Monday, April 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Dios Es Bueno Todo El Tiempo
Hola!
I just got back from another church-wide missions trip with APC. We spent 5 days in Tijuana, Mexico, sharing the passionate LOVE of God with anyone and everyone who would listen... and when the power of the gospel showed up... whooo-ee (I suppose thats the term to best describe the experience?) We saw so many people give their lives to the Lord (200 maybe?) We watched as Jesus healed people with broken bones, blurred vision, and torn muscles, and we got to hug, kiss, and serve 60 beautiful orphans in a broken down compound just outside the City. We pressed into God's heart for a seemingly hopeless people, and were blessed with immeasurable joy as we found ourselves living in the fullness of what we were created for. We functioned as a body, overflowing with life and hope. What a beautiful thing!
My camera was dead...But, I borrowed some pictures from a friend to share. Enjoy:
Our largest outreach at a park in the busy center of the City of Tijuana. Many of these people gave their lives to the Lord!
A few of the orphans performing a BEAUTIFUL dance for us. The orphanage we worked with (Casa De Esperanza) was established over 50 years ago and is home to nearly 60 orphans between the ages of 2-18. Two of their kids are leaving next year to attend university!
Organizing medicine at the orphanage (An interesting task when you have no medical background and a very small spanish vocabulary!)
Tawni with a boy at the orphanage.
Miguel - Precious boy!
Suzy reading to a few of the boys
For one of our daytime outreaches, we worked with Groupo Unidad (A large church in TJ that was gracious to host and feed us) to put on a Carnival! At the carnival we had booths, but also performed our dances and dramas and saw lots of salvation and healing among whole families! This is the drama - notice my handsome boyfriend in a golden robe :)
One of the dances
Our awesome percussion team
One of the carnival games! SO fun on a HOT day!
Can't wait for next year!!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Around the House
As renters, we are somewhat limited in our decorating attempts, but I wanted to share 2 quick things we did in the past few weeks... Check out the project my roommate did with some old roofing tiles, fabric, and rope!
(One for each roommate!)
Also - A few days ago I made a little sign for our walls...(I realize its off center and don't plan on keeping in this location - this was for photographing purposes only ;)
Its simple! A piece of .51 cent cull wood from home depot that I painted with acrylic paint and crackle and then cut vinyl lettering. Once I find the perfect location for it, I'll let you know!
Just a few fun touches!
Hope you are having a wonderful day...
-Katie
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Personalized Coasters
Okay, I know! I promised pictures of the "adorable" baskets I made my friend's girls... and they are coming! I just left the photos on another camera - and who really wants to read a blog without photos???...BORING! So, in the meantime, I'll share with you a little wedding gift I recently made: Personalized Coasters!
These are SO easy! Really, this is not an original idea. I've seen people modge podge ceramic tiles FOREVER, but I thought the lettering was a cool spin on the whole deal! It was an inexpensive gift, and my friend LOVED them. Congrats to Alee who is about to be a "Bishop!"
All you need are a few ceramic tiles (Mine were from Home Depot and they cost $.16 a piece... Doesn't get much better than that, folks!) some scrapbook paper, modge podge, vinyl paper and a paper cutter or stencils, small furniture grippers, and some spray sealant. Easy Cheesy!
I started by cutting out the scrapbook paper to the appropriate size for my tiles
I applied modge podge both to the top of the tile and the top of paper (So the paper was SUPER affixed to the tile.) If you do this, make sure you get a good even coat on the top of your paper and smooth out any bumps you see. Then, let them dry!
Once they were dry, I used my cricut to cut out the vinyl letters. If you don't have a paper cutter, you can use a stencil and an exacto knife or you can use a stencil and some acrylic paint.
I applied the small furniture grippers, and then sprayed a few coats of sealant on! (Note: Let each coat dry before you move on to the next one.) Wow, are you ready for a TERRIBLE photo:
Fast, easy and CUTE!
My current project is a bookcase revamp... So, the next post is on its way! :)
Blessing on you and yours today!
Katie
Monday, February 1, 2010
"Rejoice Blocks"
Let me start off by apologizing for the quality of the pictures in this post. The nikon is down and out for the count at the moment but as soon as she's back on her feet we'll get some better photos up...hopefully soon!
I suppose these letter blocks are nothing new. I've seen them circulating in the craft blogosphere for sometime now, but I was inspired to try them out and...well...
I was going for a "rustic" look and rather than using vinyl letters, I chose to "cricut" the letters onto cardstock and cut them to create my own stencils. My hope was that stenciling on the letters would add to that "rustic" feel, instead it ended up being a little messy. Oh well! You live and you learn, right!?
I started with a trip to good ol' Home Depot where I found a piece of 4x4 in the "Cull Lumber" pile (Which are just leftover wood pieces in the back of the lumber section - my piece of wood cost only $.51...WHATA STEAL!!). Then, my lovely "Wood Man" cut 4inch blocks for me (They generally don't do cuts on the cull wood...I guess he could sense the desperation in my pathetic puppy dog eyes?)
If you aren't able to find a good piece of leftover lumber at your Home Depot, you can buy a 4x4 for just about $6 and just ask them to cut it into 4inch pieces. Still SO cheap.
I had him cut 7 blocks.
Next, I took those puppies home and sanded them down nice and smooth... I used a "fine" sanding block which worked just great for such a small and quick job.
Side note: I didn't actually sand the wood on top of my carpet... I did it over a piece of cardboard. I know what you're thinking: Phwoof
Next came the spray paint. I didn't prime the wood at all as I wanted them to look rough, but you could always prime your blocks and have them looking perfect. I used Rust Olleum "Satin Granite" and ended up doing only 2 coats although 3 may have been better...
Again... I of course did the actual spray painting outside. I know I know...Phwoof again.
I let them dry overnight and then I sanded down the edges to get it looking nice and worn.
I used my BELOVED Cricut and, like I said, made my own stencils which I painted on with some black acrylic paint. This was the most time consuming part of the job and the portion of the project which led me to swear that next time I will not use stencils!
Are you sensing that I may have been a little traumatized?
...ahem...moving on...
Once dry, I sanded over the letters and painted on an antique staining medium...wiped it off... and voila!
I'm going to have another go at in a few weeks for a friend's baby shower and I'll show you the difference a few vinyl letters can make!
All in all I spent about $8 at HD for the wood, a sanding block, and the spray paint. Not too bad for a cute little set of blocks!
There you have it!
I also recently finished some ADORABLE baskets for my friend's girls so I'll post those up ASAP.
Blessings on you today!
Katie
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Roommate Photos
A fun fact about me: I live in a house with 6 other gals. Yes, 7 of us.
A few months ago we had our sweet and talented friend SARAH SHREVES take some photos of us. Boy oh boy did they turn out pretty! I mean - BEAU-TEE-FUL! I guess it doesn't hurt that every single girl in this house is drop dead.
If you live in the San Diego area and you're looking for a photographer, Sarah's where it's at. Check out her site: www.sarahshreves.com
I thought I'd share a few of the shots from the day. Its hard to choose just a few of the best photos:
I'm sure your brain is spinning as you think about seven girls living in a house with two bathrooms :) But, really, I've rarely seen a group of women love and serve each other SO well!
To my sweet roommates, I am so grateful for you! Thank you for creating a culture of honor in our household.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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