Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cuba: $20 for One

I'm excited to share this project! Not only because it was a fun print piece, but also because its an ongoing project at Insight for Living Canada.We've been working in Cuba for the past 3 or 4 years in a variety of ways. First we sent down books for discipleship, then we sent down more books for pastors and leaders, then we had conferences for those pastors and leaders based on the books! And we're not stopping! More conferences are planned for this november and possibly next spring. 

The kind of feedback we've heard is incredible. We had to get someone to come in to translate all the letters we received all the way from Cuba-we had no idea that putting our office contact information in the back of the books would lead to all that feedback! The conferences offer the chance for pastors to dig deeper and explore things like purity, perseverance, and passion in leadership. Cuba is home to a quickly growing church and many leaders have little or no formal training. To read more about the conferences and how you can help (as well as some of the letters from Cuban pastors), visit here.

The new campaign, $20 for One, is aiming to send 2000 pastors to the next set of conferences. Each $20 donated equals out to one more pastor attending, and one more church congregation growing in the truth of Christ! 




Saturday, September 22, 2012

Refurbishing adventure number 2! Little white dresser.

A few months ago I was given an old dresser by my coworker. It was an honour to take it, in sad circumstances, and get to refinish something with a long history. The back panel of the dresser says "Dec 72" and the wear and tear showed its age! The first challenge, once we got it home, was realizing that it was suuuper cheap. No solid wood here! It had a thin cheap venir that was bubbling in places, and handles that weren't solid metal and were bent and dented. But I wasn't ready to give up. It still had good bones! After realizing that sanding wasn't going to be a good idea, since we'd be down to the particle board in seconds, I decided that our only option was to paint it. We hit up home depot and picked up an interior oil based "paint and primer in one" for $25 bucks, along with a little foam roller that we can use for future projects.

Then, it was a simple matter of painting. I made sure to wipe it down first, since I did some sanding on the top to try and get rid of the bubbling (didn't really work). It took about 4 coats, and I just kept going until It was really solidly covered. The nice thing about using the oil based paint was it really built up the surface of the dresser, and I think it will extend its lifetime. (SO much easier than the last dresser project: sanding the entire thing and then staining...yikes!)



Since I'd decided at the beginning that this dresser was NOT going to be a money pit, we decided to check out the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for handles. We had looked at Home Depot and decided that $6 bucks a handle was just more than we wanted to spend. Lucky for us, they had some awesome options at exactly the right size! I decided on these brushed chrome and light wood handles that have an almost beachy feel. We discussed painting or staining the wood, but decided the light look was more versatile and softer. Plus, the only cost $2 bucks each.

The last piece of the puzzle was legs for the dresser! It used to have some, but they had been discarded somewhere along the way. If we left it straight on the floor, we wouldn't be able to open the bottom drawer. This is where family connections prove their value again: I jokingly said "hey Dad! got any dresser legs sitting around in the garage?" and he said "yeah, why?" Turns out, they were perfect. They're cute and chunky and stained the same as the handles! Dwayne had to trim them down and then we screwed them on.

I think it looks awesome. And the best part? Dwayne filled it with his clothes, and now I get the whole closet shelf. WIN!!

So here's the final product! (notice Basil the cat got herself in there again?)


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Re-lamp

Here's the story. While redecorating the office lobby, we ended up with a spare lamp shade. It sat around in the media room for a while, bugging me daily with its cute texture and nice chocolate tones. Finally I cracked. I went hunting on the weekend and found the perfect lamp base at MCC for 5.50. Gold and shapely, it fit my criteria! I picked up some spray paint at walmart, and voila.

I regret not taking a before picture of the whole lamp. Believe me, it was GOLD. Here are some iphone photos I snabbed as I sprayed!

Then, I took it into the office and paired it with the lamp shade. I must admit...the shade is a bit too big. But still, I think it looks cute! DIY success!




Friday, September 7, 2012

Miriam and Blain! LOVE!

What can I say? One of my best friends is getting married!

Miriam and I go back a few years. just a few. Our journey began in GEMS club, grade 4 (although I bet we nurseried together at church). We met over craft paints and glue guns, and before we knew it we were room mates in university together, and now...we're in each other's weddings! Miriam was one of my bridesmaids last summer, and next summer I get to be one of hers. I could go on and on about how much I love this girl, but that's not what's important.

Whats important is how much she loves Blain!! And he sure does love her back! These two are meant for each other (have you seen them play soccer together? Or pretty much any sport? Make sure you're on their team...) and I can't wait to celebrate their marriage! You two compliment each other perfectly, accentuate each others strengths, and have some of the warmest, biggest hearts that I know. I'm so honoured to have gotten to spend a day taking photo's with you, and that I get to celebrate as a bridesmaid next summer! You are some of my most favourite people! I love you to bits!







haha, goofs. They finally realized I was following them around with a camera. :P