Betrayed by Family

Betrayal. We have all experienced it in some form.

Maybe it was in your junior high class when your friend shares your secret crush that you had begged them not to share. Maybe you were in a relationship and they lied to you.  Maybe it’s a memory of a parent tearing you down that haunts you. Or maybe your spouse said something incredibly hurtful in an argument and you are thinking "how could they say that to me and yet they stood at the alter expressing their undying love?" Family relationship betrayal often hurts the worst because we have the expectation of love.

Betrayal is not far from us and it also wasn't far from those that we read about in scripture. Of course when I think about the ultimate betrayal, I think about Jesus. However, I am reading through the Old Testament with a group this year, and a few days ago I read some of Joseph's story in Genesis 37-41. This morning some things hit me.

In chapter 37, Joseph is betrayed... by his family- his own brothers. They took his prized coat, threw him in a pit, sat to eat a meal, then sold him!

Wounded by family. Whether it’s from a parent, a sibling, our entire family, our spouse or a child, we feel betrayed by our own flesh and blood and it hurts us deeply.

And yet...

I continue to read what happens to Joseph after this and I am astounded at his strength that comes from his desire to honor God.

"The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man." Genesis 39:2

"Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight..." Genesis 39:3

the story goes on to tell us that Joseph was “handsome in appearance and form” and his masters wife took notice of this. In her own sin, she looked at Joseph with desire and asked him to lie with her.

Joseph's response?

..."Behold with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" Genesis 39:8-10

And it says she CONTINUED, day after day, to pursue him. And day after day he did not listen to her or give in to her.

Joseph had an inner strength. Even after being betrayed by his family, he did not look for his heart to be fixed by the world. Betrayal often causes us to look for love. We look for love in the arms, presence, or emotions of another human being because we have lacked it in our lives. This is the pattern of the world and I have even experienced aspects of the pattern myself. And yet, Joseph refuses to do that.

Joseph is then betrayed by his master’s wife. She lies and says that he pursued her instead, and Joseph is imprisoned. That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Even while in jail it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sign of the chief jailer." Genesis 39:21

If we fast forward a bit, we see in Genesis 41:38, Joseph ends up being made a ruler in Egypt. There is much more to the story, but I camp out in the former part of the story because it’s something the world faces daily. A betrayal at some point falls upon us all and we lose sight.

We lose sight of the bigger picture.

Joseph didn't. Betrayed by his brothers. Betrayed by this women. Thrown in a pit. Thrown in jail. He continued to remain steadfast and the Lord blessed him for it.

There are few things that hurt more than being betrayed by family or a loved one. Yet, God calls us to run to Him, not to the things on this earth to satisfy the ache. He is the only one that satisfies and heals the broken hearted. He is the only one that can fill us up and turn the ashes of a situation into something beautiful.

Through all our betrayals, may we run to the one who never will betray us.

What If?

Some of my deepest thoughts come to me when I am on a run. I don't run far, just 2 miles or so, but it's during those 20-25 minutes that God and I somehow meet up together, as I breathe in and out and focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

These words have been fumbling around in my brain for the last 3 weeks or so. This week I pushed myself to go on more runs to try to work out the thoughts that kept filling my mind and I finally got some answers.

--

Andrew and I will be going on 6 years of marriage in April. It's has been a wonderful journey for us. One that I wouldn't trade because I know that God has purposed it all. My marriage has forced me through several hard heart issues that needed resolve and now that I am finally on the other side of it all, I can look back in awe at God's faithfulness.

You see, 2016 was our hardest year. In the dead heat of the summer, I participated in a Bible study at our church and I sat in a small room with about 15 other people as they prayed for me. This group didn't even know why they were praying but they prayed. One after another, people who I barely knew spoke words from God that penetrated my heart so deeply.

One in particular prayed, "What I am about to pray and say may not seem encouraging, but I feel as though God wants you to know that He knows you are in chaos right now. He wants you to sit and wait and that the chaos will not be forever, but it is going to continue for a little while longer. He is restoring and rebuilding the walls." 

That women was right, it wasn't the most encouraging, but it was the answer to a prayer I had prayed a few days earlier in a grocery store parking lot. "Lord, how much longer. I don't know that I can keep trusting you without borders. I need to hear you."

---

Fast forward to now, January of 2017. The chaos has passed and the prayers uttered in that small room have come to fruition and I can see God's handiwork. God has rebuilt the walls of my heart and the foundation of my marriage and there is a strength and understanding surrounding my life that was never there before the way it is now.

Yet, still, I have sat on my living room couch as of late having fearful thoughts of what is to come next as Andrew and I consider future plans.


Lord, what if we can't have children?
What if we can?!
What if I am not able to balance life with children?
What if I miss my moments of just Andrew and I?
What if life gets hard again, right when I finally found myself and who I am without all the chaos in my brain?
What if we have a girl? What if we have a boy?!


These fears and thoughts are so real to me. To some these may seem so silly... but these are my current "what if's" in my current season of life. But as I ran today, I heard a louder "WHAT IF" resounding in my head.


WHAT IF YOU TRUST ME?


...What if you remember all that God has done. It may have been hard in the past, but you see the fruit, the benefit, the strength and knowledge you now have and it is good. All of the ocean tears and mountain weight I have felt has all turned to gold. So what if you give all your What If's to God and trust Him. What if you finally stop worrying about all the possibilities that could go wrong or right and just trust that God has His fingerprints all over your life and everything that He does ends up good in the end.

So instead of "what if" it will be... "What now, Lord?" What do you have in store for this next season of life. A season that I may grow and glorify your name through it all.

Pillar of Smoke

"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." - Exodus 13:21-22

For those who may not know, Andrew is in Physician Assistant School. It is a very difficult program and pretty much requires undivided attention. For the most part, I have been doing well, and I can only give God the honor and praise for that. He has provided amazing people here who have taken me in like family and are supporting me. And even though I take care of all household chores, the lawn, the oil changes, the cooking, grocery shopping, and also financially providing, God has been filling me with such a joy for it. 


A week and a half ago, I stood in the middle of my friend's house at our Community Group through our church and a group of friends laid hands on my shoulders and prayed for me. I was feeling pretty burdened and I missed Andrew. I missed doing life with him and being a team. Many prayed things they didn't even realize would impact me so greatly. One friend in particular unknowingly prayed one of my favorite verses and then another prayed and said that an image of a "pillar of smoke" was coming to mind, like the pillar of cloud spoken about in Exodus for the Israelites. She prayed that God would give me a pillar of smoke to guide me through these 2 years when Andrew is so consumed with school and I am carrying more responsibilities. 

This past weekend Andrew and I finally got time together. Friday night I was feeling overwhelmed with holiday prep for my business and the house was a mess. Andrew came home from lab and told me to close my studio door, work for a few more hours and then we would go get our favorite pumpkin pancakes from IHOP to start off our weekend. While I worked, Andrew cleaned everything. When I walked out of the studio, the house was spotless. I couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes. It felt like we were a team again... picking up where the other left off. 

IHOP and a campfire finished off our Friday night.

The next day, we went on a mini 2.5 hour road trip to a beach in Louisiana called Holly Beach. There normally isn't anyone on the beach and you can walk for miles collecting the most beautiful shells. We ended up bringing our dog Baya and it was her first time at the beach. It was such a perfect day.

After eating our little picnic lunch and several hours of walking the beach together, we started our trek back. As we drove and listened to music, all of the sudden, we saw this...

A pillar of smoke. 

We serve a God who doesn't mess around. A God who is incredibly faithful. When you look for Him. When you keep your eyes open for His fingerprints in your life, He will surprise you over and over and over again. I still can't believe that after a friend prayed specifically for a pillar of smoke, Andrew and I, together, literally drove by a sugar cane brush fire, that caused a HUGE pillar of smoke in the sky. It doesn't get much better than that...

This past weekend was so fulfilling. The moments of laughter, deep conversations about our future, children, God and each other. I felt like we were dating again. 

This weekend was my pillar of smoke. 

A reminder that even though we are in a season that doesn't allow us much time together, that I have his breaks to look forward to. And I can rest in knowing that we will make it through this and be stronger for it. 

Andrew and I have this song that we have always liked since before we were married that says, "out of the darkness and into the fire, I'll tell you I love you". To us it means we will love each other through anything. We will fight for us. We won't give up on each other. And I am so thankful to know that I have an amazing community of people here who are supporting us as well. 

God is so good. 

The Trip of a Lifetime

"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life"

In all honesty, this is one of my biggest challenges. Good things take time and good things take work. Not that I am putting running a business on a pedestal, but I feel that there is always something that needs to be done. When you run your own business, you take on multiple hats; creator, customer service, secretary, stocker, thinker, organizer... 

And for me, the even bigger challenge is staying on task when your studio is out of your home. I have to work hard to focus and not get distracted during my work day by piles of laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking. Its hard to balance the "work at home" lifestyle sometimes. I have come a long way, but still have much to learn! 

We will be moving in June, most likely to Galveston, TX. Andrew got into PA School (so proud of him!!) and we are ALMOST 100% sure that we have chosen UTMB for his further schooling. We will have been married for 4 years in April and still have yet to start a family. We wanted to wait until Andrew is almost done with school before we started trying. 

So... before Andrew starts school and before we begin having children. We decided to do something that we have always talked about doing together. 

The Trip of a Lifetime.

It was almost hard for me to agree to at first. I felt guilt. I was nervous about keeping my shop closed for so long. What will people think? Will we look reckless and irresponsible? Can we really afford to be doing this right now? Maybe we should just wait....

But the truth of the matter was, if we didn't do it NOW... there most likely would not be a better time. So after 2014's year end, we looked at our budget and agreed that now was the time. So, Andrew got to planning. And now it's happening. We are 1 month away from our DREAM TRIP. Most days I can't even believe its going to happen.

This year, June, will mark 4 years for my business! I feel that I have worked so hard to get to the place I am at, and my business is such an important part of our life. It will carry us through Andrew's schooling and allow me to be home while Andrew is studying like crazy (we hear the first year of PA School is a tough one!).

In one month we will be traveling for about 34 days with an additional few days tagged on to the front end and back end in Boston to see our families before and after the trip. And we will be going to the following list of places:

Iceland

London

Morocco

Venice

Florence

Rome

Bari

Croatia

Barcelona

Paris

Amsterdam

Even as I type out all of those places...I wonder what things we will see, what adventures we will have and certainly what obstacles may come our way with so many flights, train rides, buses, subways and taxis in our future!! 

I am so excited for this trip and especially excited to go on it with my best friend. I feel super spoiled as I haven't had to plan a thing. Andrew loves planning and is currently working on putting together a printed itinerary for the entire thing so I can carry it with me on our trip. 

As I reflect on the quote, "never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." I am also reminded of the verse in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart...". This verse is one that God continues to place on my heart this year. I may feel fear of shutting down the For Such A Time shop for this long, but these are precious memories that I will be making with my husband before we begin a new chapter, him in school and me as I support us both and also before we start a family. 

I trust that just as God has provided for our needs thus far, he will continue to do so and that He will continue to use For Such A Time Designs in our lives and the lives of others as He sees fit. I will continue to work hard, serve my customers to my best ability, and trust that God has a plan for me and for my business and that He will always provide for our needs. 

xo, Aly

My Refuge

" May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. " 

- Ruth 2:12

Refuge. 

In definition, this means, "a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble." This verse in Ruth, specifically the ending, has had such meaning for me this past year. To be honest, I have struggled with it. I have struggled to fully believe and trust that God is truly...truly, my refuge. And, as we are coming up on what marks ONE YEAR of living in Texas... I am reflective. 

This move has caused me to grow on so many different levels. Some small and some so deep that they require more than a blog post to explain and express. I have been in awe of God's fingerprints on my life and how He has used each and every situation to mold, sculpt, teach, grow and direct me. Through big mistakes, through loneliness, through new friends, new living situations, new experiences and strangers...

I have seen how MIGHTY my God truly is. 

In a few short months, Andrew will be leaving his full time job and going full time with his pursuit of his masters degree. This means that I will be the main source of income for us...

Yes, thats what I said. Me, Aly, owner of a business of which I stamp spoons and forks and personalize them to make every day life a little more intriguing .. this business of mine will carry us through these next few years. 

This concept...astounds me. 

I am beyond grateful. I am insanely scared. I am excited. I am honored. 

I am amazed that God has decided to give me this fun business For Such A Time Designs, "for such a time as this" to allow it to provide for us while my husband is in school. It puts even that much more worth into each and every person I serve and each and every piece I create. 

This past year has had so many exciting moments of growth and increase for my business. And though as a business owner, it is so important to see increase in sales, ultimately, my main goal has never been for myself...but for the people I come into contact with. My goal, has always been to show each and every person love and to show them that I care about the details of their life. My desire is that when I receive an email from a customer about personalizing a spoon or fork for an event or time in their life, that they would feel that I gave them the time and energy that they deserve. 

That I cared for them. 

That I loved them.

That their life has meaning and is important to me. 

This is what drives me everyday. 

This is what I am after. 

My greatest hope has always been that no matter how successful or big my business becomes, that I would never forget the process, the people, the relationships that I have formed along the way and that what comes first is always the individual PEOPLE I serve and my success comes second to that. 

Along with serving people in my business. Another opportunity has come about for us that I am beyond excited about in relation to our living situation and social life.

Andrew and I, along with him pursuing school have taken on a big commitment as a married couple. We are in the last stages of being placed in a specific & chosen apartment community (yes, we will be moving AGAIN) for us to serve in. 

Basically, we will be the "face" of the community there.... Pouring ourselves into the residents that live there and caring for them. We will plan events and basically love on each and every person that lives and/or works in the apartment community. My prayer is that God will bless our time devoting ourselves to this ministry and the people we will serve here as well. 

As I move forward into these two big roles of owning a business that is our main source of income and serving with my husband in an apartment community, I want to always remember of the blessings that got me here and the road that God put us on that led me here. I feel I have come to find refuge in my Savior and trust Him with the next steps moving forward, better than I have before(though still learning every day).

 Ruth 2:12 has become a theme verse for me. I know that the road will not be easy moving forward and that there will be challenges.... but I will trust in my God, that He will be my refuge and will be faithful, just as He always has been. 

. . .

I created the necklace in the beginning photos as a reminder to myself that God is my faithful refuge...and when you see me wearing it you will now know the depth of its meaning to me. I hope it will encourage you as well. 

GRACE

"There, when you stand firm in the Home of Glory,

And all life's path lies open to your gaze,

Your eyes will SEE the hand you're now trusting,

And magnify His love through endless days."

"God Meant it unto Good" - Freda Hanbury Allen

I began this morning with my iced coffee and my 4 different books, along with my Bible, I am currently reading. Yes, I said 4...because, when you come out of one of the driest times of your life thus far, you need to dive back in. 

No matter how far away you feel, no matter how numb, bitter, hurt, shamed, you feel,

...you need to run back home.

 Back into the arms of the One who will ALWAYS take you back. 

In March, I posted about how I felt I was "Forever Changed" and had an experience that fueled my desire for change in my heart. And, it was true. However, after about a month, I ended up slowly failing at that. I wasn't actively working at my relationship with God and I slowly began to decline. But, instead of realizing it was my fault, I began to blame God and accuse Him of not "helping"me. This began to cause my way of thinking to shift and I lost sight of my goals...

- - -

Have you ever sat before someone and had to tell them something painful? A mistake you made.

Have you ever found yourself so lost in lies, rebellion, and deceit that you felt like you had no other choice but to continue down that road because you couldn't face yourself in the mirror, or anyone else for that matter?

Have you ever felt so passionless and without vision that you didn't care what choices you made next?

Well, this has been me.

When I got back from vacation, after spending a week in the desert and mountains with Andrew, I can honestly say, though I had fun, I had no joy and peace in my heart. My heart was so numb and burdened by who I had to look at in the mirror everyday, that I felt hopeless. 

I was suppose to open up the shop right when I got back, but I couldn't. My heart needed more time and I am just not the kind of person who likes to pretend and paint a fake picture before people....Or, I should say, even if I try to paint a different picture, I can not do it for long. 

So - I took more time, a few extra days and I spent them forcing myself to pick up my Bible, read and look inside my own heart. Look into the darkness and ugliness that had been welling up inside me for several months. It took hours and hours of forcing my heart and my mind to focus on the task at hand... because I was so ashamed of choices I was making and I felt alone in them. Though I tried reaching for help from a few people, it never seemed to actually help. I had once again, pushed God away so that I wouldn't have to open up.

But, on Friday night after a week of pursuing and pushing myself beyond my emotions, feelings, and the lies that were in my head, and as I lay wide eyed in bed, with my husband beside me... I felt a pull. An ache in my soul and I knew that in order for Andrew and I to rekindle our marriage and get back to a place of beauty between us, that I needed to confess some of the ugliness of my heart to him.

I went into the living room and prayed and then, I woke Andrew...

Tears. Heartache. Pain. 

And then...

Grace. Forgiveness. Love.

I married a man of great strength. A man with self-control. A man with love in his heart. 

A man who shows me the grace of God. 

And best of all, I married a man, who could bring me closer to God. 

Though the things that I needed to bring to light were painful for me to share and reveal... He held me close and gave me hope. He gave me grace. He gave me love. 

He gave me God.

- - - 

Marriage. Oh, how much I have learned in 2 years. I angrily wrote to a friend last week as I battled with myself, "Why didn't anyone tell me how difficult marriage was before I got married!!" And, why doesn't anyone talk about the difficulties of marriage. We all paint a picture before the world that we are happy, that nothing goes wrong, that we don't argue and and we don't act like children. And because of this, we find ourselves alone, because we are too scared to tell people that we are failing at the commitment that we made on our wedding day. The commitment that before hundreds of people, we promised FOR BETTER OR WORSE, GOOD TIMES AND BAD, SICKNESS AND HEALTH. 

But when the WORSE comes, and the BAD, and the SICKNESS... we crumble. We think..."this isn't the life I expected!" and "this isn't what I signed up for" and "Well, because of HIM or because of HER it is this way and if they don't CHANGE then this just isn't going to work."

One of the books I began reading is called, "What's it like to be married to me?". 

And have been slammed in the face with conviction and I am only about 20 pages in. One of the biggest things that has hit me is when I was asked me to consider my funeral someday...and the speaker, would be my husband.

What would I like my husband to say about me?

What character qualities would I like him to have seen in me?

What kind of love relationship would I want him to describe?

What kind of love would I have wanted him to have received from me during all those years?

And as I considered these questions, I was also encouraged NOT to compare with what HE does... but only what I have done and what I am responsible for. Because, really, when I got married and said my vows, I did not say, "for better or worse (AS LONG AS HE LOVES ME), in good times and bad (AS LONG AS HE TREATS ME RIGHT AND TREATS ME LIKE A PRINCESS), in sickness and health (AS LONG AS HE ISN'T SICK FOR TOO LONG OR AT INCONVENIENT TIMES). 

NO!!! I said... NO MATTER WHAT, I commit to LOVE you. Forever. No IF, ANDS...OR BUTS! 

And for the past several months, I found myself saying, "Well, this isn't what I signed up for and you weren't like this before we got married." and I was again, slammed in the face with a quote in the book that said, "So, are you saying that he is like this because he's been married to you then?"

Proverbs 14:1, "A wise woman builds her home, 

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands".

I have a responsibility. 

I have a calling. 

I am a wife. 

And because I have made the commitment to be a wife. I need to wake up each day and consider...

how am I actually doing as a wife? 

Am I loving enough? 

Am I giving enough? 

Am I spending daily time with God so that he can strengthen me to be able to love this man every day to the best of my ability?

And, above all else, will I love, give, and serve my husband, even if I am not getting anything in return?

These are hard questions.

And these are the VERY questions that caused my soul to dry up.

I felt I deserved more.

I felt I wasn't being filled up and loved enough.

I started to compare what I had to what I didn't have.

I let lies creep in and the world tell me that I could be happier.

And I was NEVER more wrong.

My name is Alysha Rene' Nickerson. 

I am the wife of Andrew Paul Nickerson.

We were married on April 3rd, 2011.

We aren't perfect. 

We have our struggles.

We fail.

We lack the ability to love some days.

We are selfish.

We get angry.

We loose sight of our calling.

But it is an HONOR to be committed forever to this man. 

And I pray that I can hold tighter  to this truth that I have been as of late. 

I pray that all of us who are married can hold tight to this truth.

It is an honor that we have committed ourselves to another. 

That we decided we found the one our hearts loved.

and that we would forever promise to make that love work... no matter what.

So, as I leave behind year 23 of my life and press on to year 24 next Monday (MY BIRTHDAY!). I pray that this year be a year full of love. A year filled with Christ as the center and a servants heart towards my husband.

This year...I am going to take back all the enemy has stolen from me last year.

I ask that you hold me to that. and join me.

Road Trip 2013 : No Internet, Long Recap

Well, I should have realized that when you are driving through the desert, internet service isn't going to be as strong as I am used to. This is the reason why I have been MIA with the updates the past few nights. We also have been doing a lot more hiking than I was expecting. The past 2 days we have hiked more than 14 miles. Its been amazing and such a good workout, also allowing us to see so many things. But, by the time we get to our hotel at night... I am WIPED OUT and do not have a ton of energy! 

For all of you reading this that live out in the west near these places... I am officially jealous of you. I am SO in love with everything out here. As if I was meant to live out here and somehow just didn't get the memo!! Maybe someday... :) 

The Grand Canyon. We took a 7 mile hike around the South part of the Grand Canyon. 

It was perfect weather and truly just so amazing. 

There weren't a ton of people on the trail that we were on, which made it really peaceful and more real. However, that meant we were not able to get a ton of pictures of both of us. This photo above was at the very end...we finally got someone to help us out!

Our next destination was Lower Antelope Canyon! Absolutely stunning! The walls of the canyon glow with the light and it seriously was unlike anything I have ever seen... I mean... LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!! 

Isn't it just AMAZING??! God's creation is just unexplainable! I couldn't get enough.

Next stop was Zion National Park. 

We ended up hiking up to Angel's Landing, which had me face some fears of heights and being close to the edge of cliffs. We then did a bunch of other little hikes. 

We ended up hiking to the top of that rock mountain!!! 

and made it up and back down in one piece!!

After hiking all day, we stopped for a quick lunch and then jumped in the car and headed 

to Bryce Canyon National Park.

The ride and views just blow me away... literally, I feel like my photos look fake! And they aren't!!

Gorgeous views!!

thats Andrew walking down there to give some perspective. 

The sun began to set on our day and we headed to our hotel...where I am now finishing up this post and will be shutting off the light. We are getting up at 7:30am tomorrow and heading on our 5 hour drive to Arches National Park. 

Have any of you visited these places? Share your stories in the comments!! 

Guest | Erin of Dusty Daylight

I am beyond excited today to be introducing you to a girl who started off as one of my customers and now I consider to be a friend! Though we have never met, she has quickly become someone that I admire and think the world of. 

This is one of my favorite things about owning an online business. I get to meet some of the greatest people. Someday, I swear I am going to throw a big party and invite EVERYONE I have met! And of course, I will have Katy Moran of KATHERYN MORAN PHOTOGRAPHY to take all the pictures because she is just amazing! 

Erin is the owner and creator of Dusty Daylight. Through talking with her, she had told me that she opened up her shop a while back, but really as of late, was inspired to really take it to the next level. She sent me her link and I fell in love with her Elizabeth Lace Journal. So, naturally...I had to have it!! Not long after, it arrived in the mail and I opened up the mailing envelope to find this...

Aren't you in love??? Her attentional to detail is amazing. The journal is such a piece of art. Now the question is, what will be deemed worthy enough to mark the pages of this with! I might be mulling this one over for several weeks before I touch my pen to the pages. This journal is worthy of some professional calligrapher out there! 

I asked Erin to answer a few questions so that you could all get to know her a little better!

<><><>

The most darling little shop ever: Dusty Daylight

What inspires you?

In terms of design, I tend to gravitate towards things that are clean, pretty, and have great detail. Floral fabrics, textured linens, and delicate laces are a few of my favorites to work with. Hand bound books have become somewhat of a lost art and I love creating something new with a nod to the past. There is something so lovely and personal about a handmade book and I love mixing that with a slightly old-fashioned, dainty design.

What are some plans you have for your business in the future?

My plan for now is to continue expanding on journal designs. I'd also love to begin working with brides to create customized journals as bridesmaid gifts.

What types of things do you do in your free time when not working?

Hang out with my husband, coffee dates with friends, read, eat dark chocolate, play violin, watch White Collar (the best show!).

When did you start creating?

I don't know if I can pinpoint a specific time that it began, growing up I was always making something. When I was 7, I was selling painted rocks (yes.. rocks.. and people really did buy them!). When I was 9, I was selling beaded hair clips and head bands at a consignment shop down the road. The desire to create things with my hands started long before these 2 business endeavors, and hasn't stopped since. I suppose it's in my blood! As for book binding, I tried it for the first time in October 2011. It didn't turn out very pretty, but I loved the entire process and the potential there was for a lovely end product. I kept at it, and I still love it.

Tea or Coffee? I like both!

Favorite meal? Artichokes. Or white pizza.

Favorite dessert? Rhubarb pie! Also, anything involving dark chocolate.

When did you get married? Our wedding was October 21, 2012! So we'll have been 

married 6 months in a few weeks 

What is the best quality about your husband? 

I know this is going to sound cheesy but I'm sitting here trying to choose just one and it's really hard! He has a lot of great qualities. Can we go with top 3? or 4? Okay. 1) He loves God. 2) He is incredibly patient (which comes in SO handy when we're driving somewhere and I'm in charge of directions.. and forget) 3) He hardly EVER has anything negative to say about anyone. If he has a negative impression of a person, I know to pay attention. 4) When he commits to do something, he truly commits to it. He's a man of his word. Added bonus: Sometimes he makes wonderful, fresh mozzarella cheese. Right in our kitchen. It's fantastic.

What is the biggest thing you're learning right now?

That no matter what, pleasing God trumps pleasing people in every situation in my life. If I live my life and make my decisions to please people, I'm ruled by their opinion. If I live my life and make my decisions to please God, I'm ruled by his opinion. Honestly, people don't always have your best interests at heart, but God always does. "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for" Jeremiah 29:11 (the message).

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Erin wants to give one lucky person a chance to win a journal of choosing from her darling little shop! Yes, I KNOW!!! Exciting!! 

Go ahead...do a little happy dance! 

The giveaway will run from today 4/8 until Monday 4/15 at 12:00am.

Winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter (below). The winner will be notified by email and the name will be displayed on the widget below. 

Good Luck! And make sure to give Dusty Daylight lots of love for being so awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway