Fun with Metal and leather : )

Ok, so. Being me, and having major ADHD, I have embarked on another awesome crafting hobby that makes me so happy! While surfing the web for some new jewelry, I got REALLY frustrated b/c I couldn't find any cool quote bracelets that were 1. Christian based, and 2. within my budget. I LOVE hand stamped metal, but all I could find were trendy quotes, OR the same old tried and true scriptures that are on just about everything. Don't get me wrong, I love those too, but just couldn't find the verses I wanted! SO I had a revelation. If these people on ETSY could make them, then why couldn't I? I spent a few days searching the web to figure out what tools I would need, and bought 2 copper cuff blanks from Ebay and a set of metal stamps from amazon and waited patiently for them to arrive. LOVE Internet shopping. HATE waiting for stuff to get here. And on that note, I also drove to Michaels for the instant gratification of buying a few things I knew I would need. Here are the results of my first metal stamping attempt:

"she is  clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future"
proverbs 31:25

and my all time fave. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you,
Says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future
and a hope"  : )

And THAT was so much fun that I promptly went out and bought a bunch of other things (and learned that if you are adding a patina to copper, DO NOT do it inside as your house will smell like rotten eggs..ew...gross but GORGEOUS results!) Here is the result of my new "hobby" which will hopefully turn into a fun smallish buisness, I can't wait to make more!! :

My first metal and leather cuff. Love this quote

 my favorite of the 2.

 I made key chains out of the leather scraps. No waste here : )

Felt Scarves as holiday gifts (under $1 each!!)

So, I'm a pre-school teacher to 23 of the sweetest 2 1/2-3 year olds, and as the holiday's are fast approaching, I was racking my brain to come up with a cute, cost effective gift for them! My first thought (of course) was "dollar store"....but I soon realized that dollar store gifts can get $$ very fast when buying for 23 kiddos. Then, I had a TOTAL light-bulb-over-my-head moment. Felt scarves! As luck would have it, the fabric store here was having a sale, and I got 2 1/2 yards of thick felt, a bag of multi-sized, multi colored buttons, and a spool of  thread for $16ish. Then I was off to Michaels  for a few of their must-have 8 1/2 X 11" felt rectangles  which are .29 each! Total cost around $4.

I set to work cutting out 23 snowmen from the white felt , and 23 squares out of the blue and green (I used scraps to make the "ribbon" on the presents).  After hand sewing ALL the snowmen on, I drove back to the fabric store for some stich witchery, which for those who are unaware, is a  lifesaver for projects like  this! It's fake sewing : )  and worked wonders on my time frame when I attached all the "presents". I'm STILL not done with all of them, but  I folded the finished ones so they are their own wrapping (snowman on the inside, present on top), and will tie them with ribbon I have! (the red one is obviously not done, and missing the present detail! Just wanted to show the colors I used!)
XOXO-jill

Fabulous name signs for kids!

Ok, this is a post in progress that will get updates as I finish! Also, it's totally spoiling the surprise of my niece's Christmas gift (but she's one. lol). And our blog needs more than one post, so here goes! This is a version of the tile coasters I made for EVERYONE and their brother for Christmas this year (seriously, I made 20 sets of them..that's 80 coasters!). I wanted a cute unique gift for my wonderful niece, Lucy, so I decided to make her a name sign for her room out of the tiles! I found an awesome site that has all kinds of cool typography on it, and picked out my favorite letters, printed them out (plain old printer paper) and mod podged them onto the tiles. Now, the next step is to go find (or most likely, buy) a board and distress/antique it. After that, I'll glue the name tiles on, and attach hangers! (ignore the glare in the pic..I SO need a new camera!)

More to come, as soon as I get my act together and finish this!

XOXO-jill

Mason Jar hot chocolate mix

How cute are these! Wide mouth Mason jars filled with hot chocolate mix for Christmas. Cheap, easy and adorable. I made 8 jars total, and plan on making homemade peppermint marshmallows to put in a pretty bag and tie alongside the jar.

XOXO-jill