Hands that Nurture

A recent visit to a real chicken coop for a few cage-free, fresh, organic eggs left us with a basketful of something more than the dozen yellow-yoked gems we cradled home.  

It left a gentle deposit in our hearts, the essence of something that is more often felt than seen. 

It left our hearts filled with 

NURTURE.

Nurture is defined as something or someone that provides support or nourishment.  It carries the idea of caring, tending, protecting, nourishing and watching over.  We saw nurturing on display all around this little chicken coop.

In hands that tenderly calmed a hen, as talk was made of the extra care given to each feathered friend

 ... good diet, safe habitat and a peaceful dwelling.

In the ever-watchful eyes of a protective hen, always ready to cover and protect.

In feathered and fluffed nests, prepared and kept with love.

In the "green pastures" 

and  flowers blooming, thriving, and flourishing in the NURTURE.

          And in the grace-filled hands, embracing five perfect eggs.

Absolutely everything in the garden surrounding this chicken coop seemed to be thriving.

 Even the tree canopies overhead!

Nurturing does that.  
It benefits not only the ones cared for, but all the lives around it.

Nurturing is such a beautiful act of love and our hearts couldn't resist feeling the parallel of God's nurturing heart toward us.  It's been said that He watches over us like this hen, 
covering us with his "feathers", 
pulling us under His wing. 
He cares for, 
tends to, 
protects 
and watches over us.

What a lovely message from this little chicken coop. 
A reminder to let ourselves be nurtured and loved by our Creator, and as we do, we're able to nurture and love those around us.

We hope you'll let yourself feel the NURTURE, the care, the love, the embrace of the One who loves you the most, and as you do, just watch your world change... transformed by the ripple effect of receiving NURTURE.

"He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge..."
Psalm 91:4

Living under His feathers,
The Velvet Lime Girls 


P.S. A special thank-you to Suellen Lithgoe, the gracious lady who nurtures this chicken coop in Louisiana and reflects a life of one who is well-loved by God. 

Red, White & Blue

Our flower garden started a 4th of July celebration last week. 

Explosions of red, white and blue began popping out in every direction. 

And we didn't even have to wait until dark!

Two young, budding photographers captured a few of these patriotic portraits 
just in time for a little fireworks celebration right here in our blog.

So, if your annual 4th of July parade has been rained out.. pull up a chair, roll out a blanket, find some barbecue, spray on a little insect repellent for atmosphere and celebrate with us. 

                          Our eyes are filled with wonder at the

                                                           RED

Photo-Saxon Skinner - 11 years old

                                                      WHITE

                                      

                                                    and BLUE

Photo-Saxon Skinner - 11 years old

                        Our hearts are filled with praise at God's
                                                     GRACE

                                                    JOY

                                                             
                                                and  LOVE

  

Photo- Meredith Skinner- 15 yrs old

This 4th of July garden celebration has us singing in the studio today and we hope you'll join along.

"God bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home

God bless America, My home sweet home."

Celebrating Independence Day,

The Velvet Lime Girls

P.S. A special thank-you to Meredith and Saxon Skinner, Laura's niece and nephew, for letting us see the garden celebrations through their lens.

Summertime

                                                         SUMMER

When time rolls out like a long stretch of beach.

Time 

to

collect seashells

build sandcastles

catch lightening bugs

stretch out on a beach blanket

chase fiddler crabs 

walk in the surf

count stars

body surf

fly kites

eat shrimp

feed seagulls

stroll on a beach

find hermit crabs

leave footprints in the sand

flashlight walk at night 

run through sand dunes

 look at shooting stars

catch crabs

relax...

Enjoy this first day of summer,
The Velvet Lime Girls

How did I love this? Let me count the ways..

Weddings are a bit like time...they just keep moving on, going forward and passing by, filled with moments that you  want to grab, hold onto, and say, "Wait, wait, wait! I want to look at you longer, savor this moment longer. I want to allow the lens of my heart to open, click and capture this second forever."  But, the day keeps moving forward, unfolding new emotions and memories with every second.  It's a beautiful place to be, but I floundered without my Nikon camera that was sleeping at the hotel, wanting desperately to capture the magical moments that unveil themselves at weddings. But, alas, without camera I had only my pen to dance across paper and spill out the treasured moments, memories and merriment.   Here are a few of those moments, captured simply with the lens of my heart,  a few gathered mementoes and photos from a phone. 

So, how did I love this?  Let me count the ways...

1. Wedding invitation on burlap colored stock, oozing creative graphics and a special font fashioned from the bride's very own handwriting. 

Invitation edited slightly to respect privacy

2. Reception invitation floating images of white balloons among trees, billowing with celebration.  Did they know that the illuminated parchment paper lanterns at the reception would billow, sway and gently dance in the soft evening breeze under trees ... echoing the invitation?

3. A soft as a breeze, laid-back Rehearsal Dinner PICNIC (yes!) in the park, with guests nestled on handmade quilts and comforted with oversized woven baskets brimming with gourmet vegan delicacies, wrapped in vintage looking linens and whimsical sentiments. Forks and napkins entwined with string laced tags carrying handwritten messages that played off the vows ..."fork better or fork worse".

6. The sun taking a bow to a cool, lighthearted evening dressed in vintage props, lawn games and an old fashioned popcorn maker pouring out fare for the guests, along with old-time movie candies, lollipops and  beverages. 

7. An unforgettable stretch of time when all the guests became one giant single listener, stretched out on quilts, as expressions of love from family and friends were given. And a groom totally smitten with his bride-to-be sharing his heart of love to her.   Oohhhh, a quiet pause settled in as he spoke, people sighed, fell in love again, and a baby softly slumbered in my arms.  Love makes time stand still.

8. Night wrapping itself around the the collection of quilts, turning the park amphitheater into an outdoor oversized screen,  filled with short film clips that entertained and reflected the creativity of the bride and groom. (The groom, a gifted creative @  http://www.thatrainwater.com)

9. Wedding day arriving with peonies, roses, delphiniums and meadow flowers, lovingly fashioned into bouquets by the groom's sister and friends. The delicate peach, cornflower  blue, periwinkle and ivory flowers holding a deeper beauty... each one was marked with the imprint of a sister's  loving hands.  Hands that selected each bloom and bud, wrapped linen strips around clusters of stems and graced them with embellishments from meadows.  Oh, how can the beauty of the love that went into fashioning a bouquet be captured in a photograph? It's a beauty beyond fragrance and flowers.
Love has it's own essence. 
And the sister's fragrance in each bouquet?  It- took- my -breath- away.  Oh, the fragrance of Chelsea everywhere.

10. Beaming Father of the Groom decked out in a crisp peach checked cotton shirt and pale blue bow tie. He glowed all week-end long.

11. Giddy Mother of  the Groom kicking up her heels in carefree joy as she heads to watch her last child marry. So, so happy!

12. Pensive Grandmother of the Groom, waiting to be escorted down a park path to her grandson's wedding, holding vast treasures of family memories and love to last for generations.

13. Multicolored strips of linen streaming from the altar area in shades of peach, cornflower blue and ivory  that filled with breeze, swayed and lifted their soft endings up in praise, as if on cue, while the couple voiced their sacred vows to God.  A sign from Heaven?  A soft sigh, "of this I am well pleased"?

14. And then again, that soft sigh from Heaven, as the newly wed couple walked away, up a grass lined hill.  A gentle breeze, catching the outer edges of the bride's ivory cloud of wedding gown, lifting it up in a wave that crested and billowed out with a carefree abandon that now also embraced the couple.  And as they disappeared from sight, a petite finale ... the  view of that never-ending line of miniature ivory buttons spilling down the slender bride's back, ushering them into their new life together.

15. Long strands of dangling white lights criss-crossing the night sky over linen draped tables filled with flowers, culinary delights and the sounds of sweet southern celebration.  A storybook reception wrapping itself along the back porch of an antebellum Victorian home and stretching out onto lawns of green, framed with black-eyed susan clusters whose soft yellow heads lit up the night.

16. Dancing, dancing, dancing ... the bride and the groom dancing the night away with feet in air suspension, arms in celebration and weightless bodies twirling, spinning and taking flight through the night. The bride stopping one time in mid-twirl to land a kiss of thanks on the cheek of her new mother-in-love.  Sheer delight!

17. Sizzling sparkler send off.
 

18. A parting gift, a favor.  Handmade Jams with whimsical tags that read... 
        "If Samantha & Josh were rich celebrities, their name would be ... JAM."

                       

As I read the tag, I think of how rich they really are.  
Rich in relationships, family, and friends.  
And on this day, they are celebrities ... 
they are celebrated over and over and over.  
It's a sweet finale,  softly echoing an expression of love from long ago...
     " How sweet is your love, my treasure my bride."            
                                 Song of Solomon 4:10


Counting, counting, counting the ways I loved this,
A Velvet Lime Girl

P.S.  The groom, once a little boy, who I hunted with for "treasure" along sandy beaches, armed with a metal detector and high hopes, has now found a real treasure, a priceless gift from God...his soul mate, his wife, his bride.
  

Morning Time

 















                                                              















Have you ever noticed how flowers wake up?  No moans, groans, regrets or sad faces for them, they just can't wait for the day to begin! Like children waking up to the last day of school or a long awaited beach trip, their perky little heads pop out of slumber each morning with a fresh-faced zest for life!



Some don't even bother to comb their hair...they just let the wispy strands stand straight out.

Others don't turn on a light... they're already beaming.

A few wake up absolutely silly, laughing hysterically at silent jokes you've never heard.

Even the sleepyheads greet the day with subdued grace and thankful hearts.

They're just filled with joy and they can hardly believe the dark night is over and a new bright and brilliant day has come.  Oh, the sunshine feels so good and they almost think they are dreaming!  If they had little mouths, they'd be laughing and if they had little tongues, they be filled with joy.  They've obviously been reading one of our favorite quotes:
"We were like those who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy... the Lord has done great things for us!"   Psalms 126:2

These joy-filled flowers inspire us every morning to anticipate and celebrate the good things in life.  Regardless of how dark their night has been, flowers greet each day with fresh- faced gratitude ... and their silent language of thank-you ushers in a morning mist of grace.

                              Living with gratitude and grace,
                                  The Velvet Lime Girls

Garden of Your Heart

Our studio garden is bursting with new life.  Frilled bonnets of ferns are peeking out, pointed party hats of hostas pierce the soil and peonies peel back the earth's canopy, unfurling themselves in a long leisurely stretch, presenting blooms of pink explosions that seem to say, "Ta-da! I'm here!  Oh, they're thrilled to stretch their leaves and live fully again!

Soon they'll be bearing "fruit".  

Glorious, vibrant flowers, filled with  aroma, fragrance and millions of seeds for future generations.  Their "fruit" always reflects the condition of the garden.  

Healthy garden = healthy flowers = healthy fruit.  

It's a simple formula and one that requires a bit of diligence on our part.   We have to keep the weeds out!

Weeds can be sneaky.  They look small and insignificant, but if left unattended they sap the very life of the garden. With weeds around, the fruit from the garden never matures fully, never develops into all that it can be and lives far below it's potential.

In the same manner, the gardens of our heart have to be clear of weeds. Those pesky, small and insignificant things that sap the life out of real living.  Things like anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.  They stunt our growth and they just have to go! Sure, they can stay, but that garden of your heart, the essence of the real you, will never develop fully and you'll find yourself living far below your potential.  So, pull those "weeds" up! Let them be replaced by grace, forgiveness and a heart filled with gratitude.  It takes a little diligence, faith and the hand of God, reaching down, grabbing those gnarly roots and uprooting them forever... divinely removing their very memory and changing the landscape of your life.

Oh, the growth that can occur in a garden without weeds and a heart garden that's been touched by the hand of the Master gardener...clearing the ground of the heart and saturating it with buckets of love.

It's a total terrain transformation.  One that's followed by fragrance, real fruit and good seeds for future generations.

Healthy Heart = Healthy Life = Healthy Living

Tending the gardens of our hearts,

The Velvet  Lime Girls

Loving Places

                             Loving places.  

Those simple, ordinary spots in a day that leave a
deposit of love in your heart and a memory to nourish your soul.  

They're moments framed in time by the season's beauty
                    

    softening the walkways of life ...   






settling gently on the windowsills of the soul









Cup your hands and receive the loving moments that surround you every day.

 
Look and see all the ways you are surrounded by love ... and let your heart dance today!

God's put on a show out there 

     
                                                     



                                        and invited you to play!                                

                                          



Living in loving moments,
The Velvet Lime Girls