Make Your Own Wooden Christmas Ornaments

At our Christmas Moms Group Meeting, we made a couple quick wooden Christmas ornaments. I am loving the unfinished wood look against the green fir trees...but you could easily stain or paint the wood too.

For the snowflake ornament...

I tried to come up with an idea for using those metal clips once removed...but I couldn't.

So far, hot glue has held everything in place.

The joints seemed to require a hefty amount of hot glue.

And the little notch from the metal clips provided the perfect hole for the twine.

Ribbon would also be pretty...but as I mentioned before, I am loving the natural look this Christmas season.

The Nativity ornament turned out adorable as well.

We had several different fabric options for Baby Jesus' swaddle blanket. Burlap would be adorable too.

Be sure to hot glue each fold of the blanket to the wooden Baby Jesus.

I added some natural wood bead garlands to a tree with these ornaments.

These ornaments also would make adorable gift toppers.

Leather Earrings

This week's craft might be my favorite for the year. It was simple, cheap, and so far, I have worn them everyday since making them!

This craft was a super easy one for the moms to finish at our meeting. I prepped the leather, cutting it into 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips ahead of time (using a rotary cutter like this). I also pre-punched the hole at the top using this leather tool.

These cost us less than 75 cents per pair.

Supplies:

• leather (brown or black)
• needle-nose pliers
• earring hooks
• rubber stopper for earring backs

Using pliers, the moms separated the wire ring just enough to slip it onto the leather strip. 

The smaller the opening, the easier I found it to close up the ring. 

We had a pile of the rubber stoppers for them to complete the earrings. 

And, for an added bit of fun, we had tape and paint available. We used regular acrylic craft paint. 

The options are limitless. The earrings are lightweight and adorable. They would also make a super fabulous gift! 

I told my group that I had woken up in the middle of the night in a state of panic. It seems like worries multiply and situations are worse in the middle of the night. My mind wanders. I forget the truths that I know. I forget my God who is in control.

I woke up early, preparing for my meeting with my mom's group. I sent a panicked text to a friend, listing all my worries. She simply replied, "Don't panic."

The Holy Spirit brought to mind the verse that we have used as our theme verse for the year.

My God, who created the stars and controls them, can also take care of me. His great power and incomparable strength can solve any problem and take care of any situation. 

These leather earrings smell amazing. As my head moves, I smell the leather, and I am choosing to use that smell as a reminder of the goodness of our God. I am using these earrings as my reminder that God made me, chose me, and is in control of everything I encounter! 

Paint Stick Frame Wall Hanging

Monday's craft for our mom's meeting was simple but well-liked. Using some paint sticks we had leftover from a previous craft, we were able to make these fun wall hangings.

In order to make the craft time run smoothly, I prepped the paint sticks ahead of time. Since the wood was super thin and flimsy, I was able to cut the sticks down to size with a sturdy pair of scissors. I stained one side of each cut paint stick as well.

We had four cardstock printables for them to choose from. You can find those to print here and here.

Two feet of jute twine was more than enough to create a hanging point.

To secure the twine to the sticks, we suggested tying a small knot around the paint stick. Then, the knot was secured to the back of the paint stick with a little bit of hot glue.

A line of hot glue along the top and the bottom of the printed cardstock held the paint sticks in place as the frames.

I have loved seeing pictures posted as the moms hang these in their homes.

This would also be a fun way to give your kid's artwork as a gift.

It was a fun, quick and inexpensive craft that they all seemed to enjoy. I love when a craft is easy enough that the moms feel empowered when the finish it!

And I love having another way to hang some Scripture around my home.

Stovetop Simmer Starter Kit

I often associate memories and feelings with scents. My new favorite addition to our holiday home is a simmering potpourri pot! The whole house quickly smells like Christmas - and I am just using peels from an orange and a few branches from a tree outside.

For my favors at our Christmas tea (read more about that wonderful night here), I gave each lady her own stovetop simmer starter kit. 

Once you understand the concept, you will find yourself throwing all kinds of things into your pot of simmering water. 

The instructions are simple.

Toss orange peels, a handful of cranberries, and some spices (I like a cinnamon stick and some whole cloves) into a small pot. Cover the ingredients with water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add water every thirty minutes or so. As the pot steams, your home will be filled with wonderful scents.

Some have said they forget about having to add water. If that's the case, set yourself a timer to remind you to check the water levels!

I found this handy printable already prepared for me here. The clear bags can be found on the party isle at Walmart - 20/$.97.

Most days, I save orange peels (or sliced oranges) and apple peels/core from preparing my kid's lunches, add some spices and some days I even add pine or cedar branches to the pot.  A super simple recipe is orange peel and a tablespoon or so of vanilla extract. The possibilities are endless. And it makes an adorable, affordable gift. 

I love that I can step out my backdoor, grab a tree branch, save some peels and make my home smell welcoming and cozy! Do any of you have any favorite combinations? 

Easter Egg Door Hanger

Easter is super early this year. I needed something for my front door that was spring-ish, Eastery, and quick to make. And that's where this idea came from.

I have really enjoyed my large painted Easter egg this year. It was super easy to make. And I have been able to use the egg in my home decor as well as at our last MOPS meeting.

I had originally thought about asking my husband to make me a wooden egg sign, but often when I get an idea in my head, I want to make it right away. He was at work, and so I started searching my house for supplies on hand. I borrowed a white piece of cardboard from my neighbor and cut the egg shape from that. White foam board from the Dollar Store would also work wonderfully.

Using my tracing method, I wrote the words that seem to me on my heart recently. (And it transferred so easily to the cardboard)

I love that the weather has been warmer and that my kids love to go outside. Nora wakes up many mornings asking for her shoes and to go "dice" (which I think is her word for outside).

And Hudson is super curious these days. Asking lots of questions and gathering all the information he can.

Although these days can seem long and daunting, and the questions can seem endless, I am trying to remember that each question is an opportunity to teach these kids about Jesus.

Sure, we hide eggs and eat Easter candy, but I want them to know that Jesus is what Easter is all about. (See my little Easter Story Box idea here).

I pray that Jesus is a very present part of our day.

And I pray that they will someday know Jesus as their Savior. Because, it is all because of Jesus that I can face tomorrow!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, every fear is gone

I know He holds my life, my future in His hands

Because He lives

PS. Since the cardboard is super lightweight, I secured this to the door with a couple command strips.

Leather Tassel Keychains

Our craft this week at MOPS was super simple. (You can read about our topic of discussion here). Using pieces of faux leather, each mom went home with a cute leather tassel key chain.

I had prepped the leather rectangles before the meeting. Using a rotary cutter, I had cut the pieces into 4"x6" rectangles. I had also drawn a line on the back side of the material with a sharpie one inch from the top.

The first step included cutting a strip off the end that was about 1/4" wide. This would be come the loop to attach to the key ring.

Then, a fringe was cut from the bottom of the material up to the sharpie line. Each of these fringe pieces were approximately 1/4" wide.

Using hot glue, the initial cut strip was attached to the top of the material.

The tassel began to take shape as the material was rolled and glued. As long as a thin line of glue was applied every inch or so, the tight roll held.

I think the tassels look cute on their own, but I had prepared some embellishments as well.

It was fun to watch the individual styles of the moms emerge as they finished off their tassels.

I had been given a book of upholstery samples that provided some of the leather. I was surprised to find out how cheaply it could be purchased, by the yard, from Hobby Lobby. $9.99/yard regular price. Thanks to a sale, We paid around $6/yard - and one yard yielded over 70 key chains. I may plan to top my Christmas packages with these next year...a cute, cheap and practical bow! 

Painting Easter Eggs and Making a Flower Pot Wreath

I love to decorate with reds and mustards....but that makes my house seem a little dark. I would categorize my living room as a winter living room. The decor easily matches Fall, Christmas and Valentine seasons. But once spring has sprung, I start wishing for a lighter living room. Slowly, I am adding in more white and more greenery into my space, in hopes that it will look more spring-ish.

Last year, I had purchased a large plastic egg on Easter clearance for pennies. It was black and intended to be used as a chalkboard. Using some chalk paint (leftover from Nora's plastic kitchen remodel- which you can see here), I painted the egg white. I love that the chalk paint left the egg looking like  real eggshell. Some natural crackling even took place! Don't ask me how...ha. 

Using my tracing technique, I painted the words "He is Risen" onto the egg. We don't tell our children that the Easter bunny comes. But the eggs easily symbolize new life as the chick breaks out. We use the resurrection eggs to talk about the real meaning of Easter (make your own here). And this big white egg also helped to brighten up the area above my red hutch. 

The bunny garland is from my shop (@CoveyCreations on Instagram). 

And the wreath was a fun challenge. I had been given a wire wreath form by a friend. The Dollar Tree had these mini terracotta pots 3/$1. Using floral wire, I was able to tie the pots to the wreath form (thanks to those little holes in the bottom of the pots). 

I am obsessed with these Dollar Tree succulents, as well. I snatch up the natural looking ones each time I am in the store. They stayed in the pots without my having to glue or wire them into place, which means I can use them in another project later. The ribbon came from a Target clearance bin. 

All those little pots made the wreath quite heavy - and fragile. I really wanted to hang the wreath on my back door in the kitchen, but I was afraid of the mess it would make if it fell onto my tile floor. Crash...

But I like the nod to spring that it adds to the top of my hutch.

And PS...Nora is growing up too fast...