Autumn Giveaway

Reflect Visual Arts is giving away 2 card sets -- one on Facebook and one on Instagram

For how to enter on Facebook ~https://www.facebook.com/ReflectVA

For how to enter on Instagram ~ #reflectvisualarts

Buys of the Month

These buys will bring in the colder weather with ease!

Guest List Dress

Lily Dress

Black Blazer

Cream Blazer

Classic Chambrary

Tunic

Coral Cropped Pants

Pencil Skirt

Knit Sweater

Gold Tip Flats

Kitten Pumps

Boho Scarf

Dot Scarf

Global Tote

Happy Hat

**Please note that not all items from this store are recommended by SnP. Happy Shopping, but be mindful of what you purchase as an ambassador of Christ!**

Things Change

It's been almost two years since I wrote my first post on Silk and Purple. The design and creation of it was something I'd sneak away and work on every moment I could, because it had been an idea for four years beforehand. The ministry of this blog has reached far beyond my imagination, has reached countries closed to the gospel -- and it has and is growing me. I am a different person since 2007, but that is what we all do -- we change.

Our situations, knowledge, aspirations, style...they all change.

Before I continue with these ramblings, I must say I COULD NOT do this without my excellent team of committed individuals whose talents are used not for self, but unto the Lord! I can't tell you how many times a post by Elyse, Hope, Season, or Meghan has encouraged me. And without the countless hours of our editor making sure the posts don't look like this....

she was my frend. We where always happly engadged in games.

(Yes, this is rather close to what things look like before editing of this dyslexic writer.)

Here on Silk and Purple we are turning a new corner! We are all growing up and having new responsibilities and life paths open! Yet we still know the calling of sharing the goodness of Christ and encouraging Christian sisters in the Lord is not something we can give up.

We will be posting on Silk and Purple, but not every day as we once did. As you can tell, our posts are a little stretched out already, so we are going for more quality instead of quantity. If the Lord ever lays a post on your heart, email it to us.

Please pray for us as we start this leg of our journey, that the Lord will clearly show His direction for Silk and Purple. Things change, but our Lord never does, and that is only one of the reasons why we do what we do.

F.S. ~ A Way with Words

Mistakes in grammar and vocabulary, especially in our speech, are common topics in our households. As an English major and grammar fanatic, I often point out the tiny mistakes we make every day with our words. The gradual acceptance of misused forms of words is frustrating. Verbage has become the commonly used variance of verbiage. Snuck has become an accepted past participle of sneak, when sneaked is proper. Creeped is often used as the past participle of creep instead of the correct form crept, and the list could go on and on. So why have these words sneaked their way in?

We have become, in many ways, lazy or careless in our speech. I recently spent 10 days in England listening to the British accents, and I realized we have lost much of the beauty that we admire in their speech. It does not take much thought to insure that our pronoun use is correct and our past participles are proper. A well-spoken person gives the impression of a well-educated person. Perhaps we should give more thought to preserving the aspects of our language that keep it from deteriorating. A good writer aims for eloquence; a good speaker should do the same.

We Can't Stop

Sometimes I can be blown away by our culture's outlandish displays of sinful ambitions!

I heard a song by a rather popular singer who I will not name, because regardless of who sang the song or who wrote it does not matter -- what matters is the song's effect on our hearts.

This song talks about a loose lifestyle with no boundaries and the only purpose in life is to party. Not surprising its rising popularity when many young people believe just that. 

Party hard, then die.

Here are some quotes from the song:

We like to party
Dancing with Molly
Doing whatever we want
This is our house
This is our rules

And we can't stop
And we won't stop
Can't you see it's we who own the night?
Can't you see it's we who 'bout that life?

And we can't stop
And we won't stop
We run things, things don't run we
Don't take nothing from nobody
Yeah, yeah

It's our party we can do what we want
It's our party we can say what we want
It's our party we can love who we want
We can kiss who we want
We can sing what we want

It's our party we can do what we want to
It's our house we can love who we want to
It's our song we can sing if we want to
It's my mouth I can say what I want to

I could continue, but would not wish to expose you to any more.

The tune is catchy and definitely appeals to a young hip person. This is not an uncommon song. There are MANY far worse songs out there, but this song pulled a heart string in me.

This song is true.

We can't stop and won't stop. Our sinful hearts are born on a rampage to satisfy our desires. Though we may try to suppress it because we are around others who choose morality, imagine what you would do if you knew there would be NO consequences. No judgment, reproof, or repercussions for our thoughts, words, and actions.

Well, this is not the case. We live in a world with many consequences and rewards that even go on to eternity with us. God judges our actions, words, and guess what, our thoughts. A good judge doesn't let those things go unpunished. His standard is PERFECTION because He is PERFECTION.

Now, before you see God as an old white-bearded guy with a lightning bolt about to strike us all down, think about mercy.

God knows we can't and won't stop. He knows we love our sin so much that we must have a miracle. So it is a miracle. He gives us the ability to heal where we cannot heal and know what we shouldn't know. To love when we can't love. He replaces our love of sin with a love for Him, all through Christ. Once we choose to follow Christ -- learning to love what He loves and hate what He hates -- only then can we stop.

So let's twist these words.

And we can stop

And we must stop

Can't you see it's He who owns my life?

It's not my life -- It's now His

It's not my possession -- It's now His

It's not my body -- It's now His

And guess what. He will care for me far better than I can care for myself.

Trend Color Report

The best way to stay fresh is to keep updated with the colors of the season. Here are some colors to remember when adding to your fall wardrobe.

Bringing Back Black

Black is such a great neutral. It's ageless and timeless, and also is the perfect way to enter into the late summer and early fall with ease! No matter what your personal style, I'm sure you have some black garments that are longing to be worn.

Buy of the Week

The Lord gives us all types of shapes and sizes when it comes to our bodies! Trying to find trendy, flattering clothing when you are more curvy can be hard. Here are some fun items to add to your wardrobe!

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/all-that-and-demure-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/easygoing-get-together-dress-in-plus-size

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/wine-tasting-weekend-skirt-in-plus-size

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/doll-about-town-skirt

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/blouses/play-attention-top-in-plus-size

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/blouses/the-grand-tour-guide-top-in-teal

**Please note that not all items from this store are recommended by SnP. Happy Shopping, but be mindful of what you purchase as an ambassador of Christ!**

Never-Ending Joy

I don't know if you realize this, but NEVER-ENDING JOY is in your future! And no, I'm not telling you this because I saw it in your horoscope or I'm one of those psychics like you see on TV. I don't have to tell you this is some kind of prediction that only I can give you because I read it from the world's best-selling book, which, in case you didn't know, was inspired by Someone who lives outside of time itself.

John 16:22 says, "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

You know what that means? It means that there will come a day when the things and people of this world that get you down will never again take away the joy that God has given you. There will be no more sickness to damage your body or temptations to trouble your mind. The constant fight to stay pure in a deteriorating world will no longer bear its weight on you, and you will be free from all the worry and strife you face each and every day. Now, reading this, you may think I'm reflecting too much on the negative side of things, but trust me; I'm not. I'm just reminding you that even though we each have our share of troubles on earth, a time of never-ending joy is coming sooner than you think! Can you imagine it? Nothing but ecstasy and joy all day, all the time! I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm really excited about this new and perfect world. But, excited as I am, sometimes the frustrations of life prevent me from looking ahead to the future God has promised for me. If you ever feel this way, take a moment to slow down and remember that the frustrations will all be over soon. Most importantly, remember the reason why this perfect joy will be ours someday.

If it weren't for God, our never-ending joy would never come to be. It takes a perfect God and a personal relationship with His Son to overcome the opposition, and if They'd just left it at that, we'd still be too lost in our sins to have true joy. But Jesus died for us, had that time of unspeakable pain for us so that we may have joy for all eternity. On that note, I have but one thing left to tell you, and it's this. After you've read this, your life probably won't change significantly. But remember the never-ending joy coming to you, and I guarantee it will make life that much sweeter.

Bright and White

All right, ladies! I found an amazing teeth whitening trick! I stumbled upon it, gave it a try, and loved the results!

Take 1/4 cup of baking soda and mix it with the juice of 1/2 lemon and then apply it to your teeth with a q-tip. Leave on your teeth for 1 minute, then brush. This amount is more than enough for two people, so share with your family :)

Buy of the Week

Need a little elegance in your life? Try these southern lady classics.

Classic Dot Dress!

http://junieblake.com/on-sale/modest-dresses-sally.html

Long Pearls

http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/Jewelry/Necklaces/entity/pc/3045/c/0/sc/2601/237530.uts?refinementValueIds=1674&sortByColumnName=SortByArrival?colorCode=301464492_105

Mint Bag

http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/Accessories/Bags/entity/pc/2116/c/0/sc/2584/238688.uts?refinementValueIds=1632&sortByColumnName=SortByArrival?colorCode=301473325_001

**Please note that not all items from this store are recommended by SnP. Happy Shopping, but be mindful of what you purchase as an ambassador of Christ!**