The Shop Is Open!!

It's official! There is now a tab along the top that says, "The Shop". Click on it to view a few wares! There are only six items posted as of now, but be expecting more in the coming days and weeks. This just means you'll have to keep checking back! :)

I also wanted to say a huge THANK YOU on behalf of To Write Love On Her Arms to everyone who voted for them during Round 1 of Chase's contest for $1 Million. They won this first round which will be followed by another round of voting in December. I'll be sure to keep you posted on when and where you can vote when that time comes!

Until next time...

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Please Help Our Friends!

Our friends over at To Write Love On Her Arms have a great chance at winning $1 Million and taking the message of hope on the road! They have lots of great ideas and it would be awesome to see them win. As a supporter of TWLOHA I've already cast my vote, but I'm only allowed one! So help the cause and go here to cast your vote. The contest is over in less than 24hrs so don't delay!!

Until next time...

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God Is So Good!

So today wrapped up the Women's Conference at McArthur Church in Jacksonville, AR where I got to share my wares. 

It was such a great couple of days! God allowed me to meet so many awesome people and  allowed me to truly experience His presence. It was wonderful! The speaker was a woman by the name of Suzanne Cox and she was awesome. She had such an incredible testimony that if you get the chance, you should pick up her and her husband's book here. It is truly amazing and I think it may even change your life.

Having done shows in Chicago, I had gotten to network around with people there. This being my first show in Arkansas, I was hoping to begin to establish myself a little bit here. I have to tell you that it was really awesome to see how God brought specific people by my table for specific conversations. God is so good!

I'm excited about all the wonderful pieces that were picked up these last couple of days. Some of my favorite pieces found favor with others and that always makes my heart happy. : ) And of course, the initial necklaces were a big hit again!

Thank you again for everyone's support during this weekend. And keep an eye out for some items to begin appearing here for sale. *Yay*

Until next time...

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Show Time!

This has been the scene lately around our humble abode:

And this is only part of it! Literally, every flat surface around here has had jewelry on it for the past 48hrs, but now it is all neatly packed away and ready for the show. I must say I am so excited with how all of the pieces turned out. It's really neat to watch how they come together. Even though I'm the one in control of making it all, it's like my hands just run away and when they finally take a breather there is all of this beautiful jewelry sitting in front of me. It's amazing! 

Come on out and see me and the several other vendors at McArthur Church tomorrow beginning at 5:30pm. I would love to meet you! Tickets are $15 at the door. I know it's going to be a great time of fellowship, worship, and the Word. And of course shopping! :)

Until next time...

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Busy Busy Busy

Holy cow, I have been churning out so much jewelry left and right over the past several days that I'm worn out! I have been gearing up for my first AR show this weekend beginning Friday night (find more information here)! Although I've made a decent amount of jewelry, I still feel like I need two or three times as much as what I currently have. Whew! I love it when business is busy! :) Here is a sneak peak at a few of my favorite items that will be showcased:

The dainty brunette featured in this necklace is actually from a vintage clip on earring. Now she has new life on a beautiful double-chain necklace.

Who knows what secrets this Master Lion key kept hidden. Paired with this beautiful tickled-pink square stone (refurbished from a flea market bracelet), the two make quite the conversation piece. 

These earrings are perfect for your Autumn wardrobe. With the harvest orange stone discs and the mahogany wood beads, it puts me in the mood to go pick pumpkins!

None of these items are for sale yet (since I'm rushing to build inventory for the weekend), but after this weekend I'll be opening up a new page to this blog where you can purchase some of my pieces. If you make it out to Jacksonville either Friday or Saturday for the conference, please stop by my table! I'd love to meet you!

Until next time...

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It's Late...

It's late people... at least where I am. I haven't seen 1:00 this side of the clock in a long time! I've been busy making jewelry lately and churning out more of my home goods line, but of course, I've yet to take any pictures. So, I apologize for a short and picture-less post, but at least you know I'm still around! I'm still hanging in there, and I'm still serious about keeping up with this blog!!

Until next time...

The World Wide Web

I don't know about you, but typing "www." is something I never put any thought into when I'm online. I know it stands for the World Wide Web, but I've never really thought much about it other than the fact it is a total tongue twister and I'm glad we can simply type "www." and have access to information all over the world. But something quite obvious and important that I have completely overlooked is that this very blog, these very words, are out there for anyone and everyone to read them... all across the world! I know this sounds so obvious, but this has just hit me in the face as a total epiphany. Why all of a sudden? Well, there is a handy little thing in the blog world that as the creator of the blog you can see how many people are visiting your page, what devices they're visiting on, and (more to the point) what part of the world they live in. I just so happened to be looking at these stats today when I saw that someone from Germany, China, and the United Kingdom have made their way onto my blog today! That's Crazy!! And in the past several months people from (hold onto your hats for this one) literally all over the world have somehow made their way to this blog! I can only hope they stuck around long enough to read something that encouraged them or made them smile. Amazing!

I'll be honest that I get tied up a lot in that little number over there to the left. The one that says "Followers". When I'm on other blogs I see how they have hundreds and even thousands of people following them and I'm constantly blown away at how that happened. So, if you've found your way onto this blog today and you are not a follower, please take a second to make my day and become a follower! If you're reading this and you are not from the United States, or not even from Arkansas, leave me a comment and let me know where you're from and what brought you here. But I will tell you this, even if that number to the left doesn't increase, and even if no one leaves a comment... I'll still know you visited. And that alone, the fact that you found this blog amongst this entire World Wide Web, is still plenty to make my day. :)

Until next time...

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Back In Business!!!

My door has been closed for too long... 

Abandoned and neglected...

Now, though, I am happy to say that I am back in business! 

The last several months have been a roller coaster for my little family. It all began in May when we found out that we were going to be moving back to Arkansas. Jonathan got offered a position to transfer from the Apple store in Chicago to one opening in Little Rock. Since it would bring us back home he took the job and here we are! :) We moved at the end of July, right around our four year anniversary for being married and living in Chicago. It was very sad to say goodbye to the Windy City that we grew to love, but it has been wonderful being back in the Natural State. 

I must say that I may be the most surprised of all to be saying that I'm back in business. I have been amazed, since moving to Arkansas, at the amount of interest that there has been surrounding my jewelry and if I was going to open shop again now that we're settled. All of the interest translated into a lot of encouragement for me so I figured, what the heck! It's something I love to do and the fact that others enjoy it and are able to benefit from it is just awesome sauce. :) So, *drumroll please* I'd like to announce my first show dates here in Arkansas:

September 30th & October 1st

McArthur Church - 3501 John Harden Dr. Jacksonville, AR

2011 Women's Conference

Registration to the conference is required for shopping so visit here to find out all of the specifics and to register. It should be a great weekend full of the Word, fellowship, and awesome handmade goodies! 

I am quite glad to be reopening the doors to TheLoudWhisper and I'm excited to see what all is in store for this little business. There are already other show dates in the works, so of course I will keep you posted. I thank you so much for your continued interest and support in this venture of mine. Be on the look out for new items (jewelry and home goods) as well as those upcoming show dates. 

Until next time... 

*which will hopefully be a lot sooner than the last time*

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Pretty Pictures

Something I really enjoy doing is taking pictures. I used to include a picture in nearly every post, but lately I've been doing good just to get a post up! So I wanted to take the opportunity today to share with you some of my favorite pictures. There's no deep meaning behind this or subtle nudge of inspiration. I just needed to enjoy something today, so I thought you could join me. Some pictures are from recent travels, and others are from just down the road. All in all, they make me happy. Until next time...

Garage Door

San Francisco

Baseball Laces

 Forest

Colorado Red Rocks

Living in the NOW

I find it very hard to live in the NOW. I am sure most of you know what I'm talking about. I often catch myself daydreaming about the types of things I'll be doing with the kiddo when he is a certain age, what I'll be doing by the time I'm 30, where the hubs and I can move to and all of the things we will do once we're there. The fact of the matter is, though, the kiddo is only this age once, I still have seven years before I'm 30, and there really is no sign of the hubs and I picking up and moving anywhere in the near future. So, why am I spending so much time thinking about all of those things when I could be more in tune to what is going on right NOW? I don't want to grow old and feel like life passed me by because I was always looking too far ahead. Sure, with all the un-rest in the middle east, Japan teetering on a nuclear meltdown after an unthinkable quake and tsunmai, and gas prices soaring over $4.00 it is easy for one to want to escape the now and dream of better days. But how about capturing life as it is right NOW (the good, the bad and the ugly) and being thankful for this very day. Any other days to come will be a bonus. At least that's how I'm going to start trying to look at it. Until next time...

Happy Spring!

Eeep! My last post was last season! Joking aside, I apologize for the couple of weeks in blogging absence. I am so happy, though, that yesterday was the official start of Spring and that today Chicago's high's are supposed to be near 60! Now that's what I'm talking about! I am choosing to ignore the fact that their are possible snow chances in the forecast for later in the week and instead focus on being outside as much as possible today.

I wanted to give an update on my baked beads endeavor... Not so good. I promised a picture of after they had been painted and honestly, I cannot make good on my promise. They just looked better before the paint touched them. Yes, I'm disappointed too as I had high hopes for these little guys, but as usual, as one door closes another opens. I was out near my garden last weekend and found the most beautiful rocks of all different shapes and colors. They are so smooth that it makes me wonder how long they've been tumbling around in the dirt out there. So my new project is drilling holes through them to make them neck-worthy! They are going to be an exclusive line this year known as "My Secret Garden". Is your interest peaked? It should be! Until next time...

It's The Simple Things In Life

Some days things are far from exceptional. Other days, there's nothing really wrong with your day, but nothing quite right with it either. These types of days are my personal Doldrums.

Growing up I have always had an eye for detail. Maybe it wasn't even detail as much as it was something happening that others just weren't paying attention to. These types of things became (and are still) my own personal events. They are truly simple, but wonderful and amazing at the same time. Leaves dancing around me as I walk through a windy day; A squirrel enjoying the stem off of my pumpkin right on the porch; Car lights waltzing across my ceiling while I lie in bed awake; Seeing a small animal stick his head out of a hole in a tree as if that hole was put in that tree just for him to find refugee: My sweet son figuring out how to twist a cap off of an old bottle and then doing it again and again for a solid 10 minutes! This picture, which is still one of my favorites, of an old shudder on the side of a house in Rome.

These simple things bring me out of my Doldrums. They remind me how much life there is to be had and how I can't waste a second of it. They remind me just how beautiful everything is around me and how truly lucky I am to get to be a part of it. It's like how would a symphony sound without the violins? One less violin and the sound wouldn't be as full. These are pieces to my symphony. If I don't take the time to pay attention to them it's as if my life isn't as full. The best part is, I know now that I am a violin for someone else's symphony. Without me, without you, life wouldn't be as full.

Until next time...

New Beads

Last week I tried my hand at baking up a batch of my own beads. I only made a handful, but for a first attempt I'm not too disappointed with how they turned out! Now if only I can get around to painting them...

As you know, I am all about repurposing items for my baubles. From ceiling fan pulls to sea-glass so making beads from flour seemed right up my alley. If you have any ideas of things you'd like to see me use in my pieces I would love to hear it! I'm always looking for suggestions!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck on finishing up these beads! I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product! Until next time...

March 1st: Self-Injury Awareness Day

Generally, when the calendar flips over to March 1st I am so excited to wish everyone a happy March! It has always been one of my favorite months. I think it's just the month that signals change. The temperatures begin to rise a little, the snow melts and becomes a little less frequent, and in some places daffodils even begin to sprout. March 1st to me is a promise. A promise that life will soon be budding again and that the beautiful colors will be returning all around me. It's hopeful.

March 1st is Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD) and from one who struggled with it for many years I can tell you that encouragement is one of the best gifts someone can give. You don't need a reason to tell someone how thankful you are for them or how much they mean to you. The fact that you care for them is reason enough. If you think someone you love is hurting themselves I plead with you that you go to them, talk to them, listen to them, be quiet with them, and let them know that they don't have to suffer alone. Depression's best friend is silence. Help them break the silence. Be their loud whisper.

For some, maybe most, March signifies nothing more than if you haven't jumped onto your New Year's resolutions you're probably not going to. Or maybe if you're a bit like me it gives you hope that Winter is fading and we can begin to crawl out of hibernation. Regardless, use this month, use today, to talk about your struggles and to be there for those around you who need to talk about it.

Until next time...

Pain: -n. physical, mental, or emotional suffering

I am not afraid to say it: I am a huge fan of the show Grey's Anatomy. I've never been real into medical dramas, but a couple of years ago I got hooked and recently I have gone back to the beginning of the series- Season 1: Episode 1- because it is just as true in fiction as it is in life that everyone has a story. Everyone's pain, hurt, triumphs, and victories make them who they are. These are the things that cause us to make the decisions we make. So I wanted to see why these characters are the way they are. What brought them to these points in their lives?

I am now about five episodes into Season 3 and as I was watching last night the character Miranda Bailey was performing a surgery on a young girl who had a chromosomal defect that caused her to feel absolutely no pain. She had no sensation of physical pain whatsoever. While Dr. Bailey was in surgery she made this comment to her intern:

"Everybody wants a life without pain. Where does it get you? Pain is there for a reason."

I don't know what your circumstances may be now, or what they may have been before, but I encourage you to confront your pain. Physical, mental, or emotional. Learn from it. Use it to help others. Be glad you're not numb to the pain. Know that it is there for a reason and push yourself to find out that reason. If you are suffering or if you are in the worst amount of pain you have ever been in, know that there is One who has taken that burden freely. On the cross. And He is not only willing, but wants to take it from you. No amount of hurt is unbearable to Him or too much for Him to handle.

Until next time...

Sabbatical Over

After a two month un-announced and un-expected sabbatical, I am glad to say that I am back! For most people, holidays make it tough to keep up with things like blogs, hobbies, laundry, and so on, but they end up getting back on track shortly thereafter. For me, on the other hand, it became apparent after all of our traveling in December that I needed to rest my body and mind. I was over-tired, over-stressed, and overwhelmed.

To be completely honest, I have been unsure whether to even continue TheLoudWhisper as a business due to financial reasons and time restraints. My wonderful husband told me that he supported my decision to close it up if that's what I felt I needed to do, but encouraged me to hang in there with it. He reminded me I had just finished my first year of craft shows and should be excited about the prospects of doing better each year forward. Still, I was unsure. Then I read an article online saying to not publicly announce that your company donates money to a charity because most people read into that as a marketing ploy. This upset me the most- the thought that some people would mistake my heart for making and selling jewelry into a marketing strategy. And then there was the fact that though I may have time to make the jewelry, I don't generally have time to keep up with my Etsy shop, or as you have all been witness to, my blog. This trifecta had me convinced to close it up until...

Until I remembered the customer who bought a necklace for a girl who had been admitted to the hospital for a cutting incident; the customers I have gotten to talk with at shows about hope and help; the customers who have said that they have been personally affected by depression or lost some one to suicide and they too want to help spread the message of hope. From the beginning these have been my goals for my business. To inspire hope. To be a voice, even if it's just a whisper, of these loud, screaming issues that are being stifled by shame and judgement. Is it a tall order for a little 'ole stay-at-home mom making jewelry during nap time? Probably. Is it expecting a lot from just jewelry? Maybe. Is the cause worth it? Absolutely. And as I have said from the beginning, making jewelry is something I can do, so I'll do it for the cause.

So, I have decided to keep going. I have also decided that some things would need to change so that I don't feel so bogged down by the business. That being said, I have closed my Etsy shop and will no longer (at least for the time being) be selling online. I am going to focus solely on lining up craft shows for 2011 and gaining support through this blog. I am not going to stress myself out about blogging everyday, but am going to discipline myself to blog several times a week so that I can keep in touch with you: the reader, my support system, my encouragement.

You will also notice a PayPal Donate Button is now at the top of the page. I currently donate 20% of every sale to To Write Love On Her Arms (which I am anxious to bump up) but after that, show expenses, supplies, taxes, etc. I have very little left to keep things going. It's the old adage, "You have to spend money to make money." Unfortunately, though, you also have to make money to have anything to spend and it gets difficult to afford to be in shows. However, though, shows are where I get to meet people and have the most success of not only selling my lovelies but also getting the message of TWLOHA out. So I am asking for your help. I also have a couple other projects that I am hammering out the details for that is going to require more finances than I can put towards it. Again, I will be turning to you for help.

I love you all and I have missed sharing my thoughts with you. Thanks for sticking by me and for supporting TheLoudWhisper. Most of all, thanks for being apart of the movement. Until next time...

Good Tidings We Bring To You And Your Kin!

Hello everyone!! Oh it is so wonderful to be back home and back blogging! For those of you who don't know, we have been out and about traveling for the last couple of weeks and now we are home to a very VERY chilly Chicago! We had such a great time in Arkansas with family and a wonderful time in San Francisco as well! Thank you to everyone who came out in Little Rock, AR to view my wares at the trunk show. It was lots of fun and your support was incredible! Thank you!

I would love to go into detail about our trips, but it just won't be the same without pictures to support the stories. And, unfortunately, I won't have my laptop back until the end of the week (which has all the pictures on it). So for now I bid you good tidings as you wind down (or up!) your Christmas shopping and I cannot wait to share with you more at the end of the week! Until next time...

How Bazaar, how bazaar!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I know we did. If you're in the Chicago area and looking for that perfect Christmas gift this weekend, come on into Bucktown for a great craft show! Yours truly will be set up there along with many other wonderful and talented artisans.

What: The Bucktown Bazaar

Where: Holstein Park Field House 2200 N. Oakley

When: Saturday, November 27th - Sunday, November 28th 11am-5pm Both Days

Who: theloudwhisper and many others!

Why: To get that holiday shopping out of the way and to support handmade!!

It is free admission along with a free Origami Workshop from 2pm-4pm each day. I hope to see you there! Until next time...

You've Got A Friend In Me

If there is one thing that I have learned it is that you need a friend. Someone to laugh with you and at you; someone to cry with you and for you; someone like Moses' friends, Aaron and Hur, who when his arms were tired they held them up for him.

At a time when people are giving thanks for all of the things that they have and things that they have accomplished, I want to pause and thank all of the people who have encouraged me, laughed with me, cried with me, and held my arms up when I needed it. I have been blessed with friendships and rich relationships that I am so grateful for. From my wonderful husband, who I was so lucky to be junior high sweethearts with and grow up with, to my amazing sister, who words cannot describe what an important part of my life she is, to all of my new friends that I have made in my new home, who have been a total answer to prayers. I am thankful for you, I love you, and I appreciate you. All of you.

The reason theloudwhisper exists is for those who feel like they don't have that person in their life to encourage them and be there for them. I am here to tell you that if you can manage to look through, and fight past, the despair you will find God's great big arms reaching out to hold you up and be there for you. He has put so many people around you that care about you. You matter. Don't be fooled. This world needs you. You are destined for greatness.

If you think this is just someone trying to sell jewelry, I beg you to take another look. This is but a Whisper of something Loud. There is so much hurt and pain out there and I know about it. I have been there. This is my attempt to encourage the conversations of hope that need to be had. This is my attempt to make someone feel loved, adored, and worth it... even if that's through the gift of a piece of jewelry. In the words of my friends over at TWLOHA, "Hope is real, help is real."

Be sure to take time this Thanksgiving to tell people how much they matter to you. You never know how much time you have to tell them or how life-altering it may be for them to hear that. Until next time friends...

Deck the Halls!

Some may say it's too soon to be decking the halls. I, on the other hand, already have our Christmas tree up! And as far as Christmas shopping goes, well you can never get started too early on that. Speaking of shopping, let me show you the new necklace that is sure to be a hit for the holidays!

This great initial necklace is the perfect personalized gift to give. You always hear how initial gifts are such a hit and I know that I, personally, always turn to monogram-type items when I don't know what to give someone. This year, you can get your preferred initial stamped onto a wooden tag and paired up with a fun beaded charm all for $18! And you can feel even better about your purchase since 20% of all purchases go to benefit To Write Love On Her Arms. It's a total win-win!

Head on over to the store to pick one, or two, or three out! You can specify the type/color beaded charm you'd like to go with the initial, or you can leave it up to me to pick one out just for you. What a great gift?! Until next time...