These days, we could all use a little more encouragement than usual, perhaps. So I’m revisiting our barnyard friend, Percy the Persevering Rooster. I’m working on a few more of the sculptures, which will be in the shop soon (so if you missed the last one, stay tuned). Percy was one of the most popular […]
Waiting to Reap (pictured above), by Stephen Rountree, is an original painting in acrylic on salvaged, early 1900s barn wood, lightly coated in white pickling stain. The encouraging words of Galatians 6:9 are hand-transferred onto the wood in distressed lettering. Waiting to Reap is available in the shop today. Are you tired yet? You might […]
Guest bloggers share secrets of decluttering As promised last week, I’m delighted to present this guest post from my friends, Gretchen Moen and Lynda Reider, decluttering and organizing geniuses. Together they are Cut the Clutter RVA, serving clients throughout the Richmond, Virginia region and sometimes beyond. If, like me, you could use a little more […]
Keeping a good frame of mind How are you staying sane during the pandemic? Faithful Inspiring Handmade reader, Emmaline, sent me a packet of wonderful drawings last week. She tells me she’s been making more of these lately and says they help keep her walking in the light!To create something beautiful or encouraging, as I’ve […]
Crazy quotes for crazy times Other than Yogi Berra (“When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” and “It ain’t over till it’s over”, among others), few people are as famous for uttering as many malapropisms as Hollywood movie producer, Samuel Goldwyn, who was the “G” in MGM. There’s debate over some […]
Further thoughts on Jonah and the finished sculpture In last week’s post, I shared a new Jonah sculpture in progress on the workbench. This week, I’m happy to share the finished piece. It’s now waiting in the shop, ready for a good home. As I was putting the finishing touches on this, a new perspective […]
A first-series Jonah sculpture is currently available in the shop. A fish story I haven’t seen any statistics, but I believe there’s a lot of praying going on in our country—and the world—at the moment. And that’s a good thing. The microscopic coronavirus might do for us what the fish (or whale) did for Jonah […]
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That sav’d a wretch like me!I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779 From the sketchbook For a while now, I’ve been thinking about the lyrics to this hymn—one of the most venerable ever written. Former British slave trader, John Newton, […]
There’s something special about still water. A quiet pond or lake, a lazily moving stream—they seem to radiate peace and at the same time almost absorb any stress or anxiety that comes near their shores. King David knew the power of God, who created the still waters that brought comfort and calm. David appreciated the […]
Protesting the war—on ourselves If you’ve been reading us for a while, (or if you’ve read our welcome post) you know the vision behind Inspiring Handmade is found in Philippians 4:8, where the apostle Paul writes, “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if […]
