How Great Thou Art

It wasn't written overnight.
This beautiful hymn was written over the course of a few years.
It started because of a thunderstorm.
And in the majesty and power of a moment, How Great Thou Art was born.

Our stories are not written overnight.
We don't wake up one day and step into our wholeness.
We are stories, being written one day at a time.
And in His power and majesty, we are becoming a beautiful hymn.

Sunday nights are a favorite at the studio.
We begin with a devotion.
He created us first. So we believe pausing to praise our creator is important before we create.

Seven amazing ladies filled our studio last night.
They brought 7 scriptures and quotes that came to life on canvas.
Each representative of their stories, their passions, their beliefs.

As we painted we were reminded of these truths.

Our creator has made ALL things beautiful in HIS time.
HE is greater than he that is in the world.
His grace is sufficient.
What we aim for in life doesn't always build character, but reveals it.
We are like the lights shining in the universe, therefore REJOICE.
Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude toward us.
The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised.

All simple, beautiful truths that we all know, yet need to be reminded of on a daily basis.

Come join us, will you?

July is packed full of fun and excitement. 

We are making and painting anchor, lighthouses, button fun on canvas. We have lots birthday parties and private parties scheduled.

July is hovering over us all today.
As we say goodbye to June may we marvel in the majesty around us.
Look for blessings and be a blessing.

See y'all soon.

MAKE

A new month is upon us and we are welcoming March with open arms, begging for the nice weather to stay with us as we prepare our souls for spring.

At A Place to Land, March is about MAKING.
Making beautiful things come into being, so they can be used, shared, and loved.

As artists, we have a serious job to do.
Our job is to create.

Erwin McManus puts it this way in his latest book, The Artisan Soul...

"To create is to human."
"To create is to fulfill our divine intention.
"To create is to reflect the image of God"
"To create is an act of worship."

"So, who is an artist? Anyone who has a soul."

Hey, that means you friend. If you have a soul, you are an artist.

Join us in March, will you?
Make March a month of Making.

Make it, Bake it, Shake it, Paint it, Write it, Glue it. Frame it.

Then, keep it.

Yep, we want you to keep everything you make.
Find a space in a room, or your garage and hold onto all you Make.

Why, you may be wondering?
Because April is all about SHARING!
(More info coming soon about our month of sharing).

Everything we make is a direct representation of what is inside our souls.
And our souls need to be shared with one another.

We will be doing lots of fun giveaways at each of our studio events, for adults and kids!

We wish each of you a creative-filled, idea-packed March!

Time for Takeoff...
Here we go.

One thing...

Jesus Christ spent every single day, doing one thing well.
His one thing was sharing God's love through His teachings.
Jesus was the most creative, loving, and fair teacher in all the world.

What is the one thing you do well in your life?

Teaching?
Writing?
Creating?
Listening?
Serving?
Singing?

Take time to reflect on your one thing today.
Ask yourself how you can use your one thing to glorify God.
Doing your one thing well requires an abundance of faith, focus, and practice.

Remember, we do nothing well, without the counsel of our Father in heaven.
John 5:19 reminds us that even Christ could do nothing on his own accord, but only what He saw the Father doing.

What are you waiting on?
Dream now.
Start living the life you desire.
The life God desires for you.

At A Place to Land, we believe in creativity.
Creativity is the one thing we do well.
Come celebrate who you are and who you want to be with us!

We'd love to have you!

Be blessed today.

Your canvas.

Empty?
A Work in Progress?
Complete?
Beautful?

What word(s) best describe your life's canvas?

 My current canvas is a work in progress, as I am still learning about my calling, my direction, and my future. As each day passes, God places new strokes on my canvas and reveals more and more of the masterpiece He is making.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 reminds us that God is a wise masterbuilder and has laid the foundation of our lives through Jesus Christ.

He is our first layer. Our essential medium. Our beginning.

We so easily forget who holds the paintbrush.
We so easily forget that we are the stewards of the creative gifts that God has placed within us.
Let us remember today, the gift giver, canvas creator, master builder of our lives.

Yesterday a friend shared a C.S Lewis quote that resonated with me.
"You don't have a soul."
"You are a soul."

Let your soul speak.
Let your soul create.
Let your soul paint.

Lend an ear and a word.
Lend a hand and a brush.
And commit to create something beautiful today.

Your canvas is waiting.

What's next...

"I really like this class because it is inspiring and I never know what's going to happen next."

She spoke these words from the heart and when she did I knew she meant every word.

She spoke such a simple truth, that is not only true about art, but true of life.

As much as we plan, and schedule, and organize, the truth is we really don't know what is going to happen from one moment to the next.

I go between loving and fearing the unexpected.

My sweet creative student renewed my love of the unexpected yesterday when she spoke those simple true words.

Artists need unclenched fists, open hearts, and eyes that are willing to look at things a bit differently.

I think that's why some of my favorite artists are kids. 

As artists, God wants us to speak life and truth into each other's lives. 

He wants creativity to be spread contagiously.

He wants us to be okay with what He has prepared for us, moment to moment.

Praying your mysteriously inspired today.

What is stirring you?

Paint in a can must first be stirred in order for it to be applied smoothly to a wall. If not mixed, it will dry in tones and look splotchy because it tends to separate into layers when it has been sitting around for too long.

As artists
As Christians
As humans...

We NEED to be stirred.
We were made to create.

And in order to create we must first be stirred.

What's stirring you up these days?

Do you have a dream you've been dreaming?
A goal that needs accomplished?
A canvas that needs painting?

Pay attention to your inner stirrings today.
Look at your layers you've built inside.
Peel back parts of you that have been sitting around for far too long.

Open your can of paint today.
Stir it up.
Be moved.
And see what happens.

2014. Preparing for Takeoff!

We landed.

2013 was such an amazing, creative, super fun adventure.

And we anticipate our next flight around the sun in 2014.

Our studio has gone through many changes this past year and we are truly blessed and extremely thankful to everyone who has supported us and stepped through our doors!

We plan to make this year even more extraordinary and we want YOU to be apart of it!

We believe that everyone needs a place to land. A place to dream and celebrate, and create. God has given us all creative gifts and we want our studio to be a space that will inspire and nurture those gifts. We strive to make our business, God's business. He is the great creator and we believe the words in Ephesians 2:10- that tells us that we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Therefore, we try to put a piece of the master in our work at A Place to Land. We hope that Christ will be manifested in all that we say and do and create. We don't want to be the greatest, the smartest, the coolest, or the richest. We want to be the bravest and the strongest, the wisest and the most faithful. We want our business to shine so bright and so boldly that our studio will naturally reflect the beauty of love of Christ.

We stand in awe of our creator.

And we pray He will continue to bless us.

Many of you know that this past summer, Mandy DeMeio joined the studio and together we are working to create inspiring studio nights and private parties for you. Mandy has brought so much life, love, organization, and creativity into our space. Together, as owners, we want to make sure 2014 offers you space to be inspired. We want your most creative self to SHINE.

This year we are also partnering with two local artists who want to share their gifts and talents with you. Stacey Lloyd Vincent of 4 the Love of Cards will be teaching card-making classes. And Deni Schutlz-Patrignelli of Denimnotes Beads and Boutiqe will be teaching creative jewelry classes. Both of these ladies have fantastic ideas and inspiring work. Show some local love and come out and support these ladies! Their classes and contact information can be found on our website.

We have also added two certified teachers to our line-up as the need for tutoring and test preparation has grown. Tessley Moss and Susan Gallegher are currently looking for 6-8 students to work with once per week in Reading and Math. They will create individualized academic plans for each student and work closely with parents to ensure academic success. We will also be adding EOG Prep Boot Camp to our line up in the Spring. Daniel Noles is our certified math teacher and he is currently looking for 1-2 more math students to join his sessions on Tuesday's at the studio. 

Many great things are in store for this year.

If you need a place to party, a place to create, a place to learn, a place to rent, a place to read, or a place where you can step away from life for a bit and breathe-- A place to land is a place for YOU!

So fasten your safety belts and  prepare for take-off.

A Place to Land is on the runway and ready for departure.

Here we go.

Join us!