Put Love Above....

 

Artwork and Words created by

Tabitha Seaton

There are so many things that keep us from showing other people love around us. 

We let OUR feelings get in the way of HIS LOVE shining through.

I have posted before, 

 http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/pity-pie-deny-deny-deny.html

that I don't think any human on their own is able to give unconditional love or Agape Love from the Bible. We will all fail to completely love and be loved by everyone we know. Nobody's love will live up to our expectations. Our love for others as well with be tainted by selfishness at some point. 

But, if we let God into our hearts He can love others through us... Perfectly. 

When we are too stubborn after a fight and know we were right...

He will love.

When we are full of rage after a student yell at us and makes our ears turn red...

(sorry, I am a teacher)

He will love.

When a stranger steals our car and leaves it on the side of the road with the radio ripped out and wallet is missing...

He will love. He will forgive. 

Read it all here...

1 Corinthians 13

Love Is the Greatest

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸ Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Matthew 5:43-48 

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

All of those words I doodle in overshadowed by the Cross are things that we hold as masters over our lives.

Whether fear, hatred, or un-forgiveness that  keep us from truly loving others... the result is the same.

We have nothing.

                                                                   Matthew 6:24-25

 ”No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

If we truly love the Lord, we trust Him to be in control of all our fears. Here is where the Bible tells us that God's perfect love for us should be so intense that it drives out all of our fears. To me it is like sitting in the lap of the most amazing Father filled with love. His heart is so big that we know He will take care of everything we are worried about. If we truly believe he can, then we must not be afraid of anything if we are in his arms.

1 John 4:18

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

I hope by reading this, that some knowledge may have struck you of what is blocking your heart from loving today. Are you holding a grudge, feeling fear, or too proud to let go? Well, just let God take it away and clean your windows of your heart so His light can shine through and His love can be seen. It is not us that is capable, but Him through us that is. So... whatever you are holding onto...

PUT LOVE ABOVE!

Hand Painted Love Gifts...

My Wonderful Mother in Law is the bomb mom! She watches out silly 2 girls all day (M-F) and doesn't want a dime. She does our stinky laundry without complaining and so much more. We are so blessed (or spoiled maybe)! Anything I can do to make her happy with my creations is the absolute least I could do. Creating for others is my love language! She gets this catalog called Sundance... well it is like way expensive but has beautiful stuff inside. Robert Redford own the brand and he has super amazing style. 

Well, she saw this painting by Rebecca Puig with a dog and a man and was wondering if I could paint something similar to it for her. She wanted me to make it a woman and a cat instead. I was excited because I really like a lot of things about this painting she presented. Here is how it turned out...

Original Rebecca Puig Painting

 
 

My M.I.L "Graham" and a cat.
She feeds and adopts strays occasionally.
She is feeding the kitty love from her palm.
My favorite thing about it is the way the kitty has little bitty hairs poking out of the tip of it's ears
and her hat tie has the same strings poking out of it.
I did not want to "copy" Puig's painting, so I took what I liked and changed things I wanted.
It is more inspired than copied. I liked her colors and simplicity of form.
I did not want my caregiver to be empty handed though. So, the hearts came in...

 

I liked the one for Graham so much that I decided to do a similar one for my parents.
They have birthdays and such around this time, so I thought it would be a good idea.
I got my Mom on perfectly fitting her personality! She always wears the same black sweater vest even if it is in the middle of the desert, she will not take it off. It is her security blanket or some sort...
But, my dad was not quite right... so i had to sit and ponder what to do...
I was using a recycled board that a previous artist(?) had started using and never finished.
(captures my LostSock theory of course!).
It had a big blue line going across it and my paint did not want to cover it, so this is
before I got rid of the blue diagonal line ...

 

This is the final result of my Parent's painting.
I love it so much. My parents are hilarious and I wanted to capture every awkward lovable thing about them here.
They are the best and that is why I did this for them. They better like it... (sike).

R U the Real You?

I have loved this quote by Lauryn Hill since the first time I heard it on her

Interlude 5.

I struggled as a youth with my own identity and would sometimes sacrifice my true self in order to fit in with other people. This left me even more confused. But, as I grew older I found out more that it is always better to just be yourself all the time. It may mean that you fit in less with the mass, but you will be happier in the end. As I grew older my faith grew with me. As I became closer to Christ, I realized that I began to reveal parts of myself at the same time. Things that had happened to me throughout my life began to make sense. Questions I had about why I had to go through things that I did were answered. They were all used by Christ in some way to mold my character and personality today. 

The closer I grow to my Creator, the closer I grow to understanding how I was created.

He uses all my flaws, all my bumps, all my bruises for a greater purpose. 

The things that others did not understand about me, or that set me apart from what was popular 

are some of this things I love best about myself.

They are what makes me unique.

So,  listen to the voice of your creator, 

as Lauren Hill said, "that voice, the right one", and let it tell you who you are. 

The things you think are wrong might be the very things He uses to make you a better person.

FYI, I created this picture and post after my pity party post.

It was what came from God cleaning the frosting from my guilty fat cheeks and making me see what was really real...

Read all about it here...

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/pity-pie-deny-deny-deny.html

Also, find out how beautiful you really are...

no, really, you are beautiful,

just admit it and click here!

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/you-are-beautiful-masterpiece-created.html

Pity Pie... Deny Deny Deny.

Sometimes I get gloomy and down when I start to thinking about blogging, my art, my books, my poetry, my intense passions... and life. I start to look at other people and start feeling inadequate about my own life. I am sure we all do this. I will spend hours doing something that i think is for my own entertainment or well being, or something to make me feel closer to my Creator, but when nobody notices or comments... i just get all gloomy. It makes me reconsider my true intentions I guess. Because if it was really for ME or HIM that CREATED ME, then why should I care about what other people think? I know... but I do. I guess I feel like most of my art is for me to get closer to Christ or to help others get closer to Him. Then when no evidence of that is seen, I feel sad.

For example, I love to blog. I like to just organize my thoughts onto here because leaving them in my head is a dangerous idea. If I leave them in my head they get lost in all the mess of noodles up there and tangled around into knots. I always say I have "spaghetti for brains". I look at other blogs to get inspired, but then it just seems to do the opposite. All those people look so perfect and wonderfully artsy... then I start to feel down cause my blog has low views, 1 fan (THanks, Rocky), and little to no comments. How do some people get so much and get paid to do it?! Then I look at all the pretty people and wish I was better and start to feel like chopped meat in comparison. BOO HOO HOO! Then I proceed to the kitchen and cut myself a small slice of high calorie pity pie... then decide to just leave the measly slice and take the bigger part which makes me fat and I cry more. 

I hear God's voice tell me to get up and pull myself together... I have learned to talk to God in all circumstances, even if it is out of madness, anger, fear, doubt, or in this case self pity. So, I start to question and pray, "God, I am doing this blog, my art, my books, and my life walk for your glory... or at least that was my original intention.  I want to spread your love around in every avenue of my life and use the Lost Sock as a testimony of your greatness our weakness. Why do I feel so lonely in it all and have so little followers and friends? What am I doing wrong? Does anyone appreciate this, does anyone see me and love me? I mean REALLY love me... enough to listen to my ideas, read about my life, or study my art? Even my Mom, Dad, Sister, Husband, and daughters don't meet my standard of love. Every human every where has let me down in some form or fashion when it comes to affection. I want the deepest of the deep... the never leave, the never forsake, always listen, always care love! Where is it? What am I doing wrong? Why am I not good enough? Is anything I do worth anything to anybody out there? If this is all for good, then where are the followers, where is the fruit? Is it wrong to want to see something happen? Or is that glorifying myself? 

Hello, Hello, Hello... Echo, Echo, Echo.". 

I sit and wait patiently and God slowly floods my swarming mind with visions and scenes comes to me...

I see Christ's disciples, his followers, the Garden of Gethsemane,  the rooster, the Cross,
Peter on the shore,
and my heart in all humbleness slowly understands...
It understands that He understands just how I feel.

I had to let all these images He gave me soak in over the week.
So, i looked up each scene in the Bible to make sure I had it all right.
This helped me make sense of all that He was trying to tell me in my selfish pity...

Disciples at the Last Supper

 Matthew 26:34 & 35
As they ate the last supper, Peter promised Jesus he would never deny him and would walk to the death with him. This was Jesus's biggest follower and number one fan. He was the one that Jesus could depend on for his most important tasks. But still, Jesus knew he would deny him at the time when he needed him the most.When Jesus told him he would deny him that night three times before the rooster crows. His reply was,

"Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you".
At this moment, All of the other disciples claimed to agree with Peter.
Although Peter meant it at this moment with all his heart, he was not humanly capable of keeping his word.

Peter at the Garden of Gethsemane

Mark 26:36-38
Christ was feeling deeply sorrowful knowing what He was about to face. So, he asked Peter and two others to stay up and watch that night as he prayed in the garden. He had to wake them three times in 1 hour. They just could not wait to sleep and their physical bodies were incapable of the sacrifice Jesus was asking for. Peter said he would die for Jesus, but could not even stay awake for Him..

Christ's Arrest
Matthew 26:56
When the soldiers came to take him away, at that point

all of the disciples forsook Him and fled.
All their claims of love were proven false here.
Instead of following Him to death, they fled with their own lives.

Peter Denying Christ
Matthew 26:69-75
He was asked three times if he was a follower of Christ and each time denied his knowledge of Him,
all before the rooster crowed.

After the Resurrection, Jesus had

Breakfast with Peter on the Shore

Here they sit alone, with the Peter's denial at their feet. The Lord asks Peter two times if Peter TRULY Unconditionally (agape)  loves Him. Each time Peter says that he loves him like a brother (philao). But, it does not seem to be the answer Jesus was hoping for. So, he asks him again a third time if he loves him like a brother. The last time Peter gets sad, and replies that he does love Him like a brother. 

So, Peter through it all was not able to give Jesus the love that either of them truly wanted. Peter wanted to love him fully and unconditionally, but as a human in the flesh... I don't think we are capable of this love. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I have learned...

I think God gave me these images of these times He was betrayed to help me realize that it doesn't matter what this world thinks of me. I may not have followers or be accepted.... ever. Even Christ's followers scattered in the end. A faithful follower was truly nowhere to be found. But His love for me is unconditional. And in his arms is the only place I will find this love. No matter how much I search for it in this life, I will be sorely disappointed. 

After Everyone's worldly love has failed my expectations, I have come to know this. I don't just want love... I want AGAPE, unconditional love! The kind of love Jesus wanted from Peter in John 21. Peter loved Jesus like Philao (brotherly love). I want to the love that will drop everything, deny everything, and sacrifice everything for me. God wants that same love from us. And He is the only one that will give us this Love in return. I have learned, that there is no human capable of it. But I think that's the whole point... this need inside for this certain kind of love is what drives us to seek for more. It moves us to look above the earth and into the Universe and it's Maker. He is the answer to the quest!

So, I guess when I feel like a reject of the world, I should be flattered and comforted by the verse, 

John 15:18-19, "If this world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to this world, it would love you as it's own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

So, when I feel down cause others are more beautiful, popular, perfect, or loved by their followers... I have to decide if that is what I really want. Because, conforming and changing to be accepted by the world would mean selling out to Christ. I must think differently than the world and change my thinking....

Romans 12:2"Do not conform to the ways of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

MY PRAYER

Thank you Lord for showing me these things and allowing me to see the truth. When I am feeling like nobody is following me... I should not look back, take your hand, and follow you. Thank you for loving me truly unconditionally. 

Amen

After thought: We all just need to be ourselves instead of trying to live up to what we think the world wants from us. We can never keep up with the rat race we call life. All we can do is the the true person God created us to be, and do it to the best of our ability.
Read this after-blog post for more art and theory on being yourself...
http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/r-u-real-you.html

You are a beautiful MasterPiece, created by the Master of All Masters

Beautiful Me...

After speaking to a lot of young ladies at the 

"Beautiful You" Slumber Party

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/05/fashion-week-2.html

I started to really think about the words God put in my heart before I spoke...

I am usually a blubbering fool when it comes to talking about myself.

I try not to talk about myself unless somebody asks or seems interested, 

but once they do... sometimes it is hard for me to put on the breaks.

I was flattered to be asked to talk this past weekend about fashion to the MMS FCA girls.

But, before I spoke at this event, I prayed for God to give me His words instead of my own.

And...since I am boasting in Him, I think We did very well!

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, s that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

As I spoke to the girls on the topic of personal style and confidence,

I looked at their unique faces, smiles, bodies, clothes...

 He revealed through me that each one of them was created by the same Master, 

yet they are all so different. 

It is not right for us to compare ourselves to others 

just as it is wrong to talk bad about ourselves. 

Both are insults to the Creator Himself. 

We are not made to critique our Maker.

Would it be respectful to point out Van Gogh or DaVinci's mistakes in their Master Works?

We have no place or right to since we are not better than them...

If God is the ultimate Creator of all, Master of all Masters, Molder of Da Vinci and Van Gogh's creative minds and hands...

then we, as His creation, are ultimately 

MARVELOUS MASTER PIECES!

For us to deny this does not make us humble or wise, but contrarily makes us shrink God and his design.

He made us unique, with love, with detail, with care.

The very way we were created is a gift from Him.

Every fold in every mold, every brushstroke's visibility in us is just an evident mark or our Maker!

If your earthly Father gave you a very special gift that was priceless and could not be recreated,

would you care for it, keep it clean, and out of harm's way... 

 or toss it around in neglect letting it get scratched, stained, and ruined?

Of course we would LOVE IT and care for it!

If we neglect this gift of creation, we are like spoiled children of a loving Father neglecting His design that He made uniquely for us and nobody else.

One masterpiece cannot be compared to another. This is what makes them so special.

So, in turn we should not compare ourselves to others. Trying to live up to or become another person will drive you nowhere but to failure and vane depression.

Does Mona Lisa say to Starry Nights, "I wish I looked like you!"?

There is no way to compare the two unique Masterpieces...

So, it is time to admit it and accept it, 

You are absolutely Marvelously Made!

Shorts with Tights... Awkward or Awesome?

 

 

J. Crew Sock Ad

Had to try on a few pairs before I found the right price...

These were at NYC but they were a little too high priced...

I passed on them.

I finally decided on a green pair from Target.

I am wearing them here with thrifted vest and shirt from Goodwill.

Boots from Minnatonka, and tights from WalMart.

What I Wore Wednesday-Fashion Week 2

 Ok, I have been inspired by What I Wore Wednesday

from The Pleated Poppy blog.

http://thepleatedpoppy.com

It is hard to take a picture everyday of what I wear.

Usually, the days I feel that I look my best are the days I never get around to posing for the camera..

I have to have time and get my supportive husband to grab his camera too. 

I feel ridiculously narcissistic asking him everyday.

"Honey, take a picture of me!"

But I am going to try, I already had a serious talk with him about how important this is!

Fashion is top priority this week or our marriage is on the line 

(Sike! ha ha). 

But seriously. I feel so excited and honored to be asked to speak to a group of pre-teen Christian girls this week at a Middle School FCA slumber party about sensible and inexpensive fashion. 

 

???BEAUTIFUL YOU???

God wants us to each be the best we can be in every way, inside and out. 

If we neglect our bodies and image, we are really neglecting a Masterpiece that He designed.

If you feel weird saying that you are a "Master Piece", then think about it this way. 

You are a piece that was created by the MASTER!

If you feel that is still wrong, then you are insulting the one that created you, the artist that created every artist, the creator of all creation!!!

                                             So, just admit it... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

The focus is on sensibly taking care of the beauty that God gave you

without letting it carry you away to fantastical vanity land.

(Everyone in that land is a snob!)

 I want to teach girls that fashion does not have to be expensive and style is not meant to make you feel better than others around you, but just better about yourself. 

Anchor pieces help us remember these important things...

Since Anchor Pieces can be cheap, the key is quality over quantity.

And it's not about how much we have, but how good it makes us feel.

 

 http://prepaganda.tumblr.com/tagged/protips/chrono

So, I want to get in the spirit by attempting this What I Wore Wednesday thing.

Here is my Week of Thrifty Fashion...

(Click on an images to make them bigger)

THURSDAY

What I wore to Work

Vest- Good Will

Shirt- Forever 21 (old)

Pants- Marshall's

Shoes- D.I.Y. saddle oxford project inspired by 

Blue Bird Vintage

http://bleubirdvintage.typepad.com/blog/2009/10/happy-friday-diy-saddle-shoes.html

This look was slightly inspired by Annie Hall's Diane Keaton.

I just love love love Diane Keaton and her unique style.

I just wish now I had worn a tie... oh well. 

 

FRIDAY

What I wore After Work

(Bad picture, i know...wind is not my friend!)

At May Festival Downtown

Scarf- WalMart

Dress Top- GoodWill

Leggings- Walmart

Boots- Minnatonka

SATURDAY

What I wore Grocery Shopping

Floral Top- GoodWill (Wrangler brand)

Vest- GoodWill (Ralph Lauren brand)

Green Shorts- NYC 

Tights- Wal-Mart

Boots- Minnatonka

SUNDAY

What I Wore to Church

Jean Vest- Good Will

Plaid Shirt- Old Navy

Skirt- Old Navy

Leggings- Wa-lMart

Boots- Minnatonka.com

Necklace- Handmade by LostSockCreations... see here

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/native-american-accessories-journey.html

 

What my girls wore to church...

Monday 

What I wore to Work

 Cardigan- GoodWill (MERONA brand)

Plaid shirt- GoodWill (Old Navy Brand)

Skirt- GoodWill (JK LA brand)

Tights- Target

Shoes- City Classified at Shoe Carnival (old)

Necklace and Hair Pin- Lost Sock Creation

Tuesday-

What I wore to Work

 

Purple Shirt- GoodWill (no tag)

Stripped shirt (under)- GoodWill (Miley Cyress brand)

Orange Skirt- GoodWIll (Exhillaration brand)

Leg Warmers- Good Will (cut off sleeves of a sweater)

Shoes- Jelly Pop brand from Shoe Carnival

Necklace- Handmade by LostSockCreations

I Love Love Love this picture of these cool chicks and was inspired by them for my choice today.

http://psychedelic-sixties.tumblr.com/post/17401774013

WEDNENSDAY

What I wore to Work

Having Technical Difficulties with this one...

but here it is...

just tilt your head to the right.

 

now tilt back up again..

Jean Pin-Striped Vest-  from GoodWill (AMX brand)

Jean Skirt- GoodWill (J. Crew)\

Men's tie- GoodWill (Palais Royal)

Navy Plaid Shoes- GoodWill (Etienne Aigner)

Metal Owl Badge- LostSockCreations

tilt head again for accessory and shoes details...

I know at this age, some kids can't get past the thought of wearing somebody else's stinky old clothes...

I have been there myself...

As as child...

 

As a teenager,

My ideas changed...

 

And as a Mom...

 

To view more pages from this 

SUPERTAB autobiographical comic

and my testimony, visit here

 http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/03/supertab-autobiographical-comic-of-my.html

_________________

For more thrift advice and secrets from my "Thrift Secret" journal, go to this post

 http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-art-of-smart-thrifting.html

________

To see my Thrift Week 1, go to this post

http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/2013/04/thrift-week.html

___________

Get a glimpse at what "Lost Sock" fashion really is here

 http://thelostsocklife.blogspot.com/p/lostsock-fashion.html

Grandma Gladys's Jewelry

 

This blog is all about finding hope in the lost...

It is about taking things that were considered outdated, unusable, hopeless, or trash

and seeing a new purpose in them.

This blog is a reflection of Christ's love and passion for salvaging his creation, 

 These items of jewelry belonged to my late Grandma Gladys McCartney of Florida. 

She was my Mom's mother.

My Mom passed this jewelry onto my older sister after she got married over 10 years ago. 

My sister was kind enough to let me dig through it and pick out things I wanted.

I picked a big pile, but she asked me if I could make something for her, my mom, and me to all wear as a memory of my Grandma...

 

SO, I took them home and stared at the pile for a while. 

I looked at the possible color and shape combinations...

I put different peices together eliminating some clashing combinations and 

in the process found ones that worked. 

These are the three pieces I came up with for my Mom, My Sister, and Me.

more to come...