Simple memory box & some other stuff!!

This one is easy and you can do it on any type of box you want to do it to.  I choose a sturdy wooden box and then simply printed out thumbnails of all my family/special pictures and used Mod Podge to attach the pictures.

 You need these items to do this gift. 

It was easy, but a little time consuming but worth it!  

I did this for my husbands gift for our anniversary.  Inside the box I put 366 (this year is leap your so there are 366 days) Popsicle sticks where on each of them I had written a reason I love him.  He gets to read one a day for the next year (I have done this for him for years, sometimes on cards, sometimes on little notes, but each day he does start the day with a reminder of why i love him & am thankful for him).

We are often called a very 'cheesy couple', but who cares what other people think.  On the front of the box I put a note that said "thanks for 'sticking' with me for 14 years and looking forward to many more.  We find e/o to be very punny ;)

I put a piece of wood in the middle of the box to separate the box so he can easily tell the sticks he has read verses the ones he has not (sometimes he keeps them, so I made sure he could if he wanted to).

Memory Game with a twist :)

I saw another person post a memory game idea.  Using pictures of family as the game pieces and I thought, hey....I can totally make that a little more interesting!!  So I did.  I used old pictures and the match was the memory that went with them.  For my 14th wedding anniversary I took pictures from us dating and notes/ticket stubs and scanned them into my computer.  I printed them out and using Mod Podge attached them on to the hearts I had already painted.  He loved the gift and we had a lot of laughs remembering those moments.  It was a great way to remember old times and a great game to see what your husband actually can remember ;)

 I bought cheap wooden hearts at the craft store and painted them red with acrylic paint (our anniversary is Valentine's Day so it had to be red for us)

 Then I printed out the pictures and also the typed up memories to go with them and attached them to the wooden hearts with Mod Podge.

Here is the game, all laid out with the answers shown...I was thinking it could also be used for the kids when they are learning states, multiplication tables etc.  In those cases don't know that i would do more than just print out the pieces ;)

My love for Sea turtles

In Hawaii my love for these amazing endangered animals came to life full force!
Loved swimming with these turtles and can't wait to go back one day!

I love Sea Turtles.  I love all turtles and basically all animals.  I am blessed to be able to have taken these pictures myself.  I took these in Hawaii.  This is a Green Sea Turtle to the left and below too.

I believe it matters that we take care of the earth God gave us and that does include His creatures.

It was like she was looking right at me as we swam together
for about an hour!

Best picture i got that day.

This is a Baby Loggerhead Sea Turtle.  I get to volunteer with Caretta Research Project and help these awesome creatures!!  Can you believe they start out this small,...such an amazing feeling to hold these little treasures!  Such a gift from God to be able to do that & try to help them....it does take a village.

sand castle

I made these for my brother in laws wedding.  It was fun and they were worth all the work.  For a beach themed wedding it was a cheap centerpiece over all for sure!

This was for the head table.  I used regular molds for the other tables but for the main table I used a Disney Mold and added a few extra touches :)

The recipe:  4 cups sand (I got sand from the Home Depot store)
2 cups Corn starch
2 cups water.

Use an old pot, it will be destroyed by the sand.  You cook it on medium heat and begin to stir it as soon as you turn on the heat.  If you don't keep stirring the sand it will actually clump and burn.

The Sand should look like this when you are done.  Take it out and place it on newspaper (again, it is sand DO NOT just put on your counter, it will scratch it).  Let it cool and then put it in your mold.  drill 4 holes in the top of your mold, it helps the castle be able to come out easier when you are done.  Also, spray the mold with Pam cooking spray before placing sand inside.

The sand gets heavy, so I used styrofoam to fill up the center so the castles were not as heavy and I also didn't have to cook so much sand.  Make sure you pack the sand down the BEST you can.  The better you pack the sand in the less 'fix' work you will have to do.

Cover they styrofoam and let it sit only for a few minutes then place the cookie sheet or cake sheet you are going to keep the sand castle on and flip over to dump it out.  If it won't come out I did find pounding on the top of the castle works and sometimes squeezing the sides a little too (depending on how frustrated i was pounding it helped my mood too).

This is basically what it looks like when it comes out.  I had extra sand and filled in any cracks, holes or whatever to make it even.  Then I used sculpting tools to create the shape or design textures I wanted.  I found clay tools worked great, but also used stamps for shapes or even thumb tacks for some looks.

The way to keep it from cracking once it dries fully, I used Modge Podge (I like the shiny look but you can use any of the different types of Mod Podge).  I put a layer on right away as I finished the detail work, then added more layers as the castle dried.  I had these out in my house for at least a week for each one as I worked on them.  I would add more Mod Podge to make it more sturdy and if a crack appeared I would fix it.  I did find using regular acrylic paint helped hide the little cracks.  I am a perfectionist when it comes to my crafts, so many people won't mind the little cracks, some people won't even see them.  I did see them and couldn't ingore them.  But, in the end, you add candles you add whatever you want.  Each castle I made was very unique and not one looked the same as the other.  I had to do this for 9 tables and honestly it made the room look so good.  It tied the beach theme she wanted into the reception perfectly.

I added the shells from the beach trips we take we have a lot of those here and i did add a picture of the wedding couple as an added touch.  I used Mod Podge to attach the picture.  I did use a variety of pictures to add an even more persoanl touch. I really enjoyed doing this, it didn't cost much but did take a lot of time.  I don't mind taking my time and found that i really enjoyed the detail work.  I do know this is a lot to do, for me it was fun.  Some people may find it a little to much detail work & too much time needed...but you don't have to go all out like I did.  I still have one in my house, it lasted the drive to Myrtle Beach and back and the wedding couple as still have theirs.  So, in the end it was fun and very much worth it!