New Addition

Two posts in one day....Try to contain your excitement!  Ha!

Any who...I thought I'd share a quick little update with you: I got a new desk!

I have been dying to have a real desk for sometime now.  For years I have had this little craft fold up table that "functioned" as a "desk."  My previous desk foldable table wasn't even three feet long and really limited my ability to use it in any way.  While it worked great for crafting, since I didn't have to worry about paint getting on it, I simply could not use it for anything else.  Not to mention I've been using this huge, clunky, green desk chair that I absolutely hated with that little table.

Yeah it was not a very good combination.

SO when the possibility to have an apartment (in my hopefully very near future) arose, I started looking for some key furniture pieces I would be needing.  That's when I came across this really beautiful desk at a great price! I simply could not turn the opportunity down.  So I emailed the owner, worked out an even better price, and got dad to go with me to pick it up!

The desk is absolutely perfect and exactly what I've been wanting!  The best part however, is when we arrived the owner gave me her previous desk chair for free!  It's a cute little red leather chair.  The red doesn't quite go with my current decor but it's WAAAY better than that ugly green chair so I took it! I loved the shape of it, and red will easily fit in with how I hope to decorate my apartment when that day comes.

Here take a look:

BEFORE: (I told you that chair was ugly!)

 AFTER:

Isn't it pretty?!  The desk is a little large for my current room, but it'll be perfect when I get my own place!

Wishful Wednesday

While working on my last design project, I discovered this great new store out at South Point, called West Elm. Apparently it's part of the Williams-Sonoma & Pottery Barn corporation.  We stopped in there to buy the accessories and bedding for her master bedroom, but I fell in love with this store!  They have some of the best accessories I've seen and all at pretty affordable prices.  They also have beautiful bedding, curtains, and furniture options.  I was dying to shop for myself on that trip, but had to focus on the task at hand.  So what's on my wish list this week?  Gift cards to the West Elm store, so I can go back and have my own shopping spree :)

Quick Tip Tuesday

Don't be afraid to mix and match prints when choosing fabrics for your upholstered pieces. As long as the colors coordinate and one print does not over power the others, mixing prints works beautifully!  I heard a trick once to help make your job easier if you don't fully trust your fabric-mixing/picking abilities (yes I made that up).

It's called the "squint test".  Lay out all of the fabrics you're considering and squint your eyes.  If one pattern stands out a lot more than the rest, then discard that fabric and pick another.  If they seem to all blend together then you've got a winning selection.

When I performed my design test at Ethan Allen, he praised my ability to mix patterns and fabrics.  I didn't use the squint test, but hey not everyone has gone through design school!

Here are some samples:

How do you read?

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by people who can read a portion of text and discover this incredible hidden truth or bigger picture.  For a long time, this realization would happen in school.  My teachers could read a book and come up with all of these crazy hidden meanings. I could read the same book (not that I actually read them very often) and never in a million years come up with those ideas.  For example:  When my teacher tried to convince me that the book Animal Farm was about communism, I just could not see it.  To me, the book was nothing more than some animals talking. Period.

I've never been big on reading, and I think a lot of that stems from the fact that I'm a surface reader.  I have a hard time seeing these bigger pictures or discovering a larger meaning in the text.  I read what I read, and get the obvious picture. It is very rare that I can break it down into something more.

Recently, I've seen this become more evident during my quiet time.  While in High Point a few weeks ago, the pastor  broke down a passage in a way I would have never thought to.  The animation and emotion he put into every verse he read, really challenged me to look at the way I read God's word.  For years now I've simply skimmed over a verse, looking for the obvious points. I'd write a little something down and then move on.  And for years, I've had a hard time remembering what I've read let alone applying it to my life.  Reading the Bible had become like everything else I had to read.  I was doing it because I had to, not because I wanted to.  I'd read a verse quickly, get what I thought I needed, and move on.  While that method worked great for getting A's in school, that is not the attitude I should, or want, to have while reading God's word.  

Hearing the excitement in the Pastor's voice as he read, as if he were talking to God himself, was a concept I'd never considered.  While I am still not great at reading this way, I've really tried recently to take more time in the word.  I haven't been reading more verses, but really taking the time to break down and take in each word of the passage I'm reading that day.  Like I said, I'm still not great at it. I'm pretty sure Pastors will always be better at seeing and teaching the bigger truths, but that's what they're there for right?  

This new way of reading has really challenged me to try and grasp the greatness of the words written in the Bible.  For example I looked back over a few of my favorite verse like:

Jeremiah 29:11  "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 a hope and a future."  I normally took comfort from this verse seeing that there's a plan for my life; that I'll have a future.  However, I never really took the time to apply or see that it says "I know the plans I have for you."  (That would be God talking in case you didn't catch that.)  That means the HE knows the plans for my life.  Not me, not my parents, not my friends, not the lady at church, no one but HIM.  How often do we try to control and plan our lives out?  I know I'm guilty of this every. single. day.  It's built into our selfish human tendencies to want to control our lives and pretend like we have control over tomorrow. In reality it is God, and only God who knows the plans for our lives.  If we trust Him and lean on Him for understanding and guidance, our future will fall into place just as He planned.  This means that my plans or ideas will not necessarily be how my life plays out.  I must trust God, lean on Him, and align my hopes and dreams with His ways, so that I can live a life that glorifies Him. Then and only then, will I find the hope and future He promises.

And then there's this one:

Romans 11:36 "For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory.  All glory to Him forever! Amen." How would you read this?  I used to read it as everything is here for and by Him.  However, I never really took the time to understand how massive the word "everything" is here.  Every. Single. Thing.  Exists by God's power for His glory.  Sure, this is easy to accept when you think about all the happy times in life, the beautiful scenes in nature, or the smile on a child's face.  But "everything" also includes heartache, death, pain, insecurity, confusion, etc. It's so easy to read this passage and skim over that part. We can't forget or ignore the harder side of this passage and learn from it.  Everything comes from God, and the sooner I grasp the vastness of that statement the better.  I find so much comfort knowing that even the hard times or the not so beautiful moments come from God too.  They push me to grow, mature, learn, and grow closer to Him.  How often does it take our world falling apart to make us call on God.  Sometimes the hard times are the only way He can get our attention.  Plus, just from looking at my past, I can say that the hard times are the most important and pivotal points in my life. They drew me back to God to make me who I am today.  The hard, ugly, and painful times are never fun but they will always be there.  You and I can take comfort from knowing that they exist by God's power. 

Taking this little bit of extra time has really challenged me.  How do you read the bible?

And the Winner Is...

Melissa Oakley!

Congratulations Melissa!!  I have sent an email to you and Ball + Chain.  They should be in contact soon to get your shipping information.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered this giveaway! I cannot thank you all enough for your support over the last couple of years.  I hope to do more giveaways in the future, so keep reading!

Also, here's a HUGE thank you to Ball + Chain for supporting my blog through this giveaway!  This would not have been possible without your generosity.  Thank you for your support and for offering such beautiful products at amazing prices! 

Thanks to everyone!