The Hope of All the World

Here's a little wreath for you to hang in your heart today.

Festooned with birds, ornaments, greenery and a star, it looks like many other wreaths you might pass in the mall or neighborhood.  Nestled in the center however, is a reminder of what the Christmas season is all about, the birth of a Savior.  The birth of Jesus Christ, the hope of all the world.
The words in the center of our wreath have been translated in numerous other ways and, like a mirror reflecting new views from different angles, the varying translations reveal fresh insights into the HOPE that Jesus brings into our world. We couldn't squeeze them all into this wreath, but here's one of our favorite views:

"... The mere sound of His name will signal hope, even among far-off believers." The Message

Oh, we love that phrase ... the mere sound of His name will signal hope.

Now that's a perfect thought to encircle your thoughts and festoon your life today. Why it's even better than a  pretty Christmas wreath. Jesus, the Hope of all the world.

Pausing to listen to the sound of His name,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Overflowing Hope

August arrived yesterday with bouquets of bright, beaming sunflowers.  These sunshine spears always mark the beginning of what we call the sunflower season. 

The hot, steamy temperatures of August just seem to invigorate these solar-flare-flowers

that streak into the sky with a 

Jack-in-the-Beanstalk style speed.

 What an inspiration! They make us want to dance-around and paint everything bright yellow!

  

So, here's a little splash of happy color and inspiration just for you. 

Three joy-filled sunflowers from our garden that seem to say: 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 

Sending you sunshine smiles full of hope,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Chive-Talking

A tousled-head of garden chive caught our eye this morning. It's spiky, feathery, petal tips, still tossing around drops of dew, were just beginning to stretch in the morning light and awake to the joy of today.  What an inspiration!

Chives aren't used to being seen so up-close and personal, and they're kind of just known for those slender, savory stems that infuse our food with flavor. Mmm, your tastebuds should be humming right now at the thought of a few minced wisps of chives.  A tiny sliver can change the whole palate. And this slender chive strand changed the whole palate in our garden today, as it stood up and overflowed with hope in the morning light.  If a little chive can do that, we can too.  We can choose to lift our tousled heads and let hope overflow in our lives. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

Overflowing with hope,
The Velvet Lime Girls

A Door of Hope

If you're in need of a little hope today, here's a promise just for you. God has a door of hope. Right in the middle of any valley you may be walking through. The Message conveys this promise so beautifully:

And now, here’s what I’m going to do:

I’m going to start all over again...

    I’ll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope.

Acres of Hope is a lot of hope.  And that's what God is offering. So today we're sending this little graphic out to encourage you to look for that door of hope that God has promised to provide just for you.

The Velvet Lime Girls

Diamond Girl

We love real people. People who are brave enough to say yes when God directs them to do things far beyond themselves.  Lysa TerKeurst is one such person.  And her yes has inspired us lately.  We call her the diamond girl around here... because her life just kind of sparkles,  really sparkles, especially when you hear her story.

They say a diamond is formed in some of the darkest, deepest places on earth. Places that are hot, filled with pressure and so far below the surface they can't even be reached. It takes a "very deep-seated volcanic eruption" to even bring them to the surface. Only then, can they be gathered and shaped into brilliant, dazzling, multi-faceted jewels that bring a sparkle to our lives.

Lysa's life story reads just like a diamond's journey.  A beginning that certainly had a few dark and deep places, a lot of heat and pressure along the way, and a shame that kept her so far below the surface,  it was a miracle that she was even able to come up and live again. Her life also had more than a few deep-seated eruptions and, as one Velvet Lime Girl observed, (with eyes puddled in tears, watching Lysa tell her story recently),
all one sees now is a brilliant, shining, beautiful, diamond girl... "catching the light" of God and letting it sparkle all over the audience.  Yeah, whole rooms just hush and fill with a sparkly sheen when she speaks, as her story reflects facets of God grace and puts God's love on full display... in the life of a woman who just said "yes" to God.

If your life happens to be in a rough, dark, or desperate place today, reach through any little crack you can find and pull some hope into your life from Lysa's website and blog.  It's a healing place.  It's a little multi-faceted jewel filled with all kinds of freebies, fresh-faced honesty and a story that will touch your heart.  Go ahead. You're worth it.  You're that valuable. Treat yourself to a little treasure for your soul today @ Lysa TerKeurst.  If you want to load up a bit more, dip into another treasure chest @Proverbs 31 Ministries



Feeling quite sparkly today,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Laura Rhodes, Kelsey Rhodes, Lysa TerKeurst, Judy Benson

One of the Velvet Lime Girls had a chance to meet Lysa TerKeurst recently.
Pictured above,  l to r: A Velvet Lime Girl- Laura, with daughter-in-law- Kelsey Rhodes,
 "diamond-girl"- Lysa TerKeurst, and Kelsey's Mom- Judy Benson, @ A Beacon of Hope Gala
We talked about this event last week @ Velvet Lime Girls

HOPE

Hope is sunshine for the soul. ©

With the Memorial Day weekend about to begin, our thoughts are already bobbing out to sea with images of the beach, and the sand-salt-and-sunny-serenity about to roll in with summer.  Actually, it's not technically summer yet, but here in
the south, summer begins on Memorial Day, as we slip into white shorts, sip on sweet tea and inhale the first breezes of summer. Life just lightens up with the very thought of summer!


Summery thoughts are a bit like hope.  
That beautiful gift from God that lifts our hearts up to a puffy, white cloud level. Carrying the expectation, the anticipation, the belief, that God will really come along to be with us, help us, and never leave us.  When God gives you hope, it's as if He breathes His powerful-life-giving-breath into the very chambers of your heart ... fully inflating you to live again. Life just lightens up with the very thought of hope!

Hope was the inspiration for this artwork recently created in our studio. We are thrilled that Divinity selected it to grace the cover of their upcoming catalog. For those of you who are retailers, please visit their website below.  
http://www.divinitywholesale.com/Scripts/PublicSite/


We hope you'll slip into this weekend with hope shining bright in your heart,
The Velvet Lime Girls

New Doors

Doors. They serve as entries and exits. Beginnings and endings. These old doors, along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, have a little history and Laura’s Dad, Clarence Skinner, tells their story best in his own words and photographs:

“These old garage pictures are representative samples that still remain along the old beach road in parts of Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. The garages were built very close to the road and used wooden ramps to connect the garage to the road. Beach houses were located closer to the ocean, often over three hundred feet behind the garage. Autos of that era, 30’s and 40’s, were two wheel drive and did not do well in sand, without skilled drivers and some preparation, like reducing tire pressure. Normal operation was to avoid getting your car in the sand, thus the wooden pallet type driveways and the garages close to the road. City folks also did not want their cars left exposed to the salt air. Of course, this meant that everything that was taken down by auto had to be hand carried from the garage to the beach house, through loose sand.”

These rough, beaten down, barely standing garage doors, have a rustic, nostalgic beauty about them. Like the tough times and challenges that many people have weathered this past year, these old relics are still standing. And the old doors with their rusty, salt-crusted hinges almost make you think they can still swing open. But, they don’t have to anymore. A new day has come. A better way of doing things. And although the old ways have been put aside for new ways, they have not been put aside.

They stand.

Salty reminders of silent strength.

So, if you’ve weathered a “nor'-easterner” storm of sorts this year, take a good look at these old structures. They stood when times were tough. And they lived to see better days. Days when doors opened to a better way.

“I see what you've done. Now see what I've done. I've opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don't have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn't deny me when times were rough.” Revelation 3:8

The Velvet Lime Girls

He Knows Your Name

This solitary flower still blooming in mid November holds an intimate love story in its petals. Created beautiful enough to stop a casual gaze across the barren pre-winter landscape, it creates a standstill when viewed up close. Intricate detail and exquisite color palettes reveal the work of a master. One who is interested in every single, solitary, tiny detail … down to the last star-studded stamen. Who would take time to sculpt such a petite fireworks display and place it in the heart of a flower? Someone with a connection to that flower… someone who knows it by name.

The flower served as a gentle reminder that God knows us by name. We have a connection with Him. We are not forgotten. The One who poured such creativity into a flower like this, pours infinite care, concern and attention into each of our lives. He actually says that He knows us by name. A powerful thought. Talk about name-dropping! The Creator of the universe… He knows my name. He actually calls me by my name, (Isaiah 45:3). It’s enough to create a little fireworks display in your own heart.

The Velvet Lime Girls

Sweet Inspiration

Sweet Inspiration

Layers. We’ve been creating, dreaming and thinking of layers lately. We’re working on a new collection of artwork and developing the background layers that will accompany each piece. So much fun!

We find ourselves noticing the intricate layers that surround us each day in the ordinary things of life. This one caught our eye. A last vestige of summer that was reluctant to leave. Its slippery lazy layers beckoned us to slow down and enjoy the last moments of a sunny day. In the south, these layers are always sweet, dark and draped in condensation on a porch. Encased in glass with ice cubes lazily melting in a sweet nectar of summer, it’s a layer you just can’t pass up… and we didn’t! We captured it in photos and in long slow sips. Mmm… a glass of ice cold southern sweet tea. Just drink in its layers.

We’ve noticed the layers in ourselves lately too. The wonderful intricate ways in which we have all been created, woven together and formed. We are layers of walking wonders and a psalmist expressed best … "Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together as if embroidered with various colors" Psalms 139:15

So celebrate your layers today and enjoy a sip of some southern sweet tea.

The Velvet Lime Girls

Having hope gives your courage...

A new image we’re releasing today...and we LOVE it on the bamboo...It's not on the website yet, so if you are interested, e-mail us!