Hope In Bloom Studio

Jumping back in on the last day of the ! I couldn’t post this without sharing the entirety of Psalm 146. If you don’t know Him, let me introduce you to to the God who is faithful forever: “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Getting into the Christmas spirit, inspired by ‘s recent gorgeous wreath! I have to admit I panicked a little when my baby granddaughter woke up from her nap right in the middle of painting wet on wet, but I managed to wrangle her AND the Pack ‘n Play before the paper dried out😅.
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Story time! I recently got to spend a few precious days at the Jersey shore with some of my besties who live all over the country. To get there at close to the same time, my trip included a red eye and three different flights. As I was waiting for the first leg in Portland, an announcement was made that my flight was delayed. Concerned, I went up to the airline desk to ask if I would still make my first connection in Seattle. The agent looked at his computer and told me “Mmmm, probably not.”😰 In my head, I could see my entire trip in shambles since the domino effect would certainly cause me to miss my flight in Chicago also. I tried to hide my panic as I started to inquire about any solution when the agent said, “Oh wait, are you Starla Brown?” When I heard him say my name, a flicker of hope flashed through my mind. I told him I was and he said, “Oh! We booked you on a non-stop direct to Chicago. It leaves in a couple hours,” effectively removing one leg of my trip and getting me there in plenty of time to make my last leg to Philly. It was better than I ever could have hoped! 🙌🏻 As I thought about that moment later, in the wee hours of the morning, it struck me that this is a perfect picture of what God does for us. 😭 We come to Him with our mess of sin and brokenness and wonder how this could ever work- how could we ever be accepted by One so good and holy? But then He calls us by name and makes a way because of His great sacrifice on the cross! All we have to do is accept this incredible gift and we are His! It’s better than we could have ever hoped!
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
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Shout out to for such a fun tutorial on painting this pumpkin, available to her members!