Valentines Day Shopping With a Mission

Beauty for Ashes Pendant

Wings Like Eagles Pendant

More styles available and more coming soon

Hey Girls! We just want to invite you to shop our wmBoutique this Valentines and help us continue our mission to see today's modern young women discover their true value.

Our New Soldered Glass Pendants are the Perfect Love-Gift For:

• You! Fabulously single? Celebrate it girl and give yourself a gift!
• Friends
• Mom
• Sister
  
  *And if you’re a guy and happen to be reading this, yes, your girl will dig it!

Vist our boutique here. Keep checking for more styles especially our official "wonderfully made" pendant which we'll be offering soon.

Anthropologie Lustings

I pass her funky window display, walk through her towering doors and I’m in dreamland. She’s home to invisible bohemian princesses with impeccable wardrobes, gypsy souls and flowers in their hair; and I want to live there. Her flouncy shirtdresses, shrunken blazers, fabulous boots and faux-vintage bedding and tea-towels seem to whisper my name.

“You need me,” they say. “Perfection is possible.”

A girl's eye candy everywhere I look. I want it all. And more. Anthropologie is very bad for me, but I love it anyway! It makes me lust and covet for things and then throw myself a pity-party because I can’t afford them. Anyone else?

The lyrics of Caedmon Call’s song “This World” say it so well:

This world has nothing for me

And this world has everything

All that I could want

And nothing that I need

Check the blog "All Things Beautiful" for my thoughts on why us girls are helplessly drawn to pretty things!

A Ragamuffin Just Like Me

"I don't consider myself homeless," he said in his Irish-sounding accent. "Just territorially mismanaged. I have a camping spot past the bridge." For forty-five minutes we talked art, traveling, Buddhism and Jesus as I tried my best to help restore his broken, virus infected Macbook - a gift from his friend which he gingerly pulled out of his large black trash bag.

It was the second time he asked me to help him at Valley Coffee and the first time I looked him in the eye, shook his mud-stained hand and gave him my time.

With God's prompting I made myself available. He was a ragamuffin and a child of God just like me - a weary traveler in life's uncertain terrain; territorially mismanaged - I couldn't have said it better.

Girls, how can we be more available - not online, but in "real time"?

*DISCLAIMER: My protective father would not be happy if he read this without some words of caution. Please have discernment in such situations and never talk to strangers or fellow ragamuffins alone out of the public's eye. Maybe stick to the harmless guy with the dog-cat-mouse trick or just women.

Special Interview with Me & Judy!!!

Good Mornin' My Girls!

Just sitting by the window in my favorite coffee shop drinking a coconut latte and watching the rain slap the pavement. I'm lovin' being an early riser today - I got up at 5 to do an interview with WBCL Radio which broadcasts to Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. It was extra special because I got to do it with Judy Halliday, my beloved mentor and friend whose wisdom is woven throughout HEAL. Just thought I would share the link with you where you can download the interview for free. I'm excited for those of you who don't know Judy to get to hear her sweet spirit and glean from her immense wisdom. She is so beloved by all the wm girls who've had the chance to get to know her and I know you'll love her too!

Click here to download to your Itunes! The interview date is January 26, 2010.

Hugs,

Allie

The Seven Steps of Healthy Eating: An Excerpt from "HEAL: Healthy Eating & Abundant Living"

Hey Girls -

As I promised for the month of January, here is another post which I hope encourages you on your HEAL Journey. This is an excerpt from lesson 3: "Healing Your Hunger" from my book "HEAL: Healthy Eating & Abundant Living."

The Super-Practical Steps of Healthy Eating

1. Select When to Eat

Get in touch with your hunger and satisfaction cues. Learning how to gauge your hunger and fullness is a process, so give yourself some time. Use the HEAL Hunger Scale* regularly throughout the day. *see book

2. Select What to Eat

Choose food that will both satisfy and nourish you.

3. Sit Down

If you think you don't have time to actually sit down and enjoy your meal, then take a closer look at your life, and figure out a way to make the time! Sitting down while you eat facilitates digestion and also enables you to relax and more fully enjoy your food.

4. Say Thanks

Most of us are blessed to have access to food whenever we want, so it's a privilege to cultivate a heart of gratefulness. Talk to God with a thankful heart for the food he has provided. Ask Him to guide you as you eat so that you can respond appropriately to your body's signals of hunger and satisfaction. Finally, ask him to nourish you with the food so you can serve Him.

5. Slow Down and Take Small Bites

Don't engage in "garbage disposal eating": throwing it in, grinding it up, and sucking it down. Take deep, slow breaths; put your fork down; and enjoy your food and the people sharing the meal with you.

6. Savor the Flavor

While food should never be something we worship, it's certainly not wrong for us to enjoy it! Savor the food you eat - enjoy the sight, smell and taste!

7. Satisfy!

Stop eating when you feel satisfied - not when you're so full you have to lie horizontally! Remember, there is a 20-to-30 minute delay before your brain registers that you are pleasantly satisfied.

The HEAL (Healthy Eating & Abundant Living) Journey, created by Allie Marie Smith is a program of Wonderfully Made designed uniquely to help modern young women develop an emotionally healthy and positive approach to food, their bodies and life.

wmVoices - Our Team of Speakers & Musicians!

If you are interested in booking one of our wmVoices, shoot us an email at info@wonderfullymade.org.

To check out our wmVoices upcoming appearances click here.

Keepin' It Real with wmVoice Bianca Juarez

Hey Girls!

I am so excited to introduce to you our newest "wm Voice," Bianca Juarez. I was able to hear Bianca speak at two events our youth group attended. The strong calling on her life was immediately clear and so I just had to hunt her down to see if she'd like to be a part of our team and keep in touch for future WM conferences. She is a brilliant, witty and gifted writer, speaker and teacher of the truth. She uses lots of smart words (I often don't know existed), is full of spunk and is not afraid to speak the truth! She is also a twin, a book nerd, PK (I'm sure she hates that term), and has impeccable style (I'd love to go shopping with her!). Her motto on her website reads "Walk. Talk. Preach. Teach. In the Name of Love." Love it! Check out her website and be sure to read her blog (which has a huge following!) here: http://www.inthenameoflove.org/. Please welcome Bianca! We are so honored to represent her as one of our "wmVoices" and feel blessed to have her as a role model and friend to Wonderfully Made!

Come meet Bianca on Sunday, April 18th where she'll be our keynote speaker for our Santa Clara University chapter's 5th annual Wonderfully Made event. Keep visiting our website for more details: wonderfullymade.org.

We love your blog! What's your favorite thing about blogging?

Well, I’ll be honest and say my favorite things are receiving comments from readers. I know it’s shameless to say, but I’m just keepin’ it real :) 
The only thing I could relate it to is yelling into a canyon and not hearing an echo. Sometimes the echo (even it doesn’t agree with me) is still good to hear ;)

Where do you get ideas for blog posts and where do you usually write them?

Life. I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, but I’m being honest. I’m a firm believer in a God who speaks supernaturally sometimes, but speaks subtly to us everyday. If we lean in, we can hear Him whisper to us.

Tell us about your ministry.

I’m bi-vocational because I believe in the words and actions of Paul. At times churches blessed him and at other times he had to ability to preach the gospel for free. I’m totally stoked to work for an amazing church which believes in what I do and supports my ministry.

In The Name Of Love is a ministry to spread the love, grace, and truth of the gospel. I speak on theological, pragmatic, societal or emotional issues to anyone who will listen :) My heart most definitely is for Generation Y! This next wave of Christian leaders will control the ebb and flow of the Church. It’s important to teach solid biblical principles.

We can’t help but notice your fabulous style! What’s your shopping philosophy- any tips you want to share?

Hahahaha! I love that you think I have style. I actually try work miracles with my closet! Growing up poor has taught me the value of a dollar and given me the spirit of a hustla’. I look for bargains, hit up sales, and never shop out of pressure.

What are you looking forward to most in 2010?

If 2010 is going to be as fast-paced at the past two weeks, it’s going to be a wild ride! I am looking forward to speaking at new places, meeting new people, cultivating my relationships, and becoming a more independent person.

What's one thing you learned in the past year?

I need to live out loud. I totally fell into the compartmentalization that most 20somethings do. Love in thisbox, church in this box, work in this box, friends in this box. To be true to yourself and your convictions, there needs to be a mashing of all the boxes.Every aspect of my life is connected to the other.

How do you handle criticism?

Uh, at first, not too well. I’ll get defensive and argumentative. But after I process and absorb what was said, I learn from it. I want to be a person who can learn from everyone.

What's one quality that you think women need to exhibit more in friendships with other women?

Authenticity! Women are afraid of saying what truly on their mind because of hurt feelings and bruised emotions. Guys can yell and fight with each other, then get over and continue being friends. Women (generally speaking) hold grudges, fight maliciously behind backs, and break bonds of trust.

If we learn to KEEP IT REAL, we’ll be good to go!

What is one struggle you experienced during high school and or college and what did God teach you through this?

Food was my frienemy (friend + enemy). I didn't use food as a tool, but a weight of bondage. I tried a million diets and funky eating habits which led to depression and frustration. Though I still don't have a handle on my eating habits, I'm learning not to let food control me :)

Prayer/Fasting for Haiti

Hi Girls,

Today we are joining together to pray for Haiti. If you feel called to pray or fast for a meal/day (without placing unhealthy restrictions on yourself) for Haiti, the relief efforts, our brothers and sisters who lost loved ones, and the needs of the country as a whole, please join with Wonderfully Made and comment below with your prayers or thoughts.

We also feel called to donate monetarily to the relief efforts. There are many organizations working to provide aid to children and families in Haiti. The devastation is outrageous.

Some options are:

World Vision

Compassion International

Samaritan's Purse

Just giving between $10-$20 is helpful! This is the equivalent of a meal out, a few coffees, or a new necklace.

"For Haiti's sake I will not keep silent,

for Haiti's sake I will not remain quiet,

till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,

her salvation like a blazing torch.

The nations will see your righteousness,

and all kings your glory;

you will be called by a new name

that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

No longer will they call you Deserted,

or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah,

and your land Beulah;

for the Lord will take delight in you,

and your land will be married."

Isaiah 62

Thank you for joining together with us in prayer!

Love & Blessings,

Allie, Christie, Kayla, & Natalie

WM Challenge: Give, Don't Buy!

In light of the devastating earthquake that struck the country of Haiti yesterday I come to you with a challenge. A challenge that if I'm totally honest about, I'd much rather dodge and just give a passing glance to - it wouldn't be the first time. I'm embarassed to admit that my vain self would rather purchase the $16 leaf sculpted metal headband from Urban Outfitters I've been coveting or go on one of my semi-monthly TJ Max or Ross shopping sprees than offer any miniscual discretionary income I do have to this immense need. As I write this I can think of at least five justifications for not donating to this releif effort. But as a follower of Jesus (who falls short like all of His followers) I cannot justify inaction.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18)."

As I was reminded in my devotion yesterday (the day the 7.0 earthquake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince) God longs to bring justice, comfort and restoration to the crushed and broken hearted:

"Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed... (Psalm 10:17-18).

Here's our WM challenge: What possession have you been coveting and hoping to buy for yourself? Imagine if each of us took the money (or even more) which we were planning on spending on the item of our choice and put it towards the Haiti relief effort.

Here's how we can join with World Vision and help:

1) Pray for the children, families, and communities left devastated by this disaster in Haiti.

2) Donate now to World Vision's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

3) Sponsor a child in Haiti. *It may take World Vision a few weeks to update their database with more Haitian children to sponsor. Keep checking.

Keep on loving girls!

Wonderfully Made Conference - Excerpts from "wm Voice" Jennifer Strickland's Modeling Days

Hey Beauties...

Check out this clip from our past Wonderfully Made Conference featuring Jennifer Strickland as our keynote speaker. We're excited to be a part of two more events with Jennifer this year in Oranage County, CA - we'll keep you posted on the details!

To Be Known is to Be Loved!

Hiya my ladies out there in blogsphere (a special shot out to all our followers by the way!). Here's a "spoken word" poem that creatively captures how the woman at the well must have felt after she encountered Jesus - the real, moving, live, in-flesh Jesus. Can you imagine being in her sandals - a woman unclean, used, judged and scorned by her world? While I absolutely have no talent whatsoever when it comes to drama or anything musical (and never will) I really enjoyed this and wanted to share it with each of you! xo, allie

PS: If you've never read this gospel account pick up a biblia and read John chapter 4.

Your HEAL Journey: A New Year, A New Mindset

A New Year is here and we are on our way through "twenty-ten". Many of us have forged resolutions and goals with the hopes of a new and improved self.

A self-confessed goal-setter and chronic list-maker, it has taken some time to learn how to set forth goals that are realistic, beneficial and honorable before God. For years since age 14, each New Year (and summer and fall!) I would write out my new plan to drop down to an “unhealthy-for-me” number on the scale – an effort that set me up for emotional eating, binges and mental misery. I’d be lying if I told you that temptation never crossed my mind from time to time, but I’m grateful God has given me the strength to rest secure in His truth that I am beautiful and healthy just as I am. Girl, let me tell you that NO number on the scale feels as good as freedom!

Maybe it’s finally time to do things different and examine any expectations, goals or resolutions you’ve made this New Year. Are they beneficial? Realistic? Will they draw you in fuller reliance upon your Maker? Are they rooted in a spirit or striving or are they grounded in God’s grace?

Proverbs 16:2-4 instructs us to, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” But what exactly does this mean? That whatever goals we commit to God will come to pass? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, although I often wish it were! To commit our plans to God is to present our desires, plans and dreams before the Lord and humbly ask Him to examine our heart and search our motives. “Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). To commit our plans to the Lord means that we give Him the say and seek His will in our life, not our own! It means trusting that God’s will is better than our own wants and desires. To commit our plans to Him is to genuinely want His plans for us to succeed, not the ones we have made for ourselves.

As we reassess our resolutions by committing them to the Lord, let us ask that He will give us the discernment to distinguish the goals and plans that are pure, noble, beneficial and honoring to Him, from those that are not in His best interest for the woman He’s created us to be. The result is success in God’s eyes – the molding of our inner selves – lasting transformation that begins with our heart. Give it a try! Let go and let God succeed in His plans for you!

Love & Blessings on Your HEAL Journey!

Allie

Your Food & Body Resolutions in "Twenty-Ten"

Hey Girls!

As I promised, here's another HEAL Journey post - look out for more this month. Feel free to check out this video of me discussing the 2 goals I blogged about on January 1st. And here are some questions for you:

• Has the "idol of thinness" crept up on you and nuzzled its way into your New Year resolutions?
• How do you think we can strive for health instead of our ideal body?
• What are your own HEAL Journey goals this new year?
• Are you ditching the scale this year or keeping it out?
• What diet (if any) have you been tempted to hop on this new year?

I'd love to hear from you! Love, Allie

On this New Years day I want to take this opportunity to share with you 2 simple things God has been speaking to me on my HEAL Journey (which I define in my book “HEAL: Healthy Eating & Abundant Living” as our relationship with food, our body and life). I believe that these are also His desires for you this year as you continue your own journey:

God doesn’t desire you to be thin, but to be healthy. As a naturally curvy, athletic girl this is a truth that has taken me many years to accept and desire for myself. The world continues to tell me I need to be thin to be beautiful, valuable and desirable – but that’s not how God created me. It is continually difficult, but liberating to let go of the illusory image of my ideal body, which I have coveted the majority of my life. I’ve discovered that the moment I focus on what I can do to make my body fit my ideal image I experience bondage, emotional distress and often set myself up for emotionally unhealthy eating. However, as soon as I re-focus on being a good steward of the life God’s given me by pursuing health and wholeness I am back on track to living a life of true freedom and healing. I pray that this year, you will have a genuine desire for health and say goodbye to “the idol of thinness”, dieting and self-destructive thinking patterns.

God wants you to feel the best you can in the skin He’s placed you in! God desires good gifts for His children. If you’ve struggled with poor body image like I have you know that it can be emotionally debilitating and interfere with your quality of life and hinder you from fulfilling your God-given purpose on this earth. While it is not honoring to God for us to love our body to the point of idolizing, flaunting or even worshipping it, I believe that having a healthy body confidence and an “attitude of gratitude” is an important part of living an abundant life. As I write in HEAL, each of us are made us with a “unique body makeup,” and we are beautiful and valuable as the crown of His creation. This year I'm resolving to embrace my curves more than I ever have before! Why don't you join me!

To buy HEAL, click here.

To learn more about The HEAL Journey click here.

Check back on the blog soon as I'll be posting lots more encouragement and excerpts from HEAL for the rest of January!