Melissa's handmade inspiration

My inspiration for buying and selling handmade items was and is my son, Emerson. From the time we began trying to get pregnant till my son was born we had about a year and a half to read every book we could find on natural childbirth and healthful living. When my son, 2 weeks past due, began to die in my womb and I swelled to 230 lbs - double my normal pre-pregnancy weight - our dream of a homebirth ended in an emergency c-section which barely saved both of us. It was a very slow and painful recovery for me - in fact at 21 months post partum I am not fully recovered. My son did great though and was a fighter from the start! He kept me going on the days when I couldn't even get up to feed myself because of the pain. Somehow he kept me going. As I had been stuck on the couch the last 11 weeks of my pregnancy, I was still stuck on the couch for most of the first few months of his life. All I could do was love him, nurse him and hold him. I eventually learned to crochet and then Tunisian crochet longies to go over his cloth diapers to have something else I could do since I couldn't get up and around well. As I crocheted, I healed - both physically and emotionally. It was a creative outlet that kept me at my best for him. I discovered Hyenacart as a place where I could go to chat with other similar minded Mommas. I enjoyed buying and eventually selling items that were unique and made with so much love. It means a lot to me to know that often my hard earned money also supports another family's ability to be together as much as possible by having the chance to work from home. Hand made is home made - and that is important!

Melissa, 35, WAHM, www.familypendragon.com
North Texas
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 1:42 am