how this whole Honey & Gold thing came about

A year ago we were living in Canada. I was still freelancing while being a mum to then a 4yr old and 18mth old. I had been struggling with the juggle or work, motherhood, in addition to adjusting to a new country. How to do work and this mum thing well, was a constant tension that I would often talk to Dave about. I was really after a once & for all decision when it came to being a working mum. Growing up with a mum who was 100% home with us kids, I had no direct example of how to balance these pulls of 'wife', 'mum' & 'designer'. 

Long story short, but I came to a point where I knew I was doing what I was meant to be doing, but I needed to be make sure I was showing the full picture of my life. Up until this point, I was working on 'frivilous' (but oh so very fun) parties and DIY's. I had a whole other area of my life, my faith, that I rarely shared about. I really wanted to start sharing this area of my life and so thought of authoring a new blog. The vibe I got from my devotions and through talking with a close friend at the time (thanks Liz!) I really wanted to ensure my life was 'sweet & of value'. Hence the name 'Honey & Gold' came about.

I registered the domain and it has been sitting there for about a year now. I just sat with it, not knowing specifically how it was meant to slot in with my usual freelance work. I kept thinking of ideas, but nothing every eventuated. 

Growing up in a strong Christian family and church environment all my life, I've always believed in Deut 6:6-9 where it says to "write {God's commandments} on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates". To memorise scripture. To 'impress them on our children'. With this in mind I started designing some scripture based designs for kids memory verses and home decor. It was a goal but I was going slow at it.

In March I had the idea of designing foiled versions of these scriptures that were more 'prompts' of full verses that would look as much at home on a stylish lounge rooms gallery wall as any other piece of modern wall art. I set to work, but again it was taking a back seat to my regular work and commitments.

Then in April, after a long illness of depression, my sister took her own life. (You can read more about that here). Dealing with the aftermath of this, I found my self experiencing lots of anxieties. One verse that I would repeat constantly was this, and it became my first design.

I knew then that this is what 'Honey & Gold' was meant to be for. To encourage others to also live a life that is sweet & of value in the true sense.

Since then I have had a sense of urgency about this project. The desire for others to have these in their homes has become a huge priority for me. There is so much crappy news out there these days. But you know what hit me this weekend? That we have the true good news. We need to meditate on the good news. Let it be in front of us, in our minds and flowing out into our words and how we live. Don't you agree?