you are loved

you are loved. 

i am loved.

Then why do we each go about our week worrying about what to-morrow will bring? 

Look at the creation that enfolds you. God created each flower, plant, bird, and creature for our enjoyment 

because... 

He loves you. 

Look at all the blessings He has bestowed upon you; He has allowed you to live in a country filled with abundant food, abundant freedoms, abundant goodness because...

He loves you. 

He died a horrible death for you, hung shamelessly on that cross in utter agony because...

He loves you

...and that's all that matters.

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. 

purity...

I was blessed to be given the opportunity to pick out a purity ring this past month as a graduation {promoting from my freshman year to my sophomore year} present by my dearest parents. 

I browsed through a few purity rings, but when I saw this one... 

I knew it was created for me. 

And now I am very blessed to have this lovely silver band wrapped around my wedding ring finger.

I was finally able to look up the Scripture inscribed on it which is such a beautiful reminder:

Create in me a clean spirit, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

During this time, I have been working with some public school kids at the water-park, and what an eye-opening experience it has been. And now more than ever, am I grateful to be homeschooled. :) Besides the point, the subject that has been tugging at my thoughts is the topic of:
dating 

Believe me that is probably what fills every person's mind at one point or another.  

All the girls that I work with {a year younger than I} have {and still are} gossiping about who likes who, and about three "so and so's" likes me. My response?


Why does it matter???

To me, dating is a silly game that people play to gain self-confidence. Dating is two people getting together, say you're in love, get tired of them, and break up. Each time I cringe thinking of how many pieces of your heart you give away to the boy you once "dated."

That's why I applaud those who have no choice and do attend public school, attempting to separate themselves and go against the tide whispering for them to do otherwise, with a mindset to keeping themselves pure. Waiting for their Prince Charming; not falling out of the tree for every knight they see pass.

 During these two past week, I've had an eye-opening, insight into what the world is really like. I have been protected by being homeschooled, and I am very glad of it. But I think I have being tested in this area, and putting my years of training to the test.

At camp {water-park} there is a thirteen-year-old boy who has been "chasing" after me.
To-day, more than usual.
What do I do?
Sweetly be nice to him, but don't encourage his flirtation and eloquent words. Reminds me of a chapter I read in Sarah Malley's amazing book Before You Meet Prince Charming:

Feeling confused and a little distressed, my little sister Grace cornered my brother Stephen, saying, "Pleeeease help! This guy keeps following me around and talking to me. It's getting really annoying, and I don't know what to do!" This friendly young man at the conference we were attending kept hanging around our family and talking to Grace, who was fourteen years old at the time. At first Grace just tried to be friendly, but after a few hours of being followed, she was getting rather frustrated. Grace tried everything. She ignored him, but he didn't seem to get the point. Then she sat down and started to read, but he just came right up to her and started a conversation. Grace asked Stephen {this is when I wish I had an older brother :)} to try to distract him, but the young man didn't seem too interested in talking with Stephen. She tried walking around. But whenever she stopped - guess who was right behind her? He was polite, friendly guy who just wanted to be friends, but it was driving Grace nuts. 


{from Chapter 3, page 51 of Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Malley}

Another reason why I love Miss Malley: she has gone through the same situations. Unfortunately, in this scenario this boy hasn't been extremely friendly or even with the best intentions.

 
Then I realize how many young ladies and sisters in Christ are struggling through the same thing. We all have our moments, "Oh, I wished he liked me, or even saw me," then we shake out of are daydream ashamed at  such silly thoughts; sometimes we are entranced by a boy's flirtatious eloquence or kind, sweet smiles, but remember, we all need to keep your focus on Christ. He's the one who has our hearts in His palm, and how grateful I am that I can say,

"I don't need the love of a boyfriend to know that my Heavenly Father loves me more than anyone could in the whole wide world."

Galations 5:16 
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fufill the lust of the flesh.


Now maidens of purity, arise and let us shine our light through this dark world, touching the hearts of aching and lost souls.

Lovingly,

Grace

Keeping Emily in our Prayers...

If you have not heard already from dear Lucia's blog or from Feelin' Feminine or any other part of the blogging world, Miss Emily's from Pratically Pink {a dear young lady of sixteen} mama had gone to be with our Lord Jesus after years of battling cancer. 

At sixteen I could not imagine losing my mama, even though knowing that she would be in a better place with no more sorrow or pain from cancer, so dear readers, I am asking for you to pray for Miss Emily. She is not a close friend of mine, but we are all sisters in Christ, are we not?

A family bound through Him.

And although no words spoken can take away the tears or grief, but please express your love to Miss Emily by commenting on this post. I know it would be a lot to her. 

Lovingly,

Grace

Psalm 27: 4~5

One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

Postscript~For you that are interested, please contact Lucia at her lovely blog for something she's planning to do for her. From there, she can get you updated. Can't say too much in case Emily's reading. ;) 

vintage finds

As you know, I am an avid lover {and collector} of old-fashion, vintage items {that including: tea cups, linens, etc. etc.} so when a flee market is held at a park somewhere, I become very excited to hunt for good deals on lovely, aged antiques.

I found this lovely spool of thread at the flee market on Friday {in a tangled mess of bits and pieces from a sewing basket}, and purchased it for only a quarter, which I thought was ironic because during that time era it was sold for $.25. :) I did a bit of research, and although I couldn't find any information about the Corticelli thread manufacturer, I saw that people were selling these spools for a good bit of money. I think I should like to start "collecting," these. :) They would be lovely decorum for a sewing room, don't you think?

There is something special about items that come from the early 1900's era. It's like when you hold an item passed down from generation that hadn't been lost, discarded, or extensively damaged, one can be transported to an era long gone by.

I also purchased this lovely...

Actually, I had been keeping my eye on it for awhile. Last time I asked the seller how much is the letter, she said, "Well, I must sell it to you for $12.00. You don't see things like this often with the envelope and all."

Indeed, you don't very often.
And I wanted it.
Badly.
 But I choked at the price and ruefully shook my head.

On Friday, I wasn't surprised to see the letter was still there, as it had been, with the rest of the old postcards, and I asked one last time the price tag. I was ecstatic when she proposed only $4.00 and quickly purchased it.

The letter is dated back to September 22, 1900...over 100 years ago. 'T is sweet to read, for it is a letter from a little girl to a ill little boy living in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dear Chester; 

I thought perhaps you would like to hear from me so I thought I would write a letter. 

You must hurry and get well so that I can come over to see you and so you can get back to school. I missed you the first morning of school.

When you come back you will be in Miss McNealy's room. I think she will be glad when you come because I told her you wrote such nice compositions, she said she liked little boys that write nice stories. 

I received your letter when I was out west and was so glad to hear from you. I wanted to answer it but never got time because I was so busy. 

Your mamma wrote to me and told me you were quite thin. If you hurry and get fat I will bring my little brother over to your house to take your picture because he has a camera. 

Well, I will close now, with best wishes; that you will soon be well. 

From 

                           Miss Schullian 

This is what I love about antique items: looking back on a simple thing in an era gone by, but a treasure, a legacy, a glimpse into everyday life in the Victorian era now. I hope that one day someone will find a bundle of old letters written by me and cherish them as much as I cherished penning them. 

Love always,

Grace

I'm Inspired by...Tangled

"This is the story of how I died..." ~Flynn Rider

{via}

Yes, I have seen it, a few times actually and you know what?

I love it even more so every time I watch it over again. 

For those who haven't yet had the opportunity of watching this beautiful fairytale, I highly encourage you to do so. 

Might I just say...
I love it...a lot.


Everything, from Rapunzel's beautiful golden 70 ft. tresses of hair, to Flynn's smolder, Pascal's protectiveness, Mother Gothel's "Mother Knows Best," and of course, the frying pan. 

It's enchanting, engaging, whilst cute and funny, and oh-so-whimsical. The animation is stunning, and the story is a clever twist to Grimm's original {might I say gory} fairytale. :P 

  

{via}

"Listen, blondie -"

"Rapunzel." 

...

"Gussintight..." 

{pardon my spelling ;)}

 I loved Rapunzel's free spirited, over-enthusiastic character. She's pretty and curious as any eighteen-year-old girl would if she had been stuck in a tower for basically all her life. She's a little naive and childish, but she is also a fighter when it truly counts and self-sacrificing for the ones she loves the most, as well as faithful and devoted.  

"I love you very much." 

"I love you more." 

"I love you most." 

Pastel, Rapunzel's pet "frog," :P is just amazing. He's funny and loving and so adorably cute! 

"He's smiling at me. Why is the frog smiling at me?" 

"You've got to know that this is the craziest thing I've ever done."~Flynn Rider

"Something brought you here. Call it what you will, fate, destiny -" 

"A horse." 

Yes, no one can forget the remarkable Maximus the horse. He's a majestic white horse that has more of a character like a sweet, loving dog.

  

Then who could forget the fierce-some band of rough-riding ruffians? 

"I had a dream once." 

{Click HERE to see whole song}

And of course, no one could possibly forget, the daring, adventurous, most-wanted thief of the kingdom...

Flynn Rider

He's clever and witty, sometimes a bit of a show off, but learns to love in the end. 

"No, no, no! This is bad, this is very very bad...

They just can't get my nose right!" 

"This is an off day for me, this usually doesn't happen to me." 

Favorite highlights of the movie...

Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be. 

Just fell that summer breeze - the way it's calling me

For like the first time ever, I'm completely free! 

I could go running

 And racing 

And dancing

And chasing

And leaping

And bounding

Hair flying

Heart pounding

And splashing 

And reeling

And finally feeling...

Now's when my life BEGINS!!!

Click HERE to watch my favorite song. 

These scenes {above and below} are SO magical!

The "I See the Light" scene, was simply lovely!

hehe...*cough, cough*

This scene makes me laugh...every time. 

Maximus...yeah, what can I say? I LOVE him!:) 

This is a cute video I also found...yes, it's a bit cheesy, but I love Flynn's expression and remarks...as usual. :) 

"That settles it. I want one at the castle." *smile* Oh, yeah, my friend just got one, and it is settled...

I want one as well. :)

Back to the movie, overall it is a delightful, refreshing new take on the original Rapunzel story, beautiful in color and animation, and very clever and witty humor written in the script. 

If you didn't get the point already...

GO SEE TANGLED!!!

"Go live your dream." 

Love,

Grace

Joli cadeau français {what say you to a lovely french giveaway?}

Bonjour, my dearest readers! As you may remember, Jana the owner of the lovely Etsy shop The Shattered Princess {sponsor of my May Garden Party} has offered to give away yet another one of her lovely items. In fact, she has generously proposed to give away one item that she has made specially for my blog each month!   

She told me specifically that she likes to "dabble" with lace and trim in her spare time, but the results are so pretty and feminine that I am quite sure I would personally want to buy one. 

This month's item is so dainty and feminine: 

Are these Marie Antoinette notebooks not adorable?

Many MANY thanks to Jana for making these lovelies. 

here's how to enter

Required: You must complete the mandatory entry else extra entries will fail to count. 

Required: You must leave separate comments per entry you complete.

~mandatory entry~

{counting as one entry}

Visit Jana's lovely shop, and let me know what tickles your fancy. She has so many French, feminine things to choose from!

Once you have completed the required {mandatory} entry, here are some ways to gain extra chances to win: 

Tell me what your fondest summer highlights have been thus far or are soon to come. 


Tell me what your favorite time period{s} is. 


Heart Jana's shop. 


Add Jana to your Etsy circle. 


Follow this blog. {only if you want to:)} 


Follow my crafting blog. 


Follow my photography blog.

Purchase a petite item from "The Shattered Princess." 
{worth ten entries; leave ten comments, and of course, telling me what you purchased!}  

For those who do not own a blog:

{Required entry}

Let me know that you want to enter this giveaway.


{worth one entry}

Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you; you can leave your e-mailing address in a separate comment if you do not want me to publish it. 

Visit Jana's shop, and let me know what you like. 
{worth two entries; leave two separate comments}


E-mail three friends about this giveaway. 
{one entry per friend; leave three separate comments if you e-mail three friends}


Heart Jana's shop. 


Add Jana to your Etsy circle.


Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway. {one entry per thing you do} 
{only if you have an account, which by the way, I don't! :P}

Purchase something from Jana's shop.
{worth ten entries; leave ten separate comments}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra info. 

Giveaway open to international readers!!!

Again, leave separate comments per entry you complete. 

You must be a public follower {via Google Friends Connect} of my blogs to gain the entries.

Giveaway closes a week from to-day at 12:00 N Pacific Timing. 

{Late entries will not be accepted}

Hopefully, the winner will be announced later that afternoon.

Winner will have 48 hr. within their announcement to contact me with their e-mailing address, else a new winner will be selected. 

Winner will not be permitted to enter my next two upcoming giveaways. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

All right, ma petites, you may start typing....NOW!  

Avec beaucooup d'amour,  

{with much love}

Grace

finding joy friday :: summer ramblings

Last Tuesday was the official start of summertime season. 

Last Tuesday, for the first time, it finally felt like...

Summer

That whimsical, free, oh-so-sweet, tingling feeling overcame me as I kept telling myself summer was here. 

At last. 

Oh, indeed, I have been out for nearly a month much earlier than most schools, but for some merely odd reason, it truly felt like summer had officially settled in.

~~~~~~~~~~

{one} there is something about this imperfect picture that brings joy to my heart and reminds me of summer.

I suppose it is because

bokeh + lighting = sheer bliss

{two} blackberries...

Yesterday, my dearest friends and I picked blackberries from a neighboring yard.

there is nothing like freshly, hand-picked-by-yourself blackberries.

I cannot describe what yumminess dances on your tongue when you pop one of these blackberries in your mouth. Smaller than the store-bought blackberries {which look too enticing} these mini berries hold so much sweetness and tang. 

pure yumminess. and genius. 

{that's what I call everything that I like these days: genius. Yup, ask anybody I know. *smile*}

Our friends kindly {and generously} shared a bowl full of berries that we are whole-heartedly devouring. While our friends were very generous allowing us to have a bowl, my mom and I haven't been so...giving when it comes to eating them. :P

{three} busyness...

Well, to-day I worked both jobs: my Ravine water-park camp jr. councilor job and my WSI Aid job and I must admit this week has been fun but exhausting. These two jobs {especially my water-park job} has been keeping me so busy that when I come home, I am overwhelmed {with a tinge of guilt} at all the letters, e-mails, messages, etc. etc. that I have yet to tend to. 

And so I apologize to:

Miss Camille

Miss Bekah

Miss Johanna

Miss Miriam 

Miss Jenna

&

Miss Bethany

For not writing to you all! Hopefully, by next week {upcoming weeks} I will be able to manage my lettering better. 

{four} in the midst of busyness...

I still find the simple joys of life. To-day when I was at the waterpark enjoying my free shaved ice {tiger's blood and bubblegum of course!} I glimpsed up into the large oak that spread above us for some merely odd reason. A sweet, summer breeze murmured by us, and whilst I was enjoying my shaved ice, it seemed but for a moment, the world had stopped moving; that summer had lasted such a very long time.

it was a perfect moment. 

 {I had, as you would say, one of those whimsical, fanciful moments ready to be swept away to Narnia. :)}

What are you enjoying about summer?

Love always,

let's chat etsy :: interview with blue sun emporium

Dearest Readers~

I forgot to mention that my giveaway ends the 23rd of June! :P I do apologize for that. 

And the winner of the lovely Blue, Eagle Ring from Creative Kates is...

Comment #5

April Cheung said...

my fav item is the light blue rose ring
yayapril at gmail dot com

10:50 pm, june 16, 2011 

Congratulations, April! I hope that you enjoy your lovely ring. Please leave your e-mailing address {will not be published} on this post by Sunday afternoon, and I will have the sponsor contact you concerning your shipping information. If you do not hear from the sponsor within this upcoming week, please let me know so I can make everything right. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To-day, I have a simply lovely sponsor who sells the prettiest, little old-fashion delights. I am so excited to introduce this beautiful shop to you...

{click to enter shop}

The lovely owner Leandra and I had a lovely chat:

Me: Hello, Leandra! I am so delighted to have you here in my garden to-day! Do you think you could please tell a little bit about yourself? 

Leandra: Thank you for having me. Sure, I studied design in Europe and America and have always been an avid collector of antiques. I am married to a very talented artist and I depend on my husband's honest evaluations of my work. I am a mother and home-school teacher to our two beautiful girls. 

Me: Indeed, I too have always had a love for old-fashion antiques. See for your self in my hopechest! :) So what inspired you to start an Etsy shop and how long has it been in full operation?

Leandra: After I had my second child, life was so hectic. My husband encouraged me to find something creative I could do to take time for myself. I had dabbled in jewelry design years before in college and photography has been a passion for awhile. It just seemed natural to combine the two and open a shop. My shop has been open for about two and a half years.

Me: What is your inspiration for your products?

Leandra: I have a long standing love-affair with Victorian and vintage styles. I add modern touches, but I want my pieces to keep that classic feminine feel.

Me: What is perhaps to you the most enjoyable part of being an Etsy owner and crafter?

Leandra: Life is so busy, it is wonderful to take a few moments and sit at desk to sketch a design or assemble a piece. Being on Etsy has brought so many wonderful people and experiences my way. I recently designed a custom necklace for a little girl's birthday that was about a magical dream she'd had.

 How awesome to be a part of that!

Me: How neat! I am quite sure it was a dream come true!:) What are some of your best selling item(s) in your shop?

Leandra: My vintage cameos are always in demand. I have high standards and with their wonderful quality and detail, vintage items never let me down.

Me: Ooh! I love your cameos SO much! :) Tell us, what are a few of your favorite Etsy sellers/shops?

Leandra: Not only do I have tremendous admiration for all these artists, but I have spoken with all of them and they are simply lovely people as well.

Me: How lovely! I especially love the last two...so whimsical and French!:) Thank you for sharing. Being an experienced Etsy owner, could you share a few tips with the beginner Etsy owners among us?

Leandra: The number one thing to remember on Etsy is Stay The Course. Don't be discouraged if you don't see huge sales. It takes time for people to find your shop and for word to get around about your style and quality of service. The second things is to make sure you're at your best. Give you customers and outstanding experience and they will be loyal to you. Always improve where you can and don't be afraid to ditch something that isn't working.

Thank you so much, Leandra for the advice, and for allowing me to interview you. I hope your lovely business flourishes this year. 

{a peek into the shop}

When I first stumbled upon Leandra's delightful shop, I gasped, for I had found a place where she sold one of my dearest loves...old-fashion, Victorian delights.

Leandra sells an absolutely lovely collection of beautiful, vintagy, classy jewelry that will suit any antique taste which include... 

Gorgeous necklaces!

And beautiful lockets...

Cute vintage earrings...

Darling tresse accessories...

Old-fashion brooches..

{I LOVE this!}

And of course, beautiful, lovely rings...

{Me wants...A LOT!}

{the giveaway}

Leandra has generously offered this sweet, delicate ring as a giveaway prize. Is it not sweet?

Reminds me so much of the secret garden. 

Special SPECIAL  thanks to Leandra for contributing such a lovely prize. 

{how to enter}

Required: You must complete the mandatory entry, else all extra entries will fail to count. 

Required: You must leave separate comments per entry you complete. 

~mandatory entry~
{counting as one entry}


Visit Leandra's delightful shop,coming back here to let me know what catches your eye the most. I do believe that 'twill be difficult to choose just one item that you like the most.

~extra entries~
After completing the mandatory entry, you may gain extra entries by...

Heart Blue Sun Emporium. 

Add Leandra to your Etsy circle. 

Follow this blog {only if you like what you see posted here}. 

{counting as two entries; leave two comments}

Follow my crafting blog, and/or leave a note on a favorite post. 

Mention this giveaway in a blog post.

Purchase something from Blue Sun Emporium, letting me know what you purchased, of course!:) 

{counting as ten entries; leave ten separate comments} 

For those who do not keep a blog...

Let me know what you love in Leandra's lovely shop.

{worth three entries; leave three comments} 

E-mail at least three friends that you think would be interested in this giveaway. 

{one entry per recipient you e-mail; leave three comments if you e-mail three people}

Please remember to leave your e-mailing address in one of your comments {or in a separate comment lest you do not want me to publish it}.

{extra information}

When following this blog, you must be a public follower {via Google Friends Connect} to gain the extra entries.

Giveaway ends Friday, July 1st at 12:00 Noon Pacific Timing. Late entries will not be accepted. 

Hopefully, the winner will be announced that day {knowing me...I wouldn't count on it :P}. 

Giveaway open to US young ladies only. 

{My next upcoming giveaway is for international readers, though!}

Winner of this giveaway will have 48 hr. to contact me within the time of their announcement. 

Miss April {winner of the last giveaway} will not be allowed to enter this giveaway one or the next.

~~~~~~~~

I know all of you would like this lovely ring! So you may begin entering...NOW!

Lovingly,

Grace