Hearts of Hope

Hope.

The Hope that I cling to on the hardest of days.

- Kerrie, Sea Cottage

The strength of my heart and my portion forever.

-Psalm 72:26

His love is the first and last word in everything I do.

-2 Corinthians 5:14

Because, when all is said and done,

Only three things remain.

Faith.

Hope.

Love.

And the greatest of these is Love.

And when we have that, we have Everything.

  ♥ 

During these past few weeks of unexpected fear, overwhelming love,

and abundant blessings,

I have been gently reminded how important it is to give back.
How each day is a blessing and even though we face some scary moments in our lives,
we have hope.

We have it tucked away in a special little corner of our hearts that is protected and nurtured by our faith.
It's only as strong as our faith is.
When we turn to it, it shines like a beacon in the night.
Always there. Always bright. Always comforting.

{You can read about my recent journey here and here.}

After a beautiful suggestion from a friend, my
Sacred Hope Heart
 is now available to purchase.

I will be donating half of the proceeds to The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The rustic heart is handcrafted from natural clay and is approximately 6" x 4" x 1/4".

It is embellished with two tiny handmade clay rosebuds created petal by petal.
The heart is allowed to cure for seven days, 

and then painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in 'Old White' (creamy white)
or 'Antoinette' (pale lilac pink lightly distressed). 

It is hung from a slender piece of natural jute.

Sacred Hope Heart $25

[+$10 shipping US ~ $14 shipping outside US]

Heart in 'Old White'

Heart in 'Antoinette'

The Sacred Hope Heart Set comes with a handcrafted rustic rose heart, a simple heart, and a cross.

The set is painted 'Antoinette' or 'Old White',

and each is hung on a slender piece of natural jute.

Sacred Hope Heart Set $60

[$12 shipping US ~ $16 shipping outside US]

'Old White'

'Old White'

'Antoinette'

'Antoinette'

If you would like to purchase a Sacred Hope Heart or the Sacred Hope Heart Set,

you can email me
or leave me a message on this post!

These would make beautiful Christmas gifts or unique ornaments, wedding or shower gifts,
or hung on your wall, door, dresser knob, or curtain rod.

[FYI: There is a two week turn around time.] 

♥ Thank you to my Facebook friend, Barbara Falzone, for the beautifully inspiring idea of creating these hearts to sell and donating back to such a worthy cause; 

AND 

♥ Thank you to my fellow blogger and Facebook friend, talented Amy Chalmers of Maison Decor, for your generous spirit in donating the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for this project.

 

You can purchase ASCP, as well as waxes, gilding, and artisan enhancements, directly from Amy here in her amazing Maison Decor shop and have it delivered right to your door!  

Without you both, this project never would have taken wing.
From the bottom of my heart.....thank you.

My Hope is in Him!

~  Blessings  ~

Update on my journey:  I will be having a "mini-lumpectomy" in November with no treatment needed after that. Thank you, Lord!  A follow-up MRI will be scheduled in three months.
Thank you all for your abundant prayers and encouragement!

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Kitchen Sideboard

As much as I flipped head over heels when I discovered a frantel for my kitchen a few years ago
at the antique market
and still love it dearly to this day
and will never ever get rid of it...

I heard the angels singing again when I walked past this sweet shabby chic sideboard
at the antique market last month.

[cue chorus......
Laaaaaaaaa!!]

Doing a quick double-take
while backing up as fast as my feet could take me without tripping and falling flat on my bum ~

I walked up to her,
stroked her smooth painted surface,
pulled her drawers open and shut,
peeked inside her cupboard doors,
and admired her curvy legs.

I felt my eyes glaze over...

and I sighed.

There was a lot of space for dishes, and linens, and silverware, and candles.
She was beautifully worn all in the right places.
She was equipped with all four of her original casters.

I knew she was coming home with me.

After chewing the vendor down to an amount that was much easier to swallow,
I couldn't wait to get home to see how this sweet sideboard looked in my kitchen
topped with flowers and paintings and pretty blue goblets.

A few Italian Florentine floral pieces I bought for $4 each
found their way into the vignette.

Another vintage find was this benediction which now rests on the mantel above our bed.

Back to sighing over the sideboard...

splashed with morning sunlight.

I had some rose prints left over that hadn't been pinned up yet,
and after looking at that big blank wall behind the sideboard,
I thought I'd try something.

"Oh....yes," my heart whispered.

And I sighed again.

~  Blessings  ~

[I am currently working on a project that I think you may like to participate in!
Should be ready in about a week.
Stay tuned!]


Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Breathing In Hope

My heart beat crazily in my chest as I dusted, vacuumed,

folded sweet smelling laundry, hugged Maizie close, and tried to maintain a normal day.

Thoughts bounced wildly in my head.

Whispered prayer constant on my lips.

I pull out some clay.
Hearts and crosses form beneath my hands.
Symbols of the love I've been surrounded by this past week.

The phone rings.
I stop.

Hesitate.
Breathe in hope.
Exhale fear.

My heart skips a beat.

Eyes close in one more quick prayer.

Hands shaking as I answer.

The nurse on the other end offers a kind "hello, how are you doing?" 

and then I hear her say,

"Atypical ductal hyperplasia.

Non-cancerous,

but a pre-cancerous condition.

Lumpectomy recommended."

I dumbly repeat the words back to her
in question form.

I feel myself split in two.

Happy for the present.

Terrified of the future.

With tear-filled eyes, I bow my head at the table in a sun-filled kitchen ~

thanking God for answered prayer.
No cancer.

He told me to trust.

I did.

He answered my prayer.

I will continue on this journey ~

leaning on Him more than ever;

letting Him lead the way.

My mind doesn't understand why.

It rebels.

It questions.

It crumbles in fear.

But my soul tells me to trust in Him with every fiber of my being ~

difficult or not.

What else can a child of God do?

God doesn’t allow pain unless He’s allowing something new to be born.

A future life lived knowing that at any time,

breast cancer could develop.

What is God allowing to be born in me...?

Lord, did it have to be born this way?

“I am more than you need and I am like a mother and I am your Father and I am the Light that pushes back the black and I am making all things new — and that’s a promise that I’ll wrap right round you in any pit and pull you up and close to Me.“  

~ A. Voskamp

Pull me up, Lord.

Wrap yourself around this child of yours

and hold me close.

Be the Light in this dark, scary place.

There is a plan and there is a purpose and there is a God in heaven who didn’t just ink you onto the palm of His hands, but etched your name right into Himself with nails and 

He  hasn’t just got your number...

He’s got your heart.  
~ A. Voskamp

I know He's got mine...


~  Grateful Blessings  ~

♥ I don't even know where to begin to thank each and every one of you [from all over this awesome world] for the beautiful words you left for me on my previous post. 
You overwhelmed me and left me in a puddle of gratefulness.
So grateful for friends who hold out their arms in enveloping warmth.
A heart bursting with love and appreciation for such incredible encouragement.
Your shared stories and prayers melded into a quilt of support and comfort.
I closed my eyes and wrapped myself up in it,
leaning back into it's pure goodness.

GOD BLESS YOU.

You are all amazing. ♥

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.