Dictionary Necklaces

This Christmas I made several of my gifts again.  For my cousins, my niece, and my sister I made these dictionary necklaces.  I saw the idea first on Pinterest and just made them my own.  It took some time and a little work, but they turned out beautifully!

So I found just about everything from Hobby Lobby - the ribbons, the bezel pendents, the glass that covers them, and the glue.  I found an old dictionary with a font I liked at a used bookstore in town and then got an off-white parchment paper from Office Depot.  I decided to use the paper instead of the just the dictionary pages because I liked the background color better, and the first time I tried gluing the glass down, it made the words from the oppisite side of the page bleed through.

So I bought brass and silver bezels and 1 inch glass ovals to fit in them.  Then I found a word to describe the different people I was making the necklaces for.  After that I copied the words and definitions on regular copy paper.  Then I traced the bezels onto copy paper and then cut up and placed the words and definitions to fit the traced oval.  I glued it into place using tweezers, Elmer's glue, and a lot of patience. When the words looked the way I wanted, I copied them onto the nice parchment paper.  I cut them to fit the necklace and then modge podged it.  **You need to do this so that the glue won't smear the ink.

After the paper ovals were dry I simply put them into the bezel and then painted the glue (I used Amazing E-6000) on top with a cleaned paintbrush.  Make sure the glue completely covers the inside of the bezel.  Then put the glass oval on top and press hard to make sure all bubbles were gone.  Let it dry overnight, then place on the ribbon chains, and you are finished.

Quiet Book

This is a quiet book I made for my son last year. I used felt for the pages and most of the activities.  It was a little thicker than I liked, but it has been very durable...we still use it today.  It's come in really handy when we have our nursing home ministry, during a church service, long car rides, and at the doctor's office.  I'm planning on making another one, probably with cloth this time.  But here are the pictures of what I did.


The cover page I made with felt letter stickers and patches of cloth. I just sewed everything to the page before I sewed the felt peices together.

 

 

The name page was simply felt letters and a pocket. I added buttons throughout the book for decoration.  My sewing skills aren't great, but I really loved making this anyway!

 

 

To make the fishy fun pages, I made a pocket that looked like an envelope, and then a fishbowl shape that I freehanded.  Then I sewed those and the letters to the felt pages before sewing the book.  Then I drew out the shapes I wanted for the fishbowl and used sharpie markers to draw the details on the fish, plants, and bubbles.

For the funny face pages, I made an pocket that snapped, because I wanted to make sure all of the face pieces didn't fall out.  Then I cut out the shapes from felt and added details as needed.  This is Joshua's favorite page.

The zipper page was simply two zippers I found.  This page is a little difficult for Joshua to do on his own, just because you have to hold the top of the page as you zip.  Once he figured it out though, he loved it.

The apple tree page has been great with counting.  Just make your tree and barrel - the barrel is the pocket to store the apples. Then just sew them to the pages and create your apple pieces.  

Pirate Cave

When we lived in Amarillo, my son's room had two closets.  Often I would leave him in his room playing and then go back to check on him and he wouldn't be there.  Being a hider, he was usually sitting in his closet, just hanging out.  So I decided to take the door off his 2nd closet and make it into a "Baby Cave".

After we moved back to Central Texas, he again had two closets.  I wanted something a little older for him, since he was almost 3.  He was really into Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so I drew inspiration from that.  And so the "Pirate Cave" was born. 

My mom and I found decorations at dollar stores and Hobby Lobby, and I used a shelf that a church member had given us for his mini bookcase.  I also continued to use the pillows I had from my classroom.  The "sail" that covers the door is actually a shower curtain I found at Dollar Tree.  Then I dressed up Wrinkles, my favorite stuffed animal from childhood, and the cave was perfect!  Joshua loves to sit and play in his cave.  Anytime we have a playdate with friends, they usually play in there as well.  So it was well-worth the time and effort!

Introduction

Hello,
 
I'm new to the blogging business, but I'm excited to share my thoughts and creations with whoever decides to read this.  I chose the name, Life Inside a Fishbowl because I'm a pastor's wife, and it seems that most of the time people are watching everything my family and I do.  It's not a bad thing, but it comes with the territory and it definitely keeps life interesting!  : ) 
 
I've been blessed to be married for 9 1/2 years to my husband, Chris, and have been a pastor's wife for nearly 8 years.  I have an amazing 3 year old son who guarantees that my life is never boring!  After teaching 2nd grade for two years Chris and I had our son, and we decided that I would stay at home and raise him.  We've lived in a small parsonage out in the country in Central Texas for about a year now -- and I've learned a lot about rural living!  I've recently discovered that I love cooking, crafting, and sewing, and we've been raising chickens for about a year now.  My husband realized he has a green thumb and we've been learning how to grow vegetables and then can and preserve them.

This blog is going to be my thoughts, things that inspire me, and things that I've created. Enjoy!

Becca