NEW Desk Mailbox!!!

Hello everyone!! I wanted to start by sharing that it's my FOUR year anniversary with my sweet Andrew today! Where has the time gone?! The Great Gatsby Gala we went to on Friday night was SO much fun and now we're both really wanting to learn more swing.  This morning we went out to breakfast to celebrate and even though he's at work for a while today, we'll be celebrating again tonight over dessert.  I'm so excited and so so thankful to have him in my life. I love you Andrew!!

Here's a picture of us before leaving for the Great Gatsby Gala :)

Today I'm also sharing a brand NEW item that I just added to my shop...a little desk mailbox!! I don't know about you, but for some reason I've always thought that mini mailboxes were super cute (I know I'm weird)...and I finally decided that since I like them so much, I should start making my own! It was honestly so much fun to make and wasn't that hard to do. Here are the pictures of my NEW Beauty Surrounds- Desk Mailbox available for purchase in my Etsy shop, here.

I'm very happy with how it turned out and looking forward to making more! I've really been loving being able to make new things and experiment with new ideas...makes it much more exciting that way when I never know what I'm going to find or do!

Still offering 25% off the next FIVE custom orders! So far I've only had one person come to me...come on guys, don't be shy!!! Dream big and lemme know your ideas!!

Last but not least for today, I wanted to share a quote that might sound silly to some but really, reeeally speaks to me.  Not sure who it's by but I saw it on a bookmark that my sweet friend then bought for me.  I think she saw my entire face light up when I read it...  It reads, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." That's exactly what I've been praying for.  That God would help me continue confidently down this road I've started down and that, through Him, these passions of mine would turn into something I could do and prosper from for the rest of my life.  I've got so much I'm imagining and dreaming...and I love knowing that He sees all of it.

He sees your heart's desires too.  Confidently walk towards them friends...you'll be surprised where He'll take you.

Get 25% off ANY custom order!!!!

Friday has arrived!!! Quickly too I might add.  Tonight Andrew and I are going to celebrate our FOUR year anniversary (which is really on June 18!!) and are going to a Great Gatsby Gala Event!! Dinner, swing dancing, and live music...and of course we're dressing up 1920's...I can't wait, I absolutely can not wait!! :)

I also finished the two journals I've been working on via my friend's order! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who are continually encouraging and supporting what I love to do...it's truly one of the best feelings in the world.  Here are some pictures of the custom journals...see what you think!

Journal 1 Front

Journal 1 Back

Journal 2 Front

Journal 2 Back

I really enjoy doing custom orders for people...in fact, I love it. SO because of my love for creating custom orders, I'm offering 25% off the next 5 custom orders placed!!! And it can be ANY custom order! Been needing to get a gift for a friend or family member? Want it to be personal and one of a kind?? Or, have you been eying some of my work secretly wanting something just for you?! Here's your chance! Journals, mini journals, tags, canvases, letters/numbers, or even something else...you tell me what you'd like! (Other ideas include but aren't limited to: frames, bulletin boards, chalk boards, wooden cutouts e.g. birds, bird houses, desk mailboxes, wooden jewelry boxes etc). 

Have any questions about a super awesome amazing idea you have?? Please feel free to ask me and I will try my very best to make your dream come alive!!

Please contact me either in person, by phone (for those who have my number), here on my blog, or by Facebook! I can't wait to create something just for YOU :)  Have a beautiful weekend friends.

Birthday Goodness!!

Me again!! :) Like promised in my last post...I'm sharing pictures today! This weekend marked the end of all my birthday celebrations.  Lemme just say, I have NEVER had so many different celebrations for one single birthday...and it was So. Much. Fun!  After all the absolutely insane amount of birthday goodness, I decided to share a few pics to share my 20th birthday with all of you!! Thank you so much to every single person who made my birthday so so special...

Me and Hannah's surprise Birthday Party!! Our boyfriends are so so sweet!

My actually Birthday! Yummy breakfast, Malibu Creek, and Cho Cho San's for dinner!

Me and Hannah's Alice in Wonderland Tea Party!!

Birthday celebrations with my Dad in Catalina!!

All of this plus a day walking around Downtown Santa Monica with my mom AND a night out doing fun things with friends marks all of our birthday amazingness! I was completely blessed...no, beyond blessed by everything.  I know that I will never ever forget these last two weeks and all the time, effort, and love that friends and family poured into making it to special. 

Thank you so much Lord for surrounding me with such love...I am overwhelmed.

Besides finishing birthday stuff, I've been working on some special art journals that one of my really good friends asked me to make for her!! (You know who you are!) I've been feeling so much support from her and others around me and it's so crazy to see my stuff starting to sell.  Ahh!!! I can't wait to see what God does...it's going to be good friends, it's going to be good :)

New Things Coming!

Hello lovely people! I'm so SO excited that it's Saturday!! Not only because it's the weekend but it's also...me and one of my best friend's birthday party!!! We're having a tea party with an Alice in Wonderland inspired whimsical twist.  And lemme tell you, I can't wait!  I'll definitely add some pictures soon.  Yee!!

As many of you probably already saw on either my Instagram or Facebook, I'm now officially offering personalized custom made letters and numbers!! Here are the shots you'll find in my Etsy shop where you can now purchase a letter or single number, here. 

Pretty snazzy huh?? Not sure if that's the right word to use but it sounds great to me! I'm getting excited about all the new stuff I'm going to be offering soon.  Here are a few clues to some of the things I've got coming...one is something wooden that goes 'tweet tweet', one is something fun you stick your mail into, and one is something you display your photos in...tricky I know.  You give up yet?? Guess you'll just have to wait in suspense until I post them throughout this month! Muahaha, mean I know. ;)

Do YOU have any ideas of things you'd like to see me design or make?? Any type of medium I haven't tried yet that you think would look stupendous?? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! I'd love love LOVE to try out new things especially if it's an idea from you.  Pretty pretty please with a yummy cherry on top, let me know your ideas...I'll be here...ready and waiting!

Have a great weekend everyone and go smell some flowers or wiggle your toes in some grass or something...go enjoy it...go enjoy LIFE!!

June Goals and Updates!

Happy Tuesday!! And happy happy JUNE!! Can you believe that we're almost half way through 2013 already?? Time continues to fly past me and it's crazy to look back on all that has happened so far this year...and to think about all that I'm dreaming and believing to still happen.

Before I dive into goals for June, I'm announcing something extremely exciting that happened yesterday (this even deserves a drum roll!) I...received...my...BUSINESS CARDS!!!!! Ta Da!!!! Those little beauties took weeks to get here and I was beyond excited when I saw the little box arrive.  All this to say, I now finally have something I can pass out to spread the word that I'm an artist! Yipee!!

ALSO, my prints arrived!!! Those lovely pieces arrived a little while ago and it was reeeeally cool being able to see my artwork as a print...AH! I've been throwing a few ideas around in my head of how exactly I want to present them to sell but will hopefully be adding those to my etsy shop soon...I'm very truly completely excited you guys :)

Also ALSO, as most of you probably already saw...I SOLD MY FIRST PIECE OF ARTWORK ON ETSY!!!! I posted a picture on facebook as well as on my last blog post of me shipping it out...you really have no idea how happy I was! Around 11pm on May 30th I received an e-mail informing me that I had made my first sale....

I was shocked...and excited...and blown away by God's goodness!! Just that morning I had been sharing with Andrew about how discouraging it was that I still hadn't sold anything.  One of my May goals was to sell one thing on etsy and since it was already May 30, I had already told myself that I would just try again next month. Little did I know that that very evening my first piece of artwork was going to be sold!! Not only was my goal met one day before the end of the month, but I was also extremely encouraged and reminded that I was doing the right thing by pursuing my dream.  I can never explain enough how much that night meant to me.  My God sees every doubt and fear I face and continually answers me when I pray to Him.  He is so so good!!

SO...here's how I did with my May goals. Get business cards made? Check! Figure out how I want my shipping presentation to look for now? Check! Get prints made? Check! Make at least one Etsy sale? Check! Continue blogging twice a week? Check! As usual though, I'm still lacking in the area of creating art and working on my creative business for 15 hours a week...Tracking my hours in my planner has helped and I've been getting closer, but I'm still not spending enough time on it.  So this month's goals will be a little more focused specifically on meeting those.  Here what I'm thinking...

Goals for the month of June:
1.  Create two new pieces of artwork each week to add to my Etsy shop
2.  Include at least two new types of mixed media art (ex. besides journals, tags, and canvases)
3.  Include at least one more wooden canvas
4.  Pass out at least 50 business cards to different people
5.  Sell at least two pieces of artwork
6.  Continue blogging twice a week
7.  Spend 15 hours a week on my creative business.  (At least 5 hours every two days)
8.  Research and find at least one place I can go set up/sell my art (ex. boutique, festival etc)

Whew! I've got a lot to do but I'm really ready to be spending more time on my art.  And especially with school being out, there shouldn't be anything standing in my way! I'm ready...and excited...here I go!

May Photos :)

Hello everyone!! Sharing lots of photos today...because May was an awesome month and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you guys.  Hope you enjoy them...I sure did :)

Fun in Orange County!

Color Run!!!

The happiest place on earth :)

Way too much fun

Games and Boba with loved ones

Saying goodbye to my first sold canvas!!

Mailing it out!!!

Surprise birthday party for Hannah and I!! SO blessed!!!

Some of the sweetest people I know. LOVE my besties!!!

Blowing out candles on the most amazing cake ever!! Gina is the best!!

Birthday girls :)

Got lots to say next time I post!!! But for now...have a beautiful rest of your weekend everyone :)

Everything Beautiful in it's Time

Hello, hello!! Wednesday came in a blink of an eye and I soon realized that I hadn't yet blogged this week. Ah!! No worries though because I'm here and ready and writing...and it feels so perfect.

Today I'm sharing a newly found favorite verse of mine...something that really spoke to me for this adventurous season that I'm in with my sometimes seemingly impossible dreams.  It's from a book that, from my understanding, isn't very popular among the majority of readers.  A book that when read without proper lenses, can appear to be the most depressing and unhelpful of books...Ecclesiastes.  It's written by the wisest man in history, King Solomon.  Solomon was a man who tried everything he could think of in his pursuit of happiness only to realize that there's only one thing that truly matters in life...

While reading Ecclesiastes my heart grows in gratitude as I'm reminded that we're so fortunate to have been left with words of wisdom from others before us who had to learn things the hard way.  Though there are a few different verses that have really caught my attention, there's one verse in particular that spoke louder than the rest...Ecclesiastes 3:11.  It says this, "He has made everything beautiful in it's time." Short. Simple. Sweet. And full of such truth that I daily need reminding of.  "He has made everything beautiful in it's time."  Things will never reach their full potential and full BEAUTY until the right time...His time.  Verses 1-8 in chapter 3 are also all about everything having it's time.  Time to be born, time to die. Time to cry, time to laugh.  Time to mourn, time to dance.  Time to gain, time to lose.  He continues on and on explaining that everything, literally everything, has a time.  Solomon even continues later and says in Ecclesiastes 7:8, "The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit."  He's really reeeally trying to get his point across.  When we're patient and fully obedient to God's will, then everything in our life will be fulfilled it's it's perfect time...the outcome of all we've been working for and hoping for and dreaming for will finally be reached...and it will be beautiful. 

But how do we as imperfect sinners maintain patience and obedience? That's exactly what Ecclesiastes ends with when Solomon sums up all he's learned by saying, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." Ecclesiastes 12:13.  He couldn't be any clearer.  "For this is man's ALL." The point of life is not to work as hard as you possibly can for as long as you possibly can so that you can have as much as you possibly can.  No. Solomon tried that, he had it all.  And in the end still realized that none of that meant anything.  The ONLY thing that truly matters is having a right relationship with the Lord.  And in return, while we trust Him and listen to Him, He leads and guides us in His timing. 

And all is beautiful.
All is right.