Creativity in Overdrive!

I have learned over time that when I find myself in a very stressful time in life, I tend to bury myself in my work and various creative endeavors.  It has become obvious that trying to get our house sold with two little kids, two dogs, and a traveling husband has unleashed the obsessive creative monster in me.  So, I have decided to channel this energy into something positive...making Christmas gifts!

 I just finished making this serving tray out of an old Scrabble game for my Scrabble-loving Grandma.  I think it turned out pretty cool. My favorite parts are the handles, replaced with pieces of the little trays you set the letters on.  You can check out the whole project step-by-step on my Junk Mail Gems blog, here!

I've also tried making some soldered glass pendants that I hope to attach to some sort of charm bracelet down the road...

...have been turning old records into bowls...

...and have recently taken up needle felting.  I've always wanted to try it, and when my husband gave me the opportunity to leave the house kid-free and go wherever I wanted, I went to a local yarn store.

I picked up some colorful wool roving (loose wool fibers...before they've been spun into yarn), and some felting needles.  (needles with little barbs on them)
 

I've been wanting to make some felt beads, which I did do (above), but once I got into it I realized how fun it is to make pretty much anything you can imagine. Just do a Google Image Search on "needle felted" to see what I mean!

....like this jack-o-lantern pin above, or this little robin below (the first thing I made!)...

There is just something so therapeutic about repeatedly stabbing the fibers into submission with a barbed needle until they become the shape you want! It's also the type of project that requires all of your focus to avoid turning your hands into a finger-ka-bob with those Medieval torture devices they call "felting needles."  So, it's a great way to take your mind and eyes off of everything else. I am already trying to figure out which yarn store to hit up next for some more colors.  I will try to post more about how to do this in the future if anyone is interested!

Of course I can only work on this stuff when the kids are sleeping or playing, my freelance work is caught up, and I'm not preparing the house for another showing, which leaves not a lot of time.  But, I have really enjoyed making stuff over these past couple weeks and hope to emerge on the other side of fall with a sold house and a pile of great Christmas gifts to give! In the meantime, if you don't hear from me much, I'm probably off brutally stabbing my aggressions out on a ball of wool until it turns into another cuddly wittle birdie...

Let Baby Chew on This!

If you have kids, and you wear jewelry, you probably have experienced the dilemma of keeping the two apart. I know before I had kids and noticed that my nieces couldn't keep their hands and mouths off of my jewelry, I thought, "someone should make jewelry that's made for kids to chew!" Luckily, many people have done just that. Here are a few examples...

Momma's Jewels creates some pretty jewelry that's designed for baby to chew, even with rattles inside. I like these pretty bangles, that don't look like toys at all. (Via Inhabitots)

"Oh Plah," which is French for "here you go," is designed to stand up to your baby's teeth, and is even eco-friendly. When you're done with it, the company will pay for the shipping for it to be returned and recycled into another toy! (via Eco Child's Play)




SmartMom has some colorful coordinating "teething bling" bangles and pendants. While they are made to look like stones, these pendants are made from a soft, chewy silicone, safe for baby's mouth. If you're looking for a fun baby shower gift, give the new mommy the gift of an online shopping trip, and let her pick out her own with a gift card! An especially fun gift for the non-first-time mom who already has all the usual baby stuff.


Hmmm...I think I have an outfit that goes with this one. On second thought, maybe I should get another color, and then have an excuse to get a new outfit to go with it too! ;-)