Decorating Walls on a Budget

I am no great painter. I will begin by saying that. But I am a big fan of color and having fun with art! And when I look at my new living room wall, I feel happy and admittedly a little proud to know I made these mini masterpieces myself!

After this project the greatest painting advice I can offer is to give yourself the freedom to "play" when you paint. No pressure! If you have a color palette already established, you can create some pretty and easy wall art using one simple brush stroke. Back and forth. Changing colors when you feel the need. Blending as you go. Until something lovely emerges.

I love the fact that collages are so popular lately. No need to spend a fortune on one large piece to fill a big empty wall. Lots of small goodies will do the trick. In my opinion, the more the merrier. The key of course is hanging them artistically which is (I suspect) easier than one might think. Pretty sure there is more than one right answer when it comes to hanging arrangements!

By the way, Ikea has some fantastically inexpensive frames! They also have little mini prints on sale every now and then. The one in the tan frame came in a set of five for 98 cents. Steal! Craft paper makes a great frame filler too. There are dozens of cute options to choose from and you can change them out as frequently as you please. One last thing, I don't know about you but I am often frustrated by the prices of throw pillows. You can thus imagine my delight when I found these four darlings for 8 bucks apiece on clearance at Target! Perfect for me as a lover of orange. Isn't it true that people either love or hate orange? Maybe that's why these were on sale. So I must say thanks to all you haters of orange for not buying them at full price!

There you have it. My new living room in a nutshell! I'm sure this space will continue to transform as new inspiration comes my way, but for now I find it homey and inviting and am enjoying it to the fullest. Of course, the new keyboard doesn't hurt. Some of my favorite family moments of late consist of after-dinner piano music (by me) while James plays with Jack on the floor.  

So much to be thankful for! Looking forward to a week of gratitude...

Inspiring Faith

My sister just told me about Ann Voskamp yesterday. And the lady has already thoroughly inspired me in my walk with God. This post she wrote on prayer is wonderful.

Source

Ann's book called One Thousand Gifts is one I've now written on my "to-read" list for the year. She even hosts video discussions of each chapter here.

Have you heard of Ann before?

I love when I learn of people like this who are serving God outright and drawing others to Him. It blesses my heart...

Fabric, Yarn, and Inspiration

How do you feel about vintage fabric? Charmed? Inspired? I instantly loved the print you see below. The picture is of the fabric of a skirt I found while thrifting last week. The design is wearable but I'm feeling tempted to refashion it. When and if I do I will definitely share it with you.

On a different topic entirely, does anyone else LOVE burning scented candles? I get good feelings every time I buy a new one. My latest flavor is called "tropical fruit." Totally out of season but I couldn't resist.

 

It's been a few days since my last post. I've been busy working on the project below. It's my latest crocheted creation slowly becoming a sweater with long sleeves and all. I'm new at sleeves and am still learning how to taper at the elbow, but I think I might just figure it out this time around. 

 

I feel entirely motivated to finish the sweater because I've got this stack of goodies waiting to be made into pretty things.

It's a beautiful time of year...

Stress, What to Do

I am going to be honest. I'm feeling stress. And I know a lot of it can be attributed to the self-inflicted pressures of a piano performance coming up, the demands of school, teaching, wifery, blogging, designing, and on and on... I love to type up that list longer and longer and tell myself what a hard worker I am as I sit here and justify my stressful feelings. 

 But, Someone is telling me to stop. He is saying, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I am realizing my stress is unnecessary. My worry is not needed. I have a Father who is taking care of my needs, and my only job is to come to Him so He can give me rest and refresh me for His good purpose. 

 My prayer Lord is that You will overshadow my to-do list with Your own, that I would look up at You with wonder as a child, and that You will amaze me by Your overwhelming love.

Krista Joy Photography

This is my darling little niece as flower girl at our wedding. 

The Perfect Work of Perseverance

I love school for the most part I really do, but there are pieces of it that torment me. One of these torments is writing papers. And as a nearly graduated graduate student, I have a huge one waiting at my feet to be written. It's not so much the writing that gets me, it's the researching. And even though I love my topic (piano pedagogy), I find it hard to set aside time to go sit at the library and work. When I manage to get myself to the library, I feel so strongly the temptation to browse the internet reading lovely blogs or I long for the moment when I can go home and create clothing designs. I tell myself, it's just one more semester of studies... just one more....  I wonder if I have what it takes to finish. Am I spent? Do I have any self-discipline and motivation left?

Source

This morning as I was going through my journal looking at Scripture verses I've written down in the past, I came across this one. "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1:4 (NIV)

I realize this wasn't written specifically to graduate students, but since that is where I'm at right now, I took it to mean I mustn't quit at the task God has put before me. Even though the going is tough, I must not quit. And even though I wonder if all the sacrifice and effort will be worth it in the end, I must have faith that I will reap the benefits of what I sow. And then I realized, that it is in fact paying off right in this moment because through this battle I am learning what it is to persevere. God is working in me. I do have faith.

Blessings to all of you who are persevering through your unique battle. I wish you all the strength and encouragement you need to carry on.

Love,

Tribute to Audrey

Perhaps you have already read them. But these Beauty Tips by Audrey Hepburn are some of my favorites.

~ For lovely lips, speak words of kindness

~ For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people

~ For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry

~ For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day

~ For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone

~ People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody

~ As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others

~ The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to the heart, the place where love resides

~ True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows. And the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.

Tips and photos taken from the book Total Beauty

by Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley.

It's a fun read if you've never checked it out. You're sure to find some lovely ideas and illustrations that are fresh and inspiring.

Lovely Red Velvet

I love the color palette in this photo from Red Velvet's February Lookbook. Of course it isn't February anymore, but I'm still digging those tones. And really I love all the photos in their book. It was tricky choosing only two that might tempt you to go check out their beautiful website so you can feel inspired too. Lovely...

This last photo makes me very happy. Won't be long and James will be finding love notes painted everywhere in our house. Poor man. I am so grateful for a husband who not only puts up with all my experimental bursts of creativity but actually encourages me in the process. Thank you Lord for all your blessings!