Tag Archives: Life Verse Design

Sep 28 2013

Pumpkin-Poos Turns 6 {and a Life Verse Design Psalm 118 giveaway winner!}

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Oh, my sweet little Pumpkin-Poos. You will turn 6 on Sunday. SIX.

I cannot believe how fast these years have gone, but some things remain: you are totally a mama’s girl & love being with me. You still wake up every morning around 5 a.m. & come down, crawl into our bed & snuggle your daddy {cuz you know I will not snuggle you then!} You still slip your hand into mine every time we are on a walk & I am counting my lucky stars that you still walk hand-in-hand with me, knowing someday that will cease & you’ll be off scootering with your big brother & sister. You are full of joy, singing throughout the day. You are my free spirit & wild one. You LOVE puppies & now have about 35 stuffed dogs in your collection. You are sensitive. You eat like a Chen. You are full of creativity. You tell me countless stories of your imaginary grandma day after day. Your life has taught me so much about trusting God, His plans, His ways, and His faithfulness. I am SO thankful for YOU!

YOU will always be my little Pumpkin-Poos.

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You may recognize this cute little one from these baby images of her & her Daddy Bear. My pregnancy with her was what motivated me to create Scripture art for the home.

It’s amazing what God does when you do not expect it.

OH & the winner of the Psalm 118 This Is the Day art is:

Stephanie Vander Wal

Email me your address at lifeverse@gmail.com

OK, off to celebrate for the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Sep 25 2013

Psalm 118 This is the Day {Giveaway}

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Hello friends! Here is a sunshine-filled, beautiful reminder that THIS is the day the Lord has made we will REJOICE and be glad in it!

 

When I think about this verse, I ponder a few key phrases, the first of which is “this” … THIS is the day. Today not tomorrow. If you are like me, many of you live in the “what if” or “someday”. I remember when my kids were newborns nursing through the night & all I could focus on was the someday when they would sleep, as opposed to the then & now of those quiet, tender, private moments I had snuggling my babies. So, think about this: God has given you TODAY. He does not guarantee tomorrow. What will YOU do with this gift of today that you have been given? I pray we all view it as the gift that it is & make the most of it to share love with others.

 

The other word I focus on in this verse is “WILL”. We WILL rejoice and be glad in it. It is a call to worship & worship is a choice, even often despite how we may feel emotionally. It takes a special mindset to capture this heart, one that is full of thanksgiving and praise toward our creator. It is a choice to worship and rejoice despite hard circumstances, simply because we have hope in Jesus & His redemptive work in our lives.

 

I chose this image, which I shot this past summer in Grand Island, New York just miles from Niagra Falls, because the sunlight was so rich & warm and it reminded me of that full-of-life feeling when you break the morning in joy. The flowers are springing up out of the prairie grasses and they can turn toward the sun and be fed or they can get choked out by the weeds and worries of this life.

 

I wanted it bright & cheery because I for one am NOT a morning person and I would love that sunny motivation to rejoice and be glad that I get the gift of one more day of LIFE!

 

It’s Giveaway Time!

Earlier this month,  I  introduced my new color line of inspirational art & today I am giving away one 12×18 Psalm 118 This is the Day fine art print.

 

How To Enter the Contest:

1. For One Entry: Hop on over to Life Verse Design & then come back here & let me know in the comments below which art is your favorite from my shop.

2. To gain a Second Entry: Hop on over & like my shop on facebook & then come back here & let me know you did in another comment.

3. To gain a Third Entry: Share this giveaway with all of your friends & family via facebook, twitter, your own blog, word of mouth… however you function & come back here & let me know in another comment that you did.

 

The winner will be announced Friday night! I hope YOU win! Thanks for passing the word along & enjoy!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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amy - Shared!

amy - Liked on FB…Already.

Amy klug - The adoption art….of course!

Veronica Mascena - …and shared your giveaway post!

Veronica Mascena - I liked you on Facebook

Veronica Mascena - The Prayer of Jabez is my favorite for sure! I pray this daily 🙂

Reba - I love the Required of You print. It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.

Katy Staley - . . .and shared the giveaway post!

Katy Staley - also I liked you on facebook

Katy Staley - I love this print as well as the “taste and see” Psalm 34 print!

jane hsu - hard to chose, but i especially like the “This is the day art” 🙂

Lisa lewis - I love the new color scripture line. Taste and see is gorgeous along with the new creation one. great addiitons!! Also still love the vintage line especially the baby ones.

Lynn Zastrow - I like “Friendship Tree”

Jennifer Abraham - I already liked your fb page and I shared your stuff with fb friends!

Jennifer Abraham - How am I supposed to pick a favorite!? I choose the color All Things New

Kelly McCaig - I like all your work and have several in my home. 🙂 Already liked your page, and will share b/c I know exactly where I would put this art!

Marilynn Driesenga - I love ‘New Creation”.

lindsay kauffman - I shared your giveaway post

lindsay kauffman - I like your fb page!

lindsay kauffman - I LOVE your adoption prints!!

Lisa Velthouse - This one got shared on the “Craving Grace” facebook page, for all fans of the book design (and cover model!) Love Julie’s work!

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Sep 19 2013

{Downers Grove Photography} Twins + a Little Sis

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In high school & college, I babysat for my art teacher’s boy/girl twins. They were the best of friends and this family gave me a little glimpse back to that bond I saw in twins’ lives.

 

Oh, we had a ball. What was also so awesome was how willing that 7th grade brother was in front of the camera, how crazy their little sister was, and how beautiful those eyes are against the deep green grass. Thank you “P” family for allowing me to capture these memories!

 

If any of you are interested, I am having a giveaway that ends tomorrow night! Go here to find out more details.

 

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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Sep 18 2013

The Serenity Prayer {Giveaway!}

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It’s Giveaway Time!

Earlier this week I  introduced my new color line of inspirational art & today I am giving away one 12×18 Serenity Prayer fine art print. This is one of my favorites in the collection. The image is of a white magnolia bloom I shot a few years back at one of my favorite local arboretums. I feel the peace & tranquility of that perfect, pure white flower visually marries the text of the serenity prayer so beautifully.

 

How To Enter the Contest:

1. For One Entry: Hop on over to Life Verse Design & then come back here & let me know in the comments below which art is your favorite from my shop.

2. To gain a Second Entry: Hop on over & like my shop on facebook & then come back here & let me know you did in another comment.

3. To gain a Third Entry: Share this giveaway with all of your friends & family via facebook, twitter, your own blog, word of mouth… however you function & come back here & let me know in another comment that you did.

 

The winner will be announced Friday night! I hope YOU win! Thanks for passing the word along & enjoy!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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jessie hillinger - …liked on facebook too!

jessie hillinger - shared on facebook! 🙂

jessie hillinger - oh julie, i love your ephesians 3 print. it hangs next to my front door and i love that it is a reminder to all that come into our home of Whom we serve.

Lorna Morris - Happy to have shared your work on facebook.

Shauna Letellier - The Vintage Love of God Hymn!!
Liked and shared 🙂
So much hard work and creativity!

Megan Parsons - I tweeted: https://twitter.com/mustangmeg6/status/380395139874582528
makeighleekyleigh at yahoo dot com

Megan Parsons - I like your facebook page: Megan McGowan Parsons

Megan Parsons - HAPPILY EVER AFTER KEEPSAKE is my favorite!

amber burger - shared on facebook 🙂

Kari Gates - Hi Julie…it’s me again…I shared your giveaway on facebook with ALL my friends 🙂

Kari Gates - I liked your page on facebook 🙂

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Sep 18 2013

{Downers Grove Photography} Our Trip to Lancaster County

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{this post is a re-post from this past summer, but now that I have a brand new beautiful blog in which you can actually see the images, I wanted to show them again}

 

This may be one of my favorite photography posts ever! Oh, how we love this family. This past summer, our road trip brought us to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania {Bird in Hand, in fact} to see our Amish friends in person.2013-09-17_0002

We went to church with them {3.5 hours of singing, preaching, devotional, prayer, testimonies, & do it all over again; sweet little toddlers passed out on their mama’s laps all around us, large families coming together into real community}. After church, I drove “B” & their 5 kiddos in our minivan to their home while “A” drove Sam & our 3 kiddos in the horse & buggy!
{btw: can you imagine a family of SEVEN fitting into that buggy?! well, they do!}2013-09-17_0003

We came at a good time:  the mama cat just had kittens about 3 weeks ago! The bulldog mama had puppies about 6 weeks ago {i think}.My kids were in animal HEAVEN at their home: my favorite little mister caught bugs & toads all day {the boys said, “they had never seen anyone go crazy for bugs before” … my poor city boy} & the girls chased kitties & puppies for about 5 hours straight! {I am allergic to both, so the fact that they were free to play with animals in the barn was the best part of vacation for pumpkin-poos. It was a hot day & of course, no air conditioning in the barn, so they would periodically emerge red-faced & sweaty, with big smiles on their faces.}

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I was THRILLED to do their family portraits!!! 
{maybe their first, in fact?!}

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I did all of my typical poses.

 I think it is safe to say we all had a great time.2013-09-17_0006

Many people have asked me how on earth did I {a midwest girl} attain an Amish friend?! Well, that Amish friend of ours started as a business partner of Life Verse Design. He is a framer and contacted me to see if I would partner with him to frame my art & sell it to Christian bookstores, gift shops & furniture shops. I love the above photos of the frame shop, Beechdale Frames, as it shows the heart of the business: family. It is run by the Millers and is definitely a family affair! They work hard together & play together. The showroom is filled with my art and the reason we went was that they had an open house to meet the artist and allow buyers into their showroom.

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At the open house, they offered free lunch & fresh lemonade! Their oldest son {who is all of 14} manned the grill all by himself!!!! He is also able to create a frame & plaque from start to finish all by himself!!!! What a mature & responsible young man. And so humble also. If you are ever in Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania during the summer & meander down Beechdale Road, you will come upon the sweetest bunch of kids selling THE BEST fresh squeezed lemonade you have ever sipped. Trust me, you’ll go back for more.

Meet Mr. Miller! He has a heart of gold: wanting to encourage others with the beauty of art, the truth of the Word of God, and always keep family first. Our work is currently featured in the Christianbook.com catalog that arrived in the mailbox the other day! {Funny God story: I normally flip through the first few pages to see what’s “hot” in the book industry since I design books for Tyndale House Publishers, but this day I kept flipping & ta-da! I got to see my artwork! What a blessing to see my little nephew’s feet featured in a catalog}

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 The other fun little surprise I got while at the Beechdale Frames open house was that I got to meet author Ira Wagler who drove a half hour just to see me! Turns out Mr. Miller is friends with Ira! Ira wrote his memoir “Growing Up Amish” a few years back and Tyndale published it!  My best friend at Tyndale designed the book and he claims she has “sold him many copies” {as he knows people pick up books often due to their covers… music to a designer’s ears!}

I JUST finished the memoir the other night & I highly recommend it. If you love auto biographies as I do, you will love to get a glimpse into Ira’s world as he grows up Amish & struggles with the desire for freedom in the “outside” world, yet constantly feels pulls back to the safe & secure world he knows. It is a story of identity struggle, yearning for freedom, and finding the truth that alone can set our hearts free.2013-09-17_0009

I created this custom Life Verse Design art for our friends & I am happy to report it brought tears to the parent’s eyes. YES! My job is done. It is the highest compliment {I think} when my art makes someone cry.

I love immortalizing not only an image, but a moment & feeling in time to create a memory forever. Though their kids will grow {& grow quickly!}, I hope their closeness, bond & direction in life will remain the same, as shown in this image.

If you have an image of your family that you would like created into a lasting memory, contact me & I would be honored to create it for you.You can find more information here.

FREE SHIPPING in the shop ends tomorrow night, so if you are interested in any custom design work, or any other inspirational art, order now!

Grace & Peace,

Julie

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