what does HE love?

2012-01-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

i am made of completely different stuff than when i began.

my views of dressing have changed.
my entire life has changed.
therefore this blog will change.

{it should also come to life more than once a year, ah ha.}

dear friends, let's get ready to serve the Lord through our dress.

a practical, sober-minded woman

2010-10-03T23:05:00.015-05:00

being the hard-working woman i know you are, you don't always have time to put together the perfect outfit. that's alright! there's more important things to do out there. soooo, the next two items in my top 10 items every woman needs in her wardrobe are practical ones. read on and learn!

5.really, really great jeans.

in all of my shopping/design experience, finding the perfect pair of jeans does not necessarily equate to a high price point. my favorite pairs of jeans have come from the gorgeous boutique where i work, jc penney's, and yes, goodwill. most have been under $20. my $5 penney's find fit better and have a higher quality denim than my $200 citizens of humanity (a gift, thank you!) pair. i'm not saying to skimp on quality, but you don't always need to drop a wad to find it. the key to finding good jeans is time. take an entire day to explore a gigantic mall for the pairs that fit you best. or, better yet, go to a local boutique to find the ‘one.’ it might be a little pricier than the big ticket stores, but the service will not compare! If you don’t know what looks good on you, go to a smaller store where they can help you individually.

tip: never buy your jeans too tight. obviously there are modesty issues there, but, more excitingly, it's just simply not as flattering. also, don’t hesitate to invest in alterations. the correct hem length is essential lest your legs look shorter.

here are some of my favorite selections, for all body types:

i. love. these. jeans!! i wear them. yup, can't help it! they're so worth the money, being more comfortable than any pair i've ever had and better fitting, too. they come in all different styles and fabrics for varying body types. they cover every age range, from me (23) to my mom, to one of my classy 90 year old customers. if you hae a hard time finding jeans that fit, try these.

these here 7 For All Mankind jeans are great fitting for a range of body types. this particular pair is a great example of how straight the pants should fit in the leg. with skinny jeans the exception, our pants should look long and lean, with no buckling that the thighs, knees or ankles. that will shorten your leg and add bulges to places you don't want them.

tip: if you have a wider hip, wear jeans that have at least a bootcut leg. it will balance out your upper half. if you have straight hips, you can get away with wearing straighter jeans. there are so many more rules on this; another article will necessary to cover the subject!

6.decorative flats

even if you are the most reserved and casual of dressers, bold shoes will give the illusion you are a style pro. like most of us, i work a lot and need to be practical with flats. i love my white chucks, but they aren't the most professional of footwear options so i cannot usually wear them. when i go out of the house, i want to add some sparkle to my jeans and tees with cute ballet slippers. go for it, ladies. you'll feel so spiffy when you look around at everyone else's boring shoes.

flat option #1:

this ballet flat is stunning. simple and sophisticated, and not too young. and, it's handmade in italy! i can attest to the comfort and quality of this shoe. they come in a range of colors and finishes, from metallic to suede. great for every day! check out this cobbler's site on etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/telena?ref=pr_shop_more

more ballet styles to love .

flat option #2:

ballets aren't the only great flat! loafers are another spectacular classic that are easy to throw on with jeans for every day. they can have a little pizzaz; don't be afraid to go bold! oh, and an interesting color will add personality to your ensemble. if you love fashion, shoes are just another fun way of expression. if your style is minimalistic, funky footwear is the perfect, easy way to add a dash of spice to your simple look.

well, we've completed #'s 5 and 6 in my top 10 fashion must-have's! enjoy and have a fashionable week, everyone.

xoxo Alexa

2009-03-19T23:34:00.001-05:00

the youth pastor at my church told me satan attacks the hardest when his time is the shortest. meaning my time of intense suffering in almost over. YES! isn't that amazing?

and then God answered a my prayer for work the second i walked out the church door.

thank you, Jesus.

a beautifully modest woman. (part II of V)

2009-03-19T20:56:00.007-05:00

alright! it's about time to get this gig a movin.' don't you want to know what else you MUST HAVE in that disheveled wardrobe of yours? here are numbers 3 and 4 of the top 10 items every woman needs in her wardrobe.

3.a huge, luxurious wrap.

this is the most practical and glamorous accessory you can possibly own. wear it around your neck as a super thick, warm scarf and then as a wrap when you reach your destination. they add immediate style to any outfit-jeans and tees during class or to a dress at church. i never, ever leave the house without one. ever. the key is to wear it loosely-it's much more flattering to your face and neck.

this style is flattering because it gives the appearance of height(yeeee-es.)

easy as pie. just throw it around you.

so cute with a jacket.

4.a pencil skirt

ah, the skirt. many women don't even like em, but i'm tellin ya, ladies, we shouldn't live without em! the way you'll feel when you wear a pencil skirt is unexplainable. style will exude from even the simplest of outfits paired with this classic dig. easy to coordinate with any style wardrobe, the pencil skirt is a another great piece to go from day to night. no matter the season, this simple silhouette will never go out of fashion.

vintage!

denim!

black!

ps. i get most of my skirts at goodwill! they are made with much better fabrics than you will find in a lot of departments stores, and industry standards were higher 20+ years ago than they are now. therefore, the overall quality is just better in most vintage pieces (unless you are willing to SPEND.) as for the wrap, i get all mine at a boutique that i work at in downtown holly michigan. it's loooovely.

a stunningly attractive woman. (part I of V)

2009-02-17T19:52:00.001-06:00

yeah, i said it.

are we supposed to be obsessed with our looks? of course not.

but we better be attractive to our husbands! (and hey, ourselves.)

sooooo...

let's dress like babes!

as a fashion designer, i am constantly getting asked my style advice. my style is super eclectic (i love every style of dress, so what's a girl to do but wear it all?!)

this advice isn't just for young chicks-every woman can benefit. after all, who do you think dresses my mom? seriously.

alright, here are my top 10 items every woman needs in her wardrobe.(or at least the first 2. more commin’ at ya soon.)

1.an understated piece of jewelry (or two)

this doesn't mean it's small and boring. example: i have a vintage mustard-colored bakelite bangle that i wear every single day. i've worn it for the past year and a half, and still look forward to putting it on. i have a clear plastic heart cocktail ring i wear daily as well. both pieces blend but pop nicely with every color and outfit, and i have grown to feel like they are a part of who i am. as silly as that may sound, it's nice to wear a piece that we feel represents us and reminds us of how special and unique we are. whether i'm washing the dishes or am at a major fashion event, i'm wearing them.

2. a shoulder bag.

if the right one is found, this is another must-have piece. every girl needs a big bag to carry all the necessities of life. carrying it diagonally over the body creates a nice slimming line, as well as allows two free hands. you won't know how you ever got around with that annoying little handbag.

notice the illusion of height the lines from wearing the bag diagonally give to my short frame. even if you don't know what i'm talking about, i promise you i'm right. :) i especially love the chartreuse color-i wear this bag with everything.

alrighty, there are 2 very necessary wardrobe components out of 10. go on a mission to find your perfect pieces. there'll be more coming soon-you don't want to miss it!

xoxo Alexa

the choice to trust.

2009-02-12T23:24:00.000-06:00

my heart hurts.

so much.

this has been a very empty season in my walk with Christ.

my soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.

my eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, "when will You comfort me?" (psalm 119:81&82)

this is a first for me. in my few years on earth, i have never experienced such a lack of unity with my Lord. whenever i have sought, He has always been there. i know He is still there, i just can't feel Him.

why is this?

i have been pestering everyone i know for knowledge on this miserable limbo i have been experiencing. during this desperate search for an answer, my dear friends and i have come to a multi-faceted conclusion:

our sin separates us from God and can only be washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, which has already happend in my life (yay!) even though we know we as christians are forgiven, sometimes sin can get in the way of our relationship with christ. however, i know this is not what's going on in this particular desert i am walking through. i have given every part of me to him willingly and don't know what else to do. the next part of our answer is simply that God may draw his heavy hand of spiritual feelings away for a period simply to make us long after him. i just never knew how awful it would feel. (don't get me wrong, He says He will never leave or forsake us and that is TRUE.)

so, my answer is this.

but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (isaiah 40:31)

what am i supposed to be waiting for?

waiting is not passive. that's the part that gives me hope.

and no matter what, even if this desert is weeks, or months, or even years, long, i KNOW He is right beside me and there for the taking because His word tells me so. so i will make the choice to trust in

Him even though i don't feel a darn thing.

i have a feeling i am going to see major workings of Christ in my life during this wretched time, and i am excited.

and they that know Thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. (psalm 9:10)

life is not a question of whether or not we can trust our creator. aren't you so thankful for that? if no, contact me and will chat some more. i don't know everything, i know that He is faithful to those who love Him.

we must choose to trust when our heart wants to give up. make the choice, and he will change your heart.

now that, i know.

i know that i know that i know.

thank you, Jesus.

HE loves a modest girl

2009-02-05T00:35:00.001-06:00

what in the fried bologna does that mean?

don't show your boobs too much?

i think not.

i read this book recently by a crazy uber-conservative couple (don't get me wrong, i am just that) and learned a little something about modesty.

it was the best chapter in the book. they told about how being modest was not just about how we dress or in other aesthetics. we've all heard that verse: "...that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array...(1 Timothy 2:9.)

how may of us have actually studied that, girls?

okay, so we know not to hang it all out there. i'll let you use your own imagination as to the many reasons why. but, what about this shamefacedness and sobriety (sounds like) nonsense?

it's not.

it means we're not supposed to be silly, amused (finition: happy but mindless time-wasting,) or out to get attention. i have a silly personality, but i am not a silly girl. there's a difference, dear friends. be serious when you should be. your entire demeanor can be goofy, respectful, pleasant, and, well, modest, all at the same time. don't think GOD wants you to lose your peppy personality, because HE doesn't. HE just wants you to think of holier, more righteous things than yourself. how can we do that if we are constantly harboring the deadly disease of inane entertainment in our daily lives? and let's not forget the importance of how we dress.

quick tip: buy your pants a size too large. this will make you look thinner, like you've lost weight, and be much less form fitting. as a fashion designer, this is my trick to looking thin. also, add a neck scarf to that too-low top. so chic and GOD-pleasing!

to be perfectly blunt, any time we get all dressed up and think "well golly, i look cute" and hope everyone else thinks it too, we're being immodest. if we want the boy or snotty girl in the pew behind us on Sunday morning to look at us and see how adorable or funny or talented we are, we are being immodest. we can do this even if we aren't dressing like a sleeze-bucket.

who's friend would you rather be? a girl (or guy) who's spends their time on the interests of others or the friend of someone who just wants to be noticed?

i had never thought about it like that. now i'm definitely making sure i am the former.

what other modesty tips and tricks do you have, behavior or fashion wise?

a girl who wants it all.

2009-02-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

use me, waste me, break me on YOU LORD.

ruin me, break me, waste me on YOU.

to starve is to feast and less of me is more of JESUS

LORD, i want it all

if i lose my life, i gain everything

at the cross away with all deaths stain

LORD, i want it all

LORD, i want it all.

(I Want it All by Shane and Shane)

i chaperoned for our church's youth retreat this past weekend and was fortunate enough to have GOD work in my own heart. i almost felt guilty at first-like i was taking away the plans the LORD had in store for me to help the teens. but, i was reminded the timing of the HOLY SPIRIT isn't something to take lightly. to be quite honest, HE did more than let me have some emotional experience-he revealed something major, something that has been hidden so deep in my heart i didn't even know it was there.

now believe me, i've looked. i've begged for JESUS to show me where i'm not trusting him or not obeying him. i am more than willing to give up everything in order to take up my cross and follow him. but i have had no clue what was hindering my relationship with him, and it has been going on for almost a year.

i still can't look back and say, "ah, alright, i was stupid, i see where i messed up." that's what made giving it all to HIM so difficult. what was i holding on to?

after several hours of dissecting the issue with my youth pastor and another close friend, i was informed i have been simply missing out on HIS grace because i want to please him so much.

what the heck?

no, i wasn't living a works based faith. i am definitely saved. and know my works are like filthy rags in his sight. this dry spell in my relationship with CHRIST rather new development. i know what HIS grace feels like. i have been born again, and it's indescribable.

i analyze. a lot. i want to know everything. i want to be right. i don't want to be like job and question GOD, and i don't want to be in love with the LORD like david but go out and kill someone. i want to be in relationship with him and be righteous at the same time. not a bad thing, but satan has twisted this concept for me.

i have been refusing to accept GOD's grace simply because i have not felt his love for me. i over-analyze by talking it out with him, saying "GOD, i know you love me because of how blessed i am by having such amazing people in my life. i know i am blessed, and i know i am loved."

and then the conversation stops. and all i want so desperately is for it to continue.

i am so afraid of expressing any kind of unhappiness or discontent to the LORD for fear of having someone i love be removed from my life. maybe the rejection i have felt so harshly in the past 2 years of my life has something to do with it (2 men in 2 years proclaiming their love and plans to marry me and then changing their minds quite suddenly out of fear of providing or just simply not loving me enough.) i have fully trusted the LORD through all of this, knowing HIS ways are not my ways and all will be more than well. but the rejection of men has caused me so much grief i have lost the simple, joyous feeling of GOD's love and grace for me. i know it's there, i just haven't been able to feel it. and i have been too scared to be honest with GOD. i don't want to be wrong . i don't want to be ungrateful. i don't want to be one of those new-age christians who just talk about their spiritual experience crap. i just want to be content, faithful, patient, and to feel HIS love again!

i want it all. who knew it was something so simple this whole time? well, i did, but then i started analyzing....

JESUS, help us to be righteous through the strength of YOUR HOLY SPIRIT, and pour down your love on us.

she willingly works with her hands.

2009-01-29T20:52:00.002-06:00

i love the fact that this pertains to me.

i'm a crafter, a designer, and artist. and i make a living at it with one sole purpose in mind.

read proverbs 31, ladies. does it pertain to you? i'm working really hard to make more than just the crafting/working part of the chapter refer to me. i'm not married, so the wife part doesn't work-but i can try and be as prepared as possible for when that day comes.

my fashion design career is built around the fact i will some day be a wife and momma.

what can you do to benefit your future husband and kiddies? how can you use your talents to praise the LORD, help others, bring in some spare cash, and stay at home to make your family #1?

here's a book that has rocked my (even unmarried) world: created to be his help meet by mrs. debi pearl. you can learn more and purchase this life altering book at no greater joy. it's intense, and you probably will be quite offended. but debi's biblical, wise, and true teachings have saved literally thousands of marriages from falling into the hands of the devil. there's no better time for us single girls to learn how to be a godly wife than before we mess up our marriages by dishonoring GOD! (and our future husbands.)

why would you do all this? read the bible (and debi's book) and find out. ladies, if we are married (or plan to be) i don't think this style of living is an option god gives us.

may GOD bless you and keep you in your search for HIS plan for your life.

xoxo alexa

let me share my life with you.

2009-01-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

soooo...here it is.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah art is cool blah blah blah life is hard blab blah i think i'm interesting or else i wouldn't be doing this blog blah blah blah (cough) sarcasm blah blah blah-di-blah blah.

how the heck do people start these things? i just spelled people wrong like 4 times. i have so much to share and don't really know where to begin. maybe i should stick to reading.

how can one become interested in someone else's story telling and advice if they have never heard their voice? how do you know which parts are humorous and which parts are somber? what if i get the high point of a particular sentence wrong in my head? i could've ruined the whole story!

yeah, this is going to take some practice.

stay with me, people.

okay, why don't you ask me things. then i will answer them in the most godly, loving (not splenda-riffic) way i can. i'll let ya know where the sarcasm is.

hearts.