Jars for presents

As we were working on these my oldest lights up and says, "Mom! You must take pictures to post on Pintrest!"

Well, I'll post them here and share there. They were fun.



I mixed some white glue with water and we "painted" the mason jar with the mixture. We then laid tissue paper on the wet surface and "painted" over the paper to insure it was stuck.



The colors did bleed some but it made a neat effect.



I set the jars in the oven not to bake, but because it was a safe spot away from curious little hands.



We placed cousin's Christmas presents inside to ship - I think they made it safely.
I used a circle of construction paper under the ring to brighten up the lid and write the recipients name. Festive looking, huh?



I also had the kids repeat this on tin cans to make some pencil/tool holders for their daddy. I suggested they try doing fewer layers and they did which allowed some of the metallic shimmer come through. Now, I might have them do more for the school room.

Update on Chair pockets

We are loving the convenience of these chair pockets, but we discovered that turning the pillowcase on itself one more time gave us another two pockets (one on the side you sit, perfect if you only put a thin flat item in it) and made the pockets a more useful depth - the notebooks don't disappear inside.



(So, we started with the pillowcase right side out, turned 2/3 way inside out then back on itself so it is 1/3 the normal depth. Clear as mud?)

School notebook pockets

I just started having my big girls use spiral notebooks for their school work (their 3 ring notebooks are already too full and I'm not ready to thin them out). I needed someplace quick to store them as they just didn't stand nicely on the shelves and there wasn't enough room to lay them down. I had recently read a school teacher turned pillowcases into chair back pockets; I have extra pillow cases we don't use...so voila we have our solution!


First, I turned the case inside out.



Then turned it halfway right side out so the opening and the open end and the bottom seam met. At this point I just safety pinned the corners, but I will go back later and stitch the sides so they will hold better.



Finally, I opened one side to slip it over the chair back, so the notebooks sit on the bottom seam of the case.



The Girls picked out their own pillowcases and I can tell the side stitching will be necessary soon but the pins should be sufficient till the weekend. Quick, easy, and colorful. Who could ask for more?

These were a HOOT to make

Armed with my new camera, I'm back with my newest project. Inspired by an owl bag on Pintrest, I decided to make some for some special young girls. I wanted to make them youthful but not babyish as the age of these girls range from 4 to almost 11.



It took some time cut all the pieces out.



It took a little longer to stitch the faces on. I've never done applique before so I had to play with the stitching some.



Made a simple pouch with a lining.



Then I added grommets and a cord. I have to admit, putting grommets into a project is kinda fun. I think I need more projects with grommets...



Done, and ready to wrap.