Tuesday Treasures: my sister site

Today I have found my sister site on Etsy. Meet Allison from blueforestjewellery in the UK. Her aim is to string semi-precious beads in stunning colour combinations to make statement pieces.

Check out these lovely earrings:

And this matching necklace:

How fun to find such an interesting shop! In my next blog post I want to show you some fun new fall colors and items. Stay tuned! You won't want to miss it!

Monday Musings: Caring for Those Around Us

We had a chance to go to Seattle this weekend, and although it was a whirlwind trip we had a chance to have some really great conversations with several different sets of people.

In one conversation, we talked a lot about what it looked like to be Jesus to people. In one situation, when the wife told her neighbor she could watch the neighbor's child with some pretty special needs every day, the neighbor responded saying "I don't know much about church, but I know that I love your God."

Wow! What an amazing statement! How often do you get to hear that from people around you? Are you reaching out to the widows and orphans, and caring for them through relationship over the long term?

Let me tell you, I had no desire to step out of our comfort zone and do this even two years ago, but God is bringing us on an incredible journey and helping us to understand more about people's needs around us, and how we can reach out to them over the long term in relationship.

We have been able to do this in small ways so far through our foster care respite weekends. I'm looking forward to what He's bring to us next.

How about you? In what ways to you care for those around you? How are you giving them hope?

Tuesday Treasures: fingerless gloves from uniquedesignsbymsp

I love to go find new handmade items from other online shops, and the fingerless gloves at UniqueDesignsbyMsP have really caught my eye. She works with fabric, fibers, beads, and just about anything else textural, colorful or sparkly.

Fall in love with the colors in her fingerless gloves. First, my favorite are these A Taste of Berry fingerless gloves:

These Clear Blue Sky ones are really pretty as well!

So go stop by her shop, and say that cksilver sent you!

Monday Musings: Kids in Need

We had another foster child for a short-term respite stay this weekend, and I am reminded of how precious children are to Jesus. He calls us to care for the fatherless, and these foster kids are in need of loving families to come alongside them with helpful boundaries.

I am in awe that we get to be part of serving kids in this way. What are you doing to help others that goes beyond yourself or your family?

Friday Finds: RaeoLight

I am loving the amazing photography from raeolight on Etsy!

Like this old truck:

Or this house that looks like a million stories could have flowed through its walls:

And these amazing Gerber flowers:

So what are you waiting for? Come check out these beautiful prints and snag one for yourself! And make sure you say that cksilver sent you!

Wednesday What's New: Wine Charms

We have this problem when we have big family gatherings at my in-laws house. People can never remember where they left their wine glass and which one is theirs.

But now we have a solution! I made these multi-colored wine charms!

You take your charm and put it on your glass.


And now you know which one is yours. In fact they were so much fun to make, that I now have 5 sets available!

What kind of creative solution have you found lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Tuesday Treasures: omnipresents

Today I am featuring a fairly new shop on Etsy called omnipresents, specializing in handcrafted jewelry and accessories.

My favorite thing from her shop is this pendant. Very creative and beautiful wire-wrapping:

Each item is nicely packaged and individually wrapped in a small white gift box with a ribbon tied around it. She also attached a small charm shaped like a hand that reads “handmade" to the ribbon. Perfect for gift giving to yourself or someone else.

So please go visit her shop, and say that cksilver sent you!