May 13 2013

4 Steps to Displaying Your Favorite Pins

Posted on May 13, 2013 by mary

I read a interesting book by Madeleine Albright called “Read My Pins.” She relays fascinating stories from her collection of brooches with a diplomatic twist. Her collection of pins are beautiful and each one is filled with meaning. I too have a collection of pins and after reading this book decided to display my pins rather leave them hiding in my jewelry case.

Here is the finished pin display.

You will need:

Open picture frame – size, color, and style of your choice. (I picked a 16” x 20” frame.) If your frame does not come with mounting hardware you’ll need this to mount it to the wall.
MDF board (or plywood, particle board, or something similar) cut to fit the frame size you purchased. (This will be the back of the display board.)
Fabric of your choice to cover the board with an added 3” to all four sides. (Example: my board is 16” x 20” so I got material that measured 22” x 26”.)
Staple gun and 1/4” staples and 1/2” staples.
Batting or polyfill to use as stuffing.
Scissors.

First, place your batting on the MDF board. Cover the board between 1” to 1-1/2” thick.

Second, place your fabric on top of the batting. Turn the board, batting, and fabric over. Pull taut on the back side. Using 1/4” staples, staple one side, then the opposite, pulling the fabric tight as you staple. Staple the other two sides pulling the fabric evenly taut. Trim the excess fabric away from the frame with scissors.

Third, put the stuffed board in frame. Then staple 1/2” staples every 4” around the frame at a slight angle so that the staples protrude about 1/4”. These will hold the MDF board in place.

Fourth, place you prize pin collection in the batting and hang the frame and pins on a wall.

Initially, I covered my MDF board in a solid white fabric because I wanted my pins to be prominently showcased. When I was done the pins looked washed out. So, I covered the white fabric with a black fabric. (It seems jewelers already know this trick.) I was very pleased with the results.

Now my pins have a new home, and I have them displayed proudly.

The oldest pin I own, I received as a gift was when I was nine and wore it for my 4th grade school picture.

Many of my brooches have a story of their own. Some I received as gifts from grandmothers and friends. Others I found while on vacation or looking at antique stores; these were vintage finds. I even have different holiday pins. Mine don’t have a diplomatic meaning but, they do have sentimental meaning to me.

Do you have any special pins? Why are they special?

Apr 8 2013

Spring Cleaning

Posted on April 8, 2013 by mary

Simplify: I have a place in the garage where little by little I put the things that I want to give away. When I have two or three boxes, I donate the items. I love that feeling! What continues to astound me though is how quickly I can start another box.

I have become quite fond of having big clean out sessions a couple times a year. I truly get an emotional lift from unloading and getting rid of stuff I don’t need. Stuff in my house is stuff I have to either keep clean or continue to store. Maintenance! Ugh! I do spring cleaning because I don’t want to be on Hoarders. Why do I need 20 spatulas? Isn’t 3 or 4 enough? We all need to simplify; it gives us freedom.

Hoarding is a disease. It is a form of greed, proof that you are not relying on God.

Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15 – NIV)

If you struggle with excess you need to read: 7: An Experimental Mutiny against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. It is about a family that experiments with drastically trimming excess in different areas of their lives. They focus on one area for a month, for seven consecutive months. The seven areas are clothes, shopping, waste, stress, media, possessions, and food.

Hatmaker’s findings are worth your time. You should read the book. It will challenge your concept of excess.

Is spring cleaning on your calendar?

Jan 1 2013

Christmas Card Prayers

Posted on January 1, 2013 by mary

Time to take down the twinkling lights, pack the ornaments, and fill up the attic with boxes of Christmas decorations. But, what about those Christmas cards?

It is fun to decorate for the holidays, but when it comes time to take it all down the fun stops. Except for the cards received, that part is fun and easy. We display our cards on our window blinds.

Each year we take all the Christmas cards, put them in a basket, and each night at dinner we pick one card and reminisce and pray for the family who sent us the card until all the cards are gone. This usually stretches the Christmas spirit well into February.

This is a good reason to send and receive Christmas cards. Do you still send Christmas cards?

Moments with Mary

Dec 10 2012

Dear Santa…

Posted on December 10, 2012 by mary

Writing a letter to Santa is a tradition we all enjoy. It is so much fun to make a wish list, especially if you are on Santa’s Nice list.

Have you ever wanted to see one of your old letters? I saved all the Christmas lists that my boys have made over the years. They enjoy looking at them each year.

Each year I put the new list in their stocking where Santa can find it. And, there the list remains with the lists from past years.

[Spoiler Alert!] On Christmas morning I take the lists out and the stocking is filled with treats, gifts, and surprises. Over the years it is fun to see the changes in the wanted items on their lists. When they were young they cut out pictures from the the Toys ‘R Us catalog. Next, they progressed to hand-writing their lists. Then they typed them on the computer and printed the list. Now they have Amazon Wish Lists, with links to their wishes. My how list-making has changed.

Is there something you wished for but did not expect to get, but were surprised when you did get it? What was it?

Dec 5 2012

Counting Down to Christmas with an Advent Calendar

Posted on December 5, 2012 by mary

Is it Christmas yet? With children you hear this all the time. To make counting down to Christmas fun have an Advent calendar. I have six Advent calendars around the house.

I may have gone overboard but hear me out.

Here are my reasons for multiple Advent calendars:

I have three sons.
They each get to do two advent calendars a day.
Three calendars have a piece of candy or small present in each day’s pocket.
The other three were activity calendars. They required moving a marker to the next day or placing a small ornament on the calendar tree.

My boys rotate which two they do each day. If you only have one Advent calendar and more than one child, they only get to enjoy the calendar every other day (bummer!). I recommend an even number of calendars for each child.

The daily routine of looking to see what treat, small present, little note, or new activity is always fun and something kids look forward to.

Advent calendars can be purchased at local stores or you can make one. Do you have a favorite way to count down to Christmas? How many Advent calendars do you have?