Inspired Style: Gatsby Glam

I saw The Great Gatsby last weekend, and ever since , I can’t quite get that sparkly style out of my head. I thought it would be fun to create a little Gatsby-inspired style board, so I dreamed up the following ensemble.

I’d pair these items with my favorite dark blue skinnies, and I’d carry one of my vintage clutches (in metallic gold). What a happy yard sale find that was years ago! :) I love to imagine that my pretty little clutch saw her fair share of fabulous parties. ;)

The sequined peplum top, metallic shoes, and crystal gem bracelet are all from Ruche; the bright cocktail ring is from Nestled.

And here are a few Gatsby-inspired gowns I’m loving from Ruche:

Don’t you just love the bright colors and glitzy, glam-y touches?

Have you seen the movie yet? If so, what’d you think?

Happy Weekend!

Calling All Dreamers – Claire Bone

Hello again, friends! Hope you’re having a lovely, inspiring, joy-filled week.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Claire Bone (if you aren’t already familiar with her blog). I connected with Claire on Twitter, and she’s truly a gem. She’s clever and creative and encouraging, and I’m so happy to have her here sharing her heart for my Calling All Dreamers series. Thanks for being here today, Claire! :)

Like all little girls, when I was small I had a million different dreams and fully expected that they would all come true. If I wanted to be a ballerina/veterinarian then I could. There was no question in my little girl mind, that whatever dreams I cooked up for myself not only could come true, but would.

When I realized I liked karate more than ballet and was afraid of most animals, my little girl dreams shifted to middle school dreams of being an artist and a journalist. In high school, I began to doubt my ability to make my dreams come true. I wasn’t a great artist; there were so many others better than me. Besides, paint and pen weren’t how I best expressed myself. I was a writer in my heart of hearts.  I knew deep down that I wasn’t courageous enough to go to journalism school; I wanted to be a wife and mother, not a foreign correspondent. At seventeen, I didn’t have a great story to tell, I just knew I liked to write.

I went to college listless and unsure of what I wanted to be when I grew up, the dreams of my youth so far behind me that I had forgotten what they were. If comparison is the death of contentment, doubt is the killer of dreams, and boy did I doubt.

I doubted myself from major to major until I doubted myself right out of college. I doubted myself from relationship to relationship. I doubted my abilities to write, teach, or create. In the midst of all my doubts, God brought me to my knees and revealed Himself to me as only He can, but that’s another story for another day.

Slowly, through faith in Christ, my dreams returned. It wasn’t immediate or even quick, like we might expect. While becoming a wife and mother were deep desires of my heart, good and wonderful gifts from the Lord, they weren’t the secret dreams of my childhood.

Words and stories were being stored in my soul until His perfect timing, that moment when I had the courage to share my words for His Glory and not my own. That’s the tricky thing about dreams, isn’t it? It isn’t easy to recognize that my dreams are to glorify Christ and not me.

So, here I sit, in the early stages of dream making…What do I write? Devotionals? Essays? Could I possibly ever be paid to write? I write stories and memories and, yes, dreams, all the while doing my best to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus.

Because with Jesus, all my dreams, and so much more, are possible.

Connect with Claire

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Adventuring is good for the soul.

About this time last year, I was exploring the vibrant, inspiring streets of New York City.

With the warmer weather, my heart’s been humming a bit with the urge to have a new creative adventure —

To duck into shops I’ve never explored before. Or settle into the corner of a quirky cafe to get lost in a book or daydream with my favorite journal.

Adventuring is good for the soul, good for the spirit, good for the heart.

Hope your weekend involves a little adventuring of your own — even if it’s just trying a new recipe or restaurant in the city or town you call home.

Calling All Dreamers: Amber of Beautiful & Beloved

Hi, friends! I have been loving this Calling All Dreamers series so much. Each woman’s words have blessed and encouraged my heart — and I hope yours, too. I’m excited to share the next post in the series today: Amber of Beautiful & Beloved . I’ve been so very blessed to connect with Amber. She has a soft, sweet spirit, and her words are always so lovely and encouraging. Welcome, Amber, and thank you for being here today! :)

{via}

I never fully understood the meaning behind this verse before.

I was never as full of dreams and desires as I am now.

I know that when I am with God, when I am trying to walk with Him and talk with Him, when I am seeking a relationship with Him, I begin to dream.

Big

Huge

Scary

This dream could not possibly come true without God’s hand working ALL the things

Kind of dreams.

That is how I read this verse.

When I am delighting myself in the Lord

He will fill my heart with incredible desires and wild dreams.

Then HE will make them happen.

And when He does, I will point back to Him, and give all the glory to the one who deserves it.

The one who makes dreams come true.

The one who plants desires, and shines upon them so that they might grow.

The one who delights in me and I in Him.

Thankful to be dreaming with a Big God in my corner.

In awe of the desires that He has given me.

And excited for His will to be done.

Keep Dreaming Big with Jesus friends,

His good work in you is just getting started!

In Love,

 

Hi!  My name is Amber and I blog over at Beautiful & Beloved where you can read about beauty & love, God’s grace & God’s word, chaos & creativity.  I am the mother to 4 kids ages 5 to 9months and I am married to a handsome military man.  I am hoping to open my own boutique very soon so I am no stranger to God sized dreams and I am beyond delighted to be sharing with you all today!

Follow me on TWITTER:: FACEBOOK:: INSTAGRAM:: BLOGLOVIN

My Summer Heart

As we head toward the summer months, I can’t help but do a little dreaming and thinking about how I will savor the season and delight in all its blessings.

My heart is filled with all I hope to do and learn; it’s filled with the wonder and possibility that comes with each new season’s approach.

This summer…

• I hope to spend time learning more about typography and practicing and developing my own unique lettering style.
• I hope to whip up many batches of Almond Milk Iced Caramel Lattes, enjoying them porchside or poolside with inspiring books and people.
• I hope to eat lots of in-season fruits and veggies, experiencing all the flavors and colors of summer.
• I hope to make many trips to the market for fresh flowers and produce and local treats. (We have some of the best farmers markets in my city, and I’m finding that a morning spent wandering around the market, hot coffee in hand, is one of the loveliest ways to begin a sunny Saturday. I can’t wait to visit all of the different markets this summer.)

What about you? What’s on your list and your heart?

Making seasonal dream lists is one of my favorite ways to embrace where God has me. I love the changing seasons, and I love measuring my own life in seasons (so much more about that in my upcoming book!). Creating these lists makes my heart happy.

I’m not rushing away the spring just yet, though. I’m loving the clean, earthy smell after the rain — the smell of newness and fresh beginnings and hope. I’m loving the open windows and the cool mornings, the blossoms and blooms, and all the bright new greenery that’s filling out tree branches that stood quietly and patiently waiting all winter long.

My heart has been there, too.

And as the spring brings its possibilities and warmth, sunshine and color, and hints of all the summer days ahead, I can feel God bringing those same things to this hopeful, dreaming summer heart of mine.

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design + typography by me

Calling All Dreamers – Guest Post by Ashley Beaudin

Hi, friends! So happy to be sharing the next in the Calling All Dreamers series. Do you all know Ashley Beaudin? She is the beautiful heart and soul behind Overcome The Lie and The Story Project. I so appreciate her heart, and I know you will, too! Thank you for being here today, Ashley! :)

Plans, Discipline, and Dreamers

I have been thinking, as I usually do, and maybe some would say, a little too much. But I enjoy it. I enjoy the beauty of processing life, wrestling through what I am feeling and dreaming about how to move ahead.

One thing I am really good at is making plans, and one thing I sometimes am not so good at is following through with those plans. If you have hung around me long enough, you’ve probably noticed it.

I cope through life by making a plan. 

When I see something that I do not like in my life, maybe something I am struggling with, or something that feels out of control, I get out my pen and my paper, and I write out how I will change it.

But the thing is I never actually do the plan.

But why? Why do we get stuck in making plans without any life change?

I think sometimes making plans can deceive us that if we write it out or if we think about it long enough, it equates to actually doing it.

How many of us read magazines, books, and articles on eating healthy, but can’t seem to put down our can of Coke?

How many of us listen to sermon after sermon talking about faithfulness in the secret place but struggle opening up the Bible?

How many of us watch movies, read books, or like a Facebook statuses about fighting poverty, but can’t seem to stop for them on the street or go visit them where they are?

I am convicted. I am so convicted.

At the core of this beating heart is a dreamer. Dreamers see life with colours and words and ideas. They would go anywhere and do whatever it takes, because they do not see what everyone else sees; they see potential, possibility, and a promise. Like a wild horse, full of passion and enthusiasm, they find beauty in the chase.

My dreamers and my wild horses, pause with me, and breathe.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in our pursuit that we forget we are worthy of pursuit, too.

And discipline is not your enemy. I know sometimes it feels like it is when all you want to do is shout from the rooftops and run free, but it actually makes you better.

Disciplining yourself is not punishment — it is recognizing how valuable you are. 

We have to stay close to His staff and His rod, not just one or the other. It is His staff that reminds us that we are His, but it is His rod that keeps us safe and from wandering. (See Psalm 23. Like right now. Actually go look.)

We need our dreams. We need the passion and the hope that you bring. You are the poets and the prophets, ushering in the wind of God to our dry bones. So dream big and dream wild.

But remember reality. Look in its windows and in its doors and see the faces and the numbers. Remind your heart that you are worth pursuit; you are worth discipline. And that plans don’t happen just because you wrote them out.

Plans happen when you get up every morning and when you start being faithful. 

This is something I am hearing in every corner of my heart today and maybe I just wrote this for me. But I am soaking this in and letting it change me. Changing how I cope and approach and respond.

Maybe discipline and faithfulness are like the harnesses of dreams and passion, not because they hold back but because they lead and protect. 

And I know there are some days when I wake up and my passion needs to be protected and needs to be led by the hand. Because I don’t want discouragement to have a chance.

Not a chance.

Ashley Beaudin is a 24-year-old freelance writer, visionary, and speaker. She is the editor and writer of The Story Project and the founder of Overcome the Lie. You can hang out with her some more at www.thestoryproject.org. 

Cease Striving & Rest in Grace

These are the words on my heart tonight, the words I feel I need to write and share. Because there might be other women out there who need to hear these words, too. There might be other women who need the same reminder to cease striving, stop stressing, and know that He is God.

Tonight, I’m wondering this: why, as women, do we so often feel like we don’t measure up? Why do we so often feel like we’re falling short? And why do we so often compare what we can do against what another can? I think we know that comparison breeds insecurity and feelings of inadequacy, and yet, it’s so easy for our hearts and our minds to settle in that space…

I’ve also realized recently how detrimental it can be to our hearts and our spirits when we’re constantly focusing on what we could have/should have/didn’t do, instead of what we accomplished or did well.

For example, over the weekend, I may have written hundreds of words toward my eBook, taken a much-needed walk, invested in friendships and community, grocery shopped, cleaned out my fridge, did laundry, etc. etc., but rather than appreciating that list and thanking the Lord for my productivity, I started ticking off the list of what I never got around to doing.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live that way.

I want to embrace joy and contentment and appreciation for who I am and what my life looks like — imperfections and all. I want to continue to learn and grow and become even more of the woman God created me to be — BUT I also want to rest in His grace — even in the smallest of things.

I want to give myself permission to not always have the dusting and the sweeping done. And I don’t want to view life as a list that constantly needs checked off. I don’t want to feel guilty because I purchased non-organic strawberries and a container of soy ice cream this week, instead of healthier options that just weren’t available. And I want to appreciate how the Lord made me and rejoice in where He has me and what He’s teaching me.

I want to cease striving.

And I want to rest in grace.

And I want you to know that you can, too.

I want you to know that your quirks are beautiful, you’re beautiful, and you’re living out a story that’s beautiful, too — with the most faithful of Guides leading you each step of the way.

{Photo by Cariese on Flickr}

Creating an eBook ~ Ideas to Paper (PLUS, the TITLE REVEAL!)

In my first Creating an eBook post, I talked a bit about the initial phase of deciding to write an eBook and figuring out where to go from there. In this post, I want to delve into the process of creating an outline.

In the initial brainstorming phases, I pretty much captured anything and everything on paper. If an idea popped into my head, I wrote about it in a list or journal entry. The idea for my book was, at first, very broad.

I also needed to sit with the idea for quite some time before I was sure I was passionate enough about the topic to write a book about it. (Because trust me, you might think the idea of writing a book sounds glamourous and inspiring and amazing, and while it is exhilarating, it is also challenging, long, and time-consuming. So, it’s a good idea to be sure that you care very deeply about the topic you are going to spend months thinking and praying and writing about.) :)

I eventually started making more concrete outlines to organize my thoughts and ideas. Here’s a snapshot of that process:

1. First, I wrote out main themes and jotted notes under each one. Just some general ideas I wanted to explore/cover in my book.
2. Next, I wrote out actual ideas for chapters, and using the main themes I had already identified, I determined in which chapter I would cover each theme.
3. The third thing I did in my outline-making process was to write the main take-aways I hoped readers would be blessed with by reading my book. I think of these take-aways as the true heart of the book.

By putting the outline process into three main steps, I make it sound very short, but I do want to say that I spent MONTHS doing that (and continue to refine my notes — even though I’m in the writing phase at this point. More on why I am following the outline, but also leaving things a bit open in an upcoming Creating An eBook post.

P.S. I’m excited to *finally* reveal my book’s title (hurray! happy dance!):

An Inspired Life: Living Fully and Creatively in Every Season

So excited to share more about An Inspired Life in upcoming posts!

Happy Weekend!

Blogging: Getting Back to Basics

I recently discovered Jenni’s Blog Every Day in May Challenge, and I love what she had to say about it: “I think when you force yourself to blog every day, you stop feeling so much pressure for every post to be perfect. I do that (the pressure thing) BIG TIME, and lately, I’ve been so frustrated by the fact that I’m not enjoying the experience of blogging as much anymore. I want to get back to the basics. You know, the writing stuff.”

I really, really love the idea of getting back to basics with blogging — writing from the heart because you LOVE to write. Enjoying the process of putting words and phrases together and really telling a story.

I wish I could participate this month, but with the eBook writing, I just can’t commit to a challenge like this. It’s for sure something I’d like to do in the future, though. And I might try and respond to a few of her prompts here and there, because sometimes, responding to prompts can free us from writer’s block and really encourage our creativity to bloom again.

Perhaps, once the eBook is published, I’ll create my own challenge.

**And speaking of the eBook, I’m working on the next post in the Creating an eBook series, so look for that soon (maybe this weekend?).

Happy Friday, friends! It’s a beautiful spring morning, and I can’t wait to embrace all that’s in store for this day.

Calling All Dreamers – Guest Post by Natalie of NS Pottery

Excited to be sharing the next in the Calling All Dreamers series. I’ve been blessed to become friends with Natalie both online and off, and her heart for the Lord is truly beautiful and inspiring.  Thank you for being here today, Natalie!

 

I believe God puts dreams in our hearts for a reason. The things He created us for? For the most part, we will enjoy doing them. We will have a passion for them. Dreams are a gift from Him.

At the same time, dreams can also be dangerous. They can sit on the throne of our hearts.

“If I can just do this, if I can just have that, I will be happy and complete,” we might think. 

They can distract us from the One who gave us our dreams in the first place.

It is critical to hold our dreams with open hands. Knowing that the Lord has my best interest at heart and that His plans are far greater than my own helps me to wait upon Him. The things that I think I want so badly right now?

Maybe it’s not the right time. 

Maybe there is something so much better waiting for me that I would miss if I’m too focused on this other thing.

We don’t have the whole picture. He does. And I find so much peace in that.

So while you’re dreaming, remember, He knows best. When He is first, everything else will fall into place.

 

Connect with Natalie:

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