eye candy?

i think so. :D

but wait!! there's MORE...

the lil' things..

yea.. sO, if u read my last post about enlightenment, passion and all that good stuff, you now KNOW that my joy/passion (wutever u wanna call it) is to work with youth.

Assata asked for a lil' handmade gift... for her birthday.

anyway, i made this lil' box for my cute friend Assata.. one of the junior high girls that i work with.. and she let out a VERY high-pitched squeal!! talk about makin' a girl's day..

i told Nadine that i don't make things for my own gratification, but as i write this, i can't help but wonder if there's a slight bit of joy received when we GIVE from our hearts. needless to say, Assata liked her lil' presents. =)

awakening.. err.. enlightenment??

as if i needed it..?

i guess i did.

today my good friend Nadine & i had our regular convo about what's good craft-wise.. only THIS time, the convo took a VERY necessary turn for good.

i've pondered for YEARS the thought, "why am i sO stuck when it comes to being creative?"

and i'm tellin' u.. it hit me like a BRICK.. a soft brick.

we should not be lookin' for God to bless the work of OUR hands, but instead, we should look for what HE's blessing and work on that! sounds sO simple.. and it IS!!

i felt freedom today in this thought process..

don't get me wrong, i LOVE crafting.. finding a good, fun project to work on is awesome..

BUT...

there's sumthin' AWESOMER.

PASSION.

this is what ol' man webster says about it..

passion |ˈpa sh ən|noun

an intense desire or enthusiasm for something

.. and when u got it.. you KNOW it!! and that's eXactLy the word to describe my feeling toward working with youth. i've worked as a jr. high youth worker for the past twelve + years.. and it hasn't grown old at all! i LOVE young people. they're wonderfully unique in EVERY way.. they know how to have fun.. they're not "too old" to have fun.. they're not "too young" to take serious matters seriously... they're such balanced people. and they've stolen my heart time and time again. no matter where i go, if i see a junior higher, we automatically "click" ... no work involved. it's like they KNOW. lol.. Jesus did this in my heart! it's not sumthin that i worked up.. it actually is a very "natural" desire. and i think it will be for eternity. ^_^

i wish i could've been honest with myself & stated this a LOT sooner..

this blog MAY just be changed a lil' bit.. cuz i luv young people sO much. =)

thanks, Nadine.. for being a wonderful Christian.. and friend. <3

photo credit here.. titled "the dance of youth"

monstrosity.

ain't he cute? =) well.. sort of. don't ask me WHY i liked him. i'm a sucker for multi-colored beings. heh heh..

ok.. what about his brother?

well..whatever! you can see their WHOLE family here!

to say the least, i definitely found them interesting.. and FULL of character. :D

**QUILTS**

am i 'spoze to be a quilter and i didn't know it or sumthin??

mannnn... this quilter is AMAZING!! i know it must've taken her YEARS to complete the thing.. and now, honestly.. the thing should be in an art gallery somewhere.

it's AWESOME.

and so, yea.. go figure. i have a "new" love interest..

i wanna make a quilt. =)

something cute..

yea.. sO, i know i'm doin' a pretty lousy job at keepin' you guys interested in my blog..

i have seasons of frustration.. lookin' at my surroundings. remembering that i'm a work in progress.. and so is my house.

:D

needless to say, i found something oh so cute, that i HAFTA share it.. i mean, him.

He has to be what someone imagines their dreamboy to be like.. he's cute. cuddly. and talented.

who wouldn't want a man that could serenade you???

=)

the only problem is he's shorter than you.. (whoever you are.) yes. you. he's shorter, believe me.

and he's a yermit.

don't. ask.

but he IS adorable... and WAS 75 bucks.

not bad.... not bad.

coasters!!

i have "inherited" a HUNORMOUS amount of magazines.

yes, i know hunormous is not a word, but ever since J-boy #2 started saying it when he was five, it's stuck..

anyway.. don't distract me..

as i was saying, i have a hunormous amount of magazines.. the thought of getting my fav mag subscriptions for 5 bucks sounded awesome at the time, but when ur in danger of embracing your "inner packrat," all you end up with is more JUNK.

(did i just say junk?) i meant treasures.. *heh heh*

and just as i was having an epiphany regarding throwing them out so that i could become more organized, along comes the EVIL plot against me to create coasters! *gasp*

i was sO NOT lookin' for this.. but, honestly, i cannot resist at LEAST trying this tutorial for coasters as attractive as these..

i'll put up my finished projects.. one of these days.. summer is here and that means i need to put my creativity to work or i'll go crazy with regrets when the season is over..

wish me luck! =)