Twirly Thingy Tutorial

I used a few of these twirly thingies in the March VT message and wanted to show you how I made them.

Start by cutting strips of paper.  The one below is about 2x12 inches wide.  I needed two 2x12 strips.  Then fold them like a fan.

Once you are done folding, stick them together.

Then connect the remaining sides.

Gather one of the ends into the middle and stick a dab of glue inside, holding it together till it dries.

If you want, stick something over the middle part, and you are done!

For the smaller ones, I used 1x12 strips and it only took one. 

I can think of a million things to use these for...have you ever made twirly thingies?  What did you use them for?  And does anyone know what they are really called?!

March Visiting Teaching Message

The Visiting Teaching Message this month is

Daughters in My Kingdom.

"We are daughters of our Father in Heaven.

He knows us, loves us, and has a plan for us.

Part of that plan includes coming to earth to learn to choose good over evil.

When we choose to keep God's commandments, we honor Him and acknowledge our identity as daughters of God."

I thought it would be fun this month to celebrate our royal heritage with a crown.

I found the crown template at this site, and included the Visiting Teaching message on the back.

To make your own "Daughters in My Kingdom" crown, you will need an 8 1/2x11 sheet of heavy paper like cardstock.  I cut down a 12x12 sheet.  I looked for paper with a little sparkle, because it felt more princessey.  {I used the paper "Lost and Found" by Jen Allyson from Hobby Lobby} Also, if you choose a double-sided sheet, make sure that it is plain enough {and light enough} on the back so that when you print the message, it shows up.

Print the Message, then cut and attach the strip of paper under the crown with staples or tape or brads for the back.

If you are feeling a little more crafty, you can print this tag and stick it to the front.

...and if you are feeling really crafty, you can add a few jewels...

...but if you are feeling really, REALLY crafty, you can go nuts and add ribbon, lace, little twirly things or whatever.

{If you want to use ribbon to fit the crown, use a hole punch to punch a hole in each end {where the black dots are on the back}, then glue the middle of the ribbon to the front and push the ends through the holes and pull the ribbons till tight}

Happy Visiting Teaching!

Simple Math

+

=

Have a great day!

Service Auction Ideas

I realize that I promised this post 2 months ago, but here it finally is.
Last November for our midweek Relief Society activity, we organized a Service Auction.
It was quite a bit of work, but it was really fun and I thought it turned out great!

We started about a month before the auction, telling people about it and encouraging them to come up with ideas for services that they could auction. 

Here is our list of ideas:

Service Donation Ideas for Service Auction:


lessons in knitting or crochet
Flower arranging
Baby blankets
Computer lessons
Quilting lessons
Dance lessons
Yard care services
Dinner
Piano Tuning
Scrapbook kits or premade pages
1 hour of cleaning
Snow shoveling
Massage
Cinnamon rolls
Cleaning the house
6 free foils from a hair dresser
Lessons on how to dye your own hair from a hair dresser
A ride to the airport
Babysitting
Yard Work
Car Wash or Detail
Sew a Halloween Costume
Digital Invite, Announcement, or card
Ethnic Dinner
Bathroom Cleaning
Carpet Cleaning
FHE Kit (lesson, treat, etc.)
FHE treats for a month
Birthday Cake
Homemade Jewelry
Sewing lesson
Voice lesson
Piano lesson
Christmas present wrapping
Set of homemade candles
Vinyl family name board
Professional family photo
Handmade scripture case
Hair cut & style
rock climbing lessons
4hrs yard work
already made crochet or knitted baby items
pre-made handcrafted cards or scrapbook pages
2hrs genealogy work
"Clean out your fridge" service
silk plant cleaning!
baseboard cleaning
substituting in their primary class
homemade ice cream
Blog design

Here are the Services we had up for auction:
Services Up for Auction
Sew on scout patches for a year
Authentic Mexican Dinner
2 dozen freshly baked dinner rolls-made to order
A sink of dishes
One free night of babysitting
Hem 5 pants or skirts
Sewing Lesson
Deep clean ALL of the bathrooms in your house
10 scout badges
1 hour sewing lesson
Computer/genealogy lesson
3 course dinner
Piano lesson
Made-to-order Ice Cream Cake
Haircut
Sew Christmas PJs (winner will provide fabric and pattern)
1 Hour Aerobic Kickboxing Class
Made-to-order Pie
Blog Lesson

We also told the sisters that they could bring items like crafts or treats to auction off.
 
Each Sunday, we passed around a sign-up sheet, so we kind of had an idea of how many things and services there would be to auction off.
 
The next thing we did to prepare was make invitations.  We decided that we would make little auction paddles for the invitations and have them bring their paddles that night for bidding at the auction.

 
We used this for the invitation.  {Here's a fun tidbit about me:  {said in a sarcastic tone} I love doing things the hard way.  If there is a simple way to accomplish something, I am not interested.}  First I printed them on brown cardstock, then we cut each invitation on my friend's crickut.  It took several hours.  We used a 4" scalloped circle {I think...I can check if anyone really needs to know...}, then we used old book pages and cut 4" circles {by hand...who knew nobody sold a 4" circle punch?!} and then stamped numbers {1-160} on them with acrylic paints.  To assemble them, we used a gluegun to affix them together and add the stick.  In retrospect, I would try to make them a touch smaller and punch them with a hand punch or find someone who had a silhouette and knew how to use it...I don't have a silhouette, so I'm not sure, but I think they print and cut don't they?

 
They turned out cute though, and were fun to have for bidding at the auction.
 
On the night of the auction, we had a table at the door where each sister signed in.  They wrote their name, paddle number, and phone number on the sheet.  Here is the printable.  We also had a few extra paddles on hand in case someone didn't get one or forgot theirs.
 

Here are a few of the items that were donated:

We served dinner at our Service Auction. 

Notice the Questionairres under each plate.

I found the questions for our questionairre by googling "service auction" and compiling a list.  There ended up being A LOT of questions, and if we do this again, I would whittle this list down for sure.

Service Auction Questionnaire

5 pts for every year your have been married

5 pts if you have ever been outside of the country

5 pts if you've participated in the ward choir in the last 3 months

5 pts if you speak a second language (sign-language included)

5 pts for every child or grandchild you have

5 pts if you have taken a meal to someone in need in the past 6 months

5 pts if you have read the lesson prior to Sunday for the past month

5 pts if you have tried a new recipe in the past month

5 pts if you have balanced your checkbook in the past month

5 pts If you have sewn a new item of clothing in the past month

5 pts If you have read a church book in the past month

5 pts If you have planned a weekly menu and followed it for 3 months

5 pts If you have had a new member of the ward to your home for dinner in the past year

5 pts If you have organized your recipe file in the past year

5 pts If you have exercised regularly for the past month (at least 3x a week)

5 pts If you have had your daily personal prayers for the past 3 months

5 pts If you have read a book to your children or grandchildren in the past 6 months

5 pts If you have been 10 minutes early to Sacrament Meeting for the past month

5 pts If you have learned a new skill in the past month

5 pts If you have attended the temple in the past month

5 pts If you have cleaned a closet in the past month

5 pts If you have written a letter to a missionary in the past 3 months

5 pts If you have a monthly budget and followed for the past 3 months

5 pts If you have given a talk in sacrament meeting in the past year

5 pts If you have cleaned something that you would have rather not in the past week

5 pts If you fasted on the last fast Sunday

5 pts If you have taken your children or grandchildren on a special activity,(park,zoo etc.) in the past month

5 pts If you have introduced yourself to a new member or move-in within the past month

5 pts If you have discussed your youth with your children in the past month

5 pts If you can recite an article of faith from memory

5 pts If you know how to change a tire

5 pts If you have ever checked the oil in your car

5 pts If you know CPR and the Heimlich maneuver

5 pts If you have read the Ensign for the past 3 months

5 pts If you have organized your storage area in the past year

5 pts If you voted in the last election

5 pts If you went to bed on time last night

5 pts If you have vacuumed your car in the past month

5 pts If you fixed dinner for your family before you came tonight

5 pts for every item you have donated tonight (including canned goods)

5 pts If you have been to the Dentist in the past 6 months

5 pts If you have been to a wedding reception in the past 3 months

5 pts If you attended or helped with girls camp this year

5 pts If you attended or helped with scout camp this year

5 pts If you kept your TV off all day today

5 pts If you gave someone a sincere compliment in the past week

5 pts If you have begun your Christmas Shopping

5 pts If you have done something you are proud of in the past month

5 pts If you keep your house doors locked even when you are home

5 pts If you have a fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen

5 pts If you have been on a date with your best friend in the past 2 weeks

5 pts If you read the ward newsletter this month

5 pts If you have made a comment in church class in the past month

5 pts If you have laughed today

5 pts If you have been laughed AT today

5 pts If you have accepted someone’s help this past week

5 pts If you have obeyed the speed limit all day

5 pts If you wear your seat belt

5 pts If you have baby-sat for someone in the past month

5 pts If you showered before noon today

5 pts If you have mended a garment in the past month

5 pts If you have sung a church song in your home in the past month

______Total for this page

10 pts If you are being TRUTHFUL about your answers

10 pts If you have done a good deed anonymously in the past 6 months

10 pts if you had FHE this week

10 pts if you have ever owned an 8-track tape player

10 pts if you play a musical instrument

10 pts if you have ever been nursery leader

10 pts if you have ever been a seminary teacher

10 pts if you have borne your testimony in the last 3 months

10 pts if you served a mission

10 pts if you said "I Love You" to someone today

10 pts If you have a 72 hour kit

10 pts If you are a full tithe payer

10 pts If you have invited a non-member friend to church in the past 3 months

10 pts If you have planted a garden in the past year

10 pts If you have read the Book of Mormon entirely in the past year

10 pts If you done your Visiting Teaching for the past 3 months

10 pts If you have broken a bad habit in the past year

10 pts If you have made or updated your will the past year

10 pts If you have donated items to charity in the past 6 months

10 pts If you have submitted family names to the Temple in the past 6 months

10 pts If you have done a service project with your family in the past 6 months

10 pts If your journal is current

10 pts If you have worked on your family history in the past 6 months

15 pts if you studied your scriptures today

15 pts for every child or grandchild you have that is serving a mission

15 pts if you've had the missionaries teach a friend in your home in the past 12 months

15 pts if you have attended every Relief Society Midweek Activity for the past 12 months

15 pts If you have placed a Book Of Mormon with a friend in the past 6 months

15 pts If you have begun or added to your food storage in the past 3 months

15 pts If you have already done your Visiting Teaching in November

50 pts for being here tonight

______Grand Total

Item(s) won:

Here is the link for the Questionairre

After the questionairre was filled out, {we had ours fill them out during dinner} the auction began!

Some things went really fast and had several bidding wars, and others were a little slower, but everything went!

The winner of each item auction was awarded this coupon, so they knew who to contact to redeem the services won.

We also tried to keep track of who won which items and services with this sheet.

Our Service Auction was a great way to share our talents with each other and give of ourselves to others.

If you have any questions or comments or would like the non-pdf form of the invitation e-mailed to you so that you can plug in your own info, just let me know.

P.S. For those of you who were wondering, I used the font "Harting" for each of my downloadable links.

 

Map Obsession

I have a thing for maps lately. 

Last year, I made this wreath with an old atlas.

I still love it and have continued to buy old atlases.  {Is that a word?! or is it atlas' for the plural?  Yeesh.  I've been out of school for a long time.}

Anywho, I've seen a lot of great map stuff on Pinterest lately. 

Like these state magnets. 

She just stuck magnets on the backs of old map puzzle pieces.
Awesome.

And this pretty bag.

Wouldn't it be fun to make a quilt-sized version of this?

This site has some cute free printables for each state.

Here's another idea. 

 

A lot of impact without a ton of effort. Nice!

I love this map mural wall from House Beautiful.

and this one is cool, too.

If I every buy a trailer, I'm going to do this:

Genious.

What are some fun things you have done, or would like to do with maps?

Buntings, Baby!

I've been busy making buntings for my friend Kelli, who has a photography business.

I made a couple a few months ago for Christmas,

and one for Valentines Day.

Here's my bunting in Kelli's photo.  Doesn't it look awesome?!  She takes great pictures.

I also made some boyish ones and girlish ones.

I love how this denim one turned out.

Buntings aren't really hard to make.

First pick some fabric, and decide on a template. {There are a billion templates online that you can print out.  Here is the one I use.}

Then cut.  You can use a single layer of fabric or double {and sew them together}.  I wanted a front and a back, so I cut two,

sewed them wrong-side out, then turned them right-side out and pressed them flat.

{I used to never press my sewing projects, because I am lazy.  They turned out fine and all, but a few years ago, I was working on a sewing project with a friend at her house and she ALWAYS presses her sewing projects.  And they looked fabulous.  She keeps her iron on and at the ready whenever she sews.  I became a presser on that day and have never gone back.  When you press a sewing project, {especially if you use a great-smelling starch} your sewing projects just turn out better and in my case, hide my lack of skills in the sewing department...}

When you are all done assembling your triangles, lay them out in a pattern that you like and pin them to the basting or string that you are using to keep them together. 

{You can also use fabric glue to keep them in place before you sew them into the basting.}

 

I loved the Valentine one so much I decided to make one for myself!  Here's how it turned out:

 

I think I'm going to make one next week to bring out on birthdays....

Have a great day!