Anchored

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, 

a hope that enters into the inner peace behind the curtain." 

Hebrews 6:19

P.S. I am taking orders if anyone would like one of these.... $30 for an 11"x14"

How to Raise $200

Those of you who know a little bit about my church know that attendance at Timberline has been growing exponentially since we started in 2003, particularly in the last few years. The current lobby/cafe/library area gets pretty crowded on Sunday mornings, especially between services. We are finally at the point where we can begin Phase 3 of our building project, which would expand the cafe area to reduce the congestion and make the entrance area a more guest-friendly.

In order to raise funds for this project, the fundraising committee is asking for each family unit to raise $200 (above and beyond their regular giving) by the end of the summer. This is very doable for a lot of the families in our church, and I figured that my family would be no exception to this very reasonable endeavor.

But guess what?? Something extra-special-awesome happens when you graduate from college.... you suddenly become independent, and therefore your own family unit!! So yes, I was informed today that I am my own family unit, and therefore they are asking me to raise $200 by the end of the summer to contribute to the Phase 3 building fund.

Now, I could go off on some rant about how I have massive college loans because I went to Messiah and gas is so expensive and I'm still living with my parents because I clearly can't support myself yet, so I should probably just be counted in their family unit. But I decided that the mature thing to do would be to prove that I am, in fact, an independent person, and raise the money myself. I figured, I'm a super arts-and-crafts-y person, surely I can figure out something to make and sell to raise money.

SO HERE'S HOW I'M GOING TO DO THAT!!
Many of you have probably seen these DIY projects popping up all over Pinterest. You may have even noticed that I've done a few myself. It's clearly the "in" thing right now (Esme Squalor would totes agree).

 These canvases are customizable and one-of-a-kind, so they make great gifts! Here's where I come in.
I will be selling custom, original canvases (whatever size, colors and quote you want), with all of the money going to the Timberline building fund.
I just wanted to make sure you would be able to see that, since it's kind of the point of this particular post.
Anyway, here are the prices:

8X10 = $15
11X14 = $20
16X20 = $25

These make great wedding/birthday presents! They can be inspiring bedroom/bathroom/living-room decor! Also, boys, these make great gifts for your girlfriends/fiances/wives.... trust me, girls love this kind of thing.
Need a Mother's Day present? For only an extra $5, I'll have your order ready by Saturday evening, if you order by this Wednesday!

You tell me what you want it to say and what colors you want, and I will make it for you. I also just really like crafty things, so if you find another similar project on Pinterest that you want me to try, let me know and I'll give it a whirl. Here are some more pictures of what I've done:

And of course, you can get it in GLITTER for an extra $7 (see pics here), because who doesn't want something in glitter?? And of course, if you have an extra-special request, let me know!

Anyway, help a girl out.... because in the end, you're actually helping Timberline out. If I somehow manage to raise more than the $200 that I need to contribute my part, the rest of the money will still go to Timberline, whether it's towards the building fund, towards one of our missions projects, or towards the general expenses of the church. For more information about the church, click here.

Have a question/order? Email me at liesl.nafziger@gmail.com!

DIY *GLITTER* canvas painting

So we've all seen the "paint over alphabet stickers on a canvas" DIY project that is literally all over Pinterest. And really, I think it's great--everybody can create original artwork for their living room! And I have to admit, I have made several of these projects, and always been pretty happy with the result. 

Buuuuut I kept seeing other random projects on Pinterest that involved glitter, and I got this thought.

Why not do this stickers-on-canvas idea, but instead of painting over it with paint, use modpodge and GLITTER!

Clearly, this needed to happen. So here's a handy little tutorial so you all can make an awesome GLITTER CANVAS PAINTING.

Here are the materials I used:

blank canvas, Remarks "Mumbo Jumbo" alphabet stickers, ModPodge, black acrylic paint, a paintbrush and of course... GLITTER!

 First, paint the canvas whatever color you want the lettering to be. In this case, I wanted the letters to be black, so that it would show up against my light colored glitter.

 Allow the canvas to dry completely (usually at least 2 hours, maybe more depending on how thick you paint the bottom coat). Then arrange the letter stickers on the canvas. I like to cut the letters out individually so I can move them around before I stick them on for real. As you can see, I had some white and some black letters--the white were definitely easier to see under the glitter!

I divided the canvas into 9 parts, to give it a sort of star burst feel, and also to make it easier to do the glitter in sections. Going one section at a time, coat the canvas with modpodge--the more the better! Then shake the glitter onto the glue.

Then I shook off the excess glitter into a tub. I went one color at a time so that I could rescue the excess glitter without mixing it all up. 

Make sure you remove the stickers soon after you've sprinkled the glitter, instead of waiting until the glue has completely dried!! Otherwise, the modpodge glues the stickers to the canvas, and it's much more difficult to peel the letters off. I gave it maybe a minute or two, so the glue had time to set a little, and then I removed the stickers.

And voila! Glitter canvas painting! I'm planning to find some sort of adhesive spray to spray over top of the canvas, so that the glitter doesn't end up all over my house.

Because let's be real... glitter tends to get EVERYWHERE. 

"Why, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" 

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There

P.S. Shameless advertising..... I am willing to make one of these for anyone, custom quote and colors.... if you will pay me.... ;) But seriously, they make great gifts.