An art print is a lovely way to add personality to any space. Choose your favorite painting from my collection of prints, pop it in a frame and display it around your home!
Art prints are available in 8×10 and I think they look particularly great when framed with a mat. Choose a frame size that is larger than 8×10 to make your art look substantial and really pop on your walls.
Here are some of my go-to suggestions for picture frames:
I know, it’s a cheesy phrase that you’ve likely heard a thousand times. But today it struck me and when I looked up the definition, it settled in even deeper:
Stop and smell the roses
(idiomatic) To relax; to take time out of one’s busy schedule to enjoy or appreciate the beauty of life.
To stop and smell the roses means intentionally slowing down, lifting your eyes, and paying attention. It’s noticing the little things that give life meaning, the moments that make you smile, pointing out what’s lovely in the midst of everything else.
I’ve been circling around and around trying to pinpoint the purpose behind the work I do, the value of this weekly email, the products I create. Today’s pondering is exactly what I needed to fully articulate it.
Delight in your everyday.
I hope that’s what you experience through the words and art found in my books, on social, in the weekly emails, when you receive a package or simply scroll the website. I hope you are encouraged to delight in your everyday.
And, above all else, may the stopping to smell the roses remind you that God is good and you are loved.
Have you ever found yourself right in the middle of a thing you signed up for and realize you really don’t know what you’re doing?
I’m pretty much there. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s how I’ve felt since the very first days of conversation about writing a book began. I’ve never written a book. I’ve never illustrated a book. I’ve never marketed a book. I’ve never been interviewed about a book. So I guess it makes a lot of sense that I don’t know what I’m doing 🙂
But here’s what I’m finding: even though I don’t know what I’m doing, I know I’m doing the right thing. Does that make sense?
Maybe it’s like those early days of motherhood. You don’t really know how to hold your baby or feed your baby or bathe your baby (they feel so fragile!), but this baby is yours and you are its mother and nothing feels more right than holding her close and staring at this miracle that came from you. You figure it out as you go, asking for help, watching how your friends and sisters are doing it, learning along the way and giving yourself lots of grace because of course you don’t know what you’re doing! You’ve never done it before!
It’s funny that a motherhood analogy came out because that’s what so many authors liken their books to. You grow it and labor over it for months and months (in my case, nearly 2 years!), and then it finally comes time to hold it up to the world: Look what I made! I’m so proud of this thing! I want you to love it and be moved by it and cherish it and smile every time you see it on your shelf!
It’s a weird feeling. A vulnerable feeling. A little bit anxiety-inducing, if I’m being completely honest.
Your new-to-you thing might not be launching a book, but I’m guessing there’s something you’re doing that you don’t quite know how to do. Here’s how I think we can do it well:
1. Remember that if this is what you are called to do in this season, you will have everything you need to do it (Philippians 4:13)
2. Ask for help
3. Look at how others are doing it to see what you can learn from them (apply what works, let everything else go – this is not a competition!)
4. Give yourself grace
5. Have fun
I once had a teacher tell me, “Emily, lighten up.” It stung. But he was so right. I tend to take things a little too seriously. Perhaps you do too.
Maybe today, we take a deep breath, offer gratitude for the good things we’ve been asked to do, remembering that they are just things we do, not who we are. And then keep going.
Speaking honestly and sharing my desires and preferences is a more loving way to be in a relationship than protecting myself and keeping my thoughts to myself.
I like making pretty things.
Teaching your firstborn to drive is terrifying. But once he gets his license, it’s amazing.
Wearing the same two pair of jeans again and again is better than having 20 that you don’t really love.
Prepackaged food is not as good as homemade.
Except Pop tarts. They are still delicious.
Asking for help is one step. Receiving the help with grace is another. Both are good and necessary and healthy.
Black lives are deeply valuable and the wounds run so much deeper than I ever knew. Listening and learning is heartbreaking and hopeful.
I really enjoy baking.
Clarity is not the ultimate goal. Sure it would be nice, but it would lead to self-reliance and that is definitely not the end goal. Trust is.
Nicely painted nails makes me feel like a grown up.
Filling in your brows makes a big difference.
I can do hard things. We all can.
Beauty matters because it reminds us of God’s goodness.
Seasons of deep, soul-important work are good. So are seasons of rest and gratitude and delightful contentment.
✨ Here’s to another year of growing and learning and embracing and delighting.
This book has been a long, beautiful journey and it is so exciting to finally share the title and cover with you!Â
I have so many things to tell you about this book … let’s break it up into a few sections.
what’s the book about?
About six years ago, God began to gently wake me up to the ways I was trapped in trying to find my identity in places that would never satisfy. When I looked around at my life, it was full of wonderful things and still, I had this sinking feeling of dissatisfaction.
Is this it? Is this all there is? Because if so, why do I still feel so unsure and anxious and like it’s all up to me to prove my worth but I can never quite get there?
Living like this is exhausting. It’s a life of worry and self-reliance and looking to a very fickle world to tell us who we are and determine if we are enough.
Thankfully, Jesus offers an invitation to a better way to live.
“Come to me,” he says. “I will give you rest.“
He whispered these words to me at the height of my brokenness and after a five-year journey of deep spiritual transformation, I finally experienced what he was offering all along.
This is the story of how God’s grace moved me to this place of accepting his invitation to a life of quiet confidence. I hope my continuing journey will inspire and equip you to find you own unique identity in Christ.Â
the title
We went round and round searching for the perfect title for the book until finally realizing it was right in front of us: Freely and Lightly.
It is both the hope and the promise.Â
The phrase is pulled from the Message translation of Matthew 11:28-30, which is the structure for the book and, more importantly, the process of spiritual formation Jesus invites us to.
Burdened and heavy is no way to live. I needed free and light. Perhaps you do too.
the cover design
They say you’re not supposed to choose a book by its cover, but I do pretty much every single time. Covers are important.
I was so excited for this step in the book-making process. I have watched so many authors reveal covers and thoroughly enjoy seeing what creativity comes out in representing the message of the book through design.
The first round of cover designs came back this summer and it was very exciting. The initial designs were pretty, but not quite right. So my publisher asked if I would come up with another version of the cover.
Here were all of the options:
 As you can see, coming up with just one option was impossible 🙂
When it finally came down to it, we decided black and white stripes on the spine just felt right and very classic Emily. I love that it wraps all the way around so when you place it on a shelf, you’ll still see the cute watercolor stripes!
I initially wanted the title to be in text, but my very wonderful publisher pushed for my handwriting and I’m glad she did. Inside the book are handwritten labels on all of the illustrations and Scripture verses so it makes perfect sense to give a peek at what you’ll find inside on the cover.
As for the artwork, simple felt better. I wish I had a love for bold and colorful, but when it really comes down to it, I love neutral and simple. The book is filled with illustrations in my imperfect watercolor style and picking just one piece for the cover was hard!
We all decided that this little potted plant was the right choice. The new growth of the sweet pea start feels fresh and hopeful, exactly what I hope the message of the book will be. Also, fun fact, this little plant was a gift from my mother-in-law’s garden and I love that little nod to family.
I can’t wait until this book makes it into your hands. How I hope that with each turn of the page the words and art will be a deep breath, a gentle wakeup, and a delightful reminder that you are loved and God is good.
The official release day is March 2, 2021.
You can preorder today (with special preorder bonus goodies to come!).
If you are not already subscribed to my weekly newsletter, I invite you to join! This is the best place for getting updates on all things Freely and Lightly related.
Thank you, my friends, for your encouragement and excitement over this project. You are the absolute best.
I’d love to answer any questions you have about the book or the process or anything else you’d like to chat about! Please leave a comment below and I’ll respond back.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIV
Summertime draws out the worst of my body insecurities. Swimsuits and shorts and sleeveless shirts that expose my pale skin and less-toned-than-I-wish arms and tummy that stretched out too many times to ever be flat again.
When I get insecure, I reach for the easiest forms of self-comfort: comparison and consumerism.
First, I compare. Who looks best in a swimsuit? Who has better skin? Who has cellulite? Who has skinnier arms? I play this ugly game in my head always looking and assessing and trying to figure out where I stand.
Then, I consume. Maybe I just need a cuter dress or sunglasses or sandals or nail polish or coverup or sunhat or tank to feel better about myself, even if just for a moment.
Compare and consume. Compare and consume. On and on, trying to make the insecurities go away.
Cultural wisdom would tell me to stop comparing and instead turn my gaze to how strong and beautiful and capable my body is. I birthed four kids! I can run! My skin will age well!Â
Cultural wisdom would also tell me to buy the things that make me feel better about me. Self-tanner! New cut-off shorts! Little chunks of silicon you stuff into your bikini top!
Trust me, I’ve tried all of these. There is value, of course, in both positive self-talk and choosing outfits that fit. But these tactics alone are insufficient.
One morning a few weeks ago, I became aware of the ugly compare and consume habits that were happening inside me. The good news about God is that He is full of grace. He knows this tender part of me. He’s faithful to pull me out of the pit and realign my heart.
That morning on my bed He reminded me that I was caught up in looking to outward things to heal the inward muck. I was self-focused and self-consumed and kept grasping for a shiny new thing to make the insecurity go away. A new dress is nice and finding a swimsuit that flatters is reasonable, but my inner dialog was getting out of hand. He made me and loves me and has far more important things for me to do than obsess over skinny thighs and a closet full of adorable outfits.
The truth is, all of our insecurities are made obsolete when we remember our unchanging, forever identity as deeply wanted and valued children of God. With His help, we can clothe ourselves with compassion, not comparison. Kindness, not judgment. Humility, not pride. Gentleness, not criticism. Patience, not perfection.
And whether we put on the cutest summer dress or not, we can have all the confidence in the world that we are chosen, holy and dearly loved.
