She's making jewelry now

Thanks to the Beautiful Mess app for the iPhone my jewelry looks even cuter! Check out my lovelies HERE! When you make a purchase, you will receive a free greeting card. If you share my shop on your blog or Facebook, I will email you a code for free shipping. Cheers!

Etsy Favorites: Decor

Meet my dream couch. Isn't she a beaut?! Now, I'm happy to finally have a picture of her sea foam self. Check out the amazing Canadian vintage shop it came from: Hindsvik. She sold, but I know some day she will find me. Also, check out the intricacy on the bamboo cut wall clock! I love its whimsy and the contrast of the white acrylic numbers on the bamboo background. You can find this rocking clock here. And the rug I wish I could have but rather find at a garage / estate sale is the brightly-colored, antique Turkish Kilim rug. The colors are so bright and amazing. It's like Van Gogh meets Tetris. It truly is a piece of art that you are able to walk on. What have you found on Etsy lately that you love?

Compassion. God is teaching me a lot about it lately. How it's not feeling sorry for someone because of their circumstances, having pity on their situation or looking onto their story from third person with sadness. It's about becoming a part of their story in first person. In Latin, compassion means co-suffering. It means jumping into the life of another and suffering when they suffer.

Compassion. It's not easy. Who wants to suffer? No one. We all suffer in some way, but it's compassion that binds our hearts as one. When life is going well for me, I don't want to join in other's suffering. It's hard. It hurts. But there is so much joy that comes from being present in another one's life, being bound as one, and sharing presence.

Compassion. It's my prayer that I am a more compassionate person as the years progress. That my children and great children and so on would know how to suffer with those around them, how to offer their presence, and how to love without limits. It's my prayer for myself and for others.

Donna's Style

Hi all, this is my beautiful friend, Donna. She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! Here is her amazing and eclectic style. Enjoy! Also, she gave us her sources below.

Coat: Lauren Moffatt Eastern Dress Coat
Sunglasses: H&M (two years ago?). They're 1970's style rose-colored lenses and frames.
Shoes: Frye Maggie Perf Wingtip
Hosiery: Lemon Modal Sweater Jersey Tight
Dog: Harley the Amazing 3.5 lb. Yorkie, property of the Davis Family

Thank you so much, Donna! You're a doll.

Valentine's Style

Where to find: Dress, Earrings, and Heels

Super Easy DIY No. 1

So this is a super easy DIY for Valentine's...All you need is a color printer to print these two chevron templates, some baker's twine or string, tiny clothes pins, and some washi tape! Basically, you trace hearts onto the paper and cut them out. I used a stencil, but I think freehand drawing a heart could look just as good or better. Enjoy these two free chevron paper backgrounds that I created to share: Sea Foam Chevron and Peach Chevron

Design Love Feast

If you are a graphic designer, lover of type, or care about good design, then you will enjoy Design Love Feast by Bri Emery. Her tagline is "Where Type & Images Totally Make Out." It's great. She has two free desktop backgrounds for Valentine's here. Go download them and peruse her website too. It's wonderful!

My Funny Valentine

I don't wear my heart on my sleeve...

but I do carry him on my hip.