only a drop in the bucket

Gospel for Asia is able to help thousands of children in Asia through our Bridge of Hope program, but there are still millions who remain living on the streets in poverty and hopelessness. Sponsorship is only a small sacrifice on our part, but the $35 we give literally changes that child’s life. A precious little boy or girl will now receive education, good food, and medical care. And they’ll learn of a God who loved them so much that he sent his Son to die for them. This radical love is completely revolutionary in a culture where low castes are shunned and told of their worthlessness. I am blessed to have the opportunity to impact the life of a little girl living in the slums of Mumbai.

Each sponsor represents a child whose life is being changed. That change also ripples to the child’s family and community – so your sponsorship will impact more than just one person.

Join the ranks of those making a difference.

worshipping jesus

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handpainted canvas shoes :: coral ombre

I love the ombre trend. And coral too! So I combined these two beautiful things in a pair of handpainted shoes that I made for a friend.

It was extraordinarily easy. I basically did a coral base coat, then while it was still wet (so the paint could mix a little) I layered the white paint. At the local craft store I got the brush-on permanent, washable fabric paint that I used(Tulip brand soft paint, in Velveteen Red and Matte White.) Then I just touched up the areas that needed it.

I didn’t even tape anything off, I just freehanded everything. For clean up, I used nail polish remover and a Q-tip to wipe off the paint that had migrated onto the rubber sole and the holes for the shoe laces.

Coral shoes! I need to make some for me now.

my leetle terranium

Succulents always seemed so tiny and cute – and terraniums were so lovely and charming.

Then last week or so I stayed up late researching them, and I decided that I needed to make one. I work at a local farmers market, so I picked up a succulent and some moss there. Then a few days later I got a round glass vase and a cork coaster to go underneath, and then another succulent.

Today I assembled it! First I added rocks, then some charcoal, then a small layer of moss, then soil, and then my succulents! And lastly some decorative moss. And if I find some dinosaurs or small people to live there too, I’ll add them.

I read a very helpful how-to about terraniums at Apartment Therapy.

The cluster of three succulents is called a Hen and Chicks plant (Echeveria spp.) The taller green green one is an Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra).

This was what I started with.

And my finished terranium! I hope it lives and thrives.

 

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party party!

my 18th birthday was on february 21st… and i had a very fun birthday party. some photos!

i had two cakes – a vanilla pound cake (3-layer, but small) with vanilla icing, and a chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

that one was big. so big, in fact, that the batter did not fit in the mixing bowl.

I made a fabric backdrop to hang on the bookshelf in our dining room. and amy gave me flowers!

I made a paper table runner (polka dots cut from the anthropologie catalog and various other places), and grouped some colorful stick candy in a mason jar.

food! (don’t you like the reoccurring circles of the items on the table?)

and more food.

we had homemade pizzas for dinner.

and a place where people could type up a message to the birthday girl

I made these paper stars (using a snowflake pattern) and hung them from the ceiling. (the paper for these was also from the anthropologie catalog)

see this record wall? well, it was the backdrop for the photobooth! a few weeks ago i ran across the idea of a DIY photobooth. the more i thought about it, the more i wanted to do it. and we made it work!

with a macbook, a borrowed photo printer, a homemade record wall, an old trunk to sit on, some garage lights… we made a photobooth! the brains behind it, however, was an automater workflow created by a genius. basically, all of the actions (taking photos, putting the images together, printing them, etc.) are batched together in one easy to use workflow.

it was immensely fun to use, and i’m so so glad it worked out. (we did go through some software wrestling – with another program that didn’t work.) and, it created a fun party favor for people to take home.

i sketched the chevron border that i used on the photostrips, and had some fun props, like mustaches and fluffy pink bows.

my sister clara gave me this crazy huge bag. it’s fabulous.

birthday cake!

me blowing out the candles. i’m glad i maintained an appearance of sophistication and didn’t awkwardly puff out my cheeks as i blew.

and that’s the recap of the party!

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today is my birthday!

and i am now 18. an adult! eek. i can’t really believe it.

i’ve grown up a bit since this:

crown braid

french braid all the way around my head! and then some. my hair actually goes around one and a half times. (it’s not exactly a french braid, more of a dutch braid, because i weave the strands underneath rather than over each other.)

i start the braid right at the bottom of my hairline. also, i part my hair going diagonally across the back of my head. and i bend over so that my hair is kind of evenly distributed. then i french braid (or dutch braid), putting the strands underneath each other rather than over. i direct the braid up the side of my head and go around my whole head french braiding like this. its kinda tricky, and you’ll have to work with how your hair likes to go. i finish with all of my hair by just braiding down normally, and then pinning it into the other braid.

i don’t think that makes sense. i’m writing it late at night, and i’m more of a “show-you” explainer.

 

photos by clara 

these cookies

are our family’s favorite.

i love this picture.

and i love these cookies.

my parents facebooking together!

so cute! i love them.

rediscovered this photo

unpublished! from this shoot.

and i made this version too, because the leaves kind of form a natural frame.