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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Charmed by your necklace!......

....and your bracelet! And your belt! And all of those other Halloweenie thingies a-dingie-dangling from every limb and piece of furniture about you! And whaaaaat? Around your cat's neck too?*







































I distinctly remember the moment, years ago, when grandpa (back in that day known as "daddy") ventured to timidly suggest that, "Just because you have a coupon for something doesn't mean you necessarily have to buy the thing!" Um, huh? Yeah okay. Nice try. But what kind of an alien actually lives in a world like that? Today, five hundred weeks later, before the same amount of coupons from Hobby Lobby, Michael's and JoAnn's dared to expire, I have a collection of 40% off paper, ribbon, beads, striped paper straws, and craft punches that would blow away any little weirdo who hopped off any UFO!

But what to do with all this crazy-cute stuff?

Although three year old Bree isn't ready yet to design, punch, and string a necklace of her own, she certainly is ready to admire and wear the ones I made for her this week. We worked together, deciding on colors and placement for each element in the basic plan. She was ready for that, too!



Cut an appropriate length of ribbon or cord. Punch an assortment of paper shapes. Trim a few straws to inch lengths and offer a handful of beads in coordinating colors. You will also need a hole punch and rubber cement for assembling center medallions. Assemble jewelry by stringing components as shown above.

As a "crazy-about-being-a-grandma" person, I have planned "girly-girl" sleepover parties for my four granddaughters since the moment they were born. Food, crafts, entertainment....grandma and grandpa busting into the house at 5 AM to heat up the griddle for morning's pancake sculpture breakfast......it's all in my head, although some might suggest it's time to start writing it all down!

We'll have a Halloween-ing Sleepover, too! I think I'll make this project up into little kits for the girls to work on in between getting their finger and toe nails painted like jack-o-lanterns and ghosts, watching scary movies from beneath a glow-stick-lit blanket tent while shoveling down "monster munch" and recoiling in terror from the creepy hand shadows grandma makes from outside that shakin' and shiverin' spooky shelter!

If my granddaughters lived far away, I'd mail them each a kit in mid-October and include some cute candy to munch on while they assemble their jewelry. In fact, I like this idea so much that I think I'll pack the kits into cute little take-out containers and mail 'em off to the granddaughters of two very dear friends of mine. One's in California and the other's in Pennsylvania. Bet those will be arriving very soon!

* Sorry about the cat jewelry visual - "photo not available!"...and no longer is the necklace - unless a scattered pile of beads and shredded string is something you'd like to see! No. Our feline "modeling session" did not go well....the ultimate in "what-was-I-thinking?!" moments!

These designs, like all blog content, are intended for personal use only. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Thank you!

32 comments:

  1. What fun necklaces! I'm sure the girls loved them!

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  2. Very cute! I think a few of these would look great on my Halloween tree:@)

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  3. Those are so ridiculously cute! I'm with you on the coupons thing too! ;)

    I'm a new follower from the Bloglovin' Hop! I hope you'll stop by to visit me too: Desert Momma

    Thanks!

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  4. Such fun - and I see over at Debra's that you sent a fun box to them. How sweet of you. I miss those days when my grandsons were into the simple crafts - it challenges me to think of things to do when they are here. I've told them to be thinking about cooking something next time, and to let me know what it is that they want to cook, so I can have the ingredients handy. Maybe some Halloween cut-out cookies (I did make a few suggestions, but they are free to pick something of their own). One time one of them wanted to bake a chicken, so we did - it was great fun.

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  5. Presents? We get presents? Oh - the present is for Amara... But I promise there will be pictures to share. Thank you so much! What a wonderful (and thoughtful) surprise. I love my Grandma Blogging Friends!

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    1. Oh and that is a wonderful picture of Bree! She has the sweetest smile - bet she gives good hugs, too!

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  6. Joyce, any time I come over here, I know I'm going to have fun and get inspired! :) Sure enough, your comment about "If my granddaughters lived far away, I'd mail them each a kit in mid-October and include some cute candy to munch on while they assemble their jewelry" really struck a chord with me. My 12 month old grandson lives only 1/2 mile away from me, but my 10 month old granddaughter lives over 2,000 miles away. :( I mail her things occasionally, but I need to increase that. I am a new grandmama, and I definitely learn from those of you who have been doing it a little longer (and oh-so-well!). Thank you for all the tips!

    I loved your sweet picture of Miss Bree!

    Love, Joy
    Yesterfood

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  7. That had to be really fun, and they are really cute.

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  8. So much fun and so nice of you to share and make other little ones thrilled with their packages. I chuckled about your pancakes because I always make faces on my grandsons's when he is here for breakfast. Oh, what we grandmas will do to make our grandkids happy campers. :-)

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  9. Hi, I'm coming from the Blog Hop Blitz. These are so cute :) We can also replace the pumpkins with other designs so it can be used just anytime of the day for more fun! Hugs from Pink Heart String.

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  10. Precious! I think I have some Halloween necklace makings left from last year. I should be able to stretch them out with some ribbon and paper. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  11. Those are so cute. What an adorable idea. My daughter would love them. I laughed about him then being known as "daddy"; they grow up fast, don't they? LOL. I always take a coupon to Hobby Lobby. I try not to go more than once a week, but sometimes the car just seems to steer me in that direction...

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  12. I know that your grandkids each must look forward to spending time with you, because of all your thoughtful plans. Love the idea of a kit.

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  13. These are so cute, I want some! You know they make people smile, no matter the age of the person wearing them! :O)

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  14. Oh these necklaces are just too cute for Halloween. What a fun grandma you are!

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  15. You always feature the cutest crafts on your blog!
    Thanks for stopping by today.
    I hope you have a wonderful week! :-)

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  16. This is so adorable! My favorite is the one with the spider because it has all that purple! It's funny because my hubs says the same thing about coupons! But I end up using them anyway! I'm sure that is going to be a rockin sleep over Miss J!
    And about the kitty necklace...well I can only imagine I found one of mine "eating" my halloween brooms!!! go figure with these kitties!

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  17. These are awesome! Would be a cute craft idea for a Halloween party. Thanks for sharing at the Blog Hop Blitz!

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  18. These are too cute, Joyce! Another home run from Grandma!

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  19. Pinned Miss J! You know I love them! Thank You so much for stopping by and sharing them at the Fluster Buster party, Lizy your party co host!

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  20. Hello I am coming by from the meet & Greet Blog Hop,
    Love the name of your blog!! That necklace is cute. My little boy would love to make something like that!
    I am one of your newest Google followers. I would love if you could visit me..
    http://thisolemom.blogspot.com

    Have a great night,
    Kim

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  21. I would love to get a whole bunch of these kits for my son's kindergarten class. How fun!

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    1. I forgot to say I found you at the four seasons blog hop. :) AND if you have a coupon yes you should!! hehehe

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  22. How cute and it won't be long until she is ready to punch and string! I needed one of your 40% off coupons a couple of weeks ago when I went on a Michaels binge! Thank you for sharing your cute creations on the Four Seasons Blog Hop! Can't wait to see what you bring next week.
    Easy Life Meal & Party Planning

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  23. How fun! they are all so cute. I bet they were a hit! thank you for sharing at TTF this week!

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  24. Those really are such fun. I still like to make cute kid stuff....for myself! It feels good! Enjoy your weekend my friend!

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  25. Thanks for linking to What'd You Do This Weekend. We are celebrating Halloween at Saturday Dishes. You should like these there too. Awesome ideas.

    Linda @ Tumbleweed Contessa
    www.tumbleweedcontessa.com

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  26. These are just so darn cute! I look forward to crafting with my Grandson when he gets a bit older. Thanks for linking to TTF.

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  27. So cute thanks for sharing at the party! Theresa @DearCreatives

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  28. Well grandma has put a smile on that gorgeous little face, what a fun idea

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