FINALLY...my Etsy store revealed!!

Almost a year ago when I first started this blog I had the long term goal of eventually starting my own online store. I would spend hours blog hopping from one to another looking at various Etsy stores and I was inspired, motivated and encouraged to try my own hand at it. Then fear got in the way and excuses and... oh you know how it is.

Well the time has finally come. I feel like God has prepared me for a time such as this. He has given me direction with my art and has lead me in this direction. Brave Girl Camp was a such a wonderful springboard for me, along with all the encouragement of my friends who have been pushing me along this path for some time. Thank you for believing in me.





My first installment of originals were inspired by my time at Brave Girl Camp this past October. Every piece is a little message to myself to take a chance, realize my gifts...be brave. They are personal things I struggle with and need to see on a daily basis. I wanted to create something uplifting and inspirational. So seriously I hope they bless your socks off;) Oh and go check out my sweet friend Jeanne's blog today. She featured me:) Yippee!!!

Have a blessed day.

Art from the heart

See the gorgeous girl in the black head band?? That is Melody Ross. She and her sister Kathy were the master minds behind Brave Girl Camp. I can honestly say I have never met a more creative person in my life. It just oozes from her.

Melody had projects for us to work on every day. This compilation of wood, sticks, cardboard and foam became this...

I love that I can change what the bird says to suit my mood and what I need to focus on. Everyone's bird was unique. What a fun, messy... cool project to do. I love my bird:) It reminds me to spread my wings and soar!!

Here we are in the middle of our soul searching...beautiful music was playing, laughter echoed in the tent, paper scraps and Modge Podge glue fumes filled the air. It was magical! We were given several different projects and it all related to positive self talk. For instance we made a scrapbook with word promises to ourselves.

Here's a collage of mine. You can't read the words, but they are all promises to myself. For instance... "I promise to surround myself with people who love me unconditionally. I promise to be led by peace."

Then we made a tin filled with cards that were words that someone very special might say over us.

This one is blurry, but it says "Dear Becky...You are becoming who you were always meant to become dear girl."

This card says "Dear Becky...In all the world, there is not a girl who is exactly like you - there never has been, there never will be." What wonderful words to hear over your life. It was beautiful. When I first got the page of quotes my heart could hardly stand it. I sat there crying and couldn't stop even though I wanted to. It was just such an awesome exercise...to read words that God or your mom or husband might whisper over you. Words that are easier to believe when it's someone else saying them.




This is Melody's art. I really wanted to show it to you because it's simply beautiful and meaningful and it's just ME to a tee. Her art didn't just speak to me...it SCREAMED my name. Every piece she makes has a story behind it. Don't ya just love it??





The second we first entered the cabin this house collage spoke to me from across the room. I loved everything about it. She made this house as a reminder to herself. For a while she went through some very hard struggles and had some people in her "house" that were unhealthy, destructive, selfish etc...



When you meet her you can tell she loves everyone. She wasn't very good at setting limitations. She referred to that old house as a crack house. This new house has boundaries. The outer yard, inner yard, porch and finally the inside. If you look close you can see her inner yard says "stay, honor, fiercely protect". She keeps certain people far away from her house...I think she said Starbucks. Then others she lets into the outer yard and then only extremely special people are allowed on the front porch steps.


Life is demanding. We are pulled in a million different directions daily. I know I struggle with trying to make everyone happy and in the process I lose myself. I lose my focus and I'm just spread too thin. Nothing gets done and I feel like a failure. So I am going to accept this challenge and make a house, set some new rules, and hopeful gain some balance in the process.

My final thoughts about Brave Girl Camp could be summed up by this picture. It's all good. Every woman I met, morsel of food I ate, triumphant story I heard, song I listened to, every minute laughing and crying... it was just good. Thank you Melody, Kathy and all of your wonderful helpers for making last week so special!

Have a blessed day.

Lessons Learned

Everyone keeps asking me what was the one thing you took away or learned from Brave Girl Camp?? At first I couldn't put my finger on it, there were just too many and they all kind of smooshed together into this magical experience. But after some reflection these are the lessons I gathered...

That strength and character often

are the direct affect of adversity and pain.

That even if you think you have nothing in common with someone

you could have an indescribable common thread with them.

That I want to be generous, personal and kind to every soul

I meet and THAT is what will draw them to my spirit, my faith.

That pain is personal, and that God uses certain experiences

in our lives to mold and shape us; and that sometimes without that pain

we wouldn't be the instruments He needs

to accomplish His will in our lives.

That despite my insecurities I am talented,

creative, unique and there is only one ME.

That what I think I want,

and what I really want

may be two different things.

Everyone is an artist.

We all have the ability to express ourselves,

to create and to share a piece of who we are...

even if we think it's horrible:)

That it's ok to break the rules

every once in a while...

that it's even healthy to give in

to your cravings occasionally.

That I need space.

I need down time to think and feel and be.

That I am blessed in my home life,

personal relationships and with all that God has given to me.

That I am a house and I am responsible for who and what I let in...

is it healthy, is it uplifting, encouraging, good for me??

That I am brave!

I can spread my wings and fly...even to Idaho:)

Have a blessed day.

**Stay tuned! Actual art work is coming next:)

Brave Girl Camp

This post is really hard to write. How do you put into words a life changing, out of this world experience?? It's hard to even know where to start. I think I will begin with my new friends.

Jeanne, Lissa and me

While preparing for camp Melody and Kathy sent us questionnaires, so we could kind of be familiar with each other when we got there. One of the questions was "what are you most nervous about?" I put that I was most nervous about meeting my blogging friends. I hoped they would be what I thought they were in my mind. I'd never met any of my blogging buddies in person and I was a little scared to be honest. It was like a giant first date. Little did I know I had nothing to be worried about. God was giving me some new special people in my life:)

Lissa is full of life, very passionate about everything she holds dear, and deep in her faith. She's such a strong, brave person and I admire her so much. There is something in me that just wants to put her in my pocket and protect her. She's also an amazing talent. Supposedly she never crafts, but honestly her collage stuff was inspiring. It looked like it came out of a magazine!

Miss Jeanne is just the coolest person. She's the popular funny girl in school that you want to sit next to at lunch. She makes everything hysterical. She's incredibly talented and confident and oh I could go on and on. I just loved her. I felt so blessed to be with them...laughing, crying, learning about each other. I can honestly say they are my real life friends now. I feel so blessed!

I guess I knew Brave Girl Camp was going to be pretty special when we stopped at the base of the road that led to the cabin and Melody had us toss bird seed to the ground and leave all of our worries behind. She said we were to let go of our bills, every day details, worries about our families and all that would entangle our minds for the next 3 days. It worked too. I didn't worry about anything for the rest of the week!

This is the cabin we stayed in. It was set in the most beautiful spot. All around us were mountains and the clouds just hovered low. It was breathtaking.

When we walked in we were surrounded with the smell of home cooked food (the best ever), and personal touches that made us feel overwhelmingly loved. They had our pictures spread all throughout the cabin. Isn't that just the best idea? Nothing makes you more at home than seeing your children's faces or your little Fergie staring up at you. It was wonderful.

Everything had our name on it. They personalized our work aprons and water glasses and lavished us with supply kits. They thought through every little detail to make us feel special. They memorized our profiles and thought of us as they sewed and labored and prepared. When we got there they all greeted us and gave us hugs. I'm telling you it was a love fest!! And I have to think really hard to a remember a time where I felt more at home and honored. It was magical!

Here is one of the tables they set for dinner. They all worked really hard to prepare the most amazing meals. The food was not just good, it was mmmmm good. There was not one thing that wasn't amazing. I completely threw my "no sugar" rule out the window and decided to completely indulge and I'm glad I did. How often do you get a once in a lifetime thing like this??

This is where the magic happened...our art tent. It may be ugly on the outside, but what lies beneath was pure delight. Check this out...

They painstakingly decorated an old ugly tent for us!! It was just beautiful to walk in to that dreamy world. What would come next would be days of soul searching, creating, exploring and ultimately rediscovering who we were and what we wanted out of life. Can't wait to share the rest... stay tuned:)

Have a blessed day.

Time to be BRAVE!

It's been a busy week! Got my folks off this morning and this afternoon my mother-in-law flew in. I feel like I own a bed and breakfast...seriously:) Tomorrow I pack and it's off to Idaho on Tuesday! Never flown by myself, never been to Idaho, never met any of these people before... What better way to become brave than to attend Brave Girl Camp:o I'm so excited and nervous I can hardly stand it. Here's to praying that this week will be more than I could have ever hoped, dreamed, or imagined. Stay tuned...

Have a blessed day.

Both images Flickr- suitcases