Flower Makeover

My sweet neighbor gave these silk flowers to me when she
heard that I was making flower hair accessories.

But the clip to which they are attached made them
unsuitable for hair. I did attach one once to my little one's
baseball-style cap, and that was cute. But I couldn't
do much else with them.

So I took them apart. GASP!

I even took the center part off its green plastic piece.

I used a brad and inserted it through the center hole of
each piece, putting the flower back together.

Brad sticking through to the bottom of the flower.

I opened the brad and put a dot of hot glue in the center,
then placed on it a hair pin with pad that I found at Hobby Lobby.

With a pair of needle-nose pliers, I curled the ends of the
brad around the hair pin pad.

I hot glued the yellow center back in place, covering
the head of the brad.

Now these flowers are ready for hair.
Or I kind of like it here on her dress.
I just slid the hair pin on from the
edge of her dress. Perfect!

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3: 3-4

Craft Review: Family Fun Magazine "Keep It Under Your Cap"

As soon as I saw this Recycling Craft last year in Family Fun April 2010, I started saving up bottle caps and looking for little embellishments. Since then we've done this project several times making both magnets and necklaces. We made some more yesterday, so I thought I'd share this fun project with you.

You'll need undamaged bottle caps (we use the twist-off ones from bottles of IBC Root Beer), decorative paper, packing tape, tacky glue, clear sealant, button magnets, and embellishments...jewels, sequins, rhinestones, beads, brads (with the brad part removed), small stickers, googly eyes, etc.

To begin, cut a 1" circle from your paper and cover both sides with
clear packing tape. Then cut it out again. The tape protects the paper
from discoloring over time.

I used my 1" circle punch. If you don't have one, you can use a quarter as a template. Glue your paper circle inside the cap. Now, add your embellishments. Just use a bit of tacky glue to keep everything in place as you work. I use an old pair of tweezers to help arrange everything like I want it, because my fingers always seem to get in the way. Now if you do bring out the tweezers, you might need one for each child, as that will be their favorite part.

The scrapbooking section of the craft store is a great
place to find fun little embellishments.

Once everything is in place and the glue is dry,
brush on a generous coat of clear sealant. I used
Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage Glossy.

I use a small paint brush to spread the sealant into all the little pockets that can be created by the various embellishments. Allow to dry overnight.

Finally, add a button magnet with tacky glue,
or use E-6000 and add a necklace bail plate.

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Don't Forget Father's Day

Father's Day is this Sunday, June 19. At our house, we've never purchased big gifts for Dad for Father's Day (or for Mom for Mother's Day). All the retailers out there try to make us think that's how you tell someone you love and appreciate them, with an expensive gift. But around here, we just like to spend the day together, as a family, even if it's just doing the same thing we do every Sunday. 

Since we're too far away to spend the day with my Dad, he'll get a card in the mail and a phone call. And this will be the first Father's Day without my Father-in-Law. But I do want our daughters to be able to tell their Daddy how much they love him in some special way, and that's usually by making something for him. 

I think my personal favorite thing we've done for Father's Day, was the year we made him a t-shirt. I used a little fabric paint and we put the girls' hand prints on the shirt under the word "Daddy". It's still one of his favorite shirts to wear around the house.

Then one year I found some greeting cards that were much sturdier than the average card. The inside was a picture frame. I bought two of them. In one card, I put a picture of him with our oldest and in the other I put a picture of him with our youngest. They are still displayed in his office at work. Though we didn't actually make something that year, the pictures and the memory they represent are priceless.

This year I found tiny paint canvases and easels at Joann's. Yesterday they painted tiny masterpieces for him. Today we'll make him some cards. I love the age they are now because they love to make things, and he knows they spent time and put thought into what they made. And they did it just for him.

That's worth so much more that any gift we could buy.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. – 1 John 3:1