JAPAN!!!!

YES. I AM GOING THERE.

CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT?!?!

In 6 days, I will be on a plane. For a loooooong time. Staring out the window dreamily (if I am lucky enough to get a window seat!) and trying my darnedest to not spontaneously freak out. I have been making strange noises at odd times. The hubs just shakes his head (with a smile, of course. He is so wonderful. And supportive.).

( Tachikawa )Tokyo Japan, here I come!!!

Once there I will be witnessing and helping to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Japanese people! I love love LOVE these films:

God's Fingerprints in Japan 1 and 2.

They are beautiful and well researched and really celebrate the fact that the one true God and his son, Jesus, are NOT just a "western" thing... that from ancient times the "one creator God" has been found in Japanese history. Amenominakanushi = one creator God. God in his sovereignty created the Japanese people and their culture and traditions and thinks they are beautiful. I love that this movie celebrates their culture and repeats the fact that God made them who they are and they should never change!!

I have been in love with this culture and it's people for more than half of my life.

I am beyond excited to visit the place of my dreams. And I am so excited to see what God will do there!

Pray for me please!! I get back the 18th of December.

Love to all,

Amy

Thanksgiving Update!

Hooray!! I didn't think I would even find the time to do it - but I did!

So here it is!

"Sharing" - available in 8.5 x 11 and 5 x 7

and

"Give Thanks" - giclee available in 5 x 7

Hope you guys like em!

---

I have a VERY busy November ahead of me - a marriage retreat with the hubs this weekend, 5 commissions to finish and a giant order of bows. Not to mention teaching my art classes and working at my other part time job! Eeep! But it's okay - Jesus, coffee, and your support will get me through it!

Lots of love,

Amy

A Little Bit of Spice...

..makes everything nice! Don't you agree?

Lately we've been enjoying the spicy flavors of fall and are fortunate enough to live right down the street from The Crystal & Spice Shoppe- A lovely family owned business (in it's 27th year!) that sells gourmet coffees, teas, and loose spices.  I loooovve the couple that runs the store - you can totally tell they have worked side by side every day for almost 30 years (just like my parents), but in a good way. They have a great system worked out and are constantly finishing each other's sentences. It's really cute. And it feels so good to support a family owned business...

...and when was the last time you had your groceries tied up with a cute brown ribbon?

The Diva Delight coffee is flavored with nothing but Ghirardelli chocolate - yum!

These yummy bits were put together to steep into your cider (like tea). 

And here's the spices: Basil, Thyme, Sage, Cumin, and Cinnamon.

If you are ever in the Belleville, IL area and get to visit Main Street (the longest in the country at 13 miles!) and are a coffee, tea, or spice lover, you MUST give this little place a visit!

AND they have free coffee tastings on Saturday mornings! 

I'm still busy working on some new drawings and greeting cards for the holidays! I'll let you know when I'm ready to put them in my shop.

Love,

Amy

Halloween Has Come and Gone...

..and now it is November!! Wow - how did that happen? The year is almost over already (and what an amazing year it has been!). 

Hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween! The hubs and I enjoyed ourselves. We had to figure out costumes last minute with a very very very small budget. For under $10 we were able to transform into something we are both very passionate about...

GRASS FED BEEF! hahaha. Oh, silly us.

We attended a sweet little party with some great church friends. 

What were you for Halloween?

.....

Now with Halloween over, I am drawing and preparing for my thanksgiving etsy update! Not sure of the exact date yet, but when I know I will post it here first. 

Love,

Amy

Fall is For Lovers!

I'm back I'm back! And I'm currently on a roll - two etsy listings in two days! Hooray! 

This is one of my favorites of all time - Fall is For Lovers! Because it most definitely is. The most romantic season there is... at least I think so. 

It comes in 5''x7'' as of right now, because I love wee little things and wee little art. 

I will soon have a pack of greeting cards bearing these two little lovestruck fellows, so keep on the look out!

love,

Amy

New Greeting Card pack!

Hello lovely readers and friends!

We finally got the internet today - hooray!!!

If anyone has ever gone days or weeks without the internet ...you understand our pain from this past month.

Not the biggest of problems, I know, but it definitely is nice not to have to run around town looking for free wifi!

In celebration of finally being able to be productive again, here is a brand spanking new product and listing on my etsy!

An A2 size card pack with my "This Bunny Loves You" illustration! I will have one with a little boy bunny on it in the very near future. You get 4 cards in a pack with matching white envelopes. Cards are blank inside. These sold very well at Strange Folk this year and I'm hoping my online readers and customers will like them as well!

----

The husband (weird to say still, but wonderful!!) is going to build me a lightbox out of PVC pipes, so hopefully soon the photo quality on both this blog AND my etsy will be much improved.

Now off to add more listings to my etsy!

- Amy

Married!

Oh my sweet little blog..how have you been?

I am married now. Loving it. Adjusting slowly. We will have the internet on friday evening.

New art is on the way! Fall, Halloween, and Christmas pieces are ready to be listed on my etsy... I just want to wait until my internet is a bit more reliable than the free wifi at my local cafe.

In the meantime, here are some photos from my wedding! It was the most glorious, perfect, and fun filled day - a total God send! He was good to us and kept the rain away!

Bridal Shower!

In the past 16(!!!) days I have found a new apartment (our very first home together! We sign the lease on Tuesday!), took care of daily wedding things, and had my bridal shower. I could NOT have asked for a more enjoyable afternoon! My best friend/maid of honor Courtney Louise made the most beautiful decorations and the most delicious treats!

I must share.

amy + adam

Can you say cheesecake mocha squares?!

Everyone got to take home a mug drawn by me! They had cupcakes inside..

see?

One of my amazing presents: Tablespoon measuring cups from Anthropologie!

My wonderful friend Megan won one of the 3 prizes of the evening.. a platter to match her cup! There was also another platter and a teapot.

...and that's me, getting really excited over that little trash can.

Because it's our first ever trash can, you know?