Friday, June 16, 2006

Modest Dress Info Exchange

Devon Carpenter had a great idea: An information exchange for modest dress sightings.

She brought up the idea to me last weekend while we were visiting their home. Here's the basic idea:

If you are an aficionado of modest, beautiful, feminine clothing, then you know how hard it is to find items that match that description. I find, now that I have a daughter that is getting into the 4T-6T range in clothing, that it is even harder to find clothes that are appropriate for a Christian maiden who desires to dress in a way becoming to her beliefs. Couple this with the problem that so many of the dresses/skirts out there that would fit this description are outrageously expensive, and for those of us with many littles at home it is hard to get out there and go shopping (and trying on outfits) while juggling the two to five toddlers/babies many of us have, and it is hard to find the time to search all over the web for these gems, we need help to get these items with as little effort and cost as possible.

So, what this exchange will do is allow a forum where anyone who finds a good deal at any store on modest skirts, tops, dresses, maternity clothing, and little girls clothing, or even patterns to post it here...no matter your location, so that those who are near that location, or near the chain store that is having a sale, can go and buy it at a reasonable price.

But, I will go even further than that...I think we can show true Christian charity toward one another by offering skirts to one another. If you have a skirt/dress,etc. that you no longer need/ no longer fit into, but that could still be put to good use by others, list it here and hopefully it can find a new home and make it a little easier for those of us who desire to honor our husband's desire that we dress in a way that is becoming to godly womanhood/maidenhood.

I will put a link to this exchange on my right sidebar, so that anytime you are visiting my blog, you can click over to see if there are any good deals in your area or an exchange that can be made with another person online.

I will be a clearing house for this information only... not a broker or merchant... so I am not responsible for items shipped, or any agreements between you and another reader of my blog.

I hope that this will help those of you out there who are endeavoring to live a godly, feminine, and modest lifestyle to the glory of God and the bulding of His Kingdom!

Here's the link to the exchange forum: Amy Joe's Modest Dress Exchange
(I'm trying out this free hosting environment for the forum. I don't have any experience with them, so I'm hoping they'll be responsive and do the job for us. Since it's free, they do have ads at the top of the page. Please let me know if any are risque or otherwise offensive.)

Best regards and blessings to you all,
AmyJoe

p.s. Thanks, Devon, for the really great idea!!!

11 comments:

lora k said...

Amy, this is a great idea. My youngest is 10 now and as she outgrows skirts and such we don't have anyone to pass them down to. We'll be going through things soon, so we may have some to get rid of.

In Him,
Lora

Amy Howard said...

Lora,

Thank you! I'm sure those skirts and dresses would bless a number of people out there. What a blessing you are and will be to others!

Amy

Anonymous said...

Amy...
I left a comment on the Biblicalwomanhood.com blog about this modest dress info exchange.

Great idea Amy...

If you are on MOMYs you can post a message there...this topic comes up regularly.

Anonymous said...

That is a great idea, Amy! We find a lot at the many thrift stores in our area...though it is hard work and you have to be very picky!
I would rather never leave my house, but I am trying to teach my daughter that this is definitely an aspect of the Proverbs 31 lady. It's kind of a combination of bringing provisions from afar and clothing the household well!
Hope you are doing fine, how are those puppies doing?
Margaret in VA

Amy Howard said...

Dear Mommyof7 and Margaret,

Thanks for your comments!

Mo7,

I am on the MOMYS digest , but I was having trouble getting into it today, so as soon as I can, I will post something there also. Thanks for the suggestion! Also, thanks for mentioning it on your site as well! Nice site, BTW.

Margaret,

I understand about trying to teach our daughters this. It's definitely something we strive for as well.

I've been to the thrift shops also, and to consignment...I think the kind of deals you find depends on where you live. Where we lived in Texas, we almost always had a great selection, but here we just don't. I know there are a lot of others in the latter boat and so that is part of the reason I thought Devon had such a great idea.

The puppies, well, suffice it to say, they are extremely rowdy...obedience school for the pups, anyone? ;0)

Blessings to both of you ladies,
Amy

Anonymous said...

Amy,
I just had another idea to go along with it, let me know what you think. What about adding patterns that we find that are easy/modest, and even letting people know when they are on sale. Often Jo-Anns and Hobby Lobby have them on sale for .99 or 1.99.

Amy Howard said...

Lora,

Great idea! I will mention it on the forum as well as adding it to the post.

Thanks!
Amy

The Serven Clan said...

Mrs. Howard,

What a great idea! [Or maybe I should tell Mrs. C : )] Regardless of how the idea originated, I hope it will be a useful tool for mothers and daughters.

I'll mention it on our blog . . . not that we have that many readers, but you never know, someone might be interested. : )

Rebecca for the clan

Amy Howard said...

Rebecca et al.,

Thanks for mentioning it on your blog! I hope this does come in handy for many. It really is a challenge to find these clothes sometimes. I think if we all put our heads together we can help each other out.

We sure hope that we get to see you all again sometime soon!

In Him,
Amy

p.s. I think y'all are doing quite well on your readership... the first time you mentioned us on your blog I was inundated with people looking at mine. Thanks for the help in getting the word out!

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one that can't get the URL for the Modest Dress Exchange Forum to actually work?

Has it changed?

Amy Howard said...

Dear countrygoalie,

You may want to try it again as I just checked the URL and it worked fine. Sorry for the trouble.

Blessings!
AmyJoe