project en courage at maker's market (national museum, 7 aug)

i'm a pessimist.

when i consider a situation that is to come, i always think of the worst thing that can happen. that is why preparing for project en courage's first bazaar is like a huge mountain to climb - because i build more mountains for myself, before climbing the one i am supposed to :)

there were countless fears and faithless thoughts that crossed my mind. 

i don't have anything to sell.

nobody is going to buy anything. 

all my products are brown. (yes i know right.. on hindsight i realise how ridiculous this is...)

it's raining, it's going to continue raining. 

why would anyone go to a museum on a friday evening? 

there's going to be nobody at the bazaar. 

the list goes on. 

thank God for a husband who has the faith and courage to point out how ridiculous my fears were. he reminded me of why we were doing what we were doing. project en courage is what God deems fit for us to work on at this moment. it is His project. He determines whether it is successful, and He decides whether it is successful. the opinions of man... don't matter. 

as the days ticked by, it became clearer that this was a family project and to my pleasant surprise, e was so much more helpful than expected!

him helping to remove packaging..arrange the postcards.. count envelopes. yes, with him involved, it definitely slows things down, but it doubles the joy in the process :) it also helps that we can teach him skills in the meantime - how to arrange things, how to count, how a 'shop' functions, how to welcome people to our 'shop' ;) 

it was thunderstorming just before the bazaar, and i was muttering to PP that the rain would surely keep people back from coming. herein lies my faithlessness! i'm ashamed to realise it now. 

so here's my list of thanksgiving now.. that i will be reminded that my God is faithful, and He provides for all we need. if one day, he deems it fit that we have receive no business, may we still be grateful for His perfect purpose.

Thank God for...

1. stopping the rain just before the bazaar started

2. those who prayed. 

3.the great turnout!

4. providing us with a bright and ideal booth

5. a cheerful, enthusiastic and fantastic saleswoman who willingly gave of her time, company, words and energy!

6. e who was largely cooperative :)

7. my mum, and K, who provided dinner for all of us

8. eme's parents, sis and bro, who came down, plus its always a highlight to see DDD!

9. a fantastic parking lot

10. sending people who can identify with Project En Courage and like our products :)

11. C & A - for your koi, your curry puffs, but most of all, for coming all the way down!  你的爱我深深感受到啦！<3 <3

12. a whole troop of church friends who come down even when it's waaay past their bedtime, who supported in word and action, who helped to pack up and provided us with great company just when we were getting tired.

words just cannot expressed how thankful we are for all of you. we pray that we will keep doing God's will for God's glory, so our testimony and work will not stumble any of you but be a blessing to you as the Lord uses us :)

and because pictures serve as the best memories... 

our 'uniforms' prepared by PP

super amazing saleswoman of the year!

Encourage with a Postcard - now with envelopes!

Knock on the Door Mat / Good News in a Cup

a verse very close to my heart, engraved on a tissue box, for times when tears flow and you need comfort.. (sold out with restocks planned)

passport covers/traveller's notebook :)

our Through the Waters bottle :)

as shared earlier, if there's anything this bazaar and the national day weekend has shown, it is that GOD is FAITHFUL. very happy to be doing His will, very happy that we are in this as a family, and very happy to experience His guiding hand, leading us to today. very tired too! hahaha... but not too tired to be involved in yet another maker's market ;)

what we do, what we used to do, and why we do what we do

so what is project en courage about? 

while it is founded on the grace (恩) and courage given by God, the main thrust of Project En Courage is, simply, to Encourage. 

the past year or so has been very very tough, to say the least. but amidst our trials and struggles, God sent many along the way. fellow prayer warriors.. thoughtful gifts... whats-apps.. sincere questions of concern. we have been deeply touched by all whom the Lord has used to encourage us and remind us that we are truly not alone. these people are our inspiration!

over the years beginning from our courtship days, PP and i have somehow stumbled into this little habit of embarking on projects, both big and small, with hopes of thanking these people and giving practical and encouraging gifts in appropriate seasons. it started with simple bookmarks, small quantities...  and soon, as more people are sent into our lives.. it envolved into something alittle more "large-scale"....

badges to remind our friends of a verse we would like to share with them :)

canvas bags for children we love :)

hand-sewn luggage tags  (this was TEDIOUS!)

 calendar stickers

postcards to encourage us to write to one another :)

badges

we cant produce hand-made so efficiently anymore, so we have moved on to practical and meaningful everyday little things that hopefully can point someone to the Lord. they are personally and thoughtfully designed, with the intention that you may be reminded of God's truth and faithfulness  :) may these little products that we come up with bless you, or the person you intend to encourage!

project en courage

PP and i have been working on something for the past 6 months or so. it's our... little project.. and it has culminated to...... this :) www.projectencourage.net

we are definitely launching this with much fear and trembling, for much is at stake - our testimonies, our time, our strength.. but with God's leading, step by step, here we are, and we covet your prayers and support :) to be honest, this project has already been a blessing to me, to keep me occupied, to make use of what God has blessed us with, and while designing, to fill my mind with godly things that are good and lovely.... especially in a season that has been very tough. daddy himself was in full support, and a few days before he departed, though unable to speak and often very drowsy, muttered the word "shop" to ask about its progress and smiled to see the website...

we spent a long long time playing with permutations and brainstorming for a name that would be straightforward in revealing our objectives and what we are about. we knew it definitely had to reflect God and who He is. at the same time, we wanted people to know our objectives, which is to promote gift-giving and encouraging one another in the faith. it took a long time, and one day, it finally clicked, in more ways than we anticipated! thank God for the inspiration :)

here's the explanation behind the name, Project En Courage :)

Project - we do not really view this as a business, or a profit-making venture, but a little family project and a little ministry. may you be blessed through this project, so you can be a blessing to others as well.

En - 恩 refers to the grace of God, without which we will not be here. It is God's grace that allows us to be saved from our sins, it is God's love that caused him to send His Son to die for us, and it is God's mercies that we are not consumed. The wife's name - 恩玮 meaning God's Great Grace. It is definitely God's Great Grace that we hope to sing of, and to convey in all we do.

Courage - Project En Courage is started in a difficult season, as our dear father battles the last stages of lung cancer. where else can we find courage to face up to future days? who else can we look to, for strength? It is at this very season that we find we need courage even more than before, and praise God, for even though we do not know about tomorrow, we know who holds tomorrow.

so we embark on this journey, with the hope of encouraging others with Project En Courage, for we know in the process, we ourselves will be encouraged :)

He Cares for Me (Throwback)

It takes a special friend to be willing to go the extra mile in comforting and encouraging you when life's storms hit you. this dear sister is one of those special friends.. whose heart really shared the sorrow experienced, and shared her own painful experiences to show that i was not alone. even more so, this special friend pointed me to the Lord, and this song is one of my definite favourites. 

Our God is far greater than words can make known,
Exalted and holy, He reigns on His throne,
In infinite splendour He rules over all;
Yet He feeds the poor sparrows, and He knows when they fall.

(Chorus)
His power is great and will ever endure,
His wisdom is peaceable, gentle and pure.
But greater than all these glories I see,
Is the glorious promise that He cares for me.

The earth and the heav'ns are the work of His hands,
And billions of angels ovey His commands.
He guides the great galaxies spinning through space,
Yet He gave us His Son as a gift of His grace.

He rides the wild heavens, He strides through the seas,
The high mountains tremble to hear His decrees.
His voice with great thunderings sounds from above,
But to His children, He whispers His love. 

 

some after-thoughts: this life is full of heartache, physical ailments and pain. when loved ones fall ill, or circumstances fall out of our control, what can be our anchor and our stay? I thank God for dear friends who love in action and do so meaningfully by pointing me to a God who cares. Yes, I know He cares. His Heart is touched with my grief.. there is no reason henceforth, to despair like there is no hope, or to cry because I am utterly helpless..

thank God for you, dear sister. missing u very much.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD -Josh 24: 15b (Part 2)

After the cards were settled, the next mission was the wedding deco :) There were 2 things I was especially thankful for... firstly, that the "junk" we have hoarded over the years could be put to good use.. and secondly, for the many loving hands who came together to create a beautiful backdrop ("pretty vintage school") for a blessed wedding :) xw, hl, joce, hannah, gabriel, alanna and abigail, joanna etc.... im sure the list goes on and on and on when you count your blessings and remember the people who have lovingly helped :)  for couples who are preparing to get married, never forget that a wedding is a community project. involve those whom you love and spend time with them preparing for the day :) and you can be sure that on your wedding day, as you see their labour of love and how they rejoice with you, your heart will overflow with thankfulness for how you have been blessed with so many who love you :)

standing chalkboard with handwritten details...

the bride wanted a "mailbox" as an angbao box :) we bought 2 of these, added our own details and propped them up using vases. guests also wrote on little postcards that have been designed to match the mailbox theme.

pompoms galore! it's no joke fluffing them up! many thanks to merrylove weddings for providing these at such a short notice :) do check them out! they have lovely things :)

photos, revealing some precious memories which the couple and their loved ones share :) 

hot chocolate wedding favours, which many loving hands have joined together to make possible! 

dearest 姑姑 and 姑丈 have always showered their love on little ezra boy unconditionally, and we are so much more than happy to do a little something for them :) we pray that God's love will be the cord to join them both together always, in easy and tough times, that they will grow together to love God and each other more :) 

p.s. hope these photos can give you a glimpse into the possible wedding styling that FITW can provide. the props that you see (vintage cameras, luggages, wooden crates, chalkboards, tablecloth, mailboxes and picnic basket) are all available for rental too :)  (we have more that are not shown here!)

some of you have enquired on this vintage bicycle and whether it is still available for rental.... yes, it still is :) you can use it for photoshoots, as part of your wedding set-up, or even for your wedding march-in! being white in colour, it should match all colour schemes, and it comes with a pretty little basket in front, which will look perfect with baby's breath added in. our bike is special because it comes with two seats, perfect for two people embarking on a journey to become one :)

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD -Josh 24:15b (Part 1)

with ezra around, it means that the time to do anything crafty/design-related is greatly reduced. nonetheless, i truly thank God for opportunities that He provides, so that we can be a blessing, and at the same time, be blessed! though there is pressure, I really do enjoy the process of creating something and seeing it come to fruition. best of all? it makes others happy too :)))))) thank God for this chance to be of help to my sis-in-law, who got married sometime back! here are the cards designed for them.

we were working on the wedding deco with a friend (more on that later) and with the bride being girly, the groom being an english teacher, we thought that "pretty vintage school" would be an appropriate theme, which the card happened to match!

the back of the card, also with hand-drawn details. the primary font used was "Jenna Sue". 

The programme sheet was printed on an A4 white paper and folded vertically in half. Primary fonts used were "Jenna Sue", "Kidtyperuled" (for the headers), and "High Fibre" (for the text)

are you looking for someone to design your wedding card/wedding stationery? do get in touch :)

Elliot's full month - part 2

So entirely by God's provision (and many sleepless nights hehe), we completed the full month favours just in time for his full month gathering. initially, nothing was really planned about the deco... after all, surviving a month of confinement and for God to see the family through the first month of a baby's arrival is pretty much an achievement already! 

as i was chatting with the sis the day before the gathering... suddenly... BOOM! turns out we were both itching to do something.... and so we did, and here's what we came up with, within a day!

 
 
 

thank you for this opportunity, jie! i thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed myself :) :) so, when is our next project.....?? hmmmm.....haha...

"God has given each of you to help each other" - act of kindness #5

i received a package sometime back. opened it and what i found made me smile immediately!

a miniature vintage sewing machine (fashioned exactly like my mother's).

sometimes, there is nothing like a thoughtful gift that can be used to cheer one's spirits. that, coupled with an encouraging note, and a verse from God - thank u sister K :) 

you have indeed been used by God to help me, undeserving as i am.