Merely Mary P.

Since I have been spending some time crafting recently (both at L'Arche and at home), I decided to do a little experiment to see if other people liked my stuff. So I made a few things, set up a shop at Etsy, and uploaded my first items. I'm interested to see what happens. You can see my little store HERE! Go check it out. You know you want to.

A preview (ie the exhaustive catalog of what I have for sale now):

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee." -Marian Wright Edelman

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better or happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting." - Mother Theresa

"Above all, clothe yourselves in love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." -Colossians 3:14

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

I Will Be Enough

Some day, I will be wise enough to know what I want.
Some day, I will be experienced enough to understand my heart.
Some day, I will be strong enough to stand for what I believe.
Some day, I will be faithful enough to grasp why I am here.
Some day, I will be patient enough to see the beauty in all things.
Some day, I will be honest enough to be a true friend.
Some day, I will be whimsical enough to laugh at myself .
Some day, I will be determined enough to make a difference.
Some day, I will be genuine enough to have neither pride nor shame.
Some day, I will be hopeful enough to carry on.
Some day, I will be fearless enough to speak my mind.
Some day, I will be flexible enough to worry over nothing.
Some day, I will be kind enough to make others feel truly loved.
Some day, I will be open enough to show you who I am.
Some day, I will be happy with being me.
Some day, who I am will touch the world.

Wall Decor

I've made a few little things to decorate our house.

This one is super easy and I think it looks pretty darn cool. I just cut up a bunch of toilet paper and paper towel rolls (it's easy to go through a lot when you live with 7 people) and randomly arranged them. Then I glued them together. Once the glue was dry, I used spray paint to cover them with the dark red color. Once that's dry, you hang it on a wall. This is one of those things you can make as big as you want or in any shape you want. Examples: here, here, and here. It is an easy, inexpensive way to put something interesting on a big empty space.


These two are both just pieces of cardboard that I painted and wrote quotes on. Easy, decorative, and meaningful.

Many voices, many hands

A recent journal entry:

One million voices surround my ears, speaking wisdom and foolishness into my life. A thousand hands point in a thousand directions, instructing me which way to go. How do I discern which voices whisper the truth? And how do I ascertain which hands will lead me on the right paths?

Do I believe in one supreme truth? Do I believe there is only one correct path?

For each calling has taught me a lesson, for better or for worse. Each success and each mistake has led me toward a better version of myself. I might have wandered in many directions, but each step has led me to where I am, and for that I am grateful. Though I may run, though I may stumble, though I may win, though I may wander astray, still I walk, still I grow.

Perhaps this next voice will not provide the final answer. Perhaps this hand will not point to the top of the mountain. But still I walk, knowing that these steps will make me who I will eventually become.

Val's Gift

My supervisor at L'Arche Mobile is an incredible woman. She is passionate, energetic, kind, and helpful. I made her this for Christmas:

It says: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own.” -Benjamin Disraeli

I used another cereal box-type of thing for the base, then the goldenrod paint, and clippings of book pages for the outside frame. I used pieces of dark red paper for the bird and the inside frame, a page of music for the wing, and Sharpie for the quote. I added a few accents of handmade paper, as well. Naturally, I covered the whole piece in Mod Podge

Stocking Stuffers

In addition to the Secret Santa gift that took place in our house, we decided that we would all put a little something in each other's stockings. For example, I received some candy and a toy dinosaur and a pen and such. I happened to be feeling a little inspired and a little crafty (usually a good combination), so I chose a quote for each roommate and made it into a wall decoration. These are the results (in no particular order):

For Jenni: “To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to do.” –Kahlil Gibran

For Andrew V: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You." -St. Augustine

For Megan: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Andrew L: “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” -Pericles

For Emily: “Feeling powerless in our service with the poor is probably the closest we can be to solidarity with them.” -Fr. Dean Brackley, SJ

For Matt: "By having the courage to be yourself you put something in the world that was not there before" -Edwin Elliot

I made them all on thin cardboard from stuff like cereal boxes, then added any combination of scrapbook paper, paint, fabric, handmade paper, marker, and Mod Podge.