outside the (shoe)box: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

he's got the whole world in his (big) hands

God. is. good.

i've been doing just normal things lately... and i just love seeing God at work in the "normal" things. i don't know. i think it's just something going on in my own heart, maybe.

i'm just feeling blessed.

and i'm feeling like there's something new that's going to happen. something that i'm going to have to trust God with (and so will my husband, because we're in this together!). i don't know what this means, but i like it.

i know, this has really nothing to do with the purpose of this blog. but i figure maybe sometimes those of you who support me in this earring venture want to hear my heart!

i don't know what's in store for these earrings. i don't know what's in store for crisis pregnancy centre. i don't know what's in store for my life, even, past the next month or two. isn't that exciting? it just reminds me to give it over. over to God. as i'm writing this, there's a show on tv about the beginning of the earth. or what some people believe was the beginning of the earth. and i'm just happy that i don't have to hold that world in my hands. i'm glad that we've been given brains to use and the freedom to question the things around us. but, even though i don't know all the answers (or even pretend to know), i know that God's in control. God knows all the theories going around about the creation or evolution of his world. i have my own beliefs on that. but i'm just glad that HE. has. the. world. in. HIS. (big). hands.

i'm glad it's not me.

so, with that in mind, i'm glad he's got my world in his hands. and my future. and my past. and my present.

and i like it.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Pair 63 - $10.00

Pair 64 - $12.00

Pair 65 - $10.00

Pair 66 - $10.00

Monday, July 25, 2011

today's journal entry

lord, may this be pleasing to you.

may this bring glory to your kingdom, and further it as well.

lord, i want your will to be done.

i pray that by selling these earrings, little lives will be saved. these unwanted babies are so precious to you.

i can see your hand in this ministry and my desire is to join you in it. help me follow your lead in this.

i pray that i will give you the glory and praise and i won't accept it for myself.

i. am. incapable. of anything without you.

be glorified.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

some creations i made this evening!

for your viewing pleasure...

pair 61 - $10.00

pair 62 - $12.00

this wire is a brass colour, it just looks more silver in the lighting. sorry!

necklace 7 - $14.00

hammered wire

necklace 8 - $14.00

hammered wire with striped stone pendant

just one more pair to showcase for now...

pair 60 - $10.00

i've been busy with orders, so i haven't had too much time to make new creations. but, hopefully i will have more new stuff to show soon. also, i recently sent off the first cheque to Crisis Pregnancy Centre for $150! can you believe that? that means that $300 worth of orders came in. WOW! i'm so excited about where this is going!

thank you to everyone who is also investing in this endeavor of mine. for buying earrings (for yourself or for gifts), for praying for me in this and especially for cpc, and just for encouraging me by giving me good feedback! you. are. awesome.

maybe the next cheque to cpc will be double that! WAHOO!

Friday, July 15, 2011

finally, some new creations!

necklace #6 - $20.00

necklace #2 - $14.00

necklace #3 - $20.00

i'll admit, this tree design isn't an original design! sorry!

i got it from diva beadz. they're amazing!

pair #55 - $10.00

necklace #4 - $14.00

pair #56 - $10.00

pair #57 - $10.00

Pair #58 - $10.00

pair #59 - $10.00

necklace #5 - $14.00

busy lady...

hey all! just a little message to remind you that i'm still here! i've been meaning to post for the last week already, but it's been quite busy. finishing orders, working (not on earrings), and other things that take life over! good things, just busy things.

i hope to post more earrings/pendants tonight. i've made a few more over the last week, so i hope to share them with you!

i've also found a wonderful little shop in winnipeg called diva beadz. so, this last week i went there to see what they've got, and it's so cute! friendly owners (i believe it's a mother/daughter thing). i met one of them, debbie. friendly, sassy, and knows a lot about jewellery! loads of beads, some wire, shells, and even jewellery that they've made that you can buy. they've got some beautiful jewellery. anyway, off for now, but i'll be back tonight!

thanks for your patience!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

order up!

well, last night was a tizzy of an evening... racing against time to finish a last-minute order. but i got it done! and then i got a few other orders completed as well! finished amy's (the race against time!), gloria's, judy's, dixie's, and brittney's. what a night! i love making earrings...

and how it came about... well, a few months ago (march, 2011), there was an incident that caused me to rethink some things. the bakery that my parents opened for my sister and me burned down to the ground. it was the middle of the night, and thankfully no one was hurt! but it was a shock nonetheless. we've definitely moved past this, and actually have been very blessed by God through it. we are rebuilding too! but needless to say, in the meantime i needed a hobby! so, earring-making was what i chose. i wanted to make a bit of money on the side, while i was out of work, so i sold them at my sister-in-law's garage sale. right at that time, we had been given these baby-bottles to collect pocket-change for crisis pregnancy centre. so i just put the money i got from the earrings toward the baby bottle collection. and that got me thinking. it'd be a lot more worthwhile to make these earrings to benefit someone other than just myself. not only can people buy them as gifts or for themselves to enjoy... but they can know that some of the money is going toward an amazing cause! to save lives! WOW! so, i put my earrings online. i didn't mention at first that 50% of the proceeds went to cpc. i just felt like if i said that, people might think i want the glory for myself. not true. but eventually, i thought that people should know where their money is going! it's not just going into my pocket!

so... now you know.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

earring love continued...

necklace 1 - $12.00

actually this is a pendant for a necklace... a friend of mine ordered a pendant with these features, and this is what i came up with! my first pendant.

Pair 51 - $12.00

Pair 52 - $10.00

Pair 53 - $12.00

Pair 54 - $10.00

Saturday, July 2, 2011

check out my "older" (by a few minutes) posts for background and more earrings!

Pair 31 - $10.00

Pair 32 - $12.00

Pair 33 - $10.00

Pair 34 - $10.00

Pair 35 - $12.00

Pair 36 - $10.00

Pair 37 - $12.00

Pair 38 - $10.00

Pair 39 - $10.00

Pair 40 - $10.00

Pair 41 - $10.00

Pair 42 - $10.00

Pair 43 - $10.00

Pair 44 - $10.00

Pair 45 - $12.00

Pair 46 - $10.00

Pair 47 - $10.00

Pair 48 - $10.00

Pair 49 - $10.00

Pair 50 - $12.00

welcome to "outside the (shoe)box"!

hey everybody!

welcome to my blog. i've created this blog to show-case the earrings i'm making for a good cause. the cause: crisis pregancy centre. this is an amazing organization. they are completely pro-life, which means the get no government funding. and they aren't just against abortion. they come alongside the women struggling with what decisions need to be made and counsel them. no matter what happens, the staff and volunteers of cpc support their clients with prayer. in 25 years of operation, they have been involved in saving the lives of 2500 babies. this is a cause worth being a part of. so, that is why i am donating 50% of all earring proceeds to crisis pregnancy centre. they need our support as they work for such a sensitive and Godly cause. not only are these unborn babies precious to God, the mothers that are struggling to support this new life are precious in His eyes.

i'm sure you all know that "shoe-box" is a term related to abortion. the abortion doctors discard the bodies of these tiny babes in shoe-boxes. it's a sad reality. i recently learned of this correlation and wanted to use it in the name i chose for my earring "company". my earring supplies are kept in a shoe-box. i used a shoe-box even before i knew the association it had with abortion. when i decided that i wanted to give 50% of proceeds to cpc, my husband told me about the relation between shoe-boxes and abortion. i instantly knew i wanted to use the word in the name. i want to be a part of the restoration of the negative connotation of the word shoe-box.

i'm not trying to say that i know everything about the matter. i don't know everything there is to know about it. but what i do know is that God is in this. i can see the God-character in cpc. i know that God is doing an amazing thing through crisis pregnancy centre. and i've learned that miraculous things happen when you pursue God's direction.

so, that's a bit of background as to what i'm doing and why. my name is kristen. i'm married to a wonderful, caring, and Godly man (named mark). and if you are interested in purchasing any of my earrings... just send me a comment with the pair number, and we'll work it out! or if you're just interested in leaving some feedback, that is very welcome! i will keep adding pictures as i make more earrings. so keep a close watch for new posts! thanks for checking out my blog!