{3} on wednesday.

It's funny how one conversation, and some emails can take so much stress away from you. I'm such an introvert and a people-pleaser. I just want to make everyone happy with zero conflict. Well, in case you were born yesterday, this is impossible. haha Especially when it comes to big things like wedding plans. You guys, I'm a slow learner, but it's okay because I'm taking baby steps with the help of my Jesus.

I love this movie!! Bonus points if you can name it. :) Source: Google images.


Today I wanted to share {3} things I'm excited about / grateful for / loving at the moment:

{1} Needtobreathe's newest album "Rivers in the Wasteland"



Guys. 

I cannot say enough about how much their music means to me. I really started to love them in a dark time in my family about 3 years ago. I think my sister shared their song "Something Beautiful" with me and it's wonderful. They absolutely have true talent and I look up to them for inspiration when it comes to showing the hope of God + truly mastering your art form. I saw them live for the first time last April, and will get to see them again with my sister in August AND I CANNOT WAIT. They're talented, fun, Southern, and their genuine love of God shows. What more could you ask for? I just read an interview with them from HM Magazine online. This quote was great and really stood out to me, especially as an artist:(HM) There was a moment after recording The Reckoning where you guys thought the band was over. What advice could you give other musicians who lose faith in what they’re doing?
(Bear from Needtobreathe)  It may be different for some bands, but I do think … the worst thing you can do is to start worrying about the outcome of what you’re doing. Somehow you’ve flipped priorities to becoming concerned with the success of what you’re doing or to how it affects people, even. We’re given certain talents, and we’re supposed to give them up, I think. We don’t own them. When we started feeling like they were ours is where things started going poorly.

You can read the rest of the interview here. That really hit me because, as Christians, we ought to recognize our talents are not for us, or for our benefit. This is a constant struggle for me, and probably deserves it's own post at some point. But I think Bear hits the nail on the head and shows that when we try to take control instead of trusting God, that's when things go haywire.

{2} These colors and textures together



I was playing around with these last night making a new pair of earrings for myself. I love turquoise + brass together. Perfect combo.

{3} Wedding Chicks

 source

If you are getting married anytime in the near future, you need to check out the Wedding Chicks website! I stumbled across it, and they have it all. It's well organized, with beautiful pictures, and chock-full (is that even a real word?) of inspiration. They have tons of DIY ideas, as well as free printables to use for your wedding (free! always good!). They even have free printable save-the-dates and invitations. Now that is cool. We most likely aren't using their free ones, since I made ours, but it's still a really cool option. They also have list of vendodrs. It just seems more personable than a site like The Knot. It definitely has more of a DIY, creative vibe than those kinds of sites, which of course, I really like.


What are {3} things you're loving / grateful for right now?? Love to hear from you! 

goodwill finds + inspiration

Thanks to some fellow artists I follow on Instagram, I have been inspired lately to do a major cleaning and reorganization of my jewelry-making workspace {read that as "small folding table in the corner of my bedroom" - hey, baby steps}.

{inspiration. image source: pinterest}

I had been struggling with what to put above my jewelry table that would be inspiring + functional. At one point I had a picture frame that I had once used as a display at a craft show, and then I had makeshift miniature bulletin boards. Oh man - they were hideous. haha Let me explain: I have a soft spot in my heart for clearance items. Something about saving money makes me want to do cartwheels. I also have a soft spot for buying clearance items I don't actually need or supplies I don't end up using but look cool in the fabulous fluorescent lights of AC Moore/Michael's. So, once upon a time, I bought a roll of cork at AC Moore. I thought, I can make my own bulletin board and save money, woohoo! Well, the cork was crumbly, would not lay flat to save it's life, and just was a waste of effort. I cut it and put it in random empty frames I had, and it just looked sad. So I finally gave up that idea, got rid of the frames and the cork. My next installment was fun pictures and prints I just taped with washi tape above my table. 

I think it is so important for artists to visually see inspiration while they work, to refresh and reset your mind on your ideas, to help you focus, to get outside your own head sometimes. Jessi from naptimediaries just posted about inspiration and I loved this quote from her:

"Seek inspiration outside your field to dig deep and avoid accidental copying."

So, I knew I wanted some sort of inspiration board to put up quotes, pictures, things torn out of magazines that lit my creative spark. 

Well, I finally realized I just needed a good, old fashioned bulletin board. Already made (haha). 

Sunday afternoon I went to Goodwill with the purpose of looking for a white shirt (negative), jean shorts (negative), and a bulletin board. I was walking over to where the picture frames are, and lo and behold, out from the backroom a Goodwill employee comes carrying a bulletin board. You better believe I snatched that baby up! I think it was a small God thing, looking out for me in the littlest way. :) It was $4 and in good condition. I knew I wanted to spruce it up a little, so I just painted the wood trim with 2 coats of some yellow paint I already owned. 

Voila! Here it is, painted and hanging in my "studio". :) 

{magazine cutouts, photo of my boyfriend+i, small painting from a boy i babysit, a postcard of the amazing artist thornton dial who i met, etc.}

{my friend made the piece in the frame - it says "do what you love, love what you do"}

{see that amazing wooden type drawer on the floor filled with beads? another great $5 goodwill find!}

Want to see a few more home studios/workspaces that inspire me? Click here to go to my Pinterest board. For the day I have a whole room dedicated to my art. :)

What are some ways you gather inspiration for your hobby/artwork? Taking walks, hashing out ideas over coffee dates, using inspiration boards, Pinterest? I'd love to hear from y'all! :)

a taste of spring

Here are a few goodies I've made last week and this week for spring/summer. 

I've been playing around with the turquoise + coral/tangerine combo and I love it! I love turquoise all year around, but it especially looks great in spring and summer for that pop of color. Pair these with a striped tee or a flowy white blouse.

I've also been playing around with this design. A long chain with a simple, colorful asymmetrical focal point. This would look great layered with other simple necklaces.

The perfect statement necklace! Pair this with a plain white tee, or a coral dress to a spring/summer wedding.

I love this one! Very tribal. Pair with your favorite bohemian flowy dress, or add some sass to a plain tee + jeans outfit.

Pretty little dangles!

Interested in purchasing any of the pieces pictured? Let me know! I haven't put them up on Etsy yet, so y'all are getting sneak peeks! Just leave a comment or email me at ShopHopeCollective@gmail.com if you'd like to buy one (or all! haha). 

Which necklace is your favorite? I'd love to hear from you! :)

{Missed my first "Shops with Heart" post? Read it here.}

Thanks for reading!

{Now you can follow me on Bloglovin'! Click the button in the right sidebar >>>}

shops with heart: hope collective

Happy Friday!!!

Can I just say I am so excited it's Spring? It is so refreshing to see some green sprouting up everywhere, and to see beautiful flowers popping out. There is a purpose to every season, but I am sure glad Winter is over. Spring is by far my favorite season, plus it's the season of my birthday! :) I'll be turning 26 next Tuesday - yay! 

Today I will be starting a series called "Shops with Heart". 

Shops with Heart will be a chance for me to highlight handmade shops I admire, where the passion and creativity is evident in their products. I will also highlight small businesses that give back to others in some way.

///Shops with Heart: Hope Collective///

I'm going to start off this series with my own shop Hope Collective. This may seem a tad conceited, but I wanted to give y'all some more photos of products I've made since I haven't shown a whole lot yet. I sell "handcrafted goods for you and your home." I will do a separate post about the organization I will be donating a portion of every purchase to, but let me just go ahead and tell y'all, they are awesome! 

Since the past few posts have been so word-heavy, just enjoy this eye-candy on this beautiful Friday! :)

1. This week's creation. 

2. Milky Aqua and White Simple Beaded Necklace // Minimalist Spring Necklace 

3. Silver Drusy Hoops

4. African Dreams Earrings

5. This one sold, but I love it, so I wanted to share --- Mumford & Sons Embroidery Hoop Art
{you can find more of my hoop art here}

6. 

Beauty and the Bullet // Turquoise Arrow Bead with Brass Beads and Brass Bullet Shell Long Necklace

What are some of your favorite "Shops with Heart"? Let me know, and if it sparks my interest and lines up with my vision for this series, I may highlight it in the coming weeks!

Have a great weekend!!

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the beginning.

////Hey Y'all!////

I'm not really sure what the norm is for your first post, but I figured I could give y'all a little bit of a rundown on who I am, why I'm here, and what Hope Collective is all about. Sounds good? Here we go!

////About me////

I'm 25 years old (about to turn 26, holla!)

A believer in Christ's hope and grace 

Love to create

Addicted to coffee and beads

Have an amazing boyfriend

Love my crazy family

Have a penchant for most things weird + silly (i.e. hedgehogs -see above picture, the Wienermobile, Star Wars, Grumpy cat)

Introvert, but once you get to know me, I let my ridiculous flag fly high

NC girl, born + raised

////What is Hope Collective?////

Hope Collective is my handmade business - I sell "Handcrafted goods for you and your home". My passion is jewelry-making, so you'll find a lot of that there, as well as notecards, embroidery hoop art, accessories, and watercolors (coming soon!). I started selling jewelry when I was about 14, and have kept at it ever since. My goal is for it to become a full-time venture, but for now, I do it on the side while working another full-time job. I started Hope Beads on Etsy awhile ago, but wanted to start selling more than my jewelry, so Hope Collective came about a few months ago. I chose the word "Hope" because in the coming months I will choose a non-profit to donate a portion of every sale to. I want my work to bring a small ray of hope into someone else's life. 

////What will my little corner of the blog world be about?////

I'm going to use this space to show my creative journey, my processes (joys + struggles), and highlight products from my shop. I want to inspire + motivate others, especially young women, to pursue their creative talents, and use those to give back since God's given us so much. I also will be highlighting other handmade shops, on Etsy and other sites, as well as shops that give back in their communities + around the world. I'll throw in a little bit of my personal life, because who wants to read about beads and shopping all day?? (well, I might...) I will do a few features on cities I've traveled to, as well as favorite spots like coffee shops, boutiques, etc.

////My Goals + Dreams for this blog////

Gain 50 followers in 2014

Post twice a week

Show that a creative business can be used to bring people hope + glory to God

Attend Influence Conference

Gain exposure for Hope Collective

Make great blog friends!

I got a lot of my ideas on how to organize what my blog is and isn't about, dreams, goals for it, etc. from this post by the lovely Rachel over at oh, Simple Thoughts:    

 5 "big picture" questions to regain BLOG FOCUS

{Like my blog design? Rachel also designed it! If you're looking for a new blog design, she is the girl for you! She is very talented, and she was super helpful and got my blog up very quickly. So great to work with!}

So, tell me, what are your goals + dreams for your blog? Introduce yourself, I'd love to get to know y'all! :)