Halloween Letters

So, a few years back I saw these string wrapped letters (I have no idea where, originally) and thought, "wow, that looks so cool!".  And then I tried it.  Halfway through realizing it was insanely annoying to try to push the ball of yarn through the teeeeeny, tiny hole in the letter 'P', I gave up.  For about 2 years.  And then I got tired of looking at it and actually got around to finishing it! 

There is a TON of hot glue on this baby, but it sure is cool!

First Day of School Bracelet

I recently saw this idea over at The 36th AVENUE, using cheap hardware washers to create some really pretty jewelry.  With my daughter's first day of Kindergarten on the horizon, I wanted to make her a little something she could take to school to remind her that I'm thinking about her....so I came up with this.

One side says 'LOVE', so she remembers I love her no matter what, all the time, every moment.

The other side says 'LEARN', so she remembers why she's at school.

Maybe not the most inspired words, but really, good enough for this overtired, overemotional Mama on Kindergarten-eve!

I used rainbow colors ('cuz, what 5 year old girl doesn't love rainbows?!?) and literally tied knots to keep the embroidery thread secure.  I used a screw-on clasp at the other end so she could take it on and off.  I did have a little trouble keeping the embroidery thread knotted so I added a bit of Aleene's Tacky Glue at the end knots and so far it is working perfectly.

She loved it.  She wore it for 2 days straight.

'Smile' Wall Art

I found this quote a few days ago on Pinterest and loved it.  Although I'm not great with lettering, I went ahead and tried it anyway, and actually really love how it turned out!  I hung it in my living room, next to my sewing desk.

Kid-Made Birthday Gift

Yep, it happens.  We get to the day of a birthday party and my energy to make another pencil case or crown is just GONE.  Well this time, Miss A came up with a great idea of making the present herself!  She knew the birthday girl likes jewelry, and she had the most fabulous time making this necklace and bracelet.  I just hope that the recipient knows how hard Little A worked to make sure that this gift was a special one!

I found some pretty 'Handmade with Love' printables here.

Marbled Easter Eggs

Have you seen these fun dyed marbled Easter eggs yet?  They looked like fun, and like they'd be pretty easy, so we gave them a go.

I'm not sure if the lady who made them peeled her eggs right away or not, but our eggs didn't end up quite so white around the 'cracks'.  And our eggs were pretty soggy/mushy.  Now, we make hard boiled eggs weekly 'round here, so I'm pretty sure that had something to do with the dying process and then letting the eggs sit for a day or two before peeling.  I'll try it again sometime but will plan to use them right away...

Happy Valentine's Day!

We made Hershey Kiss Valentine Rings for our Valentines this year...

I found the idea here.  The kids loved this one as well, but aside from choosing colors it's a Mama made project.  It's difficult for little hands to wrap those pipe cleaners around and around correctly!

They did turn out great, though.  My 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School class LOVED them, and I'm sure they'll get the same response today in preschool!

Tall best friend...

I saw this on Facebook but have no idea where the original quote came from.  I whipped up a version of my own in Powerpoint and had a little fun...