Multi Strand Spine Bookmarks {The Twinery}

If you've been around my blog lately, you know that one of my favorite "crafts" is Bible art/journaling. It seems like at any given time there are a couple of particular passages that are in the queue for future pages to be done, and this is a pretty way to mark those places. 

These bookmarks are particularly useful for a large book like the Bible, but they can work for any book. 

And even better...they aren't just regular bookmarks - they can tuck right into the spine of any hardcover or case bound book. 

They were simple to make, too:

1. To start, I cut a strip of paper just a bit more narrow than my Bible's spine. (I used patterned paper for mine so that they will look good as regular bookmarks, too.)

2. I wanted to add a little sturdiness to these, so I did my very sophisticated laminating technique (aka - adhere clear packing tape to both sides and trim). This will not only help protect the paper piece, but will act as reinforcement for the punched holes.

3. Next, I punched a few holes near the top of the bookmark to give me a place to thread my twine.

4. Then, I threaded the holes with twine and and finished them off by a combination of braiding and/or knotting. You can choose any method for this that strikes your fancy. You can even add beads and/or buttons to the ends to give them some weight. 

(Photography fail - I meant to show the steps in order for making a bookmark, but you'll just have to tell your eyes to go right to left.)

If you want to tuck these into the spine of your book, it is probably easiest if you lay your book out open and flat and slide the paper portion into the spine. You can even insert two (or more) to get more place holders.

Once the bookmarks are inserted into the spine, just use the twine place holders as you would a ribbon bookmark that comes adhered to your Bible or hard cover book.

 Happy reading!

Supplies: 
Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp (Favorite Things 12x12);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Stone, Solid Caribbean, Solid Pink Sorbet, Solid Mandarin, Solid Honeydew);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile);
Other: (Clear Packing Tape);
Bibles: Zondervan (NASB Note-taker's Bible); Zondervan (NIV Holy Bible, Journal Edition);

Find all my posts pertaining to Bible art or journaling here.

Lazy Girl String Art {The Twinery}

You may remember my "Lazy Girl's Cross Stitch" project from awhile back...and today this lazy girl is back with some "Lazy Girl String Art". 

(Well, I guess it's technically twine art.)

I love the fun string art that is popping up everywhere these days, but even though I am a carpenter's daughter, I am not really one to bust out the boards and nails for a small home decor project. 

But I did have some canvas boards and a heavy duty hole punch, so I decided to give it a whirl...

I started by drawing simple heart shapes onto the back of my canvas boards (I used some dies I had and traced them, but you could easily freehand them) and then used my heavy duty hole punch to punch some holes along the traced shapes.

I then threaded some of The Twinery's Solid Lilac and Solid Pink Sorbet twines through the holes and across the hearts. I finished off each heart by backstitching the outer edge, to make the heart shape easily visible.

Tip: If you are going to be doing a lot of threading on a project, invest a little bit of time into adding some tape to the end of the twine (like you would see on the end of a shoelace). It will make things go so much quicker and easier...and no fraying!

These are fun and easy to do, and make great decor pieces - just switch up the shapes and twine colors for a new look!

Have a great day!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Lilac, Solid Pink Sorbet, Limited Edition Rainbow Teal Shimmer - similar to Caribbean); 
Tools: We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite); Fiskars (Scissors);

Valentine Treat (Peanut Butter Balls) {The Twinery}

Hi there! 

Today I'm sharing a delicious treat with you!  

Okay, it's not easy to share homemade, chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls through the internet...but I can at least share the recipe with you. (And the recipe makes plenty to share with friends and neighbors.) 

You can find the recipe here:

Recipe:

4 cups natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt...no sugar)

8 cups (2 lb. bag) powdered sugar

2 cups butter

2 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients and chill in refrigerator until firm.

Scoop into balls and place in fridge or freezer until firm.

Melt 2 pounds chocolate chips with 1 stick (1/4 box) Gulf Wax paraffin wax in a double boiler (or a dish over a pan of hot water).

Dip each peanut butter ball in chocolate coating. Place on tray that has been covered with wax paper & return to fridge or freezer to firm up. Dip tops in melted chocolate (if needed) and return to fridge or freezer to firm up. Store in fridge or freezer.

This recipe is pretty forgiving. Add more peanut butter, more butter, more sugar...more chocolate...whatever you want. 

And I don't pretend to be some master chocolatier - these aren't the prettiest things. (In fact, my friends and I call them my "peanut butter blobs".) 

But they sure do taste good!

Once you've got all those treats made, it's time to wrap them up.

I created these quick and easy boxes that each hold three peanut butter balls:

And, of course, I used The Twinery's twine to add an extra pop of color (and hold the boxes closed).

...delicious treats all packaged up and ready to pass out for Valentine's Day! 

(If you don't eat them all first.)

Enjoy!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Charcoal, Solid Honeydew, Solid Pink Sorbet); 
Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp; Jen Hadfield;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); We R Memory Keepers (1-2-3 Punch Board);

LOVE you

Shaker cards. 

I'm a bit late in the game, but I've recently given them a real shot...and...they are so fun!

This one is a fun one because the shaker portion of the card goes all the way to both edges of the card (without spilling sequins everywhere, thanks to my Fuse tool).

I love how this one turned out - and I can't wait to really shake things up (pun intended) here on my blog.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies: 
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink; 
Dies: My Favorite Things (Love Die-namics, Love & Adore You Die-namics); 
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh; Martha Stewart; 
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); We R Memory Keepers (Fuse Tool);

1-2-3-4 Whipped Body Butter {The Twinery}

Hello!

'Tis the season for homemade gifts and today I wanted to share with you this easy homemade whipped body butter, packaged in a cute little mason jar that is tucked inside a handmade box.

To start, I first whipped up (pun intended!) a batch of body butter. 

I came across a few homemade body butter recipes and wanted to give it a try, but didn't want to go through the whole double boiler/heating process that they all required. I gathered a few basic ingredients and went to work. Here's my recipe...no melting required!

1-2-3-4 Whipped Body Butter Recipe

1 tbsp. almond oil

2 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsp. shea butter

4 drops essential oils

Step One: Blend ingredients together with immersion blender until well combined. (Mixture will be watery.)

Step Two: Put in freezer for 30 minutes.

Step Three: Scrape down sides and blend with immersion blender until mixture is a whipped consistency.

Step Four: Place in fridge for 15 minutes to set.

The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled...you get it. Just keep it in a 1-2-3-4 ratio.
Also, you can choose whatever essential oils you prefer for your scent. I like lavender and/or grapefruit...and peppermint would be a great choice for the holidays!

Once the body butter was set, I transferred it into a small mason jar. (You know how I love mason jars!)

I wanted to make a cute coordinating package for gift giving, so I also created a decorative box.

Both my box and mason jar are finished off with some of The Twinery's Solid Caribbean and Gold Shimmer twines.

An easy homemade gift, perfect for giving during the winter when our skin needs that extra moisture.

What is your favorite homemade gift to give for the holidays?

Please share in the comments.

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Gold Shimmer); 
Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp (Hello Today - 12x12);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Ornament Squeeze Punch); We R Memory Keepers (1-2-3 Punch Board);