You Are Beautiful and Brilliant

I've partnered up with women who have a story to tell.

These women are ready to be authentic with themselves.
Their stories are shared to inspire and encourage you.
To help you validate the truth that we all know deep down in our hearts.
Sometimes we get so bogged down by our insecurities.
By our hurts.
By things that have happened to us, or choices that we've made.
No matter what you look like, or what you have or have not done, no matter the color of your skin, the size of your bottom, no matter where you were born or how you were raised, God wants you to know this:

"YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND BRILLIANT"

 

Please welcome my friend Cheri and her story:

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Beautiful and Brilliant

I have wracked my brain for weeks on this subject.  When did I know?   When did it finally sink in?  When was my “ah ha” moment that I am Beautiful and Brilliant?

My lovely parents delighted in their children and offered plenty of love and respect to each of us.  They planted the seed for self-confidence and they watered the seed consistently by praising our accomplishments and believing in us.  But that wasn’t enough to fend off the under current of “not good enough” as I went through middle school and puberty.   High school was a nightmare when I had to move from Texas to GA, and give up cheerleading, dance team and my boy friend!  And then I chose a career of ballet and performing arts, of all things! That was a trap for perfection if ever there was one!  There is no such thing as “good enough” in the world of dance.  There was always room for better, for improvement, for solo star status.  But I never wanted that.  I always wanted to be in the corp.  I wanted to be the support for the one who did want all of that glory and pressure; for that one who did know she was Beautiful and Brilliant!  I was quite content to hide in the mass of tutus, thank you!  I was just not beautiful and brilliant enough.

My young adult years were filled with turbulence.  Not a fertile ground for Beautiful and Brilliant.  Becoming a widow with a 3 year old to raise nearly did me in.  But in true red headed determined fashion, I pushed through.  I found my way through fog and fear.  I conquered daily battles, including a divorce much later.  I raised two beautiful children.  I completed decades of life.  I fattened my faith.  I became a real person with about forty million layers of lessons and experiences.  I finally found the love of my life whom I felt I would be content with forever.  We eventually moved into our dream home, a historical mess that we could rebuild together as we built our own life.   We attended my children’s weddings, became grandparents, celebrated life right out loud!  And we fought to keep our lives and hearts intact when my daughter was diagnosed and battled cancer; when our grandson became deathly ill and spent months in the hospital and when my dad, brother and Paul’s grandmother passed away. 

I can’t tell you when, where and at what exact moment it happened.  But as my artistic self went from performance art to visual art; my creative writing increased by blogging about my life and I became quite sure that God loves me, warts and all…I found the peace I had searched for most of my life.  As I glue mosaics together, creating a completely new image out of glass shards and as I weave cloth and create a beautiful piece of fabric from mere strings, I have peace in my heart, in my soul and in my creative energy flow.  And the more I work with these things, the more I want to promote healing amongst the masses of people who need to heal, especially adolescent girls!

And one day I looked in the mirror and there was no criticism about the image looking back at me.  In fact, she was beautiful, just the way she was.  Freckles, which were the source of a lifetime of teasing, were still shining brightly and dancing around my face.  But now there were lines and wrinkles marking the passage of time.  I could actually name some of them and when they arrived!  I have always been satisfied with my intelligence.  Slightly above average most of the time, unless you’re talking about finance.  And “it” was just there … it had finally arrived.   I am beautiful and brilliant.  It is never too late when you discover that you are beautiful and brilliant just as you are!

p.s. And as a side note Chrissie is the angel who gifted me with the love for putting mosaics together through her art.  So Chrissie, I will say to you right now, you are a major source in my beauty and brilliance finally arriving.  And I love you.  Thank you.

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Thank you sweet Cheri, and for sharing  your honesty and gentle and sincere beauty.
You can learn more about Cheri by clicking on the links below.
Blog

Facebook 

Shop

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If you'd like a free Beautiful and Brilliant 5 x7 print and have a story you feel led to share, (or know a group of people who could benefit from these prints) please email me at gracechrissie@yahoo.com.)  I am more than happy to share them with you free of charge!

Ava's Gnome Party

Ava's seventh birthday is right around the corner and we celebrated a little early with a gnome party.

Her original request was a nature party, but we infused the gnome/mushroom theme and we had such a fun time planning for it!

I found these plain ceramic mushrooms and gnome at Michaels and we gave them some paint to bring them alive.

I made the softie gnomes using felt and a pattern from Wee Wonderfuls.

We had the mushroom scrapbook paper and flowers from another project, so we used them to decorate the goodie bags.

The girls all painted bird houses to take home.

I created a nature themed scavenger hunt and stumped them all with the pine cones.  :) There are none around here!

I made Ava's shirt per her request :)

I also made these gnome hats for everyone using this pattern.

They were a big hit!

 I found the gnome pinata on-line and that was a lot of fun too!

Mike and I so enjoyed watching her with all her friends.  With four sons, a little girl is always a little different .  :)

New items in my Etsy shop

I'm excited that I finally have some new items over in the shop.

The first one is this little cutie pie... he makes me happy.

8 x 10 prints are available here.

This is a hand-painted sign from my original "She Said" series.

It measures approximately 12" x 24" and you can find it here.

This is another hand-painted sign from my original "She Said" series.

It measures approximately 12" x 24" and you can find it here.

This pillow measures 18 x 18" and features the scripture Jeremiah 29:11.

It comes with the pillow form and you can find it here.

This pillow also measures 18 x 18" and features a beautiful quote about marriage by John Piper.

It comes with the pillow form and you can find it here.

And last but not least, another print perfect for your kitchen or dining room area.

This was a sweet custom painting that is now available as an 8 x 10 print here.

And...for all my blogging friends, I'd like to offer you a 20% discount Easter sale good through Monday morning.  Please use code EASTER20 when you make a purchase.

We have been on Spring Break this week, have a huge birthday celebration going on tomorrow, and then Easter this weekend.  I'm so excited for all the festivities.  Have a safe and blessed Easter and I'll be back next week!  :)

Instragam update (again)

I had the greatest intentions of posting regularly here on the ol' blog, but life keeps getting in the way.
Instagram has become my daily go-to, it's so easy to keep a small visual diary on there.
Hence my update in instagram photos (again)...

I've been working on this area above the piano for a couple of weeks now.

It all started when I found the piano painting for a mere $10...

I love it, my husband doesn't. 

Then I painted the lamp and lampshade. 

Then I painted the frames.

I'm still not done and my husband is still not convinced.

 

I made this over the week.

I'll be offering versions in the shop soon!

 

 

I painted this little guy too.

In the shop soon, too!



Juicing makes me nauseous and my blender was about to bite the dust.

After a 30% off coupon at Kohl's I bought this and couldn't be happier.

I use it every morning!

(Sorry about the picture, can't get it turned the right way?)

 

It's pillow time!

Lots of new babies being born, bedroom make-overs, and shower gifts have meant I get to make lots of pillows right now!  :)

 

I'm creating a series of paintings using my wood pallet scraps.

This one is already taken, but I'm hoping to have some new ones in my etsy shop soon.

Do you see the theme here?  Soon, I hope!

 

Oh, and her.

She has begun guitar lessons and I love it.

Ashton plays the guitar and Jackson has declared when he's six he will play the drums.

We will officially have a family band!  :)

Spring Break begins today for us!
I am so excited to have a week of fun with my family.
Here's to posting more regularly...:)
xoxox

Daddy-Daughter Dance

The annual Daddy-Daughter Dance at our church is over again.

They have gone four years in a row and it is one of my favorite days of the year.

To see them both get so excited about their date warms my heart.

 

This is an excerpt from an email that the pastor of our church sent to all the men before the dance.
I think it's so lovely that I wanted to share it.

 

"The influence of a godly man is crucial in the development of a girl's self-esteem, and this relationship will set a pattern for the attributes in men she will seek as an adult. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to set, or reiterate, the standard for how you believe she deserves to be treated, and to let her know that anything less is unacceptable for her as a woman.

Here are a few ideas and suggestions provided by the Daddy-Daughter Dance Event Team to help you make this a time to communicate the value and beauty that both you and God see in her.

Approach this as a special date. Formally ask her out; get dressed up for her; buy her a corsage or flowers; open her car door for her; tell her how beautiful she looks.

Practice dancing with her before the dance so that both of you feel comfortable dancing together that evening – this will help improve her confidence, as well as yours!

You’ll be served “child friendly” desserts and snacks, so you may want to take her out for a meal before the dance.

Let her know in actions and words that you desire to spend quality time with her.

Compliment her – tell her how beautiful she is, how much you enjoy her company, how there isn’t anywhere you would rather be.

To stay focused on her, leave your cell phone in the car or at home.

At the end of the evening, let her know you had a wonderful time.

I feel so blessed to watch their relationship grow over the years.  :)

You are Beautiful and Brilliant

I've partnered up with women who have a story to tell.

These women are ready to be authentic with themselves.
Their stories are shared to inspire and encourage you.
To help you validate the truth that we all know deep down in our hearts.
Sometimes we get so bogged down by our insecurities.
By our hurts.
By things that have happened to us, or choices that we've made.
No matter what you look like, or what you have or have not done, no matter the color of your skin, the size of your bottom, no matter where you were born or how you were raised, God wants you to know this:

"YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND BRILLIANT"

 

Please welcome Angie and her story:

 

 

These girls of mine are growing up right before my very eyes.  In just a few short weeks they'll be turning 11.  They're half way done with 5^th grade and then it's onto middle school next year.  There are times when I catch myself looking at them and think, Who are these big kids?  How are they so tall?  When did they grow so opinionated?  I am the mother of small children.  These BIG kids can't possibly be mine.  But, you see, I am not the mother of small children.  These tweens are mine.  

And as they grow, I have this urge to hold them close and stroke their hair and whisper encouraging words in their ears.  Words that will burrow into their hearts and stay there forever.  Words that will become their truth.  Their anchor.  Their rock.  Words that will become their inner voice, words burned into their being.  Words that take shape and grow wings and fly about them, protecting them and keeping them safe.  Safe from self doubt (it will surely come one day), safe from the chains of society, safe from the buzz that surrounds us and makes us feel unworthy, not good enough, unloved.

I worry everyday for my girls.  They're blued eyed with blond hair.  Identical twins.  They are gorgeous.  One is a dancer, a perfectionist, a scholar.  The other wants to spend her time crafting and creating -  crocheting, sewing, drawing.  She loves to laugh and make people laugh.  They both love big.  They wear their hearts on their sleeves.  They care – about themselves, each other, our family, our community.

I worry about raising them right.  That we are raising them right.  I worry about making them strong and confident,  so that one day, when the weight of the realization that their biological father signed papers to give them up, to let their Daddy adopt them, comes crashing down on them, they will know that he did it out of love.  That he gave them up because he loved them, not because they were unworthy, not good enough, unloved.  And that their Daddy adopted them because he loved them.  And that every decision in their lives was made out of love and nothing else.

I want them to always be able to look in the mirror and know that they are  strong and courageous.  Kind and loving and thoughtful and  amazing. That they are beautiful and brilliant.

 

Thank you Angie, for having the courage and generousity to share your story with us.
You can learn more about Angie here:
Blog:  http://www.ikeandco.com/
Shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ikeandco
Instagram:  @ikeandco

 

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If you'd like a free Beautiful and Brilliant 5 x7 print and have a story you feel led to share, (or know a group of people who could benefit from these prints) please email me at gracechrissie@yahoo.com.)  I am more than happy to share them with you free of charge!

40 Spots in 40 Days

I'm sure most of you are familiar with "40 bags in 40 days".
I took my own spin on it for Lent this year with "40 spots in 40 days"
I made a list of 40 places in my home that either needed to be deep-cleaned, organized, gone through for donation, or needed a more time-consuming task like painting.  I've got about half-way through the list, and I'm hoping to do a lot more over the weekend.

I started in our bedroom/bathroom.  I deep-cleaned...the fan, under the bed, all the drawers.  I went through our closets and washed all the bedding.  I spray-painted and embellished a couple frames.  I went through all my jewelry even and simplified.

It was very cathertic choosing what I wanted to keep and what we didn't need anymore.

One day when I was making a large drop-off at Goodwill, I ran in to find this shelf for $3.  I knew right away it was meant to house my paints!  I painted and distressed more GW frames and re-arranged some new art too.

This was my biggest project so far.
I have had a bookshelf for a couple years now that I bought at a Habitat for Humanity restore.
It is real wood but it was dark and dingy.  I've been wanting to paint it for a long time but was afraid I would mess it up.
Thanks to some advice from my IG friends it turned out great!

My motto as I do my spring cleaning and spruce up:

 This week I'm tackling a remodel in my almost-teenagers room.  Wish me luck!  :)
Are you doing any spring projects before Easter?
Have a great weekend friends.