"Every new beginning comes from another beginning's end." - Seneca   

That's where I find myself today: in a new beginning that comes from the end of what I thought was the rest of my life. After I got let go from my dream job, a job I fought hard for, I had no idea what I was going to do next. I had concepts of ideas, but I wasn't sure of what I really wanted to do. I thought my life was stable and secure. Then it wasn't.    

So, I prayed. I considered the pros and cons. I thought long and hard. All while everyone wanted answers from me. I didn't know what I was doing because I had never really considered what I might be doing. I didn't have a plan B. So, I asked God for help in this decision of what comes next.  

That brings us to S'more Grace Crochet. An Etsy shop I decided to open to try and make money while going back to school to get my Master's degree. I plan to sell many items, from keychains to bar soap, holding wash cloths, dish scrubbers, stuffed animals, luggage identification items, and more. I am going to start small and work my way up to bigger items. In this blog post, I am going to break down the name as I let you get to know me, Sarah, the seller, a little better.  

Introducing S'more: She's the Cat in the Picture

S’more Deliliah Gillespie was born on March 4, 2009. A few weeks later, she came into my life. She was the cat I had been asking for because my first cat, Popcorn, was amazing and perfect and made me fall in love with cats. S’more has made my life full of life and events ever since.    

At one point, I wanted to be a vet, but after her kittens died after a few days, I decided that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. That was my tipping point. Which, as I have learned in therapy, I don’t do well with grief in general. I don’t let myself process it well, and then just end up with lasting consequences.    

Anyways, back to S’more. She has been a part of my life for 16+ years now. Through so many highs and lows that at this point, she’s become my rock in my darkest moments. It only made sense that in a moment when I felt all hope was lost, that I named this new adventure and journey after her. Plus, her name works well for puns.    

I am sure that I will talk more about S’more and my other cats: Popcorn (2003-2020) and Nutmeg (a cat I got shortly after Popcorn died). These cats are my whole world, and I would be completely lost without them. So, I can almost guarantee that they will show up in blog posts in the future, whether they take a small role or a more significant one. Only time will tell.   

Understanding Grace and My Faith

What a complicated concept! Or at least on my end of things. God and I have had a unique and complex relationship. Though, I guess probably not that unique given that my favorite chapter in the Bible is Psalm 13, and my favorite parables are the parables of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son. I feel like I greatly relate to those.    

For those who don’t know, Psalm 13 says: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”    

I had come to Christ in preschool, but over time, I began to question if God even existed. By the time I was in high school, I no longer believed. I believed that if there was a God, then He must have abandoned me because all I had known was trauma that I had tried to deal with on my own, away from prying eyes. I hid trauma from everyone. I played the Good Christian girl perfectly. Everyone believed I was still a Christian, but the reality was I didn’t believe that this God, who was preached to be good and loving, would just abandon me. So, I lost my faith.    

It wasn’t until I went to college, and I decided to find a church to keep up with my act, that things changed. I got connected with Ball State’s on-campus church and a paster who introduced me to the Psalms and led me back to Christ. I felt conflicted, but God has shown me grace and that my past doesn’t define who I am. Since returning to God, my life hasn’t been easy. It’s been really difficult. But there is a difference. I know I can call out to God and He’ll be there even when I don’t immediately sense His presence. I know that I’ll get my miracle one day.

My common prayer when I don’t feel God is Psalm 13. It is the one that brings me the most peace, because it was written by David. A person who felt abandoned by God, but one day became a great king for God’s people—a person who felt abandoned by God, whom God used for great things.    

I could have named this Etsy shop: S’more Faith Crochet. But I feel like grace makes more sense for my story. God has offered me favor and kindness that I don’t deserve. I am asking God to bless this shop. To allow it to prosper. God’s put a lot of ideas in my head over the last several months, only to confirm them through church sermons, Christian TikTok videos, and personal Bible Study of the story of Mary and Martha. I didn’t think some of those things would have anything to do with those plans, but God is using them anyway. One of those ideas was this shop.    

So, here it is, God—an Etsy Shop of crocheted items. I am trusting it with you. You got my attention. I will do my best with it, but I trust that You will do great things with it. Perhaps, You will even teach me valuable things with it or allow me to reach people with it. It is in Your hands now. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.   

My History With Crochet

I first learned crochet from a coworker when I worked at a nursing home. I was an activities associate, and we were doing some discussion cards. I mentioned how I would love to learn how to crochet or knit, and my coworker offered to teach me how to crochet. She taught me the basics. I initially gave up for several months. I decided to focus on schooling, and I was just getting frustrated and wanted to be perfect.   

That was just what I needed. I first learned in September 2021, gave up in November 2021, and picked it back up in May 2022. When I picked it back up again that May, I never put it down again. I found a renewed love for it. I first made small lap blankets for my grandparents for Christmas in December 2022. I then made a larger blanket as a wedding gift to my brother and his then fiancée and now wife by May 2023.    

I also made what I call my NFL Cat teams blanket. (Long story short, I am a fan of the 4 NFL cat teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. When I first became a fan in like 2008, they were all not doing well, so it was basically like rooting for 1 team. I always said if all 4 made it to their respective championships, I would choose one, but now I’m stuck loving all 4 of them, and I don’t know if I would be able to choose.) But the NFL Cat teams' blanket has all 4 of those teams’ colors. I finished that blanket by June 2023. I made it at the same time as the blanket for my brother and his wife.    

For Christmas 2023, I made a few gifts for family members. For Christmas 2024, all of the gifts I made were for family members. Everyone got at least 2 crocheted items from me. I started in August 2024 to make all of those items. I believe there were a total, if my math is right, 20 items. And those items were all bigger and took more time and effort than the items I am starting out selling in this shop.

   I have fallen deep in love with crocheting, and I can’t imagine my life not crocheting at this point. I tend to give everything I have to my hobbies. Now, it is time to embark on this next adventure. Selling my crochet products. I have always loved making things and giving things to other people. I might as well try and make some what of a profit off it now.   

Find the Perfect Gifts for Yourself or Others on Etsy 

So, that’s the breakdown of S’more Grace Crochet. In future blog posts, I’ll probably talk about these topics quite frequently. I am hoping that this project goes well. I’m putting my faith in God that He will use this shop for good, and that everything will work out in the end. If you are looking for the perfect gift for yourself or another person, this shop will probably have it. If not now, maybe at a different time. I am always looking for more ideas of what I can add to my shop, within reason.  

Whether you are looking for the perfect handmade item for yourself or as a gift for another person, this Etsy shop will have a variety of household, religious, and animal-themed items that are bound to interest someone. You can either buy items on this website or at Etsy.com. In the future, there might be other places, and I will announce those on my Facebook page and this blog space.