{Fashion} Review & Giveaway: Set Free Apparel

Hello, my lovely readers, do I have a treat for you!  

Most of you know that I am passionate about honoring God in the way that I dress. I want to honor God by not only sufficiently covering my body, but in choosing stylish, fashionable, and tasteful apparel.  

I like to view fashion in both jewelry and apparel as art.  Art in which I represent the Lord and His excellence and beauty!  As His representative on the earth, I want others to look at me and remark at the excellence in which I present myself, glorify my Father who is in heaven.

With that in mind, when I found Set Free Apparel, I knew I'd stumbled across a little jewel!

I was looking for something comfortable, but stylish--and loved all the styles I found on the shop!

Check out some of my favorites:

Worry Not Women's Shirt

Live Love Show Grace Women's Shirt

God is My Refuge Women's Shirt

...this is just a sampling.  They have more women's shirts and some awesome men's shirts too!  

Check out their Etsy shop to see more.

"I wanted to design men'sand women's Christian clothing that not only communicated the principles, ideas and truth of our faith in a creative way, but clothing that was also clean, contemporary and stylish. A fresh alternative and fashionable option for Christ followers....  

All that said, it's much more than selling cool Christian shirts, I also desired to use my talent and ability for something greater; the Kingdom. A portion of our profit will go directly to Food for the Hungry. Click here to learn a little bit more about what God is doing through them.

We are a family owned and operated boutique. We very much hope you like our clothing. And if you do, please spread the word by socializing with others about us!"

~from Set Free Apparel's founder, Nick

Set Free Apparel was incredibly generous and sent me one of my favorite shirts to review for you all!  (And stick around, and there just might be a giveaway too!)  ;-)

I chose the Proverbs 31 Fearless Women's Shirt and was so pleased with it when it arrived.

I usually wear a size XS in Womens or a M or L in Juniors.  I found the M from Set Free Apparel fit me perfectly!

I was so happy to see that it was a v-neck tee that I didn't have to wear a tank top with!  I'm so used to having to layer my tops, it was so refreshing to be able to wear my favorite cut (v-neck), but it's neckline was nice and high enough that I didn't have to supplement it. 

The fit was perfect--not too tight, but still not boxy.

Super soft and comfy--the 100% cotton knit felt thick and well made.  I have no fears of wearing it out too soon!

All that said, check out Set Free Apparel's Etsy Shop and follow the steps below to win a $15 gift certificate so that you can get a t-shirt of your very own!

Giveaway runs from 10/02/14-10/09/14.

Winner announced next Friday, on October 10!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

immodesty is...insecurity?

I just listened to this short thought by John Piper on the topic of modesty, and posted this little (okay, lengthy) dissertation on a thought that I had on Facebook, and I thought I'd share with you all:

Before we can even DISCUSS the guidelines and boundaries of modesty, you must understand just how absolutely, totally, and truly you are loved by Jesus...is He your treasure? Is He your pursuit of happiness and joy? Do you really, truly, honestly realize what a treasure you are to Him? Is it Him you're looking to please, or others?

Girls, you are worth so much more. Modesty isn't just an attitude or a way of dressing, it's realizing your IDENTITY. It's realizing that you are SO MUCH MORE than how you appear on the outside. You are the daughter of the King. You were redeemed by His blood. You don't need to dress any certain way to be accepted or approved by anyone in this world. It starts with Him. Once your heart is His, from it will flow the love for others that will cause you to dress for His glory...whatever the boundaries may be that He will reveal to you.

I notice an epidemic of 'modest dressers' whose clothes cover, but their hearts are yearning for acceptance and attention. They may dress modestly for the sake of their parents, their peers, their church...all for the sake of being accepted and feeling like they belong. What then, is it still modesty? This is the evil root of the enemy, putting emphasis on the outward appearance, even within 'modest' Christian circles. It's no longer modesty. Though the clothes cover, it is immodesty at it's root--insecurity and vanity; idolatry, replacing the acceptance of God with men.

Modesty roots in the heart, knowing your place in the Kingdom of God. You are a princess. You are dressed proper. Lift your head, smile wide, breath deep, and realize your inexplicable worth to Him. He loves YOU. Yes, YOU, sweet girl.

‪#‎modesty‬ ‪#‎identityinChrist‬ ‪#‎worthsomuchmore‬ ‪#‎dressedbyHim‬

I know this is a bit of a hot topic this time of year (haha, no pun intended ;P), and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above.

What do you think about Piper's position?

What do you think of the idea that immodesty is insecurity at it's core?

Embrace WHAT?!?!?!?

Ha... you are probably on the edge of your seat as to what the "WHAT?!?!?!?" is in the title aren't you?

Patience, patience...

Pop culture, movies, album covers, and even books have been screaming to us girls...

"To be pretty, you must have a PERFECT face!  No pimples, scars, or un-plucked eyebrows... Oh! and don't EVER think that you can go without makeup!"

Yesterday I was feeling... well... ugly.  I have some leftover very subtle acne on my face but I noticed some temporary scars where the acne had left.  My hair dried kind of funny because I waited a bit too long to brush it after coming out of the shower. 

Ugh.

I had to babysit later in the day so I found a few free minutes, snagged 'em and went to the bathroom to cover up my "ugliness".  I wanted to cry just looking at myself... why did I feel like this?

I came to my Momma afterwards and mentioned how I felt...  She began trying to make me feel better about my appearance but then she stopped and said, 

"You know, you should be grateful for your blemishes and when you feel like that because it keeps you from getting prideful about your appearance."

Pure wisdom. 

It was like a light bulb moment for me...

What's the matter with a perfect face?  What's the matter with having no pimples, scars, or un-plucked eyebrows?  Nothing's that matter with it- but it can make it a whole lot harder to view yourself as what you really are: a dirty sinner that doesn't deserve to have anything- not even good looks.

  

So embrace your blemishes- after all where does true beauty really come?

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

~1 Peter 3:3-4~

Thanks, Momma!

Modesty- More Than What You Think...

Our family has been defining our standards of modesty over the years and it has been a tough road.  It's hard giving some stuff up.  It's hard when you buy a shirt at the store that you love, bring it home, try it on for your dad and him to look at you and say (not wanting to burst your bubble but having to tell you the truth anyway), "I don't think so...."  Seeing the puzzled look on your face he gently continues on to explain how this is too tight here and could draw attention to there and so on and so forth.

I found this morning something that I thought you all might enjoy to give you some perspective and inspiration- throw some light on what is going on inside the mind of guys- so that when we go to buy something from the store we won't have to save the receipt. ;)

(Click the image)

Also as we are on the topic of modesty  (I could go through a whole study- but I won't- for your sake :) )  I feel as though we should look a little bit at the heart.

Modesty is more than the way we dress.

It's a whole attitude.

You can wear completely modest dress but have a rebellious and flirty attitude and attract the same kind of attention as though you were not wearing modest clothing.  Your posture, the way you walk, the way you laugh, talk, and interact with young men- it all screams who you are.  Loud and boisterous?  Soft and feminine?  You choose.

The clothes are only the first impression of you.  They don't define who it is that you are- they only provide a little first impression insight into your personality and character.   Once someone gets to know you they see the "real" you.  Whether you are lying about your "modesty" by your clothes or not they will soon find out.

"Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness."

1 Timothy 2:9-10

(Emphasis Added)

So do you have integrity in the way you dress and act?

Do the two go hand in hand- are they integrated- or are they two totally separate elements?

I don't know about you but I feel that I need to work on that a little more myself...

 

"Your adornment must not be merely external -braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses ;  but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:3-4

(Emphasis Added)

I hope you enjoyed this...

I hope to be posting more on the topic of fashion soon- hopefully more practical tips! ;)

P.S.  Guys (or girls, tell your dad and brothers), they are still accepting signatures for the Modesty Survey Petition, so this is an opportunity for you to still share your voice on the topic of modesty!

Colors- What Season are You?

So one of the talks that I heard last weekend that really stuck out to me was about color!  I was fascinated- having never even thought about it before (I knew that certain colors looked better on me than others but I didn't know that it was a "science" of sorts!

I found myself listening to the talk and getting epiphany after epiphany- that's my problem!  That's why I have so many clothes but nothing to wear! Thats why certain outfits just drive me crazy but I can't really tell you why.  That's why I drive my mom nuts when she is shopping for me.  :)

Want to know more about this amazing discovery?  Then let us begin.

Based on our skin tones, everybody fits into 4 different categories (or "seasons"):

 

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Each season has about 30 base colors to choose from.

We all have either yellow, golden, or blue undertones in our skin.  If we have "warmer" skin (yellow or gold) that would make us a warmer season- Spring or Autumn.  But if we have "cooler" skin (blue) that would make us a cooler season- Winter or Summer.

Want to determine what season you are before we go on?  Ok... click here,  here, or here.  (you don't have to click on all of them but it may help :) ) Okay, have you determined your season?  Most people at the conference were Springs or Winters- a few Autumns and Summers... I am a Winter.  I have always looked good in a bright red- it's always been my color- even at age seven.  :) But now you are probably wondering- "Okaaaay... I've determines my season- what colors can I wear?"

Unfortunately I will have to give you an external link to see because I don't want to infringe on any copyright laws by putting others people's color charts on my site...  I found a great page here that should help you out.

Another fun thing that you may want to consider doing is color draping.  Try different colors of solid fabrics- drape them around your neck and shoulders and look at your face.  What does that color do for your face?  Does it make if green?  does it make it pale?  Does it make it glow?  That's the effect we are going for.

Our goal is to make our face the focal point of ourselves.  We want people to see our faces- our eyes and our smile- so that they can see the love of Jesus bubbling up within us.  So that they will not be distracted by the color of our clothes because they blend so well with our bodies that they will only see our beautiful countenance and wonder, "What do they have?"   By drawing the attention to the face it paves the way for the revealing of the "gentle and quiet spirit" that is precious in the sight of God.  (1 Peter 3:3-4)

 

Anyway... I hope you enjoyed this- I hope I didn't ramble too much...  things are still pretty crazy at our house and my brain and I still have some catching up to do with each other.  :)

 

 

Image: prozac1 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net