Pages

Saturday, June 4, 2011

My New Craft Room

I am forever changing things in my house. My husband teases me that everyday he comes home from work, something is different! That is so not true...at least not everyday!
One of my latest re-do's was my crafting space. For several years I worked out of our family room, but I was never truly satisfied with my crafting area. It took up alot of my kids play space and never had the look I wanted.I have 2 kids and live in a 3 bedroom house, so really I was lucky to have any crafting space at all! Well....about 6 months ago my boys decided that they wanted bunk beds. In order to do this they would have to share a bedroom...right? So that would free up a bedroom for a craft room ;). Check it out!Now I have a work table and a separate sewing station. My work table is a sofa table from my mom that I spray painted black. For the sewing station, I re purposed an oak laminate computer desk. All it needed was some primer and white paint.
I inherited the chairs from my grandmother. They belong to a patio set. The other 4 chairs and the table are on my back porch. I wasn't too fond of the original pea green color, so a little spray paint transformed the heavy metal frames and an outdoor zebra fabric jazzed up the once green floral cushions.
I have alot of craft stuff, but I don't want to look at it all the time. These boxes are PERFECT for hiding all my supplies. I work in an office, so I was able to claim all of these empty envelope boxes. The heavy cardboard makes them very sturdy. A roll of wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby and viola...lovely storage boxes!I make pendants and other jewelry, so I always have chains laying around. I needed a place to hang supplies and works in progress, so I added cork sheets to these old picture frames for an inexpensive solution. I used the pegboard from my old craft area. I just painted it black.
I need to add some wall art and accessories for the room to really be done, but I have a good start and love my new work room!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Craft Hope Ladies Night

1Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

My friend, Sarah of This Crazy Blessed Life suggested that the "young" crafty ladies of our church use our collective talents to serve. She introduced us to Craft Hope and their awesome mission "to share handmade crafts with those who need them.". Friday night we gathered at my house for Project 12: Orphan Outreach. Our goal: to make bracelets for orphaned children in St. Petersburg, Russia. Over snacks and conversation we made 53 bracelets!




I pray that the bracelets are a blessing to every child who receives one. May they feel God's love through us.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Salvation Bracelet Tutorial

This is my first year as Awana commander at my church so I had to try Salvation Bracelets with the kids. Boys and girls love crafts and they love beads, so the project was a big hit, but it also delivered a wonderful message: each bead color reminds us of a Biblical truth.

You need only a few supplies to get started: cording (we used waxed cotton cord) and 6 beads, one each in black, red, white, blue, green, and gold (we used pony beads). Each child will need about 6 inches of cord, long enough to make several knots and fit around their wrist.


Make one knot several inches into the cord; this knot will prevent your beads from sliding off. As you string the beads read the following Bible verses:

1. Black= sin, Romans 3:23

2. Red= Christ's blood, Romans 5: 8-9

3. White= repent and be cleansed, Psalm 51: 1-2

4. Blue= baptism, Ephesians 4:5

5. Green= growth in our faith, Colossians 1:10

6. Yellow or Gold= eternal life in Heaven, John 3:16

After the yellow bead, knot again to hold beads in place. Then knot to fit wrist. You can use a longer piece of cord and make the bracelet adjustable. Since we had alot of kids, we just chose to knot and secure them with a dab of superglue instead of making them adjustable.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Our Job as Parents

Last night, we all went to Family Dinner and Game Night at Daulton and Peyton's school. It was a potluck dinner to encourage families to sit down together and have dinner, have meaningful conversation, and just spend time together. The counselor sited statistics like "children that have family dinners are less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol, and more likely to do well in school.". What about families that pray together? I noticed at this dinner alot of people from my church or people that I know who attend other churches. Do you think there is a connection between Christian parenting and school success? I do. I've often heard in jest that folks wish kids came with an instruction manual...but they do! It's called the Bible! God gives us clear directions for raising our children. Now its up to us to follow the directions!



Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-7

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Business Cards into Bookmarks

I've written about Vistaprint before, but I just had to share this great idea for a cute, inexpensive promo idea for your business...bookmarks! I designed business cards on Vista, but, shifted the layout to 3 1/2" x 2" vertical. I included my business name, website and a favorite Bible verse, since I sell Christian jewelry.







Then I punched a hole in the top-center of the card and added some matching ribbons.


Viola! Now I have Bible bookmarks to pass out to friends, display at craft shows and include in my online orders.


Thursday, September 17, 2009

Let's Get Ready for Halloween!

I love Halloween! It comes in a close second after Christmas for my favorite holiday. What do I love about it - the crisp weather, spooky decorations, running around the neighborhood after dark...it all makes me feel like a kid again!

Most of you know about etsy.com, but Artfire is another awesome handmade marketplace. Check out these cool Halloween items I found:
Green Fuzzy Monster Bag by PandaWithCookie

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=371523

Coffin Pendant by Night Owl Jewelry

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Doctor Will See You Now


But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance."
Luke 5: 30-31

Jesus is the ultimate champion for the underdog! He doesn't want us to surround ourselves with the righteous (really the self-righteous, because we all have sin). He wants us to court the sinners and bring them to Him. He wants us, in all of our wickedness, to accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts. So do not turn your back on the addicts, the thieves, the adulterers. Welcome them, love them, bring them to Jesus. We cannot overcome sin without Christ, and they can't either.