The Captivating Woman

Designed with purpose.

Ladies to Know on Etsy – Art/Home Decor Edition

HannahHannah Pickering of Hannah Pickering Art
https://www.etsy.com/shop/hannahpickeringart

Facebook: Hannah Pickering Art
Instagram: @hannahpickering
Twitter: @hannahloveswes
Pinterest: @hannahloveswes

Name, age, location: My name is Hannah Pickering. I’m 25. I live in Nashville, TN.
How long have you been on Etsy?: I have been an Etsy seller since May, 2013.
What is your speciality?: Painting with acrylics. I make customizable abstract designs, paint photo-realistic flowers and leaves, and do hand-lettering.
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: I’ve always loved making things. As a little kid, anything artsy was a favorite activity. Yet as I got older, art was something that became less and less important until I didn’t draw or paint at all for several years. Then, right after graduating from college, I found myself desperately needing a creative outlet and God renewed my love for painting. In 2013, newly married and newly relocated to Nashville, I wanted unique wall art to decorate my house with and couldn’t find what I was looking for – so I made it! I thought other people might be looking for my style of art, too, so I opened my Etsy shop. Knowing that my art is a gift from God is a relatively new realization for me. Arts and crafts had always been something that I’d enjoyed but never thought of as particularly important and definitely not something that was my exclusive calling. After running my Etsy shop for two years, it started feeling like it was eclipsing my real calling – music and ministry – and I seriously considered closing my shop and giving up on painting altogether this summer.  However, God used many people (both close friends and complete strangers) over the past few months to speak into my life and creativity to refine and refocus the purpose of my art.Now, rather than just making art that I think is interesting and hoping it sells, I focus on making art that has a positive message and points people to God. This shift in purpose has shown me that God has plans for my art – and that my specialty is a gift from Him.
What were you doing before Etsy?: My Etsy shop has always been part-time; my “real job” is traveling the world and leading worship with my husband. Before Etsy, I guess you could say I was a student. I started my Etsy shop right after college (I have a bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute). Although my degree has nothing to do with art, it has everything to do with the mission behind my little art business.
How do you get inspired?: I find inspiration everywhere! Reading Scripture, being surrounded by nature, browsing the latest trends at my favorite shops, spending way too much time on Pinterest.
Tell us about your workspace: My art studio is a small sunroom on the back of my 1950’s cottage style house. It used to be a porch but was converted unto a laundry room long before my husband and I bought the house. Before we moved in, we moved the laundry hookups into a utility room and now I have my desk right where the washer and drier used to be (you can see the original cabinets right above my desk). It’s so personal and cozy – I love it!
Favorite verse?: John 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Etsy Items Studio

 

imageKelsey of ProjectWildflower
https://www.etsy.com/shop/projectwildflower

Instagram: @project.wildflower

Name, age, location: Kelsey, 22, California (Central Valley)
How long have you been on Etsy?: I opened my Etsy shop in late February of this year. I haven’t quite pursued making it as successful as I would like for it to be, but I plan to focus even more time and attention on it in the coming months ahead.
What is your speciality?: You know, to be honest, I don’t know that I have one. When you look at my Etsy shop, you don’t see one thing in specific, and you most likely never will. I chose to name my shop ProjectWildflower because I am so infatuated by the way that wildflowers grow so freely and with a sort of reckless abandon. They are not confined and are unencumbered by any restrictions as to how and where they grow in the wild. It has become sort of a project in my life and for myself to be intentional as to grow and develop in the same way that wildflowers do; with a free spirit, a sense of bravery, and an unwillingness to conform or to settle. Along with that comes my hunger to try new things and to push myself to create anything that I’d like to. You will see though, a variety of woven wall hangings available in the ProjectWildflower Etsy shop. I taught myself to weave in early February and have fallen in love with it, so I plan to always have a few weavings to choose from in my shop. Painted wood slices also seem to sell really well for me. I have just pretty recently listed them in the shop, but at craft events and fairs in which I have had booths, they have definitely been the biggest seller. So though I don’t have a specific specialty, weavings and wood slices are most likely going to stick around for a long while!
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: Crafts, and just sort of creating, has always come very naturally to me. I’ve never forced it and I have never lost even an ounce of passion that I have towards crafting. I think that when someone is so passionate about something that it becomes sort of their safe haven and what they look to when they want nothing to do with anything else… that is when you know that the Lord created them with the intention to live out said passion. I know I’m supposed to create. Just as Christ creates the most extraordinary things out of dust, out of nothing, I want to create beautiful things.
What were you doing before Etsy?: Before Etsy, I was still creating. I have always loved to make things, and decorated my apartment with a good amount of items I made myself. I ran out of places to put things, but still wanted to create, so I started to giveaway my creations as gifts. I just graduated college in May, so school was my main focus. Papers and exams sort of took over my life for those four years, as well as managing my local ice cream shop, which was really fun.
How do you get inspired?: I always think this is kind of a tough question, because I really don’t know! However, I do know that color pallets inspire me. I was once in a Target parking lot, and had parked my Jeep next to a flowerbed. There were really light colored flowers filling the soil, blue, yellow and purple, next to the black asphalt parking space. Thus, the Greater is He wood slice was born. A black background with white lettering, just as the parking lot was black asphalt with white painted parking space lines. The words are trimmed in pale blue, yellow, and purple flowers, just as the flowerbed trimmed the parking spot. Interesting, right? Point being, there is inspiration everywhere. It comes in all forms, and I am open to being inspired by the most random situations everyday.
Tell us about your workspace: Oh boy. My workspace is all over the place. Currently I don’t have a designated area that I work in, however, I plan to in the very near future. I’ve been working on how to turn one area of my bedroom into kind of a mini studio type space for all of my ProjectWildflower doings. I weave on my bed and I sketch on the couch and I paint at the kitchen table and I staple in the back yard and I glue things in the entry room and I sand in the driveway. Like what? I’m really a hot mess 24/7.
Favorite verse?: This is always hard for me. The Bible is composed of so many powerful and promising verses that fill me with a sense of calmness and make it so hard to choose. But Hebrews 10:23 never fails to leave me with a feeling of such comfort satisfaction, and hopefulness. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, for He who promised is faithful.” Our God is a faithful God. He always has been and He always will be.image-7 image-5

 

IMG_1376Kristin Hornstein of WinsomeEasel
https://www.etsy.com/shop/WinsomeEasel

Instagram: @winsomeeasel

Name, age, location: Kristin Hornstein, 28, Nashville, Tennessee.
How long have you been on Etsy?: I opened my Etsy shop in June of 2014, so just a little over a year.
What is your speciality?: Hand-lettering and illustration.
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: I’ve loved words for as long as I can remember. From the time I was 12 or 13 I’ve kept a small journal of quotes and phrases I found truth in, and I’ve always believed in the ability of words to transform the world. Think about it: words have the power rally or ruin a cause, to build up or tear down a whole nation, and to heal or break a heart. Hand lettering just made sense for me because it married my love of words and my desire to create. I don’t know that there was a specific moment when began to think about creating as a gifting, it felt more like a waste or act of neglect to NOT be making things. At some point I just I started playing around with different mediums until I found a style that seemed to work for me, taught myself (through many frustrated tears) how to use photoshop and illustrator, and set up an etsy shop. There have been countless missteps and moments of “well, that didn’t work” since then, but I’m slowly learning to refine my voice and create work I love. And even on the hardest days, there nothing I’d rather be doing!
What were you doing before Etsy?: Surprisingly enough, I was working as an office manager for a financial firm. It was about as far as possible from full-time creative work, but through working there I learned incredibly valuable lessons about running my own business, managing my finances, taxes, etc. As my Winsome Easel workload grew, it was very harder and harder to balance my day job with owning my own business, but doing both let me build up savings to give me some cushion as I transitioned to a full-time maker.
How do you get inspired?: I look for inspiration anywhere there is truth and beauty. I work outdoors as much as possible, and almost always take a walk before beginning a long creative session. I also listen to music nearly constantly, and have a rotation of artists who’s songs just say it, you know what I mean? And yes, Instagram feeds and Pinterest can be a great source of beauty as well, but I think the number one place I find inspiration is from relationships. Almost every piece in my shop has come from a moment in time with a good friend. A couple I love was battling infertility, so in faith I made the print I would want to give them for their nursery. (They’ve since has a beautiful, healthy baby boy!) Another friend shared a lyric with me from a song that she was clinging to in the middle of battling cancer, and that turned into a print. Another friend, a soon-to-be groom, was relaying to me a story about his finance’s favorite literary quote, and it struck a chord in me. I created a piece for them using the quote, which turned not only in to their wedding gift, but also a piece for my permanent collection. Every piece I make has a person behind it, and those people and their stories are my ultimate inspiration.
Tell us about your workspace: Though I have grand aspirations of working out of a studio space with plenty of storage and abundant organization, that dream is still a ways off! Thankfully, I’m blessed to have gracious roommates who let me use a bonus space in our house as a workshop!! It’s simple but functional, and has amazing natural light. My two cats are my constant shop companions, which of course, is plus as well.
Favorite verse: Psalm 73:23-26 is my life passage: “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

it is well 2 FullSizeRender-2

Ladies to Know on Etsy – Jewelry Edition

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Lindsey Warren of StampedAndFinch
https://www.etsy.com/shop/StampedAndFinch
Instagram: @stampedandfinch

Name, age, location: Lindsey, 24, Atlanta, Georgia.
How long have you been on Etsy?: Since May.
What is your specialty?: Hand-stamped, personalized accessories. My favorite accessory to make are bracelets.
How did you know your specialty was a gift from God?: When I first started making the bracelets I gave them to a few to friends as a gift of encouragement. I prayed over each of them and asked for the Lord to speak something through me into their life. I stamped a specific word or phrase for each of them and they were so touched. I knew from there that I could create something that would impact other people’s lives in a personal way as well.
What were you doing before Etsy?: I was and still am a teacher at a Neurodevelopmental school and therapy center for kids with special needs.
How do you get inspired?: I am a firm believer that the beliefs we have and the words we speak over ourselves have a direct impact on our lives. I love to listen to what truth the Lord is speaking into my life and when I make bracelets for friends or family, I really pray about what the Lord is saying over their life.
Tell us about your workspace: My workspace is a little corner by the window in our guest bedroom right now. It’s messy, small, unorganized, and perfect all at the same time. The natural sunlight from the window changes everything.
Favorite verse?: One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 31:12 “They shall be RADIANT over the goodness of the Lord”. Our beauty and light comes from deep within knowing that He is a GOOD, GOOD FATHER all the time, every moment, every season.

LOVE Processed with VSCOcam with a5 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

 

IMG_7671

 

Faith Schlauder of Kristina&Co. Jewelry
https://www.etsy.com/shop/KristinaCo
Facebook: Kristina&Co. Jewelry
Instagram: @kristinaco.jewelry

Name, age, location: Faith, 20, Orange Beach, AL.
How long have you been on Etsy?: Almost 5 years.
What is your speciality?:  I specialize in handmade jewelry. My specialty started out as wire wrapped rings (which I still do) but I have also branched out into earrings, necklaces, & bracelets.
How did you know your specialty was a gift from God?: I knew that my ability to create and my jewelry shop was a gift from God from the very beginning. At the very start I knew that if I was going to make this happen, I wanted to make sure I was giving back every time. I knew that without God I wouldn’t have the abilities I have. I know with everything I am, He gives each and every one of us a gift for a reason that will benefit His kingdom and the future of the world. It is something to be shared as well as touch others’ hearts. I wanted to serve him with the gifts He blessed me with. When I first started my shop I was giving 10-20% of each sale I made to Love146.com monthly. Over the past year, I felt a pull towards my own town. God showed me that there were needs here on the Gulf Coast that needed to be met. My passion is in ending local hunger right now, but I am keeping my heart open to whatever causes arise and come my way. At the end of each month I have 10% of every sale I made ready to go to wherever or whoever needs it most.
What were you doing before Etsy?: Before Etsy, I was a student in high school and was working at an awesome local boutique called High Cotton Bath Company. I still work there occasionally.
How do you get inspired?: My inspiration comes from so many different things. I have amazing friends and family who support me so much, are always encouraging and inspire me to grow in my business. When it comes to the design of my pieces, I am inspired by the beauty in nature. I love working with natural stones, soft earthy colors, and lots of pearls. My best friend Kaylyn is also an Etsy shop owner. Her shop name is RosetteBelles. Every time we are together we are bouncing ideas off of each other and encouraging each other to take new steps with our shops. It’s so awesome to have someone that shares the same passion that I do!
Tell us about your workspace: As of right now, my workspace consists of two desks side by side, one for storing and one for working. I like to keep my workspace light and creative. I am looking forward to having my own studio once I am married.
Favorite verse?: My favorite right now would be 1 Corinthians 4:7 – “For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing.”
IMG_7688
IMG_7757

il_570xN.820677916_ocph

Top 3 Books to Read Before 2015 Ends

I love books. I love the smell of an old book from the library as much as I love getting a brand new book in the mail. I love downloading books to my Kindle and asking friends every other week for new recommendations. And, let’s be totally transparent here, I have easily 50 books on my “to be read” list. I never know which book to crack open next!

If you’re anything like me, you told yourself 2015 would be the year you would read more. And, you probably haven’t lived up to that self-imposed obligation (I’m guilty). So, if you want to enter 2016 having actually crossed one of your New Year’s Resolution off, here are my Top Three Must Read Picks before 2015 comes to a close.

1. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski

If you don’t know who Jamie Tworkowski is, you need to check out his story and that of his organization, To Write Love On Her Arms first. I love his heart for hurting people and his passion for making people’s stories known. What makes his blog and organization great has been fully transformed into a physical copy you can carry around with you in If You Feel Too Much. This is less of a book and more of a collection of short thoughts/stories of the past 10 years. It encapsulates Jamie’s triumphs and struggles, his wins and defeats. He is open, honest and genuine in every word on every page. I fully recommend this book if you have ever struggled with depression, self-harm or know someone who has. It is a quick read, but also something you can read in small doses as each chapter stands alone as a separate story. Definitely worth the read.

2. Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel

I have read this book TWICE this year and am starting to read it a third time as you read this. I have never felt so challenged to make changes in my personal life as while reading this book. It covers every type of toxin that could exist in your life: toxic behaviors, toxic emotions and toxic influences. I have to warn you, if you read this book, you will feel convicted after every chapter. I did not think I had a problem with envy, but Craig proved me wrong. And, I think his words will help you grow in ways you never thought you needed to.

The church staff I work with read through this book together earlier this year, and now our whole church is reading through the book in small groups. If you are going to read this book, bring someone along with you. Keep each other accountable and ask tough questions. It will hurt, but you will love the you that comes out on the other side.

3. Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Whether you have read C.S. Lewis before or not, this is great book to add to your list of “To Be Read.” It is written from a fictional perspective but has deep spiritual insight. If nothing else, it will get you thinking about the spiritual wars happening daily with or without your knowledge of them. I don’t want to give too much away, you just need to read it.

What about you? Any books on your must read list? Like I already said, I have a list of over 50 books to be read. What’s a few more going to hurt? Comment below and share what your top must read picks are before 2015 is a wrap. 

Happy Reading!

Lady (Still) in Waiting

I have been single for a very long time.  It’s not that I choose to remain single; it’s just that I am comfortable with myself and will not jump into a relationship just to say I have a boyfriend.  I have had many people tell me that it is good that I am so particular about whom I am interested in.  Others have told me that it’s bad, and I should give more guys a chance.  However, waiting for that special someone makes me extremely happy.  I am happy to know that God is preparing the heart of the man that I get to be with forever.  But this idea of “waiting” also makes me very impatient.  I know that I am not the only woman out there who feels this way.  I also know that I am not the only woman who is willing to pursue a man even when I know I shouldn’t, because it is difficult to be patient.

I still talk occasionally with a guy I once dated.  Now this guy was pretty fantastic.  We had so much in common and could talk for hours.  On our first date of meeting each other, there were no awkward pauses or lulls.  As much as I liked him, I knew that I could not be with him.  He unfortunately, did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He told me that he would support me and would respect me, both spiritually and physically.  I appreciated his gesture and I so badly wanted to say, “Yes! I will continue to date you.”  However, I also know that I want my future husband to be a great spiritual leader, and I want to raise my children in the Word and knowing God.  Not too long ago, he went on vacation and I did him a favor.  He returned the favor by setting up a “date night” for me and a man of my choosing.  As grateful as I was for this offer, I also became very sad.  I began to think about the men I have encountered who have great personalities and not too bad on the eyes 😉  I thought about how it is probably ten times easier to find a man if you are not a Christ-follower.  I then began to think about how if you bring up this conversation with other Christ-followers, they (especially the men) become so offended.  “There are great Christian guys right here! We are single! Why don’t you give us a chance?!”  You almost feel guilty for not giving them a chance, but then you remind yourself that even though they have a great relationship with God, that does not mean that you are physically attracted to them.  

Relationships in the Christian world often seemed so rushed, in my opinion.  Young Christian adults are so eager to get married and start a family because if you are not married by the age of 23, then there must be something wrong with you.  Isn’t it sad that there is so much pressure placed upon young Christian women and men in this community?  There are many young Christian couples who have married young and have children, but this is in no way an insult to them.  Instead this is an encouraging reminder to the singles out there who believe that Mr. Perfect will never show up.  This is a reminder to the singles that are so worried and consumed with finding their perfect someone: find favor in the Lord instead of placing favoring in others. God knows your life.  He knows when certain events are going to take place.  Have you thought that maybe He has not brought that person in your life for a reason? Maybe you still need to work on yourself? Maybe you need to pursue a dream before settling down? Maybe your “special someone” has not come to Christ yet, and God is tugging on their heart strings.

God’s timing is perfect.  When we rush His timing, we are not following His will or plan for our lives.  I know that this is a hard concept to follow, because I too have a difficult time trusting in God’s timing.  However, I know that when that time comes it will be truly special.  God has not given up on you.  He has not forgotten about you.  He loves you so much, that He wants the best for you.  Now if that means waiting until I’m 30 to be married, then sign me up! I would rather trust and follow God’s timing, than doing life on my own time.  My challenge for you is that you also trust in His timing.  A lady in waiting is a valuable characteristic to possess.  There is nothing more valuable than waiting on the Lord.  

Go Global

There we were, in the Houston International Airport, about to board another flight, this one heading to Managua, Nicaragua. We were a group of twelve, ready for a week of serving and scared of the unknown. The flight to Houston for three of us was the first time in a plane. The next flight to Nicaragua for most was the first time ever out of the country.

The plane took off and all eyes were glued to the window. The months of fundraising and praying were combining with feet-to-the-ground action in just a few hours. The excitement of it all mixing in giddy laughs at 39,000 feet. The seven days that followed were a complete blur of laughs and tears, tickles and spins, photographs and prayers. And there we were, in the Houston International Airport, again. Only our memories to keep us company.

Nicaragua had captured my heart long before this trip, and now had the other eleven from my group in her grasp. That’s what missions does to people. It changes you. How could it not? Anytime you remove the comfortable and replace it with Jesus, the radical happens. When we take one step towards Jesus, He pulls us deeper than we ever thought we could go.

So, when are you going to go? Yea, that’s right, you. When? Where?

Now, you probably think I’m crazy. You have a life full of commitments and obligations. You could never find the time or the money to go. It’s better to just send others fundraising money then send myself. I have a year’s worth stories that say otherwise. When we actually GO, we get to see firsthand what Jesus wanted us to see: the poor, the orphans and the widows. Sure, you have people just like that in your community, but you never truly see them, do you? We’re always in a hurry to get from work to home, from this meeting to the next, from Monday to Friday. When you go on a missions trip, the focus comes off you and your schedule and it becomes about Jesus and His schedule.

And eyes are opened.

I firmly believe that if you go on a missions trip, it will drastically change how you serve Jesus in your own community. A little perspective is all you need. So, I’ll ask again, when are you going to go?