Potted Moss Topiary

The Lord has blessed our mom's group with the best team of servant-hearted ladies! My talented craft-minded friend has come up with the cutest and easiest projects for our moms to work on! And I view our craft time as more than just busy work. It's amazing to me that when hands are busy (hot-gluing or stringing beads), conversation happens. I also love watching the moms leave feeling a sense of accomplishment and empowerment.  That little craft may be the only thing truly completed that week (because we all know the dishes and laundry are never ending), but I pray that it helps those moms feel that what they do is important and does eventually have results.

 Using Dollar Tree items, these topiaries were the perfect nudge towards spring decor. 

 In fact, I picked up a few bags of the moss to make a wreath as well with this same technique. 

For this craft we used:

• 3.5" Terra Cotta Pots (They come in a 2 pack)
• 4" Styrofoam Balls (You want the sphere to be slightly larger than your pot opening)
• Moss (One bag of this moss would easily cover 3 to 4 topiaries)
• Hot Glue
• Hot Glue gun

To help contain the mossy mess, we laid out plastic tablecloths at the hot glue stations. 

The strofoam cones would make adorable Christmas trees. A wreath form would work perfectly. And you could always purchase larger balls and pots for a larger topiary. I even thought about using a bamboo skewer to add another sphere or two on top of the potted one, for a stacked topiary look.  

It was easy. It was fun. And any time I can add some natural green to my home, I feel refreshed! 

Folded Book Photo Display

A few weekends ago, my sister and I went "treasure hunting"...also known as shopping in antique stores and home decor places.  We bought a few things and gathered lots of ideas. Its the best place to find inspiration and ignite my creativity.



Beside the cash register at one of these stores was the cutest little folded book where business cards were adorably displayed.

As soon as I saw it, my mind started thinking of how I could recreate it.


This morning, I grabbed one of my favorite books to re-purpose...I love the colorful cover that I will use for another project. I love that the pages are a little discolored, thanks to their age. I love the size. And I love that it came from the free box at a local used book store. Give me all the Readers Digest Condensed Books. ha.

But any book with this same thickness will do.

It doesn't even need to be a hard backed book, because the first step is to remove the cover.

Then, I started folding. I folded each page in half. (Perfect movie-watching activity)

And if I came across a page that had an illustration, I just adjusted which way I folded the page to hide the picture. In the end, it didn't matter which way each page was folded.

Instead of business cards, mine will display photos or cards received. (Snail Mail Forever!!)

I've been wanting to host another Crafternoon...this may just be a featured project. It was easy, cheap and the end result was rewarding.

Who would be interested in a future Crafternoon...I'll come up with the projects, you'll pay a small supply fee, and we will all craft together!

Pine Cone Garland

Last month, our crafty girl at Mom's group collected enough pine cones for each mom to make the cutest garland. It was a simple craft that could easily transition for the upcoming holiday months.

I love using natural elements in my decorations - and they are often free! A walk through your back yard and a little twine can help you decorate your home for several seasons!  

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! 

Remembering the Good: Fruit Basket Calendars

Busy, monotonous days can lead me down the path of discouragement. But when I am actively searching for the good in life and the blessings from the Lord, it's amazing how my attitude changes.

Here's a fun craft we made in my mom's group a few weeks ago to help us focus on the good. 

Using fruit baskets (purchased here) and 3x5 cards, we made gratitude journals. 

To make this project a little easier the morning of our meeting, my craft girl cut the 3x5 cards in half ahead of time. She also divided out 365 cards per lady. 

The moms wrote the date on the top of each card for an entire year. Some used date stamps.

We  then made 12 divider tabs for the 12 months. 

Then, each day, record something good that the Lord has done. It will serve as a reminder year after year.

I know I'm filled to be emptied again...

Everyone needs a chance to get away, unplug and refocus. And this retreat met some major needs for this momma. I am so thankful to be a part of a church that works diligently to help me grow in my walk with the Lord.

The first night of the retreat, I was able to set up an activity for the "after party."

When I go on any type of trip, I love to find some quirky souvenir to help me remember the journey and the memories made.

The Isrealites had their Ebeneezer stone that symbolized a special time when they remembered what the Lord had done for them.

I Samuel 7:12b says, "Up to this point the Lord has helped us."  

As I prepped these supplies, I prayed that the Lord would use the craft to serve as a visible reminder of the things He taught these ladies and the steps He wanted them to take in their relationship with Him.

Because this was a group of 300 ladies, I had most of the supplies prepped and ready to assemble. I pre-punched a hole in the top of the mason jar lid with a 3/8 inch grommet punch like this one.

Because the size was easy to hold yet different, we ordered these pint and half sized jars. They are larger than a regular mason jar but still fit in a cup holder.

These rubber grommets just had to be worked into the hole to cover up the sharp edges.

To decorate the jars,  I ordered and cut into circles several different patterns of oil cloth. (These are the patterns I ordered: Red dot, Black and White dot, green gingham, blue gingham). Oil cloth is wipe-able and won't unravel. Using a regular hole punch, I pre-punched the holes in the oilcloth circles.

The hole could then be stretched across the rubber grommet.

The only tricky part about these jars - screwing the lids on without the oilcloth bubbling up. I found that if I held the oilcloth down in place with 4 fingers as I screwed on the lid, the fabric would stay neatly in place.

We had these straws on hand for them to insert into their drinking jar.

And these dishwasher safe chalkboard labels were available for more personalization.

It was so fun to see ladies of all ages excited to make their souvenir cups. And I loved seeing them filled up and used throughout the weekend.  Conversation happens when hands are busy. The ladies seemed to have fun making and decorating their jars with old and new friends.

I left the retreat with my cup full of ice water and my spirit full - from time with the Lord and time with good friends.

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Each time I use my drinking jar, I am reminded...

"I know I'm filled to be emptied again. The seed I've received I will sow."