 1-year-old girl to saying yes to a 4-year-old boy. I went from wanting to help him to loving him like my own flesh and blood children.

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creativeEven in this moment, I type through tears as I hear one of my son’s saying “where is _______” and another eating his granola bar the exact way our FS always did. He has parts of our heart and we will always love him.

Yesterday, was a hard day as it was our last one with him in our care. We all cried heavy, hard tears as we said goodbye. It was real. I got to hug his great-aunt with my tears streaming onto her back and whisper she’s going to do a great job, and I believe it.  We then went out to dinner as our little family of five again. We told stories, joked , and I laughed so hard till my belly hurt. It was a beautiful moment to realize that even through pain…there can still be joy. God has not forgotten us and did not leave us in the moment when we said good-bye to our FS.

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holding_FSI feel like we have been grieving him leaving for a while, so now that the band-aid is officially pulled up, it is a mix of emotions. In sorting all these out for a few days, I have felt scared. Not scared for our FS, because I believe he has an amazing team around him to watch over and make sure he is safe and he is in the palms of our mighty God, but scared for our hearts. This boy was used to move blinders on my eyes and rocks in my heart. I needed him just as much as he needed me. But, laughing with my family, hanging on our bed all cuddled up together till we all crashed, and waking up today knowing and believe that God is still with me, I have a peace. God has never left me. We have hope. We have faith. God is not through with us yet. This was just another beautiful part of our story and the journey God is taking us through in this world.

One way I see God move now, is in the caring of our hearts through all of you. Thank you for the sweet texts, emails, comments, drop bys, hugs and messages saying you are praying for us. I can’t tell you how much I have felt them and you are being used to carry us. Although we were on the “front lines,” it was a team effort and we couldn’t have done it without the support of so many.

FamilyShot_CroppedWe will miss this sweet boy, but we will see him again. Looking back now I feel like when we said “yes” to that phone call five months ago, we were largely saying yes to God having the controls of our life in a raw, trusting way. It should be that way daily no matter what is happening or who lives in our home. I want to still wake up today and say “yes” to Jesus. We gave of ourselves, but really in that giving…we were blessed and changed far more than we could have ever expected.

It is a continued prayer that we will have strength to say “yes” to hard things and give love through it again and again.

As we reflect on our experience, the song posted below has become like an anthem for us. I hope and pray wherever you find yourself today that you would know there is a faithful God you can cry out to and find hope.

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For the Love of Color!

July 12, 2013 By Erica Deuel 3 Comments

DIY King Size Bed MakeoverEver since I made our king bed’s rag quilt, I have wanted to sew some pillow shams for it. Finally after sewing my ruffle shower curtain, I had my sewing machine out and decided to just quickly do them! Sometimes pulling the machine and supplies out can be the hardest obstacle in creating a project with three little ones around. Can you relate?

I picked two fabrics that I wanted to use for my shames, and I used a king pillow case as a template for their size.

I cut the front fabric the size of my pillow case and the back fabric a little longer (to allow room to seem one end and tuck the other inside for the envelope opening to have a good overlap).

I laid the two fabrics on top of one another and sewed the ends together.  I then cut the back fabric to allow the ability to seem the one side.

I rotated my fabrics inside out and folded it all in a way to where my seemed side would be seen and the overlap fabric would eventually be tucked in my case.

I pinned the fabric and sewed down both sides of the pillow case to close it off. Through the envelope opening, I turned it right side out. It literally took just sewing five lines to complete one sham, yet it took me a year to do this project. Oh life! 🙂

making a pillow shamThis might all sound a bit confusing, but I broke it down with more pictures on my yo-yo pillow, if you want to view that. Once the pillow sham was right side out, I simply stuffed it with a pillow and added it to my bed. I love how it turned out!

king size rag quiltMy house is really full of color, and I love it. This past weekend we hung our headboard up and the curtains in our room, and it is one more room that is slowly coming together around here. We’ve been moved for just over two months now, and the house is starting to feel more like us.

love of colorWhen you add the color from my set of drawers and my craft desk in with the mix of color in this room, I know it’s a lot of color. Somehow it all works though, and it feels like home and is a warm welcome whenever I walk into the room.

craft areaWhat about you!? Do you love color as much as I do, or do you struggle to try to incorporate it and stretch yourself from your usual pallet? If you ever have a question, shoot me a message and I would love to help you brainstorm on your project!

Happy Friday! I hope you have a great weekend! My BFF is in town, and I can’t wait to HANG!

p.s. Congratulations to Meredith H. for winning my embroidered hoops!

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