Yum!

Inspiration is everywhere! That’s one of our favorite sayings and last night the inspiration came from the soft opening of Bua, a Thai and Sushi restaurant in the Brookhaven area just outside of Atlanta. We hope you are not hungry when you look at these photos ☺
The colors, the flavors, the atmosphere was simply a plunge into creative waters for us. The photos above of the large “flowers” are actually carved watermelons and the “leaves” are the carved underside of the watermelon rinds. Even the food presentation was a work of art! Fabulous Thai spring rolls came out wrapped in a palm leaf presentation that had us scrambling for our cameras and the entrées were framed in floral displays of orchids. Photography, furnishings and art from Thailand simply swept us away from the South for a few hours … and I think we started humming in delight with a soft Thai twang before the evening was over.
It’s great to have a little of the “eat, drink and be merry” life once in awhile. It refreshes us and reminds us that “Every one should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor…it is the gift of God” Ecclesiastes 3:12

The Velvet Lime Girls
P.S. We focus on inspiration for the soul here, but for more food inspiration visit http://www.Buaatlanta.com and a little more design inspiration visit http://www.rhodesdesigngroup.com

Real Comfort

Yesterday Rebecca was driving in the car with Alexa, her 22 month old daughter. Alexa is the tiniest little fan of the Velvet Lime Girls. She often provides her artistic opinion on our upcoming artwork (see Sept. 30^th blog). As their short trip progressed, Alexa became restless and a bit fussy. A series of questions began, to help comfort her.

Did she want juice? “No”.

Did she want gummy bears? “No”.

Did she want her paci? (pacifier)? Again the answer was surprisingly, “No.

Finally Rebecca asked, “Alexa, tell me what you want.” A long pause occurred in the car… and then, her tiny little voice replied from the carseat … “hand”.

She wanted her mother’s hand. She just wanted to have her mom hold her hand. Nothing else could bring the comfort, the solace, the calm like her mother’s hand …not even the revered “paci”.

A hand. Sometimes it’s all that’s really needed. A hand to comfort, to calm, to care.

As soothing to the soul as a hand extended may be, it’s a mere glimpse of the powerful hand continually extended to help us. A hand that actually has us engraved on it, or, in other words, “indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) us on the palms of each of His hands.”

Now, that’s real comfort. Talk about a tight hold … why, you’re tattooed on God hands! J

The Velvet Lime Girls

“I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands.” Isaiah 49:16

Photo of Alexa's hand in the palm of her grandmother Laura's hand taken days after her birth.

Rhythms of Grace

“Live in the unhurried rhythms of grace” … we loved this phrase the first time we read it in The Message years ago. Last year we began creating artwork to convey this thought and a lovely blue heron came to mind. The blue heron is recognized as a solitary feeder. Her nourishment comes in moments of solitude, as she silently seeks her food ... a quiet reminder for us to also receive nourishment in moments of solitude with God. Our heron, with her graceful long neck and calm stance, was washed in watercolor shades of coastal colors. We wanted her to convey the calm, deliberate, simple life that is available to us. The life not weighed down with cares and unnecessary obligations. The life lived in the unhurried rhythms of grace.

Imagine our delight at discovering an entire book about living in the rhythms of grace! (We found a book review of this treasure in life:beautiful magazine.) The book is Abundant Simplicity - Discovering the unhurried rhythms of grace. The author, Jan Johnson, has drawn a picture with her writing pen of the stillness, the calm, and the peace that comes as we begin to live simply and in connection with God. Here’s one of our favorite quotes from the book ... “To live deliberately means to move slowly, to look people in the eyes when they speak to us and to follow up on the ideas that the Spirit has possibly nudged us with.”

We can’t tell you how this inspired us and we hope it inspires you! So, since we’ve been nudged to follow up on the ideas the Spirit has given us…we are dusting off our blue heron and finishing her! When she’s finished, she’ll have a lot to say, dressed in her simple stance and calm colors. And we hope her sentiment will “look you in the eyes when they speak” and remind you to “live in the unhurried rhythms of grace”. She’ll make an unhurried debut in our 2012 coastal collection. (We think she must somehow be related to the elegant swan above.)

Living simply,

The Velvet Lime Girls

P.S. More inspiration from the book and Jan Johnson @ http://janjohnson.org/book_table.html

Christmas Get-Away

Have you ever anticipated a gift before it arrived? Counted the days until you could open and enjoy it? That’s how we feel every three months as we wait for our subscription to life:beautiful magazine.

It’s more than a magazine… it’s a little vacation packaged in print.

Gorgeous photography, uplifting articles, yummy recipes, fresh ideas for the home and float-away moments of connecting with God, in the most elegant environment, lie within each issue. We absolutely lose ourselves for long periods of time wrapped within its pages. Relaxing, refreshing and restoring ourselves with the messages on each page that come straight from the heart of God. It’s a little bit of heaven on earth for over an hour.

How can a publication make you feel like you’ve spent the day at a luxurious spa or refreshing retreat? We think it’s because it feeds your spirit and celebrates the abundant life that God desires for each of us.

The current holiday issue is so full of treasures that you’ll keep it filed away like a precious resource guide … referring back to it for lovely ways to nurture your home, your family and yourself. And you just can’t imagine what a wonderful gift it is to receive … inspiration all year long!

So find yourself a copy and slowly fix a cup of tea. Believe us, you will just want to do this once you open the first page. Then, take a little vacation during this Christmas season to refresh, restore and revive yourself in spirit, mind and body.

Sipping cups of tea with life:beautiful, The Velvet Lime Girls

Find an issue at Barnes & Noble, Jo-Ann’s or @ www.lifebeautifulmagazine.com

The Birds Knew

We wonder if the birds knew? Did they anticipate the arrival of the Savior? The stars knew He was coming. The Wise Men knew. The animals gathered at his birth knew. And his mother knew He had arrived within her. Surely the birds knew.

Creatures often seem to know ahead of time when a change is coming. Reports abound of animals taking actions prior to a change in climate or environment. Why wouldn't the greatest change, the greatest shift that ever occurred in history not alert little birds?

We think they knew.

Perhaps they looked a bit like this little bird. He's looking out over the bleak, harsh, cold environment surrounding him, to the spring. New life is coming! A new beginning is coming, a better way. He knows it and waits for it. And the calm assurance in his little face reflects this.

We think his ancestors may have looked like this just before Christmas Day. They had to know He was coming and they must have waited and watched with calm assurance, just like this little bird.

We hope the quiet expectation that the world and little birds held years ago on the starry nights before Christmas will envelope you and your family this season, as we wait to remember the greatest birthday ever.

The Velvet Lime Girls

The watercolor study of the Christmas cardinal is by Marybeth Wydock.

All is Calm

Intercessory Hands … that’s what the artist who created this piece of artwork calls her creation. We were fortunate to have a glimpse of this moving piece two years ago and it totally captured our hearts. The artist is Sarah Beth Cowart, the daughter of a dear friend of Laura’s, and she currently holds a degree in Studio Art.

The word “intercessory” may not be a word you hear often, but it means “the act of offering prayer to God on behalf of others.” It’s such a humble and noble act … whether you’re on the receiving end or the praying end.

We were especially drawn to the position of the hands in this artwork. Many artists portray hands in prayer from an outside view, tightly folded, in earnest effort. But this artist went straight to the heart of the matter …. the hands, wrinkled with worry and concern, have opened up, let go and released all their ability and faith to God.

You can almost feel the calm that has come.

As we begin this busy and wonderful season of Christmas, we wanted to bring a sense of calm into the lives of all who visit our site… and these hands do it so beautifully. We hope the artwork inspires you to open up, let go and release your ability and faith to God. And we hope you feel the calm that will come.

The Velvet Lime Girls

Christmas Seed Story

Christmas Seed Story

This slender seedpod graced our lives this past month. Gathered on a walk with a granddaughter, it found a home among a collection of natural fall decorations. The slim, tight green husk sat silently, in obscurity, among the collection.

Early one morning a silent explosion occurred and the green husk was split from top to bottom, bursting and birthing light, airy seeds too numerous to count. Fine cotton candy puffs, holding rainbows of light in each lash exploded from the gathered grip of each tiny seed. They could no longer be contained inside the tight green husk. Their time had come. Their season had arrived. They were ready to multiply, replenish, and take dominion over their new dwelling places.

It seemed fitting to have this seedpod arrive so close to Christmas. Like the child born in a manger years ago, who carried a unique seed potential within … son of God and son of man, this “seed” also produced a harvest too numerous to count. When he left this earth, history records that like the seedpod, a veil was torn from top to bottom. A new season, a new arrangement, began and endless numbers of seeds like him were born.

We’ll look at seedpods differently now. They echo an eternal love story. God giving his only Son for us … opening the door for us all to join His family … a family of little seeds too numerous to count.

The Velvet Lime Girls

The Word (Christ) became flesh and blood; and moved into the neighborhood.” John 1:14