More exciting than me opening my shop, [which is still on the to-do list- ahem] is that we're having a BABY! we are overjoyed to be opening this new chapter in our lives! I was doing really good in the beginning writing letters to our little arrow, but somewhere in preparing to go to thailand and the month away, they haven't been as consistent. so, i've decided to transfer my pregnancy journey to this long forsaken blog to see if i can manage it. i've missed my blog anyway so it feels good to be back!! -k
 

well you see, blogging is on my to-do list once the toys take their initial launch. 
but for those of you who are still hanging out visiting here and there and for those who have me  on your readers, i wanted to pass along this important information. 

Last week my friend's sister got diagnosed with cancer. We're rallying everybody and anybody we know to join us in prayer for her healing and to raise money for her medical care. I set up this blog for her and i'd really love it if you shared it to others and considered donating. God's amazing and has already worked some things out for her despite her lack of medical insurance. 

I'd appreciate it if you took some time to pray for her and visit www.prayingforkatie.squarespace.com

i've also added a button to my sidebar. feel free to snatch it up and share it on yours. 

thank you friends.

-k

p.s. my cacti are still doing great ;) 

FINALLY we've got sun people. (well except for the downpour tuesday... i try and forget.) With the sun, i tried to get some graphic design work done on my humble little condo balcony but it was less than inspiring.

picture this:

this past march i received some birthday money from my grandparents. thoughtful me thought the perfect ting to put the money towards was some greenery on the much neglected balcony. my grandparents have done well keeping up with their gardens & maybe in my imagination thought it would rub off on me? maybe?

so in the middle of april on a breezy dark night. i potted my plants. yes who plants at night. i'm not sure. but nonetheless it was very relaxing & i was pleased with my mini makeover.

• • •

but in just a small amount of time we got something that looked like this...

i feel a teeny bit embarrassed posting this for the big world to see. but hey it was an adventure-
and a failed one at that. but you know what they say if your not failing your not growing.

but really, i wasn't growing! then i remembered! my cacti d.i.y. was quite a success! those little potted cacti we did together have survived however black my thumb may be!

a little trip to home depot, some arranging and I now have some green on my balcony that should survive the summer! well i sure hope so!

moral of the story. build opportunities from obstacles! creative problem solving is one of my favorite gifts! 

-k

this past week i've been reading the book of Hebrews in the bible.
If you've never read Hebrews before give it a whirl, some things sort of make your head spin, but all of it is so good! I keep getting stuck at chapter 10, stuck as in i just want to read it over and over again because it's so rich with life.

"therefore brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is his body and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful..."

it keeps going and keeps getting better. it can be such a beautiful picture of what jesus did for us on the cross. it never grows old to me. in the old testament with the old covenant, average folks couldn't just walk into the holy place where God's presence was. But jesus made a way, he not only wipes away our sins like the morning mists, but he lets us come. He lets us draw near to himself and know him. He dwells within my heart and i am confident in who he says he is. 

if you know hope, it's a great reminder to hold to it. keep pressing on. you have access to the king of kings and lord of lords, he is attentive to your voice. he made a way.

crazy in of itself. 

though, that same attention is offered to you too, even if you don't know Jesus. just talk to him. ask for understanding on that paragraph up there written hundreds and hundreds of years ago... i promise you, you won't just be talking to the wall.

he's a real God.

-k 

breaks from everyday busyness are much needed. we spent the last few days in Lake Tahoe. i've been quite the outdoor adventurer as of late, climbed our local peak that looks over the entire bay area just a day before we left and then went galavanting around the rocks that look over the lake. 

when we got there, there was still snow on the ground! i know, seriously, it's june! but, despite being chilly we still had a swell time.  (yes, that is stevie on the cliff of that rock. i made it to the lower one that sort of dips in.. that was enough for me haha)

i'm definitely ready for the sun to come out so I can try and spend more time outside. it's so beautiful. in the mean time the weather makes it easier to stay inside and keep working on THE MUSTARD SEED projects, only a few more weeks! 

-k

In honor of announcing TMS i thought it be cool to do something for today's d.i.y. for the kid at heart. It's colorful, fun, and pretty fun to make! a kaleidoscope it is! it's a tad bit more involved than the normal d.i.y. projects i feature but i know you can handle it! ;)

 SUPPLIES:

A. reflective foil/mirror
i remember my dad brought home this reflective mirror like paper from work one time and thats what i remember using when i made one a long time ago. I know the best thing is if you could find thin or adhesive mirror sheets somewhere... i didn't have the best luck. I found using reflective foil tray works ok because it is pretty stiff unlike plain foil that is so flimsy. use what you wish! 

 B. paper tube 
you could use a paper towel or toilet paper tube, i used a toilet paper tube because i like mini things :) if you go with paper towel , or multiple toilet paper tubes added together just make sure you cut the reflective pieces long enough. 

C. colorful odds and ends!
plastic colorful beads, semi transparent beads, buttons, crayon shavings. experiment! 

D. plastic cup
this should be a clear plastic cup, or clear plastic whatever you have lying around. the cup is cool because you can cut the circle a bit easier.  

E. wax/ press and seal
i used press and seal plastic wrap since i had some on hand. wax paper would work too. I think you want to use something that is more semi-transparent as opposed to just regular saran wrap. 
 

STEP 1:

 
measure the inside of your paper towel tube and the length.  cut the reflective foil into three strips that will make a triangle that fits snuggly into the inside of the paper towel tube. tape the sides together and the end result should look like the image above. 

STEP 2:
measure and trace a circle from the think cardboard. in the center of the piece you cut out, punch a hole. tape this to the top of one side of the toilet paper tube. 

STEP 3:

cut the bottom of the plastic cup to fit on the other side of the tube. it should lay flat onto the foil with leaving a small amount of room on the top. 

STEP 4:
place the found colorful artifacts on top of the plastic.  cover with the press and seal/wax paper. 
(if you use the press and seal make sure the sticky side is facing out, otherwise the artifacts can get stuck to it and not move around as freely as they should.) tape around the plastic to keep it secure.

STEP 5:

look towards the light and peek through the little eye hole and there you have it! the wonderful world of color! at this step you could decorate the outside of your tube (especially if your taping is kind of messy haha) i used some scrapbook paper and more tape for mine, but you could use construction paper, old magazines, stickers, crayons etc. enjoy! 

-k

here's a few things you can be looking forward to in late june!

1. handmade creative TOYS!

i've had a desire to make stuff for kids, (that anyone can enjoy!) for quite some time now. Growing up i was always encouraged to be creative (it runs in the family..). I love the challenge of having a problem and finding a creative way to solve it. I'm focusing on making kids products that can be educational, cultivate creativity and enhance the imagination! So playtime can be creative again, yet also have an aesthetic beauty about them, so they look cool too! The items i've been working on for THE MUSTARD SEED [TMS] are designed to engage and be enjoyed.

I'll still be selling my necklaces in the shop to raise money for exoduscry! Which in my head works perfectly because as human trafficking is stopped there are more young girls free to dream big dreams!

2. a new TMS blog!

My sister is working with me and sharing in the vision of TMS. We're basing a lot of the products from playing as kids together . Which is awesome and super fun. the whole family is helping us in little ways :) This summer Carly will be overseeing the THE MUSTARD SEED blog! I'll still be posting my adventures here and since it is my life blog, i'm sure things will overlap at times, but the TMS blog will be a great place for showing upcoming products and the stories behind them along with other great surprises.

3. TWO online shops!

Lastly, of course all the products will be sold online. Etsy has been fun, so i will definitely be posting items on the former themustardseedshop.etsy.com as well as on a store all it's own!

that's enough for now. yes, definitely.

-k

another words for sunday - on a monday, i'll get back on track one of these days! :)

i've just been thinking about what a process it is to be a person of "one thing".
that "thing" being jesus christ, his presence, his love, his worth. i feel like the Lord is teaching me more each day how i can let God impact even the most mundane of tasks.

"fix your attentions on the things above"

how can i worship in Spirit an in Truth in  e v e r y t h i n g  i  do?
it sort of makes you sit back and realize what you spend your time on.

time is gift. money is a gift. people are gifts. opportunities are gifts.
is all because of Him. when you think about that it really does make you
want to be a good steward of all that is given.

i'm reading this amazing 95 page booklet by a man named Brother Lawrence. called "the practice of the presence of God." written over 300 years ago... isn't it true He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

i mention it here because wherever you are in your walk with the Lord it is an encouraging read. you can get closer to God still more and more. maybe you have yet to know the goodness of the nearness of His presence. read Brother Lawrence's words and discover a small glimpse.

"only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us of sin. for this reason, we should strive to love Him with all of our hearts." -from the practice of the presence of God

i don't want to be blind and content with too little as brother lawrence says "God has infinite treasures to give us, Why should we be satisfied with a brief moment of worship? "

a life of one thing. a constant song of praise. 

ask for the grace to love Him more. He's worthy.

-kindsey

so i just wanted to share some pretty exciting news. each day i'm getting closer to revealing these "secret" projects i've been working on. so you may be seeing some changes. 

one thing you may notice is...
the right side button --> that used to lead to my shop the mustard seed is no longer active or visible.
before you start filling your mind with questions like, 

whyyyy? are you giving up??? lost your heart for human trafficking??? 

to answer question 2 & 3 the answer is simply, no. 

to answer question 1. 

i'll start off with saying:

i will still be selling necklaces in the new and improved TMS shop. 
and they will still be raising money for exoduscry, the organization ever so close to my heart.

BUT.

i'm working alongside my sister, my husband and yes even my parents at times on accomplishing
a dream that has been in my heart for a long time. combining my passions for creativity, dreaming
big, being yourself, and sowing into the next generations. 

The mustard seed will have a whole new look & feel. full of exciting products i've been developing for months! it's awesome to see things finally coming together. sometimes you just feel like you are supposed to do something. and not exactly sure how it will all work out. but i guess that's where that little mustard seed comes in. 

so if my d.i.y. are little lacking and if i'm not as consistent in blogging. i'm sorry! i'm working on the other side of this screen and i'll do my best to continue to keep you updated with life's adventures. 

it's so cool how you go through seasons that prepare you for new seasons. if that makes sense. 

i can't wait to show you! 

-k