What Is Brave?

I've read some good books lately.  The kind that just really stick with you.  That you keep thinking about days after you read the last page.  My husband knows Shauna, Rebekah, & Annie because I talk about them like they're my friends.  (And I really think we would be friends if I knew them in real life.)

{source}

Right now I'm reading Let's All Be Brave.  And it is just one of those books that I'm going to keep thinking about.  That's something I love about a book.  It isn't just a mass of pages or words you read on a kindle screen.  It's more than a physical item.  It's something that becomes a part of you.  It changes who you are & plays a role in your story.

I don't guess I really thought much about bravery.  But now, I'm seeing it everywhere.  And maybe most importantly, I'm seeing it in myself.  I've never thought I was a brave person.  And I still don't really think that.  But I can look at my life now & see little moments of bravery.  Moments I'm proud of.  Moments when I made the right decision even when it was hard.  Even when it was scary.

I see this when I chose a college where none of my friends were going.  When I joined a sorority even though it was really out of character for me.  I see this when, after college, I moved to a city where I knew one person, for a job that was nothing like what I wanted.  But that proved to be just where I needed to be.  When we moved to California, we left all our family, all our friends, everything that was familiar.  And I think that was brave.  Six months after we were married.  When everything was still new.  And that was a good decision.

Most recently, I've seen this with our shop.  Before I talked to Rachel about this big idea (that just keeps on growing), Grayson told me he thought I should do it.  He spoke bravery to me.  When we tell someone else "you can do it," we instill a little bit of bravery in them.  When we hit "publish" on that first item, not knowing if we would even sell a single thing, that was brave.  Every time we advertise by reaching out to a blogger whose name people know, that is brave.  Every time we try something new that we've never done before, that's brave.  And I'm proud of us for that.

I want to keep taking the brave steps.  I want to dream big dreams & follow where those take me.  

A Few Fall Favorites

one | We have several new prints available in the shop, & more coming soon!  With Christmas around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking ahead & ordering prints (including custom prints...tell us what you want!) for your family & friends!

{Let Me Be Singing}

{Travel the World With Me}

{Psalm 107 | Give Thanks}

two | Fall is my favorite time of year.  Especially living where we do...there are so many great places to hike & explore, & that's much more enjoyable with the cooler temperatures (that we're just now starting to see...come on, cool weather!).

three | This.  The cutest little will-you-be-my-bridesmaid gift ever.  April 18, 2015 will be here before we know it!

{P.S. You can find Rachel's perfect Amazing Grace print here.}

four | Have you listened to the Influence Podcast yet?  They've had 3 episodes, & all 3 were great. I love podcasts, & this is my favorite yet.  Any recommendations of ones you love?

five | And of course, fall nail polish.  I got this & this yesterday & am in love.

Now, if we can just get those cool temperatures here to stay so boots, leggings, & scarves can be regular occurrences, I can fully embrace fall!

Catching Up

The last several weeks have been really busy (see #2), so I'm playing catch up!  So three little BIG things that have been going on lately:


O N E  //  My most favorite thing.  Labor Day weekend, my brother finally asked this girl to marry him!  Can't wait to officially have her as part of the family.  Read Rachel's perfect blog post about it here.

T W O // Grayson's parents got to come visit us last week...we made the most of the trip with one weekend in Lake Tahoe & one driving up the northern Cali coast.

T H R E E // Our new fall line is officially out & we're loving shipping new (& old!) prints out to customers!  Check it out here! 

1 Thessalonians 5:24 | Faithful

Oceans | 3 Print Bundle

Tune My Heart

P.S. If you're interested in any custom orders for Christmas, now would be a good time to talk to us about that!  I know several people have mentioned doing custom orders for gifts for their Bible study groups & I think that's a great idea!  If you're interested, you can send a message through Etsy, or email us!

Wednesday's Words // Vol. 1 {Intro}

Today my blog friend Martha Kate is starting a brand new link-up!

Since this is the first of a weekly link-up, the topic today is an introduction & what God is teaching you right now, in this season of life.

I have been blogging off & on for about 6 years now, I think.  I started this blog, Whimsy & Wanderings, a little over a year ago, as my husband & I were getting ready to move from Georgia to California.  I would consider it to be a lifestyle blog; I like to write about our adventures in California, faith, family, marriage, & my Etsy shop.  And maybe an occasional cute cat picture.  Or a little more than occasional...

What is God teaching me right now?  I think He's teaching me to dream bigger.  Several years ago, after I graduated from college but before I had a full-time job, I had another Etsy shop.  I loved it, & it kept me busy during that time, & gave me a sense of purpose.  But once I got a full-time job it was quickly put on the back burner & then ended altogether.  This time that is not my intention.  Rachel &  I began dreaming of a shop together pretty much the day we met.  And then that dream finally became a reality about 3 months ago.  It has really blessed me in so many ways, but one is that I truly believe God is encouraging me through this.  I feel at liberty to try things I've never done before.  I believe He can use this not only to give me something to do while I'm in a season of working part-time.  It's more than something to keep me busy & give me some entertainment & a little extra money.  I believe we are all given platforms where God desires for us to be intentional in sharing our faith, & I believe this is one that He has entrusted to us right now.  I want to always make things that will encourage others & point them to Jesus, & right now I feel like He's blessing our little business & showing us more ways to do just that.

We have our new fall items that come out on Monday, & they are some of my favorite things I've ever done.  I don't usually think of it this way, but recently I've seen any little creativity I have as being a reflection of God.  He is such a creative God...the fact that He can make so many humans, & make us all unique.  He can not only make, but sustain, trees, plants, flowers.  He made the ocean & the waves, the sun & the moon.  So I like to think that my creative side is a reflection of that.  In order to reflect God, I need to embrace that & use it for His glory.

P.S. If you'd like a free little East West lock screen we designed this week, click here & save to your phone!

A Friday List

A little bit of what's happening lately...

one. Click over to Martha Kate's blog to see a little shop feature from yesterday.

two. This just came out.  Need I say more?

three. We're working on things for our new fall line that comes out on September 1st.  I have to say, they're some of my favorites so far.  Different from what we currently have listed in the shop, but in a good way that combines what we love about our current products with some new ideas, too!  Want to see sneak peeks?  Follow @eastwestdesignco!

P.S. If you purchase something now, you'll receive a coupon code to use after the launch of the fall products!

four. One thing I love about California: year round farmer's markets.  We went to one a week or two ago & Grayson got a little overexcited about the peaches.  We ended up with so many that I just started eating them in everything.  And cereal is one of my favorite foods, so some fancied up cereal is one of my new favorites.

five. Next week my in-laws are coming + we're going to Tahoe for Labor Day Weekend.  Lake Tahoe is one of my absolute favorite places.  We fell in love with it when we went for our anniversary, so we're always ready for a trip back!  Plus I got this new camera bag I've been wanting...perfect for hikes & walks around the lake!

Happy weekend, friends!

Be sure to check out the shop to get your coupon to use for fall!

All In All

A couple weeks ago, my friend Chloe e-mailed me about doing a custom order for her, & I loved her vision for it.  She wanted a print for her kitchen with the words "child of weakness, watch & pray // find in Me thine all in all," from "Jesus Paid It All."

Custom orders are usually some of my favorites, but especially this one.  a) I love that song, & b) Chloe is one of my dearest friends from eight (wow, that long?) summers ago when we did children's ministry in San Antonio.

Here's a little flashback for your viewing pleasure.

So, this is her order in process.  Now is done, shipped, complete, the end.

Then today, she posted this photo on Instagram of the print in her house.  Next to the Willow Tree Angel of the mom & dad with a baby.  I was in my car by myself right after I'd seen this picture & just started thinking about that image.

A newborn baby is completely dependent on her parents.  She doesn't know any other way of life.  She relies on them for nourishment, love, care, comfort...literally everything.  But what about grown ups?  No matter what age I get to, I will still need my parents.  I don't need them for food, shelter, or clothing.  But I need the relationships that I have with them, & always will.

I've never really thought before about how amazing it is that God is both of those.  He is a parent to us as if we were still newborns.  We can fully depend on Him for our every need.  And He wants us to!  But He's not just that.  He's also the Father seeking relationship.  He longs to know His children, & to be known by them.  He wants us to delight in His presence, to enjoy spending time with Him, & to talk to Him because we want to, not just because we need to.  He fills every need we have, & is the only one that can be all.  What a beautiful picture.

Behind the Design | Dwell

I'm starting a new series today called Behind the Design.  So many prints that go up in our shop grow in my heart before they ever make it to paper.  I keep a list in my phone of things I want to paint, & sometimes I have to let the ideas soak in for awhile before I know how to adequately put them on paper.  Most have a story behind them.  So this is the place where I want to share some of those stories.

This was one of the very first prints I added to the shop.

Dwell.

It's just one word, but with so much meaning.  Learning to dwell is one of the biggest lessons I've had to learn.  It really started after college.  I moved back home & it took me a long time to find a job.  And even then, it wasn't the job I wanted.  It was just a job.  Looking back now, it was never just a job; it was the job that moved me to Woodstock, got me involved in a church I loved, & brought me right to my husband.  But that's another story.

In those months without a job, I got very discouraged.  I felt like I'd worked hard & had this college degree, & it still didn't matter.  My mom told me one day that I had to stop living "in the meantime."  I was waiting for my life to start.  I was waiting for a job.  Waiting to feel like a grown up.  Waiting to have a purpose.

We all go through phases like that.  We're not where we want to be, but we don't quite know how to get there.

So dwell comes from Psalm 37:3.  Trust in the Lord & do good; dwell in the land & enjoy safe pasture.

No matter what phase we're currently in, God wants us to dwell there.  Plant ourselves there.  Make roots there.  It doesn't matter how long you'll be in that place.  Kind of like Jim Elliot's words "wherever you are, be all there."  At this point in my life, I didn't want to settle because I was afraid of getting too settled.  But we can't live that way.  We need to immerse ourselves in whatever land God has put us in for however long we're there.

So I got involved in our little church.  I led a high school girls' small group.  I started my first Etsy shop.  I learned to dwell.  And I was so much happier that way.  And not long after that is when I got a job & moved & had to learn to dwell in a whole new place.

I'm glad I learned that lesson then, because without it, I wonder how I would be living across the country from everyone I love.  I'm not afraid to dwell in California even though I eventually want to move back to Georgia.  I'm not afraid to put down roots here.  I'm not afraid to have a community here & friends here & be all here.

One Month Shop Birthday!

We've had our little shop for one month tomorrow!  We've loved this first month & can't wait for many more!

To celebrate, we're hosting a giveaway & offering a coupon code!  The winner of the giveaway will win...

one 8x10 print

or

one set of cards

There are three ways to enter the giveaway (your name will be put into a drawing one time for each of the following):

ONE.  Mention our shop (include the link) in a blog post & comment here with the link to that post & your e-mail address. (Feel free to include the image below!)

TWO.  Instagram the image included below & tag @eastwestdesignco in your post.

THREE.  Post the shop link on Facebook & comment here with your name & e-mail.

Coupon code is valid today - July 4 & will give you 20% off your entire purchase (custom orders excluded).  The giveaway winner will be announced on Monday, July 7.

Recent Favorites

1. Neon Steeple.  This wasn't an album I really got excited about because I wasn't expecting to like it.  So I hadn't even listened to it until a few days ago & now that's just about all I've listened to since.

2. Product photography.  It turns out this is one of my favorite parts of running a shop.  It's just fun to style things how you like & attempt to take pictures that help others envision where they would put a print in their home, or what colors it would look good with, etc.

3. I've had my eye on a Rifle Paper Co. phone case for months, & I finally broke down & got one.  I'm picky about phone cases, & Grayson is even more so.  So one that fits his demands of phone safety & no scratching, & my demands for beauty...that's a pretty tall order to meet, & it does so beautifully.  And the one I got is now on sale.

4. Gifting a kindle book.  On opening day of our shop, Rachel sent me a kindle book as a "happy first day" prize.  I'd never thought of doing that, but it was such a sweet gift & a great, easy way of giving one!  I'll have to keep this in mind.  And I can't wait to start reading what she sent me!

5. I'm developing quite the Etsy wish list lately.  This has been #1 on my list for several weeks, followed closely by this, this, & this.

6. The countdown is on.  My parents arrive in 9 days & are staying much longer than they got to last fall!  And we're going back to Yosemite & taking them!  So excited!

Day 1

I can't believe that this day we've dreamed of & planned for has finally come & gone.  This little shop just started out as a dream - a dream that gets bigger by the day.

I would've probably been happy with one sale today.  Even the seven things we sold are nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it feels big right now.

Now I'm writing thank you notes & packaging orders & I'm totally overwhelmed by so many things.  I want to remember every bit so on the days when I can't get my printer settings right or can't find the right shipping materials that I want to order, or days when I feel like we haven't sold enough...I want to remember this feeling of gratitude.

First off, I feel like this desire to create is something God created in me, & oftentimes I struggle with how to use it.  My mom teases that when I was a kid (& maybe just a few years ago too...), I would get on one thing & make a million of them.  I'd like to say you could still find a lot of tissue-paper-covered bottles & vases at my parents' house, but I'm sure they made their way to the dump long ago. So finding a use for this need to create is kind of a big deal.

There are days when being married to a nerd isn't easy.  I've spent many hours huddled with my kindle in the corner of a boring technology store while Grayson checked out the latest & greatest.  [Speaking of which, have you noticed how stores women shop at provide a place for the men to sit & wait?  Man stores don't have that.]  But these days, I've been ever-so-thankful for my nerd.  I would've given up long ago if it weren't for him.  He has been so patient & has spent so much time adjusting printer settings, comparing colors, pricing packaging material, & researching the best way to do things.  He has supported this dream & believed in it & in me far more than I have.  He has spent money that we hadn't planned on spending.  And he's celebrated the little victories right by my side.  I feel like I've seen an even deeper level of selflessness & sacrifice over the last month & it makes me love him all the more.

And of course, my fellow dreamer in all of this.  When I met Rachel last January, I knew from the start that we would be friends.  [And I secretly thought about how much my brother must love me to choose a girlfriend who is so similar to me that I immediately wanted to be her BFF.]  But these days of planning, & venting, & frustrations...they're worth it just to get to share this day of giddy excitement with her.

I can't wait to see what's in store.  We want everything we do to be God-honoring.  We want our business to be one of integrity.  We want to create things that just might give someone a glimpse of Jesus.  And we don't really know what that means from here, but we're ready.

Shop Opening!

East West Design Co is officially open!

Read more about our story here,  & click over to the shop & let us know what you think!  Follow @eastwestdesignco on Instagram for sneak peeks on new products & special offers.

Toooooomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya, Tomorrow

Our shop officially opens tomorrow (more details then).  This week has been product photos, styling, & more product photos...& then listing everything in the shop!

I bought some flowers for photos & I may have gotten a little distracted from the product photos for awhile because I just loved the clean white background, mason jars, & bright flowers.

(P.S. This one makes a great lock screen.)

Can't wait to show you everything Rachel & I have been working on.  We hope you love it as much as we have enjoyed making it all, & we'd love to hear your feedback!

Doing a Good Work

Disclaimer: I promise everything here is not going to be about our shop.  That's just what I have going on right now so it's usually at the forefront of my mind.

Yesterday was a stressful day.  I feel like all day long, people were telling me that what I want to do isn't possible when I know that it is.  I called to talk to several local printing places & every one of them was discouraging & didn't really give me any real answers.

Last night Grayson got home from work later than usual.  He's had a lot of really busy days lately because an app they've been working on for a year is releasing today.  Even after all that, he came home & while I made dinner, he immediately started working on scanning & printing just to see how our scanner/printer would do with my paintings.  He adjusted settings & tweaked for hours, & it still just wasn't really what we were looking for.  He ate dinner in about two seconds while still doing all of this & researching what other shop owners do - professional printing place vs. investing in a really good printer & doing it yourself.  This went on for hours.

In the middle of all of this, I got an email from someone I don't even know that was so encouraging & had good things to say about the sneak peek of our shop that I posted yesterday.  (Thanks, Amy!)  We decided to just quit thinking about it last night & research some more this week & maybe go printer shopping this weekend. 

This morning, I woke up to several posts on Instagram that I felt like were just for me.  (I think this means Jesus loves Instagram!)  She Reads Truth is currently in a study on Nehemiah.  I haven't kept up with it lately, but today I felt like I needed to read it.  I usually work in the mornings, but today I'm working a weird shift & don't have to go in until later, so I sat down to read it.  Nehemiah is one of my favorite books.  The whole story is about rebuilding & restoration.  Amidst hardship, Nehemiah persists, & says "I am doing a good work & I cannot come down" (Nehemiah 6:3).  He kept pursuing what he felt God had placed in front of him.

Grayson & I have been going through the One Year Bible this year, & we usually read at night rather than in the morning, but we're a little behind so I was reading one to him this morning while he got ready.  Today we were in 1 Chronicles 29 when the temple is being built.  After Grayson left for work, I wanted to read those verses again, more slowly.  I opened my bible, & it opened to that very page.  Back in January, I'd stuck my birthday card from my mom in my bible, & apparently that's the page I put it in.  I felt like it was the same story here.  Hardship + endurance = more glory for God.  1 Chronicles 29:10-20 is David's praise to God.  The passage ends with other people praising God in response to David's praise.  This is ultimately what we want.  We want to bring more praise, more glory, more fame, to God.

I want to have every bit of this in writing.  Whether we open our shop in a week or a month, whether we sell one thing the first day, or fifty.  Whether this shop lasts 6 months of 6+ years.  I'm doing a good work, & I cannot come down.

Introducing...East West Design Co!

I haven't posted much in awhile because I've really just been going to work & whenever I'm home, working on a new project...an etsy shop!

For awhile, Rachel & I have talked about "our etsy shop" that we'll have one day.  It was always one day when I move back to Georgia, or one day when we live in the same town.  A few weeks ago, Grayson came home from work & I was showing him something I'd made that day & he asked why I don't have an etsy shop now.  

Well...good question.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt like God was saying "why not?"  I really wanted to wait until we were in a house where I'd have more room to work than I do in our little apartment.  Or until Rachel & I live somewhere without an entire country between us so it'd be easier to work together.  But those limitations are no hindrance for God.  I was the one who thought I needed to wait, not Him.  I thought about it for awhile, & I couldn't shake the question of "why not?"  I didn't have a good reason not to.  So I started talking to Rachel about it & she felt the same way.

So...in the next few weeks, our shop will be open!  We have everything made, just going through the hassle of figuring out the best way to do prints & shipping, & then photographing & listing all of our stuff!

We're doing prints, cards, & maybe a few other goodies here & there.  Here's your sneak peek :)

And a few that Rachel has been working on...

I'll definitely let you know once the shop is officially up & running, but for more previews, follow along on Instagram.