About Me

My favorite memories of childhood are all the little projects I was able to make all by myself.  I was always making something out of extra stuff my mom had around the house.

My mom knows how to do everything!  She sews, quilts, paints, decorates the house, makes furniture with my dad--she does it all!  And she always had a project or two she was working on.  So she started me out young in teaching me how to do all those things.  She taught me how to embroider before I started Kindergarten! She would hand fabric to my two brothers and me and let us draw whatever picture we wanted to and then have us embroider it.  She gave me a lot of freedom to create what I wanted from leftover scraps of fabric, wood, or just let me experiment baking and cooking.

  When I had been married a few years and was struggling with infertility and miscarriages, I was emotionally in a dark place and I was mad at the world.  Two of my friends from work taught me how to scrapbook during this same rough period and I ended up loving it!  I scrapbooked through my depression and grief and quickly realized that focusing on the good memories of my life helped me have gratitude for all my blessings.  After I started having kids and realized Justin had Autism, (full story here) I again went through a very rough time.  I got to work with my hands and it helped me stay focused and proactive. 

My parents taught me self reliance and allowed me the creative freedom to try many things that I now love to do. Working with my hands gives me such joy and satisfaction!  Having a creative outlet makes me a happier person and gives my mind a rest from worrying.  It helps me count my blessings instead of cursing my trials.
 
Now that I’m a “grown up” and have kids of my own, I love letting them be creative and teaching them these same principles.  I decorate my home with hand-made things just like my home was decorated when I was young.  And although it used to drive me crazy that my mom rearranged furniture every month for a fresh look--I love doing the same thing!   And I am lucky enough to have a husband who supports all my crazy ideas and believes in me.  He doesn't always see the end result of a crazy project idea, but he just gets out the tools and says, "where would you like me to start?" 

My life has taken me to different parts of the country and world and through all that, I have fallen in love with Southern style cottages.  And that’s how Sew Sweet Cottage began...
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