Hey, Maidens! ❤︎ It has literally been a blogging eternity since you guys have last seen any action. I take full responsibility and apologize for that! I'm praising my Heavenly Father and His Son for each and every stream of feedback I get from you as my fellow maidens. Please know that I am richly blessed by your encouragement! :) Many of you have been instrumental in helping me to commit, by God's grace, more time and energy to this ministry. One of the biggest events that has occurred has been my wedding and marriage! I am now a married maiden (yes, I just coined that term). Our Father has worked beautifully in our lives to bring us together. As you know, marriage is no light step or small undertaking, and lots of dedication and commitment to learning an obedient and God-fearing marriage has been going on. Needless to say, this first year of marriage has been much preoccupied in the real-life training school of the Word of God, particularly as it relates to marriage and family. On a side note, let's talk modest wedding dresses! Choosing a modest wedding gown was very important to me, and at the time I wanted to involve my fiancé's taste in the matter, as he is keenly convicted on modesty too. Together we found a dress which we felt exemplified our convictions for a godly wedding: simplicity, purity, and significant. I also handcrafted my belt, headcovering/veil, and the bouquets/boutonnières as a way to incorporate my personality and crafty flare into the atmosphere of the day. Each sweet maiden out there whom I am able to reach is constantly being lifted up in prayer; know that you are never alone, for we truly have family everywhere! Feel free to reach out and send me an email or Facebook message if you need encouragement, prayer, or support. Freely I have received, and freely I want to give. ❤︎
Until next time, stay faithful! Hey, Maidens! It is a beautiful thing that when the heart (or mind) is recreated after the righteousness of our Messiah, all other aspects of the life are transformed as well—even dress. Yes, you may not think it, but our dress is a pretty big aspect of our life as daughters of God. The first thing you notice about someone is almost always what you see, or the visual first impression. Which is why it is so important that our appearance —and all that it includes—boldly tells the world around us that we are our Heavenly Father's daughters. As daughters of God, we represent Christ, and we want His attributes and loveliness to shine through and be seen in us, rather than ourselves. When He has our hearts, He will change them from stone to flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). Consequently, our wants and desires will be changed also, and the perfect example of this is how David describes himself in Psalm 26. It is thus that the Word of God becomes so very comforting and satisfying to our souls as we read and live it. Just some inspiration for your day and life. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, ❤︎ Erica
Hey Maidens! Getting to the point of this testimony, let's delve into hair color. So, is dying or bleaching your hair okay, or not-so-okay? There was a time when I wanted to think it was no big deal, but once I gave my Heavenly Father a chance to fully have my heart in this matter, He opened my eyes to see it in a new light. Ever since I became convicted on the point of modesty, I've always been convicted about not wearing jewelry, painting my nails, wearing makeup, etc. I have had prior experience with all of these things in the past and had come out of partaking in them. However, when it comes to hair, I had never ever done anything except cut my hair different lengths; my hair has always been its virgin color and I've always been content and happy with being a brunette. Yet, sadly, in hopes to make myself beautiful, I decided to bleach my hair blonde—without true prayer or bible study on the matter. I just really wanted to do it, since I'd never done anything like that before, and that desire won over the need to pursue my Father's will in the matter. After bleaching my virgin brunette strands a strawberry blonde shade, I began to really like my “fresh” appearance. Inwardly, however, I felt a twinge of remorse, sensing that I had done something I shouldn't have and thus brought displeasure to my God. At the crux of the matter, I knew my heart wasn't fully sold out to my Father when it came to my appearance. True, I had changed a lot in terms of dress, but I wanted my self to still have a little hold on my appearance. Full and complete surrender just wasn't there. Praise be to God for His faithful ones, because we can really be a blessing to each other is we speak out when Father directs our mouths to speak. You see, I was approached by two of my brothers in Christ. That got me more than anything because it showed me that I had an open spiritual struggle that was visible to others. Thoughts came swarming in my head, and I felt terrible as I thought of those who looked up to me and often followed my example. Most devastating to me though was that my Father's displeasure was staring me in the face. That pain pricked me to the core, but I praise God for that pain because it brought me to a true repentance. Such a repentance that I never want to look back in that direction ever again. I'm turned off at the thought of fake beauty, and so very content in how my Abba has created me. Glory to God! And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God [which made them beautiful], adorned themselves… ♥︎ Erica
Hey maidens! Wow, has November flown by or what?! I cannot believe and find it extremely hard to fathom how we are already in the LAST MONTH OF 2014!!!! Crazy! Time is fleeing quickly, my sisters, and we must rise up and stand together in this rapidly ending world as a force of the light and beauty of Christ our King through true and biblical femininity. Even though these pins aren't necessarily modest styles intended for our current month of December, they were nonetheless picked out with a crisp and cool month in mind. November, for me, was very chilly; yet, a lover of clothing and fashion as I am, I enjoy venting my creativity by mixing different colors and textures to create endless combinations of fun, practical, and modernly fresh outfits for the modest maidens out there.
A word about SKIRTS IN THE COLD. Look, I understand what it means to be cold. And I understand what wearing skirts in the winter can mean: being cold. But like anything, my dear sisters, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. That includes wearing skirts when it's cold.
Okay, so, I don't know about you, but I've just been bombarded with the issue of head coverings for the past 6 months at least—and I ignored it for 5 months. Maybe it's the groups I worship with or the type of surfing I do on the web, but all I know is that I just couldn't seem to get away from it. So, I finally consented to looking into it and gaining a better understanding of the passage in 1 Corinthians 11. I mean, what could it hurt, I knew I wouldn't be convinced I'd have to wear them anyways, right? Hehe, reminds me of the saying "young and stupid." ;-)
September and Pinterest haven't really spent much time together this year in my world, but I did manage to gather up my top five favorites from what I did see. My feed is pretty well rounded out, from small-town pinners to vogue magazines and top style icons. I see a lot, and have to weed through a lot. But, to me, its worth it, because I deem it a very important thing for a daughter of the Most High to seek to be both modest and modern in her endeavors.
Here's a secret: I used to be so consumed with dressing modestly that I went way to far into the “Little House on the Prairie” extreme. True story, ask my sister. I think that modesty in dress and character, as well as an all-around Biblical womanhood, is something that needs to be righteously attractive, not a legalistic reproach or a liberal twin to the world. That is why I personally, as a young woman in Christ, find it such a blessing to stay up-to-date somewhat with the world of style and fashion, not so that I can conform to its quickly changing standards and unrealistic whims, but so that I can remain fresh and in-touch in my appearance as I take a stand for Christ and His righteousness through image. Let's face it, we live in a society where image is everything and where the people we come in contact with make their first and most defining impressions of us with what they see. ♥︎ Erica Good morning, dear readers, it's Erica for this post. I want to share a easy and quick fix to a short dress. I think it's even a little vogue, especially with that bold colorblocking. :) Do you see that rounded bar underneath the hemline of the first picture? That's where my knees hit—this dress was so short! I loved the cut and style, though… and it was only $18! So hard to resist, and with a little refashioning, totally feasible. ;) I am going to compile my step-by-step photo tutorial into a slideshow (as I have done in the past), to save a little space! Great!—9 steps to a new-refashioned dress! When you have a dress, skirt, top, etc., look for the potential in it to turn it into a fresh, modern piece that's still perfectly modest and becoming for a daughter of God. This dress sure possessed that potential. It already had a great neckline cut and wasn't overly fitted, snug, or tight either; and the fabric was fabulous: a fine, lustrous rayon in a lovely eggplant purple shade—stunning. So, let's talk about the economics of this project.
Have fun with this one, my lovelies! I'd love to see your own pics too! (Instagram me!)
♥︎ Erica |
PurposeThe strength a sister can give to her sister is a true gift. I pray that these posts may be uplifting, inspiring, and motivating. All centered around modesty and biblical femininity in a modern world. Hugs! ❤︎ Erica Archives
December 2021
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