Sometimes you just have to be crafty!

Rarely does the church call and ask for favors, so I sometimes have to resort to asking if they need help. Such is the case here with the Summer Surge at Celebration Church in Fairhope, Alabama. Each summer we have a fantastic kids program that really puts the focus on Faith and Fun. This year is no exception with a beach theme that really is extraordinary. 

                My husband Chris did a beautiful job building these fantastic lifeguard stands in just a couple of days.  (I volunteer him on a regular basis~Life with me is unpredictable, you never know what I'll say Chris can build!) I am so grateful he does not say no too often.We have built an airplane and turtle nest together as well! The kids at the church painted the stands pink and blue. I was pleased to help with some small details on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Both lifeguard stands needed lettering on the backs and sides. There is a pink one and a blue one to separate the boys from the girls sections. I also built (with Chris's help) the life buoy rings in the photos. I fashioned them from recycled foam insulation cut in three layers. We then wrapped them with white duck tape. After the white, I added the rope trim and red stripes, finally finishing them with a black paint pen to do the lettering. I am really happy with how they all turned out!

     Sunday afternoon found me with the Tiki hut on the stage. After making 3 different sizes of 'bamboo' patterns from poster board , I painted the outlines first. This was a trick since the 'stage' is fence boards I had to climb on, hoping they would not break under my weight. They had already painted the background a medium brown, so I really only needed 3 colors. A dark brown, yellow ochre and a white. After laying in the outlines, I dry brushed the yellow ochre and white on each piece of bamboo. I was really happy with the results after I touched up the seams between. I then added a bamboo outline on the sign already painted by one of the girls. We then trimmed and tacked the sign to the wall.

The whole project really turned out so cute! I am always happy to give time to the church and they have several of my pieces in their offices. I am grateful for the talents my God has given me and love using them in such a fun way! Many congratulations to Brianne and Judson Shores, Children's pastor at Celebration Church for a job very well done!

Sometimes you just have to be crafty! Not for profit, but for the 100 days~100 Paintings, Day 36