Friday Fun Day

It's Friday!
Do you still get a thrill when Friday rolls around?  We do!
Fridays are fun days here in the Velvet Lime Girls Studio.  We explore new colors, talk about new design ideas and just have some creative playtime.  Surrounding yourself with fun, expressive colors and design is a great way to start the weekend.

So, we'd like to share a bright little promise with you today as you slip into your weekend!

We washed this day-brightener with piñata-type colors. A fun fuchsia background, vibrant-white type and a few tangerine splashes.  Just looking at it creates a little celebration in your heart!  And if you let these words soak into your spirit ... you really will feel like celebrating on this Friday afternoon!

Have a great weekend,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Strength, Wisdom & Peace

Strength, wisdom & peace. 
If you need one of these today, it's reassuring to know they're available to you right this very minute.  They really are. They're just waiting for you to take them and use them, for whatever challenge you may be facing. So go ahead, take this little word of encouragement, placed on a brushed crimson background with goldenrod type and let it strengthen you today.
The first brush of fall is in the air around here, so the goldenrod color was a perfect fit for this graphic day-brightener.  Goldenrods are waving their buttery, yellow heads all over Georgia this time of year.
When we discovered the botanical name for goldenrods was Solidago canadensis, and that the word Solidago  means "to make whole",  we knew the type in goldenrod hues was the fitting color for this graphic encouragement. It's a color that reminds of The One who makes us whole.
So receive the strength, receive the wisdom, receive the peace offered to you today by God, and let this graphic be a reminder of just how equipped you are for whatever you may be facing. 

"He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak... But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Isaiah 40:29-31



Walking in His strength, wisdom & power,
The Velvet Lime Girls 

LAUGH

We've had this uplifting graphic hanging in our studio for a couple weeks and we wanted to share it with you today. 

The idea of laughing without fear of the future is absolutely liberating.  A really-good-laugh, that spontaneous sound that rises from the heart, spills out through a smile and fills up your whole being with a carefree, uplifting, lightheartedness, is so, so good for your soul.

When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh?

You know, those kind that little children always seem to have just under the surface of their cute, flushed cheeks. 
The kind that are barely contained and about to spill-out into endless episodes of non-stop, hearty gales of laughter. 

Oh, a deep, heart-felt laugh is so good for your soul.
And so good for your future.

What a refreshing way to look at things in the future. 
          To laugh, rather than fear.  
          To smile, rather than worry.
          To rejoice, rather than dread.
When you're clothed with the strength and dignity that God offers...you can do this.  You can laugh without fear of the future.

With love & laughter,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Trust Him

We had a tiny thunderstorm sweep through our area of Georgia last night. Those majestic slices of lightening and the reverberating thunder-bells in the distance were a beautiful sight.  
We can enjoy this display now as adults, sitting in the safety of a home, because experience has taught us that as ominous-sounding as those thunder-bells may be...we're going to be okay.  
For little ones though, it still takes some reassurance that a big, loud sound is not going to hurt them. One of the little grandchildren who often pitter-patter around our studio recently blurted out, with a fresh-faced honesty, "I'm afraid when I hear thunder."  
After some tender, heartfelt discussion and reassurance, this little one was given an ANCHOR to hold onto and to SAY OUT LOUD over circumstances that try to make her be afraid.  It was this powerful passage from the Bible.

"When I am afraid, I will TRUST in you."

We thought we'd pass this little anchor on to you all today.  We dressed it up in a cantaloupe-colored, patterned background.  You may be all over the fear of thunder, but still find yourself facing a lightening storm of sorts in your life.  God's Word is just as powerful for you, just as reassuring for you, as it is for a little granddaughter.  It's because these words are living and active.  These words change things. But you're going to have to SAY them to activate them in your life.

So, print out this little art expression and hang it up somewhere today, so you can use it to speak to your storms, or your challenges. You're going to love the way TRUST drowns out fear.

Trusting,
The Velvet Lime Girls

Gray Hair Promise

You know you're loved when someone tells you they'll stick with you until your hair turns gray.  That's a long time.  That's an amazing amount of love.

And that's what God says about YOU.

Here's a free printable for you or someone who may need to be reminded that God loves them. 

Gray hair and all!

Just click on the link below for your free printable:

Gray Hair Promise :-)

The Velvet Lime Girls

Healer

Sometimes a name says it all. With God though, one name simply can't encompass all of His nature, His attributes, and the many ways He loves us.  The early writers of the Bible had several names they used to describe God and the many facets of his nature. You may have heard of a few like Jehovah-Jireh, which means the Lord will Provide, or Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord is our Peace.
There are many more and you can read about them at sites like this - Names of God.
One of the names of God we've been drawn to lately is Jehovah-Rapha.  Just listen to a few of its meanings:

I Am the God who heals you.
Great Physician.
The God who heals.
The Great Physician who heals the physical and emotional needs of His people.

The word Rapha actually means to restore, or make healthful, become fresh, completely healed, purified, repaired.  Amazing.  And this is just one of the many descriptive names of God.  Oh, how He loves us.
We wanted to capture the essence of this name of God and hang it in our studio, so, we filled our brushes with a crimson-fuchsia watercolor wash, swept them across some grainy paper and then layered a couple meanings of Jehovah-Rapha on the top. What a beautiful facet of God to reflect on throughout the day.
Here's a copy of our simple expression for you to print out, tape up somewhere, or pass along to a friend.  It's the last in our series of 7 faith-seeds we wanted to plant into your life this past week. A perfect ending to 7 days of celebrating the One who loves us the most. Our God. Our Great Physician.

The Velvet Lime Girls

His Touch

A Touch.  
Sometimes that's all you need to brighten your day.  
A touch from someone who loves you.  
A touch from someone who cares.  
A touch from someone who can just soothe everything away.

It's comforting to know that there is a God who is still reaching out to touch us, to care for us, to love us, to heal us.  He revealed this caring nature through His Son, Jesus, who walked on this earth for a short time, and the historical accounts of Jesus' life are moving.

The historical account referenced in the artwork above records multitudes came to touch Him. That's a whole lot of people coming out to touch Jesus ... because power went out from Him and healed them.  Healed them all. Not just one or a few. ALL.

He still heals today.  Yeah, that's right, because according to another historical document, He's the same yesterday, today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8).  He's still reaching out in love to touch our lives, comfort us, and heal us.

We hope our simple artwork moves you to reach out and touch Him today.  Maybe in a prayer or maybe in reading from that vintage collection of love notes to us, called The Holy Bible.  There's a book inside there called John that's a beautiful place to begin and to feel His embrace.


His touch can change everything,
The Velvet Lime Girls


P.S. This is the 6th in our series of 7 faith-seeds this week. These are just for you.  Just for you to print out, tape up somewhere, or pass along to someone who may need a little lift in their spirit today.  One more tomorrow :-)