King of Kings

Christmas is one week from today and we're re-posting a few of of our favorite heartfelt posts from the past.  We hope they warm your heart and kindle a little wonder and awe in your spirit, as you take a moment to settle-in and remember what Christmas is really all about. So take a pause today, pour a cup of tea or coffee, and settle into a place of comfort...then let the God of all comfort bring a little peace into your heart today.

 *A Christmas Re-Post from 2011*

This artwork came out of our hearts several years ago and we thought it was fitting to share it again as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.

Names say a lot about a person.  Parents often spend months selecting a name that will convey the essence of all their hopes and dreams for that child.  They know names are important.  It’s the manner in which a child will be addressed and referred to for life and often serves as a remembrance long after they are gone.

Sometimes a person can have a descriptive name that kind of sums up what their life is all about.  Thoughtful Thomas, Caring Cathy, Insightful Ian, Wise William … you can easily add to the list.

But a descriptive name like the King of kings is an entirely different category.  You’ll notice the dictionary even points out that when using this phrase in reference to Christ, that the first King is to be capitalized.  It denotes an authority that is higher than any king in history.  The KING of kings.

We wanted to weave the historical record of this King’s birth in the background of our artwork, wash it in a symbolic red glaze and crown it with a reference to His royal lineage. We love the way Marybeth took all these ideas and distilled them into this creative birth announcement/name declaration that creates a powerful remembrance.

We have a few more descriptive names we captured in artwork and we will share them over the next few days.  Come back and be inspired this week, as you see just how powerful a name can be.

        The Velvet Lime Girls

You're Covered!

If you're in need of a little "lifting of your head" today, here's a fresh splash of encouragement from Psalm 3:3.  It's a heartfelt expression of just how treasured you are by God.  A reminder that you have Someone who not only promises to lift your head ... or restore you, defend you, give you hope, as some translations reveal ... you have Someone who will actually be a SHIELD for you.

Yeah, you are totally covered by God.

So, slip behind that shield He offers to you today and let Him wrap His love around you ... and watch how your very countenance changes when you let Him lift up your head.

The Velvet Lime Girls 

All is CALM

It's December 1st.  Yes, it's already here.  And if your mind starts rolling-out lists of things to do the moment you hear "December 1st", we have a little gift for you today.  It's an invitation to just pause, slow down, inhale and breathe a little slower...and remember what the upcoming celebration of Christmas is really all about.

It's the birthday of Jesus Christ, the son of God, our Savior.

The snow-capped, whimsical-house artwork, pictured above, was hidden behind stacks of sketches and doodles in our studio today, and we pulled it out, just so we could read the first few words: 

ALL IS CALM.

Don't you just feel better saying that?  We do.

It's a lovely reminder to let one of the last things Jesus said on this earth really permeate our entire being and settle everything down just a bit:    

"My peace I leave with you..."  John 14:27 

So, slip on a little of His peace today, His calm, His Presence, and watch, just watch, as everything turns bright.

All is calm, all is bright,

The Velvet Lime Girls

Celebrating Snowman

                       
Here in Georgia, with our mild temperatures, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...if only in our hearts!  We're grateful for this unseasonably warm weather because we know that chilly times will eventually come to our southern state. We might even have a chance to build a snowman! 

We've also been thinking about what a celebrating snowman might actually look like.  After all, the upcoming celebration of the birth of Jesus is so magnificent, we just knew a snowman couldn't resist tilting his little pointy carrot nose to heaven and lifting his twiggy arms in praise. We think he might look a bit like the snowman above.

The Legacy Publishing Group seemed to agree with us and last year they selected our snowman to grace a set of their boxed Christmas cards for this year and they are in stores now. Thank-you Legacy! 

If you'd like to scatter a little joy with our Celebrating Snowman  this Christmas, he can be found at many Christian book stores nationwide or you can have the cards mailed directly to your doorstep from this online site: CELEBRATING SNOWMAN CARDS

We hope our snowman's frosty little face reminds you that "all the earth" has been encouraged to make a joyful shout to God. Psalm 66:1
The Velvet Lime Girls
P.S. Our Celebrating Snowman is also featured in a 2016 
Calendar @ Hobby Lobby as mentioned in last week's post.

The Greater One

This past week we've found our eyes drawn, more than once, to this graphic hanging in our studio. 

May we share it with you today as your week-end begins?  Our hope is that it lifts your heart and encourages you in your spirit.  

Live brave,

The Velvet Lime Girls

Velvet Lime Girls' Calendars @ Hobby Lobby!

We almost had a fainting spell when we walked into our local Hobby Lobby last week and saw Legacy calendars with our artwork!  Oh, we were so excited! That's what happens when you are blessed to create artwork for amazing companies like  Legacy Publishing Company.  You just never know where your artwork may go!  
So today, we're sending out a heartfelt thank-you to Legacy Publishing Company.  You all are amazing! Thank-you. This little calendar is popping up everywhere thanks to you.  We're told it's now found in many local Christian bookstores nationwide and at these links:
Amazon
Christianbook.com
Calendars.com
Jet.com
Bizrate.com

Here's a peek inside the calendar.  Legacy is an expert at calendars and they have featured a different piece of our artwork on each month, along with inspiring scriptures and ample space to write-in details for each day.  We've just hung our calendar up in the studio and are ready for 2016! If you're starting to get ready for 2016, we hope you pick up a calendar at your local Hobby Lobby or one of the online sites above!

Thank-you Legacy for making us look so good!

Grateful hearts,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Summer in our Hearts

last late sunflower bloom

Do you just hang on to every bit of summer that you can, even when it's full-blown fall time?  We do!  A few weeks ago, we walked through the sunny side of our studio garden and captured the last remnants of sunshine days. We thought we'd share a few with you today! Perhaps these final flourishes of the season will brighten up your day like they do ours.  Its amazing how a thing of beauty, held in your heart, can make even a rainy, cold day seem like a day at the beach. 

last petite bloom of the salmon colored hibiscus

It reminds us of the thing of beauty we hold inside of us, the treasure we carry around inside of us while on this earth.  The Voice translation describes it quite beautifully like this:

"But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us." 
2 Corinthians 4:7

purple coneflower fading with grace

We hope our little snippets from the garden remind you to look for the the beautiful bouquet of treasure contained inside each of you.

Holding the beauty of summer and the treasure of God in our hearts,

The Velvet Lime Girls

birth of a late blooming sunflower

spiderwort buds

last burst of color from purple coneflower