SO IN LOVE

I have found the one whom my soul loves
Song of Solomon 3:4

 

 

 

Doesn't the sound of that just make your heart smile!

I have always loved this verse and as I've gotten older, have been more and more intentional about trying to live in it's truth.
 

I think we sometimes see the big screen and assume that if our relationship doesn't model that type of connection, we must either be with the wrong person or we're not worthy of love.
 

I assure you, God has other plans.

I think of the person that I was when Dennis and I were first married 16 years ago. Thank you Lord that he stuck around!! I have always been in love with this man, but I was selfish, independent and more often asked "what can you do for me?" rather than "what can I do for you?" 

I love the way that it's said in the NLT of Genesis 2:18  "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him." 

 

I GET to be that helper to my husband!




THAT IS A HUGE HONOR!

I didn't always see it as such.  I've {slowly} discovered that it's not about  getting what you want in that relationship, but about growing together, encouraging each other and loving one another, even when the road is bumpy.  and if you have been with someone for any amount of time, there WILL be bumps in the road, but the way you handle those bumps together will only build strength in that relationship.








I understand that some of you may not be in that relationship yet, but please take heart... God has it under control.  Don't rush to get there, trust that in His time,  YOU will certainly find that ONE that your soul loves!

As many of you know, I have had the AMAZING pleasure of collaborating with Steph of One Love Candle and Bath on our now second candle together.

 

We wanted to create something that focuses on this kind of LOVE and encourages nurturing and embracing that love.

SO IN LOVE was born!




It features a complex blend infused with six essential oils featuring a rich base of amber, vanilla, musk and sandalwood with lively top notes of jasmine, lavender and orange. The beautiful glass jar is adorned with a hand-stamped, keepsake tag that says "I have found the one whom my soul loves." that can be removed and worn on a necklace or added to a keychain.

We are so proud of and excited about this collaboration!


 Steph is absolutely amazing at what she does and I am so in love with this scent! It appeals to both men and women and is just the perfect, romantic blend.








Once again, we had the pleasure of working with the amazing Kelly Hubert on photography.  I am so very thankful for this trio of ours!  Kel just gets it!  We tell her our vision and she runs full speed ahead to make it even more amazing than we even had planned.  She has the most beautiful heart and is so dedicated! YOU are such a blessing, my friend!







In addition, a HUGE shout out to DC Estate Winery in South Beloit for allowing us to do our photo shoot there!! This place is GORGEOUS!!!  If you are in need of a beautiful wedding location, or you just want to get away and do some wine tasting... {they even have art and wine classes} Please check them out!!














Steph and I pray that you will love and embrace our latest project!!  That you will spend time nurturing the love that is right in front of you and remember what a treasure that is!
You are so very loved!












You can find SO IN LOVE for sale at these locations...





Infinitely Sweet in Rockford, Illinois
Milkman's Wife in Rockton, Illinois
The White Trunk in Rockford, Illinois
The Mission Shop at Rockford First





Online at...


www.shoponelove.net



www.lisdunndesigns.etsy.com

 

 

One Little Word 2015: PURPOSE


pur·pose

 

noun

1. the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

 

verb

1. have as one's intention or objective

 

 

This will be my 6th year choosing a "word of the year"... my "one little word", if you will!

I have loved the process of deciding on the most poignant word to sum up my focus and objective for the year to come.

 

2014 was an eye-opening year.  In a good way!  My word for 2014 was "confidence" and the year before it was "choose"  I really tried to be intentional about my choices. 

Primarily, the choice to allow God to direct my path. 

This was a BIG one! 

Giving up control is not in my nature.  Does that come easy to anyone?

Because of that one choice;  my family was strengthened; my business was blessed & new, beautiful & encouraging friends came into my life.

 

I don't know if it is the fact that I'm getting older or wiser {or a combo of both} but I have grown to value and embrace the fact that I was created for a purpose. 

Life is so much sweeter when your accept that!

God does not make mistakes and I have learned that His plans are ALWAYS better than my own!

 

My word for this year... PURPOSE... came to me a little over a month ago.  I waivered back and forth between a few other strong contenders, even landing on the word "Imua" which is Hawaiian for "move forward".  I even shared this one with a few family members, but with every other word that I chose, I kept coming back to "purpose".   It just embodied all that I wanted to focus on moving in to the New Year.  

Last night I came across this as I was going through my Pins on Pinterest and it was the confirmation that I needed!! 

 

 

This is it!

I want to use what I have and what I can do to help others!

I want to be purposeful in my relationships.

I want to live each day knowing there is a purpose for it.

I want to encourage others to embrace their purpose.

 

Have you given thought to the idea of "one little word" 

If you haven't yet decided on a word and need a little push, here are a few words to inspire you...

 

Simplify

 

Intentional

 

Love

 

Embrace

 

Change

 

Move

 

Grace

 

Confidence

 

Focus

 

Trust

 

Courage

 

Breathe

 

Gratitude

 

Dream

 

Inspire

 

 

Whatever you decide, go in to 2015 with great anticipation that big things are about to happen. 

You are so loved and so valued and were created with a purpose!

 

*If you have chosen your word for 2015, I would so love to hear what it is and why you chose it!

 

 



In It For Good!

"The king will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'"  

Matthew 25:40

I love this!

If you have been a follower of my blog or my Instagram feed, you know...

I LOVE MY CHURCH!!

I love that they breathe life into their members.

I love that they are always on a mission to help in any way possible.

I love that if they are called to move, they do it BIG!!!

The Original Conference is all of this encompassed, but focused primarily on strengthening women and their heart for God.

and THERE IS ALWAYS A MISSION

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the big conference this year, but was able to get to an Original Night recently.  So for me, it was really the first I heard about the initiative IN IT FOR GOOD!

To say the least, I was REALLY MOVED!  

Moved to do something!

It was a really emotional night and I couldn't get it out of my mind.  I remember the first time I ever heard of Human Trafficking, I was so sick!  It was probably six years ago and my daughter was just beginning her teenage years at the time.  I think if you're a human being, this travesty breaks your heart, but if you have girls... it is magnified.  That could be my daughter.  

The initiative IN IT FOR GOOD will benefit Zoe International, Mercy Ministries and SHE Rescue Home.  Each women taking on the challenge is asked to raise $200 for these organizations.  

I WANT TO BLOW THAT NUMBER OUT OF THE WATER!!!

I have created 2 pieces of jewelry solely for this initiative.  50% of the proceeds from these items will go directly to the IN IT FOR GOOD initiative.

The Necklace is an antiqued brass that measures 30" long and is embellished with 6 handmade tassels {inspired by the Original Conference decor!} and a hand-stamped charm that reads "IN IT FOR GOOD" 

$22.00 ea.

The cuff is approximately 7" and is made of burlap and lace sewn to aqua leather and feautures hand-stamped and hammered metal with the words "IN IT FOR GOOD" and is finished off with a beautiful toggle clasp!

$16.00 ea.

If you would like one {or more} of these items, please leave a comment below or you can email me at lisdunn@frontier.com

Another huge THANK YOU to my beautiful friend, Kelly for modeling for this project and always being one of my biggest fans!!

Please feel free to spread the word!! Share this on FB, Instagram, Twitter, email, whatever you can think of!  

JUST BREATHE

What if the world were full of women who were intentional about their gifts?  

What if we exercised compassion, instead of comparison?  Encouragement, instead of envy.  Gratitude instead of grumbling.  What if we made an effort each day to build each other up rather than tearing each other down.

As women, the struggle is real.  We wonder if we are doing enough, if we have enough, if we ARE enough?

Please hear me when I say this...

YOU ARE ENOUGH

Where you are right now is EXACTLY where you are supposed to be.  This is a necessary stop on the path to God's best for you!  You don't have to try to DO or BE anything different than exactly who you are!

These past few weeks have been something that I'll never quite be able to put into words.  I will try, but all I can say is that GOD was at the center of this beautiful project.

About a month ago, I had a sense that wouldn't go away, to reach out to Steph of One Love Candle and Bath.  I really didn't know why, we knew OF each other, had some of each others products, but didn't know each other well.  So, I just went for it!  I said "Steph, this is what I'm thinking, what do you think?"  She could have said  "what are you even talking about, this is so LAME!" {I love her, because we would both totally use that word, hee hee!} But instead, what transpired was almost a whimsical beauty that neither of us even felt in control of!  She said "Oh my goodness, YOU have been on my mind so much, too and I had no idea why!  and that verse is one of my favorite verses and songs!!!  YES! YES! YES!"  

So we got to work.

We realized that our hearts desire was the same.  We so wanted other women to see their worth and value.  We wanted our collaboration to not just be a candle with something pretty on it, but a start of a movement.  An invitation for women to love themselves right where they are.  To stop comparing their everyday to someone else's highlights.  To feel like just being present was enough.  

Through this collaboration, the JUST BREATHE candle was born.

We wanted each detail to have a very natural and organic feel.

It features a rich blend of amber, sandalwood and musk with brisk ginger and citrus top notes, all intentionally chosen aromas to soothe your soul, in an 8 oz. Mason Jar.  It also features a detachable, vintage inspired, hand-stamped charm that reads "It is well with my soul" along with a simple Swarovski crystal {because every girl needs a little sparkle!} tied with natural Jute twine. When the candle is gone, the charm can be placed on a necklace or key chain as a keepsake.

The project would not have been complete without my beautiful friend, Kelly!  

She and I had planned to meet up for a photo shoot for another project.  She was just going to be my model for the day.  Very last minute, I asked her if Steph could meet up with us so that she {Kel} could just get a quick picture of the two of us to attach to our collaboration.  What ensued was one of the most blessed days, I think for all of us.  It turned in to a full blown photo shoot!

  Kel's photography is stunning!! 

 I LOVE YOU, my friend.  I am SO thankful for you and can't imagine this story turning out any better if you weren't a part of it!

Steph and I pray that you will be blessed by our little project! That you will slow down and remember all of the things that are a blessing in your life. That you will finally give yourself permission to love yourself just the way you are.
You are so loved and so valued!

The candles can be purchased here and here.

If you are local to the Rockford area, you can also find the candles at:

Infinitely Sweet in Rockford, IL

Front Porch Mercantile in Rockton, IL

Urban Farmgirl's Main Street Market

"Today I'm excited about everything!"

{I always see this little quote on pinterest and could't wait for the perfect day to use it!}

As I am fully immersed in painting, sewing, curating and pretty-little-thing-making, I felt like now was a great time to take a break, breathe and share a few words and pics of what I've been up to!

I have been waiting in anxious anticipation for Urban Farmgirl's Main Street Market!  I have never been more excited, worked harder or been more at peace {ironically} for any show!!

If you know Mary {aka, Urban Farmgirl} you know this event will be nothing less than amazing!  She is one of the kindest and most humble creatives that I know with an impeccable eye for styling pretty things!

So here are the details...

Urban Farmgirl's Main Street Market

Saturday, May 10 2014

10:00am-5:00pm

Midway Village

Rockford, Il

Here is a small sampling of the pretty little things you will see from Lis Dunn designs...

{among so many other gorgeous items from over 60 vendors!!}

Have a beautiful day and I will see you at the Market!!

Here comes the Sun! {and what I did to combat depression}

So thankful for that!!!

First of all, I know. it's been 2 months since my last post so I wanted to give you a little update on my blog happenings.  While I will continue to do fun and {hopefully} inspirational tutorials and keep you posted on Lis Dunn designs, I will not be following the Something New for 52 as planned;{  We have had both computer and internet issues over the past 2 months and I got to the point of such frustration that I just took a little hiatus.  Sometimes that is a really good thing! All is well now and the blessing is that I was able to focus on custom orders and new design ideas!

With that being said, I wanted to share something that has been on my heart.

It has been a rough winter for most of the country! 

Not only weather wise, but especially tough for those of us that experience little {or big} bouts of SAD.

This year was a struggle for me.

I don't want to sound all "gloom and doom" because there were some very big blessings happening in this same time period, but I think depression is one of those things that people just don't want to admit or talk about.

It's real

It's painful

There doesn't have to be a reason

You really can't explain it

While it doesn't seem like it in the moment, these times can have a really positive impact, my friends. 

{Photo Credit: Pinterest}

I got to a point about a month ago where I really heard myself for the first time and it made me sad.  I was not myself.  While I didn't feel hopeless, I really didn't feel hopeful either {does that make sense?} 

In that moment, I made a choice.  This wasn't going to get the best of me!

I AM A DAUGHTER OF THE KING!!!

I am not going to go on and on with what these few months looked like.  If you're still reading this, you probably have some idea of what depression looks and feels like.

What I DO want to share are some of the things I did to be better.

Light Therapy

For years, I sneered at the idea that a light bulb would have an impact on your well being.  While shopping on black Friday 2012, I jokingly said that I wanted a Happy Light.  Mom remembered that and last Christmas bought me one.  I used it faithfully. Last winter was probably the most positive winter {mood wise} that I had had in all of my adult life.  So in that moment this winter when I knew something had to be done, I went back to my 20 minutes a day.  You're not looking into the light.  It just needs to be on near you.  I have it on for 20 min while I'm at the computer.

Yoga

This was another one of those things that I just didn't see myself doing or benefiting from.  My personality is a bit high-strung.  I don't do "still" very well.  I am a runner!! but as I said, I was desperate and would try anything positive to get back to being myself.    I am HOOKED! It's actually a fabulous work out.  I absolutely love it and feel amazing.  I look forward to the mornings and getting my day started with yoga! 

Here is a link to some of the workouts that I have been doing.

Diet

Over the past 3 or 4 years I have really been more in tune with how foods affect me.  Ugh, it really stinks because when we were young, we could eat it all with no repercussions.   My body has been much more sensitive to certain things as I have gotten older {this would probably be a lengthy blog post in itself!}  Here are a few of the things that I have changed/ added that have contributed to feeling better over-all.

*limit {not eliminate} caffeine and sugar 

{this is the absolute hardest thing for me, but the reward is so worth it}

*Focus on foods that are beneficial for your well-being

*Start the day with Coconut water and ACV

{these aren't great tasting on their own, but I have listed below the smoothie that I make every morning}

Super Boost Morning Smoothie

3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Cup Coconut Water

1/2 Cup Almond Milk

1 Tbsp Flax Seed

1/2 Cup Pineapple

1/2 Banana

I hope that if you are going through a struggle now, there is something in here that helps you.  

Big giant hugs and blessings to you!

{Photo Credit: Pinterest}

Elmo 1st Birthday Party Decor SNW4

Sometimes it is good to step out of your comfort zone and challenge what you are capable of. 

As a creative, you get to know what your style is and things can start to look very much the same:}

Before I share this project, I want to say that my heart is full of gratitude!

Thank you to all of my family, friends and customers that have had an idea and have entrusted ME to execute that vision.  It truly is an honor to be able to create for a living, but especially when it is something that is created for someone specific.

OK, with that said, this particular request was from my niece for her daughters 1st birthday

{That would make me a great-aunt!! Yikes!!}

She gave me a color palette and a few photos for inspiration. 

If you have followed me for a while, you know that Elmo is not my normal style and was out of my comfort zone!

Challenge accepted

I honestly had a lot of fun creating these items!

I remembered what it was like when my babies were that age.

Life was really so much simpler then. More innocent.

Here are a few photos of what I put together...

{I didn't want to do a tutorial for everything, but if you have questions about a certain project, please feel free to ask. I'd be happy to walk you through it!}

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog!
ENJOY!