I “gathered” wool from Mill End Factory Outlet. I looked for felt fabric that I loved, but I guess modern felt is made of 100% Acrylic. So, I purchased a yard of Ralph Lauren wool from the remnant pile. Beats finding a sheep to sheer, no?
I picked up a box of flax seeds from the grocery store. Thanks to my Mom I figured out that flax is all over the place in the health foods niche. Nice. I guess I’ve spend too much time buying Jell-O and non-dairy coffee creamer to notice.
Anyway, let my eager hands work!
I’m thinking muffins with flax and some sort of accessory with the wool.
I had to literally buy thread and needles to even entertain the idea of making something with fabric. Plus, do flax muffins taste like cardboard?
This week I was inspired by a blog called Craft-Werk (Sonja from Dublin, Ireland). She posted a tutorial about using recycled earrings (the lonely single earrings from all the lost pairs) to create pendants. I so happened to have some lonely broken bead type “junk” laying around.
Feeling justified here for keeping every single piece of old or broken jewelry item dating back to 1997.
Here is my version of Craft-Werk’s jump ring necklace.
Lovely, isn’t it? I like the part where it’s free. Free, of course, when you already bought a few bead making supplies, earrings (in the first place) and/or a silver chain. Those things were on-hand for me this go round.
Anyway, loop stray sparkling beauties hiding in the bottom of your jewelry box onto your favorite chain! They will thank you for showing them off!
Just a Blink Readers: I will pick and choose the order in which the verses from Proverbs 31:10-31 are “learned about”. I think I’ll clump together the husband verses down the road a bit. Hey, it’s my blog I can wreck it up if I wanna.
Proverbs 31:12
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
Hang on a second, I need to go sheer a sheep and pick some seeds, then eagerly mix them together. Oh wait, I live in 2010, in suburbia, with not a clue what to do with wool and flax.
Research needed.
Wool
Did you know that felt was made from wool? I love felt. I guess some ancient people put clumps of wool in their sandals so they wouldn’t get blisters. By the time they walked a long way, the wool turned into felt under their feet. Flash forward a few thousand years.
Now look, it’s pretty…and less smelly I’m sure.
photo credit from Wikipedia
Flax
Flax can be used to make linseed oil, vitamin supplements and even a type of hair-do product. One of the oldest clothing remnants ever found was made from flax fibers.
And look, it’s pretty too…
Eager Hands
I don’t have seeds of flax or clumps of wool to put into my eager hands. I do have the opportunity to gather supplies for useful purposes.
To me, Proverbs 31:12 is basically like going shopping at craft, fabric or thrift stores. Hmmm…yes I just made thrift stores biblical.
Well, my hands to love to create with materials that I have on hand or that have been eagerly albeit thriftily gathered from my surroundings (garage sales).
I’ve done my research. Now, it’s time for homework.
Create with wool and flax. I’ll show you what I come up with next week. I see felt in my future…
Well, I am up before the sun. I fed my 3 month old babies, Claire and Leah. They help me get up while it’s still dark. I stayed awake after putting them back down to sleep.
I dressed myself in my gray imitation Uggs boots and my light blue fleece robe without a tie. (Ry always steals my robe ties for part of a costume, mostly Ninja Turtle headbands I think). I stumbled downstairs and made coffee. It is still perking.
Now, I am upstairs in my office “closet” on a laptop, wondering, what am I doing trying take on all the Proverbs 31 wisdom?
Well, I have to start somewhere. So, why not at the beginning.
Proverbs 31:10
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
First things first. I am a wife. But, what is this noble character business? All I can think of is a wife that is brave and knows how to curtsy.
Noble Definition: possessing, characterized by, or arising from superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals
Noble wife, okay. I possess decent morals and most of the time I think my ideals are solid.
Am I worth far more than rubies? Let’s see, just to be cheeky, I’ll try to figure out my salary!
According to Salary.com my yearly income, in my zip code, as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) of 4 kids is $133,544. Salary.com put together some of the responsibilities of SAHM and listed them in an hourly form. Below is an example of the hours.
Housekeeper
16.5
Day Care Center Teacher
14.7
Cook
13.1
Computer Operator
9.2
Facilities Manager
8.6
Van Driver
7.3
Psychologist
7.2
Laundry Machine Operator
7.2
Janitor
7.1
Chief Executive Officer
5.5
I am sure there are more responsibilities like nurse, referee, and gift shopper. Not to mention, all the extra pay that would ensue from literally being available for 24 hour on call services like bad dream cuddling, wet-bed changing and late night baby feeding.
The point of Proverbs 31:10 isn’t lost on me entirely. I realize that a wife of noble character is worth more than anything or any service money can buy.
Well, I better go throw some jeans on and ingest some of that coffee I smell downstairs. The big kids are up and so is the sun.
Just A Blink journals my ups and downs in creating thrifty home decor, spending time with my family, and finding simplicity. I write about everything from my garage sale addiction to my faith in God.
