school supplies..oh joy

I'm one of those weirdos who LOVES some new school supplies! Nothin' sweeter to me than a fresh, clean spiral notebook...oh, the possibilites!

Our church has a community ministry and we have adopted a local school. Next week, we will host a luncheon in honor of the teachers & staff, just to let them know that we are here to support them as community partners. I made a school supplies tower, fashioned after those fun diaper cakes, as a centerpiece for the food table. Then, we will send this tower o'school stuff back to the school w/them to display in the main office or use as they wish.

 

We also made some school-themed coasters as favors, using 4x4 subway tiles. I'll take a photo once we get them wrapped up and possibly post a tutorial. So easy & fun!

Oh joy! School is here!

Linking up here:

camp crafts..oh joy

I haven't posted much lately ABOUT crafts because I've been up to my EARS in crafts. I am the crafts coordinator for our church camp and this Sunday begins my 3rd year of finding crafts to keep these campers busy. For many years, our church held our camp at a 4H camp who provided crafts...leather making, wood working, etc. When that camp facility closed, the youth office turned to me and played on my love for crafting and kids, asking me to coordinate crafts. I've worked a lot of jobs in my adult lifetime and this is HANDS DOWN the busiest job I have EVER worked! The craft house is open for 5 hours each day and I never stop moving...but I love it! I order a lot of ceramics from Oriental Trading, but many of the crafts are ones that I pull together myself, getting ideas from other crafting blogs and Pinterest. In fact, you can see my craft house pinboard on Pinterest HERE.

Here are a few of my favorites in the craft house this year:

 Marshmallow shooters - Pattern found via Pinterest at Or So She Says

Pearl & ribbon necklace found via Pinterest at Dollar Store Crafts

Paracord bracelets - MANY tutorials online. This will be the big hit this year!

Chalkboard flower pots - found via Pinterest at Plaid Online.

Duct tape wallets - we will have more than 50 rolls of duct tape!!

Mason jar nightlights - found via Pinterest at DIY Crafts Online. We use battery operated tea lights. I'm going to make one with sheet music for my son's piano teacher..how fun!

Plastic tumblers w/lid & straw - found at DOLLAR TREE!!



Wooden letters - found at Hobby Lobby. Campers will paint them & add them to many of their crafting projects.

Ceramic robot bank & Ceramic cupcake bank - found at Oriental Trading. Ceramics are a MUST in our Craft House and go QUICKLY! Campers use acrylic paints, lay them to dry, & I finish them w/a clear protective spray.

Chalkboard ring - These intrigued me SO MUCH when I saw them, but they haven't really taken off. I plan to buy larger pendants so they can actually write something on them. I get the wooden pendants at Hobby Lobby. This photo from an etsy store, but the item must be closed because I can't find it now.

Again, if you'd like to check out my Pinterest pinboard of CAMP CRAFTS, go HERE. You can see ALL my boards HERE.

I will be busy in the Craft House with my Craft House Crew next week, so check back in a few weeks for pics of our Crazy Craft House! Each year, I am blessed with new friendships and thankful for the opportunity to share in this ministry. We will be opening our Bibles daily to the book of Hebrews and discussing & applying the idea of community among believers. For more about our church, Sycamore View Church of Christ, go here. Check out what's going on at "The View."

I'm linking up to Doodles & Stitches' Fabulous Friday Linky Party:

chalking it up

I originally posted this tutorial here on my blog, but wanted to post it again since our camp is just around the corner and let's just say I'm feeling nostalgic. PLUS, my friend Nicole over at Doodles&Stitches is doing such an awesome job of staying on top of her blogging game, that I've gotta keep up! So, I'm posting this and linking up her to linky party today. Check it out!





A chalkboard for a little more than $1??? Saw this idea a couple of years ago and MY have the kids at our camp LOVED this! It is likely THE most popular craft in the CRAFT HOUSE!

cookie sheet from Dollar Tree

my new secret weapon

do it the "joy way" - slop it on!!

I hot glued ribbon to cover my "sloppiness" on the edges.

2 coats later...and a little houndstooth ribbon and a swoosh of the paint pen...

Ready for game day!

*** NOTE FOR 2nd POST ***

Since doing this cookie sheet, I have used the round pizza pans and they work just as great! However, the other day when I was strolling through Pinterest, I saw THIS idea:

 

 Images via Pinterest

SUPPOSEDLY, these are *plastic* trays from Dollar Tree...whaaaa? How much you wanna bet that when I walk into MY Dollar Tree, I'm not gonna find it..geeesh.  Anyway, I'm DEFINITELY on the hunt for one o'these babies. Love, love, love the shape of them and love that they are plastic. 

Check back here in the weeks leading up to our camp, as I'll be featuring more items from the CRAFT HOUSE!

joyfully gifting

I always like to do something a little unexpected for Bridal and Baby Showers...especially since I've acquired my Silhouette machine. As I've said before, walking down the aisles of Walmart, Target, & Hobby Lobby haven't been the same since! My husband even jokes that if the kids stood still long enough, I'd have vinyl labels slapped across their foreheads..ha!

One of my super-crafty friends made some glass block nightlights at Christmas in which she decoupaged some photos onto glass blocks and then installed a light inside.

Oh..how..cool! I still WANT to give this a try but then I thought about how easy it would be to 

do the same with vinyl!

Below are photos of the process...

 Start with these supplies. All of which I picked up at Hobby Lobby..each sold separately.

 

Glass block                                                                   Nightlight insert

Glass block holder w/nightlight holder

Here's how I set it up in my Silhouette program.

Measured the available space & found that it was approx 5"x5", so I created a rounded square & filled it with the design. For this particular project, I plan to use the NEGATIVE space.

 Design has been cut and I remove the vinyl, leaving the NEGATIVE space.

For ALL of my vinyl crafting, I use clear contact paper from the dollar store INSTEAD of the expensive transfer paper -- a neat little trick that a friend shared with me and I'm extremely grateful for that bit of info! It's saved me a TON of money and I even PREFER it to the expensive transfer stuff.

 Clear contact paper lifted it from backing, then applied to the glass block.

 Using my trusty tool (what's the name of that gadget?), I press & press until I can peel away the clear contact paper.

TA-DA!!! Congratulations to my friends Justin & Charli as they begin their journey as a married couple. This couple bought a house this past month and I think this will be a perfect addition to their new home!

** I've been featured **

Hop on over to my good friend, Nicole's, awesome new blog

Doodles&Stitches where she features a recipe, furniture, or crafting idea each week.

 

JOYfully featured!

Head on over to my friend, Nicole's super cool new blog called "Doodles and Stitches" where she features some of her 'trash to treasure' furniture projects and various sewing, crafting, and cooking ideas.  Last week, in her link party, I was the winning 'craft feature.' Click the link below to join the party!

"write" stuff

I have to admit, it's always annoyed me a little when people get all sniffly about their 4 year olds graduating from preschool. I mean, c'mon! They aren't leaving HOME or anything??!! What's with all the whining? With my older two children, I was ECSTATIC...couldn't WAIT for them to start kindergarten and watch them grow & learn. But...this past week, I became annoyed with MYSELF! My baby girl graduated from preschool and is rolling on into kindergarten in the fall and I found myself being all...sniffly...

Can you even STAND the cute-ness of this photo? (FYI...Have you tried PIC MONKEY? If you were a PICNIK user, you should visit this FREE site.  I edited the above photo at PicMonkey.) She was so excited to toss that cap that she was the very first one! That's not the only thing she's eager for...she cannot WAIT to go to kindergarten and be 'big' like her brothers. Don't misunderstand me - I was a little sad watching my boys hop out of the van in car line & march into the school, but this was the LAST preschool graduation I would sit though...the LAST year to have a child to myself 3 days a week. Just made me a little sad...PROUD...but sad.

Ok...now onto the craftiness!! I've always had my kids give their friends little treats on holidays & at the end of the school year. Ever since I got my Silhouette SD machine, I have been putting vinyl on EVERYTHING it seems and shopping at Walmart or Target is not the same anymore. Now, it seems I walk through the aisles looking for items to customize! So, when I saw these sidewalk chalk buckets at Walmart for only $1.00 -- I knew they'd be perfect little treats for her fellow preschool grads.

The font I used is called SMILEY MONSTER and you can download it HERE for free! Browse around while you're there - that site is amazing! I use this font ALL the time! I also made a tag that says "You've got the WRITE stuff. Happy Graduation"  My little grad was thrilled to gift them and they were equally happy to receive them.

As I sign off for this post, I'll share one more pic from the Williams Family LAST preschool graduation. We're so proud of you, Ally-boo! We know the Lord has great things in store for you, sweet girl. "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

JOYfully Linking Up:

joyful about baseball

My husband has played baseball his whole life and I know he'd love nothing more than for his boys to enjoy it as much as he does (still). Our oldest son is talented other ways and it's just not his passion. Our middle child might not be the most talented player, but his passion for the game is certainly growing! I just wanted to share some shots I've gotten lately that captures his love of this American tradition.

 Talking to Dad after he got on base

 Props from Daddy

 So disappointed when he strikes out

 This stinker has to PEE everytime he gets on base!

 2 of my boys

 I shot this thru the chain link fence of the dugout. Love how it frames his face.

 His first double!

 On base again...ready to go!

This face just says it all!

joyfully celebrating

We celebrated some birthdays recently and I wanted to share some pics from the parties. My Jake had a LEGO party. This child is from the same cloth as his mother - begins planning the party for next year the day AFTER his party! So, I had plenty of time to gather up ideas and let me just say...PINTEREST is my friend! If you'd like to see where some of my ideas originated from,  check out my Pinterest board I call "If I Step on one more Lego".

 LEGO-filled vase for table

 homemade LEGO pinata

(aka cardboard box spraypainted)

 cookie cake NOT homemade - purchased from Sam's Club & decorated w/Legos

 wrapped juice boxes w/LEGO water bottle labels

 Our Lego-Man Jake - Happy Birthday!

Next birthday party was for our Ally, who turned 5. She's like her brother in that she likes to plan the party, but isn't as full of ideas like he is. Again, PINTEREST is my party-planning friend. I collected ideas on a board I named "Look whooo's having a party". I guess you can tell from that title that we had an OWL party. I had gotten the idea to let the girls make stuffed owls after I saw this AWESOME "Night Owl Party" on a blog called "Snowy Bliss" HERE. Holy Owl - I don't have NEAR the time or talent that this woman has, so I revised mine a bit. Anyway, here are a few shots from the "Make An Owl Friend" party.

 cupcakes made by my 11-year-old friend, Taylor...seriously good!

Those little "A's" are white chocolate! Printed toppers by me.

 Birthday Girl with her owl outfit..and felt crown

 The party room

 See the feathers? Those were HER idea...and I let her.

The "Make An Owl Friend" Room

 The poem on their "owl friend" bags - again, snagged from "Snowy Bliss"

 Warming our owls' hearts

My Birthday Girl with her new owl friend

Love my babies. Can't believe how 8 and 5 years have passed SO quickly. My oldest will be a TEENager this year..yikes! I wouldn't trade a day. And as my Grammie used to say, "My cup runneth over." Oh how I wish she could've met my 3 little blessings. She would've loved every minute. Be blessed...and find JOY in the little things :)