A little on the personal side...

My kiddos are growing.  duh.  I know... but isn't it weird how it just hits you one day. 
Today it hit me when I looked down at my son's footie p.j.s. 

 

Lucy's getting big too.

um... she's pulling up on things.  what?!  Clue me in here, didn't I just give birth to her??

Yeah, and she has 4 teeth and has a will of her own already.  Where did those baby-baby days go?

 

She pretty much looks just like my hubs...  Can't you see the mischief in her eyes!?

Oh, yeah... and I wanted to tell you...
I finished my Christmas clip-art sets!  Go take a look... you need to get busy with your Christmas
projects! 

Blessings to y'all!

Amy J Illustrations and Clip Art are Ready!

I want to share some recent work with you!
But first let me tell you, very quickly, how I got to this point:

So I've been doing graphic design for the past 11 years... but not really.  You see I studied graphic design in college because it sounded like fun :)  I knew I wanted to get married and be a stay at home mom, so I figured graphic design might lend itself to that.  Great plan, huh?  Well, God really does work all things together for the good of those who love him... and he took my not so well thought out plans and blessed them.  Almost four years ago, when my husband and I felt called into full-time ministry I decided to take a stab at Etsy and freelance designing.  Up until this point, I had done a few things here and there... but I had not pushed myself or really developed my design skills.  So I dove into Etsy, creating paper goods... note cards, stickers, labels, and art prints.

Since then, God has used my Etsy store to bring clients to me, requesting custom services.  And through this God developed my skills further... clients would ask for specific things and I would have to figure out how to make them!  It was challenging, but so fun.  It has been through these amazing clients, that I fell in love with illustrating.  I used to draw all the time in high school, but had forgotten how enjoyable it could be!  Through conversations with my hubs and a bloggy bff of mine, I decided that perhaps switching my Etsy store over to largely clip art would be more fitting for me.  So I began drawing... and drawing... and drawing.

So today I want to share some of the resulting illustrations with you!  I took out all the scripture prints from my store... but don't worry, many will be returning in a digital downloadable format.  I just haven't had time to switch them over yet.  But for now, take a look at my clip art.  I'm so in love with them all! ... and there are many more illustrations to come, including a few more Christmas sets in the next week or so!

For those of  you who are unfamiliar with modern clip art here's the low down.  Basically my illustrations have been converted to individual images with transparent backgrounds.  They can be inserted into almost any program and used to embellish or create pretty much anything you can imagine!  ...note cards, tags, invitations, announcements, brochures, logos, business cards... not to mentions being used for digital scrapbooking, blog and web graphics.   They are addicting to use!  Basically you can create the same things I do, without all the work! HA!

So next is updating my portfolio... I have tab/page here on my blog for examples of my design work, but it hasn't been updated in forever.  Hopefully sometime soon, I can show you some of my recent freelance work as well.

Here are a couple of my favorite clip art sets... but be sure to go see the rest in my store!

Blessings,

The God of All Comfort

5 years ago I lost a tiny little baby.  She was my sweet Sadie's twin...  Her death rocked my world and changed me.  You can read the whole story here.   In addition to our little Sophie, we have two other babies in heaven....

Many of you have lost babies, too... or know women who have felt the stabbing pain of loss. 

So I hear that October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. We are fortunate to live in a time where we can connect with other women who have been through similar struggles.

So as one of those women I just want to say, "hi."
I want you to know you're not alone.
I want you to know that the pain does lessen
...and God can heal.

My good friend Malinda is posting about this today.  She says it better than me :)
She's hosting a Giveaway for a print in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month.
I designed it.
It's sweet.
But more importantly than that, it offers real comfort.
Comfort that can only come from our Heavenly Father, found in his Word....

So go on over to her blog and sign up to win one... for  yourself or for a friend. 

Blessings,
Amy J.

Free Cupcake Clip Art

hey friends!
So they say it's my birthday....

so have a cupcake!
You can save this high-resolution birthday cupcake and use it for whatever your creative mind can imagine!...  tags, cards, banners, etc...  fun, fun :)

Speaking of clip art... I also wanted to tell you that I'm making some changes in my Etsy store.   My goal is that by Thanksgiving I will have switched over my store to all digital downloads!  And this will include LOTS and LOTS of CLIP ART like my little cupcake here.  eep!

But this does mean that my art prints will no longer be available for purchasing in their printed form.  So if you've ever considered purchasing one of them... you'd best do it before Thanksgiving!  I will still be offering many of them as digital downloads though... so no tears, please. 

Any who....
Enjoy your cupcake!

 

* Simply click on picture and save to your computer...

*Clip art for personal and small business use only.  File cannot be sold or redistributed. Please give credit where credit is due when using. 

Blessings,

Amy J.

 

My big girl... and my baby girl....

When did this happen?
When did I become the mamma of a 9 year old?  I don't think I'm old enough to have a "tween"!
eek. 
And when did my newborn baby become a loud slobbering rolly thing with teeth?
dunno. 
But it's happening.  My babies are growing up.  And this will be my anthem... for many years to come, I'm sure:  "When did this happen?!"

So bittersweet.
So surreal.
So blessed.

As the days pass,
this is my comfort...
This is my encouragement:

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.^' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:25-30 

 

 

Printable Jar Labels... for you :)

Hi there :)
I had a friend ask if I'd ever considered making printable jar labels... no.  I hadn't.  Because, you see, I don't have a garden.  I don't can things.  I don't even know when canning season is... surely there are things worth canning in the fall?? (don't laugh at me.)  If not, save them for next summer :)

enough said.

So to save these labels just click on the individual images and save.... they are high-resolution .pngs that can be re-sized to whatever size you need for your jars.  Print on round stickers or sticker paper... whatever! 
*Please do remember... these are for personal use only.  These images/files can not be re-distributed, sold, or used for profit of any kind.  Feel free to pin them, though!


Blessings,

This and That

Vacation.
School planning.
Laundry.
Lots of Instagram :)
Lucy is 4 mo. (well actually closer to 5...I'm that behind!)
I've got plans... to actually blog more than once a month. ha!
I've got ideas... that I'll eventually be showing you.
I'm re-branding my business.  Working on new products for my Etsy store.
Hang with me, y'all.  This is just a season, so I've been told :)

My sweet Lucy... my precious time-stealer  :)
I went vintage this round of pics... vintage sweater that my mom gave me, and vintage blanket from Auntie Jaime at Raising up Rubies...

Lucille Louise is 3 months old

Our little Lucy is 3 months old.  This milestone is bittersweet for me.  One part of me feels victorious:  it's been a very difficult start.... the colic, the chaos, Virgil's determination to keep my attention...  But we've made it through the roughest part!  The colic is pretty much gone... now she's just a normal needy baby :)  And I'm adjusting (still in present tense...I have not adjusted!) to having 5 kids.

But on the flip side...  those newborn days are gone.  And I will never experience those incredible moments again, as Lucy is definitely our last baby.  But my cup is full... and the tiredness that never seems to leave, numbs the pain of saying goodbye to the baby days. 

So here she is... in all her precious baby glory at 3 months...

A Printable Menu Planner and Some Other Random Stuff

Wow... it's been too long!  Time flies when you're... crazy busy. 
So here's what going on:

I've got a printable weekly menu planner for you!  It's the one I use.  It also happens to match the planner pages I made for you way back when...  Print it up and get cookin'!

DOWNLOAD .PDF HERE :)

(*As always...File and finished product for personal use only... not for resale or profit of any kind. )
OH, and I would just LOVE IT if you would leave a cheery hello if you are planning on downloading this!  ...or even if you're not... I'd love for you to say hello.  It makes me oh. so. happy.  :)

I've been just lovin' instagram lately...  It has been so awesome during this stage of life with our Lucy Lou.  Being able to do something with one hand that keeps you connected to the outside world when you're a busy mom is no small thing!
Are you on instagram??  I'd love to connect with you... come find me!  @amyjdelightful
These are a few of my recent faves on there...  unlike my blog... I post on there everyday!  Hard to believe, I know. 

Okay, what's next!?

What's Virgil up to... you may ask...?
Well... just today he ate toothpaste, cut his hair, hit his sister with a metal clamp, put soap in his hair, colored on himself with permanent marker, ate out of the sugar bowl.... ummm that's probably most of it :)  But he is ADORABLE.  And he looks like his daddy more and more each day...which makes him super lovable :)

So what's God teaching you these days? 

He's still trying to rid me of my pride, my selfishness, and lack of self-control.  oy. 
On the note of being made humble... I had a really rough Sunday a couple weeks back.  Sunday's are always a bit intense no matter what.  You see my hubs is just recently the lead pastor at our church... so I kinda single mom it on Sundays.  It's very doable, but I feel like I always have to bring my A game each week!  It takes all I've got to get us all ready, get there on time, wrangle the kids while we are there, and keep from looking completely frazzled!!   And still, since Lucy's been born, I think I've "lost" Virgil every Sunday.  I try so hard to keep an eye on him, but that stinker is quick and darn sly! Well, a couple Sundays ago I just broke down at church and cried.  alot.  it was embarrassing.  I missed most of the service sitting in a classroom trying to compose myself and dry my eyes.  Oh, to be humbled. 

I'm also learning how much we need fellowship with Christ and with other believers DAILY.  ...not just on Sundays for either of those!  We are meant to run this race together!  I've been reminded that I need to be intentional about this.  I know that I need to spend time in prayer and in the Word each day... but are my conversations with the people in my life ones that spur them on in their walk with Christ?  Do the topics of my conversations with people reflect Christ in me... or the world in me?   I need fellow believers to hold me accountable and to spur me on...  And you do to!  

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  Hebrews 10:24-25

Okay, well that's probably enough...  I'm done rambling, I believe. 

One last thing... I'll leave you with some recent shots of Lucy and me.  I just love these kind of "self-portraits."  She fell asleep while I was taking them... love. it. oh so much.

Blessings,