Simple Solutions

In one of the nursery rooms at church we have a blank large bulletin board.  I've been trying to come up with some ideas how to disguise it or make it blend in.  While at the craft store yesterday I saw scrapbook paper was on sale 4/$1.00.  I purchased about a dozen sheets in various designs and colors.  It took about 15 minutes to hang up, trim and staple the paper to the unused bulletin board.  I'm pretty pleased with the result. Affordable and not permanent.

Easter projects continued!

It's a little late, but I'd like to share what else I did for Easter at church.

Previously, I made the nail crosses: Nail Crosses

In kids church we also made a large tomb.  Thankfully we had saved the nativity from a previous Christmas Pageant two years ago.  We put it up in kids's church, taped two side-way pieces vertically to make the tomb wider to fill up the front of our "stage area."  It already had a hole in it, that was originally to feed kids lines in case they forgot.  We turned it upside down and cut the hole bigger.  Hubby also cut a large rock out of styrofoam and I painted it.  We made sure when the tomb was open/stone was rolled away on Easter morning that the kids could only see black inside (yay for black curtains) and also placed a few pieces of toilet paper in it, to look like the burial clothes were left behind.

We also stuffed 1,200 plastic eggs with candy for a Egg Hunt between services on Easter.  It was a perfect Easter Sunday Morning and so much fun!

Boy, oh Boy!

Our friends' daughter turned 13 last month - it's was a big deal!  Since Ris was 3 years old a bunch of us from Bible Study/Young Adults at church have been calling her "Stuart" and telling her she was going to be a boy when she turned 13.  

10 years later we finally get to celebrate.  A bunch of us met at a pizza place and Ris came in late with her mom - she didn't know it was going to be a surprise party.

I put together a fun little gift set for her.

-Blue felt gift bag w/ sports balls on it from Target Dollar Spot $.50

-Water Bottle w/ Baseball $2.00 at Michael's
-Red Sweatbands for the wrist w/ baseballs embroidered on it $1 at Michael's
-Fun candy $1 at Target

-Target gift card w/ a Monster Truck on it.

I used my Cricut to put "Stuart" and "#13" on the water bottle (looked like a last name & sports number)

Her parents had cupcakes at the party.  1/2 girlie and 1/2 boyish.  What fun!

Bling-around-the-wrist

I found an ugly necklace on clearance at Kohls - the beads were lovely, just the pattern was obnoxious.  While carrying it around the store it broke, so I got a discount on the clearance price, total $6.  I purchased stretchy .5mm clear elastic cord at JoAnn's for $4.

Necklace Before (It was double strung and all the colors were segregated):

I cut the necklace apart and poured the beads onto a plate.  I saved the clasp for a future bracelet.  So pretty, when all together on the plate.

I made two bracelets - one I knotted the elestic together.  The other I used a $1.29 clasp.

Next I used a necklace I found in the parking lot of Target last Fall.  I cut it up and made it into a beautiful necklace and pendant for a necklace.  I used the clasp from the original necklace (above) to make a double-bracelet. 

Before:

I also took a teal beaded bracelet that I've been wearing and added a yellow oval bead from the original necklace to make a bracelet and necklace pendant.

Before:

Tonight I made 5 bracelets and 2 pendants.  The 5th bracelet was a combo of silver beads from original necklace and tiny teal beads I purchased at Michael's a month ago for $2.

AFTER:

Total spent $12 and I still have 1/2 the beads left from original necklace and tons and tons of the clear stretchy elastic!