New Book: 31 Days of Prayer for the dreamer & the doer

It's Here!!! 

A few weeks back I mentioned this on my Instagram. 

So, last year, I was asked to join a talented group of Christian women to co-write a book called "31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer" founded by the women at The Well Studio.   I was asked to be part of this beautiful & powerful devotional by contributing a prayer on Marketing + Branding and I admit, at first I was like, "oh my gosh, what am I going to pray?!?!? God pls help!!!" Well, thank God, I figured it out.  Below is a peek at my prayer as I was writing it down, before it was even published. The book is officially released! With over 200 pages, I know this prayer book will inspire & encourage you throughout year!  My prayer is on 'branding + marketing' and you'll find it on page 171.  I am SO excited & honored to be part of this!!!

This is a different type of devotional & I love how it is specifically for the dreamer + doer.  So, I'm curious, have you ever asked yourself these questions:

What kind of dreams do I have, that I want to start putting into action? 
How does God play a role in my business? 
Can I pray about my business & goals?

YES, we CAN certainly pray about business.  Our dreams don't have to be just dreams.  In fact, 'the Lord delights in our asking' -  as written in Proverbs 15:8.  I can't wait for you to read all the prayers by these 31 women. (including mine). 

If you're wondering, the book covers topics like:

faith • comparison • God’s word • freedom • serving • online influence

authenticity • identity grace in my home • singleness

marriage • creativity • collaboration + opportunity • branding + marketing • comparison

motherhood • success + failure • busyness & more!!

You can buy the book directly via  Made By Girl - a percentage of the proceeds from each book will go to NYC Rescue Mission (the charity of my choice).
 

Some of the AWESOME Christian women involved in this book include: 

Aedriel Moxley / Alisa Keaton / Beth Ann Platt / Casey Wiegand / Chelsie Birks / Claire Hogan / Demi Austin-Thomas / Dianne Jago / Esther Havens / Francie Winslow / Gina Ziedler / Hilary Rushford / Holley Gerth / Jen Ramos / Jennie Allen / Jess Connolly / Jill Monaco / Marshawn Daniels / Megan Smalley / Nancy Ray / Kristen Steele McCall / Kristin Rogers / Lara Casey / Lauren Chandler / Lindsay Sherbondy / Maggie Whitley / Megan Burns / Rebecca Lyons / Tricia Goyer / Valerie Woerner



-post by jen ramos

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Advertise on MadeByGirl ?

Whether you run an ETSY or an online shop...OR if you just want to PROMOTE your blog, this is a great opportunity to get you seen!!  Try it out. My blog attracts LOTS of readers from all over the world! 

Take advantage of 'one of our lowest advertising rates ever'.  If interested, please email me here. 

Ad Rate: 3 months for only $150. (This special is a savings of $150)  

New & previous advertisers are welcome.

We also have rates for text links if you're interested. This special rate is for non-animated ads, if you'd like animated ad, that would be an additional fee. 

Email me for more info! This special rate offer will expire April 16th. so you must purchase the ad before then. However the ad can go up at any time. 

 

Why Advertise on Made by Girl blog ?

• Reach thousands of visitors per day
• Affordable ad rates compared to other blogs with similar amount of traffic.
• Your blog or business can be seen by magazine editors as well as design Industry professionals who frequent my blog.
• Made by Girl has been featured in many magazines & is always being updated! 
• Sometimes I'll select & write about a sponsor, not all are selected.
• I have incoming links on many blogs which bring in lots of traffic!   
• We will add your 120x120 button to the left of the blog for all to see!   

Looking forward to hearing from you!

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pRAISE Clothing

I'm always impressed by women entrepreneurs - their drive, ambition & their struggles to make it. I know so many women like myself who decided to take a risk & go after what they were passionate about. Perhaps it's a God-given gift they've had & never really touched upon until recently & then BAM! Their ideas & creations were realized & seen by the world. My story is very similar in the sense, that I always had passion, drive & talents I never explored. However, today, I'm experiencing the fruit of those talents which I feel are gifts from God. 

With that said, I wanted to share a different type of post & introduce you to a woman who has inspired me with her business & her boldness in her faith. Alma Meza is the founder behind the fashionable t-shirt line called pRAISE.  She believed that fashion lacked support for those who loved God (& wanted to show it). 

She has a great testimony on how she started her clothing line & it's pretty interesting- I'll let her tell you in her own words, so sit back, enjoy & grab a snack.

Below: Here I am sporting a few Alma's T-shirts from pRAISE clothing - love them! You can get 10% off your purchase, just insert the CODE: MADEBYGRL
at checkout! Good until April 30th.
 

My name is Alma Meza and I am 27 years old from Los Angeles, California. I recently re-entered the fashion world after having gone through some pretty nasty things that ultimately made me despise the fashion industry. I was forced to depart from the clothing company I built for 6 years with a partner who later betrayed me in late 2011. I was pretty lost in regards to a career path. During this time, so many other things in my life were crumbling- one of the most significant events was the death of my nephew, Sebastian. 

It seemed like it was all happening at once. I was overwhelmed, but felt God tugging at me and so I wholeheartedly turned to Him.  God revealed to me that I couldn't continue to coast through life with a casual,  superficial relationship with Him. I took a little over a year to be still, as The Lord encourages us to do. I maintained a corporate job that was stable financially, but spiritually draining. 

I started to feel that nonprofit work or speech pathology might be my next move and I began to take baby steps toward exploring each. Around this time, I started having dreams and visions about designing again, only this time the garments were showcasing either scriptures or faith related graphics. God was gently nudging me to come back to fashion, only this time with renewed purpose. That is how the idea for pRAISE was conceived. This was a result of diligent prayer and increased intimacy with God. The more I contemplated on this, the more I was being flooded by ideas and designs. I loved it all, but I was simultaneously starting to be crippled by fear. How will this be received? How can I do this all by myself this time around? Do I really want to return to this shady industry? 

All of these questions took over my thoughts for weeks until I finally realized this may very well be my calling. I decided that these concerns and doubts are silly compared to what God is able to do in and through me. I started to proceed with more conviction. 

Once I completed my designs for a collection, I was very emotional. Excited, in awe, and humbled best describes what I felt. Meanwhile, I was still working full time for a company that was starting to lose its ethical foundation. It took so much time away from my day and I was miserable there. In October of 2012, I built up the courage to step out on faith and resign from my position. I broke down in tears and utter fear. How will I support myself without income?
  
I prayed for provision and decided no matter what, I had to see this through. On January 12th, 2013, I launched pRAISE- All glory to God. My brand encompasses many of the values that are near and dear to my heart- using eco-friendly material, helping impoverished children around the world by donating a portion of the proceeds to Compassion International, and spreading God's love through fashion. This endeavor has been nothing short of incredible thus far. I've been blessed to connect with so many beautiful believers that have even thanked me for introducing this type of brand to an industry that is exceedingly being filled with dark imagery and immorality. I never imagined doing anything remotely close to pRAISE. I am publicly promoting my faith through fashion. 

I still become a bit intimidated at the thought alone, but I am reminded that I can do all things through Christ. God's ways are not our ways. I know that He is orchestrating beautiful things for my life. He took me out of darkness and blessed me with pRAISE. I am looking forward to His promises and not being jaded by yesterday's heartaches. I'm blessed and honored to be designing for His glory. When you place God FIRST in your life, there's no need to look back because you are looking forward, looking to the Alpha and Omega...and trusting in the ultimate Navigator. So here I am, allowing God to use me as I realize this Divinely-inspired dream.

Do you have a gift that you feel you need to act on??

 
 

-top 3 images by jen ramos

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YELP !!

Storefronts can be just as interesting and unique as the interior of the stores. I know I'm always drawn to cozy and colorful looking ones. The window displays always help to catch my eye, so business owners, make sure you have some good stuff in your windows. I got these cool images from Yelp - this site is awesome (its basically a review site for businesses, very helpful) you can search for many types of businesses throughout the U,S. and many of them even have pictures like you see here. I spent such a loooooong time on this site, I lost track of time! Maybe some of you recognize these stores??

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