My Gospel Standards

I like to hang things on the walls of my home that have significance and so I have been looking for years for a cute version of My Gospel Standards.  I love the standards that are laid out and wanted a daily reminder hanging up so my children could see it, but I also wanted something that matched my style.  I searched all over Etsy and Pinterest but could never find something that I loved.  And so I took matters into my own hands and created something for myself.

 If you would like to print this you can click on the image and then right click to save it.  This is sized to be a 16x20 poster which I then printed at Costco.

I love these reminders hanging in my loft now!  If you use this image I'd love to see what you do with it!  You can tag us on instagram @servingpinklemonade.  Enjoy!

Custom Pendant Necklaces

Please Note: I have had numerous emails asking for the temple picture that I used for these necklaces.  If you are looking for it you can find it here.  Thanks!

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Each year I like to give the girls in  my Activity Days group at church (8-11 year old girls) a little gift for Christmas.  This year I decided to make them these temple pendant necklaces after finding the idea on Sugardoodle.

I bought the supplies from SSC Supplies on Etsy.  The chains, pendants, and stones come in bulk packages and each necklace ended up costing about one dollar total.

I used the clear stone to trace around the images I wanted and then cut them out.  I added a thin layer of mod podge to the back of the picture and then placed it in the pendant.  I then added a thin layer of mod podge to the back of the stone and placed it on top of the picture (already placed inside the pendant) pressing hard to remove any bubbles.  

Note:  I originally tried this process using clear gel tacky glue and it made the ink on my image bleed.  The mod podge method worked perfectly.

I let them dry for 24 hours and then added the chains.  I think they turned out lovely.

I made a few more using scrapbook paper too.  There are so many possibilities with these necklaces!  I think they would make a fun project for young girls or youth groups to make as well since the process is simple enough (and the price is right!).

Once completed I packaged the necklaces into some jewelry boxes (three for $1 at Dollar Tree).

 . . . And dressed up the boxes with a little washi tape.  No need to wrap!  I think they turned out cute.

Gifts Kids Can Make: Baking Soda Oranments

These homemade ornaments are a fun gift that kids can make or simply a fun craft to do with them any time of the year.  Last year my kids made some for their grandparents for a Christmas gift and this year I made them with my Activity Day Girls group at church.

I love the pure white look of the baking soda ornaments compared to the look of the salt dough ones.  These are so easy to make and worth giving a try.

To make the dough:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup corn starch

1 1/4 cups water

In a medium sized pot combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water.  Stir mixture over medium heat.  After a few minutes the mixture will start to boil and thicken.  When it looks like smooth mashed potatoes remove dough from the heat and transfer to a bowl.  Cover dough with a damp cloth or paper towel until it's cool.  

Once cool, knead the dough on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet to dry.  Use a thin straw to place a hole at the top of the ornament for hanging.  My kids love to decorate the ornaments with stamps and I love how pretty it looks.  Let ornaments dry on the tray overnight, turning over the next day to continue drying.  To dry ornaments faster bake them in a 175 degree oven for 1 hour, or until completely hard, turning over after 30 minutes.  Once dry the ornaments can be painted (I love how they look just being white though) and string a ribbon through for hanging.

Homemade Magnets

These homemade magnets make a fun gift.  I had my daughter help make a set to give to her teachers aid at school for teacher appreciation week.  I also had the girls in my 8-11 year old activity days group at my church make them for a mothers day gift.

With a stack of coordinating scrapbook paper you can get really carried away making them too.  There are just so many fun and cute combinations to do.  And the best part is packaging them!  I got this fantastic packaging idea from Sabby.  Want to know what it is?

First you have to make your magnets.  Start with some clear one inch stones.  I get a bag of them from the dollar store.  Decide what paper you want to use, lay your stone down, and trace around the the stone with a pencil.  Cut it out (slightly smaller than your outline), brush a tin layer of modge podge on your stone and lay the paper on top.  Add another thin layer of modge podge on the back and allow to dry.  Once dry apply your magnets using a hot glue gun.

Now here comes the awesome packaging part.  Cut out a piece of cardboard and glue washers where you want your magnets to be (I use tacky glue).

When you place your magnets on top of the washers they stick!  Awesome, huh?

Now slip your package into a clear bag and add a topper using coordinating scrapbook paper.  Doesn't that make for a fun presentation?  I just love it!

I know teacher appreciation day is long past but I'm curious, for all you teachers out there, what kinds of gifts do you appreciate the most?

Simple Christmas Nativity

I'm the leader of the 8-11 year old Activity Day Girls program at my church.  We meet twice a month and make crafts, do service projects or activities, and form friendships.  

During the Christmas season I always try my best to focus on the real meaning of Christmas so I wanted to do an activity with the girls during the month of December that reflected that.  I thought this nativity I found at Learning To Be Me was beautiful and really loved the simplistic look. It was also simple enough that our group could finish it in one night.

I was able to pick up all my supplies at Hobby Lobby.

Supplies:

Ball knob 1 1/4"

Rectangle 2 3/8" x 1 1/2" x 3/16"

Furniture button 1/2"

1" x 5" wood block

1" x 4" wood block

Paint colors of choice

Glue

Twine

This is all you need for one nativity.

After letting a quick coat of paint dry, I glued the pieces together using some tacky glue and tied around a piece of twine.  Simple and lovely.

This is a great gift to make for family and friends and it's simple enough that you can easily whip up several at once.  It's also simple enough to make with your kids, or better yet have your kids make them as gifts.

Back to School Mini Survival Kit

It seems like just about everyone in the country has started school but us. Out here school doesn't start until tomorrow. I know, it's late.

I'm a leader for our church's 8-11 year old girls group and to gear them up for school we made mini school survival kits last week for them to keep in their backpacks.

To make them, I picked up these Q-tip packs I found at the dollar store. (Can't find cute little cotton swab packs like this? What about a travel soap bar container?)

With the Q-tips taken out they make the perfect little case, just right for filling up with goodies to stick in your backpack.

One kit includes:

2 wet wipes

2 mints

1 hair elastic

1 card for listing emergency information

Several band-aids

Pocket tissues (which were slightly too big to fit in, but we included them anyways)

All nice and snug in a compact little case.

Now we're all ready for back to school.

Interested in assembling your own?

You can print your own labels by clicking on the links below.

First aid kit cover

Emergency information card

First aid kit labels (For Avery labels size 8252)