FREE Give-Away: Silver Scripture Necklace Jeremiah 29:11 Hope by Imani Design

Welcome! I am so glad you stopped by.

I wanted to start the new year by blessing your SOCKS OFF! What better way than by offering you one of my Scripture Necklaces that I create through my home business? So I am offering a chance for someone out there to win a FREE one! 

Check it out....

ENTER to WIN!!!

Two chances to win - 

1st Prize: Hope Scripture Necklace

2nd Prize: Four "JOY FULL" Burlap Gift Bags

FREE GIVE-AWAY by Imani Design. Drawing will be on January 6, 2014. All you need to do is hop on over to the Imani Design Facebook Page, like and comment on the FREE GIVE-AWAY post.

Wouldn't you just love to ring in the new year with a Scripture Necklace reminding you to live out your year full of hope? We have made it super easy for you. Just click on any of the links and it will direct you straight to the page.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11

-Simply Sublime

Ampersand Ideas: Design Elements for Home Decorating

{source: one king's lane}

An ampersand (or epershand) is a logogram "&" representing the conjunction word "and". This symbol is a ligature of the letters et, Latin for "and"

{source: handeyesupply.com}

The word ampersand is a corruption of the phrase "and (&) per se and", meaning "and (the symbol &) intrinsically (is the word) and".^[2]

Traditionally, when reciting the alphabet in English-speaking schools, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A", "I", and, at one point, "O") was preceded by the Latin expression per se ("by itself").^[3][4][5] It was also common practice to add the "&" sign at the end of the alphabet as if it were the 27th letter, pronounced and. As a result, the recitation of the alphabet would end in "X, Y, Z, and per se and". This last phrase was routinely slurred to "ampersand" and the term had entered common English usage by 1837 {source:wikipedia}

{source: designyoutrust.com}

I have to tell you my VERY favorite symbol in most fonts is the Ampersand. I think it is the most artistic and interesting shape in any letter set. Can you even believe some fonts don't include this adorable little treasure? Sometimes curvy, sometimes not it is simply a delightful little character. It isn't just a letter... it is a word.

{source: ebay}

...and let's think about what it stands for... more, adding on, including,TOGETHERNESS. You cannot argue with me here it is a feel good symbol that is beautiful on the eye.

{source:tillyscottage}

Why not create a little symbol of togetherness to display in your home as a daily reminder to do this thing called life together? Here is a DIY project for you to make your own marquee ampersand posted over at Happy Looks Good On You. 

{source: happy looks good on you}

I know this is not a profound post - but hopefully it was fun to scroll through. 

My prayer on this one is that you will spend some time reflecting on how to be an includer. We have people all around us that feel lonely, down and isolated, especially after Christmas. Let's be on the lookout for someone to reach out to. 

Let's spend some time looking around for our &...

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. - Romans 12:9-13 msg

-Simply Sublime

Merry Christmas from our Family to YOURS! Don't be afraid.

So thankful for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. To think he would lovingly come here to this earth on our behalf. Oh, it was difficult. We know this well, right? Being human isn't always easy. We reach, we grasp, we fall, we bruise. You know there had to be moments where he wanted to flee the pain and the anguish he was enduring, especially towards the end. Yet he couldn't unwrap his heart from the complete love of his life...YOU!!! He did it all for you! He came here for you!

Can you wrap your head around his heart for you? It's a bit hard to receive the fullness of it - COMPLETE. PERFECT.LOVE. He is just waiting for you to get to know Him. He has so very much to tell you, so many words and actions to love on you with. He is the Papa your heart has been longing for since the moment you came into existence. Why not accept the amazing gift? Time with Him, the one who created you to be in relationship with Him.

It's simple. Just start talking. No perfect words to be said. There is no magic prayer. He knows you completely anyway. He so admires you. He finds you to be smart, funny, beautiful and caring. He knows you have messed up but that isn't His focus. He simply wants to just love on you and show you the wonders he has to share with you. Turn your heart towards him and start some dialogue.

The moment you start doubting his love because of your past, remember this:

{source: pinterest}

He may not like every single choice we make, but he gets us and loves us with a deep abiding love. His love covers it all.

{source: pinterest}

He isn't about fixing us to make us acceptable to him. We are acceptable just as we are RIGHT NOW! Hard to believe isn't it? That even with our current yucky, messed up choices he is welcoming us into his arms? Picture a scruffy little street boy who's clothes are full of holes, saturated with grime and smelling of an unidentifiable stench. His slimey dripping nose is running down his face and he has wiped it across his cheek. He is a complete mess - and there in the distance is Papa. His arms are wide open. He kneels down on one knee and gently calls the boys name. As the boy skeptically approaches him Papa meets him with knowing eyes full of love and compassion. The boy can recognize that Papa knows all and has nothing but love for him. Papa wraps the boy in his arms, kisses his forehead, sweetly washes his face and wraps a cozy blanket around him. This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship - where Papa leads the boy next is not for us to know right now. We can be sure, however, that life from this point on is going to be full of adventure and wonder. 

{source: pinterest}

We can't confuse his perfect accepting love with a belief that he is okay with our sin. He isn't. I am sure Papa is going to have some heart to heart conversations with the boy on where he has been. There are probably some wounds that need to be tended to with some healing balm. The boy will also probably need some new essentials to face the exciting journey ahead and be fully equipped.

Papa's love for us can cover our sin when we bring it to him and ask. Sometimes we are even unaware of our ick but through a very gentle process he will show us areas we can release to Him that can help us to be a bit more unhindered by the things that weigh us down. It is all done through love though. The more we know of him the more we are freed up to enjoy all that is around us.

{source: pinterest}

Many times I find people are afraid to approach God. They spend a great amount of effort actually running away from him, pushing him out of their mind. They are unknowingly exhausted by the effort it has taken them to run away. The belief is if they face him they will be crushed and humiliated with the mistakes of their past. What they don't understand is running away in fear is so much more work and exhausting. The truth is we were created to be in relationship with our Creator. Just turn around and face the ONE who sees you, the ONE who knows you, the ONE who loves you to pieces.

Praying that your Christmas and all the days following are absolutely full of the love Jesus Christ. 

{source: hello awesome}

-Simply Sublime

Pantone's COLOR of the YEAR: Radiant Orchid #18-3224 Home Decorating Ideas

{source: cozystylechic.com}

Oh my goodness - I cannot tell you how much I love color. It probably stems from growing up in a family business that's primary job was to attach color & style to the identity of a business. We had a sign business that designed and produced electric and architectural signs and awnings.

One of my VERY favorite items in our entire building was the Pantone Booklet. Ahhhh - SO.MANY.COLORS! The next best thing were the  felt pens by Letraset in Pantone Colors. That is where you could begin applying your color in swirly doodling designs.

{source: justsomemarkers.wordpress.com }

For 2014 Pantone has decided upon RADIANT ORCHID for their color of the year. I am delighted with their choice. If you would like to learn more about how they decide hop on over and check it out: http://www.pantoneview.com/pantone-color-of-the-year-2014

Purple has always been one of my very favorite colors, especially on the gray end of the spectrum. In high school we had remodeled our home and I was able to design it myself. It had a loft with a waterbed {oh, yeah!} AND the color scheme was mauve, 2 shades of gray and white. It really was spectacular. Looking back I would still love to have this room - it had white walls with graphic stripes of charcoal gray, light gray and mauve with a fantabulous mauve carpet in the perfect pile. Pantone would have been proud! 

{source: littlemothdesign.blogspot.com }

The chosen color for this year is taking me back in time to a place where I was just beginning to understand how color brings different moods and physical reactions. Colors can contribute to making you feel cold, warm, cozy or active. Color has a lot to do with how you feel in a room.

 

 {source: partymosaic.blogspot.com}

The fun things about purple is it can be warm or cool depending on which way it tilts. If it is on the red side it is warm, if it is on the blue side it is cool. 

{source: the studiomdesigns.blogspot.com}

I love the way bringing in different textures can totally shift the feel of a room too. This room has the potential to be pretty cold, but the white fur bench makes you want to snuggle in and read a good book.

{source: dyedreams}

I probably wouldn't choose this bathroom color for myself but that being said I still adore it. It is a bold choice indeed. I really like the chandelier over the footed tub.

I am excited to plunge into the other areas where we can discover #18-3224 - like food, fashion, creation and just plain fun! 

-Simply Sublime

Yema Balls : a Filipino Treat Recipe for Kids

These are so yummy. I ran across them a few months ago over on Acupcakeortwo.com. They looked delish, simple and kid friendly for fixing 'em up. 

Since today was our Christmas baking day we decided to add a lil' Filipino flair for our taste buds to eventually devour. Little did we know that our Filipino boy would love them so much they would be half gobbled down by the end of the day.  

I love encouraging Nate to become more familiar with the culture of his homeland- and this was such an easy way for him to feel he himself had mastered a Filipino dish. So easy and so very yummy! 

Yema Balls

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup of white sugar

 Mini cupcake liners

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter. Add condensed milk and stir until combined.

2. Add egg yolks and continue stirring, being careful to avoiding burning. 

3. Keep stirring constantly until the yema is thick.

4. Take this off the heat and let this cool.

5. Once the mixture is cooled shape into balls and roll in sugar.

5. Serve the yema balls in mini cupcake liners. 

-Simply Sublime

Discarded to DELIGHTFUL: trash to treasure home decorating project ideas

It is pretty amazing what you can come up with when you think outside of the box, {or inside of the trash can}, ha. Take this dog fence pen door for instance. Who would have thought it would come in so handy. My hubby was about to toss it when he heard the familiar "Honey....wait!!! Let me see that for a minute - yep, let's keep it and paint it". It is hard to believe this little delight was saved from the scrap pile over five years ago ,  when we began this upcycling junk journey. Where does the time fly?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the fact my hubby is so handy? He can weld, he can use pretty much any kind of power tool, he can fix cars ( he can race them too - but that is for another post). I pulled this old mattress frame out of a junk pile a few years ago and just knew he could help me make a stand for it, AND that is just what he did. It is free standing and oh.so.lovely. My girls are using it right now as an accessory stand in their bedroom.

Frequently I use it for shows to display randomness. In our early December show I used clothes pins and hung jewelry on it as well as some of my good friend Nicole's This in2 That's signs. I didn't get a great pic of it because we had a VERY busy booth behind us. This piece is so very versatile being it is free standing. I am just as much in love with it now as I was when we first made it.

Finally, we have our Discarded Fence Headboard. It was about to be tossed or burned when my dear daughter begged her Daddy to make her a headboard with it. Isn't it the sweetest? Not to mention the greenery from our tree trimmings she added for that special winter touch. I love seeing my girls tap into their creative genius and just move forward unhindered. It is a BEAUTIFUL THING!

1 Corinthians 13

The Message (MSG)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

-Simply Sublime

Colored Christmas Chalk Art Greetings

It has been a bit wack-a-doodle around here lately. It is strange because it seems calm in some ways, yet crunched for time in others. For instance we have had our tree up for over a week now... but no lights or ornaments on it yet. Why you may ask? Well, our lights are in a state of chaos and rather then spend 14+ hours pulling random lights from 7 strings to make up 1 working string, I am thinking a trip to the store may be easier and cheaper in the long run.

As for the ornaments - our home has an additional family staying with us and their ornaments are packed away in storage. So we are thinking in order to make a community family tree we could all make handmade ornaments for the tree this year. Ahhh, now you are getting the crunched for time comment, am I right?

I know it will all work out beautifully in the end. The process of getting to the end is what has me a wee bit puzzled. For some reason I am drawing a complete blank on where to start.  Maybe I should hop on over to Pinterest for some Ornament Inspiration.

 We have little hands just waiting to whip up some lovelies to bestow beauty upon our blank canvas of evergreen. Bring on the boughs!

I will make sure to post pics of our work in progress as we go. 

-Simply Sublime