golden.

i know you've seen it too. all over the place. gold foil everything.
and you know what. i love it.

i wasn't a big fan of gold before, something about rappers overdoing it with their gold chains, maybe?
but the way gold foil has been used as of late, it's kind of just the right amount to make it....classy.

one// i love mugs. something about grabbing a pretty mug to drink your morning tea or coffee. these are too cute.

two // pink and gold. what's not to love about this scarf? looks light enough to wear it during spring and maybe early months of summer!

three// such and encouraging reminder, don't you think? and pretty to look at too!

four// these matches are so pretty with the pink match head and of course the little gold hearts are adorable.

five// i could certainly use this pillow in my home. i'm sure my daughter would too. and it's on sale too!

how about you, are you into this gold foil trend?

something new.

source

so i'm typing this up at last minute.
because even as i type, i'm unsure and a little afraid. okay a lotta afraid.
it's funny how typing out those words, make this a little comforting. just to make it known i really don't know how to thread about things and have no clue at what may come.

the last few weeks, my heart has been really uneasy.
i've been thinking over and over on what i am to do in this lifetime.

where i am now, i don't feel like i'm fulfilling my purpose. not one bit.
i'm grateful for my job, yes i am. it pays the bills, allows for my family and i to enjoy a meal out here and there and so forth. but am i really spending my day using what God gave me?
and so that has been the question on my heart. and the answer has been a resounding no. i'm not.
i know i'm to glorify the Lord with everything, and i mean everything i do. and that includes my job. however, i feel like if i've had this uneasiness about it, it must mean i'm being pushed to step out of it and chase what has always been my joy.

art. creating. making.

my dream has always been to own a little studio and lately my heart has been on community, families and kids.
how am i impacting my community?

i'm the first one to hide away in my home with my kids after school. sure we wave and smile at our neighbors, but am i really, really reaching out? no. sadly i'm not.

creating an event for the community has been something i've always been wanting to plan and execute. but. oh the buts.

but what if it's horrible?
what if nobody attends?
what if no one likes it?

and just today as hesitated to write this out because i thought, maybe i'll pray more about it, maybe i'll wait a little bit more. i read carrie's post and jessi's and could God be any more clear?

could He be any more clear about us just doing it.
just going for it? just starting out and letting HIM do it all?

friends, i have no clue where this will lead. heck, i don't even really have a plan, but i know He does.
and one thing i know to be true is that things in His hands will be bigger and better than we could ever imagine. and for however long He wants it and how He wants it will be a greater blessing, as long as He walks before it.

so today i ask that you help me pray for this new little movement that will begin:

Kreative Kids will be an organization that will take art/craft fairs to the communities where kiddos will be able to craft and paint exercising their creativity among other children, and building a community among mothers based on the beautiful Gospel of Jesus. and maybe one day, if it it's what God wants, it will turn into a permanent home somewhere where kiddos will be able to come in any day of the week.


and here's where i do something a little more scary and out of my comfort zone. i ask for your help.
gulp.

if you would feel so inclined to help out, whether it'd be monetary or with art supplies, would you email me? even if you'd like to spread word. every little bit will help as i plan for this to be free/donation based to the community.
but most importantly, and i really mean this, your prayers are priceless. please pray for me and this, that God would move.
i know i'm not even ready for what is about to come, i just know it.


here's a huge virtual hug! ((    ))

craft show thoughts/tips.

as i mentioned yesterday, i held my first craft show last friday. it was the testing of the waters, if you will, before making the concret cannon ball decision into setting up a shop.
it was a great experience and wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations on it.

first// be prepared to be blown away by the number of crafters out there. if you've watched craft wars on tlc, that's pretty much how it was.
the creativity of these people is truly amazing. and i know it's a total blogger fail, but i wasn't sure whether it was proper etiquette to take photos of their booths. didn't want them to think i was sizing up my 'competion' or something, but i mean there were wreaths, ornaments, wine bottle covers, jewelry, crochet stuffed cuties, etc.

second// do a mock set up of your booth/table at home before to know what you will need to display your items. we were told a table. i didn't realize it was a round table, so what i had in my head, didn't quite work out. i made do. yet it would have been nice had i been able to stand up the paintings so they could pop out more.

third// kind of goes along with the second. but if you can, invest in a little banner that you can display in front of your table/booth. your brand of course is important. you want to be seen as a small business, not just as a person painting in her spare time. wink. on that same note, business cards are a must. i was able to make some quick tags with the shop's name and etsy address on the back, and i can't tell you how many people grabbed one from me. win.

fourth// be sociable. this one is hard for me because i'm such an introvert. i will smile shyly most of the time but while manning your booth, it's so important to be sociable and step out of your comfort zone. show your excitement to be there, not your fear of people. smile, make eye contact, speak clearly and confident.
this key point, i still need to work on myself!

and fifth// check the weather and do not wear heels if it's a gray, sloshy, rainy kind of day. carrying your stuff back to your car might be a little bit, okay a lot, a lot trickier and dangerous that it sounds. safety always people! ha!

of course there are many more tips that i could get in setting up more craft shows, as i'm just a rookie. but i can say  for sure i will get myself out there again!

have you been to a craft show or held one? what did you think of it?

beautifully molded. the studio.

today it's a pretty exciting day for me.
today it's the day that i finally shut up the fears, the day that i allow the Lord to lead me in the area i love the most, the day that i open up shop.

yep, the beautifully molded studio is open for business.

it's been a work in progress for two years. now i know that phrase sounds like for two years i've been working hard, setting up details, meeting with vendors, etc, etc. and today it's like the gala opening or something.
but when i say it's been a work in progress for two years, it's all been in my heart and mind. because of a pesky little thing called fear. that little obnoxious thing that stops us in our tracks and makes us second guess every.thing. fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of disapproval, fear of letting go and so on.

so what made this time different? the heart of it all. jesus.

see, before my heart wasn't all that into jesus. two years ago and even up until a year and a half or so ago, i wasn't committed to serving with all of me. ministry was for me what i would put my left over time into, if there was any.
it was an item on my checklist.
boy, have things changed.

what God has done in my heart over the past year is nothing short of gracious and merciful, and because of what He has done in my heart, the heart of this shop is to reflect all the glory back to Him.
the Lord knows fully well my dreams and desires. He knows the ministries i want to be able to spend more time on. and i'm praying that this is the first step towards that.

friday, last week, i was in my very own craft show and while my stomach was in knots the whole time, i loved every minute of it. i was able to sell three paintings with the Lord's guidance.
it's where my heart is at. it's where i need to use what the Lord has given me to bring glory back to Him, to serve Him, to give back to Him.

so today, marks the first day of a new chapter, and i couldn't be happier!
the shop is now open!

easy arrangement on a budget.

one thing i absolutely love is having flowers or pretty greens inside the house. sadly, i don't take time to actually go to farmer's markets to pick up some freshly cut flowers and bring them home. and when i go to the grocery store, it always slips my mind. plus besides, it doesn't feel as organic.
so the other day as i had craving for fresh cut greens in my home, yet no time to really go to a farmers market in the morning, i resorted to mother nature.

my children probably think i'm crazy for stopping every little bit, getting out of the car and cutting some pretty weeds for my little project. i'm sure one day, at least my daughter, will do the same.
the fact that we take a country road home helps. hardly anyone to give me funny looks around.

photo crush.

one thing about me that you should know is i'm a sucker for pictures.
if i come over one day, one sure way to entertain me is with photo albums. maybe i'm nosy, but i love looking at other's snippets of life through photography. and photography itself it's such an art i'm obsessed with and the possibilities are endless in capturing what seems like  ordinary and transforming it into something beautiful.

want to be her.

at work, they hold a biennial art show. i'm going for it this year and nervous off my rocker doesn't even begin to describe me. i created this piece about a year ago, actually longer, and it's never left my home. 

far from being professional, but when i look at it, it moves something a little inside me.