Pennant Banner Cards Using Scraps

Hi! It's Jilly. Need a cute handmade card that's fast, easy, and doesn't break the bank? Then you'll love these fun cards!

I'm in charge of Activity Days at church (midweek activities for 8-11 year olds). I needed a cute craft that would be easy for the girls to make, yet still use some of their own creativity. After eyeing my box of scraps I came up with these handmade pennant banner cards.

We made two different cards: "Happy Birthday" and "Thanks". They are reaaaaally easy to make and I love how each one is a little bit different, yet still "stylish".

Supplies:
8x11 white or cream cardstock, or blank white cards
scrapbook paper scraps - non 'matching' colors are ok!
baker's twine, yarn, or jute
glue
scissors
stapler
a pen, or stamps & an ink pad

How to:

1) Make your card base by cutting the cardstock in half lengthwise, creating two 5 1/2" X 8" pieces. Fold in half to make a card. (You can skip this step if you started with premade blank cards)

2) Cut 6-9 small triangles out of various scrap pieces of scrapbook paper. You need enough triangles to fit across the longest part of the card comfortably to create your pennant banner.

3) Once you have them arranged the way you like them, clue your triangles onto the card to make the pennant banner.

4) Cut a length of twine, yarn, or jute to place along the top of your banner. If using jute or thick yarn, you may want to split the 'hairs' apart a little so it's not as heavy.

5) Glue your twine, etc along the top of the triangles. Cut off any excess twine hanging off the sides of the card. Staple the twine onto the card on each end. Be sure you don't staple your card shut! (This step is optional, but it helps the twine stay on the card and is a fun little touch.)

6) On the bottom of the card write or stamp your sentiment. I like how both options look!

7) Voila! Your card is ready to be enjoyed by your lucky recipient!



I love how these cards turned out! They have kind of a "vintage" vibe to them. And, did I mention they're easy?! All my Activity Days girls loved making them, and it was fun to see their creativity. Some stuck with an alternating pattern on the banner, and others mixed and matched. It was a fun activity!

Other fun crafts you might like:

    

Are you following me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter yet? I'd love to see your cute face there! 

Scripture Treasure Hunt - includes all the printables you need!

Hi! It's Jilly. I'm in charge of Activity Days at church, which are bi-monthly faith-building activities for the 8-11 year old kids. Today we are doing a Scripture Treasure Hunt! I am going to hide clues around the church building, and the kids will have to look up the scriptures to figure out where the next clue is located. This would be a great activity to do at home for family night, too.

I've included for you clue cards, set-up information, and an answer key for you to print out. The clue cards have a reference from both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. For those of you who are not Mormon, I've included a set of clues with only Bible (KJV) references.

Click HERE to get the PDF for the clues and HERE for the set-up and answer key. All you have to do is print it out. Have fun searching the scriptures!

 

Nature Trail Scavenger Hunt - FREE Printable

Hi! It's Jilly. Summer is a great time to go on hikes and explore nature! For Activity Days we went on a nature hike. I wanted it to be a little bit more exciting for the kids, so I typed up a Nature Scavenger Hunt.

Father's Day Tie Bookmarks

Hi! It's Jilly. Still need something for the kids to make for Father's Day? Don't worry...you're not too late! Make some of these quick, easy, and personalized bookmarks!

I'm in charge of Activity Days at church (midweek activities for kids 8-11 years old). I needed something the kids could make that their Dads might actually use, and that the kids could personalize since my Hubby will end up with three of them!

I came up with these fun bookmarks! Granted, we made bookmarks last year, but these are a little different.

Supplies:

Warding off Illness with Insync #NaturalProbiotics

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Hi! It's Jilly. Things have been soooo crazy lately! As you know, I am in school right now finishing up my Bachelor's degree in Music. I only have one semester left! Woo hoo! Last Friday I had TWO, count 'em, TWO papers due! I am NOT used to writing papers. I write blog posts all the time, but college papers...not so much.

On top of that, the kiddos have Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts and Activity Days (church youth group...that I'm in charge of!) and birthday parties and...and...and...AAAHHH!! Suffice it to say I can NOT afford to get sick right now!

That's why I've started taking Insync Natural Probiotics. Hubby told me that whenever any of their patients are fighting any kind of an infection, they immediately put them on probiotics because they are soooo good for your immune system. I figure I'll start taking them now before an infection strikes! Plus, they help keep things movin' in the digestion department, if you know what I'm sayin'.

That Time My Kids Planned a Surprise Party For Me...

Hi! It's Jilly. Last week it was my birthday. I'm not one to make a huge deal about it being my birthday. I knew it would be especially low-key this year because Hubby was out of town for work.

A few days before my birthday the kids found out it was coming up and said we should do something. They ran to their bedroom and started whispering excitedly. The next day Katelynn told me she was planning a party for "a friend from church who asked me to plan a party for her." Okay...

They wanted to raid my card stash so they could write out invitations for this party. They handed out the invitations at a church activity the next morning. They told me that the friend the party was for was not at the activity. Curious...

They worked hard putting together games and crafts for the kids at the party. Katelynn made up a "pin the head on the shirt" game, where the kids would decorate faces, then try to pin them on a shirt she made out of cardstock. There was also a bowling-type game involving a ball and stacked cups.

She asked people to bring treats for the party, and asked me if I would make lemonade for it. Sure!

Moving Tips- Part 4

HI! It's Jilly. It's finally the post you thought would never come...Part 4 of our Moving Tips Series! We moved from Arizona to New York, and now that I'm getting a bit more settled I have just a few more things to share with you. Hopefully it will help some of you out!

First, did you know you can price match your moving truck?! All the big companies- U-Haul, Budget & Penske- want your business and are willing to beat their competitor's prices to get it. So, you can get a written quote from one company, take it to another company, and they will match or beat the other company's quote!

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Some people like the fact that U-Haul has the lower truck bed, so you can get a quote from Penske or Budget, then take it to U-Haul and they will beat it. This is a great way to save yourself some moola on your move.

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You can also save money on the truck rental by booking online. Most places give you a 10-20% discount. Plus, they usually have discounts for students, military, AAA, AARP, and other things. Look for promo codes online. Be sure to explore all your options and all the ways YOU can get a discount. Moving is not cheap, my friends!

image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We got our truck from Penske this time. They didn't have our truck the day we reserved it for (grrrr...). But, they gave us a huge discount as an apology, plus gave us an extra day, since we had to move our truck-loading help back when they didn't have our truck on time. So, in a way, not having the truck on the day we reserved it may have been a blessing in disguise, because it saved us even more money on our ridiculously expensive move cross-country.

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Another way to save money on your move? Get boxes from local grocery stores. Some of the best boxes come from the produce department. Get apple and orange boxes, because they come with lids and are nice and sturdy. Check your local health store, because they usually have more produce boxes. In the Phoenix area we have Sprout's and Whole Foods. 

We got some great boxes from Albertson's. At the stores in Phoenix they call them "Ponca" boxes, because they are shipped from Ponca City, OK. The boxes come with hair & body products in them, and other non-food items. They store them flat in the back near the baler. 

Ponca boxes are great because a) they give them to you flat, so you can fit more of them in your car when you pick them up, and they take up less space in your house while you are packing, b) they are all the same size, so the stack well together in the truck and in your house, c) they are nice, sturdy boxes, and d) they are free. Mwahaha!

My friend, Pam, suggested making a schedule when preparing to move, i.e. Monday- Master Bedroom, Tuesday- Office, Wednesday- Kitchen, etc. This is a great idea, as long as you stick to your schedule. I am terrible at keeping myself on track. Hence, one of the reasons we left FOUR DAYS LATE! Granted, we left a little later because we had a lot of little projects to finish up on our house before we sell it, but still... If I'd stayed on schedule we would have been a LOT better off! Then I might not have looked like this because I was sleep-deprived and running on Dr. Pepper.

As a comparison, this is me at the park with my kiddos the other day, not sleep-deprived and running on Dr. Pepper. Ok, well maybe a little sleep-deprived. I am a Mom, after all. ;)

The last tip is good for anyone, but is especially helpful when preparing for a move. Do you have a pile of stuff you want to get rid of & donate, but don't want to/can't/don't have time to take it somewhere? Well, many of the places that take donations- like Goodwill, Deseret Industries, and The Salvation Army- will come out to your house and pick-up your donations. You just call them, schedule a pick-up date & time, then put your stuff out in front of your house. Everything from clothes, housewares, and toys, to bigger items like furniture, they will accept. Then you know your stuff is going to help people in your community, not just going in the trash. Plus, it's a tax write-off! 

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We had DI (Deseret Industries) come out TWICE to pick-up a huge pile of stuff. SO easy!

That's the end of our Moving Tips Series. I hope at least one of these tips will help your move go a little smoother. If you missed the rest of the series, follow the links below.



And, I feel like I need to add a disclaimer here...just because I'm giving you all these tips does NOT mean I am a pro! I felt like I was in WAY over my head! Not everything I wanted to get done before I left got done. Not every road-trip activity I envisioned was made. Not every box was perfectly marked. (That's Ethernet cable, btw. Yeah...)

So, when trying to move don't let yourself get discouraged if things aren't going according to plan. Life happens. Unexpected road-bumps get in your way. Just go with the flow and do what you can to make it go smoothly, then just let the rest go. It will all work out somehow, I promise!

Sometimes I link up with THESE parties.

Check out the rest of the series!