The Journey Magazine out of Lufkin

Sarah Swan was inspiring young woman for December 2009 in The Journey Magazine. Heartfelt Couture was mentioned in the article. Check it out at http://issuu.com/suchilders/docs/finaldecember09 go to page 42.

Thank you Sewing Seeds and Merry Christmas to all!

Sewing Seeds is a women's group at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX. They took time to make over 20 gorgeous gowns for some amazing children. I was able to deliver some of them to Medical City Children's Hospital on Thursday December 10th. I know that these families are so grateful to receive such a special gift.

Amy, Mandy, Renee, Shelly, and Rosie thank you!! I know these children will LOVE them!!! You all have a heart of gold.

If you are in a women's group and would like to do this please email me keri@heartfeltcouture.com. I would be happy to help get you started!

This will be my last post for the year. Heartfelt Couture continues to reach families and children everyday. 2009 was an exceptional year and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for HFC in 2010.

Blessings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Keri Abshier

Looking for an intern

Heartfelt Couture is looking for an intern to come to my home and serge hospital gowns. I am looking for someone punctual, responsible and that can either drive themselves or have a parent bring to my home in Bedford, TX.

This would be great for a high schooler that is looking for work experience/college references. I will work with their school/activties schedule.

I only have room for 1 person right now. Please email me at keri@heartfeltcouture.com if you know someone that maybe interested.

Thanks,
Keri

Heartfelt Couture is on Twilightseriestheories.com

Back in May I asked one of the sisters from http://www.twilightseriestheories.com/ if they would like for me to make/design a one of a kind red carpet dress for the premiere of New Moon.

See I am a HUGE fan of Twilight. I know that may sound odd since I am a Christian and LOVE Jesus. But Twilight is much more than a story about vampires and werewolves. Plus Kassie and Kallie the creators of TST are amazing Christian woman as well. Kassie and Kallie do a podcast and discuss the books and the movies. If you dig Twilight then you really should listen ,they are hilarious!!!

I asked with the intention that I could spread the word about Heartfelt Couture. TST reaches millions worldwide. It took me almost 5 to 6 months to get the dresses ready. Kallie was able to be on the red carpet and interview Kellan Lutz, Daniel Cudmore, and THE Robert Pattinson. She looked BEAUTIFUL in her dress and I could not have been prouder for an amazing person to wear the dress.

Go to their site and check them out!! I am so proud of what God is doing for Heartfelt Couture. He gave me the talents to make these dresses and put me in the right place at the right time to ask. Now millions of people will read about HFC and possibly a child that would like a gown will get one! That is the whole reason I did the dresses so one child would be blessed!

Blessing,

Keri

Thank you Professional Flooring Supply

I want to send a HUGE thank you to Professional Flooring Supply. Monday I had a cutting night at their office and it was AMAZING!!!! They also gave Heartfelt Couture a very generous donation that will help us out with fabric. I felt so blessed and they had such an amazing spirit and helped cut out 15 or so gowns and over 100 letters for name pillows. We did this after work hours so they also generously gave up their night! These kids are going to be so blessed by these awesome people!!

A special thanks to Karen Haas! She set everything up and was so well organized I was amazed!!

PFS once again you ROCK!!!!

Blessings,

Keri

Question about CPSIA certified fabrics/info

I know alot of you have had questions about what the CPSIA law is and what type of fabrics to buy for Heartfelt Couture. Here is a blog that gives lots of info about the law and fabrics.

www.cpsia-compliance.blogspot.com

It gives the history of the CPSIA law passed in August 2008 and more information.

I know this is all confusing but Heartfelt Couture will abide by this law.

On another note. Heartfelt Couture is now Heartfelt Couture, Inc. We should have our 501c3 application completed in a week or so and we have raised part of the money for our IRS fee. Thank you all so much for helping and praying faithfully.

Blessings to all,
Keri

A New hospital for Heartfelt Couture

Jennifer, Me, and Jada with Child Life

Marie(with Volunteer Services), Jennifer, Jada

The Amazing Jennifer!

Today we had our first gown delivery to Cook Children's Hospital in Downtown Fort Worth. Jennifer Inman-Cartwright and a group of her friends and family made 20 gowns for Cook's. Cook's is a special hospital for Jennifer her son Zach is a patient. He is an amazing 2 year old. Jennifer lives in Wichita Falls, TX and commutes every 3 weeks for treatment for Zach. I was so excited to meet this amazing woman. She gave of her time and finances to make some amazing and fabulous gowns.

I was also able to speak with the Child Life and Volunteer Services with Cook's. I am hoping to be able to do more gown deliveries next year at Cook Children's Hospital, Medical City Children's Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital. I am also planning on adding more hospitals to HFC.

Blessing to all,

Keri

Did you know....?

Did you know all the hospital gowns and name pillows are free? We don't even take money for shipping? These gowns and pillows are given to these amazing children.

Did you know that Poppy Lane Photography is offering a Heartfelt Couture package? Check the out http://www.poppylanephotography.blogspot.com/. Because of Poppy Lane most of our IRS fee is going to be taken care of!!!!

Did you know that between Dec 2008 and Dec 2009 almost 200 gowns have been given out?

Did you know we have given out almost 10 name pillows?

Did you know that a gown costs between $12-$20?

Did you know that Heartfelt Couture saves all the scrapes from the gowns to make the name pillows? Not an inch is wasted!

Did you know that not only do we do gown deliveries to Medical City Children's Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and Cook Children's Hospital, we have also sent gowns out to children all over the US?

Did you know that all of the money earned from pillow sales ($30) goes towards a child in the hospital? He or she will receive a pillow and gown with all costs covered.

Did you know your financial contribution is tax deductible? We will also have our 501c3 status completed in a few more weeks.

Did you know that the Texas Rangers wives have helped make over 40 gowns?

Did you know we will have to use certain fabrics due to a law passed awhile back? Anything made for children 12 and under has to be lead tested. There are fabrics that comply with the CPSIA law. I have found a shop on Etsy that will sell us fabric for a reduced price. If you want more info email keri@heartfeltcouture.com

Did you know that HFC started with 2 stay at home moms? Now we have several moms helping out. They give their time, talents, and money. They purchase the gowns and cut/sew them. This would not be possible with out their generosity.

Did you know we gave 35 children on the heart floor at Texas Children's Hospital gowns and hat boxes filled with goodies to be open on Christmas Day 2008?

Did you know we are on Facebook and only have less than 200 members? And our blog is only followed my less than 20. Let's get those numbers up so more children can receive a gown and pillow!

Even though giving a custom hospital gown to a child is a small thing it does something to their spirit. And something to the parents spirit. To know that someone took their time and money to make something special, for someone they don't know puts a smile on any one's face. And this shows the love of Christ.

Jesus said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you can plant in the ground. Yet when it is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in it's shade." Mark 4:30-32

I have such a passion for Heartfelt Couture, you don't even know. I am thinking and praying for it everyday almost every hour. I think by touching and enriching others lives it gives them hope. Also it teaches these children to be givers too! Teaching the children of tomorrow to give will be AMAZING

Love to all,
Keri Abshier

Sad Day

Hannah Collie went to be with Jesus early Sunday morning. Please pray for her family in this terrible time. Read more about Hannah on the blog in the July section.
I cannot even put into words how deeply sad I am for this family. I know we don't understand what God's will is for our lives and I do rejoice that she is with our King, but at the same time I know her mom and dad miss her DEEPLY. Please pray for peace, understanding and comfort.

"O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me." Jeremiah 8:18

Keri

Heartfelt Couture Christmas Wish List

Many people ask me what can they do to help. So I decided to make out a Christmas List for 2009. Also if you have a talent that could be used to help out with any of these below please email Keri and we can figure something out.

Website-Right now the blog works but you have to scroll down to read everything and I would like for it to be simple to just click to read testimonies/about HFC/ways to give/donations. Things like that. We do own our domain name.

Labels for gowns-Due to the CPSIA law all gowns will have to be labeled. I have been using someone on Etsy and if you would like to just purchase them for us that would be fabulous.

Marketing materials-We need business cards, information cards, letter head etc. Also I am not a marketer my nature it's really a push for me. So if you are a good marketer than maybe emailing me ideas or ways to get the word out about HFC. If you want to just purchase these things for us I can also give you info and upload our designs and you can just pay for it.

Supplies-thread, velcro, interfacing, freezer paper. We go through a lot of these and you can just buy it and ship to me.

Fabric-This of course is the most important of all. We need 100% cotton fabric. In Feb of 2010 we will have to start using CPSIA certified fabrics. Moda, Michael Miller, and Amy Butler are all CPSIA certified fabrics. These fabrics are double in price from what is being bought now. If you would like to buy the fabric and have it shipped to me that is great. Or you can make a donation for the fabric. With the new fabrics it will cost between $10-$15 to make a small child's gown and $16-$20 to make a large child's gowns. A small takes 1 yard and a large takes 2 yards. Please know that none of the fabric is wasted I save all the scrapes and make name pillows out of them. My house is 1500 square feet and is filled with scraps of fabric.

Time-You can do a cutting night with your family, friends, woman group, or church group. If you are doing the cutting night before Feb 2010 you can use fabric from Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's. But after Feb 2010 please use the fabrics listed in the above fabrics. You can also email me and I have all the specifics. This would also be an amazing project for teenagers. A great way to have them give there time. All they need is some fabric and scissors. My girls are almost 4 are already know about the hospital gowns and what they are for.

Fundraising-This is the part that is the hardest for me and I pay a lot out of pocket because this is so hard. We do need funds for shipping to different children, batting for name pillows, and other supplies. Also paying lawyers to make sure we are complying with the laws of the IRS. If you have a talent that you would like to use to help us raise money that would be amazing. An example is Poppylane photography. Megan uses her talents to help us with the IRS non-profit fee.

Thank you ,
Keri
keri@heartfeltcouture.com

Child Life

http://childlife.today.com/

Just found this today. Heartfelt Couture is starting to spread! If you are interested in helping out email Keri.
keri@heartfeltcouture.com

A sweet email

Keri,

Hello. My name is Kerri Fasano. I wanted to get this email out while I had a few free moments.My husband plays baseball for a team other than the Rangers.

I was able to get into contact with Rachel Eyre through a baseball website. And to make a long story short, she was able to, very quickly, I might add, sew me a hospital gown for my little 2 year old son who had open heart surgery on October 1st.

Let me tell you, I have never met Rachel and knowing baseball, I know it was the end of the season and she was heading back home, and just a busy time of year. I was taken aback that she was more than happy to get it done for me! What a sweet woman. I am amazed at the care and love you girls put into these gowns. It might not seem like much, but what you are making DOES make the hospital a bit more comfortable!

I can tell you, my son, many times, has asked for his "roar" (dinosaur gown). We are still here, hoping to go home in the next few days. I have washed the gown numerous times in the sink, and it can't dry fast enough for our little guy!!

It is very cute when the nurses come in and start talking to Santino about his dinosaurs and he gets this little proud, very cute :) grin on his face! The nurses love it, too.... they all talk about it, and I have even had other nurses not assigned his room come in to peak at it!Anyway, I am attaching a picture of him wearing it...and again, wearing it proudly!!

We were playing puppets that day, with hospital socks..hee hee.I have Rachel's email address on my home computer, but only have my laptop here in the hospital. Could you PLEASE forward this email and picture on to her?

I know I said thank you to her via email before, but I definitely wanted to say it atleast once again! And I also wanted her to know that it was the reason I smiled some days because of the expression on Santino's face when he was looking at all the colors and dinosaurs!! Please also, let her know that he sailed through surgery and had a very speedy and successful recovery... I know she was thinking and praying for him!Thank you very much... for all that all of you girls do :)Kerri Fasano

I want a million more stories like this to post on our blog. Please let us know about any child in the hospital. Heartfelt Couture was started to lift up these children. Yes it is something small but Kerri's story above proves that it makes a difference. Also tell us what the child is into dinosaurs, Star Wars, Care Bears and we will make a special purchase and find that fabric. It matters to us and it makes a difference to the child

Keri

Rachel Eyre will be helping out with Heartfelt Couture

I am pleased to annouce that Rachel Eyre will be working with Heartfelt Couture. Rachel has been helping Heartfelt Couture since July 2009. She has made over 30 gowns for us and will now be in charge of Florida. She will take care of all aspects of HFC in Florida and also helping out all over the country as well. I will have an email set up for her soon. If you know of anyone in Florida or anywhere for that matter that would like a gown for their child. Please email me at keri@heartfeltcouture.com.


Keri

A Heartfelt Departure

Dear Friends,



When Keri & I started Heartfelt Couture, my goal was to be very involved in working to get hospital gowns made and delivered to children in hospitals near us. Since then, we have been very successful in doing so. However, my child, Sarah, was scheduled to have her open heart surgery this past week and got rescheduled. We are now waiting to find out a date which should be in the next few weeks.


During this past week, I realized that my emotions are a slight bit overloaded and my mind is at full capacity. I feel like my computer when it is full of too many photos, info, emails, etc. Something has got to be cleared out so that I can think again and run faster. I am overloaded at the moment.


Keri and I have been talking and after some prayer and careful thought, I have come to the conclusion that I need to take a break from Heartfelt Couture for a while. My family and I have a lot to overcome in the next few months and I need to be able to be fully devoted to Sarah and Jason during this time and not feel guilty for not doing all that I want to do with Heartfelt Couture. I am sad to come to the realization that I am not superwoman and I cannot do it ALL, but I know with God, I can do what I am meant to do.

Keri will be taking over all operations with the help of some very special women who have already been helping her. She is confident that she will be able to handle it for now. My plan is to get involved again after things settle down at my house.

I thank each of you for your prayers and support during this time.

Sincerely,

Sharon Swan

Thank you Poppy Lane photography

Some of you may or may not know but Sharon's daughter Sarah was going to have heart surgery today Oct 6th but they had to cancel due to a lung transplant. Praise God a baby got a new lung. So Sarah's surgery has been post-poned. With that being said, we had a photo session set up for Nov 21st to raise money for the IRS fee of $750 and are rescheduling due to the surgery postponement.

Megan with Poppy Lane photography has stepped up and said she would do the sessions for the same amount and donate her time. Only those that signed up for the session get the amazing deal but if you are in need of an amazing photographer please go to her blog www.poppylanephotography.blogspot.com

Megan,
Thank you so much for your kind and giving heart. May God Bless and keep you!!!!!

Keri

Prayer for Sarah & Mikaela

Mikaela is having heart surgery today so PLEASE pray for this sweet little girl. Also pray for her parents.

Also keep Sarah, Sharon's daughter in your prayers as well. She will also be having heart surgery on Tues Oct 6th the same surgery that Mikaela is having today at the same hospital. The surgery will take place at Texas Children's Hospital and could take up to 8 hrs. Pray for Peace for both familes.

Another hospital gown delivery

An amazing women's group in Wichita Falls, TX is busy working on 20 gowns to deliver to Cook Children's hospital in downtown Fort Worth. The women have been working tirelessly to get these gowns ready for these amazing children. Jennifer received a gown from us for her son and wanted to do 20 gowns on her own. This touches my heart because she cares so much. Thank you to all the ladies that have helped out. This ministry could not survive without women like you. We will post pictures from the delivery soon.

Also if you are part of a women's group or really any type of group that would like to do the same thing as Jennifer and you live in the DFW area I would love to come talk to your group or give you the information on doing a gown delivery if you are not local.

Keri

Thank you letter from Medical City Children's Hospital

This letter made me cry. Just to know that even one child is uplifted from these gowns is why this is the best ministry EVER!!!

There are many ways in which you can be involved in this amazing ministry. If you live in Houston/Lufkin area contact sharon@heartfeltcouture.com, If you live in DFW area contact keri@heartfeltcouture.com. We will also have someone soon to contact in the state of Florida. If you don't live in any of these areas but would still like to know how to help contact Keri at above email address.

To God be the Glory Forever and Ever,

Keri

Another successful gown delivery to Medical City

On Tuesday September 8th Heartfelt Couture partnered with The Texas Rangers to delivery 40 hospital gowns, wives cookbooks, and hats to some very special children. The Rangers wives and Captain Ranger the mascot also came to hand out these special gowns. These amazing women helped cut out, sew and package the gowns. It was a great time and the kids had a lot of fun. We were also able to go around to some of the patients rooms with the mascot and hand out hats to some of the older kids. We will be making the older kids a more custom gown. God has blessed this ministry in so many ways.

Keri

Prayer need for little boy hit by a line drive in a baseball game

Please go to site below to read about this 4 year old little boy hit by a line drive. Pray for this sweet little boy and his family. He is in an induced coma and will need your prayers for awhile.

paneech.com/2009/09/the-saddest-thing-i-have-ever-seen/

Rachel Eyre and Andrea Murphy are amazing!!!

Rachel and Andrea have been sewing gowns for a special delivery to Medical City Children's Hospital. Rachel is the wife of Willie Eyre with the Texas Rangers and Andrea is the wife of David Murphy with the Texas Rangers. These ladies have been working overtime to get these gowns ready for our delivery in September. Since the Rangers are in the wild card race this year. WHOHOOO! The wives are going to deliver these gowns with Heartfelt Couture. These amazing women helped cut out all 40 of these gowns. And that in itself is very time consuming. Please pray that God puts us in the path of the children he wants to have these gowns.

I am just so overwhelmed with gratitude to Rachel for doing all of this for HFC that I could cry. I haven't had to do one thing. She organized the cutting night/fabric purchasing/sewing/and has been a liaison between me and the Rangers.

Oh and did I mention she has 3 kids 4 and under?

We are still unsure of the date for delivery but it will be amazing. Cannot wait to see what God has instore for Heartfelt Couture. It is always beyond my imagination. God is so good.

Also if you are reading this and know of a child that will be in need of a hospital gown. Please contact keri keri@heartfeltcouture.com in DFW area or Sharon sharon@heartfeltcouture.com in the Lufkin/Houston area.

Keri

Hannah.....keep praying.

Well, Hannah did not end up going home as they planned. She is having some issues that are causing them to keep her and do another procedure tomorrow. She has blood in her stool and they do not know why. Please continue to pray for sweet little Hannah!

HANNAH'S GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GREAT news, everyone! Hannah Collie is heading home from the hospital today!!!!! Praise the Lord for this amazing little girl's journey and her getting to go home to get back to normal today!!!!

Her mom and dad posted this photo of her in her hospital gown that Jennifer Bowers made for Heartfelt Couture and sent to Hannah! She even put a little "H" on the heart pocket for Hannah! These photos are worth a million words! This makes everything we do worth it to see precious children snuggled in their cute little hospital gowns!

Thank you, Jennifer for making this adorable gown for Hannah!!! We are so thankful for helpers like you! :)

Praise God for these blessings!!!! Sharon

Photos, Please! :)

Hello, Heartfelt Friends!

If your child has recieved a gown from us and you would like us to post a photo in our "Hall of Fame" please email them to heartfeltcouture@yahoo.com ! I am also doing a short presentation on Sunday at my church and would LOVE to share photos of your precious children in one of our gowns! We hope you are all doing well and are blessed!

Great news update on Hannah....She is going home this week!!!!!!!!!! They are hoping to be released from the hospital by Friday!!!!!!!!! Praise the LORD!!!!! God is so good!

Love to all!
Sharon

The Texas Rangers wives are amazing, Again.

I talked with Rachel Eyre(Willie Eyre's wife) this afternoon and her and the other players wives have 40 gowns that are being sewn for Medical City Dallas Children's Hospital! This is the most we have ever taken that hospital and I am SOOO excited. Rachel Eyre is one of the sweetest and amazing people I have ever met. When we first met she was so kind and giving it really put things into perspective and God showed me that he wants this ministry to succeed! Rachel set everything up and did a fabulous job.

I know that all these women have a heart for giving and can't wait to meet them and deliver the gowns. We will also have some of the players come to deliver and the mascot. This ministry has grown faster than I ever thought possible. God is behind Heartfelt Couture all the way!!

If you know of a child that would like a gown and he/she doesn't go to Medical City Dallas Children's Hospital we would love to still make a gown for him/her. Please email us and we would be happy to mail you one.

Also Sharon has been working on our website www.heartfeltcouture.com check it out. It is still under construction!
God's Blessing to you,
Keri

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart."
2 Corinthians 4:1

We have all our photo session times filled.

God is totally with Heartfelt Couture. I can feel him with everything we do! Within 4 days of my first email ,about Sharon doing photo sessions to raise money for our IRS non-profit fee, we have all our sessions filled and raised all $750! I want to thank all my family and friends for signing up and sending out emails to other people. I couldn't have done this without you all! We rely on our family and friends for this ministry and have been blessed by all of you. Every time I get an email from someone thanking us for the gown they received, it makes me so happy that I have family and friends that made this possible.

Next year we will definitely do this again to raise more money for Heartfelt Couture. The IRS fee is a one time fee but we are reaching out to more and more hospitals everyday. Possibly Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. More on that later.

If you live in the Lufkin area and need a FABULOUS photographer for weddings or portraits. Sharon Swan is the only choice! Or she will travel for weddings I know she has in the past!

Love to all,
Keri

A new friend to Heartfelt Couture

Heartfelt Couture's newest friend is a wonderful lady that owns Bessie Mary in Highland Village, TX. She has THE CUTEST shop and donated 3 bolts of fabric to us and will let me buy wholesale through her or she will take me to Moda to buy wholesale from them. This woman is an answer to prayer. In Feb 2010 a new law states that anything made for children under 12 has to be lead tested. The law is very vague and confusing. But there are a few fabric designers that are compliant with the new law and Moda is one of them!!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! I am so excited you all have NO IDEA!! I am just giddy! It's all because of this woman with a heart of gold.

You must must must go to her website she has Fabulous gifts, and other amazing finds! She also sells fabric.

Heartfelt Couture has gone beyond any dreams Sharon or I had!!!
Love to all and God's Blessings,
Keri

Help Heartfelt Couture raise money for an IRS fee and get your Christmas card pictures done at the same time!!!

Sharon is doing mini-photography sessions in Grapevine, TX on Friday Sept 12th and Saturday Sept 13th. The session is $50 and you get a CD with all the pictures and a signed release to have your pictures printed where ever you desire. All the money made goes to pay a fee to the IRS to that has to be paid by non-profits to be recognized as a non-profit. We have to raise $750. So with Sharon's talent we thought this would be a great opportunity for you to get your Christmas pictures taken and us to raise some money. Also for the first 10 people that sign up get a custom made Christmas card template to be printed where ever you choose.

Sharon is FABULOUS at taking pictures and she is AMAZING at digital design. I am definetly going to have her do our pictures. I already have 6 people interested so book soon to get your Christmas card!!!!
Thanks and God bless
Keri
email me at roykeriabshier@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in getting a session time!

UPDATE ON HANNAH!!!!!! GOOD NEWS!!!!!

Update on Miss Hannah!!!! "Hannah is doing great.. Still really weak and intubated but they hope to take her off the vent today. We will have to see. Her kidney function is back to normal and we are waiting on the echo. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. Thanks for the continued prayers keep them up Love to all snowflake Will post later with new stuff." -Amanda Collie

Hannah is doing BETTER!!!!!!

I copied this from Hannah's mom's facebook status this morning!!!! Praise the Lord!!! Yea!

"Hannah is doing so good the dr's are happy. WOW at the difference betwwen yesterday and today as far as the fluid, she is back to her regular size. GOD IS GOOD. They still expect her to be on the vent a few more days and hopefully come off next week sometime. Keep up the prayers ! God hears. Thanks!!!"

Update on Hannah

Hannah's mom posted this on her status update!!!! Good news! Keep praying!!!!

"The catheter is doing what it is supposed thank you God. It is resting the kidneys and pulling off the fluid. she is more alert than she has been in a week, she is nodding yes and no to things and opening her eyes a lot. She even mouthed I love you today and brought her mommy to tears. Thanks for the prayers please keep them up."

CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HANNAH COLLIE!!!!!!!!

Hannah is in need a major miracle this morning. She is going into surgery because her kidneys are shutting down and building toxicity in her body. She is in critical condition but they say they are going to put in a pedi catheter to drain some of the fluid off because her. Pray for a miraculous healing of her kidneys that will awe the drs. and for her parents Amanda & Jason.

PRAY FOR HANNAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She has a custom hospital gown on the way already, but.....

PLEASE keep this sweet angel in your prayers!

She is 4 years old and had a heart transplant two years ago.

Last week her body started to reject the heart and she is in Childrens Hospital in Dallas now under going treatment with some pretty potent meds. She will be under close watch for the next several days to see if the meds are going to stop the rejection.

This is where we come in with our concentrated prayer for our Father to show mercy on her and heal her sick and tired body.

Pray for her mom and dad (Amanda and Jason) as they too need the strength of the Lord to see this procedure through.

The power of Prayer allows us to let go and let God have his way!!!!!

For anyone who would like to send cards, notes of encouragement, etc....the address is :isChildrens Medical Center
1935 Medical District Drive
Dallas Tx 75235
Attention Hannah Collie
CVICU rm203

We love The Texas Rangers and their wives!!

On July 7th Rachel Eyre wife of Willie Eyre with the Texas Rangers is having a fabric cutting night for Heartfelt Couture. She has gotten some of the other players wives to get involved and make hospital gowns for us to deliver!! I am just so excited that this is reaching levels far beyond what I thought was possible. Rachel has been instrumental in getting this together so quickly! I am so glad God has put her in our path!!! Please pray that their time together on the 7th will be stretched and they can get as much done as possible!!! I know they will have a great time as the cutting nights are always so fun!!! Rachel, Thank you again for all your help!!! I am just sad I can't make it!

God's Blessings,
Keri

Boy's name pillows

I wanted to post a picture of Findlay's name pillow. It turned out so cute and wanted to show that we can make boys pillows too! If you know of any child that is in the hospital I would love to make them not only a gown but a name pillow if they would like. Also know that if you buy one of the name pillows all the money goes to provide a gown and pillow for a child in the hospital.

God's Blessings to all,

Keri Abshier

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo of gowns being cut out by Jennifer from Austin!!!

Thank you, Jennifer!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, everyone! This week has just been AWESOME!!!!

Thanks to Jennifer for turning us in to Kelly's Korner Blog!!!

And thanks to Kelly's Korner Blog for writing about us!!!!

We are SOOOOOOOOO thankful and blessed!

We have had NUMEROUS emails, comments, phone calls, etc. this week with women all over the United States wanting to make gowns, get fabric, cut patterns out and mail them to us and donate time and energy to our cause!!! For this, we are so thankful! Thanks to all of you who are emailing us and commenting and encouraging us!

We sometimes find it so hard to believe that this all started just about 8 months ago because my picky little princess didn't want to wear an ugly hospital gown! All because of Keri, who had made my daughter the CUTEST clothes in the past and I called her to see if she could do a hospital gown and because she felt led to make this a mission with women of faith is all of this possible!!!! (For those of you who haven't seen Keri's creations.....you should DEFINITELY check her out! Her shop is on "vacation" until July 15th...but check her shop on etsy after that! www.chasingbirdies.etsy.com) She will kill me for posting that! Oh, well! :P Sorry, Keri!

I am so excited that we are meeting so many new people who want to be involved in our project and so many women from so many places! This is truly uplifting and we know that God is working in our lives to help us reach others in similar situations as Sarah. If you know of a child who needs a gown, please EMAIL US at heartfeltcouture@yahoo.com . We will do our best to get it mailed out quickly!

We know that the blessings will pour upon each of you who are helping in so many ways!

Thank you all so much!

Have a blessed day!

Sharon Swan

MANY blessings...

Hello, Everyone! WOW...We are so blessed!

Heartfelt Couture is reaching new people every day! Not only are we meeting new people through the delivery of gowns but also through friends and we have groups of ladies popping up all over the place wanting to help and make gowns! This is such a blessing! What started out as 2 people trying to give back has turned into so much more and we are so happy for that! We love hearing from those who have recieved gowns and will be happy to post any photos or stories you may send us!!!! The one below is PRECIOUS!

We are getting VERY busy and so..............

Keri has now taken charge of all things "Dallas" area and I will be handling the "Houston" area. We have had people show interest in many other areas and even states! How exciting! We are thankful for God opening doors for us to meet others and to ultimately help SO many children have a little joy during a very scary time.

Sarah had her heart cath on June 5th at Texas Children's Hospital. Miss Keri was so nice to make her a pink & brown floral gown that she LOVED and I wanted to post some photos of it for her! Thank you, Miss Keri!!!! She was so excited to get it in the mail!

Her next surgery will be October 6th and will be an open heart surgery. (Fontan Operation)

She is very strong and we know that God has her in His hands. WE are so thankful for her continued healing and for Doctors that He has placed in our lives to take care of her!

My goal is to have enough gowns to deliver during her recovery time in October. This will be a great way to meet other parents in the recovery floor and talk to them and shine a light for God at the same time! What a blessing that will be! Also, while waiting in the waiting room the day of her surgery, we meet parents and this will be a comforting way to give them something they can share with their child after surgery!

Thanks to all of you who are getting involved in Heartfelt Couture! We are so blessed by each of you and will continue to bless others because of you!

Sincerely,

Sharon Swan

Grateful

We received an email a few weeks ago from a mom:

Dear Keri,
I just wanted to send you a note of thanks now that our son's surgery is over and he is on the road to recovery. We received an adorable little gown for him to wear when we got to the hospital at 6:00am. And honestly, it was so much nicer to see him in that little army gown rather than the sterile hospital white or blue gowns. It really lightened the mood of the room to see that playful gown. Obviously, it was still hard for us to give our little guy over into the hands of the surgical staff, but your gift really touched our hearts. Thank you so much for your dedication to this ministry!
Sincerely,
Elise, Jacob and Findlay Belk

This is what I love about this ministry. It's something simple but it brightens a very scary day.

Findlay will also be receiving a name pillow. Through sales of the name pillows on my website he will receive a name pillow and shipping for free. Mom opted not to get another hospital gown but I will be making one for another patient at Medical City very soon!

Love to all,

Keri

Update on Kyla...& New Name Pillows...

Hello, Everyone....

Just a quick update to let you know that the little girl we spoke of in our last posting...Kyla....went home from her heart surgery and is recovering as planned! Thank God for this miracle in her life! Please keep her in your prayers as her healing and recovering continues!

Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers for Kyla & her family!

Keri has began making name pillows and selling them on Etsy as a way to do to things! Number one....we are able to use the scraps that we have leftover from the gowns! The fabrics are so cute that we hate to waste a single piece! Keri had this awesome idea to make these pillows which are so precious and such a great gift! (way to go, Keri!)

They are available through her etsy shop at http://www.chasingbirdies.etsy.com/ !

She made one and mailed a pillow and a gown and mailed them to Kyla and her grandmother called and expressed sincere thanks!

We would love to hear from you if you know of anyone who would like to make a donation to our cause so that we may continue to show God's love through being able to make gowns and get them to children enduring a hospital stay! This is a great outreach and we are thankful for the lives we have been able to touch through this. Thank you to all of those who have supported us by volunteering time, energy & money! You are greatly appreciated!

Sharon

Please Pray for Kyla...

This precious little girl had open heart surgery last Wednesday on April 8th. She is still in the CV-ICU and could use any extra prayers you can send her. She is Sarah Swan's age (only 3 weeks difference) and even though we've never met her, she holds a special place in our hearts as we know what it is to have a child having heart surgery!

Please lift her up in prayer if you would. Her family would greatly appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Sharon Swan

Gowns Delivered

We delivered 31 hospital gowns to Medical City Dallas Children's Hospital. My amazing friend Becky went with me to help take pictures. My friend Chrissie was also on duty today. She is a pedatric nurse. She has been a tremendous help. All the nurses were so awesome and loved the gowns. I am so happy to be able to make this ministry a reality and see how excited the nurses were to see the gowns. So I know the patients will be twice as happy to get the gowns. If you recieved a gown today please email pictures to heartfeltcouture@yahoo.com. We would LOVE to see them and post them!

Delivery Scheduled

Our next delivery date for Medical City Dallas Children's Hospital is set for April 11th. I will be taking 31 gowns to special children at this hospital for Easter. We have had countless help through this last month. Thank you all for your hard work. I know each of these gowns has been prayed over many, many times over.

Also, I am selling on my website http://www.chasingbirdies.etsy.com/ a name pillow. When you buy a pillow you are also paying for a hospital gown for a child in the hospital. No profit will be made from the sell of these pillow. Whatever money I have leftover will also, go to make a name pillow for a child in the hospital. I will be using the scraps from the gowns. Each pillow will be a different size due to the length of the name. It is super cute and would make a great gift!

Please also, pray for Sharon's daughter Sarah. She is having some medical issues. Pray for this sweet girl with a tremendous heart.

Next cutting night March 13th at 6:30p-9 at Compass Christian Church in Colleyville. Dinner will be provided. So please RSVP if you would like to come and help make hospital gowns for Children's Medical City Dallas.

35 Wishes....Success!

I was so lucky to have 2 special helpers in putting together the items for 35 wishes! Jason & Sarah LOVED it! I told them that as they put the boxes together, to take their time and place the items inside and pray over each and every teddy bear and box for it to be a blessing to whatever child ends up getting it. Pray for their health and recovery from heart surgery! I had tears in my eyes as we put all the boxes together with love. Jason kissed every teddy bear before putting them in the boxes. Sarah knows that she had heart surgery because we talk about it and try to prepare her for the fact that she will soon have more heart surgery. She said "Mommy, when I have my heart surgery, will I get a teddy bear?" My answer was...."of course!" So, she's excited now. She is willing to have heart surgery in exchange for a teddy bear! haha I think that's both cute and funny and even a little sad.

The day of delivery, one of my best friends, Shanna, went with me to help! She was SUCH a help! I loved getting to spend the day with her and hang out and be able to do something nice for others to be a blessing at Christmas! It was a great day for both of us.

When we got to Texas Children's Hospital, there were NO carts available. We had to wait for about 30 minutes and still didn't have a cart. The valet parking attendants were so nice. They didn't make us move our car. We got to leave it right out front so we could make several trips. ...with a wheel chair! We had to load the boxes into a wheelchair and Sarah's tiny umbrella stroller to carry them to the elevators and up 15 floors to deliver. It was comical, to say the least! When we got upstairs, we met the child life specialist for the 15th floor. Her name is Kate and she was SO helpful and sweet! I am so glad to have her as a contact. She came downstairs with us and brought a wagon and picked up the rest of the boxes and hospital gowns. She LOVED the gowns and thought that it was a really neat idea!

Below are some photos from packing and delivery! I can't wait to do this again!