Making A Wall Jewelry Hanger

In my previous post, I talked a bit about making a homemade Christmas.  This is one of the projects my daughter in law and I are working on.

It's a jewelry hanger for the wall, made out of a picture frame, plastic canvas, and clear plastic bulliton board pins.  While this one is plastic, the ones we're working on now are made out of wood.  You can hang necklaces or bracelets from the pins, and earrings or broaches go through the plastic canvas, making them handy for choosing your jewelry for the day, or keeping certain collections together in one spot.  This hangs on the wall like a regular picture frame.

To make one of these, first get a plain plastic or wooden picture frame.  You'll want to measure the bottom first, and I've found 1" increments work well, offset 1/2" from each side.  For setting the pins into a plastic frame, heat the metal part of the pin briefly in a flame, (a candle flame works very well for this), then gently push it into the plastic.  The plastic should melt slightly around the pin.  If it doesn't go all the way in the first time, take the pin out while it's still warm and reheat in the candle flame. 

For a wooden frame, sometimes you can just push the pin all the way in, and sometimes it takes a little coaxing with a small hammer.  Once the pins are in, if they're poking out on the back, take a pair of wire cutters and clip of the sharp points.

Next, flip the frame over and cut the plastic canvas to fit inside the frame.  Using hot glue, glue the plastic canvas into the frame (so it can't be seen from the front). 

You can add picture hanger hardware to the back as well if desired.  The larger the picture frame, the more jewelry it will hold.  These are so nice and handy, and they are simple to make.  Since frames come in an endless variety, you can make them as dressy or as plain as you like, just make sure there's a flat area to hold the pins.  Plastic canvas also comes in a variety of colors, so you can create something to color-coordinate with a particular color scheme. 

Since these are fairly flat, they are also pretty easy to wrap and ship.  Enjoy!  :)

Ah, The Holidays Are Upon Us Once More :)

And with them, the frenzy of the holiday season.

My home is a little different than most during this time however.  I usually do a mostly homemade Christmas, and it usually starts in August lol, so I'm a little late this year.  The tradition started when I was a single mom with 3 kids at home, fresh out of a women's shelter, and we had so little for the holidays it was painful to even think about.  To give you an idea, $10 for the materials to make enough Christmas ornaments to cover an entire 6' tree was extravegent.  I did manage to cover the tree that year though, with the help of a Dollar General (for a string of lights and garland), and a Walmart for 3-pronged clear, red and green beads, pipe cleaners and a small skein of gold ribbon for candy cane and wreath homemade ornaments.  (The candy canes looked a lot like these ).  The tree ended up looking beautiful and sparkled, not the Charlie Brown tree I was afraid I was going to end up with. 

From those humble beginnings, the tradition grew.  One year I made baked goods for presents, another year I made homemade candles, and many years I put my needleworking skills to use, making special things for the people I care about most.  One of the things I've noticed, doing these things over the years, is how much I enjoy doing it now.  When I start on a project for someone, I know I'll spend hours reflecting on happy memories of that person while I'm making that special gift for them.  And lets face it--getting a cheezy present I can "afford" from a mass retailer just doesn't mean the same thing.  I can't imagine how many hours I've put into making things for others, hours of effort and loving attention, smiles at imagining them enjoying the fruits of my efforts.  It makes the holidays much less an excercise in obligation (fighting the holiday crowds, spending money I don't have in an effort to impress) and much more an excercise in the loving devotion to that person to spend hours or days, sometimes much longer, just to put a smile on their face and remind them of my love for them. 

I would not mind having an almost entirely homemade Christmas every year.  They are special, and the time people put into them are sooooo beyond price.  They are an expression of love and devotion to others.   It is a reminder of the "Reason for the Season". 

A Full House :)

My chickens have come home to roost--literally!  With a tough economy and a little lack of planning, one by one 3 of my 4 adult kids has migrated home, adding a new wife and 2 babies to the mix as well. 

I see it as a great blessing!  I have friends who have shared with me that one or more of their children have moved home, and while they love their kids, they seem to have a lot of underlying worry or stress with the situation, and it seems to be such a hardship for them.  I don't know why my situation is so different, but I suspect it has to do with family structure and perspective.  Let me explain.

I run a Matriarchy, a long and archaic term which basically means I'm the unquestioned head of the household, the boss, the big cheeze, the rule setter, and ultimately, the person responsible for making the household run smoothly, both financially and socially.  That's established before anyone moves back home, that there are still rules, and they will be respected or people will be finding alternative living situations.  Being a single mom for over 15 years, I'm used to running the show.  But we've had some transitions as well.  My kids (including my daughter-in-law) are free to come to me with ideas on how to improve the way things are run or changes they'd like to see, we have a civilized and respectful discussion, I ask a lot of questions, and if it sounds like something that's workable, we start approaching the other "occupiers" to get their thoughts and opinions.  If we can get everyone on board and figure out what everyone's role is in making it happen, it works well. 

What does that look like?  Well, currently we have 6 people stuffed into a 3 bedroom apartment, W. & J. (my two adult bachelors) in one bedroom, R., H., and O. (my married son, his beautiful wife, and their 4 month old son) in another bedroom, and I have my own bedroom.  However, we have some changes coming about shortly.  My daughter S., who is currently in rehab, is projected to be coming home sometime after January, which is also when W. is headed to boot camp (go MARINES!).  That means either we need to get a home with another bedroom OR someone's getting evicted, and that's the way I presented the issue to the kids.  R., who seems to have endless energy sometimes, has been helping motivate people to create better employment situations for themselves, is doing the same for himself, and has located a 4 bedroom house that would suit us well (3 bedrooms on the main floor and a master suite/family room that would work well for his family in the basement), and we will be going to look at it next week.  The amazing thing is that everyone is on board with this and is pulling in the same direction, and barring any great obstacles, we should be calling a new residence home very soon.

Another way this functions well is we have 2 vehicles in the family, 1 working and 1 not so much.  (The property we're looking at has a 2 car garage--perfect for working on vehicles, a 2-car driveway, and on-street parking for an additional 6 vehicles).   We also have 2 bicycles in good working order, so the way this works currently is that W., who owns the running truck, uses his vehicle to work and get to his other events, and several times a week ferries someone else to appointments they have to attend.  In the meantime, at least 1 of the bikes is in constant use, the other one is in occasional use, and everyone walks when needed.  It's also a great motivator, with the weather turning colder, for everyone to work on getting their own vehicles, and once we're moved, R. and W. plan to put a torque converter in the other vehicle so it can go into service for the family.  As more vehicles are added to the family portfolio, strength and options will also be added. 

As a family, we're also making a lot of "one-pot" dinners that will feed everyone.  We take turns, of course, and have enjoyed spaghetti and linguini as well as homemade potato and bean soups.  I think the biggest downside is I may have to invest in a much bigger soup pot!  These are meals that can be cooked in great quantities for very little cost, are nutritious and hearty.  (The goal is that everyone enjoys the meal and no one walks away hungry). 

I think one of the biggest reasons this is all working is we truly enjoy each other's company, and while differences of opinion are present, they are managed in a civilized and loving manner.  We're all working together to maintain and improve both our individual and collective situation, and we're having a lot of fun, laughing and carrying on along the way.  There's nothing like a contest of who can remember the most famous quotes or who can think up the most creative idea for building a skyscraper to entertain everyone (sans computer, tv, and cell phones).  It has the joy of a perpetual family get together.  Life is good, family is great, and all things are possible, even in challenging times and circumstances.  :)