ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

i can't believe it's been almost a month since i've posted anything on this here blog... i guess i've been busy? here are some of the things i've been up to though, that i wanted to share with you: first of all, i added some prints to the shop as instant downloads. so you can buy and download right away, to print it yourself from home. the great thing about this option is a) you don't have to pay for shipping b) you don't have to wait for shipping c) you can print as many as you want! if you have three gifts to give...   like maybe a last minute mother's day gift?  you can print out four for the price of one download (one for yourself of course)! find the instant downloads here second, i've been busy making some announcements and invitations for my zazzle store . with zazzle.com, you get to personalize and customize everything yourself, right on the website, and then order straight from them! i make a little royalty from every sale, and...

this print is not new. it's been around for quite some time, back when i was dabbling in the hand-drawn world. i sorta gave up on that, but i still loved this print with all its perfect imperfections, so i kept it in the new shop ... [ buy it here for just $11 . sale goes through sunday] the verse comes from Matthew, the sermon on the mount, also known as "the beatitudes". this one in particular is one of my favorites because i know it to be true. genuine hungering and thirsting for God always fills us like nothing else. like Jeremiah 29:13 that says "you will seek me and find me , when you seek me with your whole heart". what a special promise. He can be found, He wants to be known, and He will fill our deepest longings. i'm not sure if there's anything in all the human existence better than that. a God who loves us, who died for us, and who still wants an intimate relationship with us after all that we've done to mess it up. just recen...

this print is dear to my heart because it's the first verse my daughter ever memorized. she was two years old and i'm sure i was the only one who could understand her, but she really did memorize it perfectly. the first verse, anyway. here's the proof captured on video . i initially chose this verse for her to memorize because i wanted her to know from an early age that God is always with her, and that He can handle anything. as she has grown, it's become apparent that this was exactly the verse for her. even at 3 1/2 years old, she struggles with fear. she's scared of the dark, she's scared to be in her room at night alone, she's scared to walk upstairs by herself [even during the day]. each night i remind her Who is always with her, even when i'm not. i don't want to raise her to be dependent on me, because i will let her down, i will not be with her every second of her life, and i just can't fix everything. but God can be and do all those th...

designing prints really isn't the easiest thing for me. i mean, i absolutely love it, but it's not like i can just sit down and say "i am going to make a print out of john 3:16 right now". it just doesn't work that way. more often than not, it has to be a verse or quote that i'm passionate about  at that moment  that i just have to put onto a print or else my brain will explode. it's out of the overflow of my heart that the verses are chosen and the prints are designed. sometimes i hate that i'm this way, because it makes custom orders really difficult and because i will often be right in the middle of my day when inspiration strikes. at that moment, it feels like i have to drop everything and open photoshop elements before the inspiration is gone. the actual design process is pretty organic. there's no magical formula, i just try different things until it looks right. that's another thing i sorta hate, that i can't whip something up in...