Card of the Week...

Nothing makes me happier than crafting. Well, almost nothing! My husband knows what kind of a day I've had if I'm making cards when he calls (he works out of town during the week).

Yesterday was one of those days. It was the first day of school, and things got pretty chaotic once my kids got home. After they had their baths, I pulled out some scraps from another project (I'll be posting about it next week) and made some cards. I got the idea for this one from Pebbles in My Pocket.
It was fun to branch out from the type of cards that I usually make and try something new. I think I'll have to try a new card layout a week just to add variety to my stash. We'll see how I do!

For those of you who are card makers....where do you get the ideas for your cards from? I have a few sites on my sidebar that I like to stalk for ideas, but if there are any others that you'd recommend, please share!

Juice Pouch Purses...

These cuties have been on my "To Do List" for quite a while now. Last weekend I decided to pull out my sewing machine and make some. I don't know why I waited for so long! They were easier than I anticipated...even though I did mess up the first one...oops!

I made several of these small ones. Each of my girls got one, and we gave one to a friend for her birthday.


My oldest daughter decided she wanted a big one with long handles. We experimented a little and came up with this one. After it was made, we decided it needed to be a bit wider. We'll know that for next time!


Then my 2nd born decided she wanted a bigger one too. We went with one that was 3 pouches wide by 2 pouches tall. We were going to make this one 2 pouches wide, but it seemed a little too wide. So we compensated by sewing them together in the middle. It turned out the perfect size!


Here's all of the sizes together. It was fun to experiment and try and come up with our own designs for the bigger ones. And we learned a lot too! We're running a little low on our juice pouches now, but will make more of these cuties when we've saved up some more!


**The instructions I used can be found here.

Paper Bag Purses...

I have become a HUGE fan of Inking Idaho! All of her cards and craft projects are awesome! I always find something to try from her ideas!

These Paper Bag Purses are one of her many cute ideas! When I saw them, I knew they'd be perfect for my Activity Days girls. They are easy to make, and adorable to boot!

I made one for each of my AD girls in 'school themed' paper. Our activity was about the importance of education...perfect for Back to School!!


Here's a view from the side...


I filled each sack with glue and crayons. The glue was a tight fit...I wish I'd gone with glue sticks like I had originally planned!


We made cute little altered note pads too. This one was just an example that I made for them to get an idea of how they could decorate theirs.
I'm totally loving the paper bag purses! Think how cute they'd be to put gifts in for birthdays and holidays! Can't wait to make more!

Journals...

For as long as I can remember, leaders from my church have counseled us to keep a personal journal. I started my first journal when I was in 4th grade and it quickly became a habit. I started out just writing a few sentences and then graduated to writing pages each day. I was better about writing in my journal daily when I was younger. Now I feel like I'm doing good if I write once a week!

A few weeks ago I did an activity for my 10-11 year old Activity Days girls on journals. We talked about how important it is to keep a journal. I showed them my journals and even read some entries to them. They laughed about me calling a boy I had a crush on "gorgeous", among other things! My entries were proof to them that you can write about anything in your journals...even silly things!!

I bought some journals from the Dollar Tree and let the girls decorate them however they wanted. Most opted to stamp their names along with some flowers on them...they did a fabulous job!

On the inside cover I taped a quote from President Henry B. Eyring's talk from the October 2007 General Conference titled "O Remember, Remember". It says: "Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see his hand in my life? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him."
I hope the girls have taken to heart what we talked about and have started writing in their journals. As I was preparing this activity, I read through some of my journals and was amazed at the stuff that I didn't remember! I'd read about something and think "Oh yeah....now I remember doing that!" It made me grateful that I kept journals and wrote faithfully!

How about you? Do you keep a journal? If you don't, I encourage you to start one! It's never too late, and it will be something that you and your family will come to treasure!

Aloha Kitty...

I had to show off this cute card I got from Teresa for the One Card Swap in July. Isn't it adorable?! I was really bummed that I missed the deadline to sign up for August's One Card Swap....I'll have to be more on the ball and make sure I get in for September. It's a great way to get ideas for cards, and meet new people too! Go to Big Ideas from a Little Girl for more info.