How To Make Eco-Friendly Gift Bows

Eco-Friendly Gift Bows Out of Recycled Magazines

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love wrapping presents. I'm actually kind of a control freak, because every gift has to be wrapped perfectly which makes it difficult when Sidney wants to help, but we get through it. 

A neat idea I came across a couple of years ago was how to make your own eco-friendly gift bows using recycled magazines. What I really like about them is that you can choose your own image whether it's a funky cartoon, a beautiful garden or a serene blue sky and turn it into a one-of-a-kind bow! 

To make it:

1. Select a page from your old magazine, and cut it into nine strips. Three large, three medium, two small and one really small one. 

2. Turn the ends of the strip in to the center, so that it either makes a round, or pointed end. Dab a bit of glue in the middle to keep it in place. Do this to all eight of your strips, leaving out the smallest.

3. With the smallest peace, fold it into a cylinder. Glue it in place.

4. Once all your strips are turned in, layer them on top of one another like so, keeping the large pieces together, medium together and small together.

5. After you've layered them all on top of one another you can staple them in the center. My stapler is too big to staple the small, cylinder piece on top so I typically just glue it on afterwards. 

And there you have it! A unique gift bow! 

Thanks, 

DIY Pretty Clothespin Magnets

Cute Clothespin Magnets

These are so easy to make, and are really cute.

All you need are wooden clothespins, paint, white glue, paper and magnets. I decided to paint these clothespins pink and yellow, and added cute small floral pattern paper for a cute cottage chic, springtime look.

Directions:

1. Paint your clothespins, if you'd like. Plain ones look really nice, too.
2. Cut your paper to fit the top of the clothespins.
3. Glue the paper on with white glue once the paint is dry.
4. Stick a magnet strip on the back.
5. And you're done!

 If you don't feel like making these, you can buy them in my shop Amity Arts and Crafts.

Thanks, 

DIY Super Simple & Cute Bracelet

How to Make a Cute Beaded Bracelet

 

Materials:

I'm a huge fan of hemp because it's eco-friendly, natural, vegan, durable and nice looking. However, any type of cord can be used for this as long as it's about 1mm thick.

And the fun part - selecting the beads you want to use! Keep it clean and simple with pretty white beads, or mix it up with some funky colours, shapes and sizes!

Instructions:

1. After you have selected your cord, and the beads you want to use, it's time to decide on how long you want it. The way I do this is by wrapping the cord around my wrist. I wrapped mine around my wrist 18 times.

2. Next, you start putting your beads onto the cord. It doesn't matter how many you put on, if you need to put more on after you start you can. I did mine 5 seed beads, 1 blue, 7 seed beads, 1 blue, repeat.  I find that making it too even makes the larger beads cluster once you've wrapped it around your wrist to wear.

3. Now that your beads are on, you can start tying knots between them. The space between the beads is up to you. I seem to like tying the knots 2cm apart. I tie the knots right up against my larger beads though. This part can be time consuming depending on how long your cord is, but how easy is tying knots? Right?

4. Once your beads are all secured in between your knots, you can attach your lobster claw on one end, and a little loop on the other end - both tied off with double knots. To make sure they don't come undone I recommend adding some fabric adhesive. I also like to twirl the excess cord around a couple times, then adding more fabric adhesive. But you really don't have to.

And there it is, a cute bracelet. Or you can use it as a necklace or anklet as well. Mix it up!

Or if you don't enjoy making your own jewelry but like the look of these bracelets, you can purchase them at my shop Amity Arts and Crafts.

Thanks, 

Little Shop of Hemp - Now Open on Etsy!

I Opened My Second Etsy Shop:

I did it! I opened my new Etsy shop yesterday, Little Shop of Hemp, where I will be selling my handmade hemp jewelry and accessories. As of right now I only have a few items posted, but over the next few days I will be adding more.
 

Why Hemp Jewelry?

 

Hemp is a really great material. It's environmentally friendly, vegan, strong and long lasting, and very comfortable to wear. Plus, the design possibilities are endless! I have a hard time deciding what to sell and what to keep for myself. What I really adore about hemp is that it can look really casual, or funky or even beautiful.

 

And it's nerve racking when you put yourself out there. And by yourself I mean your creative work which is like a part of you. I don't know if anyone will like my stuff, or if anyone will even buy anything but for some reason I just felt like I had to do it.

 

I'm finally learning to push myself out of my comfort zone.

 

Thanks for taking the time to check this out!

How To Make A Square Knot Hemp Bracelet

Making Square Knot Hemp Bracelets Are Easy

A simple square knot, and a bracelet for Sidney!

Hemp braclets are pretty, eco-friendly, vegan and very easy to make! Depending on how complicated the pattern is, how many beads you put on or your skill level they can either take a few minutes, or be more time consuming.

If you're up for it, here's a short tutorial on how to make a square knot bracelet - the easiest and most simple kind.

1. First, you need to cut your hemp string to the right length. You'll need two strings, one long piece at 80 inches and one short piece at 35 inches. I have a larger wrist (about 7 inches around), but it's better to have too much than too little. Eventually you will know exactly how much you need so you don't waste your hemp.

2. Then you have to find the middle of each string and tie a knot, making sure it's the right size for the bead you want at the end.

3. Now that you have it started I recommend using a clipboard to hold it still. Then you can start your knots. It can be a little tricky to get the swing of things when you're first learning, but halfway through you'll probably be a pro!

And to try and give you an idea on how it goes, my lovely illustration!

4. Hopefully you can see it, but basically your two short pieces hang down the middle.

5. Then you use your long pieces to tie the knots around them.

6. One long piece goes over top of the short middle pieces (above: the red one), then under the other long piece (above: the blue one). And you pull them tight until there is a knot. Now you switch it; the blue one goes on top and the red one goes under. Repeat.



7. Once it's your desired length you pull all four strings through your bead, and tie a tight knot right up against your bead so it doesn't come off. To make sure your knot never comes undone I recommend putting some epoxy glue on the knot.
 

8. Now you can cut off the excess string, leaving about 5 mm to 1 cm. And you're done!

Making hemp jewelry can be really fun, especially once you start adding beads, charms and pendants and exploring different colours.

I hope this was easy enough to understand and that you can make your own square knot hemp bracelets now!

Thanks,

Happy New Year! 2013

Happy New Year!

It's officially 2013 today! Which means it's time to reflect on the year that has passed and plan for the year ahead.

Just the other day I was thinking to myself, "How would I rate this year? Good, or bad?"

Because every year I either title it as a year that was overall a good year, or a not so good year. So of course my mind started racing. Is a year considered good if more good moments happened? And vice-versa? Is it based on how many good things have happened over bad things? Can one good moment outweigh several bad moments? How do you tell if a moment is bad or good?

Then I thought to myself, how can an entire year be good or bad? There is no such thing as a good or bad year.

I had to stop myself from thinking into this too much, because it's just one of those things that doesn't actually have a real answer.

I did end up reflecting on certain things that have taken place in my life over the past year that have shaped me into a better person, or lead me in a better direction. I feel as if I am finally becoming the person I was always meant to be. Truthfully, I think this is happening because of all my "failures." Like having to move out of our apartment, the job hopping, having to wait to go to college, etc.

It's almost like, when there's nothing to lose you feel more confident in chasing your dreams.

And that's what 2013 has in store for me.

I'm forcing myself to be brave, to try new things, new adventures and to swallow my fear of failing and just go for it! In fact, I've already started this in the past couple of months.

In 2012:

• Graduated high school.
• I started my first blog.
• Submitted a short story for a contest (never heard back, but the point is I sent it!)
• Opened an Etsy shop.
• Started being creative again.

My 2013 Goals:

Personal:

Health - Over a year and a half ago I was a much healthier and fitter person. I ate really good, exercised routinely and took care of myself. I don't have any good excuses for why I let myself slide back into bad habits (eating out a lot, being lazy), other than it was a rough couple of years financially. So this year I want to make a conscious effort to lose weight and get in shape.

Parenting - I used to do a lot more with Sidney. We were always going out and doing things but in the past few months we haven't been until just recently. Partly because I was working a lot before, and then when I wasn't working we didn't have much money. Since we've been busy most days over winter break, it's reminded me how much fun going out is, and that yes it's worth the extra effort and money. Also that there are tons of stuff to do that is free, or very inexpensive. So in 2013 I want to do more, to go out more and be a better, funner parent.

Growth - I want to simplify my life. Declutter my belongings, re-organize my room and start practicing mindfulness. I feel like this will help me to grow as a person. I'm also doing The Magic by Rhonda Byrne, but instead of blogging about it I'm just keeping a journal for now. There's also a course called Seven Paths to Freedom by Curtis Rivers I want to follow as well, maybe after I have completed The Magic.

Professional:

Blog - I would really like to expand my blog and make it better. It's been a good experience so far and I'm enjoying it a lot. I have a lot of ideas I want to do. Add recipes, crafts, maybe even do a series of interviews with other teen moms. I have a feeling this will be a good year for my blog.

Etsy - I opened my vintage shop on Etsy in October and since then have already made 13 sales. I am having so much fun on Etsy and it's proving to be a profitable venture. I have a lot of hobbies and I hope to turn some of them into Etsy shops as well. In fact, I'm working on a new shop right now and will be selling hemp jewelry. I hope to open it in about two weeks. I might even look into participating in craft shows.

Writing - Writing is a passion of mine. I don't put as much time into it as I would like to, or should, but my blog has been helping me get back into the habit of writing every day. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a novelist. And for the past five years I have been kicking around this one story idea but have been too scared to write it. I've always just thought that I had to write it perfect so that others would enjoy it. Now I've decided to just write it for myself, the way it should be. This year I want to at least start my novel.

College - Once winter break is over and Sidney goes back to school next week I have to go find out about funding and apply for college. If everything works out, and it should, I will be attending college (finally!) this fall! This is huge for me.

Work - Again, once winter break is over I need to start looking for a part time job to help bring in some money. Unfortunately there aren't too many places hiring but I feel confident I will find something within the month.

So that's it. My plans/goals for 2013.

What resolutions or goals have you made for 2013?

Thanks,

A List of Winter Break Activities For Kids

What To Do With Kids Over Winter?

With Sidney off of school for the next two weeks I've been busy trying to come up with fun activities to do. Unfortunately, I can't spend a ton of money so we are limited. However, our region has a strong focus on family and offers many enjoyable things to do with your kids. 

I know first hand that a lot of young moms aren't exactly rich. We are dealing with school,  starting a career, saving for a house and our children's college funds plus so much more. Money is tight, but we still want to enjoy our time with our little ones while they are young. So hopefully you can get some ideas out of my list and even though a lot of my listed activities are specific to the region we live, in your city might have similar programs. All you have to do is look it up online.

Things we might do that cost us basically nothing:

• Free skating at the mall (my mom bought Sid skates for $2 at the thrift store)
• Free skating at Central Park downtown
• Drop-in craft program at the library
• Rent a movie from the library (popcorn and juice is the only money we'll be spending on this!)
• Play at McDonald's indoor playground (costs me the price of a coffee and hot chocolate)
• A trip down to the farmer's market (spending money is optional, however I can't turn down delicious food - especially local produce!)
• Tobogganing (if we even get snow! Haven't seen much yet.)
• Play at the park, all wrapped up nice and warm
• Baking at home
• Walk the trails through Riverside park and feed the birds
• Playing with all our new Christmas toys of course!

Things we might do that cost us a little more:

• Drop in pottery class ($10)
• Indoor playground ($5 on Tuesdays)
• Indoor mini-golf ($5 each = $10)
• Region Museum all day pass ($5 for Sid, $10 for me = $15)

Things we might do that cost more:

• Tubing ($20 each = $40)
• Movies (about $10 each plus popcorn = $30)

There is a lot more around here we can do, but we only have two weeks and our funds are limited. I try to find and think up as many amusing things that are free, or cost very little. 

What are some things you like to do with the kids over the holidays/winter?

Thanks, 

PS - Because Sidney is on winter break now, I might not get around to blogging as much for the next two weeks.

Best Free Activities Are At The Library

photo credit: artsjournal.com

If you are anything like me than I'm going to assume you like free things. Because really, who doesn't? And the best kind of free, is free fun - at the library!

I don’t know much about other community libraries but I do know that the chain of libraries here in my city have so much fun, free things going on all year round.

They have:

• art exhibitions,
• plays,
• children drop-in activities,
• art programs,
• family reading nights,
• speeches,
• art sales,
• contests,
• and so much more.

Every March Break, PA Day and Winter Holidays there are fun events planned for kids and teenagers to participate in. And to top it off, the friendly staff at the libraries are always introducing new and exciting programs all the time!

That’s not even including the fact that you can take out books, DVDs, magazines and Cds for free.

BOOKS!

For someone like myself who is an avid reader I’m constantly in need of new books all the time. I take out fictional books, craft books, recipe books, business books, magazines and children’s book. Once a month I must take out at least 6 - 10 books!

MOVIES!

My daughter and I like to have movie nights on the weekend. We’ll go down to the library and choose a couple movies - one for her and one for me - and plan a family evening, and as long as you don’t return them late it’s absolutely free to take them out for 7 days. The movie selection is pretty good, too. Ranging from new releases to old classics like Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and television shows for kids and grownups.

MUSIC!

Bored of your CD collection? The library usually has plenty of those to choose from, too! No matter how often I go I always manage to find something new to listen to. Sure, I could hop on YouTube or listen to the radio, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to listen to an entire album without having to constantly go over and select a new song.

So why not check out your local library, if you haven’t already?

What’s your favourite part about the library?

Thanks,