Encouraging Ladies of All Ages In Femininity And Biblical Womanhood

Congratulations to Savannah Carranza, who won the copy of Before You Meet Prince Charming! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did :)   Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book, if you have not read it already!

Our next giveaway will begin February 8th – we will be featuring more home businesses. I am making a couple changes with the giveaways: first, I’ve decided to use random.org for drawing a name, as that means less work trying to keep paper slips straight! Second, beginning in January 2012, if you have won a book that was reviewed within the past four months, you are not allowed to enter a book giveaway – but you are allowed to enter the home business giveaways. Similarly, if you have won an item from the FHB giveaway within the past four months (beginning January 12th), you are not allowed to enter another giveaway, but are allowed to enter for a book.

I just want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to win and we don’t have the same people winning multiple items! Thank you all for understanding and please check back in February for our next giveaway!

I had heard about this book for quite some time and was always interested in reading it, but for some reason I never made it happen! When my sister gave me the book on my last birthday, I was delighted and enjoyed it immensely. “Before You Meet Prince Charming” is subtitled “A Guide To Radiant Purity” and tackles the subject of how to remain emotionally pure before marriage.

Although I’ve read several “emotional purity handbooks”, this is one that I can whole-heartedly recommend to girls of all ages. As one mother wrote; “It did not compromise one’s purity while reading about purity”. The author (Sarah Mally) discusses a number of topics, including the dangers of the modern dating system, setting standards and sticking to them, how to control your thoughts and guard your heart, having right relationships with young men, surrendering dreams and desires to the much bigger and better plan of the Almighty and living a joy-filled, contented lifestyle while “waiting”.

Interwoven throughout the book is a story of a princess in a castle and her struggles with these issues that we girls face. There are testimonies from other young women as well as suggested assignments at the end of each chapter. This book was an enjoyable read that offered wonderful advice and encouragement … and I heartily recommend it for all unmarried young ladies! It would also be a great book for a mother and daughter to read together.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of “Before You Meet Prince Charming”, here is what you do!

Giveaway Rules:

You must be a Shining Stars Magazine subscriber to enter this giveaway. If you are not currently a subscriber and would like to be, please leave a comment on this post to join the giveaway and include your mailing address. I will then add you to the subscription list, and remove your address before I publish the comment.

All Shining Stars subscribers are allowed one entry.

For an additional entry (leave one comment for each entry):

• Follow Shining Stars through Google Connect (on the sidebar).

• Add the Shining Stars link to your website or blogroll.

• Post about this giveaway on your own blog. (Make sure to leave the link to the post).

This giveaway ends on January 22nd.

First, I would like to announce the winners of the Featured Home Business Giveaway … Samantha L won the Teddy Toes blanket from Happy Heels by Hannah and Hannah M. won the tea package from Day by Day Creations. Congratulations y’all :) :)

Thank you all for participating! There will be a book review and giveaway beginning on January 8th and another FHB review and giveaway on February 8th.

Volume5 Number1 is coming together nicely – I still have some more layout/design work to do and a little more space to fill … there are a couple of things I am looking for :)  I decided to add a few regular columns – at least, that is the plan for now. We’ll see how it works out! The columns consist of:

• A Peek Into My Hope Chest
• Being Beautifiers
• Heroines In History
• Out Of The Mouth Of Babes
• Recommended Reading
• Serving Our Families

I have also thought about adding one that focuses on nutrition and healthy living. Any thoughts? At this point, I do not have entries for Being Beautifiers, Out Of The Mouths Of Babes and Serving Our Families.

Being Beautifiers ought to contain topics like “What are some ways that you make your home a pleasant and welcoming haven?” and “How do you combine modesty and femininity to present a beautiful outward appearance?”

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes will contain short stories about young children – these can be thought-provoking, inspirational and humorous.

Serving Our Families will contain ideas on practical ways that you serve and bless your family.

If any of you have anything to share that could fit into one of these columns, please let me know as soon as possible! We do not have the cover photos picked out yet, so there is still time to submit photos if you have some that you would like to share.

Thank you all so much for making this possible. This is not my magazine … Shining Stars provides a way for each of you to encourage many others with the insights and thoughts that the Father has given you. I am honored to be a part of this and join with all of you in blessing your sisters in Messiah!

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of our family’s preparations to join a conference that our fellowship is hosting this weekend, I have not yet been able to complete the FHB giveaway! I’m sorry for the delay and I will do my best to announce the winners on Monday, the 26th!

Featured Home Business is a fairly new project on the SSM website. In an effort to support various entrepreneurial endeavors, we will be featuring home businesses every other month. This includes hosting a giveaway of one or more items, sharing information about the business and products as well as contact info for those who would like to purchase items, and a listing on our Featured Home Business page (which is coming soon). If you have a home (family-run) business and would like to have it featured on this website, please contact me for details at shiningstarsmagazine[at]gmail[dot]com.

Welcome back for another home business review and giveaway! Like last time, we will be featuring two cottage industries today. Let me introduce you to Melody, owner of Day by Day Creations.

Greetings! My name is Melody Grubb and I’m 21. I live with six of my seven siblings and our dear parents on some land in north Texas, where we have some hogs, chickens, a couple of guard dogs, rabbits that I raise, two ducks and many cats. Our family forms a bluegrass-gospel band (www.thefullquiver.com) and we play at churches, nursing homes, festivals and other events locally and in the surrounding states; it is something that we do to the glory of God and pray He uses it for His purposes. When we are not playing somewhere, I enjoy working on various business ventures, caring for the animals, reading history and true stories, being a nanny three days a week, posting on my blog once in a while (www.melodygrubb.com) and teaching piano lessons. I pray that God is glorified through my life!

A few years ago I started purchasing loose tea from the Bulk Herb Store. I loved their all-natural, heavenly-tasting Jasmine Green, Pomegranate Green and flavored black teas so much that I wanted to share them with others and also make an income on the side. So a few months ago I bought some of their empty tea bags and two different flavors of their tea and, using a clothing iron, filled and pressed the bags. I am still perfecting the process, but am learning how to quickly (but efficiently) produce tea bags for those who enjoy a fresh cup of tea. Many times the bags are made when ordered so that they are even fresher.

I love the smell of Jasmine green tea! The Pomegranate-flavored green tea also has a strikingly-sweet scent which permeates the room as I fill the bags. That is my favorite part in making the tea bags —  enjoying that sweet smell and knowing it’s an all-natural smell!

Thank you for letting me share about my little business. I hope the winner will enjoy their gift of tea bags and that others will purchase some for themselves — I know you will enjoy drinking tea that is healthy and pure!

Melody will be giving away ten tea bags to one winner!

These tea bags are handmade, using all natural tea and tea bags. Each bag contains approximately 1.5 teaspoons of fresh loose tea. The winner will receive their choice of the available flavors.

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The second cottage industry that we are featuring today is Happy Heels by Hannah. Some of you may be familiar with this small home business … for those of you who have seen the Teddy Toes blankets and wanted to try one out – here is your chance!

We are five sisters – Hannah (21), Ruthie (17), Sarah (14), Abigail (12) and Lydia (8). We live with our parents and two brothers in rural Tennessee. We enjoy singing and playing music together, cooking, sewing projects, games, talking(!), visiting with friends, helping mothers with young children … and cleaning the bedroom that we share :)

Hannah started Happy Heels by Hannah a couple years ago. We had seen the pattern for Teddy Toes – a blanket specially designed to be used with a car seat … and we decided to start making and selling them. These blankets are made of 100% polyester fleece and come in a variety of colors. They are sized for babies 0-6 months. Ruthie has recently started offering drawstring baby gowns for sale too.

Our favorite part in making these products is … Hannah: “Thinking of cozy warm babies!” … Ruthie: “Cutting the thread on the final snap!” … Sarah: “Knowing that the blankets are being made with lots of love and care!” … Abigail: “Looking over the finished product!” … Lydia: “I haven’t made any blankets yet but I hope to start cutting them out soon!”

While this home business was started with selling baby blankets, we hope to expand in the future – offering other home-sewn items, jewelry and anything else that we start creating!

Happy Heels by Hannah will be giving away one Teddy Toes blanket!

While the Teddy Toes is designed for use with a car seat, it also makes a wonderful blanket to swaddle your baby at any time! Click here for pictorial directions on how to use the Teddy Toes.

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So do you want a chance to win one of these products?!

Giveaway Rules:

You must be a Shining Stars Magazine subscriber to enter this giveaway. If you are not currently a subscriber and would like to be, please leave a comment on this post to join the giveaway and include your mailing address. I will then add you to the subscription list and remove your address before I publish the comment.

All Shining Stars subscribers are allowed one entry, in which you must tell me which item you would prefer to win!

For an additional entry (leave one comment for each additional entry):

• Visit Day by Day Creations and tell me which tea flavor you would like best.

• Visit Happy Heels by Hannah and tell me which color blanket is your favorite.

• Follow Shining Stars through Google Connect (on the sidebar).

• Add the Shining Stars link to your website or blogroll.

• Post about this giveaway on your own blog. (Make sure to leave the link to the post).

This giveaway ends on December 22nd.