Hi sweets! Last week I was over the MOON to be able to announce that I designed a collection for Illustrated Faith & Bella Blvd called Delight in His Day! It has most definitely been a dream come true for me. I’ve always been an artist & when I started scrapbooking at age 12, my mom told me that I should try to design some scrapbook paper someday. She just made that comment offhandedly one day when I was creating, & it’s stuck in my head ever since! The day I got my samples from Bella Blvd of my collection was a very very surreal day for me: seeing MY designs printed on 12×12 paper with an Illustrated Faith branding strip was incredible! I text a photo to my sister Anna that day & she said: “Oh wow! It’s got bar codes on it & everything!” Which pretty much summed up how I felt. :)
I wanted to share a little about this collection & what inspired me to design it. I worked on an amusement park boardwalk in my hometown every summer from age 15-19. Those summers were some of the worst ever. hahaha But simultaneously they were the BEST ever. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever had a weird job that had some of the WORST responsibilities, but those horrible tasks were part of what made it a wonderful adventure for you? It’s like you’re working in the trenches with your co-workers, but you’re creating something magical for the guests. And being behind the scenes of something like that can create some totally awesome memories. :)
My parents took my sister & I there frequently from a very young age– my dad used to assist the original OWNER of the park, so he knew every crack in the boardwalk there. Dad was a police officer & policed the park some summers, so Mom would bring Anna & I out to visit him & he would buy us cotton candy or popcorn & sneak us on to the ferris wheel for a ride. :) Some of the icons you’ll find in the collection are things that I remember super fondly & vividly from the boardwalk: the cotton candy, the ferris wheel, the taffy, the pennants, the tickets, etc. My summers at the park & the joy those memories bring to mind are what inspired the Delight in His Day line. :)
Many people think I’m a perpetual optimist based on my wardrobe, my art, & my Instagram feed, but actually I am quite a pessimist. It’s in my brain chemistry to jump to the worst possible conclusion & assume the worst about every situation. With my mental diagnoses, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & Anxiety, it comes naturally for me to fixate on the negative details. So finding joy for me has always been a quest. Trying to see the good in the world & fixate on that instead has been a constant necessity. It’s not always easy, in fact some days it’s near impossible, but ever since starting Bible Journaling, it’s become a little easier. I wanted to create a collection for this incredible community that just radiates JOY & helps others to find the wonderful serendipitous blessings that God brings to our lives each day!
I’m so so blessed to have been able to share a little bit of my heart with you today & what brought about this colorful collection! To celebrate, I wanted to do a GIVEAWAY of Delight in His Day!
To enter to win I would love for you to leave a comment telling me a memory from your childhood that brings JOY TO YOUR HEART!
Post your comment (see details above) on this post between now and
Sunday, January 29th, 2017, Noon PST
for your chance to win #if_delightinhisdaycollection
Winner will be announced on Monday, January 30th, 2017.
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Tell your friends about our new releases and giveaways by using the hashtag #illustratedfaith in your social media posts!
Love to you all!
<3 Elaine
