ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

i had so many fun things to show you today, that i was able to finish this weekend... but you'll have to settle for the photos i took with my phone. lame, i know! i finally finished that yarn wreath that i wrapped but never embellished. i am beside myself in love with it: and while i was in crafting mode i also wrapped a cardboard "A" with yarn. but now, of course, i want to change it to a gray yarn. either way i love how it turned out [sorry the photo is sooo small] and here's my whole entry wall, that i'm finally considering to be "complete"... not finished, because i'll always be changing and rearranging, but just  complete . [of course i have big plans to add white beadboard to the wall, and paint the table black... but those are long-term goals. for now, it's complete] oh, and just in case you're thinking that huge outdated air conditioner thing is such an eye-sore... i know it is! i tried putting the hoop art directly on to...

i just had to share with you the Word that God spoke to me this morning at church. our pastor is going through Hebrews verse by verse. and today we started at Hebrews 6:10 . while he was still in the introduction of the sermon and before he'd even mentioned Hebrews, i had read verse 10, underlined it twice, and had written my break-through thoughts in the margin. then, what floored me, is that he coupled it with another verse, one that is very familiar to me since i read psalm 103 very frequently. the combination of the two literally screamed freedom to me. God's lavish grace poured out on us, absolutely unbelievable, beyond comprehension, and just downright un-human. it is so backwards from our finite way of thinking, the way we tend to judge others on their sin and their shortcomings. the bad cancels out the good, so often, when we look at our own lives and other people's lives. not so, when God looks at us: ... as far as the east is from the west , so far has h...

well, i finally decided on my  new business name ! thank you so much for all your votes and suggestions. i really liked all of the choices i threw at you, but here's what i went with: [click on the logo to go to the shop! there are some cute things already for sale there. even "ready to ship" finished pieces!] yay! i love it. a few days ago, when i decided to change the name, i was telling my husband how i really wanted something to do with fruit, but couldn't come up with anything i absolutely loved. i wanted something that would represent "bearing fruit" in some way. and i also really loved the word blossom (which was pretty obvious from my last post and all those choices that had "blossom" in it). but i just couldn't figure out how to incorporate the "blossom" and the "bearing of fruit" idea. of course, because she's amazing and beautiful, leslie came up with "blossom and vine"... without even knowing i...

hey friends. if you don't already read Leslie's blog , "Top of the Page"[i think most of you do, but if you don't,  you must]  i wanted to let you know that i'm guest posting over there today. she has this series called "Grace on a Thursday"  leslie is all about  grace . i know this because i have had the wonderful privilege of hanging out with her [yes, in real life]. she is one of those people that i feel honored to know. such a priceless gift to me. [did that all sound super cheesy? oh well.] you can  read my post here [and then make sure you browse the rest of her blog for more awesomeness]

you guys HAVE TO READ THIS. maybe it is just speaking to me, right now, but i have a feeling that's not true. that there are a lot of us who need to rest in this: Serena Woods:  "When it Seems like Second Best" seriously amazing. the end. OH, and i chose my new business name . i'll probably let you in on it tomorrow :)

k friends, i thought i'd include you in something fun! i need to create a new name for my little business. right now it's " DIY Shoppe " because i mostly sell do-it-yourself patterns and tutorials for the flowers that i used to sell as finished pieces (under the business name " Baby Flair Boutique "). but i also sell printables now. and i still do sell finished pieces at the occasional Queen Bee Market. so, the dilemma is that at the last show i was selling prints and headbands. not so "d-i-y", you know? but my booth had a banner up that said "diy shoppe"... it just wasn't making much sense. SO, i'm going for something very general, universal, like i could be selling anything. not specific to headbands, or baby, or prints, or anything else. and also cute, something that evokes a pretty picture in your mind. here are some examples of business names i really like: parkside harmony ivory & moss stella & dot marigold ro...

i went to biblegateway.com and typed in "unfailing love". and these are the treasures that i found. Sow for yourselves righteousness ,  reap the fruit of unfailing love ,  and break up your unplowed ground ;  for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 Though he brings grief ,  he will show compassion , so great is his unfailing love . Lamentations 3:32 "Though the mountains be shaken  and the hills be removed ,  my unfailing love for you will not be shaken   nor my covenant of peace be removed,"  says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 the LORD delights in those who fear him,  who put their hope in his unfailing love . Psalm 147:11 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed . In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling . Exodus 15:13 How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and...

have you guys heard this Chris Tomlin song? mmmm, i've had it on repeat because we're singing it tomorrow in church and i have to have it memorized. you have to listen below [if you're lucky, and if i remember to do it, maybe i'll post the link to our service with our choir singing it... i'll have to wait until it's archived online on Monday morning, though] O h sovereign God, Oh matchless King The saints adore, the angels sing And fall before the throne of grace To You belongs the highest praise These sufferings, this passing tide Under Your wings I will abide And every enemy shall flee You are my hope and victory Praise the Father, praise the Son Praise the Spirit, Three in One Clothed in power and in grace The name above all other names To the valley, for my soul Thy great descent has made me whole Your word my heart has welcomed home Now peace like water ever flows [chorus] Yours is the kingdom Yours is the power Yours is the glory Forever [chorus]

if you can, set aside 10 minutes to read these posts. you will not regret it: 1)   "One Better" by Angie Smith. you might know her as the wife to Todd Smith of Selah, or as a contributing writer for (in)courage , or as an author, or as a speaker at Women of Faith conferences? anyway, this post is challenging and practical. 2) from the talented singer/songwriter Christa Wells :  "In her right place " . this will just help you rest in God's sovereignty and His perfect plan for you.  3) this one is from 2007, but Ann Voskamp referenced it recently and wow. it's so good. if you only read one of these suggestions, let this be it!   "Shelter is not a place" . 4) super duper light hearted, this one is. a completely charming little girl's playhouse that i have already emailed to my hubby [i already know what he's going to say about it- he'll like it because it's clean ]. i really should be sending it to my father-in-law who could ac...

i've been reading Philippians 1:1-11 all week. each day, looking for new things. i've actually never done this before. i usually focus on quantity : how much can i read each day . now i'm focussing on quality : how much Truth and insight can i glean from just a few verses . next week i'll read verses 12-18 all week. i'm following this guideline [as part of that "maximize your mornings challenge" that i'm doing, remember? best thing ever.] anyway, since i've read it a million times this week, and have had the time to just meditate on every last beautiful word, i just had to share this with you. feel free to print: [click on it to make it bigger, and then save and print] also, it occurred to me to make a few different colors. so here ya go :) maybe green? or blue or aqua? i sure hope one of these works for you!

which is too often. you too? credit it's usually when my husband is out of town and i'm home alone. he used to be gone a lot, but it's much less frequent now. you'd think with experience and age i'd become more accustomed to it, but i haven't. i still go upstairs before it gets dark and close all the blinds and lock my bedroom door and leave the bathroom light on [usually the tv is on really low all night too] . seriously, i know. it's on the verge of crazy.  this last time that i was alone, i decided to take my fear and my destructive thoughts  captive,   to make them obedient to Christ . instead of straining my ears into the silence and hearing every tiny creak of the house and car that drove by, i practiced faith. and by  practice  i mean that i got out a notebook and my Bible, and i started to write about how big my God is. i opened to Job and Isaiah and copied down, with a good-old-fashioned pen and paper, all the works and attributes of God. you...

hi friends. i wanted to let you know about [and remind you of] a few things that are going on right now: first, please take a minute to visit  my friend Kim's blog , where she has sixteen lovely giveaway items waiting for you! $2 gets you one entry to the item of your choice. $25 gets you 15 entries (up to ten entries per item). and every penny goes to this place in Ethiopia called "Restoration Orphanage" that is in dire need of funds right now. the children are not doing well and they need money, like yesterday. i know we can all give a few bucks! and if you do, you can enter to win a set of ALL NINE of my flower tutorials  [a $60 value], or a set of finished headbands. remember how cute they are? go back to this post to refresh :) they're just sitting in my "craft room" waiting to be claimed and shipped to a deserving home. it could be your home that i ship to, for just a couple dollars?! okay, and also, i had to let you know that Nicole over at Red ...

my little gal turned two this weekend. i can't even believe the time flies so quickly, but you guys know all about that, so i don't need to elaborate on the mystery of time... we had her birthday party with her cousin this year because their birthdays are two days apart and we have lots of mutual family. no sense in having everyone get together twice in one week, right? and you guys, my sis-in-law JoAnne did allll the work for this party. she runs a cute etsy shop [print it yourself invitations and party packs, or she'll print it for you] called Seaside Paper Company and she was inspired to do a "berry sweet" theme for our girls this year.  everything was beyond cute ... see for yourself: thank you aunt brenda [my hubby's aunt] for making the best cupcakes i've ever had. strawberry frosting. to die for, seriously. apparently she followed a sprinkles recipe. i probably ate 4. if you guys have a chuck e cheese or peter piper pizza [or something similar, ...

Psalm 143:8

we've been doing a memory verse, my daughter and i. she calls it "my berse! my berse!" Zephaniah 3:17 (a) "the Lord your God is with you. and He is mighty to save." we videotaped it for you today :) i promise, that's what she's saying, though you probably won't be able to understand her. i'll be your interpreter [see below the video]. please excuse the very low quality, i took it on my phone... "He is... Zephaniah 3:17" "God is with you... He is... mighty to Save" "Zephaniah 3:17" "I'm twooo" "All done!" "Let's read some more" "The lord... is with you... and He is... mighty to save... Zephaniah 3:17"   [without any help, you guys! yay!] "All done!" "One more time" "Dear Jesus, thank you for the day. Have a good night. Amen." "All done" and yes, my big girl will be two tomorrow. it goes by too quickly.

hey friends. i wanted to let you know how you could win a master set of all my flower patterns. all 9 of them, which is like a $60 value. not bad, huh? there will be FIVE winners selected to receive the master set of patterns, and i think you really want to be one of them, don't you? i actually forgot one of the patterns in this collage. so, you get to be surprised! oh, and also, i'm giving away two sets of finished headbands. one set is for babies. the other set will fit toddlers up through mommies. they're pretty cute, i think. take a look: this is the set for babies... collage was done at picnik.com  which is amazing, you should try it. toddler through adult set, also collaged at picnik.com okay, but that's not all. if you don't like my designs, or if they're totally not your style [don't worry, i'm not offended at all] there are thirteen other prizes  up for grabs for you to win?!? so, head over to my friend Kim's blog to learn more...

you already know where i'm going with this, don't you? do you hate saying "no" as much as i do? i don't like saying "no". sure, there are times when it doesn't bother me at all. usually when it's something i really don't want to do, or something that i don't feel obligated to do, that i know i haven't been "called" to do. those times it's easy to say no. but when someone asks me to sing or do something music-related, i feel guilty saying no. i have narrowed it down to this: it's not that i am a people pleaser... i don't think i am one. it's not that i feel like people won't like me if i turn them down, or that i'll feel bad they won't be able to find someone else in my place, or anything like that. nope. it's that i wonder whether i really should be saying yes to them. if God really wants me to say yes, but i'm saying no anyway without consulting Him. it may be because i have a ...

i sort of can't believe i'm posting this right now... just as much as i can't believe i actually got up and did it in the first place. this morning i shared a song that i wrote. i shared it with the women in my Bible study. it was the last day we would meet together, so they called it "sharing day" and lots of brave and beautiful women stood up and shared what God had done in their lives through the last nine months, as we all studied "Breaking Free" on our own and together. i ended the sharing time by sitting down to the piano and playing for them.  i was nervous and emotional, after all the testimonies i'd just heard, but i was also confident that God would use me. after all, His Word does not return empty, and most of the song is based on Isaiah 61. also, i know He asked me to do this, and He gave me every note and every word of the song in the first place, so i wasn't really thinking about anything but being obedient to His calling. the peace...