These are FINALLY finished! I was suppose to have these finished several months ago.... but that didn't happen. They are a gift for a friend of mine.

My friend is having a little girl soon.... very soon.... and these bird paintings are for the nursery. I'm pretty sure this nursery is going to be the cutest room ever (my friend is a wonderful designer... and very creative!)

The inspiration: My friend found this pillow at Bed Bath and Beyond. She loves it! I do too!




The canvases:

I have a friend who was ordained as a minister several months ago. (He's the husband of Alisha!)  He is a youth minister at Bedico Baptist Church in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and I was suppose to get this canvas to him months ago. Well, as you can see.... that didn't happen! With our move to Vegas along with the craziness of life, it didn't get done when I wanted it to. I told myself that if I didn't have it finished by his birthday (September 25th), then I could submit my name to the "Worst Friend in the World Contest" (I'm not sure if they really have that, but I really don't want my name associated with it!). However, there is good news! I made it by his birthday! Woo-hoo!

Dustin has a passion for serving the Lord, and he has a servant's heart pretty much bigger than anyone I know. I asked his wife which scripture was his favorite and she gave me this one.... Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." I LOVE that verse! It's definitely on my top 10 list! 


I placed post-it notes (about 20 of them) on the wall in Dustin's office where I wanted him to hang this canvas. That was SEVERAL months ago! So, I'm sure he's found something a little cooler that post-it notes by now to fill the space. I hope you have a fun place for this in your office my friend! Enjoy it! My husband said it was "manly" and he would hang it up in his office (that's always the test when I'm painting for guys).


So, Happy LATE Ordination and Happy EARLY Birthday Dustin!

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post on a friend of mine who lost her baby. This is what I sent her shortly after.

It's that time of year again. MHS Theatre Department is presenting A Tribute to Disney. It's going to be FABULOUS!
If you are interested in purchasing tickets or being a sponsor, check out the info below.

One of my best friends just got her first "Big Girl Job!" LOL! I am so proud of her. She is a physician's assistant in New Orleans.... a great one at that! I always tell her I'm thankful she uses the side of the brain that I don't. We are alike in a lot of ways.... except how we think. She's left brained and I'm right brained.... the picture below will give a better explanation (Visual and Non-verbal is characteristic of right-brained people). LOL!




My only request: Give this Box Top to a kid in your youth group (who collects them for their school) or save it and give it to me later. I'm a Box Top FANATIC! I will buy the more expensive item, just because it has a Box Top on it. I collect them for a 5th grader that is close to our family. My husband even joins in on it. When he goes to the store with me (or I send him alone), he can never remember the brand of things we get, so he looks for the Box Tops. LOL! Yeah, we're pretty crazy!
Alisha, I'm so proud of you! Enjoy your goodies!

This past weekend, my husband and I received a letter from the child we sponsor through Compassion International. It brightens my day when I get go to the mailbox and find a letter from him. Woo-hoo!!
The child we sponsor is named Ezequiel. He is 4 years old and he lives in Ecuador.... he is absolutely adorable. We have a picture of him (that his mom sent us) sitting on our kitchen counter. He has the biggest grin on his face. Oh how it brings joy to my soul! (I should have scanned it and posted it on here, but that didn't happen this morning... sorry!) Every time his mother writes us a letter, Ezequiel draws a picture on the back. I LOVE his drawings. I have his beautiful artwork hanging in our dining room.... it's my favorite art in our house!

If you don't already sponsor a child, please consider doing so. Not only will it change the child you are sponsoring, but it will make a difference your life as well. Go to Compassion International for more information.

How precious is he!?!?!



A video.... it makes me want to laugh, cry, and hug every single child in it!

I had a student from The Baptist College of Florida contact me about painting a canvas for her.
"Its of the verse Jeremiah 29:12-13, the verse talks about praying,seeking, calling, and searching God. Its my new life verse that God gave me a while back." And she wants an "8x10 canvas with the colors Chocolate brown, black, and a light pink in it."
She sent me some pics of her ideas:

The finished canvas:
With some fun Back-to-School packaging:

I just finished this canvas (and I'm taking it to the post office today). My client wanted the lyrics of Chris Tomlin's "Lord, I Need You" painted on a canvas. "Our new favorite song is Chris Tomlin's Lord, I Need You. And on the day Faith was born we listened to it on the way to the hospital for peace and comfort. To this day, I sing it to her often. So, it has sentimental value." 
The lyrics of this song has been the cry of my heart this past week. Many things have been going on in our family.... the only thing I can say and sing is "Lord, I Need You." I almost kept this canvas for myself, but I thought that would probably not be the right thing to do.


Verse 1:
Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart

Chorus:
Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Verse 2:
Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Yes where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Bridge:
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus You're my hope and stay 

I have a dear friend who lost someone today! This song has been on my heart: "The Kingdom" by Bethany Dillon.


It tapped me on the shoulder today when I got home
I saw everything collecting dust
It made me hope there was something more
I pour over pages, desperate to find out why
The cripple at your table has what I'm longing to find

Teach me how to hum it
Because I don't know the words yet

Help me see the light
I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Arms open wide
Death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom

Why are some women barren
While the wicked's house is full
The stories never seem to end
Give me evidence I'm not alone
You said the weak would be lifted up
But maybe just not yet
So while I wait in this flesh and blood
I'll learn to lean in

Help me see the light
I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Arms open wide
Death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom

Here's a sneak peek at a project I will post next week! I'm sure the suspense is killing you.

I found these cute bag toppers over at Beth Proudfoot's blog (It Is What It Is). I sent my friend in Germany some more home-made-with-love cookies and I used this bag topper to make it fun! Click the link to her blog for directions on how to put this together! :)

I have a friend who is a high school teacher. She is a FABULOUS teacher, I might add! This is her second year teaching, so I thought I would make her a little something for the start of a new year.

When I was visiting her last year, several of her students showed up to class without a pencil (I couldn't believe it. Who shows up to class without a pencil?!?!??!). I saw some back-to-school printables at eighteen25 and I thought they were perfect for my friend's gift.


Another little bonus for my friend! I couldn't resist! LOL!

Nothing fancy.... very simple.... notes on a piece of paper that is readily available.... THIS IS HOW I ROLL!!!

I'm sure people wonder if I have a fancy way of taking orders. And the answer would be no! I get messages all the time from clients who try to convey what they want. I appreciate long detailed messages, but I have to make it short and simple for myself. Here's what it looks like!

Pretty simple!

Congratulations Allie Lind!!! You are the Blog Stalker of the Month (August). You will receive a $15 gift certificate from RCP. For more information on how you can be the BlogStalker of the Month, check out this blog post.

1. Where are you from? I'm from Alexandria, Louisiana. 
2. How did you hear about RCP? I found out aboutRCP through a FB friend, just a clicking around type of thing.
3. 3 Random things about yourself: I am a senior at Louisiana College and I will graduate in December in elementary education.

As you all know, I LOVE sending mail! I also LOVE making mail fun!!!! When I stumbled upon lindsay letters, my idea of addressing envelopes and writing cards changed. The envelope is the first thing someone sees when they open their mailbox.... why not make it fun!?!?!? 

Go check out Lindsay's site. I'm definitely not as cool as she is, but I'm trying. :)

Just a reminder, the Blog Stalker Contest for this month is still going on.... but it will be coming to an end soon. No worries, there will be another one next month. For every comment you leave on Facebook and this blog, it's an entry. :) The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to RCP. You can use it toward ANYTHING at RCP. Get to commenting.


The last Blog Stalker of the month used her RCP Gift Certificate to buy this: (I LOVE this color!)

My husband and I have a friend who is deployed to Germany. I really miss seeing her every week, so I thought I would send a little something from home.... COOKIES!!!!

I used several items I had in my pantry and craft room to make something a little special for her. I used an almond can (emptied and washed 3 times, of course!). I found some really cute free printables on some blogs I regularly read (ok.... STALK!) and I decided to use them for this gift. Hello, Good Gravy posted some Mother's Day Gift Tags around Mother's Day. I thought they were so fun, so I decided to use them for another occasion. I printed them on 3M Full Sheet Labels to make stickers.  I also spotted some gift tags at I Still Love you. So fun! So cute!  Go on over to these blogs and print some out for yourself!
I had some ribbon and scrapbook paper laying around..... I never throw away scraps (I know I'm ridiculous, but if I think I can find a way to use it, I save it!)

Here's some pics of the process:






When I took the package to the post office, the guy at the counter commented that the "With Love and Appreciation" sticker was so appropriate. His comment, "I'm definitely not covering this up. I think your friend needs to see this before she opens her gift." That made my day!

I have a friend who works at a gym here in Vegas. Because of him, the Lee household is addicted to Vitamin Water (I enjoy reading the random sayings on the bottles)..... we LOVE it! I decided a wanted to give him a fun summer gift... just for being a great friend.

I found this really cute card on one of the blogs I stalk (yes, I know I stalk several!). eighteen25 is one of my favorite blogs. It is full of fun ideas and crafts. It is also where I found this card! I printed it on white card stock.

I also used a rope that fell out of a pair of pants I have. You know the ones that have a drawstring in it. Once it comes out, what are you suppose to do with it? I saved mine from a pair of workout pants. WHY? I don't have an answer for that. Sometimes, I really don't understand my thinking..... or ever!

I put all these random things together for a fun present:

 The finished product:
Oh and by the way.... my friend was so excited to get his present. It's the little and least expected things in life that make you smile! :)

I have looked EVERYWHERE for Captain America stickers. They are no where to be found. Captain America is my husband's favorite super hero and we recently had a Captain America themed party in honor of him (pics coming soon!). I decided to make my own. I drew the Captain America shield (and then copy and pasted it several times) and then printed them on 3M Full Sheet Labels. I should do a tutorial on this one day... maybe I will!

I'm posting these for you to use for your personal use. Maybe there is a Captain America fan in your home too!
Print on this paper:

I just finished these for a client of mine who helps with a Student Ministry.

The inspiration (sent to me by my client):


The logo:

The flyer: