The summer of 2015 was a summer my faith was growing like crazy. I was lucky enough to grow up learning the Bible so I had a solid foundation but I never felt like I knew the Bible. I was at the point where I wanted to own my own faith and not my parent's faith. To know what the Bible really said and not just what I was told.
I was diving deep each every morning connecting with Jesus, which was a new practice for me, yet I felt 30 minutes into the day's chaos, it was lost. So I wanted to memorize scripture. But have you ever tried to memorize scripture? It's super hard!! So I'd put Post Its up and around with different verses. Put it in frames, on barnwood signs, on the bathroom mirror but I felt it never really worked. I needed something to be with me throughout the day and not just at a glance.
Enter the idea of putting God's word on us.
At that same time my mom wanted some fun shirts designed for a family weekend celebration. So I did it for her. Then it clicked... I never had an audible voice from God but I do feel like He put it on my heart. When you feel the stir over and over again... it probably means something. And each time I'd wake up, sit, and do my devotion the idea of scripture on my shirts kept coming to me.
So before over thinking, because when we over-think we sometimes talk ourselves out of things, I went for it. I chatted (briefly) with my husband, came up with designs with my favorite verses, found an online company, downloaded online images, did a presale and went for it. Before I knew it a few items sold. So I ordered them and two weeks later they were in!! YIKES!! Now what?
Luckily God is a God who provides and He gave me some really supportive friends who would model and an insanely talented friend who is a photographer. He reminded me of past jobs that taught me a little of retail, marketing, branding and creating a website. So we launched at that time Carly D Design.com (my graphic design company at the time) and started selling August 2nd, 2015. I felt super inadequate, lost, and unqualified. But God kept reminding me He uses or qualifies the unqualified.
My first $300 order went fast so we ordered another that Fall, then again in the Spring, and again and again. Slowly but surely we keep ordering, learning, improving, and expanding in different areas. This year we launched hats and sunglasses and are even expanding our Fall Line into knits and ponchos. God has been so good and I feel insanely blessed that He chose us. We aren't perfect. We screw up a lot. Sometimes follow our own lead and not His. But He corrects us and reminds us and brings us back to His purpose for this company.
To create reminders for us throughout our day. Reminders that go with us. Help us. Correct Us. Encourage Us. And Inspire us. Reminders that show us and others whose we are.
Because we are his.
Look back on our 2015 Fall Line Photoshoot
Three Day Anniversary Sale to celebrate our Three Years In Business stars Wednesday, Aug 1st!
