Stand Ye in Holy Places

So... with the new lesson curriculum for the Youth in our church, I decided to make lesson journals for the girls in my class. And I think they turned out looking FABULOUS!! The total cost per book was around $5.75, which is very affordable. They are basically made from composition notebooks that have a shiny cover. I just dressed it up to make it look pretty. The goal was to allow the girls to write down their thoughts and impressions from the lessons that are important and meaningful to them, rather than just let these thoughts and impressions just fly out of their heads and disappear into the cosmos. I hope they use them and enjoy them. I would LOVE to be able to look back on my own 14- or 15-year-old self to see what I thought about gospel doctrine at that point in my life.

Here's what the mostly finished lesson journal looks like. I still have to give each girl their name sticker for the corner.

This is what a book kit looks like. This is how I assembled each book so that every one had the same materials.

MATERIALS FOR THE BOOKS

Here are most of the materials I used: composition books, sticky tabs, quote sheets, stickers, paper clips, printer labels.

Fabric pockets that I used to stick on the outside to hold a pen and the inside to hold paper clips.

Paper clips. I gave each girl four.

Feet stickers (for "standing in holy places"... get it?)

Quote sheets. I gave each girl four and then also added four blank sheets of cardstock.

Sticky tabs. I gave each girl their own set. They can use these to put in their scriptures.

Printer labels. This is a full-size sheet that I used for the cover, but I also used small oval-shaped ones (see the 2nd picture up top) to mark each section inside the journal.

ON THE INSIDE

The inside of the book with the items added. I also put a label for the girls to write their name and contact information in the upper left corner, just in case they lose the journal.

The Topics List page. There are 12 topics. This journal is supposed to last a whole year.

This is the section topic title page. It is right after the Topics List page.

This is the first page of the first section on the Godhead. Here's where the girls write what they already know about the topic.



This is the Quotes page. Here the girls can paste in quotes about the topic that they like.

This is the lesson Description page and the Reflections page. Here the girls write down details about the topic and then reflect on what they have learned.

Stuff I bring to class. Sticky notes, cardstock, glue sticks, markers, colored pencils, colored pens.

Gratitude Jar

I wanted to capture something for Thanksgiving... something meaningful to us as a family. I wanted the kids to be able to participate as well. They are all old enough to compose their thoughts and express their opinions in positive and productive ways. And I wanted it to look pretty. So here's what I came up with.

Gratitude Jar

Step-by-Step

1. Get a jar you want to use. I found mine at Walmart in the kitchen supplies aisle. It's about 10 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall with a lovely stainless steel lid. 
2. Get a separate jar or other container to hold your blank paper slips and a pen.
3. Cut out vinyl lettering. I used my handy little Cricut.

4. Apply vinyl lettering to jar. I used masking tape to make a level line for the letters.

 5. Cut strips of paper. Mine are 1" by 6".

6. Proudly display and give everyone instructions to write something every day.

Soon you will have it filled up! Have a wonderful and gratitude filled Thanksgiving.

Lamp Post - Sign Hanger - Wreath Hanger

Okay, some of you kept asking about my lamp post sign hanger project and wanted me to post the link. Be grateful! I worked on getting this just right. For you.

My dismal front porch was just crying out for SOMETHING! In my mind I kept picturing lights... signs... wreaths... hmmm. A quick visit to Pinterest gave me some ideas.

There was this adorable one

And this cute one

But they were both EXTREMELY SHORT: only about 2 feet (24 inches) tall. My porch needed something substantial! I ended up wandering around HomeDepot like one of those crazy people who have a project to do but NO IDEA how to do it. Yeah, that was me.

What I Bought
(1) 8-ft  4x4 beam (they cut it in half for me for FREE so I ended up with (2) 4-ft lengths)
(1) 5-ft  12x1 board
(1) 5-ft  8x1 board
(1) 5-ft  6x1 board
(1) Small Tube of Liquid Nails Glue
(1) Can of Black Spray Paint
(1) Can of Clear Spray Paint
(1) Package of Sandpaper- various grits
(2) 6-inch long screws
(1) Metal hook 
(1) Solar-powered lighted fence post cap (AWESOME!!!)

4x4 Post. (The basketball is used to show scale.)

Three different width boards. 12x1, 8x1, and 6x1. (Again, the basketball is used to show scale.)

Close up of the footer when all assembled and painted and screwed together.

Close up of hook. I'm sure you can find prettier ones, but who's going to be looking at the hook?

Close up of lighted post cap.

Step-By-Step

1. Measure and saw off a square section from each of the boards. 
2. Sand all the wood pieces. 
3. Paint. I wanted instant gratification so I chose spray paint.
4. Let dry about an hour.
5. Sand again and put on another coat of paint.
6. Let dry about an hour.
7. Seal all the wood pieces with the clear coat.
8. Let dry overnight or so it's not tacky to the touch.
9. Assemble footer. This means you just stack the 3 pieces on top of each other. To make it easier to keep perfectly centered, I traced around each piece with a pencil exactly where it was placed on the one below it.
10. Glue footer pieces together. Here is where the Liquid Nails came into play. 
11. Let dry about two hours. I used a vice grip to keep the wood pieces together tightly until they dried.
12. Screw footer to post. I had my hubby drill holes in the bottom to make life so much easier.
13. Attach the hook.
14. Top off with light.
15. Hang your sign/wreath/whatever.
16. Admire your work!

And here's my COOL, CREATIVE, and CRAFTY version. And it is 4 feet (48 inches) tall. You can see it from the driveway! I love the way it looks right now. I can't wait to redress it for each season with something new. At night, it casts just a tiny glow... the same amount as those lawn lights... just enough to be charming.

Finished project! (The sign was just something I already had from another project. :)

Total Cost 
For this lamp post sign hanger project including tax: $38.24.
The best part is that I have enough materials left over to make a second one!! I just have to get another lighted post cap ($4.99) and hook ($2.48).