Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Hey all!
So, my sister Jessica discovered this great deal on Shutterfly Christmas Cards. These cards are cute, modern, and suitable for every kind of Christmas card. They could be for a family of 8, or for a newly married couple. Shutterfly gives you a great opportunity to keep your memories with you always with their calendars , photo books, and thank you cards to make your life easier, and keep the memories alive. Also, they have tons of different styles of Christmas cards, so you have pretty much unlimited options for your Christmas cards!

It's the middle of the Christmas season and, believe me, I know all about not having any money to pay for all of the presents, let alone Christmas cards for dozens of people. This promotion makes your life easier and also cheaper! I think its too good of a deal to pass up. I am actually doing this as a Christmas present for my mom so that it saves her money on Christmas cards and saves me money on buying something else for her! Everything seems to work out very nicely for this deal. So, if I were you, I would jump on this deal.

stay joyful during this crazy holiday season!

~Ashley

...fall joys

ok, i know that i am a little slow on the uptake... bloggers everywhere started posting about fall three weeks ago. but i'm not one to roll with the crowds, so here goes!

i am not the biggest fan of Halloween-- not only the message behind it, but REALLY,  orange and black? anyways, here are some cute and inspiring designs that i hope will make halloween decor a bit more appealing to you!

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shabby-chic halloween decor. who knew!?

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cute fabric makes everything better!

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pumpkin garland--made from paper towel tubes!

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just imagine these cute little guys all over your house!

ok, ok i kinda transitioned from halloween decor to fall decor, but just embrace the season (however you choose to celebrate and decorate!) 

stay joyful!

time flies by!

now i know that college students are supposed to be busy with work and school and friends and such, but there are just some days when i want to sit in my apartment, watching "you've got mail" working on crafts. TODAY is one of those days! but where has the day gone? in the business and the mundane-ness of life, i love to find joy in the small things!

..so i gather my inspiration today from the beautiful art of crocheting.
                               (all of these images were taken from Ravelry)

simple, but elegant

bohemian chic

who can resist this crocheted OWL?

i am becoming a HUGE fan of cowls!

 retro trendy

i know you don't really need them in So Cal, but, i mean, why not!

these pictures, and the mere thought of crocheting them, bring joy to my heart! so, i urge you: crochet something pretty!

stay joyful!

blustery

it is a cloudy, warm, blustery day today here in riverside--not that i mind since it has been over 100 degrees the past few days. it started raining ! not heavy rain, but rain nonetheless. it makes me wanna do this:



...which is exactly what i did! not for long because i had to skeedattle off to work, but it was wonderful!



coming soon...

boring backpack refashion!

day of disciplines.

this conference was mind altering. beyond what i could have even imagined!

the main topics: prayer & meditation.

speaker, Don Whitney, brought the idea of praying into a new light for me. he introduced an in-depth concept called praying through scripture. i had heard this term before, but i never really understood it--much less put it into practice in my own devotions. using this concept, you can literally pray for hours on end. i felt like Dr. Whitney had me pegged when he said that most Christians spend little time in prayer every day, and the time that they are praying, they pray for the same things, which make it boring. he explained that it is normal to feel that way, but that there is a simple change that needs to happen--PRAYING THROUGH GOD'S OWN INSPIRED WORDS AND HAVING A ACTUAL CONVERSATION WITH HIM. what a concept!

he also taught about meditation and the study of the word of God in depth. these practices are age old--Jesus Himself did them. SO WHY DON'T WE?! Dr. Whitney's whole talk revolutionized my whole devotional practice and changed my whole perspective. i looked forward to devotions before this conference, but now i have this unquenchable hunger to read His word for hours. and isn't that how it should be!
be encouraged and...

stay joyful. 

sew, sew, sew!

i LOVE to sew! i wish that i could do it more, but i'm a senior in college and an RA which equals NO TIME. someday...

i would also consider myself resourceful--like this shirt that i made from a fitted sheet (mostly because i didn't have enough fabric on hand.)

but more on that later...


stay joyful.

inspiration.

contagious joy is the name of the game. who doesn't love to be around a positively cheerful person? their joy is absolutely infectious. I hope to bring a little happiness to some of the mundane things of life by sharing my love for sewing, crafting, thrifting, people, and most of all my love for my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. ~Psalm 95:2

stay joyful.