DIY Envelopes- A Pseudo Tutorial!

I've always been a creative person but of the mind variety, not the hands variety. I can come up with ideas and see them in my mind but when my hands get involved my beautifully, well thought out idea turns into a lumpy, misshapen and sticky mess.

Enter... Pinterest! 

Now I know that many people spend hours trolling through the beautiful images, pinning away and I'm no different. But here's the thing, now that I have plans, directions and pictures to follow I'm suddenly crafty! I usually try 1-2 things a week off Pinterest. Some have been successful and others (homemade jello rollups- more on that later) have been epic fails. 

Here's a little tutorial DIY- pinned it, did it! 

Gotta give credit to the original pin, here.

All you need to start is a magazine page and envelope you're going to copy. 

Fun story- this page came out of a biking magazine and Park Tool is a bike tool company that my husband's grandfather started and now is owned by his uncle. We're sending my brother-in-law a birthday card in a Park Tool envelope- family affair all around! All that to say, pick a page you love for the pictures, pattern or because it reminds you of the person you're sending it to. 

1. Trace the envelope onto the magazine page. You can try to line it up in certain places so the designs show how you like them. On this one, I lined it up so that the park tool emblem would be on the flap of the envelope. It doesn't even have to be perfect (unless you like things meticulous) so trace away! 

2. Cut out the magazine page on the lines and fold it into the existing envelope to get your lines right. 

3. Get yo' glue on and sticky it up! Be careful not to glue the the envelope shut. Been there, done that. 

4. Write your address, add a stamp and to the mailbox it goes! I've sent out about 6 of these and haven't had any problems with non-delivery or returns but if it's a busy pattern I'd slap a white box on the front, just to be safe. 

 VOILA! The finished project! Disclaimer: I am NOT a detailed, perfectionistic (made up word?) person. If you are, I apologize for the stress you are probably feeling due to the mismatched corners. Rest assured, if you trace exactly your envelope will be perfect! 

Let's just take a second and look at this card my handy hubby whipped up for his bro. What a man. 

And there you have it! Cost of this project- FREEEEEEEE!!! 

Here's a little glimpse of some other envelopes I made to send my valentine cards in. 

Send some mail wouldja? It brightens people's days.

Four Seasons of Worship

If you were to ask me my purpose I'd say, "To create experiences and places where people can meet with God." Luckily, the job I get paid for allows, encourages and requires me to do that. 

As the Program Manager at a camp I get to provide camps and retreats where people get away from their everyday mundane and come to experience God. I spend a lot of time running around, solving problems, flexing schedules, directing staff, answering questions and working 12-16 hour days. It's hard and exhausting. 

But then the session starts. I finish the announcements, set down my game props and take off my microphone to sit in the sound booth and watch. 

And then it's rewarding, encouraging and inspiring. 

... when 9-13 year olds run in circles, hold hands, do silly motions and put their arms around their friends, entering as children of God. 

... when 300 women sing in unison and it's like being in a choir of angels

...when teenagers pump their fists, close their eyes and maybe even raise their hands and it's like being at a rock concert celebrating the best artist of all time.

.... when 200 men lift their voices and the sound is deep, loud, rough and raw.

And that's why I do it. And that's why it's worth it.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.            Ecclesiastes 3:22

About Me & Cake

Today I played around in picmonkey and came up with my new "About Me" page. I tend to be wordy but this was a fun way to be creative and still get across my personality and little of who I am. Slide that little mouse up... little more... little more... and check it out! And if you haven't used picmonkey, check that out, too! 

In other news, we've had ANOTHER layer of snow. Really, Michigan? You couldn't give us snow in January when I was desperately praying for it but now in March when I'm ready to be done you give us more? Sigh. Luckily last night I got together with some other camp ladies for a cake decorating lesson and made this little pretty. Can you tell where my mind is? Bring on the sunshine and flowers, I'm ready! 

And That's Where It All Began...

How do you start something? I'm not sure. This is the third time I've tried so in an effort to be real I'll just tell you. It's awkward! 

Post #1. The beginning. Start of the road. Mile marker 0. Whatever you call it strap on your boots, high heels, running shoes or footwear of choice (mine would be my faithful Chacos) and settle in. 

I used to Xanga. Anyone remember xanga? I just looked up my old username and it's still embarrassing there! I'm going to plead the fifth and not share the link. 

So why blog now? That's a question I've been asking myself for about 6 months, ever since I stumbled on this little community called SheReadsTruth, a Bible reading plan and encouragement community online and Twitter. Through the site I was introduced to a few blogs by some Christ-lovin', life-sharin' women that I've been creeping reading ever since. It's scary to put yourself out there and I might not be good at this whole blog deal but here are a few reasons I've decided to try it. 

Story
God's given me a unique journey and a story that only I can tell. I may be biased but I think it's a pretty good one. As a 20-something I'm constantly learning, growing and discovering who I'm supposed to be. Some people say I talk a lot, I say I verbally process. So here's to typingly (new word?) processing!


Inspiration 
When I started reading blogs I found a whole community of people exploring their gifts and talents and desiring to encourage others. I've been inspired to regularly and continually read my Bible, to pray for my husband, to get on track to being healthy, to try new hairstyles and outfits, to write notes of encouragement and to craft. On Adventure Way is the place where I can capture and explore these ventures. 


Community
Like I said, I've been blog looking for a while and I'm ready to connect. To have conversations and discussions with people who share the same interests as I do. It seems to me like the blog-world has a lot of people with the same desire. Maybe we won't ever borrow cups of sugar or share a real-life coffee but maybe we can touch hearts just a little. 

So there it is. Whew! I know nothing about this blogging stuff. I guess you could add some of those reasons. I have never been  a good hobby person, I'm looking for a hobby. I am fascinated by fonts and graphic design and want to play around with that. I may get overwhelmed by code, lingo, buttons and small print but that's ok. I tend to hold myself to high standards, it's hard to even post this without having the perfect pictures, fonts and headings all in place. If there's one thing I'm learning it's that rarely does everything ever fall perfectly into place. 

On my very first (but not last) backpacking trip with hubby. Every journey starts with one small step and I just took one.