Yo-yos

There are so many uses for yo-yos and they are so easy to make. (See the tutorial I did here.) You can make a variety of sizes by using different size patterns. Cds, drinking glasses, dinner plates, anything round works as a pattern and comes up with different sizes.

Earrings

I found this idea on Etsy and I loved them. I have made several pairs of earrings with beads so I thought I could try a pair using yo-yos and a few beads. All you need is some jewelry wire, crimps, and earring hooks, and a few beads. All of these items are available at craft stores. I used small yo-yos for this. I believe the pattern was one one of those plastic cups kids get at restaurants but that was a long time ago and I have since traced the original onto a piece of cardboard so that it is flat and can fit in the bag of yo-yo supplies. Anyway, take the wire and insert it into the yo-yo piercing two holes in the top of it. Bring the wire up through the holes so that both ends are sticking up. Take the beads you have chosen and string them on both pieces of your wire and add the crimp after that. Then take your earring hook and thread it through the wire, too. Bring the wire back around and put it through the crimp again and down a bead or two. Once it is in the right place and all the extra wire is sticking out of the last bead, take some pliers and smash the crimp as hard as you can. Snip the wire so that it is not showing. The finished product should swing freely on the hook, though if the wire is too tight and doesn't swing back and forth it isn't the end of the world. Just try to make the two earrings so they look the same.

I don't have pierced ears so I made mine using earring converters instead of hooks. I wouldn't recommend that since it didn't want to do what I wanted it to. If you need clip earrings I suggest making them with earring hooks and then putting them on the converters instead of skipping the hook step. Shortcuts aren't always as short as you think.

Garland
Sew yo-yos together with thread to make a long string. Hang them on a tree (look for pictures of this later on in December) or hang somewhere in the house.

: : :

There are many other projects you can do with yo-yos. There are some here in my tutorial or do a google search or type in yo-yos on Etsy. If you find a project you like see if you can find directions online or experiment with the picture you have. There are lots of ideas out there.

And don't forget to stop back tomorrow for more gift ideas.

Camera Straps

During the 31 days posts back in October I stumbled across an idea for making a camera strap. The blog post had a couple of links for making different straps for a point and shoot camera strap and a DSLR camera strap cover. They looked pretty easy to do so I printed the instructions for both.

I tried the point and shoot strap first and it came together quickly and easily. I made two. The first one lasted about a week and then the cord fell off. (I didn't use elastic so that might have been part of the problem.) I ended up using some Fray Check and that seemed to do the trick.

The DSLR camera strap cover didn't go quite as smoothly but it wasn't complicated. I just misread the directions and had to take out some stitches. I used some pretty cotton for the side that shows more and some comfortable flanel in a matching color for the side that is resting on your neck.

They make lovely Christmas gifts for those in your family who love to take pictures.

Come back tomorrow and Thursday for more Christmas gift ideas.

Three Uses For Scrapbook Paper

What do you do when you have scads of scrapbook paper, more than you would ever use making scrapbook pages?

Decorate with it.
Kristin inspired me to decorate with scrapbook paper after she did this on her dining room wall. Put scrapbook paper in frames or in shadow boxes and you have cheap, new, and pretty wall art.



Wrap with it.
Okay, this idea is from Kristin, too. This year she wrapped her Mother's Day gifts with scrapbook paper and real ribbon. If you have a small gift then raid your scrapbook paper collection. If the paper isn't quite big enough, use a second piece to make it meet in the back. If you use that really nice scrapbook paper that has a coordinating pattern on the back Tie on some ribbon that matches. Either real ribbon or curly ribbon and tie a bow or wrap it around with the seam on the bottom of the package. (Like in the first two pictures below.) Or use a paper flower or other 3-D object to attach. (Like in the third photo.)

Make cards with it.

Cut the paper to the size you want, use stickers or rubbers stamps or coordinating paper or punch outs (that you can get in pages at a craft store) write your message, and find an envelope that fits. If you are wrapping a gift with scrapbook paper, like above, then you can cut out a piece from the same paper or coordinating to match your gift.

Do you have other uses for scrapbook paper?

Come back all week for more Christmas gift ideas.

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Linking up to Proverbs 31 Living's A Handmade Christmas...

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
words by Charles Wesley

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

* * *

A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." ~ Luke 2:13-14

One? Already?!

One year ago we were out shopping on Black Friday when I got this sweet picture on my phone. It was baby Peter who lives far away and who was born the day before on Thanksgiving day.

One year later, on Black Friday, this little baby boy is turning one!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, PETER!

(Thanks to my friend, Kate, who helped me get the picture of newborn Peter from my phone to the internet!)

Photo Friday: Leaves!

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Want to join in the fun?
1. Take a picture.
2. Put it and the Photo Friday button in a post.
3. Come back here and link up your post.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner. My favorite meal of the year. Where you dive head-long into all the yummy food and eat and eat and eat until you can't eat another bite...until the pies come out.

We are almost as bad as Mom on Garfield's Christmas Special:

Jon: Hey, Mom, pass the potatoes, please.
Mom: Scalloped, whipped, fried, baked, or boiled?
Jon: Mom! You always fix too much food.
Mom: I know, honey, I know. Now what would you like?
Jon: Why, I can't decide. Just give me a piece of pie.
Mom: Apple, peach, pumpkin, blueberry, cherry, or banana cream?

Mmmm...

Can't Wait!

Now Thank We All Our God

Now Thank We All Our God
words by Martin Rinkart

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

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Now thanks be unto God.  ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14

Scripture and a Snapshot

I'm linking up with:

*** I have had this picture and scripture done for a long time now and I keep forgetting to post it. When I went to put it up I saw that this is the very same verse that Katie did on her blog this week, too.

Photo Friday: Harvestman

   

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Want to join in the fun?
1. Take a picture.
2. Put it and the Photo Friday button in a post.
3. Come back here and link up your post.

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

We who have believed enter that rest. ~ Hebrews 4:3

~ ~ ~

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
words by Eliza Hewitt

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The living Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s Name,
Salvation through His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave.


Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Photo Friday: Wheel Bug

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Want to join in the fun?

1. Take a picture.

2. Put it and the Photo Friday button in a post.

3. Come back here and link up your post.

O Worship the King

O Worship the King
words by Robert Grant

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

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O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. Psalm 104:1-2

Photo Friday

Welcome to my new series, Photo Friday. It will be quite similar to my 31 Days of Photography Fun. One photo each week with not too many words if any at all.

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Want to join in the fun?

Just take a picture and put in on your blog *. Add the above button to your blog post and put the link to it in my comment section so that I can see what you captured with your camera.

* Feel free to add as many words as you like to go along with your photo. I decided to put few words in mine but that is just the way I want mine to look.