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Seek the things above: Bible verse printables

Well, in continuing the Wednesday “Seek the things above” series, I’ve had a section of free Bible verse printables up near the top of my page for a while now, but I realized I’ve never really mentioned it here in my posts! I just updated it today, changing some things around, and adding some new verses, and I wanted to explain that section – and share them with you in case you haven’t seen it before. :)

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Jesus quoted the beginning of this verse in Mark 12, speaking of the greatest commandment – to love God first and foremost.

I decided I wanted more verses around our home – more visual reminders of where our hearts and minds should be. Of course, just having God’s words on the wall is not really the goal .. it should be in our hearts. We are to teach them to our children and always have them in mind and in our talk. But having something visual can cue my thoughts and remind me, as the verse also mentions having them around us in more physical senses – like on the doorposts and gates.

So I started making Bible verses into prints for our home, and I wanted to share them with anyone else who would find them helpful in their homes as well.

They are all 8×10, which is a common frame size, though some are horizontal and some are vertical. Click any image to get to the printable PDF file, and print on regular size printer paper, and just trim the white borders after printing to be left with your 8×10 print. (Although, I would recommend printing on heavier paper like cardstock rather than typical printer paper. One option is to have it printed at a place like Office Depot or Staples… they’ll typically print a full color cardstock copy for less than $1. You can get to the verse printables from any page on my blog by hovering over the “Printables” icon under my banner, and choosing “Bible Verse Printables” from the drop down menu. Or, in this case you can just click here. :) Here are a few of them:

See the rest here.

It is so encouraging to enter a home and see evidence of God’s Word in it – not just on the walls, but in the hearts, actions, and speech of those who live there.

Leave your thoughts and comments below. :)

A New Art Line at FlourishCafe!

I’m very very excited today about a new line of prints I’ve just launched in my shop, and I wanted to share it with you! The theme of the new line is the incorporation of vintage art. By melding vintage illustrations with modern typography and design, it combines into whimsical and fresh pieces of art. The illustrations are old enough (from the 1920’s and prior) to be in the public domain and are no longer under copyright. So I’ve worked them into my new print designs, often altering the colors (most were in simple black and white) and pairing them with playful words and phrases. And I am quite tickled with how they turned out! I hope you like them too — let me know what you think and if you have a favorite. I just might have to do a giveaway from my new line soon! :) ** UPDATE: Yep, I’m having a giveaway from my new line, as mentioned! Check out my first vlog for the details!**

So, without further ado, the rest of my new line of prints!

My personal favorite is probably the “Come on in, sit down, chill out” poster – it makes me cheery to see it when I come home. :) Let me know what you think in the comments below!

10 Ideas for Crafty Organization

I wish I was a naturally organized person. The whole “a place for everything and everything in its place” idea is wonderful – but the first problem for me is finding a place for everything!

Back before the holidays, orders started flooding in for my art and I felt like all I was doing was packaging and shipping orders – and the packaging was taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r. For one thing, I didn’t have a good inventory storage system. Also, every time I needed to package something, I had to go gather all my supplies together. I don’t have a separate studio, so shop supplies had to put away to have livable space.

It just wasn’t working.

And then I bought two vintage items which drastically changed my art shipping process. They are pictured above: a vintage LP record holder on the left, and a vintage silverware caddy on the right. With the record holder, I was able to store my backed-and-sleeved art prints in a space-efficient way, where I could easily glance through and find what I needed. With my silverware caddy, I was able to store my regularly needed shipping supplies (washi tape, notecards, address labels, etc.) in one portable unit (love the handle on top!) so I could bring it out and put it away as needed. Packaging started going SO much faster.

Plus, its just fun to have nifty organizational stuff! And vintage items are generally nice and sturdy and will last well. So I thought it would be fun to gather a collection of vintage items from Etsy that can be repurposed in fun organizational ways, and help you find “a place for everything”. (A few of these are from my own shop, but most are from other sellers on Etsy.)

This vintage silverware caddy from SaltandGinger is almost exactly like the one I have! I highly recommend it for storing various small items – the little dividers, the “basket” and the handle make it just perfect for keeping small things organized and portable. You could use it for sewing supplies, or makeup and hair care items, or as a desk caddy – all sorts of uses!

I think this is so clever – and pretty! This vintage muffin tin from NavarreCharm is such a charming idea for storing all those little-bitty items that tend to get jumbled together. Keep it on your desk to sort beads, or put it in a drawer and keep your safety pins and other such items from getting all mixed up.

I’ve got a soft spot for old record holders. Few people need something to store their vinyl anymore, but we all have mail, printouts and other such items to sort. This one is nice and long and you could easily add dividers to keep track of various papers.

How charming is this vintage metal basket from TimelessFindsVintage? One great thing about a vintage storage item like this one – it doubles as decor! Especially nice if you have limited closet and hide-away places … keep crafty items out in the open in this cute basket. Bonus: it has a handle.

This mid century modern magazine rack from CastandCrew is so sleek! It would add a snazzy retro feel to a room AND give handy storage space. Use it to stylishly store magazines, craft books, mailers, skeins of yarn – you name it!

Another fun repurposing idea you might not have thought of before – a vintage vanity set from BusyBreeVintage could be used to house any number of small crafty items! The especially nice thing about these is that they have lids, to hide away contents and neaten your work space.

Now this is a vintage item which you probably wouldn’t have much use for its original purpose – but could be extremely handy to get things organized! This vintage photo slide box from heartkeyologie could house colored pencils, or other art supplies … or insert some slides (or little pieces of cardboard) in the slots to create compartments suited to what you’re storing. Make compartments for beads, seam rippers, thimbles, whatever you need!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really need something to hold my toast (except my belly.) I listed this vintage toast holder in my shop, though, because I think it would make a great little caddy for storing crafty items. There are two blank spaces on either side (probably for butter/jam pots) where you could put pencil holders, and the spiral in the middle is handy for small paper items like stickers. And a handle. I’m fond of handles, in case you haven’t noticed. I like portable.

If you want something *truly* portable, though, check out this gorgeous vintage leather camera bag from BusyBreeVintage. Use it to carry your camera – or, as is pictured, to store and carry your art supplies! This would be especially nice if you like to paint outdoors – have you supplies together and ready to go! And, even when you’re not going anywhere, it still looks spiffy with all those art supplies.

We have tape dispensers – why not dispensers for more items? This is a vintage brass postage stamp dispenser from my shop, but it wouldn’t have to be limited to stamps. Fill it with ribbon, or tickets, or trim, and snip off as needed!

I hope you’ve found these vintage items inspiring for organization!
Do you have other vintage repurposing ideas to help you get organized?
Are you naturally organized, or just trying to learn, like me?
Leave your thoughts and ideas below, I’m always tickled to get comments! :)

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DIY Planters from Light Fixture Globes

I simply love re-purposing items! I had lightly touched on these planters I made awhile back, upcycled from old light fixture globes, but I wanted to revist it and let you know how I made them. (Note: I love coming up with ideas – but I’m never going to claim to be the best gardener, so see my disclaimer at the bottom of the post!)

DIY Planters - TheFlourishingAbode.com

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the best gardener. I tend to get excited about plants … then forget to water them, and then remember, and drown them. Ack! However, I’ve had some occasional luck with container gardening, and I wanted to share that idea I had that I think is very pretty. However, I recently read that adding gravel to the bottom of a container doesn’t really help drain plants. So considering my general lack of knowledge with plants, you can take or leave my steps – this is an outline of how I made my planters, but if you know of a better way to approach non-draining terrarium style planters, by all means do that – and please come back and share your tips, because I’d love to hear them! :)

Share your green-thumb tips (or lack of green-thumb woes like me) in the comments below! :)

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Celebrate the first anniversary of FlourishCafe!

Wow, a lot has changed over the past year for my little handmade business! One year ago yesterday, I opened FlourishCafe. At the time it was one of my three shops … With a Flourish, Flourish and Debonair, and Flourish Cafe. Now, one year later, I have finally found my niche, and have narrowed down to just Flourish Cafe! And to celebrate this first anniversary/birthday of my shop… it’s giveaway time! :D As well as more fun planned throughout the week here on my blog…

If you used to keep up with this blog, you’ll notice it looks very different. Originally, this blog was FlourishandDebonairBlog, to go along with that shop. Since that shop closed, I’ve been really rethinking what I want to blog about, and I’ve been working on getting this set up. I plan to officially launch this blog in its true capacity next week. In the meantime, let’s have a birthday party!

So, here’s part one of the celebration … I’m giving winner’s choice of ANY 11×14 print from my shop to THREE people! There will be three winners to this giveaway, and each one gets to pick an 11×14 print (or smaller if you prefer) from my shop. WooT!

Ok, so here’s how to enter … go to my shop: FlourishCafe.etsy.com and look around to pick a print you would choose if you won. Then come back here and post your choice in the comments, along with an email address so I can get in contact with you if you win. That’s it – you’re entered!

Want an additional entry? Post about this giveaway with a link to this post to your friends on Twitter or Facebook or Pinterest, then put a link here to your post in the comments! Make sure there’s a way for me to get in contact with you if you win!

The official stuff:
This giveaway is only open to participants 18 years or older, and only in the United States.
There will be 3 winners, each may choose any one print, up to 11×14 size, from my shop.
The winners will be selected randomly using random.org to choose 3 random comment numbers.
You must leave a way for me to get in contact with you.
This giveaway runs through 11:59 pm EST Friday, January 6, 2012.
You must enter by then to be eligible. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

So go look around in FlourishCafe and see what you would choose! Here are a few of the options below, but there are many more in my shop! And don’t forget to come back to my blog through this birthday party week – there’s more fun in store! :D

Go on, pick your favorite from my shop, and let me know in the comments to enter my giveaway –
you only have until the end of the day Friday, December 6th EST to enter! Good luck! :D

Behind the scenes – take a tour of my space!

Me, in my creative space. Although most of the time, I’m not holding a frame.

(Just a quick note: It’s taking longer than I anticipated for Blogger to replace all the comments. They say they are working on it … *sigh* Hopefully I can announce the giveaway winner soon – I will as soon as all the entries are back! Now back to your regularly scheduled program!)

I think its so interesting to see how different artists use their space and where they work. Sooo, I thought I’d take you on a tour of my space, too! And throw in a few storage and organizational ideas along the way. So if you will, step right this way…

And, ahem, pardon my narrow shots – I don’t have a wide angle lens, so some of the pictures have overlap to get the full picture :)

I’m a big fan of these stacking wire storage units. You can build them to whatever shape and size you like! And then fill all the shelves with your boxes/tubs/containers. Oh, and you see that rockin awesome camera bag over there on the right? It’s from Porteen Gear, and my husband got it for me for Valentine’s Day. I highly recommend her shop for any photographer to get some gear!

See that photo on the wall? It’s one I took! And yes, it includes that same frame I’m holding my my photo. :)

So, I forgot to take a picture of this, but under that curtain on the front of my table is a seriously awesome organization idea my aunt gave to me! She took a drawer from an old unwanted dresser, painted it white and stenciled on the front to make it pretty, and put rollers on the bottom. Voila! A large, easy to roll out storage compartment, perfect to go under a bed or table. Love it!! :D

You know how in my shop I’m always talking about decorating with record albums? See, I do it too! I love this album cover from the Ink Spots. And in front is a goooorgeous print from Tahlia Day. Her artwork is absolutely stunning! Oh, and that is an ostrich egg on the left.

Keeping all your most essential go-to tools in one place makes life SO much easier as you don’t have to spend time hunting down what you need each time you get a chance to work on a project. This lovely basket (in my yellow no less!) was a gift from my husband’s grandmother. I love it so much! It’s quite spacious in the middle of the basket, and has all sorts of pockets on the outside, too!

An easy way to store my handmade jewelry!

Recognize that picture frame? Yeah, I pretty much love it.

My vintage sewing machine (still works, and is what I sew with!) and a cute hoop from Danielle over at the Merriweather Council, and a little bunting from Palimpsestic — both fabulous shops. (You may remember seeing those from an earlier post!)

This is one of the places my little girl likes to be creative! I snagged this vintage school desk recently, and she keeps some of her art supplies inside it. :)

A couple ideas from this shot – if, like me, you’re in an apartment where you can’t paint, you can still get some color on your walls but putting up a colorblock of fabric! Also? Pages from vintage atlases look fabulous framed.

Can you tell I love books? I stacked books alternating horizontal and vertical for added interest on this DVD rack.

This concludes our tour. Thank you for visiting .. my home!
Do you have any organizing or decorating tips to share?
Do you have any pictures of your space? Do share in the comments below!

A couple of my happy finds

In an apartment, you need to find home decor accents that pack a lot of awesome-per-inch! :) I bought some great finds on Etsy that fill this need perfectly and I want to recommend these two awesome shops!! We love this little happy area on our wall where I have my finds:

Vintage Map Clock: my own non-Etsy find :)

Handmade “Explore” Map Bunting: from Palimpsestic on Etsy

Handmade Vintage Fabric Patchwork Hoop Art: from MerriweatherCouncil on Etsy

I just find this little space so inspiring! And both of the Etsy sellers are not only extremely talented artists, but very friendly and helpful as well! I was so happy with my purchases.

Check out these other gorgeous finds from each of their shops:

From The Merriweather Council:

“Let’s Go” Embroidery Fiber Art Hoop by merriweathercouncil

Mini Patchwork Fabric Bunting by merriweathercouncil

Set of 2 Patchwork Fabric Hoops by merriweathercouncilFrom Palimpsestic:

Square Inch Art by Palimpsestic

Mini Love Pennant “Love” Map Banner by Palimpsestic

Original Art Collage Bookmark by PalimpsesticCheck them out!
Have you had great buying experience on Etsy? Tell me about it in the comments below! :)

The story behind it…

People often ask how I got started/what my inspirations are with my Etsy shops, so here you go!

The story behind FlourishandDebonair:
I used to sell antiques with my Dad, and we would go hunting to auctions, old barns and abandoned buildings (always with permission of course) discovering old treasures to be given new life.

vintage records in flourish and debonair

vintage earrings in flourish and debonairOne day I bought a box of vintage jewelry and found in it a unique necklace I liked so much, I kept it for myself and wore it often. The beads were unusual and I eventually realized they were made of paper!

handmade paper beads in flourish and debonairI dove into making paper bead jewelry myself, and now I collect old encyclopedia sets to turn into wearable art. So my vintage selling and my jewelry making are really very closely intertwined!

vintage creamer in flourish cafeThe story behind FlourishCafe:
Growing up, dinner time was always an important time of day- a time to laugh, share the day’s stories, pray together and, of course, enjoy my Mom’s delicious home cooking! I want to create that same experience for my family each day as well, so I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, creating delicious meals to enjoy while we spend time together around the table.

tomato cream sauce recipe in flourish cafeI thrive in a kitchen filled with spices, where I can come up with my own recipes, and think of my kitchen as my own cafe. My little daughter requested curry and naan for her 3rd birthday and she can consume hummus at an incredible speed. That gives you a little idea of the bold flavors I like to put on the table! My FlourishCafe shop is all about turning your kitchen’s atmosphere into your own flourishing cafe, a gathering place for the people you really want to be with – your family!

salt and pepper love in flourish cafeSo there’s my backstory :) What’s yours?

Time for Spring Cleaning!

I recently went down to Georgia to pick up a dining room table that used to be my grandparents’ years ago. I also got some neat items that were my great grandparents’, and some hymnals and other items that were my uncle’s.

So many neat things!

But my poor apartment is starting to get cluttered and I can’t properly appreciate the things like these that have and really love because there is a lot of just general “stuff” distracting and crowding.

Knit Cotton Dishcloths by ImpossiblyAlice

SO! I am going into purge and clean mode! Simplify, donate and clean out. Considering that we may be moving before too long, I’m looking at it this way – if I’m not willing to “pay” for space on the rental truck for an item, I’m not going to keep it.

And one of the perks of spring cleaning? Decorating! Maybe if I get enough done and get rid of enough, I will treat myself to a small something-I-really-love from this treasury I made of decor from Etsy. This is the feel I would like my home to have. (And can you tell I love maps??)