cafe boa ... ... [eats]

cafe boa

398 S. Mill Ave.

Tempe, Arizona 85281

some friends recruited me to capture a few of their favorite eats in town.  and of course, in order to really represent each location i had to try them out for myself... i fully suggest you do to! 

we felt like visitors in our own backyard & we had the quiet, lush & green patio all to ourselves. (it was a weeknight.)

natural & organic food.  light with intense flavor.  we indulged on a glass of chardonay, the house flat bread, sustainable muscles, and fries - so crispy and thin with amazing seasoning.  no need to order lemon with your water @ cafe boa, they serve up cucumber h20 and it was crazy refreshing.

on the left, my joe (not available on the menu). i love him so.  on the right, our joe.  a scoop of vanilla bean gelato served with a shot of espresso for you to pour over the top.  i'll be going back just for one of these... no doubt.

bliss banners ... ... [throwing J O Y ] giveaway

where are my fellow joy hunters?  bueller? bueller?  are ya'all out there? have you been steppin' in it, sprinkled with it, drenched by it?  i'm learning that it truly is all around me.  the gift is in recognizing how HE is weaving it throughout my day and then giving thanks for it.  up for grabs is a handmade burlap banner of joy.  it will help those of us who are joy hunters in training.

when i gave in to the crazy ideas in my head, or, nudges from God (tomato - tomAHto)  regarding this [throwing J O Y] semi-regular giveaway, i knew that one thing i wanted to do was to share bits of joy that have landed in my world.  books, music, art/home décor, organizational tools, healthy indulgences, wardrobe accessories and beyond.  If it has brought joy to my routine & ordinary than it will most certainly be thrown out to ya’all at some point.  there is so much more than some thing bringing me joy.  ultimately HE is at work orchestrating around me and using others to encourage me.  there is a woman, an artist, an inspiration. she is opening her heart and allowing Him to use her. i want you to know meet these 'tools of his trade'.

so without further a due allow me to introduce you to my friend nicole of bliss banners.  seems quite fitting that she be the first of a handful of uh-mazingly talented friends i will attempt to feature…because if my memory serves me correctly (and i am the first to admit, right after my husband - ehem, that it doesn’t always.)  i think i was her first customer? 

the who.what.where.when.how & joy behind it all

me: who taught you to sew?

nicole: "my mom taught me to sew. she still has one of the first things i made, a green scrap of fabric with a red heart sewn on it. i now have one from my 6 year old daughter."

me:  what is/was your favorite childhood toy?

nicole: "barbies!!! me and my friend kelly would spend forever setting them up but i don't think we ever actually played with them...it was all about the staging!!"

me:  where do you find inspiration?

nicole:  "fabric.  i am obsessed with prints and colors and my living room proves it.  i buy it with no idea what i am going to use it for...but i always do!!!  digging around some of the fabric stores by my house is always fun for me.  i have super talented friends with very different styles.  when i am shopping or making a banner i literally ask myself if it would fit in either: a.  my mom's house  b. mary's house  c. emily's house or d. my house - because i want to keep a lot of them for myself.  but this way i know i am covered."

me:  when did you last do something daring? what was it?

nicole:  "i don't do daring things.  i used to dye my hair a lot of different colors and buy a new shade of colored eyeshadow pretty much weekly...now 'sometimes' i drink caffeine after 3pm!!!"

me:  how do you drink your coffee?

nicole:  "with half and half and a little sugar or vanilla syrup in the morning and iced mocha the rest of the day!!!! if i have a lot to do, i switch to iced geen tea."

me:  will you please share about a time when you found joy in this where or when you didn't expect it.

nicole:  "if joy is a fruit of the spirit then when i am walking with HIM, i have it.  i can't find it when i am focused on me.  there are many times that i have literally prayed about a banner.  when it is for someone's first baby's nursery or their wedding, i tend to feel pressure to please them.  i have to remember to seek God in all i do.  it's not like rubbing a magic lamp and getting the perfect answer but it is refocusing on The Lord.  so when i have that joy in my heart i can cheerfully serve and accommodate others.  when it is about me, my attitude can get ugly and bitter about the task. i can have great joy in serving someone, even if it is through a banner order, knowing that my heart was set on Jesus when i did it.

nicole:  "to all the fans of pixbyemily... email me at blissbanners@gmail.com or find me at www.blissbanners.etsy.com and use the code joy4u to receive 20% off any order through saturday august 18th."

me:  see, i told ya she is an uh-mazing woman!

giveaway details.

included in the giveaway is:

- one handmade bliss banner burlap & yellow "joy" banner. (pictured above)

-i will cover shipping for those of you that are not local.

to enter.

leave a comment sharing some JOY you found today = 1 entry 

leave a comment with a word you would want a banner to say = 1 entry
follow my blog /comment letting me know you are = 1 entry

giveway is open until saturday 8/18/12 @ 1pm (az time)

i'll pick a winner randomly and announce it before 4pm that day.

the winner is Kaydee! looks like you & your daughter gained some joy this week!

note:  please check back to see if you won or be sure that your email is part of your public profile so that i can contact you.

16x20 canvas ... ... [throwing J O Y giveaway]

[closed]

it has haunted me (in a good way) from the first time i heard it at the beginning of one of my favorite childhood tales, charlotte's web.  maybe it is the angelic voice of sarah mclachlan, or maybe it is just the simple yet mighty truth behind the words.  give it a listen  ordinary miracle .  a few weeks ago, i found myself in a conversation with a sweet woman who was a tad anxious about giving birth for the first time.  i attempted to comfort her by reminding her that she is designed for this.  i have experienced childbirth twice myself and one thing that i found myself clinging too in those days of anticipation was knowing that He designed my body and the baby's body for those moments of labor.  are you familiar with the reflex on the bottom of a baby's foot?  run your finger from their heel to toe and they press hard to extend their foot.  well when the woman's uterus contracts, it triggers that reflex, allowing baby to push him/herself further down.  that just fascinates me!  she can not control the contractions nor can baby control a reflex...they are designed to work together.  an ordinary miracle.  ...moving on... last week i began this semi-regular throwing J O Y giveway in a response to something God has put on my heart for sometime.  i honestly had no idea how blessed i would be, as i set out to encourage others to notice the joy in their routine & ordinary.  while brainstorming for the next giveaway, i received an email for an amazing deal on a 16x20 canvas.  so it was settled.  but what to put on that canvas?  no sooner than i asked myself that, did a design pop up in my head.   the next day my boys and i were coloring.  colby was working on a star wars masterpiece.  parker was creating a mr. incredible original.  and i began to sketch.  the radio is often on in our home and this particular afternoon we were listening to k-love.  it wasn't the first time they've shared a scripture on the airwaves, so as the dj began introducing it i continued to doodle.  then the pencil stopped drawing...  "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."  Job 5:9 

note: i realize the 'ordinary miracles' print may not speak to you so i am offering up a couple other favorites. i posted 'make it a good one' on facebook a few weeks back (shared from the Time-Warp Wife) and it received a lot of attention. and 'love is' happens to be one of our family's favorite passages. it serves as a great reminder. it is not rare to hear me question my boys (who am i kidding, and myself) "do you love your brother?" most of the time they respond with "yes" to which i can ask, "what should that look like?" so i searched...yes, pinterest... and put my own twist on one that i liked. 

so... ... all this to say that in your hunting for joy, you just may notice a miracle or two. 

( ordinary miracles )

( make it a good one )

( love is )

giveaway details.

included in the giveaway is:

your choice of one of the 3 prints shown above*, printed on a 16x20 canvas.

*if selecting 'make it a good one' or 'love is' then you get to choose the color.

to enter.

leave a comment with your favorite print design = 1 entry

leave a comment sharing a line from the print that speaks to you and why = 1 entry
leave a comment sharing some J O Y that you stepped in today = 1 entry

giveway is open until wednesday 08/01/12 @ 1pm (az time)

i'll pick a winner randomly and announce it before 4pm that day.

the winner is tricia

congrats!  i hope this will bring encouragement to you and your messy hair!

child training bible... ...[throwing J O Y giveaway]

[closed]
this is the first of many giveaways.  most of you know that i am a joy hunter.  i pray for my eyes to be opened to see His blessings all around me and i rejoice when i find them, in abundance, in my routine & ordinary.  so i've decided to start throwing joy at others.  or at least giving some fun stuff away in hopes that they might see it in their own lives.  so without further delay i would like to introduce an amazing tool.  the child training bible.  i was going to take the liberty to rename ours, the family training bible, b/c i am certain us parents will use it just as much, if not more.  however, i humbly remembered that we are all children of God, so it isn't necessary to rename it.  wink. wink.

what is it?  "The Child Training Bible is tool that allows parents and children (and anyone that loves the Word of God) to go directly to the pages of Scripture for instruction in 20 key areas with a complete section dedicated to the gospel."  explore their site more to get a full idea of this tool's awesomeness.  www.childtrainingbible.com  

 [a big thank you to my sister for introducing us to this...bec you throw joy at me all the time!]

giveaway details. 

included in the giveaway is:
- the Child Training Bible Kit (available here for direct purchase) which consists of 1 Child Training Bible Key, 3 double sided scripture tabbing charts and a set of instructions.
- the additional supplies needed to make the Child Training Bible, colored post it flags, and colored sharpie highlighters.
-note:  bible is NOT included because each family's preference may vary.  you will need to have a 9x6 hard bound bible to complete yours.
-i will cover shipping for those of you that are not local.

to enter.

leave a comment with your favorite verse = 1 entry

leave a comment sharing some JOY you found today = 1 entry
follow my blog /comment letting me know you are = 1 entry

giveway is open until wednesday 7/25/12 @ 1pm (az time)

i'll pick a winner randomly and announce it before 4pm that day.

the winner is michelle e.
congrats!  i am so excited for your family to find J O Y in this amazing learning tool.

vintage spoons & mason jars... ...[product]

spoons.  not just for eatin'.

(vintage spoon coat/hat rack)

(mason jar vase/sconce)

i've been busy in the workshop.  check out my shop and message me for a custom item.  ready to ship pieces will be going up this week.

america the beautiful.

God.BLESS.America.

land.that.i.love.

'get to'... ... [sneak peek]

i was beyond honored to 'get to' laugh with the ladies of Redemption Church, Women's Ministry team & be a part of the creative process for upcoming programs.