Picture Gallery Wall

Our master bedroom has this huge blank wall that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with.  A few weeks ago I finally decided to do a collage of pictures  to cover the blank space. I’ve been collecting the frames we had already as well as other wall hangings around the house.  I also bought a couple of cheap-o frames at the thrift store and spray painted them the colors I wanted them to be! (All of the gray & white frames you see were spray painted). This was my first attempt at spray painting picture frames & it really worked well! Overall,  I really like how it turned out. It’s a mixture of all of our favorite pictures. And by golly,  it sure is a LOT of pictures!

Here we go…

Below are frame ideas from Pinterest..

 Click here to see the burlap frame with the verse written in sharpie marker.
The marker is easy to remove & change the writing with finger-nail polish remover.

Click here to see the heart map picture frame idea. 
These hearts represent four significant places:
1.Where we met (Waco, Texas)
2. Where we got engaged (Chicago, Illinois)
3. Where we go married (Abilene, Texas)
4. Where we live now (Dallas, Texas)


Many of the pictures are from our years of dating.  If you look closely, you can see a few photos from various Baylor functions, the day of our first kiss in downtown Chicago in the snow, and even when Kyle was the coach of my sorority’s intramural soccer team my sophomore year of college.  This was before we were even dating & before we really knew each other! But, someone captured the picture of us standing next to each other in the huddle during the prayer before the game. We had no idea what was coming our way!!! 

And, of course, many of the photos are from our wedding day!


I also found one of the most helpful tips {from Pinterest} to hang these frames.  One of the most FRUSTRATING things in the entire world is making sure the nail is in the right spot when you are attempting to hang frames or art.  You know what I mean? You could end up with 42 holes in your wall after trying to hang just a few frames! Next time you decide to drill a nail into your wall, check this trick out: Using toothpaste to hang picture frames.

The lady from this blog used toothpaste, but I found that lotion worked better for me.  It wasn’t as messy and I could just wipe off the dot of lotion on the wall onto my hand instead of cleaning it off with a towel.

All you have to do is put a dot of lotion on the back of your picture frame that you want to hang. Place the lotion on the picture hook on the back of the frame, hold the frame on the wall exactly where you want it to go, & then remove the frame.
You should have a small dot of lotion on the wall that will tell you where to place the nail!


This method worked GREAT for me. I didn’t have to re-nail any of my frames!

And now I have a wall full of lovely memories to look at each morning when I wake up.

Prayer Wall {Vintage Shutter}

The other night I was lying in bed & thinking of all the little things I needed to do the next day… During my thinking process, I remembered that I had an old shutter tucked away in the closet.  I remembered that at our old apartment, I used it to display pictures and notes. I really love this old shutter & I’ve been trying to figure out where to put it in our house.

So, just before I fell asleep for the night, the idea popped in my mind…Why not make it into a prayer wall? So, that’s just what I decided to do.

Since we’ve been married, we made a commitment to pray together every night before bed.  We’ve adopted my family’s system: On the odd nights of the week, the boys pray & on the even nights, the girls pray. It’s worked out great for us, too! Kyle and I take turns praying for each other, our families and any prayer requests that we may have.  It’s turned into one of my favorite moments of the day. 

Now before bed, we can each pick one card from the "wall" to pray for each night. I hope to continue this tradition when we have little ones around!

Here’s what I came up with…


For each prayer request/verse card, I used blank note cards and scrapbook paper.  I also decided to laminate the cards, so I can reuse them over & over. Of course, another idea I had was to not laminate the cards, but keep them paper. Then, write on each card & keep them in a journal afterwards to keep track of all that God is doing in your life or friend’s lives.  I also like writing verses that God is teaching me & then saving them in a journal…in the years to come, it would be pretty cool to look back at what verses I have studied and the lessons I was learning during my life at that time.
 

I also decided to cover the clothes pins with scrapbook paper, too…just for fun!


I really like how it all came together & I’m even more excited about keeping up with our prayer requests!
Luke 11:9 says, “So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with ALL of your heart.”

Steady My Heart

This is where I’ve been…Ever had one of those weeks?!

I’ve had many things on my mind lately and have been clinging to the promises that the Lord gives us in His word.  Sometimes the game of life is a rough road to travel. I’m so thankful that I am able to put my faith, hope  & trust in the Lord because what He says is really the only thing that matters…

 
I’ve been hanging on tight to these promises today & I hope it encourages you as well…
 
The first few are from Paul in PHILIPPIANS as he rejoices as a result of being persecuted:
Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:20-21 – I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted…For me to live as Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:18 – Yes, and I will continue to REJOICE.. .{through trials and hardships}
 
The next are from Jesus in The Beatitudes in MATTHEW:
Matthew 5:11 – Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  REJOICE and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..
Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
It doesn’t seem like a coincidence in Matthew 5 that Jesus tells those who are persecuted, insulted and falsely accused to “rejoice & be glad, because great is your reward in heaven”…and in the very next section (vs. 13-16) he reminds us that we are the salt of the Earth, we are the light of the world, and that we are to let our light shine! If you’re like me, discouragement is an easy way for the enemy to sneak in… Jesus used this small piece of scripture to challenge me to NOT BE DISCOURAGED. He knows our pains and heartache more than anyone else.  He has called us to REJOICE & be glad through this tough season…and not only that, but he calls us to let our light shine through it all. How? Because our faith, hope & trust are in HIM alone. 
 
A few other favorite verses that I use to “keep the enemy out!”
2 Corinthians 12:9 – My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Hebrews 12:3 – Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful man, that you will not grow weary and lose heart
Romans 4:20 – Yet he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God!
Lamentations 3:22-24 – Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

I don’t know about you, but more than anything, I feel like some of my closest & most intimate times with the Lord are when I’m singing along to worship music. I just love it & can’t get enough.
One of my favorite artists is Kari Jobe. She just recently came out with a new album {which I’ve heard is amazing}. The song below is called, “Steady My Heart” and is just incredible…I challenge you to sit and listen to the song and let the Lord, “Steady your heart”.

Be Encouraged!