Holy cow! For once I'm ahead of my holiday crunch as far as getting gifts/projects underway! I bought the book
Alternacrafts last year while on a field trip with
Melissa. Normally I would not BUY a craft book unless it was something REALLY special. This is a lovely book with lots of GREEN but also what I would consider to be ho-hum crafts, but I was so STRUCK by the chapter on resin encased photo necklaces/magnets that I bought it! I have been saving all kinds of jar and bottle lids for months and I'd already bought the liquid resin and hardener and finally worked up the courage to try a project. I am beyond thrilled with the results! I have been saving the metal lids of my Starbucks Frappaccino drinks and I have a circle template and cut up the wallet photos of my dear friend Deedee and her new brood and made Christmas ornaments out of them! I haven't even decided on the string for them yet, but I couldn't wait to post pics of them! I'm even going to take these over to her house to totally spoil Christmas just so I can show them to her! What a wonderful way to archive photos and trinkets and what not! They are little 3D collages and I think the kids will be able to help with them as far as archiving pics of their late mother as long as we all wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area! They are such user friendly little projects! I was laughing to myself as I was pouring the resin that I was "encasing them in Carbonite," as they'd say in The Empire Strikes Back! :) My brilliant sister has devised a Christmas ornament exchange in November, and forget the exchange, I think I'd like to make an ornament of my beloved Late Grandpa Maynerd for each household (and by that I mean each cousin AND their respective set of parents) but that all hinges on the perfect photo of Grandpa. I painted over each lid with an "antique bronze" paint and used and awl and hammer to set in the eye hook before I poured the resin and it doesn't affect plastic or what not, so Mom had a good suggestion to even use the rectangular lids of mayonaisse jars for this project. Oh the possibilities! :D I would like to make a set for my dear friend Lin and her newly adopted Ukrainian boys too! What a great project!
I also threw together some Christmas potpourri. I bought these little Christmas tree shaped tin jello molds at a garage sale years ago and they've been sitting in my cupboard ever since. I tried making soap in them last year and had to BEAT them on the floor to get the soap out so that was way too much work! I had the great idea to instead fill them with spicy holiday potpourri for Urban Family Christmas this year! I went to
The Good Food Store up in Rochester and bought bulk bayberries, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, and anise stars. I cracked but did not split the nutmeg to release the scent and mixed them all together before filling these tins. Then I wrapped them in baggies and tied them with jute twine and twisted these darling holly ties from a garage sale around them. They smell LOVELY and technically could be used for mulling spices because they are all food-grade spices! I will have enough for everyone in Urban Family and for my dear friends from my hospital floor! :) What a great way to de-stash the project room!
Holy cow! For once I'm ahead of my holiday crunch as far as getting gifts/projects underway! I bought the book Alternacrafts last year while on a field trip with Melissa. Normally I would not BUY a craft book unless it was something REALLY special. This is a lovely book with lots of GREEN but also what I would consider to be ho-hum crafts, but I was so STRUCK by the chapter on resin encased photo necklaces/magnets that I bought it! I have been saving all kinds of jar and bottle lids for months and I'd already bought the liquid resin and hardener and finally worked up the courage to try a project. I am beyond thrilled with the results! I have been saving the metal lids of my Starbucks Frappaccino drinks and I have a circle template and cut up the wallet photos of my dear friend Deedee and her new brood and made Christmas ornaments out of them! I haven't even decided on the string for them yet, but I couldn't wait to post pics of them! I'm even going to take these over to her house to totally spoil Christmas just so I can show them to her! What a wonderful way to archive photos and trinkets and what not! They are little 3D collages and I think the kids will be able to help with them as far as archiving pics of their late mother as long as we all wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area! They are such user friendly little projects! I was laughing to myself as I was pouring the resin that I was "encasing them in Carbonite," as they'd say in The Empire Strikes Back! :) My brilliant sister has devised a Christmas ornament exchange in November, and forget the exchange, I think I'd like to make an ornament of my beloved Late Grandpa Maynerd for each household (and by that I mean each cousin AND their respective set of parents) but that all hinges on the perfect photo of Grandpa. I painted over each lid with an "antique bronze" paint and used and awl and hammer to set in the eye hook before I poured the resin and it doesn't affect plastic or what not, so Mom had a good suggestion to even use the rectangular lids of mayonaisse jars for this project. Oh the possibilities! :D I would like to make a set for my dear friend Lin and her newly adopted Ukrainian boys too! What a great project!
I also threw together some Christmas potpourri. I bought these little Christmas tree shaped tin jello molds at a garage sale years ago and they've been sitting in my cupboard ever since. I tried making soap in them last year and had to BEAT them on the floor to get the soap out so that was way too much work! I had the great idea to instead fill them with spicy holiday potpourri for Urban Family Christmas this year! I went to The Good Food Store up in Rochester and bought bulk bayberries, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, and anise stars. I cracked but did not split the nutmeg to release the scent and mixed them all together before filling these tins. Then I wrapped them in baggies and tied them with jute twine and twisted these darling holly ties from a garage sale around them. They smell LOVELY and technically could be used for mulling spices because they are all food-grade spices! I will have enough for everyone in Urban Family and for my dear friends from my hospital floor! :) What a great way to de-stash the project room!
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