HELLOOO HEALTHY!

Hey there, healthy!

So, I have to confess before any of this info that I was raised to be a fairly healthy eater.  As a child of the 80s and a very "good food" conscious mother, there was no hope for me being hooked on bi-product chicken nugget happy meals or mashed potatoes from an Ore-Ida box.  Nope, never, not happening at the Ruff family crib.  The only time we ever "went out to eat" was on cross country trips in the family station wagon with wood grain siding and even then we were LUCKY to do that because my mother had totally thought ahead of us.  She had packed sandwiches the night before, complete with lettuce in a separate bag {so it didn't dare get soggy} and chips distributed in "baggies", not the easy pre packaged kind we snatch today.  We may get lucky and stop at a SERVICE station for a fun drink but that was only, and I mean only, if one of us had to use the restroom or my dad was so desperate for gas that he was already considering who would help push had he waited until the next exit.

i know it's hard but please don't be jealous!  and who needed to be facing forward when you could sit backwards....or on the floorboard to sleep?!?

With all that prefaced, life does happen and college does take a toll on our bodies....or it did in the 90s.  {I'm still not sure why these skinny little college co-eds don't take advantage of the freshmen 40 like we all did.  It truly was some fun times and we were all in it together!}  Looking back I'm pretty sure that my body was NOT a wonderland and the inside was screaming for some sort of cleansing that Jesus just didn't provide!

Fast forward to TODAY!  Today, I am super conscious of what I ingest, slather on my face and even feed my own children {like mother like daughter whether you like it or not, gals!}.  I'm thankful that I don't struggle with food battles because I had a mother and grandmothers that instilled upon me that true beauty was in an Oil of Olay bottle!  HA!!!  No, they raised me to believe that Jesus gave me self worth; not the size of my jeans, the color of my hair or the trophies that gather dust.  So, when I was asked by my precious friends at Arbonne to participate in the 30 day Clean Eating Boot Camp I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons.

First, Arbonne has been around for more than 35 years.  It is a company that I know a lot about and trust every ingredient they put into their products.  Second, getting healthy from the inside out is always a good idea and I will talk more on that as this challenge goes on.  And third, I have a daughter.  Silly reason maybe but I want her to grow with the same understanding that her outward appearance or size makes no difference in the end if her 'insides' are full of toxic ideas and negative perception of herself.  AND.....the metaphor for the win!  hee hee!

So, I will be blogging about my results, good and bad, as much as possible during the next 30 days.  I am not getting any endorsement for this.  It's more to keep myself accountable than anything else honestly.  I love the reps in MS for Arbonne and will support them til I die {but healthy though of course!}

Follow along for some good recipe ideas, honesty of sugar depravation and obviously the honesty of where I am these days when it comes to our image and how we need to turn the emphasis back to the heart instead of what fades away.

***ask me any questions you have too***

with joy ~

these are a few of my FAVE things...

Hey there, Friday!

i have had quite a few comments on Instagram lately about my lashes and what mascara I use.  Soooo, even though i am NO fashion/makeup guru or even a pro at applying the stuff, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things when it comes to this category!

I used to be a product junkie {and still am slightly in recovery} until I discovered products that are good for your body, face AND happen to be pretty too.  I discovered  arbonne  through a friend several years ago and was blown away by the purity of its product ingredients and by far, this is my favorite product they have ever formulated!!  

100% organic . formulated in switzerland . made in the USA . i call it my "walmart makeup" bc it has a tiny bit of coverage while minimizing pores too!

Arbonne also makes amazing liquid foundation.  This is my favorite and it's got SPF so that's just an added bonus!

Now, when it comes to eye makeup I have a serious obsession....but its totally ok, i promise.  So, I couldn't post just one fave.  But, the one makeup item that I rarely leave the house without wearing is my mascara!  I have tried them ALL and go back to the same 2 or 3 every time,  My tried and true is by BeneFit Costmetics called 'They're Real'.  I usually buy the travel size offered at the checkout line for $12 when I'm in Sephora or Ulta.  The regular sized tube is just $24.

I get asked SO often about my mascara and each time this is the one I am wearing.  

Then there is the AMAZING joy of seeing your lashes grow and thicken literally overnight!!  Rodan + Fields is known for amazing skincare but this Lash Boost takes the cake for FAB!!!  I was blessed with longer lashes BUT, I have noticed such a difference with the thickness and darkening this product creates.  It doesn't irritate my eyes and is a simple one swipe, once a night application....i'm all over that ease!

Lash Boost by Rodan + Fields . Ashley Schloegel is the BEST rep out there!!  I am a little partial to coast peeps though:)

And last but definitely NOT least.....DRY SHAMPOO!!!  It is a necessity in my life and used almost as much as a stick of deodorant or tube of toothpaste!  I do not wash my hair every day, much to my husband's disgust.  This powder by Stranded Shop has been AMAZE!!  It too is completely natural and comes in 3 different shades.  I mean, the majority of this world does not have baby powder white hair so why do they all seem to spray out that way???  

I have tried other "brunette" colored sprays and they were fine.  But I love that this is a powder and soaks up oil so much more efficiently.  It also doesn't stain your fingers {because it's all natural} when you rub/blend it in! 

Stranded was created by Lauren Scruggs Kennedy and a portion of proceeds goes to her LSK Foundation.  She has a heart for the Lord and displays that by bringing hope, restoring dignity and igniting faith in girls and women through beautiful cosmetic coverings for prostheses.  Read her story, you will NOT regret it {She is also married to Jason Kennedy, host on E! News}!!  The branding for Stranded was done by the HOLY COW AWESOME Ashlee Proffitt.  I have had the pleasure of doing one of her coaching sessions and you need to check her out too!!

So, there you have it friends!  This is sure to NOT be a mind blowing wealth of information but, i have had a lot of Instagram Story messages about these things and wanted to share. 

But, as always, beauty is what is in your heart FIRST.  God created us each to be a vessel of His love, beauty and grace.  Without Him, i am nothing.  Beauty fades but the soul of man is eternal!

With Joy ~ em

hand lettering LOVE!

i have to admit that I have been just terrible when it comes to keeping up with my blog skills!  Life gets 'in the way', creativity gets the best of me and these little people that call me 'mama' seem to always want me to be present {i mean , who do they think I am, their mother or something?}

I have a lot going on in this little world of mine and could not be happier about the orders flying in every day.....THANK YOU!!!

Custom stationery, napkins and cups seem to be a huge hit these days and I totally agree with the obsession!!  Some of our latest designs are completely hand lettered by MOI and add the perfect touch to snail mail or a gift.  

the LUCY notecard set complete with envelope liners and hand lettering makes this set one of a kind!

Gold foil is never a bad idea!  And when it's hand lettered on a napkin, you're sure to be the hostess with the mostess!

RDP offers custom hand lettering for almost any design, occasion or gift so be sure to check back for our newest custom line coming in february!!!  The fresh new year has us dreaming of fresh ideas that you will not want to miss!

with joy ~ emily

Choosing J.O.Y

Hey Yall!

So, if you're new around here, HEY!!  If you've been around a while then THANK YOU for hanging around and i can only pray you decide to stay.

I wanted to simply share about my life/biz motto, 'Choose Joy'.  It has come to be a phrase i think and repeat to myself on a daily basis and know that it is the Lord's little reminder to do just that--be full of JOY!  

I doodle a lot as most creative {or bored in class} people seem to do.  Something about putting a pencil, marker or pen to scratch paper or a journal releases a lot of tension and brings JOY to my heart.  The other day as I was waiting on a file to upload {joy stealer fo sho!} i found myself sketching out J .O . Y like an acronym, and it got me thinking what those three little letters could actually stand for if it were an acronym.....and i came up with these three words as if Jesus whispered them to me that moment-

J-jesus . O-others . Y-you

way too easy, right??  That order, in that little word and what else do you need to know???  Yes, you can steal that!  write it on a cute card and keep it in your car, stick it in your wallet and GLUE it to your fridge!!  And be on the lookout for a fun new line coming from it as well ;)

““Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” ”

— proverbs 3.3-4

So, go on with yourself today and decide every morning, every moment to CHOOSE J.O.Y!!!  {oh, and grab a Choose Joy Christmas tee too so others will be reminded to do the same}

click on tee to grab yours today!  They are the SOFTEST and comfiest tees we have ever had in the RDP shoppe!!

with joy ~ em

Bent Out of Shape {a note about rest}

I have a confession....i was super tired and worn this time last week.  That is very hard for a creative to admit, especially a mama creative.  It's not something I am proud of but I found myself forgetting a lot of things, going to bed way too late, running errands that never had a stopping point and neglecting my children in a way I said I never would.  But, thankfully, God grabbed me in just the way He knows how I will respond and told me to breathe because I was "Bent Out of Shape."

This Sunday our pastor had a sermon on how "Normal is Unfulfilled" and i realized i'm much happier being WEIRD!  He had an acronym that spelled the word SHAPE.  Our S.H.A.P.E is declared by our Creator way before we take our first breath.  In Ephesians 2.10, {which happens to be the verse I declared over Sophie while pregnant with her} Paul tells us that "We are Christ's masterpiece {or workmanship}; created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he prepared IN ADVANCE for us to do."  The Hebrew translation of the word 'workmanship' is POEM.....how beautiful is that?  We are His poem, His lyrical masterpiece and we each are given a different stanza, a different rhyme that only He could create.  Well, my poem had turned into an off track record that just kept skipping because it was scratched, badly scratched.

As creatives we tend to take on any and everything we can to fuel our creativity.  We become gluttons of our own creative juices and to be honest, i didn't even have a hunger to create for a while there.  And that alone terrified me.  It stopped me in my tracks and one day in my dining room i broke.  i sat, i didn't say a word and just listened.  it was a prayer of silence where i allowed Christ to flow over me and my spiritual gift.  I heard Him say, STOP.  BREATHE. REST.  He didn't mean go lay down, eat ice cream and sleep {although that sounds like a dream!} .  He was calling me to remember the Sabbath and KEEP IT HOLY.  See, if we become so full of to-dos, people, things, technology or ourselves we don't have time to remember the Holy One at all.  That's why He calls us to rest.  So we He can breath HIS air into our lungs and in turn allow us to breathe out something even more beautiful and poetic.  

I want to create beautiful things FOR HIM.  I want to design fun invitations FOR HIM.  I want to devote time to my family FOR HIM.  I have a craving to glorify Him in every aspect of my life and I know that is meant to be through my work, my relationships and my alone time with my Savior.  He created us to do good works and planned those BEFORE we were even woven in our mother's wombs....that's pretty mind blowing!  Our pasts create lighted ways to our future and He has had His hand in all of that....mind blown again!

So, i say all this as a pouring out of my heaped up heart today.  So you know, as a customer or not, that my heart of hearts is truly for my God!  He created me to create and for that i am over the moon thankful.  But He also wants me to give myself grace and time to rest so my SHAPE doesn't get so out of whack again.  As Shauna Niequist book says, we are to be PRESENT OVER PERFECT {go get this book---you can thank me later!}

I also want you to know that I will be scaling back on what we "offer" at RDP.  We have too many irons in the fire and rather than being a "Jack of all trades and a Master of none", we want to do what we do WELL.  So, please give us grace and know that if we don't do it, we will always refer you to a super creative business that does. 

Wholesale is coming to a halt right now too----that's an entirely different can of worms that I don't feel God is calling me to at this time.  Custom is where we began and it is what keeps this train rolling.  It's truly where my heart is and what feeds my soul----that's important.  Of course, what i have in shops locally is staying and growing and i'm all about the local love:)

Where I am sorry for the essay on my little hiatus, i'm not sorry for what God is doing in me and what He has done thus far.  Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful but I know now that gratitude has to be accompanied by a rested heart to truly bless others.  If my cup isn't filled then I cannot pour into anyone or anything else that needs some filling.  So, here's to a full cup and prayers that it will runneth over to bless those around me.

the man that keeps my head out of the clouds but happily adds air to my crazy balloon when he knows i need it.....God did a good work in the one!  photo by Vicki Eastland

Moving into our Christmas card season, I can already feel God's hand on each card and i promise that each family is prayed for more than once in the design process and again when I receive cards in our own mailbox.  So, if I could be so bold to ask that you please pray for me, my family and my carpel tunnel {kidding but not really} over the next 3 months.  And if you see me and i look like i've been out all night drinking----i may or may not have {now i truly am kidding}, know that I love what I do and all of you.  I can say that with all honesty......

...and a RESTED heart whose shape is no longer bent but whole again.  {for now;}

with joy ~ em

{for more on this topic of your SHAPE and God's calling on your life please visit Pinelake and watch the Sermon Series on Weird}  You can thank me for that later too!