The blessing basket

Were you around the Rosy Life during Christmas?

If so, during my long-winded post about technology and giving and the internet and silence....

I mentioned I read the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.  Which is slightly funny, in that weird, "we shouldn't be laughing but we are" kind of way.  Because I am the queen of excess at times.  More laughing, more banners and bunting, more celebrating, more color, more crafting. 

Being a dreamer like myself also means that I always have a head full of ideas ready to go.  Need an idea for a celebration on the fly? I can help with that.  A crafty idea, using only hot glue and toothpicks?  Piece of cake.  And so, my dream list is rather long and wordy and.........excessive at times.

7 changed me. 

Its words and phrases got into my inner workings and have been tinkering around in there for days. 

It made my heart work differently,

the gears and dials not running in their usual pattern.

Well, the book didn't do all that.  But the God behind the author behind the book DID. 

I realized how much time I spent last year on myself.  And my dreams, and my goals, and my Etsy shop.  None of those are bad.  But if they're the only major outlet connecting my gifts and talents to others...well, I'm just not ok with that.  Friends, I spent a chunk of time and money on SWAG last year (Stuff We All Get), with very little return (or none at all).  Things like this made me stop and look at my gifts and talents differently and WHY I'm using them in the first place.  Is it just to make more money, to get more stuff, to make more money....sigh. 

The madness has to stop.  I often find myself wanting to bless others with a little handmade gift or something thoughtful I thrifted and made over.  Enter: the Blessing Basket.

A basket full of items made with my love and time,

all packaged up and ready to go when I feel the prompting of God telling me to hand-deliver someone some encouragement. 

I made some water color paintings to go inside,

as well as some bunting.  I also included some notecards made with my photographs, a few books, a picture or two I took, and a mug cozy handmade by a friend.   I'll be adding more items soon.

This is what my Blessing Basket looked like before,

and after I got my hands on it! :) I spray-painted it and added fabric to the handle.

I stamped this little tag with the word "bless" to go on the front,

a reminder I need to see often.

Can I be honest? (also, funny. I clearly have no problem being honest around here, lol!)
 I had much more fun creating this basket and thinking of the smiles I might be able to help put on someone's face than I did stuffing a thousand SWAG bags, not knowing where they'd land.

2014 will be the year of giving for me. Stretching, giving, sharing, illuminating,
light.