Little Luv

“Two of the rarest things we find are true love and loyal friends. Keep them at high value in your heart.” ~ Kristen Butler

I’m so grateful for my true friend Retha Calitz, not only for her loyal friendship but as a magnificent small business owner of The Cottage Spa Retreat, her support, love and kindness is an inspiration to all who are blessed to know her ❤️

“The word ‘education’ comes from the Latin ‘educere’ = e- (out of) + -ducere (to draw). Education is not just about putting information in. We have forgotten that it, in fact, begins in the child’s heart.” ~ Vince Gowmon

Ahhh Taliyah, you have such a big personality and it comes out in so many beautiful different ways! It’s was lovely to watch you ‘grow’… Despite how challenging the task might have seemed at times, your determination can be seen in the impressive progress you made! 6yrs old… wow… I am beyond impressed!!!

“Your time is valuable, your talents are many and your future is bright.”

Oh my goodness, Elmah you are AMAZING, look at your beautiful masterpiece! You are going to be a GREAT WOMAN, you already are such an incredible young person, you must make your family and friends deeply happy and proud, you certainly made me feel that way! I will miss our Friday afternoon sessions. Take care ❤️

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

This quote couldn’t have been truer for Cynthia!

Look at her amazing accomplishments. I am still astounded at how natural crocheting comes to her. For anyone who understands a bit about crochet, you’ll know that learning how to do slip knots, magic rings, ch, sl st, sc, sc dec, hdc, dc, tr, hdc2tog and those are only the stitches… then there’s a pattern with a sequence for each stitch which needs to be followed and a whole lot more!!!

All of this for an 11 year to do for the first time ever is beyond me! Yes I taught/guided her but you still need to have lot of natural talent in order to be able to complete a project like this, as well as this in a total of +/-10hrs worth of lessons!!! I can’t wait to see what fun we’ll have together in next month’s sewing lessons 🧵 🪡

WELL DONE CYNTHIA 🧶

https://www.5littlemonsters.com/2019/08/unicorn-pencil-bag.html

“Kindness is free, sprinkle that stuff everywhere!”

Beautiful Elmah, what a little teacher/helper she is… last week she measured, pinned and sewed her entire seam on her table cloth like a pro!

Pretty Taliyah, did incredibly well too, learning how to do whip stitch for hemming. I was so impressed with their progress…. I couldn’t resist posting a few extra pics.

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within” ~ Maya Angelou

I felt terrible, Cynthia and I were so determined to try and get her through finishing up her last few pieces for this first project of hers, that I totally forgot to take photos during our intense lesson.

Thankfully her understanding parents have allowed her to come for an additional lesson this week and her Mom even captured a few beautiful shots of Cynthia busy with her crochet homework 📸

“Whatever makes your soul happy, do that.”

Like crocheting your first flower! That made this young lady ecstatic, in fact anything to do with crochet seems to make dear Cynthia truly happy! Finishing off her pencil bag and crocheting up the seams was definitely another happy moment for her… Next week should be the grand finale for her first project… very excited for her!

“Every child is a different kind of flower and altogether make this world a beautiful garden.”

This week Taliyah had a one on one lesson to catch up on her first sewing lesson which she unfortunately wasn’t able to attend last week. She courageously learned how to use her little sewing machine.

The following day the 2nd sewing class was complete with all 3 students in attendance. This week they practiced how to sew by hand and as you can see, concentration levels were so intense, that asking them to smile for a quick photo was quite a challenge.

Elmah being quite a bit older than the young ones, is therefore learning a few more advanced sewing steps such as measuring, pinning, cutting, designing and transferring her designs, next week she’ll be hand embroidering her design. Super excited!!!

“Quality is never an accident;
it is always the result of high
intention, sincere efforts,
intelligent direction and skillful
ex*****on: it represents the wise
choice of many alternatives.” ~ William A. Foster

4 Layered tulle tutu with lace overlay

“Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time.”

This week I had the sweet pleasure of working with Elmah… you can see her enthusiasm in her eyes and smile. For starters she familiarized herself with her sewing machine and kindly helped younger fellow “class mate”, Nathan learn how to thread a needle. Next week they’ll each begin making the projects which they’ve individually chosen.

“My view is not just to find young talents, it’s to support them too.” ~ Franca Sozzani

This young lady is such a natural! She confidently completed the majority of this project at home with no assistance and no mistakes. Having to learn new stitches for the first time, doesn’t intimidate her at all either!

She’s super excited for next week’s lesson… when she she gets to begin crocheting the unicorns decorations for the finishing touches on her bag. Well done Cynthia!!!