One Little Word 2016

Hello lovelies!  I hope that you had the most amazing Christmas and that your heart {and body} have found a little peace and rest.  I know I am enjoying a little bit of down time with my loved ones!  

I so look forward to this time of year!  While I love the season and Christmas and family and all of the celebrating, I also love the calm after the storm... reflecting on the blessings and also recognizing what I DON'T want to do the next year.  I know this time of year gets hectic for most people. This year seemed extra stressful to me. I hate to even say that out loud because I am just so darn sick of the glorification of BUSY!! 

In case you are new to my blog and business {welcome!!}, each year, for the past 7 years, I choose ONE LITTLE WORD to focus on in the year to come.  FOCUS is not something that comes naturally to me, so I know that I need to be intentional.  My words in the past have seemed very easy to land on and they have been BIG and EXCITING and FULL OF PASSION.  Choosing my word for 2016 has NOT been easy.  I would land on a word and be convinced that I had found it, then a few days later, feel strongly about another powerful word. Some of these words included... JOY, BOLD and CONFIDENCE.  Those are fun, right!? They just weren't meant to be MY word.

There is this verse... it just kept persisting... I wasn't sure why, but it just kept coming back to mind

I was reminded of situations over the past few months that needed attention, situations where there was busy-ness, but no peace.  Situations where I allowed negativity to over-take my thoughts.  Why is it that we can have an overwhelming amount of support, encouragement and praise from most, but when there is one "not-so-kind" word spoken about us or our work, THAT is what we dwell on.  I was not okay that I wasted any amount of time and effort entertaining thoughts that were not life-giving.  I knew that if any of my girlfriends expressed these feelings to me, I would immediately remind them how loved and valued they were and that those hurtful words from one person should hold no merit!  Why would I not have the same standards for myself. I am the daughter of the most high God and His plans for me are TRUTH!  That is when it hit me.  I was not hearing His words because there was too much noise!  Both literal noise and the noise of busy-ness!  

There was a sense of peace as I landed on my one little word for 2016...

While I will also strive to be purposeful and passionate and brave and bold, my primary focus this year will be to just "be" and "have" quiet.  That means eliminating the "noise" that keeps my heart from hearing God's voice.  That means taking the time to do some yoga and meditation. It will mean turning off the TV and Radio sometimes.  It will mean slowing down to really put life in perspective when necessary.

Friend, I pray that this year YOU will be blessed and that new adventures will find you.

I pray that you would be intentional about your life and not take one moment for granted.

You are so loved!

I have created this 14k Gold-filled piece for myself for this years word...

{I will be listing this, along with other new designs throughout the week!}

and the winner IS...

Thank you so so much for all of the love and encouragement in this giveaway! The sweet emails and comments mean so much to me! 

 

I am a lover of words AND pretty little things so you can expect to see more of these necklaces {with different wording and shapes} at the Na-Da Farm sale.

I had a few of you say that you weren't able to comment on my blog but did pin or share on FB {thank you, thank you!!}, so please know that you were ALL added to the drawing.  I used the online tool RANDOM.ORG to choose for me and the winner is...

 

MARIA GRACIA!!!!!

 

Congratulations, Maria!!  Please send me your address so that I can pass it along to Anne Marie!

 

See you all at Na-Da Farm!!

 

 

 

Lis Dunn Designs and Nada Farm Giveaway!!!!

As I was working away on some projects today for the Nada Farm Sale, I remembered...I WANTED TO DO A GIVEAWAY!! 

 

Let me just segue for a moment.  If you have not been to the Nada Farm Sale in Esmond, you will not want to miss out for another moment!   I am so excited!!!  It really is the most beautiful, inspiring and welcoming show you will probably ever attend.  It all begins with Jason and Anne Marie, 2 incredibly beautiful, giving and godly people who have so graciously opened their property for others to enjoy the view, to shop and to eat some fabulous baked goods!

{look at how adorable Anne Marie and her little bakery are!}

 

Ok, are you sold yet?  I'll see you there??

 

So, back to the giveaway... I am partnering with Nada Farm for this so you will get double the goodies on this one!!

 

The winner will receive:

*A necklace from Lis Dunn Designs {See photo below}

*2 Free passes to the Sale {$10 value}

*2 Chocolate Cupcakes from the Bakery!

 

Here is what YOU need to do...
{each item will get you a separate entry!}

1. Leave a comment in the "comments box" below
2. Share this blog post on Facebook
3. "Like" Lis Dunn Designs on Facebook
4. Pin the LDD Necklace on Pinterest

{be sure to leave a comment with each entry letting me know what you did}

To honor our mommas, this is what I will be giving away...

 

 I will choose a winner tomorrow {May 9th} at 10 pm CT!!!

Ready... Set... GO!!!

DIY Up-cycled Key Necklace ON THE CHEAP

Ok, I admit... I am a little obsessive when it comes to finding a way to make something super fabulous while spending the very least amount of money possible.

I mean, come on, times are tough right now for everyone, but we still want to be gorgeous and wear pretty little things, right?

So, we have this metal candle holder in one of our kitchen cabinets that is filled with old keys.  Keys from previous cars and who knows what else!  So my wheels were turning.  They are such a cool piece of metal, they shouldn't just be quarantined to a key ring {or tin in a cabinet!}.  They should be given some extra attention.  A little pizazz, if you will.  

That's just what I decided to do.  I picked a few of them that I thought had some pretty cool character {and that I knew were no longer functional for us} and I brought them back to life!

Supplies you'll need:

{feel free to be creative and add your own personal touches!}

*Key

*Metal Stamp Set

*Glue 

*Glitter

*Clear Nail Polish {or another sealer}

*Old earring or button

*Wire cutters

*Chain

*Clasp

I loved that this particular key had the perfect blank space for some text, so I started by adding "Be You" with my metal stamp set.  Now if you like simple, this would be a fine place to stop, but I am a girl that loves some sparkle so I really needed to keep going.  I added some glue around the text {I love the Martha Stewart Permanent Glue}, covering the remainder of the key.  Then I added some blush glitter {again, using Martha Stewart }  I waited for that to set and coated it with clear nail polish.  Like I said, I was going with what I had on hand to make it a "no-cost" project, but you could also use another form of sealing medium over the glitter to see that it did not come off on your clothing.  Finally, I added an old spare earring to the corner {use wire cutters to remove the post from the earring first} and Voila!  I simply added some chain with a toggle clasp and I had a brand new sparkling accessory!

Do you have any fun, inexpensive DIY projects that you'd like to share?  

I would love to hear about them!