The Fruit of the Spirit - craft for cambodian children

while i am not able to go, PP and a team of church friends will be travelling down to cambodia for a mission trip in Sep. thank God though, for the opportunity to serve :) a few of the sisters mentioned that it would be good for the children to have canvas bags (as seen here). while children here in singapore may take them for granted, we are certain bags will come in handy and mean alot for children over there. it is a major project though, procuring 160 bags and considering how the children can enjoy this hands-on activity.

there were many factors to consider. for example, the ink has to be water-resistant, it has to be as fuss free as possible, and yet at the same time, the activity ought to engage and bring out the theme. you can check out some of the ideas i got from the internet here. 

it's a time like this im EXTREMELY grateful for the silhouette cameo! it cut transparency PERFECTLY and with the help of it, I have 10 stencils for everyone to pre-paint a base (the brown parts) on the 160 bags! 

then, i used a scissors to cut a leaf shape and a heart shape from the foam, and mounted them on cardboard. 

stamp stamp stamp! *jiang jiang* the end product below :) a fabric pen was used to label the fruits of the Spirit.

i used fabric-resistant stamp pads (same as the ones i used here) for the sample above...but to cater to the needs of 160 children, we will be mixing acrylic paint with textile medium and pouring them on disposable plates + paper towels. this make-shift stamp-pad was an idea i picked up here. 

praying that the preparation will go smoothly, and it may be a meaningful and memorable activity for the children. the cambodian words say "The Fruit of the Spirit". Before they add the leaves and the fruits, the tree is essentially, barren and fruitless. hopefully, this will remind them of how a Christian's life is really empty and meaningless if we do not bear the fruits of the Spirit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Gal 5: 22-23

gender reveal!

the question on the tip of the tongue of almost every other person is.... so, do u prefer a boy or a girl?? 

oh dear, what a question to ask! at this point of time, you just wish for the baby to be healthy and growing well, and deciding your preference would create room for disappointment, wouldn't it? 

all that said, i have to admit we were really excited to find out, and so were our loved ones! just like how we broke the news of baby E's arrival, we wanted to leave time for us to capture the expression of our loved ones, and so with some brainstorming, PP and i decided to make use of marshmallows :) marshmallows are affordable, small and easily acessible, and they aptly come in various flavours. We thought of using strawberry-flavoured marshmallows to represent a girl, and chocolate marshmallows to represent a boy. then, we spent about 20 min composing this little poem :) 

We printed this image on sticker paper, which we cut up and pasted onto little white bags (readily available at Daiso). then, we took the marshmallows out of their original packaging and tucked them into little ziplock bags before putting them into the white bags. all these were completed within one hour, very simple and fuss free! 

here' s an image of the sticker. i used a watercolour texture from August Empress, with scrabble tiles from Fuzzimo. the fonts i used: Lullaby for the poem, and Discipuli Britannica for the verse at the bottom. 

so, are you eager to know the gender as well? :) take a peek here!

it's chocolate, which means..... it's a.....

Boy! :) how we really loved the reactions of our family and friends! :) watching them chew, and witness their eyes open up in surprise at the revelation :) it's moments like these that im grateful to capture :) 

i've been busy

oh dear, it's been a really long time since i updated this space, isn't it? the truth is, I have been busy. or rather, something really BIG is happening to me. here's a hint :)

 

God has given us a gift, a wonderful blessing! we are now a family of three :) God-willing, we will meet baby E in about 4 and a half months time. the first time we went for a check-up, the EDD given to us was 01012013. Doesn't this just show that God's plans are perfect? 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

We are thrilled, but of course,we take this on with much fear and trembling too. do pray for us! 

p.s. I do mean to keep this blog going. perhaps it will take on a new direction, no longer so much about crafting, but it will always, always, always be a testimony of God's goodness to me and remind me of the wonderful blessings He has bestowed on me.