Greetings friends, I am so glad that you are here. I like stories, so I am going to share a few stories to introduce myself.
Small Things Great Love was born October 2016 after a prayer and very funny interaction.
In early 2016, about a year after my son was born, I found myself in an interesting place. My husband and I wanted another child, but it was not happening. We sought out medical help through NaProTECHNOLOGY, and it was exhausting and very expensive, something no one tells you. I also missed my work in ministry. I felt called to help in the New Evangelization, and wondered what that looked like for our family, in my little corner of the world.
I turned to prayer. What could I do? What could I offer? I have been making knotted rosaries for almost 20 years. The Little Catholic Box had recently started, and the owner lived down the street. I thought this could help bring in some money for all the testing and treatments and I could spread the devotion of the rosary, a passion of mine.
I reached out to her, and here is where the funny part comes.
ME: (Awkwardly messages Liz-founder and owner who I also really wanted to be friends with but only saw her at church functions) Hi, my name is Allison and we both attend Our Lady of Mt Carmel. I make rosaries and I think they are unique. Could I drop off a few and would you consider putting them in The Little Catholic Box?
LIZ: Sure. Here is my address. You can put them in my mailbox.
What I did not know then, was that when she started The Little Catholic Box, she said she would never put a rosary in there because everyone already had 18 of them. She was so worried about not liking what I brought over that she thought it was just easier to let me down gently in an email, rather than in person. But that did not happen. She saw them, and she loved them, and ordered almost 200!! She then encouraged me to open a shop so that folks could order more, and boy did they ever!
The shop has grown so much since then and I am so grateful. It continues to be a fruit of my prayer, from bangle bracelets to stickers, to beaded rosaries to wall rosaries.
As for the other details in the story, we conceived our second babe about a year later. As for Liz and I, she is one of my dearest friends today.
I would love to tell you the story of my Wall Rosaries.
In 2016, I made a connection with someone who has formed my heart and my business.
I had this love of felt balls, the rosary, and an idea that came to me in prayer.
Colorful Wall Rosaries made from felt balls and wood beads.
I ordered a few crosses from Amazon and even looked at a local craft store, but I wanted a crucifix, and I did not have the time to paint them (nor the skill if I am being honest).
I put my felt ball designs and desires out there in this little Facebook group and Michelle from Rough2Rustic Custom Decor came forward and said, “I can make those for you.”
First came the crucifixes. I loved them. The craftsmanship. The look. The feel. Michelle designed and made them herself. But it was missing something - a centerpiece. Michelle’s reply was perfect, “I can make those for you.”
I worked with Michelle to come up with uniquely Catholic designs. I love the Auspice Maria, meaning, “under the protection of Mary,” and the Marian Cross, found on the back of the miraculous medal, and she got to work.
A partnership and a friendship started that has been a gift to us both. She has been supporting my little business, as well as my heart, for years. We have been able to be in each other’s presence, and we have plans for many more meet ups.
When you buy a Small Things Great Love Wall Rosary, you are supporting TWO Catholic mamas and their families.
When you buy a Small Things Great Love Wall Rosary, you are purchasing felt balls that are fair trade certified.
When you buy a Small Things Great Love Wall Rosary, you are buying the fruit of prayer for your intentions and a desire for the world to have deeper devotion to Our Lady.
To my faithful customers, THANK YOU for your support of the years. Michelle and I are truly grateful!
I am a mama of 2 boys on earth and two little Saints in Heaven.
I make rosaries.
I am a beloved daughter of God.
I was born and raised just outside of Buffalo, NY and I am the only girl of five. I have lived all over the world doing ministry with expectant women at Maggie’s Place in Phoenix, and working in higher education, both in the US and abroad in Austria.
Hubby and I met through CatholicMatch. We met in October and were engaged exactly 6 months later and married a little over a year after that initial meeting. We married on November 1st. The joke is that we did not just want to pick a day with one saint’s feast, we wanted them all to intercede for us. We live in Indiana.
Our boys bring us so much joy! The eldest really spoiled us with sleeping through the night at 2 months, eating all of his fruits and veggies, and hardly ever getting sick. He has such a heart for the Lord and loves to pray the “yo-sary” as a family before bed. We call it the stall tactic that ALWAYS works.
The second little guy is our NaProTECHNOLOGY miracle. We conceived our first born right after we got married. The second did not come that easy. We prayed. We went to doctor appts. I took supplements. I poked myself more times than I can count. He truly is our gift and we are grateful for him even when he wakes up 2-3x a night, plays “baptism” with his stuffed dinosaur in the toilet, and elects to get most of his calories from copious amounts of milk.
In late 2016, I approached Liz Outzs, founder of The Little Catholic Box, about some knotted rosaries I made. She loved them and ordered 200. I opened an online shop and I have expanded to offer some beaded rosaries as well as my most popular items, wall rosaries. It has provided me with an opportunity to stay home while my boys are growing and still have an opportunity to participate in the New Evangelization. I am grateful for my little shop, Small Things Great Love.
I am grateful to say that I know the Father’s love for me. I know it like the air I breathe. He has pursued my once very broken heart to teach me just how He loves me. Particularly through JPII’s Theology of the Body and my service at Maggie’s Place, I have come to learn God’s plan for man and to become fully alive through loving in rustic hospitality and service. It is my hope that this truth, beauty, and goodness of God’s love for us flows into everything I do and shine brighter than my brokenness.
Of all these things that I am, I know that I am first His, and the rest flow from that.
