be kind

Incidents happen all the time where we have the choice to be kind and thoughtful or harsh and a meanie head...I hate when others choose the latter...and I am ashamed when I choose to be a meanie head, too...but a simple kind word after you have been a meanie head is appreciated, even if you are never told that it was.

Just a thought.

Much love,
Emily Elizabeth

love through mistakes

I was reading Jesus Calling, a devotional book, this morning...and today's entry was such a great reminder of God's love for us through our short comings:

Don't be so hard on yourself. I can bring good even out of your mistakes. Your finite mind tends to look backwards, longing to undo decisions you have come to regret. This is a waste of time and energy, leading only to frustration. Instead of floundering in the past, release your mistakes to Me. Look to Me in trust, anticipating that My infinite creativity can weave both good choices and bad into a lovely design.

Because you are human, you will continue to make mistakes. Thinking that you should live an error-free life is symptomatic of pride. Your failures can be a source of blessing, humbling you and giving you empathy for other people in their weaknesses. Best of all, failure highlights your dependence on Me. I am able to bring beauty out of the morass of your mistakes. Trust Me, and watch to see what I will do.

{Romans 8:28, Micah 7:7}

I have seen His faithfulness through my mistakes in big ways in my life...knowing that He will redeem whatever silly things I do as long as I am committing my life to Him is so freeing! I hope you can rest in that today.

Much love,

Emily Elizabeth





painting curtains

Alas, here is what I am talking about when I say that I "painted curtains".

My camera does not really do them justice...

I had seen some friends' projects where they pained striped on curtains...and then I saw some Pintrest posts of others stenciling designs on curtains...and I decided, I wanted to go for it. I have had a package of Ikea curtains unopened for over a year...and I knew they would be perfect for what I wanted...I didn't want curtains that took over the design of the entire room...and I didn't want drab curtains that were almost the same shade as the wall color in our bedroom...so painting them was the PERFECT compromise!

I started with these, simple RITVA curtains from Ikea...I have a kind of burlap color which is not available online...

I also have one small window and a double window in my bedroom...so I needed three curtains. Ikea curtains are made where you cut them to the length you need for your window and then use iron-on binding to make a hem at the bottom...so, I just used the access from both curtains to make a third. It worked out perfectly (and may have been a Divine blessing :))

So, once I sewed and cut the appropriate pieces, I made a stencil. I am a HUGE fan of clover shapes...and since I will probably never get the Van Cleef clover I so desire, 

I decided that the print of my curtains should look like it :) So I searched Pinterest until I found this:

I went into Photoshop and enlarged the image so that one clover would take up an entire 8.5 x 11 page...and that gave me these:

The hardest part of making these stencils was figuring out what to cut out and what to leave...I guess my brain just doesn't work that way :) The stencil on the left was the best.

Then I gathered my supplies...painters tape, a drop cloth, stencil sponges and acrylic paint...I ended up using two 8 fluid oz. bottles of white paint for all three curtains.

Then I got to taping. I would do this inside if you can.

And then I got to painting...making sure to fill in any blank spots on the clover outline left by the stencil.

After letting each curtain dry, I hung them up in our room...and absolutely adore how it looks! When it is day time, the light comes through and the design is a dark outline. 

At night, the white stands out, letting me dream about one day getting a Van Cleef clover. Hey, a girl can dream!

Now we just need my quilt on the bed and some decor on the walls...it's coming together...verrryyy slowly...but I like that it is all very intentional.

Another small design element that I really wanted to try was to use matte and gloss paint to create a design on our night stands.

It didn't work quite like I thought...but that is a story for another day...

Thanks for sharing my fun with curtains...let me know if you have any questions!

Much love,
Emily Elizabeth

love through resurrection

Have you ever thought what would have happened if Christ decided that He didn't want to come back from the dead?

I wonder what kind of temptations the evil one put upon Him to try to discourage Him...maybe he told Jesus that we weren't worth it...that all of the sin that He took on for us would not prevent us from turning away from Him...I wonder if the evil one played some events that are happening today for Jesus to view (not that I think the devil has that kind of power)...but if we believe that God is omniscient, then surely He knew what His world would do without embracing His sacrifice...

But the story of Christ is one full of hope...and that story continues today...with the hope that we all carry with us...to see our families and friends living lives that are surrendered to God...to see God   provide in mighty ways...to feel the peace and joy of His presence on a daily basis...and I believe Jesus hopes for us all...He hopes we will finally quit trying to figure it out on out own, and will embrace His resurrection! That same hope He went to the cross for is the same hope He calls us with today...

Thank You for always hoping, and choosing not to give up on me, Dear Lord!

Every year I reflect on my First True Love...and I fall deeper in love with Him...what are you learning about Our Sweet Savior this year?

need some good, fully focused music to reflect on Our Savior's resurection? Check out Under the Radar's Easter Special!

Much love + HE IS RISEN!
Emily Elizabeth

sew sweet (vol. 3)

After cutting out my diamonds for Side A of "The Quilt"...I pieced them together....

Each 4 part diamond is now sewn together, waiting to be pieced with various white triangles and squares to complete the side...obviously....I am procrastinating :) My first attempt at pattern making will be interesting...

It's a good thing I am not a perfectionist, right?

Much love,

Emily Elizabeth

Etsy

So, I finally did it...I opened an Etsy store! Click HERE to check it out! (My side bar button over there ------------> also links to the store)

I am working on adding more things...especially baby items...the difficulty is getting enough supplies to fulfill potential orders...living an hour and a half away from craft stores is not the best scenario for a crochet shop owner :)

But, like everything else, I know God sees my efforts and will bless them...He already has encouraged me with my first Etsy order! Thanks Abigail...you are awesome :)

Have any questions or suggestions? Leave a comment!

Much love,
Emily Elizabeth

Kony 2012

There are times in our lives that we look at the past and wonder how our world could have let such evil happen...

And every once in a while we are presented with a chance to prevent it because we actually know what's going on...that time is now

www.kony2012.com or take 30 min. to watch this...

My time in Rwanda and World Vision child in Uganda won't let me ignore our chance to end this...there are many evils prevailing in our world...one less is a triumph in the Kingdom!

Much love,
Emily Elizabeth