Handmade Gifts

My love of crafts has passed along to my ... boys?! Yes,BOYS! They do crafts their way ... mostly with sticks and stones, metals & ... bones? Yes, that too(Antlers etc.). They make me so proud! But, before I fall(Proverbs 16:18) I must redirect the glory for all ingenuity and talent back to their Father in Heaven Who has gifted them with everything, in fact their every breath. And I ... am blessed to be their mother.

In past years, wood has been their medium of design. Using a scroll saw they have cut many intricate nativity ornaments using teak. (Look for pictures - I'll post them another day). This year they are making more of those ornaments, this time out of aromatic cedar which has beautiful qualities of color and aroma, but the disadvantage of being a little more fragile. They are hoping to sell sets of these (in fives) nicely packaged in an organza sachet or as singles (the individual ornaments are also VERY nice to hang on the rear-view mirror in vehicles).

Which reminds me, they're also using the tiny scrap pieces to make aromatic cedar sachets - packaged in smaller organza bags.

A new interest for them this year is pyrography, better known as wood-burning. They have literally spent hours with this new hobby making beautiful picture frames, name frames, artfully decoating wooden spoons, transforming veneer business cards into holiday gift tags and gift cards ... the ideas are endless. The pleasures are worthy. The work is purposeful.

I'll let you know how their first sales transpire at my Craft Table on Saturday! Then we'll try other venues ... maybe an Esty shop?

In all we do, we try to honor our Lord - most often best done by quoting His Word in art as well as in voice. God's Word will not return void. We believe that and stand on that truth to send out His Word through the work of our hands.

Ah, the benefits abound: the boys are busy - purposefully, entrepreneurially occupied (hoping to pay off the wood-burning tool with their proceeds), the Word is being planted in their hearts first as they seek it out & then burn it into the wood and again as it goes forth through sales or as gifts.

This Mama heart is blessed, humbled, thankful,
Darlene