i hate cancer

Sorry to be Debbie Downer but I hate cancer. 

I do not have an eloquent way of saying this either.

I hate it.

Today I attended a beautiful service for Rob Eubank 

who fought an incredibly brave 28 month battle against colon cancer. 

He leaves behind a wonderful wife, Kory, and three precious children, 

loving family members and many, many, many friends.  

Rob's zest for life was contagious and in the midst of this trial 

he inspired so many with his faithfulness and gratitude for each moment. 

He knew every day was a gift and he lived each day believing that, 

trusting God and spreading that joy to others.

Please join me in praying for the Eubank family today 

and in the days, weeks and months ahead. 

Then later today we found out that my sweet friend Kate's daughter, Sloan 

was diagnosed with mast cell leukemia. 

She begins radiation and chemo tomorrow morning.

She and my oldest son are friends through church and school 

so this hits particularly close to home.

I am asking all of you for intense prayer for this precious girl.

Please join me in lifting them up when they need it most.

So I hate cancer and bet you do too. 

I bet God hates it too, and the heavy rain tonight felt like God weeping over these two families. 

Tonight I do not understand. 

I am confused, bewildered, sad and angry...not at God, but at cancer.
And because I really do not know what to say
I must turn to the only words that really make any sense at all...scripture.

And we know that in all things 

God works for the good of those who love him, 

who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8

I believe these verses and know they are true, but tonight they seem extra hard to grasp. 

Thank you for praying for these sweet families.

love,

caroline

Outdoor art and winner!

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend...it was absolutely gorgeous!

Hope it was where you live too!

Wanted to share this easy breezy art the girls did on our patio tables. 

By the way, I usually cover my patio tables 

with a clear shower curtain liner for all outside art projects. 

I use these too for many of my collage pieces....makes for easy clean up!

After my recent visit with my sister 

we came home with a handful of doilies occasionally used for catering events. 

The intricate patterns are really quite pretty 

and so I let the girls just play with watercolors to see what they could come up with. 

wow!

I think we're going to display these somehow in their bedroom 

or string them together in the playroom just for fun and colorful decor.

May even hang them from the dining room chandelier above a spring/Easter centerpiece. 

Aren't they stunning all together?

Passing along random info to all of you who love Michaels art stores like I do. 

Scored these for 70% off....think they were 39 cents each.

Great cereal bowls!

all of their Valentine's crafts are 70% off too. 

The girls made these and are enjoying their new mugs. 

Think these kits were 30 cents each.

They are using the LOVE and I LOVE YOU inserts until next Valentine's Day.

And I know you are wondering who this week's winner is...

Our winner was randomly chosen by my oldest son....

Congrats to 

richandstella said...

Love Love Love the artwork!!! Beautiful! God has blessed you with such a fabulous gift that you are able to share.
Have a great weekend.
Stella

Let me know which pill box you'd like....Always Hopeful or Be Thankful!

Have a beautiful start to your week.

xoxo

Caroline

new art & Fun Friday Give Away #4!

I've been busy & messy...

 a peek at new art in progress...

more on this next week. 

Have a glorious weekend 

and don't forget to leave a comment and spread the word about the give away!

xoxo

*************************************************

Ready for another try?

This week you could win one of these...your choice.

a PILL BOX/VITAMIN BOX.

I keep a few Tylenol, Advil, and multi vitamins in mine...even has cute little sections.

Choose between BE THANKFUL or ALWAYS HOPEFUL

SPREAD THE WORD AND HAVE FUN!

You can enter all weekend until 9pm Sunday night!

If you need help commenting click HERE!

You have the opportunity to enter multiple times:

1 entry- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail) (come on...you can do it!)

2 entries- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail)

AND

 tell me that you mentioned this give away on your blog or website (list reference)

3 entries- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail)

AND

 tell me that you are a new subscriber

AND

 tell me that you mentioned this give away on your blog or website (list reference)

Everyone loves  free stuff! Forward this on to friends so they can participate!
Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Caroline

P.S. Last week's winner has not contacted me yet...

AJoy60...please contact me before Sunday at 9pm.

If I do not hear from you by Sunday at 9pm, 

I am letting this week's winner have 

the pill box AND the magnetic notepad!

signed, sealed, delivered & thrilled!

The contract is signed, sealed, delivered...

and I am thrilled

to announce my new partnership with

DEMDACO is one of the top home decor manufacturers in the business

and I am so honored and excited to be working with their great team.

You likely know Demdaco's products because of Susan Lordi's amazing Willow Tree brand. 

Her beautiful figurines are in most every Hallmark and many other stores worldwide.

We own several of them too, and love their sweet sentiments.

I am enjoying working with Demdaco and we're scheming up numerous

inspirational products which will launch in January 2012.

Sounds far away but it isn't.

You can often find me painting coastal designs in the winter 

and Christmas designs in the summer.

That's just how it is in this industry...we always have to be seasons ahead.

I love their mission and their message on their "about us" web page:

DEMDACO exists to lift the spirit by providing product that helps people connect in a meaningful way and by pursuing business as it ought to be. We strive to provide fresh, innovative designs that tell a story. We are blessed to work with talented artists who continue to amaze us with their creativity and versatility.

We have received many heartfelt letters and emails from people who have been touched in some way by our artists’ creations. We are thrilled and humbled to be a part of such intimate moments. It is our desire to let you express yourself through the gifts you give and in the personal statements you make in your home. As you browse through our collections, we think you’ll find what you need to help you do just that.

Thanks for sharing in my excitement and for your continued support.

I always love hearing from my sweet readers

and recently some of you have sent in 

ideas for product development and inspirational quotes you'd like me to consider
as I design away here in the studio.

I am listening 

and who knows...

your ideas matched with my designs could be on shelves soon!

Stay tuned to DESIGNING FOR THE SOUL...

Oh joy!

xoxo,

Caroline

Big Marsh Guides...

My brother in law, Douglas, is a harbor pilot in Georgetown, SC.

He's also offers guides and charter services 

if you ever find yourself in the Litchfield, Georgetown, Pawleys Island, or DeBordieu area.

It is absolutely beautiful there.

You can see more about Douglas and what he does 

on his website BIG MARSH GUIDES.

His job as a harbor pilot

 is to jump from the pilot boat and climb the rope ladder onto one of these

and then give the exact math coordinates so this mammoth 

can dock safely without running ground.

What a job!

The "Star Heranger", 

largest vessel ever piloted into Georgetown harbor, 

by Captain Douglas Miller, Pilot, 12/10/2006.

Capt. Douglas with Capt. Mark, and the over-880lbs, SC State Record Blue Marlin!

My sweet sister and her kids are incredibly involved 

with boating and water activities there too as you can see.

More photos of Captain Douglas...in action!

These pictures make me wish it was summer!
How about you?
xoxo,
Caroline

Design Inspiration from Moscow!

A sweet friend Ann and her husband are living in Moscow...

yes Moscow.
Can you even imagine living there?

Isn't Ann gorgeous?

I have been keeping up with her through her blog 

here.
I met Ann through my dear friend Susan.

I had noticed some great architectural design elements in her postings 

and asked recently if she would take some photographs for me 

as the architectural shapes were inspiring many new design ideas.

She sent these recent beauties to me and the sketches and paintings have begun.

 

 

And bless her sweet soul...she took these while walking in -15 degrees F

Ann, you are simply BRAVE!

She is the only person I know who looks fabulous in a hat like this!

Thank you Ann, for capturing some great architectural inspiration from Moscow!

Keep them coming!

xoxo,

Caroline

Sole Purpose & GiveAway Winner #3!

Last Friday I took a group of fabulous women and sweet my parents to visit 

Samaritan's Feet here in Charlotte.

We were invited by Manny Ohonme to their boardroom for coffee and treats 

 and to hear more about their great ministry.

He shared his amazing story with us and we were overwhelmed by the way 

God continues to use Manny and his wife Tracie to bless millions of children all over the world.

If you are a reader in Charlotte,

this is a wonderful place to take a group and volunteer...

think youth groups, school groups, Bible Study groups, Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.

They have the most organized warehouse all set up and ready to match left and right shoes, tie them together and help package them up to be sent off and bless children who have no shoes.

Manny grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. 

He met a group of missionaries when he was nine years old, 

who introduced him to some orange balls (basketballs)...

taught him how to play and a contest led him 

to receive his first ever pair of shoes.

This was certainly one of the most significant moments in his life...

 and a series of amazing events followed

including a full athletic scholarship in America. 

All the while God was preparing Manny's heart for something even greater.

You'll need to read his book SOLE PURPOSE, which you can find here.

Great Father's Day gift!

Great book for tweens and teens to read!

Some highlights from our visit on Friday:

Manny loved meeting my sweet friend Stella Barefoot...he loved her last name. 

We thought he was going to hire her on the spot to be a spokesperson for Samaritan's Feet!

 Regardless of our last names, 

I believe all of us will be spreading the word about this great ministry 

after our powerful visit there Friday.

It was quite emotional too...laughing, listening in awe, and crying.

 We actually had to pass around the GOD BLESS YOUs.

I encourage you to learn more about Samaritan's Feet. 

Their goal is to donate 

10 million pairs of shoes in 10 years. 

To date they have donated 

over 3 million in 6 years.

We want them to meet and even exceed this goal! 

Just $10 helps buy a brand new pair of shoes and includes the manufacturing and shipping.

How can YOU help?

Host a shoe drive...

easy breezy and rewarding...

do this with your kids,

do this as a neighborhood, 

do this as a school group.

For information on how to host a shoe drive, click here.

Go on a Samaritan's Feet Mission Trip.

You can search the list here.

I really want to go on one of these sometime.

You can volunteer locally in Charlotte at their warehouse.

Find out more about volunteering here.

Join the Barefoot Movement here.

Go barefoot at work, preach barefoot, walk/run barefoot, graduate barefoot...

all to raise awareness and money for Samaritan's Feet.

And you can donate here.

Thank you for listening to me share about Samaritan's Feet.

I am in awe of how God chose a little boy from Africa 

and had such an amazing plan for him

 to turn his blessing into multiplied blessings for millions.

Let me know if you'd like to be involved in any way. 

We have a group in Charlotte taking our kids to help in the warehouse soon.

We can't wait!

xoxo,

Caroline

*********************************************************************

Congratulations to 

AJoy60 said...

Caroline- I love your designs! God has given you a wonderful & special gift.

You are this week's winner for our Fun Friday Give Away!

You win one of the magnetic pencil pads.

Let me know which design you'd like.
Let me know who you are and your contact information.

Don't give up if you didn't win!!!

We'll be having two more weeks giving away free products!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,

Caroline

Friday Fun Giveaway #3

Ready for another try?

This week you could win one of these...your choice.

Magnetic Pencil Pads

Choose between BE THANKFUL, SCATTER JOY, SPREAD PEACE or ALWAYS HOPEFUL.

SPREAD THE WORD AND HAVE FUN!

You can enter all weekend until 9pm Sunday night!

If you need help commenting click HERE!

You have the opportunity to enter multiple times:

1 entry- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail) (come on...you can do it!)

2 entries- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail)

AND

 tell me that you mentioned this give away on your blog or website (list reference)

3 entries- Leave a comment on this blog post (not by e-mail)

AND

 tell me that you are a new subscriber

AND

 tell me that you mentioned this give away on your blog or website (list reference)

Everyone loves  free stuff! Forward this on to friends so they can participate!
Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Caroline

Possibilities for purchasing

Many of you have been asking 

when and where you can purchase the products designed with the Possibilities Collection.

Wellspring now has these on their website 

so you can actually purchase them directly from their on-line store.
This is nice because many of the companies I partner with only sell directly to retailers
so you have to search your state for stores which carry those items.
So happy purchasing..

 You can find the Flip Notes by clicking here...

You can find the Pencil Pads by clicking here...and here.

You can find the sticky blocks by clicking here...

You can find the boxed notes by clicking here and here...

You can find the pill boxes by clicking here.
These really make the greatest gifts and the products are super useful.
Think ahead for teacher gifts and Mother's Day.
I use my Flip Notes every single day
and they even sell refills on their site for the paper which slides into the Flip Notes.
Thank goodness they did not tell me they were planning to do this before I arrived...

I am not super comfortable in front of the camera as you will see, 

but here is the YouTube video Wellspring created introducing the collection
when it launched in January at Atlanta market.
I was smiling the entire time to avoid crying from being nervous.
Probably for the best that they accidentally cut me off at the end...I think I said something like ,
"I am thrilled to be partnering with Wellspring!"
click HERE if the video does not show...

I would be super happy if you would watch this on YouTube and leave a happy comment and mentioning how you know about Multiple Blessings.
Also if you own any of these products and like them, please mention that too.
Always great for manufacturers to get positive feedback.
Just click on YouTube near the bottom right and it should take you right to it.
They would be delighted to know my blog readers are such cool, kind folks.
And you are, so thank you for your continued support!
Are you getting excited about another giveaway this Friday???
xoxo,
Caroline

mailing love and prayers...

I was at the post office today mailing love and prayers.

Yes, for Christmas we gave our four children a family gift.

We are sponsoring Maria through World Vision.

We have each written her letters, the kids have colored many, many pictures and cards;

we have purchased pajamas, a doll, markers and coloring books, toys and such.

We sent her a photograph of our family.

We are praying for her each day and I have her picture 

posted in various places in our home 

to remind us of our commitment to her and her family in Guatemala.

The kids, particularly our girls, are into making things to send to her 

and mention her throughout the week.

So can you actually mail love and prayers in a package?

I believe so...

it's in writing and we told her so.

One day, we hope to meet her, but for now

our love and prayers and packages will bridge our bond.

So when I was in the post office shipping this 

I ran into sweet Sabrina who works there. 

She's been there for years and I can't remember her ever having a day off.

She's like Tiffany, she works with a smile 

remember Tiffany from here?

And you can sense that she tries to bring joy to those she encounters each day.

 Sabrina is a believer.

We started chatting as we always do and she hands me her cell phone 

to listen to her recent singing at her church.

Wow! What a voice and using her God-given talent!

Yep, spreading love and joy all through the post office today. 

Love it!

Start the day spreading love and joy to as many people as you encounter today.

Challenge yourself to go out of the way to be kind to those who may feel invisible.

As I often say,

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BLESS OTHERS...

there are many to choose from.

xoxo,

Caroline

Unique

Hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day!

I spent part of the day in Kindergarten running the Valentine Bingo station.

We used Smarties as our markers and it was such fun!
I created simple Valentine words on Bingo cards here.
You can print them once for free (up to 15 cards), then they will charge you.

I am treasuring these moments because my almost 13 year old (yikes!)

reminds me daily how quickly these times fly by.
Anyone else relate???

On another note...

HOW AWESOME is this?

Love Lori Danielle's beautiful work! 

Reminds me of this verse:

Psalm 139:13

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

You can see it here and her blog here.

Go visit and say hello to this talented gal.

Would be a great Valentine's day gift or anniversary.

Such a unique idea and so cleverly created.

Blessings your way,

xoxo

Caroline