A kickstart 'foreign and domestic'

There is this amazing website called kickstart.com it's a place for artists to fund projects they'd like to do but can't afford to do so.

Have you ever seen the show "coming home" it's when a soldier surprises his loved ones and returns from deployment and its all captured on film.

I know it would be impossible for me to do anything on that large of a scale. But I would love to give back in some way, being a new army wife and facing the possiblity of deployment.

I just submitted my project to kickstarter.
http://www.kickstarter.com/Etsy

Now what is my project?

"Foreign and Domestic"
I looked at all the ways that people can use the products I create while working on who and where to market to, alot of them are used in photographs and homes. Heres the aha moment. I would love to send one of my creations (be it an ampersand [&], An initial, or anything that the soldier feels relevant to the family) to a soldier stationed abroad. That's the Foreign part. Have a photo taken of the solider holding the piece, a small message included explaining the project, and a note to the family, and then send it back to them. But the best part is...it would all be a surprise. How cool would it be to just randomly receive something from your husband or father or mother while they are deployed, and then be able to display this in your home (the domestic part) as a reminder that your loved one touched this, it's a link between thousands of miles.
I would need funding for materials, time, and most definitely shipping...but I would love to do this for 50 soldiers and their families. Probably stationed out of Fort Bragg, but I would take soldiers requests, or suggestions from families friends, anyone with a great story. I would also create a website, facebook page, and blog to accompany these with a backstory, pictures, and updates. It would take alot of help to keep it a secret from families, and how amazing would it be to get a reaction video or photo, maybe even an interactive map so you can see how far the packages have to go, where they are, etc.

It's funded from private donors, who receive different size Letters or art pieces according to the amount they donate. But it's something close to my heart here at Fort Bragg, and I think it would be such an amazing way to connect the common people to a solider who is deployed.

Keep you updated if and when it gets picked up, but any encouragement would be great!

endings and beginnings

Isn't it funny how closely connected death and life are?

As I mentioned before, my nanny's funeral was yesterday. And it was hard and sad, but we got to see most of our entire extended family including my cousin Jamie whom I haven't seen since we visited Vegas when I was 11.

Sitting on our back porch, talking and catching up, watching my cousins try to wrangle up all of their awesome kids.
I even have a new best friend in my cousin Emily's daughter Sam.
She literally thinks I am a princess.
Calls me Princess Paige.
Yea, I want to steal her.

But in the midst of all this catching up and telling stories...we are all gathered there because of a death.
All of this life, because of something so sad.
That's the way it should be I suppose.You can't have one without the other and without an end there can be no new beginnings.

Earlier in the week, I was at my Nanny's house with my Uncle Kenny ( who btw has the worlds coolest stories, he works at the Bellagio in the high roller's section ) and we were trying to organize and go through a few things. There was unfinished knitting and leftovers in the fridge and a million other things that really make up a life. It amazed me the things we acquire over a lifetime and made me wonder what I would leave.

Stephen would say a mess. hahaha But I would say lots of travel shampoo bottles from hotels (what, they're free) a million craft supplies, and waterbottles..lots of waterbottles.

As we were cleaning out her house, it was so hard to just throw away what really is essentially useless...because she kept it for some reason. She valued it. And therefore to her was Valuable.

And as far as new beginnings go I also had one of the best weekends sale wise at www.lifeissobeautiful.etsy.com with about 6 custom orders! God is so good. Mom said to me earlier today....well maybe this is what you are supposed to be doing, maybe this is an answer to your prayers. I really hope so. So say a little prayer for me if you're reading this!! =)

I'm getting off the blog now to cuddle up with my love, whom I missed so much. He was beyond sweet and kept the apartment amazingly clean...knowing full well I will make it a wreck tomorrow. lol

create.love.be

Gwendoline Judge

Today is my grandmother's funeral.
She passed away on Monday August the 8th in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, loss is a subject I'm well versed in. But I can only be thankful that she was my 'Nanny' and that she went quickly to be with her beloved husband and my brother Nathan her "special guy". She was one complicated lady, a child of the depression who immigrated from Liverpool to the US all by herself at age 17. Brave. And so beautiful and poised.

She was a crafter too. She was always knitting and sewing and tried to teach me (emphasis on the try...I was a very hyper kid) anything from crossstitch to the ins and outs of a sewing machine. She still kept a pillow I made for her when I was about 10 and proudly displayed it on her couch.

So today we say goodbye to a woman who loved her family very deeply, and I will cherish all of the good memories I have of her.

create. love. be.

There have been many periods of change in my life. This summer has been one of the most eye opening of my life.

I was reading my cousin Emily's blog, her beautifully written words and what an amazing way to share her life and love for life, and it made me decide to start one of my own. I love to write, it is the most cathartic thing for a person to express their feelings, even if no one reads them.

Like I said, this summer has been in a word...hectic. I was DIY bride last year, now I am army wife/ puppy mom/ crafter extraordinaire/ unemployed at the moment. I am beyond lucky to have met the love of my life and my best friend all rolled into one beautiful package I now call husband.

After a year of glue gun burns, my unholy mother of all messes around my parents house (moved back in for the last year of my 'single' life!), moss and manzanita trees, complaining about long hours at a less than stellar job...I had my dream day.

Let me just say that I was prepared for something catastrophic to happen. Stephen couldn't get leave to come up for the wedding....or I would trip down the aisle because I am just that graceful. I had nightmares about this important day that I really revolved my life around for a year going badly; but when the day came...it was perfect. If there were hiccups I didn't notice them, my 'vision' was fulfilled, and I was just so incredibly happy to be with Stephen and start our life together.

After a honeymoon in South Carolina we moved to Stephen's new post station in Fayetteville, NC at Fort Bragg. Let me also state that I did not get to visit Fayetteville before we moved...we picked an apartment out online, prayed for the best, and just got incredibly lucky. We unpacked, settled in our first home together, and Stephen returned to work. Me? I got bored.

There were no more projects to work on. Being the crafter and origin of many a mess, I LOVED doing all of the little things for our wedding. But now...there's really nothing left. And the job hunt I so confidently decided would be 'easy...I've got a college degree', yea. Not easy. So I decided that the only cure was to keep on doing it. Keep making messes and creating things, but hopefully get paid. So I started my own little business. www.lifeissobeautiful.etsy.com The name? Well Life Is Beautiful was taken, so I threw in the So, and decided it was a good name. A positive name. I'm learning as I go, and really hope that things take off for my fledgling business, but if not...it's just fun to create.

So here I am. 4 hours away from my family, the furthest I have ever lived from them. With my new husband, learning to coexist together (ugh...the toilet seat) after 2 1/2 years of long distance dating and engagement. This little business I am pouring my heart into. And living life as an army spouse and all the complications that can arise from that.

I chose the name Life Is So Beautiful, because it is. I've seen some less than beautiful things in my 26 years on this earth, cancer being one of them, losing those we love too soon being another, but I walked away with a new outlook.

Look for the beauty in life

It's in the silly moments with Stephen, when our puppies are so cute we have to devote an entire facebook album to them. It's in my family's fierce love for each other, in my little sister's laugh and my big sister's beauty. In learning to give without expecting in return. In learning to submit as God has asked me to without losing who I am in the process. It's in my mother's smile and my father's hug.

I promise that every post will contain one thing about my business (create)
One thing about my relationships (love)
And one thing about my life (be)