It is the 4th anniversary of my FAVOURITE shop here on Vancouver Island. It has EVERYTHING that you would want! The best makeup, the most fashionable clothing, the cutest accessories and amazing footwear!
When you walk into this shop you feel great! The colour scheme is so much fun! Hot pink, black and reflective mirrors great you everywhere you look. There are racks of awesome clothing suspended from the ceiling! AND sometimes there is even a super cute little puppy there to sniff at your toes!
Here is a small example of the lines she carries:
Gentle Fawn
Fluxus
Mink Pink
Hunter Boots
Left on Houston
One Teaspoon swimwear
Eryn Brinie
Black Orchid
Valerie Dumaine
Maison Scotch
Becca Makeup
And SO much more!
Crave has also just introduced an amazing inhouse line of jewellry called “Charlee Monroe”
They are gorgeous!
So if you are interested in checking this awesome store out (and get in on the anniversary sale) here is the info:
I have been reading a book called “Compassion – A call to take action” by James and Michal Ann Goll. It is part of their “Women on the front line series. It is amazing! One of the chapters is about Florence Nightingale. Most people have heard of Florence Nightingale. But I doubt they know how awesome of a woman she was. I sure didn’t know. I didn’t even know she was a christian! Here is a little back story.
She was born to a wealthy english family. She was well-bred, attractive, educated and was expected to marry early and well. In 1837 she heard the Lord call her to ministry. She felt the Lord wanted her to help others. So without the support of her family, she served wherever and whomever she could. She turned down many suitors (even one who she loved) and would study health books instead to going to parties. In her time, the act of nursing was done by prostitutes, drunks and others, NOT women of Florence’s status. In 1844 she was convinced that her call was to help the sick and become a nurse. She had some health issues and was sent to Egypt to recuperate. While she was there she wrote many journal entries about her encounters with God.
From there she went to school to learn all she could about the health professions. Women nurses were not openly accepted, even at hospitals, but she pressed on and made so many life-saving changes to hospital protocols. In 1854 she volunteered to nurse in a Turkish hospital during the Crimean war. She wrote that the conditions were appalling. There were sick, dying and dead everywhere! They were dirty, unfed and had no access to clean water! No wonder more men were dying of disease than of their war injuries! Florence changed so much (not without opposition from the doctors, who still didn’t want them there) She used her own money to buy clean gowns, socks, blankets, utensils, plates and more. She and the other nurses scrubbed to wards, washed and fed the men, read them letters and books and even looked after their families by ensuring their wages were sent to them. She worked herself into exhaustion and illness in the most appalling and disgusting conditions. There are so many things I could write about her! She changed so much in the health profession that we benefit from today.
When she returned home after the war, she was asked about her service in the war, and about longevity, her reply was this:
“It matters little provided we spend our lives to God, whether like our blessed Lord’s they are concluded in three and thirty years, or whether they are prolonged to old age”
She lived until she was 90 years old! And most of her life she was quite ill. She truly loved the Lord and served Him in every way that she could. She believed that everyone needed to set apart times to pray, that was her strength. She is an inspiration to everyone on how we need to be. Put ourselves aside and answer the call. This is the quote that inspired me to write this post:
“Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the Principle of Evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way must be disputed. The night is given to us to take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength which has been given to us, to go forth to work with it till the evening”
I have been reading on a few blogs about Forever 21’s new line of Christian inspired Tees. I am actually SHOCKED at some of the comments and blog posts! There is this outrage coming from so many people about Forever 21 “pushing a Christian agenda”. Everyone seems to be all riled up about this. My advice to those “hating” on the new line…. GET OVER IT and DON’T BUT ONE! No one is forcing you to purchase these shirts… buy a Mickey Mouse one instead!!!
It isn’t news that Forever 21 is run by a christian family! Look at their bags!
” For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, So that whoever believes in Him would not die BUT have EVERLASTING LIFE!” John 3:16
When I received my order from Forever 21 with that on the bottom of my bag I was super excited! I thought that it was such a wonderful way to spread the good news! I really hoped that those few words would inspire people to look it up and let it settle in their hearts. Now that they are adding these shirts to their already wide variety of tees, I know I will continue shopping there are supporting their vision! In fact… I am adding the Holy Fringe Tee to my wish list right now! LOVE IT!
I spent last week at a WONDERFUL camp called the “Cowichan River Bible Camp”. This is a place very dear to my heart. I have had so many life changing experiences there, and am so excited that my children will get to experience it as well.
This past week was the second Kids camp – which was for ages 7 through to 12. We had sooooo much fun! I was blessed to be the official “Craft Lady” for the week and all the crafts went REALLY well! I thought that I would let you know what we did!
Our first craft was a nice simple one! Picture Frames! I found some awesome frames at Michaels with really nice borders so there was a lot of room to decorate. We got out the paints, sticker, foam letters, foam shapes and gems and got decorating! They were all so unique and well done! Here is what my daughter did:
Our second craft was awesome! Every kids camp the kids get tshirts and paint them , I decided to change it up this camp and we TIE DYED! Awesome!!! Tie dying with 70 kids can be a challenge for sure! BUT it worked well. We used plastic waterbottles with a small hole drilled in the top as our squirt bottles. It was perfect! Not only were we using something that was lying around, but it did not waste the dyes. Again, they all turned out different, which is the best part of doing tie dye! We put them in baggies and let them sit in the sun the next day. Then on the final night of camp the kids “went to town” with sharpies and fabric markers signing their names on each others shirts!
Our third craft was nice and simple. Friendship bracelets! They spent a long time making them and I even had a beautiful green, blue and yellow one made for me!
Our final craft was inspired by a fellow blogger at “the craft nest” (click to see her instructions). They were Tile Plaques. We used the supplies from the frame craft, as well as a bunch of scripture verses and phrases printed off the computer and glued them to a tile! (We had a whole box laying around the camp! SCORE!). Them we modpodged over them to secure and made glossy. I am still amazed at how different each one was, even though they were working with the same supplies!! Here are some examples that I did with my kids.
I really hope that I am asked to come back next year and do the crafts again! I am already collecting ideas and adding pages to my favorites list!!
So I posted the other day about ravelry.com and how obsessed I am with it! Well there are soooo many cool patterns for really neat clothing that you can knit and crochet yourself! Check it out:
I have so many beautiful necklaces and earrings but I rarely wear them! So I have been trying to think of something to hang my MANY necklaces on, so they do not get tangled and forgotten. My bathroom is kinda “beachy” and I really wanted something to tie in with that. Whenever I go to the beach (and there are LOTS of beaches around here) with my kids, we always come home with a bucket of shells and driftwood. Soooo I went outside to our latest driftwood score (which is still sitting by my front door!) and found exactly what I was looking for!!!
What I did:
I took the drift wood and hammered a picture hanger on the back. Then I took some tarnished hooks, and a few different sized tarnished nail (I didnt want them to have a “new” look) and screwed and nailed them to the front of the wood. I had to make sure I spaced them well so there was room for my jewellry and it wouldnt be totally uneven. It was sooo easy and quick! And I am SOOO HAPPY with how it turned out!!
Here are some pics of other necklace and earring holder ideas!
The rake is my FAVOURITE – I can’t wait to make one for our bedroom!
Kids of the King 