DIY Painted Globe

A little sunday afternoon crafting was needed. I have made it a goal to have a rest day this semester so, I decided to make my roommates' birthday gift and thought I would share it with you, my friends.

What you will need is a globe, paint and a paintbrush. Then I just painted the globe with my white paint before putting my base coat on. 

Then I put this light purple colour on as a base. But after this the rest is up to your imagination. I decided to put a quote from C.S. Lewis on mine, but the choices are endless. 

                     

Take a day to rest and have fun crafting.

The Balance.

I wonder.

I wonder if I am doing the right thing with my life, who I am supposed to meet, where I am to be. 

Do I wonder too much? Some may ask this and I have asked this myself but I have come to the realization in these last few months, that it is okay to be curious. It is okay for me to be constantly wondering. People who I haven't even said a word to me, have told me I am curious. I never really knew how to react to that.  However, I am starting to find that my curiosity is somewhat of a good thing. Curiosity has helped me get to where I need to be right now. I wouldn't have found my college or the amazing people I have in my life if I didn't wonder. I have such a desire to learn and stretch myself I find it hard to stay still and really love life where I am at. 

This brings me to what is on everyones brain this week, Christmas. I am constantly searching for the "ultimate goal" that when I have a break like this, I start to truly look at things at a different perspective. I start to think about how life would have just stopped as soon as Jesus was born and there would have been such a rich peace. That is my desire this week. Peace. A kind of stillness that is so rare and beautiful. Curiosity can be part of the noise as well as the silence. I think finding a balance in letting our minds think too much or too little is an exercise that is so important. My holiday has been full of thinking in regards of what to do next year, but I know one amazing Lord who will always be constant in my life and I think that is something I really need to hold onto. 

   

Etch a sketch.

As of late, the weather in my town has been quite muggy and cloudy. My natural instinct for less sunny weather is to create! I decided to show you all how to create your very own custom glasses or tumblers with a simple glass etch. 

All you'll need is a glass, tape, scissors, craft knife, printed out image, glass paint, sticker paper (I got mine at dollarama in the office section, just find any sticky paper.)

Take your printed image and tape it to your sticker paper. Then take your knife and start cutting our your stencil.

Next, take your sticky paper and apply it to the glass. Then, take a stencil paint brush and your glass paint and begin dabbing your paint on. Tip: use a very minimal amount of paint to ensure it looks like an etch and not messy.

Finally, peel off the sticker paper and reveal your stencilled image!

There you have it. Your very own glass etch. Enjoy!

Summer Blessings

This summer has been different than most. My "normal" had to be shifted. Opposed to what I had previously done for the past 6 years, working at camp, I got a hourly wage job, I was able to be home and sleep in my own bed every night and I had to figure out how to make time for God. In all of this I have found joy. Knowing that I can still babysit 3 beautiful girls every week, I can see my best friend every day of the week and I can go for a run whenever I need to. I have found a new norm and I have come to a realization that its not such a bad thing. It's different but I am thankful for how God has brought joy into my summer.

If only Matthew Cuthberg was peeking around the corner...

All you need is a little chalk.

I recently have been searching the inter webs to find inspiration for my new dorm room that I will be moving into in the next few weeks. I came upon this cute little chalkboard banner and naturally, thought I could make it. I guess it's the mennonite in me. And it was a success, so I thought I would share it with all you lovelies how to make an inexpensive home decor piece that you can customize to your personal style, just with a little chalk.

This craft is very inexpensive. The only thing you will have to buy is some chalkboard paint which is a great investment. The rest, you can find in your home:

 cardboard.paint brush. triangle template. string.

Step 1. Begin by tracing out triangles with your template onto the cardboard.

Step 2: Take your chalkboard paint and start painting your triangles. (I went for 2 coats of paint)

Step 3: Once the triangles are dry, just use a hole punch to make 2 small holes in the 2 corners of the cardboard. If you don't have a hole punch you can always puncture the cardboard with a scissor or craft knife.

Step 4: Weave your twine or string through the holes you made with your hole punch.

Tip: Your triangles may start to curl up, just stick them under an old phone book and they will be good to go in a couple hours.

And there you have it! Your very own banner that you can make your own and can switch up for every season. I hope you had fun making this and if you didn't because you didn't want to spend money on chalkboard paint, I will let you know you will be disappointed. It's probably the best decision you will make.

A Little Tunnel of Hope.

I would be lying to you if I said that "nothing much" was going on in my life this past month. Summer has been a whirlwind of excitement, stress, anxiety, happiness and any other emotion one human being must feel. With all of these emotions, change has come up in my cranium more than once. 

Change #1 - My beautiful nephew was born. Asher Milo. He is the cutest. I know a lot of people say newborns are cute but that's only because there biased. But seriously. This kid is actually the cutest.

Change #2 - I finished a massive chapter of my life. High school! I got through what's said to be the most "life-changing" time in my life. Alright. I think I can handle life. Right? 

Change #3 - Moving. I am in the transition of moving to a completely different province where I only know people by their profile picture. Not only is picking what clothes to bring along a struggle but I have to basically make a new life for myself. 

Ok so that may just have sounded like a bunch of gibberish and natural emotions of any 18 year old girl moving away from home. But I do have a climax to all this mess. I looked up this scary and foreign word of change and found out the literal meaning. To pass gradually into. Here's the rub. God gives us this verb called change and says to gradually pass into it.  I feel through this crazy roller coaster of change and emotions there is hope. A hope that I will make it to the end of this ride and still be holding onto His hand.  

through the eyes of Button.

What would  she see? A jovial world full of happy times and good memories? Perhaps her mama laughing and talking about how beautiful her little girl was and is? Maybe her auntie's are telling their friends about every little quirk their gorgeous niece has? Though these are all little snippets into our lives, I think she would also see a other side to our lives. A side where there was pain and suffering but I think she would understand and see hope in that.

She looks down. On the left, her mommy holding that cream, white blanket in her arms so tightly. Daddy in the boat at dawn sitting in anticipation for a bite. Auntie Jenni sitting by the window moving the paintbrush ever so slightly to create a masterpiece. Her eyes move towards the left as she notices Nanny sewing a little pair of baby mittens with such a grandma's touch. Papa in the kitchen walking back and fourth thinking and pondering. Auntie Picky, in the gym, hitting the ball with determination and a stubbornness. Auntie Kristen, working with fast hands as she continues to explore her passion of coffee. 

All these things are commonly known to be day to day life, but what she notices is a sense of longing for answers. She sees curious hearts and minds. They anticipate. The crave. They want. 

Looking through the eyes of wise, little Quinn makes me realize what my life looks like and what it needs to be. My life is a place of wisdom, creativity and questioning. I have been reselling with the question of what a Christian should look like and though I do not fully have this question answered, I have come to the conclusion that as Christians it's okay to question God and ask questions. 

Even though holidays like this one, can bring back a lot of unsorted and dark feelings, I am thankful for them. I am thankful for how He gives us curious hearts. Never wanting to stop learning more about Him. 

And because I don't get to say it nearly enough, I'm thankful for you, Button.