Front Porch Gathering

A couple of weekends ago I was honored to attend  the

Gather Together Coffee Roasters

, front porch gathering.  This event was for a 

special kick starter reward they will be offering. This Gathering Box will be full of fabulous goodies for the perfect Front Porch gathering. 

The Gathering Box will include the following, a 12 oz bag of coffee, 4 recipe cards, grocery list, party check list, 22 conversation cards, custom food labels for your gathering, 12 mini coffee scrubs. You will have the option to add in more coffee scrubs as well as cookies in your package.

It was truly a pleasure to be a small part of the Gathering Box and creating conversation cards for the lovely gatherings that will be taking place around this yummy coffee.

This coffee scrub smells heavenly! What the perfect little yummy detail added to the gathering box.   These were made in Hutto by 

Willow Bend Natural Skincare

.

The lovely Jessica Monnich is the creative and beautiful mind behind

Gathering Together Coffee Roasters

. She organized and planned this event, and it was amazing. This gathering is totally doable and would be such a blessing to do with your women's ministry, small group, neighborhood women. 

I'm so excited to plan my next gathering over this fun Gathering Box. Go take a peek at this amazing faith based coffee business and sign up for all the wonderful things to come. The coffee is yummy!!! 

She Inspires Experience Part 2

 I am excited to share the second part of She Inspires Experience. Saturday's event was phenomenal, the speakers, the worship, the stations! We kicked off Saturday with donuts, coffee, mingling, shopping and visiting the creative stations.. We ended up getting started a little bit later due to the weather, but once we got started, it was amazing. What an event full of God's presence!

 

 

The décor was fabulous! Thanks to Birch & Brass Vintage Rentals for the amazing seating design for our lovely speakers and the farm tables for attendees. And the lovely flowers by Simply Love Floral were gorgeous throughout the sanctuary.

 

 The makeup station was a hit! Lindy with Birdey's Place was busy adding her touch to one of the beautiful attendees..

 

 

The sweet Cindy Davis shared her story to kick on the speakers.

 

Kelly Rucker & Jenn Sprinkle, shared a piece of there story on togetherness. The lovely ladies behind The Well Studio

 

 

The Levites rocked the house... I didn't want worship to end.

 

 Heather Lindsey + her baby bump,  joined us all the way from Atlanta, and when I tell you she is anointed. That woman tells it like it is and God is doing some amazing through her and around her.. 

 

 

 

 

 The cakes by  Beth Rubio, were so pretty & yummy, and so were the cookies, by Midnight Cookie Baker..

 

 

We ended the day with ladies tying their fears to balloons and letting them go as they left the church. It was truly fulfilling to see women letting go of there balloons and being free from fear in that moment..

 

I can't wait until the next She Inspires Experience!! New dates coming soon!

Makayla's Story

This is Cheri here, with our first She Inspires feature of the year.. We figured we would end the week with one special girl! Here at She Inspires, women of all ages inspire us.  I want to introduce you to our little friend Makayla.  Makayla is twelve years old and is wise beyond her years.  She loves to read, loves art, loves her family, and mostly importantly love God.  When she grows up, she wants to become a Neurosurgeon. 

 
I met Makayla & her family several years and have since become great friends.  I have had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family throughout the years.  I have seen them at their best and I have seen them at their absolute worst.   Family sessions with them are always bittersweet, I love that I have been able to document these years.  The appreciation and joy that my images bring to them each and every year is priceless.   However, with each and every session there is a lump in my throat and often times we find tears burning our eyes because we see the fragility of life.   I see such raw happiness behind my camera, but I know they are fighting a raging battle.  Each day is a gift and what lies ahead is often times filled with uncertainty, but they handle each sharp turn with beauty, strength, faith, and grace.

So world, meet Makayla.  She is the face of strength, beauty, & grace.  A child of the King who is not defined by her illness, but fueled by it.   During the Summer of 2011 Makayla became extremely sick.  He illness started off with a horrible headache, progressed, and ended with a diagnosis of an incurable illness.  As a parent, you never want to hear the world incurable in conjunction with your child.  Makayla was formally diagnosed with Chiari Brain Malformation and Pseudotumor Cerebri. 

She has endured 26 surgeries during the last 3.5 years.  She still attends school, plays the Piano & Cello, and even in her most painful moments, has a smile on her face.  And her reasoning for wanting to become a neurosurgeon is fueled by her determined to find a cure for Chiari.   In her spare time you will find her studying the brain and reading medical books, YES, I said medical books.  Her room is full of them!! 

When she is not working on getting into Yale, she has a paint brush in hand or she is making paper cranes.  

Just this past month, she launched her very own website/e-store.  She continues to make sweet lemonade with life's lemons and inspires all those around her.  I truly believe if anyone is capable of becoming a neurosurgeon, this little lady can do it. She has perseverance, drive, determination, strength, and most importantly faith.  Follow her journey and become inspired.  This is a journey of courage, faith, & love at www.ourstrengthproject.com

  
 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26

She Shines::Lori Schneider with The Cupcake Bar

This next She Shines feature is from a beautiful girl that I consider a sweet friend, she is always smiling and Oh so vibrant,  and her love and passion for her business Shines through no matter what!  We welcome the lovely Lori Schneider, owner and creator of The Cupcake Bar. We had so much fun with this photo shoot and couldn't wait to share this feature with you all!

 

Be sure to visit The Cupcake Bar HERE and HERE and don't forget to book them for your next party, they can set up anywhere!

 

 

Tell us a little bit about The Cupcake Bar?

How did you come up with this idea? The Cupcake Bar was born from my love of cupcakes partnered with my catering background. After a trip to NYC, where I did a fun cupcake tour, I came back and tried out this concept. It was an instant hit and The Cupcake Bar was born!

What inspires you on a daily?
Honestly, it depends on the day! There are so many people and places you can draw inspiration from whether it be a meal, photo, quote, a happy news story, a friend or God. I have to stay I get inspiration from all of it, at different times. I think the key is being open to letting that inspiration in, at any point in your day.

 

What was your push and motivation when starting your business?

I really had so much fun working on this idea that I wanted to make it work! It was my dream job and to have my own dream job is motivating enough!

What's your design style?
I wish I could say that I have just one "style", but when we are designing a Cupcake Bar for an event we have to look at that event and see what makes the most design-sense and see what our clients' style is so that we may reflect that back into our set up! For my personal use, I really tend to like more of the modern, fresh look. I lived in Copenhagen for a while and, I really loved their clean, modern style.

 

What words of inspiration do you have for other aspiring business women?

Don't be afraid to seek out other business owners or, people in your profession and ask them questions about how they did it. It can be very overwhelming, but getting a fresh (and, honest) prospective can be so helpful. Also, get involved in industry-related organizations. They are great for meeting people and networking, but also so great for learning! Always, always keep learning!

What's your favorite quote or words of inspiration?
My favorite words, from my Dad, that I think back to when I am struggling are, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it". It is a great reminder to me, that sometimes you have to fight through those hard times but it is always worth it in the end.

 

 What are you doing when you aren't busy with cupcakes?

I absolutely love spending time with my family. We have a 2 1/2 year old son and I just enjoy watching him learn the little things in life. He's so much fun! My husband and I love trying out new restaurants and traveling as much as possible!

What three things do you have to have in your bag/purse on a daily?
My iPhone, Playdoh and about 5 lip glosses. I am a self-admitted lip gloss hoarder.

 

Thanks Lori for joining us here on She Inspires and sharing your love & passion! Continue to SHINE OUT LOUD!!

 

 

 

All images by CThompson Photography

 

WELCOME TO SHE INSPIRES!!

A NEW NAME.A NEW LOOK.A NEW BEGINNING

I can't believe this is finally coming to life. She Inspires has been in my thoughts for some time and to finally see it come to life brings  me so much JOY! Thanks to the fabulous Jessica over at Creative Index  for getting creative with me on this design.  Also thanks to my supportive husband and lovely friends for pushing me to get this going. SO many beautiful things to come. I am super excited to see where God is taking this.

For now take a look around and tell us what you think of She Inspires.

All images: C Thompson Photograhy