Saturday, December 29, 2012

New Year's Metallic Dot Wreath

Josie was curious as to why there really weren't any decorations for New Year's for sale in any of the stores. I told her that it is so close to Christmas (and everyone is broke!) that there really isn't much decorating going on. I take down my Christmas decorations usually on the 26th or 27th of December, though, and our front door was begging for something festive. So I came up with this quick and simple wreath to help ring in the New Year!
 

You will need:
 
-a foam wreath form (I picked up my 8 inch green foam wreath at the Dollar Store and covered it with white grosgrain)
 
- two different sizes of circle punches, mine are 2" and 11/2")
 
-scrapbook paper ( I bought 6 different metallic pieces of 8 1/2 x 11, but you could definitely only use 3 pieces if you didn't want as many colors. It makes this project super cheap because it is about $0.30 a piece.)
 
-straight pins
 

I accessorized with a variety of things: watches (scrapbook embellishments left over from this shower), three different kinds of metallic ribbons and some alphabet stickers (Hobby Lobby for $1!)

Not including the straight pins, watches or the ribbon (because I already owned all that, and I only used a minimal amount of ribbon) this project came in around $4! Definitely can swing that-even after Christmas.



I started by punching 6 large dots of each color, and 7 each of the small ones. I didn't need that many of the little ones. I randomly placed the dots and and used a straight pin attach them to the wreath. Since my pins were small and silver, I wasn't concerned with some of them showing.

I covered most of the wreath with the large dots and then filled in with the smaller ones, and a few more large ones. I wanted a random effect, so I didn't have any kind of pattern. I just put them on where I thought they looked good.

I cut a rectangle of paper, and used the smaller punch to round the ends. I used the stickers to spell out "Happy 2013". I was a little disappointed that there was no exclamation point.:) I simply looped ribbon through three of the watches, and overlapped them, fastening them with the watches. I attached the banner with glue dots.
 
I was very happy with how it turned out. Festive without being overwhelming. It would be so easy to use this for a variety of occasions. I think if I had tons of money I would have used a larger wreath form, but I already had the smaller one on hand. I also contemplated using printed papers, but I love the simplicity of the plain ones. It is hard to believe 2012 is almost over, but I am excited about all the possibilities of 2013! 

Friday, December 28, 2012

Changing Up Christmas

So, if you thought my ribbon tree was "patriotic"-check out the rest of my decor. To me, it doesn't seem "4th of July" simply because I would never use turquoise for that holiday, but it doesn't really matter, because I loved changing all my stuff!

Our tree, as seems to be the norm now, was ridiculous. Long, painful story, but we cut it ourselves, and after three hours of looking this was the best we could do. I promised Joel that next year we will just buy a tree from a lot!;) I actually liked its personality-I don't love cookie-cutter trees, or decorations, so it was fun.


I know lots of people think tinsel garland is tacky, but I thought for our gap-holed little tree that it gave it some kitsch. I used all the red ornaments that I already owned and bought about 8-10 new turquoise ones from Walmart for $1 each. I bought a 6 pack of glitter turquoise balls from Hobby Lobby to round it out. Our tree was unable to hold a tree-topper, so I skipped that part!

This was supposed to be a candy cane wreath, but time ran out. Instead, I piled all my candy canes in a dish from the Dollar Store, and I thought the little "Merry" sign from Michael's (also a buck) was cute in front of it. It turned out to be one of Joel's favorite things.

I had a ball wrapping my gifts this year. I love to wrap gifts, and I prefer paper over bags. I only used coordinating papers, and that made it so much more fun! I didn't buy anything this year-all of it was clearance from last year. It was absolutely providential that I bought it all in the colors I decided on-the turquoise paper was from two years ago!

I used all kinds of embellishments and mostly only fabric ribbon. I put on ornaments, candy canes, and lots of bows! I was really pleased with how cohesive it looked. 

My new stockings were the most expensive, but I absolutely loved them! I didn't want matchy-matchy, and I am somewhat opposed to ones with embroidered names (I don't know why) and these were perfect! I also loved the little red glitter tree that you can see at the top-Hobby Lobby!

My ribbon tree found a home on one of the lower shelves and I thought it tied it all together nicely.

I hung my snowflakes from last year in my kitchen pass-through, interspersed with ornaments on fishing wire. I liked being able to use something I already had, but in a completely different way. I couldn't get them to stop turning long enough to get a decent photo.

I thought the fireplace needed a little color, so I threw together a simple pennant banner from scrapbook paper. You can't see it, but there are snowflakes on one of the red papers, and another says "Merry Christmas"- it made it feel more holiday.

Another thing that I didn't get a great photo of was my ornament bowl. I filled it will matte, shiny, and glitter ornaments in different sizes. Would you believe there are over 60 balls in that bowl?! I used leftover banner paper to mat this adorable printable, that is framed above the bowl, and I loved the way it turned out.

And that's it! I was thrilled with how fresh it felt-we hadn't replaced our decorations since we got married, and they weren't really "me" anymore. I love the unexpected! Using a color I already had in my living room (turquoise) helped to pull it together. I got a lot of impact without spending a ton of money and best of all-it was really simple to store. 

Monday, December 24, 2012

If Christmas Makes You Cry

 
"There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
    
       At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
"Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him."

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

    Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!"  
                                                Luke 2:8-20 (The Message)

     Read that. Read it again. And again. Read it until you really comprehend what it says: Jesus came to earth for us. It gets me every time. Right now, typing, tears are streaming down my face. My kids have kind of gotten used to the fact that I can't ever read the Christmas story without crying. Or hear " I Celebrate the Day" without sobbing.

And I really don't care because I've decided that its okay if Christmas makes me cry. I know emotions hit people differently: Mary held those things dear while the shepherds belted them out. And I think that if the fact that my Savior came without any fanfare other than a couple of smelly ranchers makes my eyes well up, then maybe that's a good thing.

JESUS CAME. The Lord gave the people precious little advance notice-almost no one was prepared. Mary knew He was coming, but still all she had with her were a couple of blankets-no ideal nursery. Joseph knew, but he couldn't even find a real room!

I think that God didn't want us to be ready-because there is no way we ever could have been. You can't make things perfect for the One who is Perfect. And so God showed us grace even in this: Jesus came when we weren't ready, and through His coming when we weren't  prepared, He prepared us Himself to receive Him. And that fact that He did everything-from start to finish-just makes me so overwrought with emotion...

Let Christmas make you cry. It's a good thing to recognize that no matter what would have been waiting for Him, it would have never been good enough. We could have had the most gorgeous palace, the finest linens, the most prestigious guests, and we still would have fallen so short of the Glory that it would have been ludicrous. So, instead of demanding we kill ourselves trying to achieve the unachievable, God surprised us instead. He sent His one and only Son, the Heart of His heart, to save us instead of condemning us to death.

So the real shock isn't that the Holiest One was brought into a lowly, filthy manager, but that He can come into our disgusting, selfish, sin-sick hearts and turn them into exactly what that stable became: a place of great rejoicing, filled with His presence, and making nothing else matter. And the fact that He did that for me, well, I really hope that never stops making me cry.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Red and Turquoise Ribbon Tree

I have decided that when it comes to "crafty" things, often Pinterest is a better springboard for my own ideas than a "how-to" manual. I saw a pin for  a tree made with paper strips here. I loved the concept, but I decided that I was changing my Christmas decor colors this year, and I knew it wouldn't be easy to find double sided scrapbook paper this time of year in turquoise and red. Also, I would have needed to trim my paper with a paper cutter. I would *love* one of those, but I don't currently have one. So, I decided to make mine with ribbon!
 

I picked up all my supplies at Hobby Lobby (trying to make sure I support them!)
 
- a 3 7/8x6 7/8 inch foam tree (with my color scheme a white tree would have been preferable, but they only had green)
 
-5 rolls of 3/8 inch ribbon, 15 feet each. Yes, you WILL need that much ribbon! I also used about 18 inches for the bow at the top of a different ribbon.
 
-some type of small ornament or decoration for the top of your tree if it is like mine, which was flat at the top.
 
-straight pins. A bunch, I didn't count how many!
 
The whole thing cost me about $8 dollars (I used my 40% off coupon on the tree).
 
 
 
Start by cutting your ribbon into six inch segments. I used a ruler to wrap my ribbon around, cut the ends and then cut all those sections in half. It doesn't have to be perfect.
 
I realized that I would need to cover up just the bottom part of my tree because the green showed through the bottom layer. Once I added the second layer it covered better. So I used some wider plain red ribbon wrapped around the bottom and pinned on to keep the green from showing.
 
This is just about the easiest project ever! You match the ends of each strip together and poke a pin through the end into the tree. Try to keep the rows relatively even and I just started each row about two inches above the one below it. I alternated red and turquoise ribbons, and I overlapped each strip just the tiniest bit so there wouldn't be any empty spots.
 
I finished off the top of my tree by wrapping it with a little strip of ribbon to cover up all the pin heads. I tied a bow on top of the ornament (the circle on top was for a hook, but I thought the ribbon was just perfect!) and hot glued the ornament on the flat place at the top of the tree.
 
The whole thing only took me a little over an hour! A friend commented that they thought it looked a little more "4th of July" than Christmas, but I'm not offended. It makes me happy every time I look at it! And I love it with this amazing printable I got from "The Crafted Sparrow". I really think it is just so sweet when people give away adorable stuff like that for free. Now go, make your own adorable tree!

 


 
 
 

 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Mixed Up Snowman Snack

Today was "Pajama Party" for the kids at Bible study. They were asked to bring a snack to share, and I really liked this recipe on Pinterest from "Gourmet Mom on the Go". It was for a trail mix that was supposed to mimic the pieces of a snowman. However, her recipe called for orange sprinkles for the noses- maybe she bought hers after Halloween, but I couldn't find those. Then it also called for mini marshmallows. I wanted the kids to actually be able to assemble a snowman, which wasn't really possible with tiny marshmallows. And, finally, I didn't really love her poem. So I "Clare-ified" it. (You like that?!)
 
 
Here's what I came up with:
 
 
For each snack you will need:
 
1/2 tbsp. of mini chocolate chips


3 regular marshmallows
3 Junior mints
5 "Mike and Ike" candies
1/3 of a Fruit Roll-up (approximately) cut into 3 pieces-this makes the "scarf"
a scant handful of pretzel sticks

Throw all that into a bag, and then add the poem. I printed mine onto Avery shipping labels, the 2x4 inch size (48863) is perfect for this kind of thing.I know you are entertained to read my attempt at poetry so here you go:


Mixed Up Snowman Snack

 Start with marshmallow snow balls, add a funky mint hat,
some chocolate chip eyes, are you ready for that?  
Put on a cozy scarf-made of rolled fruit!
Add a jelly bean nose, won’t that be cute?
Finish up with arms of pretzel stick,
 and he’ll be ready to fill your tummy right quick!
 
Basically, I don't think I am a better poet, but by the time I made my changes, her poem didn't fit. I realized she did a pretty good job with her's, because it is hard to make some of that stuff rhyme!
 
 
Honestly, I wanted to use donut holes instead of the marshmallows, but I realized after I put it together, that probably wouldn't have worked as well. However, if you don't plan on putting them together, those would be yummier, in my own opinion! It is really easy to put these together, you don't need any extra components!
 
 
It is really easy to put these together, you don't need any extra components! Start by pushing the three marshmallows onto a pretzel stick. Then tie the "scarf"  between the top two marshmallows (you may have to separate them a little). Shove a pretzel in each side of the middle marshmallows. Stick two mini chips pointy side in, and use your finger or a toothpick to dig a little hole for the nose.
He should stand up on his own, and then simply set the Junior mint "beret" on top!
 
 
Ta-da! Your snowman is no longer mixed up! Then if the kids don't want to eat him up, there are plenty of extra pieces to munch on. It was a big hit at class today. And I loved that it isn't messy at all-no frosting or anything is needed to hold it together and it is 100% edible. So enjoy a tasty snowman, mixed up or not!
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

To Jocelyn, On Her 7th Birthday

 Dear Josie,
               It is your seventh birthday! So many things have happened this year, it is hard to know where to begin. I have spent a lot of time learning how to trust God: that He will keep you safe, that He will give you the things you need, that He will show me how to be a godly mom to you.

He has far surpassed my expectations. You are the sweetest, most cheerful, Jesus-loving little girl. And you aren't growing up too fast. You still have that child-like sense of wonder, while having a very intuitive awareness. You are so interested in the Bible. You are always asking me questions. (Some of which I have a very hard time answering! You asked me the other day if Satan had children-not sure where that came from!) You still love Awana, and in the spring we were both surprised to find that you were "Clubber of the Year"- a high honor for learning the most sections in your club! I am so proud of you.

You make friends easily, and you aren't concerned with whether they are older or younger, boy or girl. You aren't self-conscious, either. You think that you are pretty, and smart, and talented-but not in a boastful or proud way. Just a contentment in truly believing that God make you special. And He certainly did! Your God-given confidence is one of the things I admire the most about you.

You love to have fun! A party, a friend's house, or just jumping on me and your Dad's bed at night. You definitely have a lot of "otter" in your personality! You love to make up songs, and create things. You make the coolest crafts out of paper and tape. You made a whole "box of donuts" the other day, and you make little purses and fill them with all kinds of notebook paper accessories. It is just the cutest thing! You will play for hours by yourself-your imagination is huge and you are never limited by what something is intended for-everything has a million uses in your eyes.

You are doing so well in school this year. Last year was a struggle, but we persevered and the Lord has really been gracious since we started second grade. You love math! That makes me so happy. You love "Hairastitch Studies" (Heritage Studies, or history), too, because you get to do crafts. You love crafts! You started reading independently too. Your first chapter book, The Boxcar Children, was read on the plane on the way to Aunt Robyn's.

You have been a traveling maniac- you had your first "week away" at Grams' house, and you were so homesick I came to get you early! We stayed at Grammy's for a month, and did VBS and celebrated birthdays. Then we got to go to Aunt Robyn's in North Carolina, to be there for baby Gwendalyn's birth. You love your cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, and all the other family, so much! You cry so hard every time we leave, it breaks my heart. You love being with your family!

You love VBS,too. Miss Kelly named you honorary VBS co-director this year. You proclaimed yourself the "Queen of VBS"! You tirelessly help, and figure and plan. You get so excited that it is contagious! You attended three VBS this year- ours, Grams' and Grammy's! You could have lead the music by the end, but you never got tired of it! You are already gearing up for next year. And Mr. Jeff, the new children's minister, loves your input, too!


You lost your first tooth this year, and took ice skating again, and spent tons of time riding your bike, and listening to Adventures in Odyssey, Jamie Grace and Toby Mac. You are really liking hanging out with your Dad, and you play so well with your brother. Carson loves you so much- and you are a great big sister. It was a full, busy, but wonderful year. I can't wait to see what "seven" brings. I know the Lord has great plans for you! I love you so much, and am always praying for you.

                                                                                   Love,
                                                                                         Mother (what you always call me!)


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Cutest Thanksgiving Party That Wasn't



So, it is a really long story, but the short version is this: I had wanted to have a Thanksgiving party for a long time. I love a party that is unexpected. I had set up a play date with a family I was recently introduced to (we haven't even met in person) and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to throw a little party! The short part: they all got sick and couldn't make it.

I had already set up all the decorations so even though my guests weren't coming, I finished the rest of the preparations so you (and my kids!) could appreciate a little of my hard work. The inspiration for having the party came from these adorable (and FREE!) printables! Paper Glitter has some of the cutest stuff, and these were easy to use, too! I used their "Thanksgiving" banner and hotglued it to some ribbon, and then I used parts of the "icon" banner to add a little more color underneath. I found it to be a good use for the paper tape that my friend had given me (from Target) and I am absolutely in *love* and am now on the hunt for other uses!
 
I printed off placemats, and napkin "rings". I really wanted yellow or orange plates, but they were surprisingly hard to find. I ended up just going with white ones from the Dollar Store. And after my guests cancelled, I was glad that I hadn't spent too much! I printed everything on regular cardstock from Walmart, and I wasn't disappointed.
I let these little cuties make one of the snacks I had planned for breakfast. I found the instructions for these Donut Hole Acorns and they really delivered. They are just as cute as the photo and so easy to make! She suggests Nutella, but I used chocolate frosting. 4 ingredients: donut holes, chocolate frosting, pretzels, and chocolate sprinkles and you get these:

I also used the printable food labels (Seriously, don't those things have some sort of name? What is it?!)  and it worked well because I made acorns and a turkey and they had little pictures of both those things!
I got this idea off Pinterest, the link does not work but you can see my inspiration photo here. I am pretty sure that they used caramel dip in the original, but I wanted something that wasn't quite so sweet, so I just filled a little glass bowl with peanut butter. I used Granny Smith, Pinata and Red Delicious apples for the feathers. The original is cuter, I think because they used a circular plate it worked better. But mine is still pretty cute!
 
I was going to have all the kids make these turkey cookies. You might remember them from my post a couple years ago! I made a few changes (I couldn't find the Little Debbie Chocolate Creme Pies, so I swapped in Oatmeal Creme Pies) and I added a gummy worm "wattle" which I think was a good move, I just snipped off the red part.

We were also going to make these gumdrop turkeys- not for eating, although you could. I was going to send them home in the little paper baskets by the placemats. I found the directions here. If you don't know where to find the big gumdrops, they have them at Walgreen's (I used them for my nativity scene last Christmas.) Her directions are good, so I won't embellish them.

I also wanted to incorporate some of the first Thanksgiving story, and I liked these bead bracelets. I chose to use leather cording instead of pipe cleaners. It is kind of hard to tell from my photo, but I used light tan beads where she uses cream ones. Basically it goes:
 
Black- the Pilgrims
White- sails on the Mayflower
Three Blue-long trip on the ocean
Green- land, Massachusetts!
Three White-long winter
Tan-Indians, especially Squanto, help the Pilgrims to plant and harvest
Red-cranberries
Orange-pumpkins
Tan-turkey
Yellow-corn
 
The pink bead is to help make the bracelet adjustable. I liked that it was a visual mnemonic device!
 
For favors I made my own version of Thanksgiving Blessing Trail Mix. I put in one bag of Bugles (cornucopias), 1 movie size box of Runt candies (fruits of the harvest), 2 cups pretzel sticks (because the Pilgrims would "stick" with it and survive the long winter), 2 cups candy corn (for the corn the Indians helped them to plant) and one cup M & Ms (for the sweetness of all our blessings!).
 
 
 
I also made these adorable hats-both the boy's version and the girl's bonnet. I used craft foam because I wanted them to be more durable. So when it called for folding the paper on the bonnet, I just cut the foam and glued it instead. On the boy's hat I just glued the headband part at the edges of the folded up brim instead of all the way across, because I bought 12x18 foam, instead of the 24 inch paper. It worked great! I will try to get pics of my kids wearing the hats because they are super cute!
 
You like? I think they are adorable!
 
So, don't you think it would have been a fun party? I tried not to be too disappointed, there are certainly worse things than planning a party that doesn't happen, and no one can be responsible for getting sick! I am taking the bracelet, gumdrop turkeys, turkey cookies, and acorns to share with our friends' on Thanksgiving, so those are not a total loss. And I have a great plan for a wonderful party next year!
 
 
 
 

 
 
 



 

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Ministry of Being Mrs.

I took cupcakes up to Joel's work today. That may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but it means a lot to the guys he works with. Several of them are single and don't get anything homemade ever. I take (or send) a lot of goodies to that shop. And I won't lie: I have ulterior motives for taking them. I have always pictured it as a "cup of cold water"  (Matthew 10:42) kind of thing.
 
But then as I was talking to Joel the other day, he mentioned that some of the guys don't believe that I really say and do some of the things he tells them about (good things, like how carefully I do his laundry, and bringing him little trays with dessert and milk). I think it surprises them that I really do care about him-what he likes, and how he feels.
 
I think they have been brought up to see all women as feminists-only looking out to further their own interests. And while I would never claim to be the model wife, I do really try to be a servant to Joel. And to me, that is not a negative thing.

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24)

I was raised to take these verses seriously. To me, they imply that as the Church serves Christ, humbly, selflessly, with a strong desire to please Him, that I am called to do the same. And yes, I view it as a calling.

However, I have long thought that it was mostly commanded in the Word so that we would have a God-honoring marriage that was free from strife. But I am beginning to realize that it is a big part of my witness to the unsaved world. It is how we show the world we are different and broadcast Who brought about that change.

When the guys that Joel works and goes to school with hear about how I care for him, and take care of him, they are getting a picture of what Christlike service looks like. I am, albeit indirectly, witnessing to them! They can see that Christ has made my life different, and that Joel and I love each other in a way that far surpasses the cheap imitation they have been accustomed to.

I stay at home. I homeschool, I go to Bible study, I work at church. I am constantly surrounded by believers. And right now, that is where I am supposed to be. However, just as I give money to various evangelistic organizations, and I donate food, clothes and shoeboxes,  I see being a great wife to Joel as part of my ministry and testimony, not just to him, but to those he comes in contact with. I think it kind of falls under that whole "the two shall become one" (Mark 10:8) thing.

I am not only freeing him to focus on what he needs to do, but hopefully, through seeing what a happy husband he is, and how much I respect him and desire to serve him, they will also see what real Christ-followers looks like. Hopefully, it ignites a tiny flame of desire to have that in their own lives. That is a pretty big order for a little batch of cupcakes, but I just think of it as a long-term evangelism plan that is all part of the "Ministry of Being Mrs." It is a role I am privileged to fill.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

On Being the Tooth Fairy

On our way home from North Carolina (I really should post about my trip to my sister's!) Jocelyn started crying and saying her tooth was hurting. I was initially concerned (and I think she was, too) because she had a particularly bad cavity filled just a few weeks ago, and it had been painful prior to being filled. I had her open her mouth and show me the tooth. No cavity, it was just loose! I don't know who was happier-me or her! She was thrilled to finally have a loose tooth!
 
I forgot how it is when you are surrounded by tooth-losing friends, and you feel left out of their special "club". She was finally a member and she could not have been happier. She spent hours wiggling and wiggling her tooth-she even had our children's minister try to get it out (thanks, Mr. Jeff!). Then finally, about a week and half after we noticed it was loose, she was working on it and she asked her dad to try. He gave it a tiny tug and it popped right out! I was relieved-I had no idea that I was totally disgusted by the idea of pulling out a tooth. I flat out refused to even touch it after I realized it was loose!
 

 
She was absolutely ecstatic to finally have it out! She danced and laughed and practically couldn't even go to bed. I knew such excitement deserved a little celebration. I had already discussed with Joel that I planned on doing the "Tooth Fairy". We don't do Santa, or the Easter Bunny, but for some reason, I just like the idea of the Tooth Fairy. I think because there is no spiritual association with losing a tooth-it is just all in fun, and doesn't take the place of Jesus. Whatever the reason, I was eager to make it fun!
 
 
 
My dear friend, Kristan, suggested several months ago that I spray the money I gave Josie with glitter hairspray. It would make it sparkly fairy cash! Josie loves all things glitter, so I knew that would be a hit. Glitter hairspray is readily available this time of year, and it was only $2, so it was an easy and cheap way to make it fun.
 
 However, I didn't want to just hand over the money. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and came up with a combination of two different printables. First I printed off this "receipt" (I thought it was funny that the blogger says they only do the Tooth Fairy, too!). I thought it was a good way to identify that the gift was from the Tooth Fairy. I sprayed the note with hairspray, too.
 
I randomly decided to give her $3, probably because I had three crisp ones handy. I figured that was plenty for a 6 year-old! I only sprayed the front of the money, mostly because I didn't want a big mess. I would suggest spraying outside if at all possible- the hairspray is sticky and I had to take rubbing alcohol to my counter top to remove it all, even though I covered it with paper towels. Also, the can says to spray "in short bursts" and you should do that. It makes the glitter more even. Anyway, I know you can't really see it in the photos, but Josie recognized that it was sparkly right away!
 
After I had my receipt all printed up, I was just going to put it in a plain envelope that I had sprayed, but I decided that was too easy. After all, it was only 11 pm! I needed something better. I found this adorable set of printables! It also includes a precious note and envelope for the child to leave their tooth in. However, Josie was in bed already, so maybe we will use it next time. Aren't people so sweet to share their lovely work for free with computer illiterate people such as myself?
 
 


I put everything together and left it on the counter where she would be sure to see it in the morning. I was pretty pleased with myself and anxious to see what Josie thought. I don't even think she was expecting anything, and she was just happy to have lost her tooth!

However, when my little sleepy head found it she was very happy! She was not fooled by my tooth fairy act at all,so there was no need to keep up the subterfuge. I think the tooth fairy will keep visiting, though, just because it was so much fun! And she will come back soon, because guess who has *another* loose tooth already?!

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