If the Shoe Fits



Left to Right:  Johnette, Sharon, Myself, and Angie

 Good Evening Friends,

As most of you know by now, I'm still settling down from the excitement of my recent trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana last week for the State Church of God Sister Connection!  I had loads of fun, enjoyed some fantastic food, and shared in fellowship with some wonderful ladies!  I made a ton of new friends - one of whom, I must honor on this blog - Johnette. 

Johnette (pictured on the left above) was responsible for the decorations for the entire Sister Connection Conference whose theme was "Walking to Please God."  Johnette's main responsibilities included the concept and the design for the Stage and the concept and the design of the centerpieces for the banquet. In addition, Johnette faced a unique design-challenge at this event because almost each piece of decor served a dual purpose as an item to be auctioned to help raise money for the COG Smoky Mountain Children's Home and missions within the State of Louisiana. I loved learning from Mrs. Johnette, and of course, once I heard the words "dual purpose" -  you all know, she "had me at hello!"

To complement the theme of "Walking to Please God," Johnette incorporated SHOES in almost all of her decorations.  I thought this was a PERFECT idea for a Ladies conference!  All women LOVE the "belles and whistles" of terrific shoes, right?  In fact, my sister-in-law's message at the opening service of Sister Connection incorporated the shoes from the decor!  Each pair of shoes became an object lesson from the beginning to the end of a ladies' life as she "Walked to Please God!"  I love it when a theme comes together -and this one was not only great, but anointed!



Stage Decoration at Sister Connection

The picture above shows the "Shoe Boutique" which served as both the backdrop and the items for auction on the Stage at Sister Connection.  Pay close attention to all of the shoes, and in particular, the red boots on the ottoman!  This was one of my favorite "belles and whistles" of the Stage decor.  Johnette shared with me her secrets for creating this center piece of scenery:  She took on ottoman and slip covered it in white and tied a simple red ribbon around it for effect.  The zebra print rug beneath was simply an inexpensive piece of fabric from Hobby Lobby which Johnette hemmed into a square!  How creative, yet simple enough to try at home!

Each side vignette to the main back drop of the stage featured all "Fleur de Lis" accent pieces that were auctioned at the PJ Party after the main service!  "Fleur de Lis" is a French word meaning "flower of lily" and it is a symbol of the French King and a symbol for Louisiana! I believe that it is also a symbol for the trinity of God - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit!  These items were purchased inexpensively at a once-a-month warehouse sale in Baton Rouge called Lancaster House Originals in hopes of being sold to raise money to support missions, which is exactly what happened!  What an attractive, creative, and cost-effective way to decorate with a dual purpose!

I LOVED Johnette's sense of style and purpose for the decor of this event!  Tomorrow, I will share her creative and inexpensive centerpieces from the final Ladies' Luncheon at Sister Connection!  She and I certainly connected as lovers of both Christ and decorative little "belles and whistles!"  I wanted to put Johnette in my pocket and carry her back to Tennessee with me so that we could continuously spark ideas off one another!

Don't forget that I will also be blogging about our SUPER FUN PJ PARTY later in the week as well!  Until then, be inspired to "Walk to Please God," and remember, "If the Shoe Fits, wear it" or at least DECORATE with it!!!