Joy

“There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and leaving it behind them when they go.” Frederick William Faber

Ditto

These little joy bundles are Laura’s granddaughters, Sophia, Lilly and Alexa. They’re often the source of inspiration around here, along with Marybeth’s daughters, Madison and Katie. The effervescent joy they all seem to have bubbling inside is not only contagious,it lingers, long after they’ve buzzed off to brighten a new landscape.

We love it when they are around the studio and their little positive ions recharge the entire spectrum of our lives.

We’re transformed into joy bundles ourselves.

Sunbeams lifting the fog of any day.

All because of a few sparks of joy.

We hope you’ll look for the little joys in life today. Yours may not be the simple pleasure of a swing on a new swingset, or a smile at the first snowfall, but joys are out there, just waiting to turn your plain ordinary, tap water day into a sparkling, effervescent day of seltzer smiles.

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

THIRSTY

Thirsty

Early each morning before the sun wakes up the elephant ears are still cradling little liquid jewels. They are nestled in the valleys of the broad plains of each green expanse. These diamond drops dance across the surface. Hovering, floating in a mercury motion, their slightly suspended form seems to shimmer a call to anyone who is thirsty … “drink me, I’ll quench your thirst!”

These water drops of morning dew make me thirsty each time I see them and remind me of Rebecca’s favorite verse, “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God.” Psalms 42:1. We like the way The Message says it:

“A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek;

I want to drink God,

deep draughts of God.

I'm thirsty for God”

Thirsty. These little dewdrops carry a refreshing message. Our thirst can be quenched and filled with living water each day as we drink in time with God.

The Velvet Lime Girls

P.S. Thank-you to my sister-in-law, Sarah-Lynne, for reminding me of the beauty of dewdrops (and these photos taken in 2008).

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

Everyone needs a little....INSPIRATION!

Was just listening to Kari Jobe's song “Everyone Needs a Little” in the car on the way to the office this morning. This happens to be one of our favorite songs and we've listened to it a lot lately! We find a lot of inspiration not only in what is around us but in music, too. Close your eyes and listen!