GIVEAWAY from Jordan and Noelle’s Adoption Shop

It’s almost Christmas and I have a present for you! TWO beautiful wooden snowflake ornaments from Jordan and Noelle’s Adoption Shop. These are about the size of my hand, so unique and would make an ideal Christmas gift while supporting a couple who wants to add to their family. Noelle and Jordan make these beautiful gifts as a way to raise money for their adoptions. When I got my snowflake, I loved how the woodgrain was put together so the snowflake was multicolored just by using different types of wood. It reminded me of my family— a lot of beautiful different colors, just the way God made us.

Here’s how to enter to win two snowflake ornaments:

-Comment on this post with something you like about winter. Snow, candy canes, mittens, Christmas, whatever!

-Go “like” Jordan and Noelle’s Adoption Shop on Facebook and let them know on their share of this post that I sent you. 

You can be entered into our drawing twice by doing both of those things. I’ll pick a winner Thursday (12/6/18) at noon (CST).

I had a such a sweet time meeting Noelle and her family. We have lots in common including adoption and a passion for improvement in the foster care system. For years Noelle has been a volunteer with the Foster Care Review Office, which is an organization I have so much love and respect for. The FCRO provides unbiased oversight to the foster care system and reports back to the court on individual cases. It also provides invaluable data about the progress and challenges of foster care in our state. I love this group and I love that Noelle has dedicated years of her life to serving with them, even though her daughter wasn’t adopted through foster care. When I meet someone that has that kind of knowledge and passion for foster care, I know I’ve met a kindred spirit. 

I want to let her tell you more about herself! Here’s Noelle in her own words:

What do you make through your shop?
We enjoy reclaiming wood… everything from pallets to tearing down barns and using up antique furniture and trim. Right now we’re focusing on snowflakes, Christmas ornaments and key chains! We’ve done everything from doorhangers to custom shelves and barnwood crosses.

What made you start creating?
Jordan would tell you that it all started the day I brought home a woodworking book from the library. He was experienced in trim work from his construction days, and he taught me how to use all the power tools after we got married. Unlike most couples, we actually loved building and renovating as a team. We started out fixing up our 1920’s house, then building simple furniture, then we moved into making things purely for the fun of it– little signs, shelves, coat racks and now ornaments.

How do you and your husband work together in what you create?
Typically I do the design work and finishing and he does the building. Snowflakes are the exception… those are all his original designs as well! I taught him how to use basic design software and now he makes most all of the ornaments start to finish. When we do custom work, I am the one that takes a Pinterest screen shot and turns it into a set of plans, find materials and do staining/distressing/finishing. When we can, we assemble things together in the shop!

What inspires you?
The natural beauty and variety of wood is so amazing. People often ask how we stain the stripes in the snowflakes, and we don’t. God made it that way. We are just showcasing His amazing creativity. Most of our designs are inspired by natural beauty (Yes, we are outdoorsy people).

How do you find time to create?
Before we brought Anyla home it was easy. Most of our free time was spent in the shop, creating and selling and saving for our adoption. When we got “the call,” from the agency (asking if they could show our profile, since she had already been born!) I was working in the driveway, staining a set of shelves. It was a warm day in February. We went from zero to parents in about four hours that day! Birthmom selected us and we literally stopped at Walmart to get a few baby things and then drove up to meet our baby girl. We met her that evening around eleven pm. She came home with us two days later. She’s now old enough to get on some headphones and go to the “workshop,” with daddy and help him. It’s not easy getting projects done with two-year-old, but she’s adamant about “needing a baby to live at our house,” (her words!) so she’s a cheerful helper. We squeeze in shop time when we can!

So come enter to win! I love the idea of you keeping one snowflake and giving the other to someone you love so you have a little connection every year when you look at  your ornaments. . . but apparently I’m sentimental like that.

To enter:

-Comment on this post with something you like about winter. Snow, candy canes, mittens, Christmas, whatever!

-Go “like” Jordan and Noelle’s Adoption Shop on Facebook and let them know on their share of this post that I sent you. 

You can be entered into our drawing twice by doing both of those things. I’ll pick a winner Thursday (12/6/18) at noon (CST). 

Can’t wait to see who wins!