How it all began...

In May of 2010, I made my first Scrabble tile necklaces.

It was really just a trial thing--to see how hard it was to make them.
I had ordered a little "kit".
There was enough to make 10 Scrabble tile pendants.
What to put on them?
We were in the process of adopting from Taiwan,
so why not do a map pendant?

They seemed easy enough, and I thought they were cute.

I thought maybe others that were adopting would be interested in them.

I sold ONE.

Then, at a church meeting, a good friend 
asked me to make a map necklace for her.
She wasn't adopting or anything.
She wanted it of the town she lived in.
She said she'd hang it on her rearview mirror.
Well, I may not be a genius or anything,
but I could tell she was just trying to help us out
{by purchasing something she really had no use for}. 
She's sweet.

Then I got to thinking about what else I could put on these Scrabble necklaces.

God gave me the idea to put Scripture on them.

So, I did.

And everyone loved them!

I sold more of them than I ever {in my wildest dreams} imagined that I would.

Soon, I started customizing them--putting names on them.

I did photos.

 I figured out that I could design these necklaces with pretty much anything on them!

At this time I had started an Etsy shop, but had photos of all the necklaces that I had available in a personal Facebook album.  I started getting friend requests from people I didn't know.  They wanted to see my necklaces.  I decided it was time to start a Facebook page specifically for

The Adopt Shoppe.

My brain seemed to always be thinking of more things that I could make.

More ways to raise money for our adoption.

I made some braided fabric bracelets with hand stamped tags.

Again, everyone loved them.

I never dreamed how much people would love them!

These turned out to be too hard on my sewing machine to make.

So, I redesigned them.

Now I sell these:

I sell a variety of things now.

Word/Number Art Prints.

Leather Bangles:

Stamped Leather Cuffs:

Uganda Bead Necklaces:
The beautiful beads in these necklaces are hand made by Ugandan women.  The women carefully roll strips of magazines by hand into lovely, unique and earthy looking beads. Prior to learning how to make these beads, most of the women "picked trash" or turned to prostitution to provide for their children.

I absolutely LOVE these His Eye is on the Sparrow Necklaces:

I recently started making some hand-stamped sterling silver jewelry:

 And, of course, I still make the Wooden Tile Necklaces:

Since I opened my Etsy Shop in May 2010,

I have sold 2,286 items through my little shop.
I have 1,000+ people following my
little Facebook page.
We paid for our first adoption and
we're now raising funds for our 2nd adoption.
How did I do this?
I didn't.
God did.

I've never done anything like this before.

I've never made jewelry.

I've never started or owned a business.

I'm simply a stay-at-home mom of 3

{soon to be 4},

who homeschools her kids,

has a never-ending pile of dirty laundry,

who struggles with doubts and failures

just like you.

But God loves me.

He loves you.

He sees my pathetic attempts

and He uses them for good.

Maybe you are on your own adoption journey

to your child.

Maybe you are discouraged.

It costs so much.

Satan hates adoption.

So he attacks you,

your marriage,

everything.

Your friends don't understand

why you're doing this.

They quietly drift away.

You have doubts and

wonder if you are really

supposed to be on this adoption journey at all.

You feel alone.

But you're not.

God is there.

He will stay by your side.

He will help.

He is there when it feels like no one else is.

God is big.

Bigger than you and I.

Bigger even than our perception of Him.

He will help you do things.

Big things.

Things you never imagined.

Just trust.