This weekend I helped in putting together a fundraiser of sorts for a Baby orphanage I visited while in Kenya last summer. The lady who started the orphanage was actually a member of my church, but she moved to Kenya about 5 years ago. Not only does she run this orphanage, she also has a ministry to the local hospitals, and some single mothers. You can learn more about her ministry here.
The single mother ministry is what we were focusing on this Saturday. To support themselves and their families, the women are taught how to knit and sew. Trena works with the mothers to advertise their products and since she has been in the states, she is trying to sell as much merchandise as possible for them! That’s what Saturday was about. Come, eat and buy!
The fabric that was chosen was hot pink zebra stripes and a little bit of hot pink and green floral. I wanted to match the fabric, but not be overly matchy-matchy either!
These were actually really easy to make and cost a total of $17 for 3 stands. The way they were put together allows for them to be taken apart for storage and could be repainted to match any event.
Here is what I did:
1. Buy 3 wooden plaques- Hobby Lobby
2. Spray paint them white
3. Buy 3 candle sticks of various heights (I already had 2 I found at goodwill) the other was from HOB LOB
4. Spray paint them whatever color your heart desires!
5. After the tops were dry, I wanted to make them a little more festive. I grabbed some fun scrapbook paper – in zebra print and houndstooth, and modge podged them to the tops. 2 coats of m.p was all it took.
To put the stands together, I first drilled a small hole in the tops and the sticks. That way when I screwed them together, the wood wouldn't split.
7. At first, I was just going to leave it, but they were a little top heavy, so I also added a small base to each stand. That made them a lot more sturdy. I had these 3 pieces of wood already so that was nice. But you can buy them at Hobby Lobby also if needed.
I think they turned our pretty cute!
In case you are wondering, those are miniature bundt cakes from "Nothing Bundt Cakes"! If you have a store close to you, I highly recommend them- they are delicious!
Here is the whole table!
The event was great, we raised a lot of money and had a wonderful time hearing about what the Lord is doing in Nukuru through His Cherished Ones Ministry .
* I link my projects to the following blogs whose links you can find on my side bar
This project can be time consuming, but it is easy and really makes a great gift.
All you need is a roll of soft metal found at Hobby Lobby and comes in sliver, copper and gold (I like the copper myself), a paint pen (the thin ones usually work best for script) and an embossing tool- not sure on the technical name for this
Begin by cutting your metal to fit a chosen frame, then print out a copy of a favorite scripture, quote or picture that would fit on the metal.
Tape the copy over the metal and then use the embossing tool to trace over the letters. You have to press down pretty hard. Depending on the font you use, it can take awhile! I also put a piece or 2 of craft foam behind the metal to give it some cushion.
Once you have traced the letters, remove the paper. You should be able to see the writing pressed into the metal. At this point, go over the letters with your paint pen. If you mess up, you can use paint thinner or mineral spirits to erase the paint, it shoudn't stain the metal.
I then place the metal in a frame. This is a great way to use those frames that are oddly sized or too overpowering for an actual picture. Most of the time I put the glass behind the metal before I put the back on to give the metal some stability.
Here are a few examples of other ones I have done. Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures. One day I will have an awesome camera!
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