My New Favorite Advent

Hey guys,

So tomorrow is December 1st!!!! I love December as much as I love October, and that's alot. Every year I search a million fantastic advent ideas on Pinterest. I think "I can do that", but then I totally never do (I'm no Jenna , but follow her on instagram if you want to feel inspired and a little inadequate).
So anyway, I always start out with great intentions, but it just never happens. One reason is because I like a more modern look with traditional values and that's hard to find! So I usually have the intention of creating something. I had just come to the conclusion that once again, the advent was not going to happen this year, when look what I stumbled upon...

Just the right amount of funky for me! And guess what? Sarah is offering them as a free download as well as already done in her etsy store. I'm doing both. I'm a few days late since I just ordered them yesterday, so I'll be using a few downloads to get us started. Aren't they awesome?! Thanks Sarah!!!

Referral Day!

Happy Referral Day to us! Well, yesterday. We have accepted the referral of a 6 month old baby boy! What?! Did we not start this journey a year ago (exactly) with the hopes of adopting 2 teenage girls?! Yes, we did, but God has different plans, doesn't he? We've changed our plan about a million times this year and you guys got the play by play. You should know I'm kinda flakey. You probably have figured that out by now, huh?  Y'all, I seriously never thought I'd have another baby and I wasn't sad about it either. But this little guy won me over in a second. He has a few medical issues, so they are attempting to expedite his case and hopefully we'll have a court date really soon. Then I can show you his pictures! I just can't wait!

We are, in fact, ridiculously behind in the financing department as we thought we still had lots of time left to save up and all that. Nope, we don't. Yesterday wiped out our bank account entirely, but the donations that you guys sent in are literally keeping us going. Like honestly, no groceries until the paypal money started trickling in (and it did). The money that we got from you guys was enough for us to be able to accept the referral. Just thank you! I love you all so much!

I'll still be here for a few more days or weeks and I'm painting up a storm. If you'd like to donate to our Charity page, you can do that here. Or you can purchase a painting from the Etsy shop. Just FIY, I'm painting like a crazy woman, but the custom art girls, if you buy one today, might take several weeks to get in. I have sold SO MANY (thanks, everyone), and we'll be traveling soon, so they might take a while. If you like the Africa paintings, they are ready to roll. Just email me with a verse and I'll put it on and ship it out. And more will pop up in the shop all day and all week. If there's a color scheme you like and it sold or you don't see it, just email me. I promise you, this is the last time you'll hear me yack about fundraising for us on here for this adoption. I've hit a wall. Thank you for every dollar and every prayer. I can't wait for you to meet him.

Pop and Lolli

I know I don't have to tell you how crazy adorable these Pop and Lolli wall decals are. You guys are totally stylish, I know. But I will give you one reason to go ahead and shop if you're in the nesting mood. Pop and Lolli donates a portion of their proceeds to buy academic materials for children in South Africa. Want to know more? Head on over and read more, if you like. 

See you guys tomorrow for a big article on birth order... to break or not to break, that is the question...

Gotcha Day Art

I came across these brilliant customizable typewriters by Vol. 25 a while ago. I can't wait to buy one. Hmmm, I guess I just need a date. Here's the scoop. You can customize the quote, color, and date. I'm thinking it would make a fabulous Gotcha Day momento.

Be a Giver

Click to buy a copy of this print. $17.

You Guys Rock, and Also a Sweet New (to me) Shop

Sorry I'm so late posting today. I think my internet is finally back in business. That threw a little kink in Sponsorship Day, but yesterday was awesome! 9 little girls now have sponsors and Give1 is making a little footprint on Ethiopian soil. I'm so proud of us and I can't wait to meet our kids! I'll be posting a page next week that anyone can use to find a kid to sponsor anytime. We're just getting it updated. So more to come, but I won't slam you with a sponsor day for a couple of months. Though it was kind of awesome for me.

But today, let me just leave you with a shop that I just found. I love me some Bible verses that don't look cheesy. I adore all these today from Fancy That Design House. Go check them out.

Not to mention their beautiful, fun and funky, graphic designs.

And once again, THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored a child. There are plenty more to go around if you would like to join in! Email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com and we'll get you all squared away. I love you all! Have a good weekend!

***Oh yeah, and guess what?! We're finally DTE today!!! Cupitts coming at ya, Ethiopia!

Art Girls Fundraiser

Hey everybody! So guess what?! The longest dossier ever to grace the planet (mine) is gone! It's out of my hands. There is nothing to do now but sit here and wait for 'the call'. True story. 2 hours ago I wrote a whopper check for nearly $8K that I am happy to send (though I am so very sad to see the remaining balance - it doesn't even end in a K at all ). Oh, well, that's the nature of adoption, right? Now I often highlight Etsy shops, particularly of adopters trying to get their kiddies home, and for some reason I haven't wanted to showcase mine. I don't really want to take any attention away from the family of the week. And that is still the case, so don't even look at this post if you haven't donated yet!

Oh, you have? OK. Well, I humbly (REALLY humbly, kind of cringing, actually) would like to show you what I've been doing on the side to raise a little funds. I make these little art girls. They don't have faces. Mostly because my daughter doesn't have a face to me yet. So I started making them and they are selling really well. My Etsy shop is dead empty, but it's because I usually make custom pieces so they never see the shop. They are $45 + a few bucks shipping, and if you have a little girl that could use some custom art done, email me and I'd be glad to chat with you and come up with something just right. Here's a few of my faves...

Anyhoo, that's that. If you need some art done, email me at b.cupitt@yahoo.com and we'll chat about verses or quotes, color schemes, and style and get you something really special. All the while helping us out in a huge way. Win-win. Sorry about the shameless plug!!!



Update: Just started making these Africa pieces as well. Let me know if need a certain verse or color scheme.

Adoption Art

[caption id="attachment_2269" align="aligncenter" width="570" caption="$18 on Etsy. Click picture for link to store."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2268" align="aligncenter" width="495" caption="$10 on Etsy. Click picture for link to store."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2270" align="aligncenter" width="526" caption="My favorite: I swear I have pinned this about a dozen times. One of these days, I will just buy it already! $35 from Sycamore Street Press. Click picture for link to store."][/caption]

Ivey Handcrafted

So I want to introduce you all to my newest adoption mom friend, Tobi. She and her husband are in the process of adopting a girl from Ethiopia. They are hoping that 6^th time’s a charm…yes, they have had five failed adoption attempts. (I wish that was a typo…)



Anyway, you’d never know all the heartbreak this gal has seen. She’s super fun and super talented. And she just radiates joy and hope. She started a business called Ivey Handcrafted to raise money for their adoption. I am so hooked on this whimsical, wearable art. Check it out:







She also makes really adorable dolls and custom clothes for little ones. You can score some of this goodness by going to Ivey Handcrafted on Facebook or Etsy.

And in case you wondered, as I did, Ivey Handcrafted was named after their future daughter. They settled on that name already, because it was Tobi’s grandmother’s name. How cute is that? Help Bring Ivey Home…and look oh so Anthropologie in the process.

Wait on the Lord

I love this little gem that I found on Pinterest the other day. But I can't track down the source. Any clues, anybody? I just love it. Anyhoo, I found this appropriate today. Are you feeling the weight of the wait? But are you feeling the strengthening of your heart, too? Yeah, me too. Press on, my dears.

Oh, How I Love This Verse

Don't you love it when you happen across a verse in that great big book that you never knew was there. Or maybe it never much before, but now it does...

{source}

Art and Philanthropy

I don't really think words are necessary for this post, do you? All images (and a million other awesome ones) come straight from my current favorite Etsy shop, Art and Philanthropy. Go check these out!

Resolutions

Dun dun duuuuunnn.......

Do you do them? I just started last year. I took a long time to figure out 5 goals or themes for my year and I loved it, actually. So I did it again.

1. Learn and apply 10 Mixed Media techniques in one art piece. I have signed up for this class. I can't wait to get started! Christy Tomlinson is my new favorite human.



2. To learn more about the fasting and prayer. Without a doubt (from what I've heard in the Bible and from a million people over the course of a bazillion years) fasting and prayer go hand in hand and lead to a deeper connection with God. The reason I haven't done it so far, even though I've wanted to, is because I'm a chronic dieter and quitting some foods just feels like a diet to me. But I think obedience is my theme this year and God said something to me the other day. It was something to the effect of 'Just do it. Just try it.' So I am. I am taking a few precautions to safeguard my diet mentality. I'm not weighing myself at all. And should I lose weight, I'm not going to hit the mall for a new Forever 21 wardrobe. I'm really trying to not make this a diet. And it's surprisingly easy in that respect. See yesterday's post for what I'm doing with the prayer aspect. It's all going really well so far.

3. Like I said about themes, this year it's obedience. Several opportunities have landed in my lap this last year and now it's time for me to do what God has planned for me and just put one foot in front of the other. So this year I'm a robot. And I'm super happy about it. There is something liberating about turning your brain off and letting somebody else steer.

Do you have any resolutions? What about themes?

A Girly Girl Room

 

So let me give you another little update. I know I sound so wishy washy telling you guys all this stuff, but I vowed to keep you posted every step of the way of our adoption. Some people want to see the play by play of how it all goes down. So here's what's new. We finished our home study Monday night. And though we had decided to go younger than our youngest at the suggestion of experts we have decided to open our request to also include older than our youngest, but younger than our oldest. Wrap your head around that. It basically means she might be younger than Abby or she might be in between Will and Abby. So she'll be age 1-5 at the time of referral. And I'm pretty sure that's final because now our social worker will draw up papers and make it super official. SO, that means a girly girl room for my little ones. I imagine they will share a room eventually, though I'm thinking she'll probably be in our room for a while. But I'm still decorating for a shared little girls room. And with that, I'm pretty smug with what I've come up with. I'm not a huge fan of themed rooms, but I can't help myself. Abby LOVES animals and all I know about my Ethiopian child at this point is that she's a little girl and she's from Africa. That's all I got so far. So based on that, I did a theme room. I did. That's so embarassing for me to say. I usually steer clear, but I couldn't help myself. It's African animals inspired by the art at Papaya. The have beautiful, calming colors and plenty of glitter. Here's the pinboard I've got going for it.

When I discovered this rug from Flor and that it matched the art... well, it's a done deal. This room is the final decision. Let the shopping begin.



Speaking of girly girls, I know a set of little ladies that are on my mind this week... Sweet Natalie and her soon-to-be sister. We've raised several hundred dollars so far towards the Bowmans adoption. I have a sweet idea. Give a dollar for all your sisters and daughters. All the girly girls in your life. And then let them know that you gave in their honor today. :)

uh-MAZING new prints from vol25

guys, i gotta show you this new awesomeness coming from vol25. we love jessica already, right? she designed the look and art for the give1save1 site. these are so perfect in every way. here are my faves. i just bought 'live simply'. can't wait til it gets here. and if you're in love with these and need a reason to buy now, well here it is. 40% off! the code is SAVE401. go shopping!

winner announced!

I really don't think my words are right to tell you how very very much i love this print. and all of her other ones too. all i can do is use italics and bold. i really need a thesaurus or something. check out 29blackstreet for some serious eye candy.

and do you want to know who won the giveaway? i picked randomly using random.org and came up with:

Kori who said: I shared on my blog http://korimauch.blogspot.com/2011/09/give1save1.html and on facebook on my personal and business pages! I am just really blessed by your heart and am thrilled to be part of the dollar mob!

We're thrilled to have you, Kori! Congratulations! I'll email you all you need to know. If you didn't win, you can still hop on over to Keefer Style Creations and check out all she's got. Remember she's fundraising for her mission trips and the money from the jewelry goes straight to that.

***UPDATE: The Willet's are up to $500, people! From $300 to $500 since last night. I'm so excited about what we're doing here! Like goofy tears in my eyes excited and proud. We still have a few more days, so if you haven't given yet just hit that button over to your right. And if you have, thank you so much. When the money goes to the Willets you're not only supporting their adoption, but keeping their ministries afloat.

ImagineNations Art Globes

Have you seen these?! Are these insane or what?! I love them. I'm seriously thinking of how to do an Ethiopia globe. Any ideas? These ImagineNations art globes are by Wendy Gold. They are perfect in every way. What's your dream globe?

Small things...

Don't you just love that. True true. Sometimes even the smallest gestures mean so much. I'm sure our family of the week can testify to that. I hope you have had a good week and have a great weekend.  If you are coming to donate to Brooke and Brandon Whitis but missed the boat, fear not. Just skip on over to their blog and donate down at the bottom.  If you like this artwork (I certainly do) you can find it here. See you Monday! Get your dollars ready!