i've been looking for an ornate frame to make into a kitchen chalkboard for quite a while now, and i finally got lucky on our last thrift store excursion.
it was a bit pricey for my thrift store taste (6.99! oh my), but given the amount of time i've been looking for something like this, i splurged. and don't be mislead by the tag that says it's metal. the frame is actually plastic, which is good since finding studs in our plaster walls is kind of hit or miss. lucy was very much a fan of the frame. sitting inside it made her feel like a lady.
to make it into a chalkboard i just took the mirror out and then flipped around the backing piece and painted it with chalkboard paint. i used an old mini roller to get a smooth finish on the chalkboard. painting the frame was more difficult. it involved about 10 coats and an entire can of spray paint. painting all of the nooks and crannies took some effort, but i am loving the finished product.
please forgive the horrible pink-purple faux tile behind the mirror. maybe one day we'll have the courage to take it down and see what looms beneath. for now though, i'll just try to draw the attention elsewhere, like to this lovely chalkboard.
lucy does love lamp. and shoes. and hot dogs. and this pile of towels.
so precarious.
if anyone wants to do any chalkboard projects, let me know. i have the better part of a quart of chalkboard paint left over.
another onesie! this is old news, made in october or so of last year, but i thought i'd post the pictures anyway. mostly because my nephew's super cute.
yep, that's an alligator smoking a bubble pipe. i'm not sure why. i had drawn the alligator with the snaggle tooth and thought he was really awesome. i originally wanted to print the alligator giant and have him wrap around to the back of the shirt, but jon said it would be hard to print over the side seam. since he's always the pragmatist and ruins my fun, i asked him what i should do instead. for some reason he quickly suggested a bubble pipe. so i ran with it. pretty sure it's a one of a kind idea...
normally i use this blog to post about thing that i make. writing about the things i do helps to inspire me to create more, and hopefully it inspires you to create too. i'd like to use this post though, to talk about something that inspires me in a completely different way. about something that touches my soul and inspires me to act. and hopefully it will inspire you too.
the statistics on childhood hunger in the world are startling. ten million children die of hunger related illness each year. ten million children die because they lack food--something that most of us have in plenty and usually take for granted. ten million die of hunger before they ever really get a chance to experience life.
and it doesn't take a lot to give them that chance at life. with only 10 dollars a child in need can be fed for a month. fed so that they can focus on living life, rather than focusing on the empty feeling in their stomach.
kid's against hunger is a food aid organization that focuses on providing nutrient rich meals to children in need throughout the world. in the past couple of years i've volunteered with my church at events they've held at their cincinnati location, packing food to be shipped to children in need. giving something as small as a couple of hours on a saturday morning makes an enormous impact by preparing 75,000 plus meals. these experiences have been eye opening for me. they've shown me the power of many people with a common concern. of how huge issues like hunger can be chipped away at by generous people with caring hearts that break when they see suffering. it's opened my eyes to the suffering that's in the world, and of how blessed i am and how i should use my blessings to lessen just a little bit of that suffering.
at the end of the month kids against hunger in cincinnati is preparing one million meals to go to children in haiti. the supplies and man power that are needed to pull this off are huge and many people are working to make this event happen. to prepare one million meals takes 3 semi-truck loads of rice. one truck alone costs 18,000 dollars. my church has made it a goal to raise awareness for this cause and in doing so, help fund one of these trucks of rice.
i strongly believe that this goal, although it is large, is attainable. i believe this because the cause is great and the need is real. and it takes so little to make an impact. every little bit that can be raised will give a child a chance to feel what it means to not be hungry. a chance to grow up. a chance at life.
if you can give a child a chance, please donate today. and if you too feel compelled by this organization, pass it on.
if you live in cincinnati and want to participate in packing the million meals, let me know. i'll be there and you can come along too. matthew 25: 35 through 40
'for i was hungry and you gave me something to eat, i was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, i was a stranger and you invited me in, i needed clothes and you clothed me, i was sick and you looked after me, i was in prison and you came to visit me.’
then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? when did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ the King will reply, ‘truly i tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
