A note from Bethany

a note from bethany

Hi everyone! I know I have been MIA on the blog lately, but the reason for this is because I got very sick this month and ended up having to go to the hospital during Recruitment. It was definitely a rough time, and after a lot of bed rest I am finally back on my feet, though I am still not 100%. My family and I both agree that I need to focus on getting better and tackling the first few weeks of school before diving back into my painting, so my Etsy shop is currently on vacation and no custom orders will be taken at this time. 

That being said, I think the verse I painted on this canvas earlier in the month is perfect inspiration for me. I painted it for a lovely girl named Erin, who ordered it for her roommate. Though sometimes life may throw you a curveball, God gives us his love and strength so that we can confidently stride past those times of adversity into the future. Thank you, Erin, for requesting this verse! It truly touched my heart.

proverbs 31:25

Proverbs 4:23

Hi out there to all of my readers! It's almost 7 am here, but no sunrise, yet! I guess it's safe to say that school has officially started. Though it seems like no one is really ready for it, it's here! I was asked to make this canvas for someone from Houston, and I absolutely love the verse she picked out. I know I pretty much love everything people ask me to do, but I love this one times three! I'll let you take a look at my canvas interpretation of the Bible verse Proverbs 4:23!

Though I had heard this verse many times before, I had never really gone in depth about it. I don't think I every really studied it, neither with a group nor on my own time. Because I liked it so much, I wanted to look up a few things about it. I found an article that says the "3 Reasons Why You Should Guard Your Heart" by Michael Hyatt. It was really good! If you want to take a look at it, here is the link:
http://michaelhyatt.com/three-reasons-why-you-must-guard-your-heart.html

It's a good read! Anyway- I seriously do LOVE this canvas, too. I told Nia that I want to keep both of the ones I made her! Can't wait for her to get them!

Ps. Thank you so much to everyone for the sweet emails! It is SO nice to hear from you all! I cannot stress enough how much it means to me! Y'all are great! xoxo

Keep Calm and Diamond On

As Thanksgiving break approaches I am really getting excited about some of the things I have in store! I am going to be painting some coolers for the lovely ladies my mom works with and a friend from high school! So far I think I have an A&M themed cooler, a Saints one, a Texans one, and a family themed one! I can't wait to get started on those!! They are SO much fun to do. I am also going to be painting a few canvases! This is one I did a few weeks ago, but I can't remember if I posted it or not! I love all of the Keep Calm signs. This one is for Alpha Delta Pi!

More posts soon. Homeward bound tomorrow! Can't wait to be with the fam. 

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone, and look out for some exciting posts soon!

Hard Work

The canvas below was painted for a friend I have known since middle school, and when she told me what quote she wanted I fell in LOVE with it. I had actually never heard it before, which is surprising because I have a bit of an obsession with quotes...I may or may not have 2 full quote books and be working on a third. I thought it would be an appropriate post for the start of school! I also snuck in a fishing trophy that my older brother won this summer because I thought he would appreciate this quote , too! He keeps telling me I need to paint him something for the Houston Texans..so we 'll see what happens in the next few weeks.  

Hope you like it Bridgett! 

Back to School Festivities

Rush is finally over and classes have officially started at UT...yay school! In honor of school kicking off and summer ending (tear) I'll post some of the TEXAS canvases (finally)!!! It kinda funny because some of the canvases I made were for girls going through rush, and I ended up meeting a few of them! Some even ended up being Thetas, YAY!  Hope you like the pictures, I put some from rush up, too.

Ps. If you're looking to give a gift to someone who just went though rush, you should check out Melissa's Custom Gifts on the Drag (Guadalupe) right across from Dobie Mall. There is free validated parking if you park there!! If you have a Facebook, go like the page! They are doing a Jon Hart giveaway, so don't miss out.
Here's a link to the site!
Melissa's Custom Gifts

8000 Views and Summertime News

Summer has been off to a good start so far. I went to Heart o' the Hills for my counselor orientation, got to see my big brother graduate from Texas Tech, saw so much family that I hadn't seen in way too long!, painted big orders of graduation gifts--and still have more coming! (Kat that's you!), hung out with my best friends, gone country dancing one night, been on about 5 flights, finished an online class, and just had a blast during every second of it. It's been pretty busy over here, but that's the fun part!

TECH GRADUATION!

 Some of my awesome fellow counselors at the Heart! We got a night off, so we were pretty happy!

My parents (and family in the background) all excited to be at graduation

I had an order for one of my close family friends. She and her mom have been in the process of redoing her room, and asked me if I could make a few canvases with her monogram and one with her favorite Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11. It's funny because the color scheme she picked is the one my mom and I used to redo my room this past year! Here's what they turned out like:

After I finished those, I had another order from her older brother! He asked me to make this canvas for a friend's birthday. I love making stuff for guys because they are so funny when they describe what they want, and then they are COMPLETELY amazed when you finish it. It was so rewarding seeing how impressed he was with it! Thanks, bud!! I hope the gift is a hit!

Thanks so much you guys for supporting me. It's hard to believe I have 8,000 views! My brother keeps telling me I need to look into getting sponsored, but I don't know the first thing about that. If anyone has any details on that, let me know. I think that'd be so fun! 

Graduation Time!

This month has been jam-packed with graduation gifts, and I am loving it. It's been a lot of hard work, but it is also really exciting to make canvases with themes for different universities all over! A sweet girl from my old high school ordered about 15 canvases for her friends as graduation gifts, and they turned out pretty nicely if I do say so myself!! There are some Texas flags, the state of Texas, monograms, chevron prints, and just simple canvases with their names on them. I put them on my Facebook page, but I haven't uploaded any on my blog, yet. I hope y'all love them!! 

Philippians 4:13

Before I went off to counselor orientation last week, I had a lot of special orders to do! The best one was for a girl in Dallas who has been battling cancer in high school and is going to Baylor next fall. Her mother emailed me with her daughter's beautiful story, and I had tears in my eyes as I read it. The special cross with the canvas ribbon was something her mom sent me that really made the canvas have a special meaning for her. She is so brave, and it is incredible that she has been able to keep up her grades though her battle. She was so thoughtful and asked her mom if they could order another canvas for a friend fighting against cancer as well. Congratulations on your graduation, Caroline!! I hope you love your gift! Baylor is lucky to have such an inspirational girl come to their university!! 

Graduation Gifts

I've been insanely busy lately, but who hasn't?! Finals week is here, so I apologize for the lack of posts! I'll keep it short, but I'll give you a peak of what I made for Christina Williams Designs this past week.

The eyes of Texas are upon you!/bkrafty hits 5,000 views!!

Hey everybody! WOW, I can't believe I have over 5000 views. My boyfriend texted me the other morning to tell me, and I almost thought he was lying. It's crazy to think that this school year is almost over, and my blog and business have grown so much! Thank you to everyone who is reading, sharing, and ordering! Y'all are the best!! This week I have a treat for all you Texas Longhorns out there. I had an order of graduation presents for some girls who are attending UT next fall.  The  only specific details were to make them all different, but to have their names and  beautiful burnt orange! 

 

Thanks y'all! HOOK 'Em!

Psalms 71:14

As y'all know, some of my favorite colors are turquoise, light blue, and white...but I absolutely LOVE gold. Especially when paired together! This week I painted a canvas for my friend Allyson, and I got to use all of those colors together!

Hope y'all like it!

Jacque & Mike's Story

One day earlier this month I received an e-mail from Jacque for a very special order of canvases. The thing I love most about doing this is that when people ask me to make a canvas for them, they share a little story with me about who or what it's for. Jacque's story she sent to me was so beautiful that I asked her if I could share it with you. I know it will touch your heart! 

In March of last year, she and her husband Mike went through a very devastating time in their lives when they had a miscarriage. They just prayed for God's guidance and that He would lead them in the direction they were to go. How amazing is that?! This story really hit home with me because I remember when my aunt and uncle were trying to have another child, and they decided to adopt. It was a very long, exhausting process, and it's definitely not easy. They adopted Lacy from St. Petersburg, Russia, and she has been such a blessing to our family. I know Jacque and Mike deserve a blessing just like that! God listened to their prayers and this is what happened. 

 In the summer of 2011, they were presented with an opportunity to go on a missions trip to Uganda, Africa to work with the orphans in Iganga. It was there that we met and fell in love with Phiona. Her story is tragically beautiful in that she was almost aborted before she was born. The "house mom" at the orphanage talked Phiona's biological parents out of aborting but they only accepted on the condition that the house mom take Phiona once she was born. So, the day she was born, her biological parents gave her up. She lived with the house mom until she was 4 and has been living at the orphanage ever since. She is absolutely beautiful and is so full of joy and love that it would bring anyone to tears. Jacque said that she and her husband really do believe that she is the answer to their prayers and the "direction" that God wants them to follow.

I made this for little Phiona! The canvas next to it is for Mike and Jacque. I told my Bible Study to pray for them and that they get to bring Phiona home soon! They are so wonderful!! Send your prayers their way <3 <3 <3