More Heart...Less Attack

My daughter and I went to a NeedtoBreathe concert on Saturday night...the lighting was weird and we look very pink in the photo...it's sort of cool I think!

oh my holy freakin' goodness that was a good concert!
We sat in the balcony.
That proved to be an excellent choice.
The main floor was wall to wall people...
standing room only...
hot, sweaty, high-heeled, phone raising, screaming people...
I'm too old for that kind of togetherness.
Mostly, I was worried I'd get stepped on.
I have big feet so it happens easily in less crowded situations...
imagine the odds in that sort of scenario!
So the show starts...
it rocked...HARD!
I had perma-smile...
My hands hurt from all the clapping...
I sang...loud...and not well...
but it didn't matter because the music was louder.
I danced in my seat...
No one in the balcony was standing...
A blessing and a curse...
There are only so many moves you can do while sitting before you start bothering your neighbor.
We danced every one of those moves.
They played my favorite songs...my very favorite ones...
I almost teared up when they played "Keep your eyes open"...
I learned to run by pushing repeat on my iPod when I felt like quitting...
I've heard that song one million times...
It was heaven to see it played live.
They played for nearly two hours and when they came back for a second encore,
They played "More Heart, Less Attack".
It was quiet and beautiful and convicting...
Here are the words...

Be the light in the crack
Be the one that's been there on the camel's back
Slow to anger, quick to laugh
Be more heart and less attack

Be the wheels not the track
Be the wanderer that's coming back
Leave the past right where it's at
Be more heart and less attack

The more you take the less you have
Cuz it's you in the mirror staring back
Quick to let go, slow to react
Be more heart and less attack

Ever growing steadfast
And if need be the one that's in the gap
Be the never turning back
Twice the heart any man could have

Be the wheels not the track
Be the wanderer that's coming back
Leave the past right where it's at
Be more heart and less attack
Be more heart and less attack
Be more heart and less attack

There's a little more to the song, but that's the gist of it...

The "Amen's" could be heard ringing out from every corner of the venue.

It was a good reminder...

Love must be seasoned with grace...
lots and lots and lots of grace...
God's so perfect at that...
us, not so much.
I'm going to work on that...

Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Vintage Crafty Goodness!

Feelin' Crafty today!  

I have lots of these fabulous vintage brass stencils but I wasn't sure what to do with them.  In my recent clean-out of my studio, I just couldn't get rid of them.  They're metal, they're letters, two things I'm attracted to when I peruse thrift and antiques shops.  Surely there's SOMETHING unique I can do with these!

Then it hit me.

I love candles...and the letters slip together end to end.  I could make a decorative text sleeve for a candle!

At first, I was inspired by my daughter's upcoming wedding...and the first design I came up with uses  their initials and the date of their wedding.  I love it!

The problem with these stencils is that there is only one of each letter...which makes doing anything other than stenciling with them, a little challenging if you have only one or two sets!  I was able to come up with letters of varying sizes to spell Family, Love and Fun...and made one more candle sleeve for a larger candle!

I love the varying sizes and the mismatched look!  I've made one other project with these stencils about a year ago...this sign hangs above our bed...I made it for my husband when he came home from his deployment.

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for more of the stencils!  I saw a lamp shade made from these stencils, connected by jump rings, and fell in love!  I must make one for myself...someday...when I hit the motherlode of brass stencils!  My favorite thing about these projects is that they give an old utilitarian supply that has served it's purpose, a new and beautiful life!

Happy Creating!