insta-sale. TONIGHT.

DON'T FORGET! 

HOP ON OVER TO INSTAGRAM FOR THE SALE & A CHANCE TO WIN!

& so i'm going to africa.

happy wednesday, precious friends.

i so appreciated all of the encouragement i got on yesterday's post about my little business. y'all really know how to make a girl feel the love. and i needed a little hug yesterday and i feel like i got it from you. thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

and now for my little announcement:

a few weeks ago, i took a dear friend out to dinner after her daughter got married. this woman holds a very special place in my heart, as does her family. i respect her & admire her in oh so many ways. 

i was sharing with her all that was going on in our lives, as she held my littlest while they colored together. and i asked her about this mission trip she & her hubby had mentioned they were going on this summer.

as she began to talk, my heart started to swell. she casually said, "becky, you should really go." my heart went pitter pat. "ummm... maybe. i'll have to talk to j. about it, but he probably won't be able to go after session is over and everything. maybe next year. but send me the information anyway." pitter pat. pitter pat. 

we continued to talk about life and what the Lord had been teaching her & her family. i so admire her heart & could literally sit at her feet all day and soak in all that she says. y'all, this woman oozes the love of jesus. 

eventually we hugged and she hollered at me "i'll send you an email" as she walked away. pitter pat. another flutter.

and i took my kids to barnes & noble for an extra special treat on the way home. i vividly remember walking around aimlessly as thoughts of africa began to swirl around in my head. 

"Lord, is it time?? of course, that's what you must be telling me, right?" those precious little orphans that have long since won my heart over in all shapes, colors & sizes - is that what He was telling me? 

as the night wore on and i climbed into bed i prayed out loud, "if You want me to go - make it clear to me." and wouldn't you know it? He did. 

the next morning after my alarm went off, i sleepily looked at my instagram. the very first image was a screenshot of this verse: 

"defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." psalm 82: 3, 4

okay.....

throughout the day, i felt this "holy echo" in my life. i saw this verse repeated three times in various places. three. 

the hubbs and i discussed this at length & he agreed with me that i needed to go. the only thing is that he's not. 

i'm going to travel across the world without him. whaaat? 

and as we began to pray about it, we didn't know how much it was going to be but we knew that it was going to be a lot and that we didn't have the kind of money. so i prayed. 

my conversation with the Lord over the next few days sorta went like this:

me: "Lord, i'll raise that money. if You want me to go on that mission trip, that money will come in."

God: "remember that little business that I gave you? what was the purpose again??"

me: "blessing others. being myself. how does that have anything to do with this? ohhhhh..... ok. i can part with some of that money. whatever i don't raise, i'll use my little branches money for."

God: "think again."

a day passes.

me: "okay, Lord. i think you're telling me that you want me to put up half the money with the little branches money. i am okay with that. thanks."

another day passes. and i go to the informational meeting. we find out exactly how much it's going to be. wowza. 

we also see videos and pictures.

and all sorts of emotions begin to well up in my heart. remember, i think i'm going for the orphans. i already have the scenario played out in my mind. but the Lord says no. He pulls me a different direction. towards the women's clinic that this precious man, emma {who is younger than i am!} has started. my heart goes out to these women. the ones who are pregnant and feel like that have no hope. the ones that are sick & cannot provide for the children they already have, let alone the one that they're carrying. i'm literally sitting in this informational meeting asking all sorts of horrible questions about what abortion is like in uganda. is it safe? what choices do they have? what are the hospitals like? my eyes have tears in them and i feel like a boulder is sitting on my chest. 

there is no doubt in my mind that i'm going. 

and by this time, there was no doubt about how i was going to get there.

i got in my car and i said out loud, "You want it all, don't You?"

immediately i felt a peace. immediately i remembered that it wasn't even mine to begin with. it's His. He gave it to me. He can take it from me - whether i participate willingly or not. and why is it that He plants desires in our hearts but then asks us to surrender those same desires that HE gives us to Him? and why is it so hard to do that? 

i don't think that i am going to uganda to meet my future child. i don't think that, but again, He has done greater things. i do think the Lord is teaching me about sacrifice and control. about surrendering everything to Him - not once - but over and over and over again. about material things being - well - things. and if He wants to take me to africa to teach me that i don't need to put my "hopes and dreams" in a washer and dryer {although i still want one!} then, i'm going to let Him. 

and so, my friends, little branches is going international. sort of. 

100% of the money little branches makes at the trunk show in april is going toward this trip. i have no idea what i will do if i do not make all of that money. but i'm not called to worry about that right now. i'm trying to focus on one thing at a time. i have no idea if i will even sell one item there. i've never done this before. but, i do know He's asked for it all and i will give it all. {after a bit of kicking and screaming, i must admit.} 

***if you want more information on the mission trip to kampala, uganda - email me at becky{at}shoplittlebranches{dot}com. i'd love to fill you in! we will be traveling with engage hope we will be serving at many places, including african hearts**

how little branches was born.

i've struggled for quite some time with being who i think i'm "supposed" to be. please tell me i'm not the only one.

before i had the littles, i was a designer at a large architecture firm in downtown dallas. i loved my job. loved the work, loved the people i worked with & loved all of the beauty that i was exposed to while working there. with that said, i struggled with what the design of my home was "supposed" to be since - you know - i was a "designer". shouldn't it be modern, classic & clean? i was exposed to ALL different designs at work. the latest & the greatest was always sitting on my desk in some shape or form. but this all made for a confused design esthetic at my home. i was trying to be something that i wasn't. i'm not talking about being a designer, i'm talking about having a hard time appreciating everything but being comfortable with my choices for myself.

when i quit my job & stayed at home i had a picture all lined out for myself of what a "stay at home" mom looked like. involved, organized, good at time management, my home would always smell good. the toys would be neatly lined up in matching baskets with tags. i'd always wear makeup & have something yummy on my stove when the hubbs got home for dinner. 

can you say it with me? "how's that working out for ya?"

y'all. i'm flawed. in a big way. i'm messy. scattered. disorganized. i'm actually a pretty decent cook, but i'm a piler & i don't ever put away laundry. like, ever.

and i could get totally stuck on this. some days i do. for years, i did. 

and when the hubbs ran for office & i decided i needed to fit into this "politician's wife" mold, i felt like i was banging my head against a wall when i just didn't. i was so discouraged because i felt like i kept falling short of what i thought the Lord wanted me to be.

but the Lord gently reminded me that He made me in His own image. He reminded me that He blessed me with these strengths & allowed my weaknesses because His power is made perfect through them.

He didn't want me to be anything but what He created me to be. messy and disorganized? maybe. but maybe i should start looking at myself from His perspective. 

i will never be politically minded like my husband. i just won't. there are things that are dear to me but i won't ever run for office. i do not wear suits. {i wore ripped up jeans & my zooey deschanel look alike glasses out to dinner with some of our constituents}. i love the people i have met but i will never know all the issues. and i do not need to in order to support the husband that the Lord blessed me with.  that is the key here. 

i am a creative. whatever that means to you, it means a lot of different things to me. but recently it went from meaning "i am a hot mess" to "i am a child of God who is blessed with creativity". what a revelation!

and thus, little branches was born. out of an earnest desire to be who the Lord created me. to use the talents & gifts He had bestowed on me to reach out & bless someone else with the work from my hands. what i have for so long thought of as a hinderance or an undesirable quality has now become something i am incredibly proud of.

i can also, in turn, bless my family with my earnings. it's such a blessing to contribute a little extra to the financial load! if you wonder if it's 'godly' to be a business woman, just read proverbs 31. she's a role model for the modern day business woman!

more recently, as we gear up to move, i've had my hopes set on a new mattress. {ours is over 15 years old!} and maybe a new washer and dryer. you know, those pretty shiny ones. maybe a red one? ahhh... a gal could dream. and yes, the hubbs & i could talk about it and save up, but what a blessing that would be if little branches could provide this so it doesn't dip into our already planned savings and yearly budget?

but the Lord has other plans for the fruits of little branches... and i cannot wait to share with you all tomorrow!

shop update.

thank you ALL for being so super supportive of our trunk show coming up! you guys are the BEST. i am so thankful that you understand that i have to take a bit of a hiatus from my online shop to prep for this show! i am so excited to share all of the new goodies i have up my sleeve!  

{above} 

some custom pieces on the way to their new owners. i especially love these. the color combos are my favorite! the blue you are my sunshine piece will be available at the trunk show in 12" x 12" and will be available to order in 24" x 24"!

{above}

a sneak peek of the new liberty collection that will make it's debut at the trunk show - just in time for summer!! yay! lots of fun in the sun stuff coming up! is this stuff you'd like to see in the shop too? be sure to follow me on instagram & on facebook for regular sneak peeks as the trunk show gets closer. {more details on that later this week!}

so - many of you have been asking when the shop will reopen. {yay! i'm so glad you still want to order!}

i will start taking orders for the spring collection {below} only starting on monday, the 18th {with the exception of the gold 'you are my sunshine'}. i have a few lingering custom orders that i will work on next week as well but will not take any new custom orders until after april 20! i'm going to change up my policy a bit and am still working out the kinks to give me a bit of room to breathe! i absolutely LOVE being able to make something that is EXACTLY what you've been looking for, but i want it to work for both of us so that you get the very best product possible! it fills my heart when i get sweet emails from you all after receiving something telling me that it's even better than you pictured. thank you so much. from the bottom of my heart. really.

so what will be at the show?? when is the show? where is it? what's it going to be like??

all of those questions will be answered later this week! i promise! oh - and i have a very special annoucement regarding the profits of the show as well, that i cannot wait to share with you. it's something that the Lord has been working on in my life & i hope it will bless you as well. 

thank you all for your support. i am beyond humbled that you all have responded to this labor of love that i have found in little branches. i am so excited to grow further and see where the Lord might take it.  have a blessed day! 

a peek inside my studio.

 a project for a dear friend's wedding.....

post its are now my lifesaver. 

 a blank sign, hung and ready to be painted. i just can't decide what i'm going to do....

 from the hubbs's first truck. an 89 blue two door chevy blazer. love.

 this little muffin has her own signs she "paints" with me. all. the. time. i can't keep this place clean with her in it. she picks up sand paper and sands EVERYthing. whoa. gonna have to keep my eye on this one.

 fabric begging to be used.... soon, friend. soon.

happy wednesday. are you ready for valentine's day??

monday {shop update!}

check out the shop for all these new goodies!

check out the shop to purchase! thank you all for supporting us! it has been such a blessing!

little branches update!

good morning, friends!!

last week was a hectic, productive, whirlwind of a week to say the least. i kind of dropped everything and focused on getting some new stuff going on my little online shop, little branches. i'm so thankful for a supportive hubby who doesn't think twice about it when i'm in a scattered, stressed, creative mode. {in fact, he's been known to help me out on orders when he's home!}

we updated our website with information on custom orders & shipping. 

i {finally} completed a custom order for my sweet friend ashley & her twin girls. {thanks for being patient with me, ashley!}

we released our "university collection" - perfect for those high school seniors graduating in the spring.

today i will be mailing out 6 orders from online last week! 

i'm so thankful for fresh weeks. a clean slate & new opportunities coming our way. aren't you? i remember the beginning of every school year when we'd get new school supplies. there's something about fresh pencil & notebooks that makes you hope for all kinds of possibilities in the school year. 

february is going to hold a lot of exciting things for me {and little branches!} i can't wait to share as everything gets closer. 

that's how this week is for me. i don't have a beginning to the school year anymore but i do have a new week every week. thankful to the One whose mercies are new every morning. 

what do you all have planned this week?

around here today.