What will it take to stir our hearts?

The photograph you see in this brief video is of "Baby David" whose body was found by pro-life activists at a women's clinic in Houston. He was aborted at 28 weeks gestation in a D&E abortion (dilation and excavation) during which his head and arm were ripped from his body.

The activists (Debbie Huddnal and Chad Traywick) photographed Baby David in order to expose the violence he had suffered. When photo developers and police saw the photographs, they though a terrible crime had been committed. They searched the activists' home and only then did they discover that the violence done against Baby David was entirely LEGAL. The violence of abortion.

Police account covering the case prove the authenticity of this photograph.

Handmade for Life Treasury on Etsy...

Etsy is a community of handmade sellers from around the world who come together as separate shops to share their creative fruits with the cyber world. For an artist/crafter it's a great place to be but naturally reflects the world view of the culture at large. That's why it is such a blessing to have a pro-life presence in the community there.

April marked the Handmade for Life Etsy Team's first official month on Etsy and it has been a time of wonderful growth and inspiration.

One of the opportunities that Etsy members have to showcase and promote other shops is to put together treasuries which are like little museums curated by individual sellers.

Lucy of Mum Mum's Crafts put together a wonderful treasury for our team today and I took a screen shot for your enjoyment! The treasuries expire after a couple of days but if you catch it in time you can find it here.

Kathy Ireland stands up for the Unborn...

Supermodel Kathy Ireland on why she is pro-life:

"My entire life I was pro-choice — who was I to tell another woman what she could or couldn’t do with her body? But when I was 18, I became a Christian and I dove into the medical books, I dove into science," Ireland told Tarts while promoting her insightful new book "Real Solutions for Busy Mom: Your Guide to Success and Sanity."

"I called Planned Parenthood and begged them to give me their best argument and all they could come up with that it is really just a clump of cells and if you get it early enough it doesn’t even look like a baby. Well, we’re all clumps of cells and the unborn does not look like a baby the same way the baby does not look like a teenager, a teenager does not look like a senior citizen. That unborn baby looks exactly the way human beings are supposed to look at that stage of development. It doesn’t suddenly become a human being at a certain point in time," Ireland argued. "I’ve also asked leading scientists across our country to please show me some shred of evidence that the unborn is not a human being. I didn’t want to be pro-life, but this is not a woman’s rights issue but a human rights issue."

See the entire article here.

You can also see Ireland talking about her pro-life position with Mike Huckabee here.

Baby Big Mouth....

I'm just waiting for someone I know to have a baby so that I have an excuse to shop with Baby Big Mouth. Not only are these onesies and T-shirts darling but they also shout a message of joy, hope and love of life.

Maggie is the heart and hands behind Baby Big Mouth and describes her business journey this way:

One day, while shopping for clothing for my baby, particularly onesies, I noticed that anything unique came with a hefty price tag. I’m one of those people with champagne taste on a beer budge, but then again, aren’t we all these days? Except now I think most of us are down to ordering just water. Anyways… that’s when I decided that I would try my hand at making my own designs. Good thing for my son they didn’t turn out so bad! Even a baby doesn’t like to be anyone's guinea pig : ) Once I put together some cute designs it occurred to me how much freedom I had to put anything I wanted on a onesie…so I invoked my right to freedom of speech and BABY BIG MOUTH was born.

On God and Life--Pro-life that is...

I realize not everyone will like the wording or subject matter on my onesie's. In fact, some folks may be down-right offended... but isn't that what makes our country so great? We all have the right to believe what we want to believe and say what we want to say... ah glorious, wonderful freedom. Thank you forefathers and veterans everywhere!

I love the word of God (aka - the Bible). His love for us is so clearly expressed from cover to cover. I'm inspired to write it everywhere within eyesight, so naturally I put it on my baby's shirts! I also have a deep passion to fight for the lives of unborn babies...hence the pro-life onesies. I created them with the deepest love and respect for all & only a pure desire to encourage everyone to CHOOSE LIFE!

For those of you who don't "jive" with what you see here...be nice...no hate mail, pleeeease. For those of you who are excited about stumbling upon BABY BIG MOUTH...I made these onesie's for you! Enjoy.

Maggie is such a wonderful addition to the Handmade for Life team and a source of constant inspiration to me. It is not always easy to be boldly pro-life in this culture and the support and example of people like her is so critical to building a healthy and vibrant community.

Thanks so much, Maggie, for all of the good work that you do!





You can shop with Baby Big Mouth (or just have a great time browsing) by visiting: www.BabyBigMouth.etsy.com

Pro-Life Video Contest for Kids...

A couple of months ago, Lia, the young lady in this video, attracted a great deal of YouTube attention with her impressive pro-life video project. She's back again in the video below announcing a pro-life video contest for kids sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List.

Abortion Recovery Awareness Month...

I realize I'm a little late in the game on this one but it's still worth bringing to attention.

Abortion Recovery Awareness Month, sponsored by Abortion Recovery InterNational, was established in 2005 five with two key purposes:

1. to encourage and promote healing opportunities
2. to enlighten society to the aftermath of abortion on individuals and families.

From the ARIN website:

Abortion Recovery changes a person's life! Most abortion affective clients search out healing opportunities only when their pain becomes unbearable, they are triggered by something, or they are encouraged by a friend or family member to seek help. One of our goals at Abortion Recovery InterNational is to enlighten society by raising awareness of abortion and its aftermath. We also want to inform people of the recovery opportunities that are available world-wide....

Abortion Recovery Awareness Month is “secular-friendly.” It is FREE of condemnation, judgments or negative connotations. It has no political agenda. Abortion Recovery Awareness Month is full of compassion, grace and forgiveness… resulting in help, healing and hope! A celebration and renewal of someone’s life. Let's start by sharing those!

It's tempting to repost the entirety of their website because it is so full of important and useful information. But I don't need to recreate the wheel since they've already done it so well! Please visit the Abortion Recovery InterNational and abortionrecovery.org websites for fantastic abortion healing resources.

In addition to useful information and links, ARIN is also a great resource for awareness products. I love the idea of the D.R.O.P Card pictured below.


These signs are also a great opportunity to reach out...


And in the same spirit as our own Handmade for Life charism, ARIN offers a line of bracelets created for all those who have been touched by abortion. You can see one of these lovely pieces, the Recovery Bracelet, at the top of this post.

For additional (including faith-based) post-abortive resources, please visit:

Rachel's Vineyard
Bethesda Healing Ministry
After Abortion
Silent No More

Making Life Beautiful...

One of the goals of Handmade for Life is to draw attention to the beauty and value of the created world. Our focus is the miracle of the unborn child...Defending the right of that beautiful Life to exist and to grow without violence. But that focus cannot help but branch out and extend to every aspect of life that is affected by attitudes and actions that can highlight the blessing of life.

When I need a little inspiration, I love to browse our HFL member sites and see what these good people have been working on. One of my long time favorites belongs to a glass artist on Etsy who has lent so much support and joy to this effort. She makes gorgeous handmade lampwork beads and jewelry and is always exploring new ways to communicate her passions through her art. Carol is a true gift to this community and I count it an honor to call her friend.

Carol first became involved in Handmade for Life when it was a seedling. I was expressing my desire to put together a collection of handmade items to raffle off in my community to raise money for my local CPC... Not only did she respond expressing her desire to contribute but she set to work immediately to come up with something very special for the occasion....

And Baby Carrie was born! A 100% handcrafted doll combining lampwork, crochet, and sewing arts. The photos here are not of Carrie but of the second doll (Sweet Angela) born of Carol's hands. I am still touched and inspired by the amount of time and effort that went into the donated doll...Made so lovingly even while knowing that it would be given away.

This photo shows the handmade "B-A-B-Y" beads that are attached to the custom crocheted bag made just for the doll.


Here is "Angela" nestled in her pretty crochet bag...Waiting for her new home!


Thanks so much, Carol! I am so grateful that babies and mamas will be blessed by the work of your hands!

Interdenominational prayer for life...

(Pro-life prayer bracelet by Beads of Heaven)

A debilitating flaw of the American pro-life movement over the years has been it's tendency to fragment instead of unite. Instead of recognizing that we are all members of one body with different roles to play, the feet try to walk without the legs and the torso without the arms. Money struggles, power issues, personality differences...Failure to honor the fact that it is the different "charisms" of a body that give it the ability to accomplish a work.

At this critical time in our history, it is time to see ourselves as a healthy and vibrant body. We all have a work to do in this fight and I pray that this is the time to set aside all inconsequential differences and I am hopeful that it is happening.

In light of that hope, I would like to share a 30 Day Interdenominational Prayer for Life that is the fruit of the common effort of representatives of many Christian denominations and organizations.

Perhaps it can be of some use to you in your local efforts for life.

White House confirms receiving 2 million red envelopes!

Back at the beginning of March, I wrote here about a pro-life work called the Red Envelope Project. The idea of the project is to send empty red envelopes to President Obama in order to send a message to him about the impact of his anti-life policies and hopefully, to inspire a change of heart.

Many thanks to Rebekah of JustLikeRebekah who provided us with a very inspiring update this morning. The White House mail office has confirmed that it has received over 2 million red envelopes calling it one of the largest letter campaign in 35 years!

When a White House mail worker was asked if he had seen a flood of red envelopes destined for the White House, he said, "Uh, yes...Believe me, they made it here."

Read the entire article here: World Net Daily

Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to fill out one of these envelopes. Spread the word and keep it coming! Our voice is being heard!

War on the Unborn?

One of the biggest mistakes that pro-life people made during the recent presidential election was thinking that abortion would be a peripheral issue for this administration. Although in many ways the writing was on the wall for all to see, the candidate managed to wield a rather effective smokescreen of slogans and emotion and talk of prosperity and change. What he clearly stated many times to his close supporters was that he intended to make abortion a focal point of his administration.

We are seeing the fruits now. He has been given a free pass on this issue with the majority of legislators fully on board with his agenda. That agenda looks increasingly like an all-out attack on innocent life.

It is no longer time to speak hypothetically about what this administration might do. They are doing it. Look at what Barack Obama has done in his first few weeks of office:

* Rescinded the "Mexico City policy" and authorized your tax dollars to fund international groups that are promoting abortion around the world.
* Begun the process of eliminating the "conscience clause" that protects doctors and nurses from being forced to take part in the crime of abortion.
* Expanded human experimentation by increasing federal funding of destructive embryonic cell research.
* Renewed funding for UNFPA-the United Nations group that helped China carry out its "one child" policy of forced sterilization and forced abortions.
* Promised to sign the "Freedom of Choice" Act-which, if it ever were to reach his desk, would undo every pro-life law in all fifty states

Lest you think that these actions are just the norm for a sitting liberal president with legislative majority, I present a list of his appointments to key positions in the government. He is lining up his generals in this battle.

* Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State.
* Kathleen Sebelius, the radical pro-abortion extremeist governor of Kansas, has been tapped to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.
* Rahm Emmanuel is Obama's Chief of Staff. He had a 100% pro-abortion rating from NARAL while a member of Congress.
* Ellen Moran, the former Executive Director of the pro-abortion group Emily's List is now White House Communications Director.
* Melody Barnes, a board member of Emily's List, is Domestic Policy advosor.
* Dawn Johnson, a former abortion rights attorney for NARAL, is the Assistant Attorney General for the office of Legal Counsel.
* James B. Steinberg, Obama's Deputy Secretary of State, is on record saying that it is unconstitutional to keep your tax dollars from funding abortions.
* Nancy-Ann De Parle-an abortion advocate who worked on the Clinton health care plan-will head up the White House Office of Health Care Reform.
* David Ogden, our new Deputy Attorney General, represented the interests of pornographers over the protection of children.

I know there are pro-life people who voted for this administration. I know that many of us who didn't vote for Obama did not do enough to speak out before the election. We certainly can't undo what has been done...But it is time to step up and take our place on the front lines.

Let us stand for life and speak for the voiceless innocents.

I am grateful to Priests for Life who provided these facts about our government. Below is a brief list of challenges that they issued in the same publication...Sacrifices that we can make for the youngest members of our human family. Consider...

--giving up a Saturday morning to pray outside a local abortion clinic;
--spending time helping a local pro-life group
--meeting with a priest or pastor and challenging them to preach against the evil of abortion;
--confronting a family member who is pro-abortion.

I would add...
--Follow the example of so many artists on this site and offer your talents as a weapon in this fight.
--Put your money where your mouth is and support sellers who support life.

Autism Awareness Day...

(Autism Awareness Earrings from Larie's Creations...20% of proceeds donated)


I've always been one of those people who think that it's a bit unnecessary to designate a special day for every cause and person and product. Although I am quite fond of ice cream, I have just never been able to get excited about National Ice Cream Day. I'm not opposed to the idea of Fruitcake Toss Day but I confess I rarely have a fruitcake to toss...So, this amazing opportunity always passes me by! And although I dearly love all of the Grandparents in my life, I don't believe I have ever given a card or treat for Grandparents' Day. (Now, don't frown at me...I try to make them feel special every other day of the year!)

But there are some days that are set aside to remind us of something incredibly important. Many of the major religious and national holidays come to mind...When we set aside time to reflect and celebrate and grow in knowledge and love and unity.

On the surface, Autism Awareness Day appears to be in the former category; one of those days that is a nice idea but ultimately inconsequential. A more careful consideration leads me to a different conclusion...

That the life an autistic person is a treasure indeed and that it must be upheld, supported and cherished...Especially in a time and culture that devalues "challenge" and redefines it to mean "useless".

It is our role as people of Life to encourage those around us to view all life as it is given by our Creator. We know that a person with a disability is a cherished individual who has dignity and value. It is through our words and actions that we can communicate this to those around us.

Autism Awareness Day is a special opportunity to have this discussion publicly. To raise awareness of the wonderful lives touched by this particular challenge. And I am happy to participate!

You can learn more about life with autism at these sites:

Autism Society of America
The Autism Research Institute
AutismWeb

I am so grateful to the many artists here who love someone with Autism. They have taught me so much about what it means to love deeply and authentically.


(Autism Awareness Tile Bracelet by Cherry's Creations...25% of proceeds donated)


(Autism Awareness Angel by Matt's Crafty Wife...100% of proceeds donated)