Trust God. When you run out of trust, just Obey Him.

It seems like winter is the time I learn a lot about myself and when I see how much I actually need God. I've had so many things I wanted to share on here about what I'm learning but didn't because I wanted this to be a place for "business". Yep, my creative online studio turned in to business...  I'm not sure how I got there and I'm not sure I'm gone either but I know that isn't how I want things to be. Business is good in the fact that it provides for my family, but the reason I am able to have a successful business isn't just about how professional my blog is, or how beautiful my Instagram account is. I'm not saying those don't matter, cause they do, but thats not the entire story.

This blog and business started as some place fun that I could share my heart. I talked about what was happening in my life whether it was art or budgeting or marriage goop. And when I was sharing and speaking boldly from my heart this blog and my business was much more successful. I think there are lots of reasons I could chalk that up to, like people just think I'm interesting, or I got hooked up with the right blog group, but what I really think it was was trusting God. I didn't have some big plan that told me how I was going to use this space and lead me to be successful. I just used what God gave me and knew that it was good.

One thing that I've been hit over the head with a lot lately is that my plans suck. Well, they may actually sound really amazing and it may look like I've got it all figured out. But God says, "Nope, stop planning and just follow me, do as I say and all your needs will be cared for". Like seriously, He says that in the bible in Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?".  I know my value in Christ, I know He sees me as priceless. For heavens sake He DIED for me!! So why do I think He has forgotten what my desires are or that if I don't succeed on my own that my family will never be able to move forward? Like seriously whyyyyy does that plague me so much.

Like I said earlier, that thought process of trying to provide always sneaks back up on me in the Winter months. I think it's because I have time to sit, its slow in business since because it follows the Holidays, our bills are higher than normal because of the cold. So basically the winter sucks. Except for the fact that I can always count on it to lead me right where I need to be. I hate the cold weather, and I hate not having much business come my way BUT each time this happens I am reminded that I need to trust in the Lord and when my trust runs out I need to OBEY Him. I need to boldly trust that if I follow His plan for me that I will not only make it through the winter but that I will be successful in all that I do.

So I pray that each of you will also learn that sometimes our plans aren't what we need. What we need is to trust that our Heavenly Father values us much more than the birds of the air. He is going to take care of you and your family. He wants you to have the desires of your heart so be patient in His timing, trust that He is good, and obey what He says to you.

Love y'all!!

Easy ETSY Backdrop

¡Hola Chicas!
So many of y'all know I have an ETSY shop and that it has been growing steadily in the past year or so. Well I mad some goals for it in 2015 because I'm ready to take it to the next level! One of my goals was to have a more uniform look.

What I mean is I want my pieces to be the focal point of the shop and not my crappy quick photography skills. In the past year I've been working so fast that I haven't taken the time to photograph my work at a level that is any place close to professional. And thats where this super super easy backdrop comes in to play. 

Really all I wanted was a clean space that I could take to the well lighted spots of the house. So I decided to make a folding backdrop just big enough for the majority of my pieces. I wanted it to be versatile so I could kinda change it up depending on the product but also have a unity that flows through out the shop sections. That is where the two tone scheme came in to play. My tin signs I wanted to photography on a wall but my serving trays need to be laid flat. The white is great for the serving trays to highlight the stain of the tray and the stained portion would look awesome with some of my tin products. 

I didn't take photos of making it because it was pretty easy but I will explain how it works.

Basically, I got 2 24inch birch boards and 2 4 inch hinges. I painted my boards and place the hinges on the UN PAINTED side. This way when I had the boards open for photographing my work you don't see the hinges or screw heads. 

Now the board will sit open and flip backwards on itself for easy storage when I'm done :) 

The picture above shows how nice a backdrop can look. 

This spot in the house had great lighting but our floors are scratched up, the trim needs to be painted and I would have to put a hole in a random spot in our wall to the tins for photos. The back drop solves AALLL  those issues :) Now I have a clean and crisp area I can take with me to the best light and photograph any of my small goods!! 

I LOOOOVVVVEEE how much better my tins look with a crisp and uniform back drop. Can't wait until I can get every piece in the shop reshot and posted :) I wish I would have done this forever ago, now every bodies gonna want some of dis!! In fact, if you are intersted in any of the Tin Signs above they are $20 plus shipping >> click here to go to the shop!

If you have an online shop be sure to always make time to photograph your work with quality. You don't have to be a professional photographer to get photos that display your work in a positive and uniform way. 

Do you have an online shop? If so leave me your link in the comments I would LOVE to check it out :)