GOD's Provision

Why are we so surprised by God's Provision? And on the other hand, why do we ever doubt that He will provide exactly what we need and just the right time? After 2 weeks of full-fledged summer, I realized that my 5 art camps were going to be nearly impossible. My children needed me. My little ones needed every ounce of me. I tried to work it out in my head that it was going to be ok. I could handle it. Thanks to the honesty of my precious Mama, I realized, you know what? I can't do this this summer. So after much prayer and consideration from Brad and me, we decided cancelling camp was what we needed to do. Let me add that all in that very same week, I had to get new tires AND buy a new MAC book...... so canceling was hard to do financially. After I canceled camps, I realized I had the WHOLE studio to myself the WHOLE summer. What to paint first? I decided to use some of the reclaimed wood my Daddy had given me from an old hunting club to paint on. I started cutting. I started painting. The more I painted the more I was confirmed in my decision to cancel art camps.  Do you know that in 2 days of sales and pre-orders, I will make almost exactly what I would have made in my art classes? The simplicity of what I was painting overwhelms me. I have been painting a simple manger scene of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. So simple, yet the most complex reality we will ever know. Jesus was born for me. For my family. For You. I am blown away by your support and orders for these precious manger scenes. THANK YOU!

MISSISSIPPI PRINTS

ORDER YOURS NOW! My first order went fast, so I am placing another one today! Just click on the BUY now button above to purchase.

SO excited to share these prints with you!  The quote, "While houses may crumble, Jesus stands firm" was placed on the heart of 10 year old Mont Waterer the morning after the tornado. That day in my art class he wrote it in a card for Rusty and Ann Benson whose home had been hit.
I started thinking, wouldn't it be cool if we were telling WHY we are Tupelo strong??? We are simply because WHILE HOUSES MAY CRUMBLE, JESUS STANDS FIRM!! So, I came up with this print. It seemed fitting to as the Waterer Family where they wanted the proceeds to go. So, with your order of a print, the proceeds will go to Eight Days of Hope! http://eightdaysofhope.com/


ORDER YOURS NOW! My first order went fast, so I am placing another one today! Just click on the BUY now button above to purchase.

LESSONS HAVE STARTED!

I would lie if I didn't say I have been quite anxious about lessons starting. I have let thoughts of self-doubt creep in..... then I would remind myself of all of God's provisions in getting me to this point in my life, and excitement would build back up. January started off with some really cold weather. My first day of lessons was celebrated along with icy 15 degree weather (or maybe lower, i'm always the optimist estimator when it comes to numbers - drives Brad crazy). Despite the cold temperatures we had such a great time. I left the class saying, "THANK YOU LORD! I LOVE this!!". The following classes have gone just as great. Not to say that all of this change in the Brashier household has been easy.... We have definitely had our challenges..... First of which is me having to have supper planned and prepared PRIOR to my after school classes. Thank you http://www.emeals.com/. This website is fabulous and has made my meal planning SO much easier.
Another problem was parking. Sheesh. Didn't see that one coming. 3 loads of gravel and a frustrated Brad on a tractor later and we are set. Parking. Done. 
I may bombard you with this first Painted Wren Studio post, but these kiddos are just so sweet. I have learned quickly that I do not pray for my kid's teachers enough or thank them enough. They have a hard job. I do it for an hour and 15 min 3x a week. They teach all day, 5 days a week! Pray for your child's/children's teachers!!!
I hope you enjoy the happy faces of the kiddos I am blessed by!

Getting ReAdY for some art!

This weekend we started the clean-out process of the shop. It hasn't quite earned it's title of The Painted Wren studio just yet! We hauled off a little over 1,000 lbs of JUNK to the dump. Not to mention 3 truck fulls to the TCPS rummage sale. It was not fun work, but very rewarding to see the nice amount of space we will have to work with. A big thank you to Ben and Nicole Kilman for donating two couches to the cause. The kids sat on the couch while I swept and we dreamed together about the projects we would do together. We are EXCITED to say the least. God has some fun things in store for us.
With all that being said, I will have to cut back on a few things to accomplish our goal of opening in January (sign up sheets coming soon!!!) So, for now the t-shirt business is on hold. I have a few FAITH t-shirts left. I guess you could say that it is a "hard-to-find-retired-after only 2 months-design". ha! I will also not be taking any orders this season or designing Christmas cards.
Thank you all who have prayed and supported me and my dream!!!

JUST A FEW LEFT!

I added denim to my selection! I have a limited amount available of this design! Click on this Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaintedWren  

******IF YOU ARE IN THE TUPELO AREA email me at sarahbrashier@gmail.com and I will send you an invoice with no shipping*********

 

Here we GO!

"I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. LIFE is art." quote from Pinterest Well said. I do believe art is seeing things in a way that no one else does. Seeing how the background frames the foreground. Seeing the beauty among the mess. Seeing the broad color palette our God has so graciously given us on a daily basis..... I have had a dream of selling t-shirts and opening my own studio for a while now. I have been holding tight to a couple of designs for t-shirts for over 6 months ... always not sure of how exactly to get something like that started. Recently, God has provided in some surprising ways for our family.... that is a whole story in and of itself....Because of God's provisions, we are able to think about making my dream more of a reality. All that being said, I am now launching my first (hopefully of many) t-shirt designs and options. All of the proceeds made from these t-shirts will be going to the bigger part of my dream.... In January 2014, I will be - Lord Willing - opening a studio - which is my shop in my own backyard. My hopes are that I will be offering art classes to toddlers, homeschoolers, after-schoolers, and in the summers conduct several craft/art camps. No, my degree is not in art - but I do love art. And I do promise to teach your kids how to get messy, how sometimes drawing outside of the lines is fun, how to play with different mediums, paint on wood, brick, modpodge, and who knows what else. I also promise to teach God's word to them throughout each and every lesson. For it is God that has so graciously given me this gift and to HIM I give all the glory. The t-shirts are $18.00 TO BUY YOUR SHIRT, go to this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaintedWren

Gotta get my own boys fixed up with tags! I posted a picture with sample backgrounds. You can refer to this when placing your order - Or I can mix and match for you! Just email me ~ 2-3 day turnaround. sarahbrashier@gmail.com