Time Capsule Ornament

Time to put away the holiday decorations!

This post is actually way over due, but hopefully you’ll forgive me anyways! 

Every year, Travis and I write a little holiday love letter to each other.  However, the love letters are not to be read for a whole year!
These letters will more than just profess love, they may also mention how grateful we are to have each other, and clues as to what stage of life we were in at the time we wrote them.  Perhaps even mention of a holiday memory that we don’t want to lose.
These letters are put into a handmade ornament to wait out the year with the holiday decorations in storage;  just to be found when it comes time to redecorate.  (The picture was taken on the day the ornament was made.  Not all of the final contents are shown.)

This year’s ornament was made from all recycled components except the label.  We used:

• Mentos gum container (If you scrape the surface of the sticker with a blade, the painted surface comes off like a lotto ticket, leaving behind a glittery, holographic-looking background!)
  
• A ribbon scrap to hang by (saved from making bows for presents)
  
• Foam letter stickers left over from Halloween to make the snowman
  
• Gift tag label the March of Dimes sent me

It hangs on our tree, slowly collecting random embellishments, stickers, ideas, recipes, and such to be used next year.  It will be packed up in the first week of January with all the other holiday decorations.  Then it will sit in storage until Black Friday when we decorate again.  At that time, we will read the letters (and scrapbook them), use the ideas to come up with a theme, use the embellishments to make gift tags, ribbons to make bows, and so on.  Just to start the whole process over again for the following year!
This year’s favorite throw in is a little heard of organization called Christmas Commandos.  We found out about it too late to participate this year, but we would like to see into it next year.  Christmas Commandos are escorted by police at midnight, Christmas Eve, to the homes of children spending their first Christmas after the loss of a parent.  While Santa is stuffing the stockings, the Christmas Commandos hang presents from a tree in their front yard (or in case of no trees, places them on the porch.)  Isn’t that neat?
If you do this project, I would love to see it and hear about what you filled it with! 

Kitchen Fluff

Ok, so this is a mix on the last project.

Instead of using 2 sponges, I used only one small, thin sponge.  It was used to keep kitty toys straight in the packaging.  Instead of throwing it away, I made a mini bath time fluff with it, and used waterproof glue and part of the ribbon to attach it to the end of a thick chopstick.  Now it can clean where my hand can’t fit!

The picture was taken while the glue was still drying.  The ribbons will be removed after the glue is dry.  Isn’t it nifty?!

Earrings From "Trash" Jewelry

I made these earrings out of beads that came from broken necklaces and some found beads. I didn't realize the mass of beads I've found and collected. I haven't made jewelry in such a long, long time that my "found crap" bin has a carpet of beads (and other odd things) covering the bottom! I swear I had to have been a squirrel or raccoon in a past life, because I am always finding and collecting the strangest things! LOL I walk a lot, so I find all kinds of things in parks, trails, parking lots, and such.

The ones on the left make me think of Autumn.

The middle ones make me think of The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

And the ones on the right are like the offspring of the other two!  LOL

I might just open my etsy shop with them!  I have been wanting a shop for a while now.  I already snagged the Henthorne Handmade sub-domain on etsy, but I haven't "stocked the shelves," yet.

I am linking up to:

Tutorial: Fishing Lure From Found Objects

 Materials:

• Hook (like the one shown)
• Metal bottle cap
• Various nuts
• Various beads
• Scrap wooden block
• Scrap fishing line
• Nail
• Pliers
• Hammer
• Waterproof glue
• Waterproof paint
• Feathers (optional)
• Glitter (optional)
• Chocolate (an absolute must!  LOL)

Directions:

~  Eat a piece of chocolate to fuel the crafty process.  ;)

~  Take your cap outside and scuff it up by scraping it on the sidewalk, with a rock, or in coarse dirt.

~  Use your pliers to bend the cap into a fish body-like shape.

~  Lay your "fish body" backside down on the scrap wood block.  Hammer the nail just inside the inner ridge.  Only hammer it in enough to get just past the nail point.~  Wiggle the nail back and forth to make the hole large enough to slip the hook barb in without forcing it.

~  Put the hook into the cap as shown.

~  Tie a nut to the end of the scrap fishing line, thread on small beads (if desired), Then thread on a larger bead.  Wrap the line once or twice around the hook, then back thru the larger bead.

~Use the pliers to tuck the large bead into the cap.  Pull the fishing line until the dangler is at the level desired.  Then thread on more small beads, and tie on another nut.  Cut off the excess fishing line.

~Using waterproof glue;  Glue feathers up it's butt.  Be careful not to glue the feathers to your fingers!  When/if you do, and your feathers are pulled out...eat another piece (or 3!) of chocolate!

~Then decorate using waterproof paints and glitter (if desired.)  Going to a sporting goods shop really helps in choosing colors that fish will probably find appealing.  :)

Here are 6 more fishing lures in progress.  Obviously, some of the steps can be done in a different order (or changed altogether!)  You have to experiment to find what is right for you.  :)  I would love to see your version(s) and hear your success (or non-success) stories!  :)

Crafty Fishin'

For our 5 year anniversary (yesterday), Travis gave me a pumpkin fishin' pole and tackle!  What makes it a pumpkin fishin' pole and not just a regular fishing pole?  Because it is pumpkin orange!  And because it belongs to yours truly!  Of course!  ;)

I didn't have much spare time today, but I did manage to squeeze in a fishin' lure that I made from found and collected objects.  The hook was in the tackle that Travis bought me.  To it, I added:

• A metal bottle cap
• A bead inside (to keep the hook in place and to mount danglers to)
• 2 square nuts (they are shiny and clank together in the water)

How did it fan out against the store bought lures?  Well, it got stuck in the reeds with the others!  LOL  I knew we shouldn't have fished at low tide!  That's what we get for no patience!  The reeds won the battle, but we will win the war!!!  :)

~ANKH

Tutorial for this craft here!

I am linking this project here: