After a long and winding path of patience, trust, and faith- Wendy Strong Lupas and Mary Strong Blackburn- two sisters and Cashiers, NC residents- are thrilled to share with you their personal journey that lead to the development of The Gracewear Collection. The jewelry is truly as beautiful as the story of grace that inspired the Collection...

...After the birth of her third child- appropriately named Grace- Wendy's husband was diagnosed with a rare lung disease. The treatment for this condition was the maximum dose of steroid therapy that lasted almost 2 years. Through this very trying season that Wendy described as 'the dark years'- she found her usual joyful and positive spirit start to fade. She describes how anger and bitterness ever-so-slowly crept into what many described as an 'ideal life'. After the treatment, when the 'real' husband started to re-emerge, they decided to take a long overdue vacation. It was after a sun-set cruise that Wendy describes as a 'spirit filled moment' when she felt God speak to her- "You must let go of the past, and forgive. ...with this forgiveness you will find freedom and peace." (Matthew 16:10)

Wendy said she fell to her knees and gave God ALL the glory for giving me this wonderful man and wonderful life that I was not embracing. I asked God for forgiveness- forgiveness for so much. Forgiveness for all the anger and bitterness that had crept into my life...forgiveness for not being the wife and mother that God had designed ... forgiveness for blaming my husband for so much that I needed to take responsibility for. GRACE: an absolutely FREE gift from God that I did not deserve. GRACE: unconditional love and true forgiveness with "no strings attached"! - A clean slate to start over and hopefully 'get it right' this time.... A second chance.

After an amazing second honeymoon of rest and restoration- Wendy felt an incredible calling to share this message that God sent her, with others.

She first shared with her sister, Mary, and together- through what they describe as "many ups, downs, twists, and turns"- they created this unique 'business with ministry purpose' called Gracewear Collection. God blessed Mary and Wendy with the beautiful “Shield of Faith” design- which was to become the signature brand for their vision.

The Shield of Faith jewelry design is based on the scripture Ephesians 6: 10-18 and how we can 'spiritually dress' ourselves for the battles that we face every day. The Shield represents the protection of God from the 'flaming arrows' that are thrown at us daily. God wants to protect everything in our lives: ourselves, our families, our marriages, our homes, our businesses, our churches, our communities...everything!

Wendy and Mary feel that every woman has their own 'Gracewear story'. They pray that through their Collection, women can find freedom and comfort in their journey for daily grace. "God calls us to be ambassadors for Christ and to let His love and light shine through us", says Wendy, "we must be spiritually dressed for the battles that we face everyday...hopefully our Collection can help women to have a little more peace, joy, and balance in their hectic lives. Now, I don't know a woman on earth that wouldn't want that!!!"

Gracewear is currently featured in over 150 retail shops in the US.  In May 2011, they opened a boutique location in their hometown of Cashiers, NC.  God is good ALL the time, and both Wendy and Mary can not wait to see what HE has planned in 2012.

Wendy and her family moved to Cashiers, NC from Atlanta, GA thirteen years ago. Her husband Sam is a partner with Landmark Realty Group. They have three children; Sammy- who is a sophmore at The Baylor School, and Molly and Gracie who attend The Summit Charter School.

Mary, her husband, Jerry and their three children moved to Cashiers from Savannah, GA. Her children: Sarah Dancy, Wade, and Morgan also attend The Summit Charter School.