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You are a Masterpiece

March 25, 2014 By Erica Deuel 6 Comments

truths_for_kidsWhen I look at our kids, I see my little super heroes. They make it easy because they like to dress up and pretend to be caped crusaders all the time. But their playtime roles are not really what I’m talking about. I’m talking about their beauty, their strength, their innocence, their creativity, their joy, and most of all their ability to love. They inspire me all the time.

I think you know well enough to know they aren’t perfect. Neither is their mama. I lose perspective all the time. Sometimes I feel like I’m one whiny plea away from running out the front door without a thought of looking back.

I need truths to recenter my heart. I need words that break through circumstances and remind me of the bigger picture. Many times a sweet “I love you” from one of my little super heroes snaps me back. Sometimes a song lyric hits me right where I’m at. Other times I’ll find a scripture that breathes new life and perspective into my funk.

One phrase that has moved me in moments of doubt is “You are Masterpiece”. This comes from Ephesians 2:10 that says, “For we are God’s masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

doodle printI don’t know where you are at in your life with God or if mentioning Jesus makes you uncomfortable. I understand if that’s the case. There’s a lot to be confused about when it comes to faith. But one thing I can tell you, letting the thought that God has a plan for me, he has good things for me to do, and that he calls me his masterpiece take root in my heart has been life changing. When I doubt, struggle with my shortcomings, and start to believe that I am a failure, I hear that whisper in the back of my head that tells me “You are a masterpiece”. The truth that through Jesus I can be changed and made new, I need that. The hope and belief that my life is about something bigger than me, that was planned long ago, that’s thrilling. I want in on that.

You_are_a_masterpiece_printSo, when I think about my little super heroes and all that they face and are going to face in this world, I want this thought burned into their little hearts too. No matter what happens, no matter what someone tells them or does to them, I want them to know inside and out that they are a masterpiece. I don’t want them growing up thinking they are perfect, but I do want them to believe they are special. They were made intentionally and they have been invited into a life of hope and purpose regardless of what their circumstances may be telling them in the moment.

I love to say “I have a secret for you”. They smile because they know what’s coming as I whisper “you are a masterpiece” in their ears. This is a phrase we say to each other in our house all the time.

You_are_a_masterpieceAnother passage that provides so much clarity for us comes from 1 Corinthians 13. If you’ve been to a wedding in the last 100 years you’ve probably heard this one a few times. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

We have these words hanging all over our house. It’s a beautiful reminder for all of us. It’s our go-to when conflict comes up with the kids.

what_is_loveWhile Caleb knows and can recite most of the passage, the other kids know “Love is patient. Love is kind.” Even our foster son that has been with us for a month has this one down. When tension rises and tempers start to flare over something, someone usually breaks out in a quick reminder “Love is patient! Love is kind!” Sometimes they say it through gritted teeth and locked jaws or with a little eye roll, but they say it and move on. Other times I step in and say “why did you ______? What is Love?” They will answer and my follow up question is always “was _______being patient/kind? (whichever applies)” It gives some reference to go and parent off of.

teaching_kids_love
Do you have a special phrase, word, or passage that helps to refocus your heart?

I don’t know about you but I need constant reminders and refocusing. That’s why I created this “You are a Masterpiece” print. Recently I’ve needed reminding. I would like to give it you too. Click here to download it. (Right click and “Save As” on some computers) Feel free to print it out, frame it, hang it up, or pass it along to someone who needs some encouragement. Just do me a favor, let it sink in. Know that you are special. Your life matters. You were created with a purpose and there’s a God who loves you enough to give you the title of masterpiece.

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Felt Flower Tutorial

February 5, 2014 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

DIY_felt_fairy_wandsFor the love of felt!

I am all about color. I have found felt and flower projects are a simple way to add that pop of color to an ordinary project or room.

To make this felt flower, I simply cut eight petals out of felt. Each petal was roughly 2.5″ long.

felt flower suppliesI used wool felt balls as the center of my flower and hot glued one petal at a time on to it. After I had one row of petals around my felt ball, I simply hot glued another row behind.

creating_felt_flower

DIY_felt_flowerOnce both layers of petals were glued in place, I turned my flower head over. I used sharp scissors and snipped a slice in the felt ball. I created a little envelope fold by doing this. I placed hot glue and then a dowel rod into the hole. After holding the rod in place for a few minutes to let it set, I let it go and had the base of my flower complete!

DIY_fairy_wand

making_a_felt_flower

After I created a few of these flowers, I decided add one more touch to give it a more finished look. I simply used some chiffon left over from making my chiffon flowers and hot glued a little of it in place and wrapped it all the way down my dowel rod. I used a little more glue to hold it in place at the bottom, and it was done!

Flet_flower_tutorial

Felt_flower_tutorialI think these flowers are so cute by themselves in a vase! As I had them posed in a vase in our dinning room, my daughter came by and wanted to smell them and started waving them around saying she was tinker bell. She is a blast. She gave me the idea that these sweet flowers could be sweet party favors for a fairy birthday party. There are so many possibilities, if we use our imaginations!

If you like this felt flower, I have two other designs you might enjoy! Take a look at this felt flower and my burlap flower design that uses wool felt balls in the center.

felt_flowersFor the next three people that buy one of my Spoonful Tribe Craft Kits, I will place one of these flowers in your box. How would you use your flower? So, hurry, click here and buy your kit right now to ensure you get one of these flowers in your kit!

ReserveMyBoxThanks so much for stopping by!

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Love What You Do (and a giveaway!)

January 22, 2014 By Erica Deuel 13 Comments

love_what_you_doDo what you love.

God has given us all gifts and passions in our heart, and if we live out using those we are our best versions of ourselves. When we are at our best, we are best used to impact and love on others, right!?  Our gifts and passions are usually tied to our strengths. When we operate out of our strengths, we can truly be happiest as well. So, do what you love. Make time for it. If it can’t be your full-time gig at this point in time, it is still important to carve out that time for you. Everyone around you will ultimately thank you.

For me, I love to craft. Nothing new, right!? When I finish a project and get to show it to my family, you, whoever-my heart smiles. I feel like I am a better mom, wife, friend, etc. because of it. I made this simple sign last night. I will show you the steps. Please feel free to alter my design to make it your own, and stay till the end of this post for a special giveaway.

I started with a simple chip board sign I found at Hobby Lobby. You could also use wood or whatever you find. I simply used some acrylic paint and painted my sign a minty green. chip_board painted_chip_boardI then took some fabric and cut slits in the top about an inch long and an inch apart. I then ripped the fabric along each of those slits to get about one inch strips of fabric with pretty fringe on either side. how_to_rip_fabric ripped_fabricI put a dab of hot glue on the back of my sign and pressed one of the ends of a fabric strip into it. Once the glue had set, I started wrapping my first letter with my fabric strip. I was sure to leave some space between some wraps. I did not want it to seem perfect or polished. I liked how my mint green paint coordinated with my fabric and wanted to see some of it. You can certainly wrap yours tighter or more to cover all the letters evenly. I only added glue at the end of my first letter, but if you find your fabric is slipping-simply add a dab of glue here and there to hold it in place. fabric_hot_glue_project wrapping_fabricAfter I finished one letter, I cut my fabric strip. I simply did the same process one letter at a time. You could easily switch out your fabrics at this point too, if you wanted every letter to be something different. I decided to make all my letters the same. Just keep wrapping and doing each letter till you are done, and then find a fun place to hang your sign! love_sign

fun_sign_to_makeFor now, my sign is hanging in Reagan’s room. I’m sure that will change at some point though. I would love to have it in my office, once we get that room pulled together!

DIY_love_signDo you love what you do? I pray you are living our your gifts and passions too. I feel like I have a dream job, and I am so so blessed. Creating and being with my family are two of my great loves. I would love to help make creating easier for you as well. It might not be your thing, but you can carve some “me time” and try. Yesterday, I released registration for February’s Spoonful Tribe craft kits. Take a look at the three options, and order your membership today! Spoonful_Feb_tribe_craft_kitToday, I am going to also give away a box! Please let the rafflecopter widget load, and then enter in as many ways as you would like for your chance to win February’s Spoonful Tribe craft kit. I will release the winner in a post next Wednesday, January 29, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Art in History Craft Kit {Review & Giveaway}

November 5, 2013 By Erica Deuel 32 Comments

Disclosure: I received this product for free to review. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Art_in_historyBeing a part of my son’s learning experience is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I am constantly surprised by what I am learning with him as well. We have been studying Egypt this fall, and I am reading aloud books that fascinate me. It is so cool how these little lessons carry over to our everyday life, and we can talk about it freely since we are discovering it together.
I was so excited when I was asked to review a project from Art in History. “AMAZING fit” was all I could think. I love art and we are loving history this year. I got to choose what project I wanted and I choose the King Tutankhamun Tomb Frieze.
As part of this project’s description says “much of our understanding of Egyptian daily life comes from paintings and reliefs that decorate tombs.” I can’t think of a better way to learn history than to study the art and replicate it. This project came with a lesson plan that we read through as a review while Caleb started painting his frieze (painted or sculpted decoration on a wall).
As a first grader, Caleb loved that this project was all his to create. He loved mixing the colors and completing his own masterpiece from start to finish.

mixing_paint

creating_egyptian_artI love that this project came with everything I needed. Every supply that I needed, I pulled from the box. It had paint, a brush, sponge, plate pallet, the lesson plan with pictures and maps, and an easy step by step tutorial on how to replicate their example frieze.

painting_King_Tut

Art_in_history_reviewCaleb loved the hands on approach to learning. For a young guy, he really got to realize the work it took to write in hieroglyphics by writing his name in them!

writing_hieroglyphicsHe is so proud of his piece and quickly ran to show it to his siblings when he was done.

Benefits of Art in History

  • It was a fun hands on educational experience.
  • It creates a meaningful time for you to participate in the learning experience.
  • It saved time by not having to scour the web for a project that would work with our history subject.
  • It eliminated stress by having to find and buy all the project’s supplies.
  • This project came straight to my door, and we just had to open the box to start it.

King_Tut_artDiscovery through Creativity

I am a firm believer of discovery through creativity. I love that even though this lesson had a tutorial that told us what to do, my son felt the freedom to make it his own. He created a “rough” line at the bottom rather than the black line because he felt it displayed a more dirty ground like the Egyptians had. Plus, he was afraid to paint his hieroglyphics because he didn’t want to ruin them, so he asked to use a Sharpie instead. He had a voice and created something he is proud of and the hands on approach will probably hold Egypt facts in his head a lot longer than just reading or being told about it.

You might not be studying Egypt, no worries! Art in History has a wide range of World History and US History projects to choose from as well. I am already browsing their catalog for our next project. You should too! I know you will find something you love.

american_revolution_artSAVE 10% off all orders over $100. Enter coupon code: HOMESCHOOL10 upon checkout. Valid through 11/30/13.

In addition to the kits, Art in History is now selling their craft paint as well. Art in History is happy to announce that they have created a paint line to meet the specific needs of the craft industry and the classroom. Their custom paints are safe, have no odor, are non-toxic, and conform to ASTM D-4236 safety standards. All acrylic paints are conveniently packaged in 2 oz. bottles. Their all-purpose paints can be used on bisque, wood, metal, plastic, and other general craft projects. Those can be purchased here.

PLEASE NOTE: All historically correct paint colors are included with purchase of Artifact(s). Paint colors may vary depending on monitor variations.

I have good news for you! You can win your own Art in History kit!

Details:

  • Winner will receive 1 art kit ($9.95 value, plus S/H)
  • Winner may choose from any World History or US History project
  • Winner will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours
  • Winner must have a US or Military address

**If you buy a kit now and win the giveaway, Art in History will refund your cost of one project (9.95 plus S/H)**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for checking in! To learn more and stay connected with Art in History visit them online, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube.

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