Category: Crafts

Wrinkled Heart SWAPS

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Do you have a wrinkled heart? Not sure what a wrinkled heart is, let me explain. Do you remember what the class bully said to you in 3rd grade? Do you remember the mean words your best friend in high school said when you were having a fight? Do you remember the unkind words of your spouse in a heated moment? Sure, we all do. Those are wrinkles in our heart. No matter how many times you have forgiven the other person, satan still uses those words to create self-doubt, and insecurities within us. Those wrinkles are very hard to heal and only by God’s grace will that ever happen.In an attempt to encourage the girls at camp to choose their words wisely, I created the first SWAPS for the week.

Wrinkled Heart SWAP

This was a super quick SWAPS to make. I began by cutting out hearts from construction paper with my Cricut using the George and Basic Shapes cartridge that came with the machine. I then crumbled each heart up and then “re-flattened” it. All that was left was to add a tag. If you would like to make this SWAPS you can download and print the SWAPS tag below. If you are making this or any SWAPS don’t forget to add your name and troop number somewhere on the SWAPS. The back of the tag works great for this.
wrinkled heart

NOTE: The idea came from an elementary school counselor (here).

Summer Camp SWAPS

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

I spent last week at AHG summer camp. If you do not know about AHG (American Heritage Girls) you can find out more at www.ahgonline.org  I had the privilege of getting to accompany my beautiful daughter, and teach the Home Care and Repair Merit Badge. I will write more on that later, but today I want to talk about SWAPS.

We did not have SWAPS when I was a young camper, but I love them. If you do not know what a SWAPS is let me attempt to explain. SWAPS stands for Special Whatchamakallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere. In short, they are little homemade items with a safety-pin attached that are traded / swapped at an event. They are a great opportunity for the girls to be able to meet other girls and have a starting point for a conversation. They also provide the girls with a souvenir / token to take home. While most adults do not participate in SWAPS, I cannot resist.

As a merit badge counselor, I opted to make SWAPS for the girls in my class and to share with other girls at camp. For each day of camp I made a different SWAPS to share with my class. I did not do it to actually trade but more as gives. There are always a few girls that are new to SWAPS and did not know to make any or did not have time to make any. This allowed them to have some to take home (usually other girls are more than willing to give SWAPS and trading is not required).

The next couple of post will highlight four of the SWAPS. For those who are not into scouts and SWAPS, bear with me, I will return to knitting and cooking soon. Here is a sneak peek at the next few posts.

AHG swaps

Updated: Here are the links to the individual SWAPS for more information.  Wrinkled Heart SWAP, Friendship Seeds SWAP, Sock Monkey SWAP, and Flip flop SWAP

Etched Glass

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Recently, I had a group of AHG leaders to my house. Being winter time and almost Christmas, I wanted to get each of them a little something. I decided to make coffee cups with their names etched on them.  Below is step by step, how I made them.

.
combo1. I purchased some clear glass mugs from the local Dollar Store.

2. Using my Cricut, I cut each name out of vinyl.

3. Using a product called Armour Etch, I applied a generous coat over the vinyl.

4. After 8 minutes, I rinsed the Armour Etch off and removed the vinyl.

.

Here is another image of the final product. I realize it is hard to see the etching, but I hope it helps.

Etched Glass

TIPS

  • For the names that were too big I used their initials to create a monogram.
  • Make sure the vinyl adheres completely or the image will not be crisp.
  • Be sure to wash each glass thoroughly before using.

Cost

  • 10 mugs from Dollar Store – $10.85 (including tax)
  • 3oz bottle of Armour Etch – $5.86 (after my 40% off coupon, including tax). I used less than half of the bottle
  • Vinyl – free since it was left over from another project
  • Total cost – $16.71 or $1.67 each

World’s Cheapest Christmas Tree

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Christmas Tree

This year we had, what I believe to be, the “World’s Cheapest Tree”. It cost me less than $1.00 and some construction paper I already had.

First, let me explain why we did not put up our regular tree with lights and ornaments. The first of December, my hubby took a job in North Carolina, which means we are preparing to move. I spent most of the month of December getting the house ready to go on the market so we can sell and move. Since we did not want Christmas decorations in the pictures for the MLS listing, we delayed putting up any Christmas decorations. So, long story short, 4 days before Christmas we put up a tree.

I began with a 22×28 piece of poster board ($0.77 including tax with my Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon). I cut it into a rough tree shape. Next using my Cricut and some free SVG files I found online I cut ornament shapes and allowed the kids to color them and decorate. The tree was attached to the wall with painter’s tape, and the ornaments were then taped to the tree.  It was easy on my part and the kids were able to do the work. I don’t remember the last time the tree went up in less than 30 minutes. And taking it down should be a snap.