Hand Lettering on Canvas! Custom designs!

So, I have this little hobby, I love painting on and creating canvases with words. One of my besties ordered a couple from me...finally got my paints out since I was on my way to visit her over the long weekend.  Her favorites are orange, turquoise and purple...so used a couple of those colors for these. 

  Interested in a canvas?  Colors can be customized for background and lettering.  Quotes, names, dates, verses, words...possibilities are endless!  Leave a comment and I will get in touch! 

Step 1 a background...these 2 are bound on wood frame, 12" x 12" and are 1.5" thick.

 

Step 2 starting the lettering...also sent this as a sneak peek....

 

And, here is the first one.  Such a good reminder:  I am enough. I have enough. I do enough.  The world pushes and pulls us in so many directions, oftentimes leaving us feeling like we aren't enough.  At the end of the day, we can only do so many things well, be so much to the people in our lives and have to realize that we are enough. Maybe this is a reminder for you as well? 

 

The second one is a blue-ish turquoise color. 

 

Sneak peek at the metallic lettering...

 

Here is the final:  I exist, I matter, I make sense.  We were all created for unique purpose and plan, no two alike, each given our own "signature" to this thing we call life, and you do matter and make sense. 

 

Here are a few others I've created recently...

This one for my Dad's birthday...all the things I love about home, the 4G. 

This is song lyric, I lettered black & white, a friend did the lettering on piece of pipe organ. Frameable cardstock/paper is also available. I think this one is 18x24" or so...it's pretty large!

 

Alternatively, just a little 4"x4" treat for 2 of my besties...

 

The best part about this, dreaming with my bestie when I delivered these and talking about what words mean, painting words and creating.  I am so thankful for friends who encourage my creativity!

 

Blessings,  

What I'm Wearing ~ 01.16.15

It was a full 5 day week, but it's a long 3 day weekend ahead!  Yes!  Onto this week...

Disclaimer: What I'm Wearing is in hopes inspiration for your closet, that I can give you some ideas from what I'm wearing. What fits you doesn't always fit me. What fits me, doesn't always fit you. So, we all know the style of jeans that work best for us, the brands of shoes we love, etc. I'm not a "linker" to buy all of these outfits here. Truth be told, a lot of my clothes are many many years old and I pick up things all around the place. I'm don't update my wardrobe every season with the latest and greatest. I don't have signed up for Pinterest, so if there's something you like, you can "pin it" to save. Hopefully you're just inspired, maybe by something you have and didn't think about putting it together or maybe you are just looking for a simple accessory to add in and these posts can give you some ideas.

Green + Leopard are two of my favorite things, so naturally I want to wear that combo all the time. cardigan and polka dot shirt are both Target specials. Light green cardigan paired with darker green scarf, I've always been a sucker for monochromatic.  Especially in summer with all white...speaking of summer, it's been long time since the sun has shined in South Texas and I am not well equipped for the dreary days! I need a the sunshine!!

Still chilly and the best way for me to stay warm is layer up! Sweater dress plus {another} scarf. Gray and brown is another favorite combo of mine...gray + chocolate brown and gray + cognac. My little nephew would probably point out a pattern in this outfit...brown, gray, brown, gray, brown....My Noonday Collection cow horn hoops pair perfectly!  And, oh yes I did toss on some little socks with my booties. Cold feet are the worst!

Did I say white a minute ago?  Yep, white jeans in the midst of cold January!  It just happens sometimes.  Denim shirt + aztec cardigan = warm and cozy all day. My classroom is typically very cold on cold days, so if I know I'm in there, I definitely layer up! These booties are a TJMaxx favorite from a couple of years ago...one of those pairs that you know will wear out one day and you wonder how you'll ever replace them. They are about 4" high, but they are surprisingly not miserable to be in all day.

I've had it.  The cold, the dreary.  It was time for a day of favorites!  Bright scarf, military jacket, new fav cognac boots over dress + leggings.  I think this day the sun actually made it's first appearance...I announced it to my class with great excitement, which wasn't really received as excitedly.  Maybe because I followed up with an assignment? 

And, Friday! The sun was shining, I was feeling like I needed to spice up my jeans and it was still cold.  This Gap blazer is from many years ago, but it's perfect for my school colors and under there is a Spirit T-shirt thus making this "Friday legal" according to dress code!  Wide cuffs on skinny jeans...kind of liking them vs. the thinner cuff....you?

The most amazing part about this week...only 1 day with my hair in a pony tail!  :) 

 

Cheers to the long weekend, I'm off for a little roadie to see one of my besties from life on the road!

 

Blessings, 

What I'm Wearing ~ 01.09.15 {Back to School}

It's 2015 already!  The Winter Break was so lazy, this week of getting back to the routine was so hard!! 

Disclaimer: What I'm Wearing is in hopes inspiration for your closet, that I can give you some ideas from what I'm wearing. What fits you doesn't always fit me. What fits me, doesn't always fit you. So, we all know the style of jeans that work best for us, the brands of shoes we love, etc. I'm not a "linker" to buy all of these outfits here. Truth be told, a lot of my clothes are many many years old and I pick up things all around the place. I'm don't update my wardrobe every season with the latest and greatest. I don't have signed up for Pinterest, so if there's something you like, you can "pin it" to save. Hopefully you're just inspired, maybe by something you have and didn't think about putting it together or maybe you are just looking for a simple accessory to add in and these posts can give you some ideas.

Thankfully, Monday was a workday with no students, so I could still sport my leggings, which were pretty much my uniform for 2 weeks.  It's hard to break old habits.  I mentioned these boots and my jacket on Friday favorites. 

Tuesday our Students were back and it was our Community Partner "Take Flight" day.  I do love jeans, so second to leggings, I still felt like it was easing me back into reality.  The weather in Texas has been so cold, I have pulled out a couple of cashmere sweaters from the archives that haven't seen a lot of wear in recent years. This gray cardigan is one of those pieces. 

I have always loved graphic T's and the couple of sweaters I have (that aren't cardigans) have some sort of graphic on them.  I like this gray w/ green heart, mixes well with black, white or navy stripes too!  I wore my navy suede heels, but have also worn this same combo with leopard heels. 

Brrr...seriously cold outside.  Aztec sweater coat for the win!  Paired with gray jeans pants from Loft.  Shhhhhh. 

TGIF! Made it one week back.  A weekend ahead with not much planned.  I mixed up all the patterns today, navy gingham, paisley scarf and barely peeking out polka-dot socks. 

And here it is all together, apparently I also wasn't into fixing my hair much this week...some weeks are just like that, right?

 

Blessings,

Friday Favorites ~ little this, a little that

TGIF!  It was one of those weeks, can I get an AMEN!?  Including packing my lunch and leaving it on the counter this morning.  It's hard to get back to routine after 2 exceptionally lazy holiday weeks! 

Linking up for Friday favs...with Andrea, Erica & Narci

One of my besties gave me these Kate Spade favorite color green studs! I wore them the next day, didn't matter to me if they matched or not! Love them so much and I know I will be wearing them a lot!  I love it when someone picks out a gift for you that you had looked at yourself, never bought, and never even talked about them either! Now that I have a pair of these and know how much I like them, I might end up with more....

 

I mentioned my New Years Resolution was fresh flowers in my house.  One of my college besties brought me these last week at our lunch gathering and they have been so bright and cheery in my house this week! I know fresh flowers are going to a favorite all year long! If you're feeling like you've already failed your resolutions, you might find some encouragement here.

Little things are big things for me and when someone remembers something that you like, and then surprises you with a little treat, it's a favorite for me!  I love this quote...kindness matters.

This year for my nieces' birthday, I took them shopping for a new dress. We had a fun outing, lots of laughs and posing in the dressing room and they each found a dress as part of their birthday present.  This year for Christmas I gave all 3 littles a gift card to Target and told them I would take them and they could pick out whatever they wanted.  So, we headed to Target after church one Sunday with gift cards burning a hole for them!  We labored over Legos for my nephew, finally had a combination picked out, then turned the corner...saw this puppy dog and Max was adopted right off the toy aisle of Target.  I never would have picked this as a gift for him, and he was so very excited about him!  The girls looked at all sorts of things...high heels , office supplies, pens, and toys...then both decided on stick on nails, lip glosses and couple of other little things from the kids cosmetics aisle.  They tapped on all counters, fridge, chairs and tables and were so pleased with their nails.  Shopping with them to pick out (pretty much) whatever they wanted was so fun and what I think will become a favorite tradition for me.  Aunt life is such a gift! 

 

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Bundle up and stay warm this weekend!  With rain and 30 degree temps predicted plus a couple of new books I will most likely be in one of my favorite places...on the couch! 

 

Blessings,

2015: Resolution

Here it is January 6, resolutions still fresh on the mind of many.  I'm linking up today with Andrea at Momfessionals for her Tuesday Show and Tell. 

 

I've never been a big New Year's resolution writer...I can remember several years going to our church NYE party when I was younger and writing letters to ourselves about the new year, but don't ever really remember seeing them at the end of that year to know how far I'd come, or let's be honest, gone backwards. 

 

For several years as an adult I had a theme...something that rhymed with the year, ie: Divine '09. Last year I had a word, I wrote it and intended to blog about it at the beginning of the year, but just kept that word hidden in my heart and thought about it constantly throughout the year.  That word was FLOURISH and you can read about it here. 

 

And, now it's 2015. 

 

The resolution I made was to keep fresh flowers in my house. I found this cute mercury like glass vase at Target on a random aisle for $4.50, picked it up, paid for it and declared it my fresh flowers vase for 2015.  First up were hydrangeas. Simple grocery store flowers, nothing fancy, but a reminder to me that I am always growing, lessons learned from FLOURISH. 

 

They also served as a centerpiece for table when I hosted my College Besties for our Christmas (which was Jan 2nd this year) ornament get together. Bonus flowers too because one of my sweet besties brought me these roses!  They have bloomed so pretty all week reminding me "Friends", one of the sweetest blooms in life. 

So, I'm still soaking on my word for 2015.  I think I have it.  I have seen it and heard it in so many places, I feel like it is confirmed.  But, I think I'm going to hide it in my heart for this year.  I want to hold onto it. I want to watch God work in my life through this year and see how that word comes into play.  If you're searching for a word for this year I have seen so many posts of great words...Build, Grow, Intentional, Brave, Free, Give, Grace, Courage, Simplify...maybe one of those speaks to you.

One thing I do intend to do is be intentional with my time.  I feel like my schedule owned me majority of the end of last year. All things I was glad to be a part of, thankful for and fun parts of life.  But, I don't want my schedule to own me. I want to be intentional with my time.  I mentioned my new planner on last week's Friday Favorites, it's the Day Designer by Whitney English.  There are so many great points to this planner, each day with quote, (which I love), to-do list, schedule, things to focus on, daily gratitude, dinner plans, money plans...all areas of life I want to be intentional. 

 

 

But I have decided at the end of the month, I will tear out the pages of that month.  They are days gone by. There is no need to hash and re-hash those days.  Some days the to-do list won't get done and some days the calendar will be overscheduled. Lots of days I will fail at something. 

 

Maybe you're looking at the first couple of weeks of January and thinking I've already failed at all, or some, of my resolutions. Give yourself some grace, tomorrow is a new day. The greatest lesson of this is one of my favorite verses, the mercies of the Lord are new every day.  We all fail terribly and can't ever succeed on our own will and power, but we do thrive on the grace of Jesus and thankfully we start over every day. So maybe the goal is to be better today than yesterday, or better tomorrow than today. 

 

No matter the case, don't let your resolutions lie to you when you've not met them.

Let the grace of Christ speak truth to you.  

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

 

One other way I want to be intentional is to not waste time scrolling on my phone.  Instead reading a book vs. status updates. The first couple I have for the new year are Mingling of Souls by friend and gifted teacher of scripture Matt Chandler. The book is designed for single, dating, engaged and marrieds, based on Song of Solomon and a study guide is available.  Also have the I am Malala checked out from our school library to read. 

 

 

Another book I would recommend that many have seen the movie is Unbroken. I haven't seen the movie, but have heard so many disappointments from friends who read the book that the "rest of his story" wasn't told.  It is hard to pack 97 years into 2/2.5 hours of movie, but Louis Zamperini has an amazing testimony of forgiveness and his life over the last 30ish years. 



 

No matter the resolutions we make, life happens. I pray that we are above all of our to-do's & resolutions well equipped in word, truth and relationship with Jesus. Perhaps that is the best resolution. 

 

Blessings,

Friday Favorites {Christmas gifts + deals}

Happy 1st Friday of 2015!! 

Linking up for Friday favs...with Andrea, Erica & Narci 

 

It's a new year and that means a new planner!  Organization/office supplies/new calendars are one of my favorite things! I looked at several different ones this year...Erin Condren Life Planner, Emily Ley Simplified Planner and Whitney English Day Designer.  I ended up going with the Day Designer.  I am excited to start using this planner for life, studies, blogging, friend dates, dates (hopefully!), to-do lists, volunteer commitments and more all in one place!  It also came in the prettiest packaging, was like a present to unwrap! 

 

 

Military Jacket...I have been looking for a sweet forever for one that fits me w/out being oversized AND the sleeves are long enough. I'm 5'9" and some things I can size up in and get the sleeve length, but every jacket I tried on just didn't fit me right. On the day after Christmas I was shopping Target armed with my extra 20% off coupon clearance and I found this one in the men's section! It's a small and perfect fit for me.  Brand is Converse and receipt says "smoking jacket", ha! I've already worn it a couple of times in the week I've had it!  This is definitely a favorite wardrobe staple and will dress up my usual "uniform" of leggings on the weekend. 

The pic above was a Saturday and I headed into the city for some shopping, particularly was looking for tall riding boots, flat heeled, cognac color.  And, this was later that day!  I found these boots (MIA Crossings) at Francesca's.  Best part was, they went on sale w/in couple of days, so they gave me the price adjustment credit and I got them for $23!!! A bargain is definitely my favorite! They also go perfectly with the Military Jacket!

 

For Christmas I asked for a Journaling Bible . I got the ESV version and my very own set of Twistable Colored Pencils.  If you have littles in your house, you probably have some of these around.  I write in my Bible at church, mark verses and make notes, but this one has an extra large margin and is perfect for high-lighting verses/thoughts/lyrics/etc that really teach me something. The morning at my kitchen bar is my favorite and I'm going to have to be mindful of the clock before school, as I can spend a lot of time reading/studying and now lettering in my new bible!

 

I just finished up Beth Moore's 90 Days with Jesus study, and one of the last days she was talking about Hope, and the Greek (original) definition..."Confident expectation". That is what I want to remember about my hope in Christ. No matter the circumstance, that I have confident expectation in Him! A friend also told me about these pens, and they are perfect for writing in my Bible. Pens are one of my favorite things, and super fine point pens are the best!  I found this set at Hobby Lobby.

My school bestie has a super talented husband who crafts up lots of fun ideas she creates!  She gave me one of these boards, frame with chicken wire...perfect for Christmas card display or all year long display.  It's kind of like my live Pinterest board....few quotes, verses and pics of favorite things!  I hung this right by the door I come in from my garage and it makes me happy every time I open the door! 

 

Speaking of Pinterest...I've never had a Pinterest, but at the persuasion of some friends I have started one for my blog.  So, if you're a Pinner...followe Signature You....check me out here! (Hopefully that works, because I still need help with Pinterest!) 

 

Have a great weekend!

2014: Flourish

 

I started 2014 with a word:  FLOURISH.  I looked it up by definition in several places and decided that's what my theme was for the year...I never mentioned it, didn't write about it, just kept it on my mind through the year....

 

- Thrive: in growth like a plant

- Psalm 92:13

"Planted in the house of the Lord, they will FLOURISH in the courts of our God"

- decorate with fanciful curves or lines

(saw that after I had drawn out "FLOURISH" with fanciful lines, ha!)

 

Looking back on this year, it's like any other, there were ups and downs, seasons that were hard and seasons that were fun, lessons learned about myself, opportunities that came my way and countless other things. I've read so many updates of bidding  farewell to 2014, couldn't wait for it to end, bring on 2015. I think one thing I have learned this year, even with the turn to a new year, there's no guarantee that the next year will be 12 months of joy.  I just hope that I can thrive through the days, weeks and months, despite what comes. 

 

All plants endure seasons, and if I am firmly planted in the Lord,

I know no matter what the season, I will FLOURISH. 

 

A few things to note from this year....

I was asked to be a Godmother for one of my dear friends I grew up with. Easter Sunday I attended their baptism.  They will endure seasons and I have watched their family endure seasons but I pray that they will FLOURISH. 

I was pretty nervous about the summer coming, but it turned out to be such a great season of rest, reading (11 books!) and relaxation (mostly by the pool!).  I learned so much this summer, I spent a lot of time by myself, but also lots of great nights with friends, road trips and getaways, time with my family and the littles. Despite a hard Spring, I was reminded: Jesus has enough power. When I feel like I'm floundering, because of Him, I will instead FLOURISH.

 

2014 brought some great losses.  2 of my college besties lost their Dads this year.  I have watched them show remarkable courage and grace in dealing with greatest loss in their lives to date.  I am proud to stand beside them. Our family lost a dear friend on Dec 31st, a lady who helped my Mom so much as a newlywed and new Mom. I have so many memories with their family, their daughter was one of my favorite babysitters, (she let me wear her cheerleader uniform), we vacationed with them, spent countless meals with them, spent time in their home and they in ours, and the end of this year finds them ringing in 2015 without their wife/Mom/Grandmother/friend. Despite these losses, they are all firmly planted in the house of the Lord, and they will FLOURISH. 

 

I love littles. This year I have babysat the sweetest little girl and her big brother. So many fun days and evenings spent with them.  It's been a long time since a newborn was around our family, so this family has been a blessing to me.  I love their kids and love their family. I am so blessed to have so many families and their littles that are a significant part of my life. They share their homes and lives with me, teach me so much, all a part of thriving, growth and enabling me to FLOUISH.

 

My second year of teaching, I've tripled the number of students in my classes and my club has also grown significantly.  I work with such amazing people, several who have become very dear friends and I truly enjoy my job! After years of turmoil and inconsistency in work I am thankful and feel I am planted in a place that uses my experience and skills so well, and I FLOURISH there. 

 

My family is certainly one of the firmest foundations, they planted me initially in the house of the Lord and encouraged me to seek Jesus, they modeled character of Christ in our home and I am so thankful for them. No matter how bad I think I'm floundering my Mom and Dad always encourage me and believe I will FLOURISH!  This year I had some really sweet times with my Mom and Dad. 

 

These three littles, they are my favorites and the greatest joy.  I love their tender hearts, their never ending questions, their desire to learn, their giggles and their tears, their imaginations, their story telling, their individuality, their bond with each other, their excitement over all things and their sheer zest for life.  Being an Aunt is one of life's gifts I think over and over how blessed I am to have received.  This is a portion of my life that is always FLOURISHing!!

 

I did a lot of writing this year, and for 31 straight days in October. A lot of my life stories, a little fashion and some other fun topics. It was sort of therapeutic for me, but also hard some times...but at the end of the day, your story matters.  It connects with and encourages others. For that reason, it's worth telling, no matter how hard.  And, sometimes you get a fun retweet from a lady who's family has certainly flourished this year, though the media doesn't show us the hard times I'm sure they've endured. But, this little tweet of encouragement and every other comment from my readers, give me hope to FLOURISH as a writer.

 

And that fanciful writing, embellished with curves of lines...hand lettering has become one of my favorite things! I love following others on social media who letter and creating my own designs. This summer on a particularly hard weekend my church hosted an Arts class, and I created this during the class. It is now framed in my home.  Those fancy letters remind me on a daily basis, despite great disappointments and in great joy, His love knows no end.  And, for that I will FLOURISH in all seasons. 

 

 

I'm still mulling over a word for 2015, but I might just keep it to myself again this year. So far my only resolution is fresh flowers in my house...and I've started January 1st with a few hydrangeas!

 

 

Thank you for reading and may you FLOURISH in all seasons this upcoming year!