Sarah Sandoval, Author at The Captivating Woman

October 15, 2015

Ladies to Know on Etsy – Art/Home Decor Edition

Hannah Pickering of Hannah Pickering Art
https://www.etsy.com/shop/hannahpickeringart

Facebook: Hannah Pickering Art
Instagram: @hannahpickering
Twitter: @hannahloveswes
Pinterest: @hannahloveswes

Name, age, location: My name is Hannah Pickering. I’m 25. I live in Nashville, TN.
How long have you been on Etsy?: I have been an Etsy seller since May, 2013.
What is your speciality?: Painting with acrylics. I make customizable abstract designs, paint photo-realistic flowers and leaves, and do hand-lettering.
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: I’ve always loved making things. As a little kid, anything artsy was a favorite activity. Yet as I got older, art was something that became less and less important until I didn’t draw or paint at all for several years. Then, right after graduating from college, I found myself desperately needing a creative outlet and God renewed my love for painting. In 2013, newly married and newly relocated to Nashville, I wanted unique wall art to decorate my house with and couldn’t find what I was looking for – so I made it! I thought other people might be looking for my style of art, too, so I opened my Etsy shop. Knowing that my art is a gift from God is a relatively new realization for me. Arts and crafts had always been something that I’d enjoyed but never thought of as particularly important and definitely not something that was my exclusive calling. After running my Etsy shop for two years, it started feeling like it was eclipsing my real calling – music and ministry – and I seriously considered closing my shop and giving up on painting altogether this summer. However, God used many people (both close friends and complete strangers) over the past few months to speak into my life and creativity to refine and refocus the purpose of my art.Now, rather than just making art that I think is interesting and hoping it sells, I focus on making art that has a positive message and points people to God. This shift in purpose has shown me that God has plans for my art – and that my specialty is a gift from Him.
What were you doing before Etsy?: My Etsy shop has always been part-time; my “real job” is traveling the world and leading worship with my husband. Before Etsy, I guess you could say I was a student. I started my Etsy shop right after college (I have a bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute). Although my degree has nothing to do with art, it has everything to do with the mission behind my little art business.
How do you get inspired?: I find inspiration everywhere! Reading Scripture, being surrounded by nature, browsing the latest trends at my favorite shops, spending way too much time on Pinterest.
Tell us about your workspace: My art studio is a small sunroom on the back of my 1950’s cottage style house. It used to be a porch but was converted unto a laundry room long before my husband and I bought the house. Before we moved in, we moved the laundry hookups into a utility room and now I have my desk right where the washer and drier used to be (you can see the original cabinets right above my desk). It’s so personal and cozy – I love it!
Favorite verse?: John 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Kelsey of ProjectWildflower
https://www.etsy.com/shop/projectwildflower

Instagram: @project.wildflower

Name, age, location: Kelsey, 22, California (Central Valley)
How long have you been on Etsy?: I opened my Etsy shop in late February of this year. I haven’t quite pursued making it as successful as I would like for it to be, but I plan to focus even more time and attention on it in the coming months ahead.
What is your speciality?: You know, to be honest, I don’t know that I have one. When you look at my Etsy shop, you don’t see one thing in specific, and you most likely never will. I chose to name my shop ProjectWildflower because I am so infatuated by the way that wildflowers grow so freely and with a sort of reckless abandon. They are not confined and are unencumbered by any restrictions as to how and where they grow in the wild. It has become sort of a project in my life and for myself to be intentional as to grow and develop in the same way that wildflowers do; with a free spirit, a sense of bravery, and an unwillingness to conform or to settle. Along with that comes my hunger to try new things and to push myself to create anything that I’d like to. You will see though, a variety of woven wall hangings available in the ProjectWildflower Etsy shop. I taught myself to weave in early February and have fallen in love with it, so I plan to always have a few weavings to choose from in my shop. Painted wood slices also seem to sell really well for me. I have just pretty recently listed them in the shop, but at craft events and fairs in which I have had booths, they have definitely been the biggest seller. So though I don’t have a specific specialty, weavings and wood slices are most likely going to stick around for a long while!
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: Crafts, and just sort of creating, has always come very naturally to me. I’ve never forced it and I have never lost even an ounce of passion that I have towards crafting. I think that when someone is so passionate about something that it becomes sort of their safe haven and what they look to when they want nothing to do with anything else… that is when you know that the Lord created them with the intention to live out said passion. I know I’m supposed to create. Just as Christ creates the most extraordinary things out of dust, out of nothing, I want to create beautiful things.
What were you doing before Etsy?: Before Etsy, I was still creating. I have always loved to make things, and decorated my apartment with a good amount of items I made myself. I ran out of places to put things, but still wanted to create, so I started to giveaway my creations as gifts. I just graduated college in May, so school was my main focus. Papers and exams sort of took over my life for those four years, as well as managing my local ice cream shop, which was really fun.
How do you get inspired?: I always think this is kind of a tough question, because I really don’t know! However, I do know that color pallets inspire me. I was once in a Target parking lot, and had parked my Jeep next to a flowerbed. There were really light colored flowers filling the soil, blue, yellow and purple, next to the black asphalt parking space. Thus, the Greater is He wood slice was born. A black background with white lettering, just as the parking lot was black asphalt with white painted parking space lines. The words are trimmed in pale blue, yellow, and purple flowers, just as the flowerbed trimmed the parking spot. Interesting, right? Point being, there is inspiration everywhere. It comes in all forms, and I am open to being inspired by the most random situations everyday.
Tell us about your workspace: Oh boy. My workspace is all over the place. Currently I don’t have a designated area that I work in, however, I plan to in the very near future. I’ve been working on how to turn one area of my bedroom into kind of a mini studio type space for all of my ProjectWildflower doings. I weave on my bed and I sketch on the couch and I paint at the kitchen table and I staple in the back yard and I glue things in the entry room and I sand in the driveway. Like what? I’m really a hot mess 24/7.
Favorite verse?: This is always hard for me. The Bible is composed of so many powerful and promising verses that fill me with a sense of calmness and make it so hard to choose. But Hebrews 10:23 never fails to leave me with a feeling of such comfort satisfaction, and hopefulness. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, for He who promised is faithful.” Our God is a faithful God. He always has been and He always will be.

Kristin Hornstein of WinsomeEasel
https://www.etsy.com/shop/WinsomeEasel

Instagram: @winsomeeasel

Name, age, location: Kristin Hornstein, 28, Nashville, Tennessee.
How long have you been on Etsy?: I opened my Etsy shop in June of 2014, so just a little over a year.
What is your speciality?: Hand-lettering and illustration.
How did you know that your speciality was a gift from God?: I’ve loved words for as long as I can remember. From the time I was 12 or 13 I’ve kept a small journal of quotes and phrases I found truth in, and I’ve always believed in the ability of words to transform the world. Think about it: words have the power rally or ruin a cause, to build up or tear down a whole nation, and to heal or break a heart. Hand lettering just made sense for me because it married my love of words and my desire to create. I don’t know that there was a specific moment when began to think about creating as a gifting, it felt more like a waste or act of neglect to NOT be making things. At some point I just I started playing around with different mediums until I found a style that seemed to work for me, taught myself (through many frustrated tears) how to use photoshop and illustrator, and set up an etsy shop. There have been countless missteps and moments of “well, that didn’t work” since then, but I’m slowly learning to refine my voice and create work I love. And even on the hardest days, there nothing I’d rather be doing!
What were you doing before Etsy?: Surprisingly enough, I was working as an office manager for a financial firm. It was about as far as possible from full-time creative work, but through working there I learned incredibly valuable lessons about running my own business, managing my finances, taxes, etc. As my Winsome Easel workload grew, it was very harder and harder to balance my day job with owning my own business, but doing both let me build up savings to give me some cushion as I transitioned to a full-time maker.
How do you get inspired?: I look for inspiration anywhere there is truth and beauty. I work outdoors as much as possible, and almost always take a walk before beginning a long creative session. I also listen to music nearly constantly, and have a rotation of artists who’s songs just say it, you know what I mean? And yes, Instagram feeds and Pinterest can be a great source of beauty as well, but I think the number one place I find inspiration is from relationships. Almost every piece in my shop has come from a moment in time with a good friend. A couple I love was battling infertility, so in faith I made the print I would want to give them for their nursery. (They’ve since has a beautiful, healthy baby boy!) Another friend shared a lyric with me from a song that she was clinging to in the middle of battling cancer, and that turned into a print. Another friend, a soon-to-be groom, was relaying to me a story about his finance’s favorite literary quote, and it struck a chord in me. I created a piece for them using the quote, which turned not only in to their wedding gift, but also a piece for my permanent collection. Every piece I make has a person behind it, and those people and their stories are my ultimate inspiration.
Tell us about your workspace: Though I have grand aspirations of working out of a studio space with plenty of storage and abundant organization, that dream is still a ways off! Thankfully, I’m blessed to have gracious roommates who let me use a bonus space in our house as a workshop!! It’s simple but functional, and has amazing natural light. My two cats are my constant shop companions, which of course, is plus as well.
Favorite verse: Psalm 73:23-26 is my life passage: “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

October 8, 2015

Ladies to Know on Etsy – Jewelry Edition

Lindsey Warren of StampedAndFinch
https://www.etsy.com/shop/StampedAndFinch
Instagram: @stampedandfinch

Name, age, location: Lindsey, 24, Atlanta, Georgia.
How long have you been on Etsy?: Since May.
What is your specialty?: Hand-stamped, personalized accessories. My favorite accessory to make are bracelets.
How did you know your specialty was a gift from God?: When I first started making the bracelets I gave them to a few to friends as a gift of encouragement. I prayed over each of them and asked for the Lord to speak something through me into their life. I stamped a specific word or phrase for each of them and they were so touched. I knew from there that I could create something that would impact other people’s lives in a personal way as well.
What were you doing before Etsy?: I was and still am a teacher at a Neurodevelopmental school and therapy center for kids with special needs.
How do you get inspired?: I am a firm believer that the beliefs we have and the words we speak over ourselves have a direct impact on our lives. I love to listen to what truth the Lord is speaking into my life and when I make bracelets for friends or family, I really pray about what the Lord is saying over their life.
Tell us about your workspace: My workspace is a little corner by the window in our guest bedroom right now. It’s messy, small, unorganized, and perfect all at the same time. The natural sunlight from the window changes everything.
Favorite verse?: One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 31:12 “They shall be RADIANT over the goodness of the Lord”. Our beauty and light comes from deep within knowing that He is a GOOD, GOOD FATHER all the time, every moment, every season.

Faith Schlauder of Kristina&Co. Jewelry
https://www.etsy.com/shop/KristinaCo
Facebook: Kristina&Co. Jewelry
Instagram: @kristinaco.jewelry

Name, age, location: Faith, 20, Orange Beach, AL.
How long have you been on Etsy?: Almost 5 years.
What is your speciality?: I specialize in handmade jewelry. My specialty started out as wire wrapped rings (which I still do) but I have also branched out into earrings, necklaces, & bracelets.
How did you know your specialty was a gift from God?: I knew that my ability to create and my jewelry shop was a gift from God from the very beginning. At the very start I knew that if I was going to make this happen, I wanted to make sure I was giving back every time. I knew that without God I wouldn’t have the abilities I have. I know with everything I am, He gives each and every one of us a gift for a reason that will benefit His kingdom and the future of the world. It is something to be shared as well as touch others’ hearts. I wanted to serve him with the gifts He blessed me with. When I first started my shop I was giving 10-20% of each sale I made to Love146.com monthly. Over the past year, I felt a pull towards my own town. God showed me that there were needs here on the Gulf Coast that needed to be met. My passion is in ending local hunger right now, but I am keeping my heart open to whatever causes arise and come my way. At the end of each month I have 10% of every sale I made ready to go to wherever or whoever needs it most.
What were you doing before Etsy?: Before Etsy, I was a student in high school and was working at an awesome local boutique called High Cotton Bath Company. I still work there occasionally.
How do you get inspired?: My inspiration comes from so many different things. I have amazing friends and family who support me so much, are always encouraging and inspire me to grow in my business. When it comes to the design of my pieces, I am inspired by the beauty in nature. I love working with natural stones, soft earthy colors, and lots of pearls. My best friend Kaylyn is also an Etsy shop owner. Her shop name is RosetteBelles. Every time we are together we are bouncing ideas off of each other and encouraging each other to take new steps with our shops. It’s so awesome to have someone that shares the same passion that I do!
Tell us about your workspace: As of right now, my workspace consists of two desks side by side, one for storing and one for working. I like to keep my workspace light and creative. I am looking forward to having my own studio once I am married.
Favorite verse?: My favorite right now would be 1 Corinthians 4:7 – “For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing.”

October 1, 2015

Meet Natalie Mukhtar

I’m blessed to know Natalie Mukhtar. She might not remember this, but the first time I met her was on a grassy spot on campus. I had joined the upperclassmen Bible study with the Christian club I was involved with at SJSU and I was in dire need of friends since I was new to the area. The conversation came up that I was a Recreation major and a bunch of people said, “You have to meet Natalie! She loves Hume Lake (a popular Christian camp in California)!” I was instantly drawn to her spirit and laughter, and knew that I wanted to be her friend.

Things you need to know about Natalie: she gives the BEST hugs. I was never lacking in the hug department. She is extremely talented. Her mind thinks creatively and in an abstract way. I have also had some of the best conversations about the Lord with her. I’m able to be vulnerable with her due to listening ear and grace filled heart.

I’m thrilled to be sharing Natalie with you. She’s a person you need in your life.

S: Where do you live and how old are you?
N: I live in the middle of the Silicon Valley, and I’m 24 years old.

S: What did you get your degree in?
N: I graduated with a BS in Industrial Design, which is more like product design and less like architecture.

S: What were you like as a kid?
N: I built everything that came into my mind out of Legos – that’s what occupied most of my brain space. I was also super shy and timid, never felt “big” enough to approach an adult for anything, so I always just kept to myself. That’s probably why I used Lego as my expressive outlet. My cousins would probably tell you I was very empathetic. Kind of like how a dog senses sadness or happiness or fear. I could always pick a low spirit out of a room, and apparently I’d walk over and try to comfort the person with a hug or some slobbery kid kiss. And then go back to building robots out of Legos. I remember this on a few instances but never thought anything of it. That’s me in my kid years.

S: What three words describe you?
N: Creative, loving, and determined.

S:What do you do for a living?
N: I’m an industrial designer at a couple design firms in the Bay Area. That basically means I think of an idea for a new or existing product, and then I design and make it. Someone smarter comes in to find a way to sell it in stores. Can I add that I’ve been mesmerized with the process of creating things lately? I can’t hardly believe humans have the ability to think of something and then make it exist. This is precisely why I love my profession, it reminds me of Genesis – God’s ability to think of something and speak it into existence. It reminds me that we’re made in His image, because we have that same awesome ability to think and create, but realistically, on a much smaller scale.

S: You were always so busy in your classes. Was there ever a moment when you wanted to give up?
N: That’s funny. I often reached many “ends,” but never thought of fully giving up. I switched majors two years in to avoid wasting time on my original degree, and changed little bits and pieces of my college experience until I found a sweet spot that kept me going. I remember church shopping mid-college career so that I could plug in and be fed spiritually. Friend shopping was a blessing when I needed emotional support. For the rest of it, God kept opening doors so that I would realize that He had me right where I needed to be. Every time He opened a door I was rejuvenated and encouraged enough to go on until the next door opened. Don’t get me wrong, I had so many drained, wiped clean, rock bottom days, but somewhere in the low days I would remember His faithfulness, and it wasn’t fair to recognize His devotion to me and not reciprocate it. So I stayed on the path He laid out, even when I felt blind.

S:What kind of advice would you give to someone going into a design career?
N: I would say only do it if you love it. It is so not worth the late nights and baggy eyes and friendship-pauses, if you don’t feel at all fulfilled by it, or if you don’t feel like you’re helping others with it.

S: Quick resume?
N: Interned at a small design firm in 2012 in San Jose
Interned at a tech company from 2013-15 in the greater Bay Area
Now working at two design firms in San Jose

S: What do you like about what you do?
N: I wish I could infect every person on this earth with immense joy. But I can’t…or can I…
My absolute favorite part of my job is that everything I make is available to billions of people all around the world. And if I design my products with good intention (which I try to do), then the experience people will have with my products will hopefully be at minimum, pleasant, and at most, life changing. BOOM, billions reached.

S: Share a cool moment in your young career.
N: When one of the first products I’ve worked on launched, I was so excited to see it in stores that I went to a local Costco, picked my baby off the shelf and took an ecstatically unashamed photo with it…but didn’t buy it because it was still too expensive. I bet people walking by thought I was nuts. I later realized that people don’t normally take photos with items they find in stores… so that’s just me.

*Of course we had to share the picture 😉

S: Favorite verse?
N: Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

S: What makes a Captivating Woman?
N: Confidence! But not the ego-filled, self-facing kind, because that’s monotonous and circular. I think all of my friends are captivating women, and they are the least self-indulgent people I know. I am drawn to them firstly because of their joy for life. They always seem to have something to be thankful for, and in turn they treat others with generosity and kindness. I’m not the deepest person intellectually, I don’t think I think more than the average person, but I see confidence when I see people helping others. When people aren’t afraid to sacrifice a bit of themselves to grow someone else, that’s attractive, and that’s captivating.

S: Favorite story in the bible?
N: Um a bit odd, sorry for the horror story, but I love the startling prophetic story in Revelation 11:1-14 written by John. Two witnesses are sent to earth (many scholars believe they are Elijah and Moses since they ascended and never actually physically died) to prophecy for 3.5 years while the spiritual state of the earth is dismal. God gives the prophets the amazing ability to breathe fire and destroy their enemies, and also gives them power to stop the rain, turn water to blood, and strike the earth with any plague as often as they want. The authority handed to them by Him, who has authority over them, is astounding and indicates complete trust in their judgment. Well, at the end of the 3.5 years of prophesying they are killed by “the beast,” and their bodies lay dead on the open ground for 3.5 days as people pass by, mock them, and rejoice over their death. On the third day, they are raised from the dead and ascend to heaven. Sound familiar? And the story ends with an earthquake, “At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
There are lots of reasons I like this story. In an odd way, it comforts me to be reminded that it’s never too late to turn to God. Even if you mock Him or his people for the majority of your life, in your last moment of life you can genuinely turn to Him and He will accept you. But this story also indicates urgency. You never know when your life will end, you could be one of the ones that dies in a tragedy, or you could be safe until your natural end, but why wait to find out?

S: Who are some Captivating Women in your life that we need to know about?
N: Kristen Rhea, Katie Assadi, &. Esther Han. These women love God and are pursuing careers in the fields that God has gifted them in. They are determined, content, confident women who have active goals and aspirations. I respect their drive. They are pavers and natural leaders, and the way they conduct themselves is captivating.

September 29, 2015

Cold Brew Coffee

Honestly, I don’t like Starbucks cold brew coffee. It has a strange sour flavor to me. Maybe they were having an off day when they made it, but it hasn’t been a drink I’ve been loving. The price for the cold brew doesn’t make sense either. It’s more expensive than their iced coffee.

I’m not that hip, but I make my own cold brew coffee. Of course I’ve wanted all the cool tools like a coffee grinder and a pretty pour over contraption, but I buy whole beans at the store and grind them there. The french press I use comes from T.J. Maxx.

Making cold brew coffee at home is easy and cheap. It takes probably 2 minutes out of your day to prepare it. I’m thankful that the process is easy. I love a tall glass of iced cold brew any day of the week and at any time of the day. That has become a problem because I’m wide awake for hours if I have cold brew after 1 p.m.

You can make your cold brew coffee in a french press, a big mason jar, or a pitcher. You don’t need anything spectacular.

I use a french press because it’s easier to put in my refrigerator. The ratio of ground coffee to water will differ if you’re not using a french press.

The key thing you need to know about making cold brew is: you must start with whole beans and then grind them. When you grind them, the setting should be on course. Honestly, I don’t know the reasoning of this. Every article I’ve read about making cold brew coffee and grinding your coffee beans shares that the coffee grounds need to be course.

I like using Peet’s Coffee. Their coffee is delicious and it’s easy to find their whole beans at the store.

I use 1/3 cup of grounded coffee in my french press. Easy, peasy.

Now this is the hard part – add filtered water. That is it! Actually the hardest part is waiting. So make it the night before and your morning will be heavenly.

I put plastic wrap over my french press when I put it in the fridge. You DON’T want to press the plunger down when you put it in the refrigerator because you want you all the water and ground coffee to mix and do it’s heavenly dance.

One of my favorite things to do with my coffee is add condensed milk. Yes, it’s super sweet but it’s incredibly delicious. Now you’re making Vietnamese coffee!

When it comes to your second day of drinking your coffee (if you’re using a french press), I would pour the coffee over a coffee filter. It catches all the sludge, which is gross and should not be enjoyed. If you’re using a pitcher or jar, I would also recommend pouring the coffee over a coffee filter. Cheers!

September 17, 2015

What Makes a Captivating Woman?

Go to any grocery or book store and you’ll find magazines with titles that say:

“10 Ways to Meet your Future Husband!”

“5 Mascaras You Need in Your Life!”

“4 Steps to Your Beautiful Self!”

Honestly, I like standing in longer lines at the grocery store. It’s my time to read through magazines because I’m a little bit cheap and I don’t want to spend $8. I’ll scan through the articles to find how I can be my beautiful self, to then realize I’ll need to cut out sugar and purchase a lip plumper that would cost me an arm and a leg.

Instantly I feel dread and disappointment. I’ll think to myself, “I’ll never fully know what being my beautiful self is because I didn’t accomplish the 4 steps.”

We live in a culture that creates lists. We believe that if we follow a formula we can be a new person, or gain a job, or be the best mom on the face of universe. But those lists are almost never met.

So what makes a Captivating Woman?

There’s not a list, a 5 week program, or a book you can read to make yourself captivating. There is nothing you can do to become a captivating woman. Breath in that freedom, sister.

The title is misleading for a reason.

See, I used to live by formulas. I needed a check list because I thought if I accomplished all things, THEN whatever I was aiming for would happen. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time I ended up in failure.

I ended up in tears. I ended up binging on food. I ended up shaming my body and the way I put on my makeup. I lied to myself and said I would never be pursued by a man because I wasn’t in spin class 6 days a week.

There’s a very popular chapter in Proverbs. Before I say it, I’m sure you already know what I’m referring to. Proverbs 31. Please understand: I am not dishonoring God’s word. I am not saying that Proverbs 31 should be erased from the Bible. I’m not saying we should not study Proverbs 31.

But I believe as a community of women we have made the Proverbs 31 woman the ultimate goal in our life. But the thing is, we are not going to hit every quality in that chapter. I’ve heard ladies say that we should learn how to sew because Proverbs 31:19 says, “Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.”

I am terrible at sewing. I sewed a dress for my doll when I was 11 and it was alright. It wasn’t something I would put on my body.

But I know some gals who are incredible seamstresses. I am so drawn to their skill and craft. I would do anything to be talented in that category.

If I made a list of every quality of the Proverbs 31 woman, I would feel overwhelmed. I think a lot of us feel overwhelmed when we are looking at lists of what to do to become something. And even as we try our hardest, someone is always doing it bigger and better. We feel so inadequate.

I can’t imagine being a mom one day. There are those moms who make motherhood look easy. Next to them are the ones with macaroni in their hair staring at the “Mom of the Year”.

If you read all of chapter 31, you see her as this energizing bunny. She keeps going and doing and serving and loving. And all of that is beautiful. But for me, there are days when I’m done. I’m empty. I don’t have as much grace as I should. I lack joy at times. I take a few naps during the week.

But yet God still rules in my heart. His nature is still flowing through my bloodstream. I am able to reflect who He is in the quiet moments when I’m not even trying to.

I’m going to repeat this again: there is nothing you can do to become a Captivating Woman.

We are captivating because of a King. As followers of Christ, daughters of the King, we instantly reflect who He is.

Galatians 2:20 says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I’m not captivating by how I dress, the makeup I use, or by the way I walk. I’m captivating because I’m allowing Christ to live through me. I’m allowing His characteristics to shine through my pores (and they are probably really oily). People are not drawn towards me because I’m Sarah Sandoval, they are drawn to me because I resonate Christ.

I’m thankful that we don’t have to complete a 25 step program to become captivating. By us being the woman God intended us to be, we shine, we draw people in, we captivate others because He lives in us.

If you’re quiet, you’re captivating. If you’re loud and wear purple lipstick, you’re captivating. If your hair is flat and have pimples covering your face, you’re captivating.

You are captivating.

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