Contentment...

... be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
(Hebrews 13:5)

















("Contentment", original painting by StudioJJARTWORKS)

Today is not necessarily an easy day for many of us, and we vent our discontentment in many ways. Recently, I'm praying about confronting a dear friend of mine for constantly putting others down with criticism, which does not say so much about those people are but more about how unhappy/discontent he is with his life... Suddenly, it dawns to me that his and my inability to be content with our circumstances actually hurt us so much more than others, and we are unknowingly pushing joy (and other people) away by refusing to rest and be content.

Contentment is indeed a choice, not just a feeling. Just like love.... Yet, it is definitely not an easy thing to do... So, in case it's getting too hard to be content, God, in his infinite wisdom and love, comes in the picture to give us the most logical reason and the only encouragement we need in order to be content, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Nope, my life is still no where near perfect, but I guess I can truly rest now in this great promise... If the God of the universe is on my side, why am I complaining and refusing to let go of my frustration with life and "let God be God"?

This familiar little verse has been a huge encouragement for me today, and I hope it will give you hope as well. How about you? Are you embracing this promise for yourself today? Let's rejoice in our Lord...

Contentment...

Discouragement...

(Green Pastures Oil Painting by NewCreatioNZ)

Today, I felt rather discouraged... Honestly, things are not going so well. My plan of going back to school is heading no where, and I'm not sure what is the right thing to do with my life meanwhile.

Whenever I'm sad or lonely, I often read the book of Psalms in the Bible, especially the psalms of lamentations. Somehow, I see myself in the psalmists' pains and sorrows and thus find comfort and eventually joy... Psalm 22 is what I've read today. Besides the groaning of the psalmist, this Psalm is also a prophecy of Christ's crucifixion... It is indeed a divine intervention that Psalm 22 is followed by Psalm 23, a psalm of assurance and peace. Salvation has come, and after all, that's more than enough for me to continue to trust Him and stand strong...

Hope that this familiar Psalm will also bring you encouragement anew...

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in path of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Discouragement...

My passion for jewelry making...

Yes, making jewelry is a hobby. It is so much fun and exciting even though I wouldn't recommend it to everyone since it can be quite costly. LOL. Seriously, nothing (relatively speaking!) can beat the thrill of anticipating how a piece of jewelry would turn out and seeing them in real life (vs. in my imagination). Sometimes, the beads just choose one another, and after all, I can't help wondering, "What do I have to do with this beautiful jewelry? I can't believe I made it!" :)














Nevertheless, as a quasi-artist and a Christian, making jewelry means a lot more to me...

Opening and running this jewelry shop on Etsy is pretty much my first public acceptance of my artistic side, almost like having peace with yourself after years of struggling. Though I always love creating things (I've tried many, too many, different kinds of arts and crafts! Paiting, flower arranging, crochet, knitting, clay flower, etc.), I had never felt confident enough to share my arts or to consider arts as someting I can do seriously for an income. This journey with Papillon has been a much needed creative outlet and a huge leap of faith (trusting God and trusting my ability) for me, and it's been very enjoyable so far (though not very profitable -literally- yet. lol).

Wearing jewelry is in fact, an act of embracing your womanhood. Jewelry calls for attention at a certain part of your face or you body. So, wearing jewelry is pretty much saying, "Look at me. I'm cute." :) even if the piece of jewelry is very delicate or subtle. Creating beautiful jewelry, for me, is a way of helping and encouraging other woman to be confident in themselves. Nope, a woman's apprearance does not determine her worth. In fact, as a Christian, I believe that my worth lies in the fact that God call me "his daughter", "holy and beloved", and whether I look great or not does not change that truth. Yet, our look is an important part of who we are or how people perceive us. Wearing a beautiful piece of jewelry encourages us to wear a matching lovely outfit/shoes/ makeup, and possibly improves our entire appearance, boosts our confidence and change out outlook of one whole day! It's not so much about being attractive, but more about being presentable and confident. From that angle, I feel very blessed to be able to do this job to serve other women. In our society, there's already too much pressure on women, why do we have to compromise with such pressures and whine, "If only I'm a man, I can do this and this..."? Instead, let's look great, feel confident and proud to be a woman because we are absolutely precious (in God's eyes) and capable of contributing so much for our family and society!

This has been my longest posting ever, and if you've read this far, thank you so much for reading my "unofficial mission statement" for Papillon jewelry. I love making jewelry, and now, you know why, my friend!

My passion for jewelry making...

Reading for pleasure!

( Lovely Crochet pattern for Book Cover by Adorkable1 on Etsy)

Here's an irony. Reading for pleasure has been under satisfied luxury for me in college, yet now that I'm out of college, I don't even want to look at books for a while ! LOL.

By reading for pleasure, I mean something that will enrich my soul in some way and of course is enjoyable. Usually, this includes spiritual-enrichment books and some classic literature (Trust me, I have a long list of must-read classics). With the exception of the Bible, which is my sustaining source, I haven't read for pleasure that much. Actually, recently, I started to read more again, but it's not even for fun! They're all books on marketing and stuff like that to improve my Etsy Shop. Help!

What's about you? Any good read lately?

Reading for pleasure!

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain...

fI'm doing this:




















("Safe from the rain" PRINT by BeileXian on Etsy)

and wishing I'm doing this:



















("Dancing in the rain" PRINT by kittyjujube on Etsy)

It's rainy season in Vietnam, and I'm writing this post while "listening to the rhythm of the falling rain" like the lyric of my favorite song. In Saigon, where I live, it's pretty much a long extended summer all year round. The first part, it's dry, and the part, it's rainy. Trust me, nothing is as cooling and soothing as a quiet rain pouring patiently outside... Try it sometime!

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain...

"Stuff white people like"

This book by Christian Lander is my new favorite. Perhaps it's because I like his first name or because "Asian girls" are included on the list(#11). LOL. A few disclaimers:

1/ The book is not meant to be racist at all since it is written by a white guy.

2/You may or may not agree with everything said in the book, but you'll surely find it interesting. It is not supposed to be a research paper with detailed survey from a large sample of the population but a (somewhat random) collections of personal experiences and comments. The tone of the book is actually quite humorous and intelligent with a hint of sarcasm.

3/No, I haven't finished reading the book yet (and do not intend to do so soon). The book is only 224 pages, but it is one of those you can read a bit at a time and savor the rest for later.

That's said here's a few things that I've just learned that I have in common with the "white people" (and lots of Etsians, I believe!) :)
#1 Coffee
#30 Wrigley Field (Yay for Chicago!)
#49 Vintage
#51 Living by the Water
#64 Recycling
#57 Juno
#81 Graduate School
#97 Scarves
#112 Hummus
#115 Promising to Learn a New Language

"Stuff white people like"

"School is so OVERRATED"

(PIRATE mini ART tote for kids-crayon keeper-chalk cloth-bag by Whimseys on Etsy)

"School is so OVERRATED", said my favorite professor. Don't get us wrong. We do not promote "No-schooling" or underestimate education. She is finishing up her doctoral degree, and I'm working and saving for graduate school. Yet, one thing I've learned is that more schooling does not necessarily make you a smarter or better person. Take my oldest sister. She couldn't finish high school due to my family's financial situation at the time, and yet she is among the kindest and smartest person I've ever known (All right, may be I'm a little bit biased:). The older I get, the more I respect her for the sacrifices she made for us, younger siblings, and her wisdom in life. Schooling is helpful, and it definitely enriched my life. Still, it has nothing to do with my self-worth, and I'm so thankful that I have a Father in heaven who loves me for who I am no matter what!

"School is so OVERRATED"

"I don't make cheap jewelry"

Today, I received a comment (out of good intention) that some of my jewelry is a bit TOO colorful (since most "common" people shy away from colorful jewelry that gain much attention), and perhaps I should use less beads to reduce cost (and PRICE). At that very moment, the artist in me blurted out, "I don't make cheap jewelry. I only make things that inspire me, (and hopefully others)" while the business woman is screaming inside, "Hold on. She does make some sense. After all, if you don't make some SALEs, you can't just keep making more jewelry".















Alas, PRICE. How I hate that word! It gives me so many headaches... All right! So, after thinking long (!) and hard, I chose something in between the two extremes. I went ahead and carefully REDUCED the $PRICE$ of several (if not most) items. That's what I call sacrificing small short-term profits for long-term benefits". So, wish me luck!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S: This price reduction is also in honor of my days as a poor college student who had to look away from many pieces of jewelry (no matter how inexpensive) she liked to stick to the budget or to simply protect the meager content of her wallet. LOL.

"I don't make cheap jewelry"

Weekend cRaZy SALE

("Mother-Daughter Love" painting from http://www.keskinisgallery.com/daphne_keskinis/enamel_faces.htm)

I guess I'm just over excited about my first "Weekend cRaZy Sale" ever. Take this somewhat irrelevant comparision. I'm like a mother who has many daughters. She loves them all, and yet she does want them all to be married off and get out of the house eventually. Me? I love my jewelry, but I definitely would not have a hard time letting go of them, knowing that they'll be with people such as my amazing Etsy buyers who would love them dearly :).

Weekend cRaZy SALE

Rest .....

Rest is my word for the day. Does "rest" mean sleep? Not necessary, even when you have those wonderful pillows (by Nuka on Etsy)...

For me, rest means to let my mind stop worrying and do things that will rejuvenate my heart and soul, including sleeping, spending time with family, making jewelry (just for the fun of it and not worrying about sale :) Though, I admit it's getting hard to do so :)), etc. Most of all, my rest means spending more one-on-one time with my God, the ultimate giver of peace and rest... What does rest mean to you?

Rest .....