Book Page Bracelets!

Are you ready for possibly the EASIEST jewelry-making tutorial in the WORLD?  :)  Perfect for any lover of reading, writing, or words, CHEAP as all-get-out, FAST to make (I make 3 of them in an hour), and adorable to boot?

Book Page Bracelets!

Here's HOW:

1. Go to your local craft store, in the jewelry section, and find something that looks like this:

Something about a bracelet made of bezels, in any color and shape you want--at our local Hobby Lobby they were between $3 and $5/bracelet depending on the color/material/shape/size.

2. Grab pages from an thrift store book (Paul had bought one he didn't like so he gave it to me for crafting--score!) and tear out a few.  Find fun words on the pages and trace the bezel shape around them, allowing for a 2-millimeter "frame" since the tracing will be larger than the cut.

3. Cut out the words (cut INSIDE your line a little so it'll fit) and glue one into each bezel--I liked the round ones instead of the square because my thumbnail fit perfectly inside it, giving me a great way to smooth out the edges.  I just used plain ol' tacky glue for this part.

4.  Paint over each bezel with Mod Podge, thin but well-covered.  This will seal/protect the book pages from water, etc.

Wear it with pride!

You can even take the bezels apart and use them as beads for earrings, necklaces, etc...if you so desire.  :)

See?  I told you that was easy.  In fact, it's SO easy and cheap and fun that I make several at a time and keep them handy to give away for those last-minute or I-forgot-all-about-you gifts.  :)  AND, I will be giving one away in my New Year's Day Giveaway, so be looking for that soon!  :)

Bleach Pen Shirts

I've seen a lot of bleach pen T-Shirts on blogs/Pinterest/by crafty friends, and I really wanted to make Paul a Star Trek shirt for Christmas...so I went with it.  Since there are a lot of tutorials out there, and since it's really just a matter of drawing designs on cheap shirts with a bleach pen, I don't have much to say about it.  Other than, DO IT!  Get a dollar store T shirt and experiment.  I want to make like a dozen more for different family members...maybe eventually.  :)  Just remember to keep the image fairly simple--nothing with very intricate, small details!  The gel bleach pen WILL smudge a little and you don't want anything too messy.

Three things I WILL say about it:

1. Get a GEL bleach pen.  It won't run as much.  Also, DO draw your design in chalk first.  Not only will you have a chance to change it, but it helps keep the bleach pen from running so much.
2. Don't forget the wax paper in between so the bleach doesn't run onto the bottom!
3. You DO need to wash and dry the shirt as soon as the image is set enough for your tastes, so be prepared that this isn't something you do and then come back to--about 45 minutes at the most for drawing/drying/bleaching, and then just put it in a cold washing machine.  (I tried to rinse out the bleach first but the gel pen dried so well it didn't really do much, just throw it in the machine.)

Super fun, and I can't wait to try out some other designs/writing/etc. in the near future!  These would be great for family tee shirts, Christmas PJ tops, fancying up a machine-washable scarf...and you can do several projects with a single bleach pen, so it's pretty budget-friendly, too!  Enjoy!

Clothespin Wreath

This was another fun Pinterest find--special thanks to Craftiness is Not Optional for the inspiration!  You really should check out their tutorial HERE.  Since I made a few modifications to the "how," I'll add a basic step-by-step...but really do take a look at theirs, too, and decide for yourself how you want to go about it!

1. Buy your materials--clothespins (I used 40), an embroidery hoop, hot glue gun and glue, and green paint.  Red ribbon optional.

2. Paint your clothespins green (see the link above for great painting tips!)

3.  This is where I diverged a little from the tute above.  I didn't feel like shaping a hanger or threading clothespins and beads, so I just bought an embroidery hoop for a couple of bucks (a small one, maybe 8 inches?) and hot glued the clothespins right onto it after painting it green, too.  I lined up everything by gluing the metal claspy part of the clothespin onto the hoop.  I also did 8 sets of five, so I tried to line them up across from each other and halfway around the hoop (in halves, then fourths, then eighths, then halfway through that and two on either side) to make sure they were more evenly spaced.  It worked out pretty nicely.

4. Add a pretty bow and you're done!  The nice thing about embroidery hoops is that they have a sort of built-in hole, which I used as the top and it made hanging SO EASY.  I recommend it!

Looks great all by itself, but it looks even better filled with all your Christmas cards from friends and family!

Clothespins: $0.99 for 40.
Embroidery Hoop: $3.59
Paint: $0.47
Hot glue and ribbon: from stash.
TOTAL COST: $5.05

Can't beat that!  It would be even cheaper if you were recycling/repurposing these materials from around the house or other projects!  I love that I now have a fun way to display all those holiday cards every year...and it motivates me to actually send some out in the snail mail, too!

4-sided (4-season) decor!

I finally got around to making my 4-season stackables!  I loved this idea from the moment I saw it because (a) I like cute, handmade things, and (b) I live in an apartment so I don't have the space to store a lot of cute things.  :)  I haven't put any vinyl lettering (I'm gonna go with white eventually) on them yet, because I'm indecisive about fonts and words and such right now, but they look pretty awesome as-is.  So maybe they won't get any vinyl at ALL 'til next year?  :)

Anywho, I found a few variations of this idea via Pinterest (check out HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE)...because some of those links give tutorials or even an option to buy for various holidays, I won't go into TOO much detail here.  But there is a general idea/to-do list below the pictures if you're interested in the short version.  :)

Basically I bought some wood--I went with 4x4s from Home Depot (get the cheap wood, it's not for building--I got an 8 foot length cut down for about $9 total!  I loved that they would cut them for me, although I know most people get much thinner wood...also, I liked that I could make them HUGE and the 12x12 paper I bought would cover 3 sets...great for Christmas presents!  Cut your wood (whatever sizes you want, I used 6", 8", and 10" blocks) and sand all edges down as smoothly as you like.  

Paint or stain the blocks in the color of your choosing.  

Purchase and cut to size 3 scrapbook papers (I really recommend 12"x12", you can always use the leftover scraps for future art/decor that matches) for EACH holiday you pick.  I liked the white trim around the blocks to make it more uniform so I cut the paper 1/2" shorter than the length of each wood piece.  I chose Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day papers, although if you want to do other holidays--St. Pat's, Easter, 4th of July, back-to-school time even--go for it!  :)  

Mod Podge your papers on, under AND over the paper, one side at a time with at least 2 hours of drying time between each side.  TIP: Unless you're going to also seal it with some sort of sealer, I HIGHLY recommend storing/stacking these with a thin sheet of wax paper between each block.  At least for the first year of use.  Mod Podge can be temperamental, especially if you store it in a box in the garage/shed with weather changes, and you don't want to have to pry them apart and possibly tear your paper!  

Finally, if you so desire, add vinyl lettering to each side.  Enjoy!

2012 Crafts...an overview. :)

In the spirit of reflection and resolutions, here are some of my favorite crafts/projects from the year (with links below where applicable).  I can only hope to improve in 2013!

Lots of Valentine's Day decor!

Caida's church "quiet" binder (still holding up!)

Various melted crayon art projects

Book Clock

Crocheted projects, including these cute baby converse!

Many t-shirt projects!

State String art!

Faux bubblegum machine!

Quick lil' campfire

Many LEGO-themed crafts!

Sharpie Mugs

Birthday Kisses and sock bouquet!

Skeleton wreath

Finger Puppet Theater

Book page bracelet (tutorial pending) 

Bleach pen hoodie (no tute)

Clothespin wreath (tutorial pending)

Scrabble tile coasters (no tute needed, right? :)

Bathroom Stands!

Looking Back at 2012

Well, I actually did get around to sending out Christmas cards this year to everyone who wanted one, but I thought I'd still do a little post summing up 2012 for anyone who was interested in a rather extended version. :) 2012 was a busy year that found us in the same place we started at...and yet at a very *different* place, too.  Here are some of the highlights:

We brought in 2012 with sparklers!

We spent Valentine's Day in Boston!

We planted a fairy garden and an herb garden on the first day of spring!

We took our first (and definitely not last) cooking class together as my birthday gift!

I joined the billion clicks project in April (and will be doing it again soon)!

We celebrated 3 years of marriage in May!

We also worried and prayed together over Caida's VNS surgery in May and the many things surrounding family crises throughout the year.

We got a new-to-us car (Punky) in June!

We visited Paul's folks in Chicago for the 4th of July!

We went to my great-grandma's 100th birthday party/family reunion in August!

We went to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon in September!

I got to travel to Utah in October for Time Out For Women with my college roomies/friends!

Also in October, Paul turned 28!  (Though he'll never catch up to his wife...so I can't make fun. :)

We had a busy November, with briefly hosting Emilie during her evacuation from NYC during Hurricane Sandy, getting family photos taken, celebrating family birthdays and baptisms and two thanksgivings, and more!

And December was all about Christmas!

And I scrapped it all in Project 366!

And, last but not least, a little about us this year:

Paul enjoyed his calling as the ward mission leader a LOT this year!  He loves working with those elders and seniors that remind him of the "glory days" of his two years serving Spanish-speaking in Vancouver!  In addition to his full-time job (celebrated his first year with them last month) at Salud Revenue, he also designed a few fancy websites and took a seasonal job at Best Buy for some extra cash throughout the year.  He loves playing Halo (especially with friends at late-night Halo parties), "geeking out" over the latest technology, reading (especially anything related to Star Trek), developing his artistic talents, and cuddling with the puppies in his free time.  He is the steady heartbeat of our home, always happy with things as they are, hardworking as ever, and so go-with-the-flow ALWAYS, which is exactly what his worrier wife needs!  In 2013 he is most looking forward to getting through the big hospital merger at work, although he also daydreams of getting a 3rd puppy and visiting his sister during her semester abroad in Australia...we'll see about that.  ;)  He says (jokingly, in case you don't really know us) that he thought the world was going to end a few days ago so he didn't really plan anything special for 2013...so we'll have to work on some goals for him and get back to you.  :)

In church, I transitioned from Activity Days to the ward choir pianist and primary secretary! I love spending so much of my time with the children in the ward!  I also got to do several musical numbers on the flute throughout the year, including both sessions of Stake Conference.  I got a job in the winter subbing, and after a difficult summer of disappointing job hunting, I landed a sweet position in the fall as a special education para!  I absolutely LOVE my job, even though I still want to be a schoolteacher for SURE.  Working with children with special needs is humbling, exhausting, empowering, and inspiring, and I'm grateful for the experience!  In my free time, I CRAFT like a maniac!  (You'll have to look through the blog for past projects--there are too many from this year to repost in one shot!)  Even though I'm struggling with a lot of important and hard things at the moment, I am constantly reminded by my husband, my "students," and the Lord how good I really do have it, and I can only hope to follow Paul's example of cheerfulness one day soon!  I'm hoping to work on health and happiness next year a little more specifically through some New Year's Resolutions, as well as revisit my love for writing and taking a "Time Out" in March with some girlfriends for my 30th birthday!  Of course, conquering infertility once and for all and/or finding a "real" teaching job, getting on top of debt, and getting to the temple regularly are also all at the top of the to-do list for 2013!  But searching for the good in the HERE and NOW, something I'm discovering I'm terrible at, is my ultimate goal.

We love you and hope that 2013 brings you a year of magic, love, peace, health, and fun.  We know WE have been truly blessed, so much so that we can take it for granted at times, but that NONE of it would be possible without a loving Heavenly Father who looks out for us always, and YOU!  We are grateful especially for our friends and loved ones far and near who make every day possible.

Love always,
Paul & Celeste Fernandez