Category: General Crafts

Making a Simple Car Air Freshener Repost

I posted this story 4 years ago! Can’t believe it! This simple air freshener works as designed and doesn’t overwhelm me…even when it’s cold out and the heat is blasting through the car!

December 8, 2021

I recently bought an air freshener for my car at the drug store counter. It clipped onto the vent on the dash. I lasted about 3 minutes before I threw it out…the scent was so strong and sickening I couldn’t stand it. It seemed like a good idea at the time!

Then I saw an ad online that showed some air fresheners made of a simple chunk of wood with a clip attached. You were supposed to add drops of your own preferred essential or fragrance oil. At least I could choose the scent!

I found some samples online by just typing in “wood air freshener for the car.” There were interesting shapes like flowers with a clip on the back, or slices of a tree branch meant to hang on the mirror.

I wasn’t sure the oils would soak in properly and then provide a nice smell in the car without being overpowering.

With Bert’s help, and a bag full of wood scraps that he uses for all kinds of little projects, we gave it a try.

First, I ordered the clips from Amazon…they were called “Square Head Car Air Vent Clips.” A bag of 20 clips were $6.99.

They were a very tight clip. Next challenge…finding some chunks of wood. Bert came in with some round fairly flat disks to see if they might work. The groove around the center could capture the oil until it soaked in.

He experimented with how to attach the clip to the back. Plain glue would not work because of the kind of stress it would be under to pull it from the vent. He found a way to put a screw on each side of the base, with the edge of the screw overlapping the base. It worked great for now. He had some other ideas for the next batch.

Now that the base was secured, I needed to add drops of scented oil…I chose Lavender fragrance oil…mostly because I had a big bottle of it, and I could stand the scent.

First, I had to figure out a way to keep the whole thing vertical so the oil wouldn’t drip off before it soaked into the wood. I had this small box that held the roller balls in shipping. The clip just fit over the center divider and kept it upright while I added the oil.

Using the dropper, I filled the center ring and let it soak in. I did that several times over the next few days. Then I put it in the car vent. It helped to be driving around with the heated air coming through the vent. The first day it was quite noticeable, but by the second day it was very pleasant. Not sure how long it will last, but when I can’t smell it anymore, I’ll pull it out of the vent, bring it into the house, add more oil and put it back in the car.

Bert did make me five of these so I could switch up the scents. I’ll store them in labeled zip bags so I know which one had which oil. Pretty slick! Try it yourself! Enjoy!

Please email me directly if you have comments or questions! maryjkisner@gmail.com

Christmas Favors Wrap Up

Thought it was time to wrap up my story about making Christmas favors for two groups of special folks. The first is the lovely group of about 14 women in the Ladies Auxiliary to the Boalsburg Fire Company. We will have our Christmas dinner next week at a local restaurant. The second group is from the State College High School class of 1964. Our group varies from month to month depending upon who is in town…often six to twelve folks. Next week we will have lunch at a local restaurant.

Obviously, many of these folks read my blog, so if you will be attending those events next week…shhh…please be ‘surprised’ when I hand out your favors. (smile)

I wrote about my preparations to make the Christmas favors two weeks ago (you can read about it at https://marykisner.com/planning-ahead-to-make-christmas-favors/) Now I’d like to share the finished products.

I decided to aim for 30 gift bags total to make sure I had enough. Each gift bag would have a small mesh bag of 3 small soaps, an eye pillow filled with flax seeds, a small bag of green and red M&Ms and a battery-operated votive candle. Just enough to take a relaxing break over the holidays! This was not an expensive gift bag…what I’m really giving is my time to make the soaps and eye pillows to some special folks. If nothing else, the items can be used up or re-gifted to someone else!

The Small Soaps

The first item that triggered my thinking for these gift bags was my extra Goats Milk Melt & Pour soap. The small soaps make great guest soaps and are easy to make. Most of the time is used waiting…waiting for the soap to melt and waiting for the soap to harden in the molds. Yes it’s a little tedious wrapping each tiny soap with plastic wrap, but it’s a necessary step. FYI…Melt & Pour soap is hydroscopic…and will eventually absorb moisture from the air and soften. Therefore, each tiny soap needed to be protected. (Regular hand-made soap bars made from scratch need to be open to the air to harden over a few weeks.)

The Melt & Pour soap just needed to be chopped up, melted over boiling water and poured into molds. The small molds worked well, but I had to make 90 individual soaps. That took a full day to melt the soap, pour it into molds, wait for it to harden and then pop out the soaps and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Then I started over when the molds were free.

Here are the soaps ready for the gift bags:

When I was all finished, I had this pile of soaps left over. They may find their way to other gifts or Christmas stockings!

The Eye Pillows

The flaxseed-filled pillows can be heated in the microwave or put in the freezer. Very handy for tired eyes. I found cotton fabric at Walmart, but I had to order flannel from Amazon.

You can read about how to make the pillows at https://marykisner.com/making-a-hot-or-cold-eye-pillow-for-headaches-or-toothaches/

First, I cut out 30 sets of pillows…one front, one back and two muslin pieces for lining. The flax seeds have sharp points on each end and would poke right through the flannel without the lining.

The four pieces stacked like this:

I stitched around the rectangle leaving an opening on one end.

Turn the pillow right side out.

Top stitch all the way around the pillow…leaving the small opening. I used a funnel and a 1/4 cup measure to pour in the required 1 cup of flax seeds. Then, after shifting all the flax seed to the far end, I quickly sewed the opening closed.

I also wanted to keep each pillow clean in the gift bag, so I put each one in a gallon zip bag. That would help it stay nice between use, and would keep it clean if used as a cold pack when placed in the freezer.

The process to make 30 pillows took more than several days to complete. Thank goodness for Hallmark Movies to keep me entertained!

The Battery-operated Votive Candles

I’ve had this box of votive candles for several years. I used a few to put inside some clay candle holders I made out of polymer clay. So much for that project! I made a few and decided I didn’t need more than three…thus, there sat a box of candles on my shelf! (I did make sure they would still work before I put them in the gift bags!)

Red and Green M&Ms

I’m sure the M&Ms were not necessary but they just seemed like the perfect touch! This 4 lb. bag of M&Ms just made 30 tiny bags…one for each gift bag!

Time to fill the bags!

I think this display will count as my Christmas decorating for the season! Enjoy!

Please email me directly if you have comments or questions: maryjkisner@gmail.com

Planning Ahead to Make Christmas Favors

I’ve spent this whole week brainstorming what to make for favors for a group of 14 women from the Ladies Auxiliary to the Fire Company at our Christmas party in December. I have 4 weeks until I need them, but I need to decide soon exactly what I will put together. As I brainstormed, I ran all over town to see what I could get. Did I say how much I miss JoAnn Fabrics and how much I hate shopping?!?

I started with the container…I found small red gift bags at Michaels. I had to go to Walmart to get enough white tissue paper.

Looking around my various project supplies, I first started with soap. I have enough Goats Milk melt & pour soap base and small molds to make an assortment of small soaps. Two or three in a mesh bag will the first item in the bag of favors and suggested a gift bag for a ‘spa’ day.

Next, I found a box of tiny tea lights (battery-operated) that would be a perfect addition to the gift bag.

I wondered if I had time to make 15 hot and cold eye pillows. They are filled with flax seed and can be put in the freezer or microwaved. You can read about how to make them at https://marykisner.com/making-a-hot-or-cold-eye-pillow-for-headaches-or-toothaches/

This is what they look like…cotton on one side and flannel on the other. I have plain muslin for the liner (to keep the flax seeds from poking through the outer fabric.) I think I’ll have enough time…if I can get the fabric, flannel and flax seeds in time!

I found some nice 100% cotton fabric at Walmart but alas…no cotton flannel!

I even tried Michaels…no flannel of any kind! Luckily, Amazon came through and 2 yards of flannel will be delivered tomorrow!

Of course, the eye pillows will need flax seeds for stuffing…but 14 of them will require about 8 pounds of flax seeds (1 cup in each pillow). I had a small bag, but not 8 pounds!

Thank goodness, I could order a 10-pound bag from Amazon. It arrived today!

When I have all the components, I’ll get an assembly line going to crank out 14 eye pillows!

Last, but not least, how about some Christmas M&Ms to snack on while relaxing with a warm eye pillow! Amazon came through again! This bag will show up in a few days.

You can see that preparing these 14 gift bags required some lead time to assemble all the components! Just the brainstorming, sorting through my stash of supplies and running around town took several days. Now, I wait for things to arrive from Amazon so I can start making the eye pillows.

I really like how the focus is around being handmade. I don’t think I’m giving any useless stuff to my friends…the soap can be used, the M&Ms can be eaten and the eye pillow might be soothing during the Christmas season! If nothing else, the bag can be ‘regifted’ to someone else who needs it.

If you plan to have a handmade Christmas, plan ahead so you have time to enjoy the holidays yourself! Enjoy!

Please email me directly if you have comments or questions: maryjkisner@gmail.com.

Art in the Orchard Wrap

I hereby declare that the Art in the Orchard Festival was a success…for me at least! With temperature hovering about 100 degrees in the sun, I’m amazed I did so well. It was a long three days in the sun and I have the suntan (blisters) to prove it. However, I have $700 ready to deposit at the bank!

As a vendor it it entirely a different experience from being a visitor to a festival. Because visitors are constantly streaming by, I really could not wander too far to check our other booths. When I did leave our booth, I was on a mission to hit the restroom or grab something to eat from the food court trucks nearby. Having a good friend to chat with while we waited for the next visitor was a blessing. Yes, we had a cooler with ice for drinks and I had cut up vegetables and fruit to shack on…but how often do I get to snack on sweet kettle corn!

I was able to chat with the vendors on each side of our tent. The woman on one side had been doing festivals like this for 15 years and was debating whether it was time to stop; the young woman on the other side was brand new to being a vendor and her whole family struggles to figure out how to set up her tent! Beyond that, I have no information about how other folks were doing, what they were selling, etc. except by what the children were carrying as they went by our booth. I was grateful my booth-mate Toni was an experienced vendor.

It was so hot, I could hardly focus on taking pictures so I could write a decent story about the festival. I didn’t even get a ‘selfie’ of me! Lame, I know! So, here are a few pictures of our booth.

First, here’s the map of where our booth was located. I marked our booth (#4) on the map and the location of our booth last year…down a hill and on the opposite side of the field. Our location this year meant we were one of the first booths people saw as they came from the parking area. Many looked hard and then said they’d be back after they saw everything else! Many actually came back! So, we saw a lot of folks at the beginning of their visit and they were enthusiastic about the festival.

Toni’s company is called Paisley Art. She does impressive collages and sparkly sun catchers. Her “pictures” attracted a lot of attention as people walked by…and then they came in and saw all the sun catchers…and then they turned to go and stopped to see my bracelets! OR sometimes they say my sign and headed to the bracelets; then they turned around and continued to check out Toni’s stuff. It was very interesting to watch. Compared to the few other booths I saw, our inventory was limited and people seemed to be willing to check it out. So, here’s a brief tour of our booth:

Late in the afternoon on the first day, people walking by suddenly stopped and looked out the back of our booth. When we turned around to see what was so interesting…a beautiful hot air balloon was being inflated! For a fee, you could take a ride straight up a few hundred feet and look around…not sure what you could see, but the balloon was beautiful!

We did try to stay comfortable with the heat, but don’t believe the ads about the tiny air conditioners that seem to blow air over ice water and used a battery. The could blow moist air in our face or on our ankles for a few minutes. The could not keep up with the 100 degrees in an open tent.

By the third day, we were putting the melting ice from our cooler into a large zip lock bag and using it as a compress on our arms, legs, neck and shoulders. That worked the best! We were grateful for Bert’s help in setting up the tent, and then coming back on Saturday evening to help us tear down. This whole event was not a one-person job!

Check out Art in the Orchard Festival next year! I’d love to see you! If you have comments or questions, please email me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com.

Prepping for the Art in the Orchard Festival

I’ve spent the last year looking forward to the Art in the Orchard festival. This year it will be held July 10-12, 2025 in the big field next to Way’s Fruit Farm on Rt. 550, just past Stormstown, PA. This is the same weekend as the Central PA Festival of the Arts in State College and the People’s Choice Festival at the Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall. Busy weekend for all.

Last year was quite a learning experience for me. Being a vendor is so different than just visiting an arts festival. I discovered how complicated it was to set up a booth, display my stuff and interact with the public for several days. Thank goodness I was with my friend Toni, who had done this before. She had the tent, the tables and the know-how to set everything up. Here was my display last year:

This whole year, my focus was on building my inventory of bracelets to sell. With just two weeks to go, I’ve had to stop making bracelets and figure out how to display things. I also knew I needed new business cards, some kind of sign and my own table with a cover. I would be providing the 10×10 tent and we just ordered the side walls. Next, we need to figure out how to assemble it ourselves.

I’ve been trying to make own business cards, but it’s been hard to design what I want with a Word program and card template. (I sure do miss PageMaker!). My original idea was this:

I couldn’t get the “beads” to center properly and I wanted a line to be the “string” holding them together. I could not get the circles to travel together!

I finally went to the printer and ordered cards…and tried to explain my issues with the program. This is what I ended up with:

Not quite what I had in mind…but I had 200 printed. I’ll revise for next year!

Of course, the vinyl sign I ordered matches the new card:

So now it’s time to assemble my display. (First, Bert had to show me how to open up the folding table!) The cover obviously needs to be ironed!

Last year I used baskets to hold each size bracelet:

This year that won’t work…I have too many bracelets!

I also need to figure out how to hang the sign…it kept falling off! The regular bracelets are on the right, and they will the closest to the visitors passing by. We’ll see how long they stay neat and organized! They will be $10 each and come in three sizes: 7″, 7 1/2″ and 8″.

On the left side of the table will be my specialty bracelets. They will be more expensive ($20) and also come in three sizes. There aren’t as many bracelets… 15 different topics from “Ease Arthritis Symptoms” to “Headaches and Migraines” to “Supporting Weight Loss.” They have become very popular but they use several beads together and have a print out of what each stone contributes to the Intention.

On the back of my card, that is included with each bracelet, is this disclaimer:

When it says “Bracelet with Intention” it means when I make the bracelet I’m thinking about how it might help you, and the beads themselves hold meaning. It is not a medical device but it can help you focus your mind to help with the intention.

Finally, I’m trying to get better at taking some pictures that look a little more interesting. I’d like to make a booklet of the various specialty bracelets I’ve made. Luckily, when I first started learning about the stones themselves I collected a variety that I can now use in setting up some pictures. I’m not sure I need to have more stones. I’ll have to worry about this project after the festival!

Most of my bracelets are made with 6mm beads. I’m now getting more requests from guys (my grandson Ben, age 18, is often asking for a bracelet to help with a specific thing, like clarity and focus when he starts Penn State this fall.) So, I’ve started adding larger beads (8mm) to my supplies. Geez…it’s starting to add up! Not a cheap hobby, but so rewarding.

I did have a question from a friend…did I make necklaces? So far…no. But I thought I’d give it a try to see if my elastic was strong enough to handle a necklace of 6mm beads. I made a necklace of a repeating pattern of chakra stones and then made a matching bracelet:

It looked pretty, but was it comfortable?

It was more comfortable that I expected but I had to use over 75 beads…enough for 4 bracelets! Maybe if I had enough of the 4mm beads it would be worth it, but for now I think I’ll skip necklaces! If you’d like to see more of my bracelets, come find me at the Art in Orchard festival July 10-12, 2025! If you have questions or comments about this post, please just email me directly: maryjkisner@gmail.com.

Gemstone Bracelets Update

Over the last year and a half, I have spent a lot of time and money to learn about, design and make gemstone bead bracelets. This hobby was perfect to satisfy my need to learn something new and provided the motivation to work toward a goal of selling the bracelets at a mid-summer arts festival. This festival was held in mid-July at Way’s Fruit Farm outside of State College. Last year I was able to make and sell $60 bracelets for $10 each. I also came home with a healthy respect for all the vendors who attend multiple festivals and fairs during the year. Sitting, standing and interacting with hundreds of people during three hot days last July was quite a challenge for me! I’m already thinking about which shirt and hat I can wear this year to protect me from the sun!

This year so far, I have about 130 bracelets in three sizes ready for sale. Each bracelet has a tag that identifies the stones in the bracelet and a brief phrase that describes the stone and how it could be used.

Additions for This Year

This year I’ve been learning more about how the various gemstones are used to help folks with specific health issues. I am aware that wearing a bracelet is not a medical device! I’m certainly not promising that certain stones can help ease medical symptoms. I see them as serving a purpose like the native American dream catchers. If they ease a person’s mind by wearing, holding or having a stone nearby, why not! And most of the stones/beads I use are pretty too!

I decided to add a statement to the back of my business cards that will be available with each purchase:

So, my next focus for research was how the stones I use have been used in history for various ailments. I did a search on “Best crystals for…” and typed in the ailment. Many different stones are recommended and described why they could help…of course if you believe they will help ease your worry about something, they might help! I now have a new way to design bracelets.

I’m now putting together bracelets that have a specific intention, not necessarily by color. That makes some interesting combinations! I have bracelets that could ease arthritis symptoms, ease inflammatory combinations and support better food choices which might help with weight loss. I’m hoping to offer a few of them at the Festival this summer just to see if folks might be interested.

I do not plan to sell these bracelets through this website…ever. You can come to the festival (Art in the Orchard July 11-13, 2025 at Way’s Fruit Farm near Stormstown, PA). If you have questions about the bracelets, please email me directly instead of leaving a comment on my blog…I now get over 100 spam comments a day from automatic servers. It takes me time to make sure I don’t miss a real comment. Use email…it’s quicker! maryjkisner@gmail.com

If you’d like to read about how I started this hobby last year, please see:

https://marykisner.com/gemstone-bracelets-good-vibrations-for-the-whole-family/

If you’d like to read about how the festival went last year, please see:

https://marykisner.com/coming-soon-art-in-the-orchard-festival/ and

https://marykisner.com/follow-up-of-the-art-in-the-orchard-festival/

Enjoy!

Making a Natural Bug Repellent for You and Your Dog

Spring is the time to start thinking about finding a good bug repellent for you (and your dog). Four years ago, I was deep into learning about how essential oils could be used, and one of the first products I made was a natural bug repellent for my greyhound friends (human and dog!).

My research started with making sure that the essential oils I used were safe for the dogs. Here are two books I started with, along with research on the internet.

Most recipes for a natural bug repellent had pretty similar ingredients…water, essential oils and an emulsifier to disperse the oils. The most important issue was making sure the specific essential oils were safe for your pets. Amazingly, most were fine for dogs, but only a few were safe for cats! I suspect this is because cats will lick their fur and ingest the essential oils.

You can read more about using essential oils with your pets at the end of this post. For today, I wanted to share the natural bug repellent spray recipe that I’ve found to be effective for you and your dogs! Once you’ve sprayed your dog and rubbed it into its fur, you’ll have it on your hands. Rub your hands on your arms and legs. An extra spray on your clothing can keep the bugs away from you too!

This bug repellent is safe for you and your dogs. It is not necessarily safe for your cats! Please check with your veterinarian for a safe repellent for your cats!

Here is my recipe for a natural bug repellent:

All of the ingredients in this recipe are available at Amazon. You can mix this up directly in an 8-ounce spray bottle. I’ve been mixing it up in an 8-ounce bottle with a screw top lid so I can more easily share it without having to worry about the spray bottle leaking in transit. I just include the empty 8-ounce spray bottle.

Here are the ingredients I use:

Here’s a close up of the Lavender Hydrosol label on the jug in the back row:

Labeling the bottle and/or spray bottle is important.

So try this recipe yourself! Enjoy the warm weather without the bugs or harmful chemicals!

ABOUT USING ESSENTIAL OILS WITH YOUR PETS

I found great information online from Dr. Maranda Elswick, who is a licensed veterinarian in Florida and Virginia. (For more information about Dr. Elswick see: https://iloveveterinary.com/blog/the-meowing-vet-dr-maranda-elswick/)

In another article, she provided a list of essential oils that are safe for dogs and a separate list for cats. Her information also included how to treat essential oil poisoning in dogs and cats. If you use any product with essential oils in them on your pets, please keep these lists nearby!

Essential Oils Safe for Dogs:

Cedarwood oil; Chamomile oil; Citrus oils (including lemon oil and orange oil); Eucalyptus oil; Fennel oil; Frankincense oil; Lavender oil; Lemongrass oil; Peppermint; Spearmint; and Rose Oil.

(I also researched Manuka Essential Oil and it was found to be safe for dogs. If you’d like to read more about Manuka Essential Oil see https://marykisner.com/manuka-essential-oil-fact-sheet/)

Essential Oils Safe for Cats:

Chamomile oil; Jasmine oil; Lavender oil; and Rose oil.

How to Treat Essential Oil Poisoning in Dogs and Cats:

If your dog or cat is experiencing mild respiratory irritation after inhaling an essential oil, move them to an area with fresh air.

If a concentrated essential oil came in contact with your pet’s skin or fur, wash the area with a pet-safe dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn.

If your dog or cat ingested an essential oil, consult with your veterinarian or poison control center immediately. Do not induce vomiting.

Essential Oils and Pets: Tips and Advice

Fortunately, the majority of essential oil toxicity cases carry a good prognosis with prompt detection and veterinary treatment. However, prevention is key. Pet parents can reduce the risk of harm to their dogs and cats by following these safety tips when using essential oils at home:

SAFETY TIPS FOR USING ESSENTIAL OILS AROUND PETS

    Only use pet-safe essential oils from reputable brands, and dilute appropriately with a pet-friendly carrier oil before administering to your dog or cat. Avoid use around animals more susceptible to ill effects. Never feed a highly-concentrated product to your pet or apply it topically.

    Never force an essential oil on your pet…even those deemed pet-safe…if they don’t appear to like it. Try the “smell test” to introduce your pet to the oil first.

    Do not add essential oils to your pet’s food.

    Keep essential oil bottles and products out of your pet’s reach or locked in a cabinet. This includes the reservoirs for diffusers and liquid potpourri, which pets can easily knock over if left unattended. Ingesting large quantities can be fatal!

    If using a passive diffuser, make sure your pet can get away from the area. Avoid use around birds.

    Avoid using an active diffuser when your pet is in the room, especially around birds and pets that groom frequently, such as cats.

    Limit your use of diffusers, sprays, and other essential oil products to a short period of time, and air out the room before allowing your pet inside.

    Avoid combining different oils (which can inadvertently raise the concentration), and avoid using pure products or blends in which the concentration is not specified on the label!

    STAY SAFE WITH YOUR PETS!

    Still Finding Joy in Making Bracelets

    It’s now been more than a year that I’ve been working with gemstone beads. While this hobby started with the “friendship bracelet” fad over a year ago…with words, letters and interesting shaped beads…I was quickly fascinated with actual gemstone beads. Learning about the gemstones and how they were used in history for jewelry, official ceremonies and technology encouraged my interest in them. When I started, I wasn’t clear if others would also be interested in what I was learning. Most folks enjoyed how pretty the bracelets were and were drawn to their favorite colors or their birthstones. You can read about how I got started in making these bracelets at https://marykisner.com/gemstone-bracelets-good-vibrations-for-the-whole-family/

    Many of the bracelets I made for the Festival last summer had just one or two kinds of stones in them. I sold 60 bracelets over the three-day festival for $10 each. I will continue to make bracelets like those for the festival this year. I made bracelets in three sizes and discovered the Large (8″) bracelets did not sell as well. Most were bought by or for men. So, I’ll make more of the Small and Medium size and make the Large bracelets with larger beads to appeal to men.

    Morse Code Bracelets

    Another kind of bracelet I’ve enjoyed making are custom-made to have a person’s name spelled out in Morse Code, using round black beads for the dots and small black cylinder beads for the dashes. The extra beads to finish the bracelet were chosen for a specific purpose…birthstone, favorite color or a specific bead to support a health issue. These could be White Opal beads to reduce stress and worry; Citrine for good luck; or Amethyst for overall good health. Here are some examples:

    I actually got pretty good at “reading” the Morse Code in the bracelets…maybe I should work toward my HAM radio license! You can read about making these bracelets at https://marykisner.com/making-morse-code-bracelets/

    Bracelets to Support a Health Issue

    A few months ago, I was asked to consider making a bracelet to support a friend’s health issue…headaches and migraines. I added a disclaimer that this bracelet was not a medical device! I am not a doctor (actually I am…just not a medical doctor…smile!). While some very sensitive folks can feel vibrations from the gemstones, that is not one of my talents. However, historically some gemstones have helped issues like headaches for some folks. Wearing a bracelet can be a reminder to rest, relax and think about releasing stress which is often the cause of a headache. Wearing the bracelet can’t hurt and the bracelet is pretty to look at. The stone beads are smooth and cool to the touch. Even putting the bracelet in your pocket and handling it now and then can remind you to release stress. Here’s the final bracelet:

    I now have several bracelets with specific stones to support a variety of health issues. I’m not sure if I’ll sell these bracelets at the festival, but I can explain them individually to folks. Because they involved more time to make, they will cost more than $10. Here are two other samples:

    Making bracelets for others continue to be a rewarding hobby for me. This focused activity helps me release MY stress! Look for me at the Art in the Orchard Festival in July and pick out a bracelet for yourself! If you have a request for a specific bracelet, send me an email and we can discuss it (maryjkisner@gmail.com). To read my post about the Festival last summer, check out this post: https://marykisner.com/follow-up-of-the-art-in-the-orchard/ Enjoy!

    Making Another Gift Box with Recycled Greeting Cards

    In the fall, we start receiving packets of greeting cards from various organizations…usually with an appeal for donations. Each packet ight have 4-6 cards with envelopes. By December, I may have accumulated over 100 assorted Christmas cards. Some are quite unusual; others are just tacky. Most of the time I don’t even send Christmas cards because I write a family letter that really doesn’t need a separate card. However, I have trouble just throwing all these cards away.

    Of course, in the spring we get another pile of cards along with a renewed request for donations. These cards are for birthday greetings, get well and sympathy cards. I don’t send very many cards in the first place, but now I have another pile of cards to store.

    I’m always on the look out for craft projects that would use recycled greeting cards. I do reach for an occasional small gift bag, so I’m often checking Pinterest for new ideas.

    I’ve already written about using origami paper, calendar pages and greeting cards in the past. You may remember the folded paper gift boxes from origami paper…

    https://marykisner.com/how-about-a-folded-paper-gift-box/

    From the pile of calendar pictures I had accumulated, I made a bunch of very small gift bags:

    https://marykisner.com/make-a-small-gift-bag-in-a-flash/

    I also attempted to use up some Greyhound calendar pictures and pretty greeting cards by making placemats:

    https://marykisner.com/recycling-greeting-cards-into-a-placemat/

    https://marykisner.com/recycling-greeting-cards-into-a-placemat/

    All of those ideas were great, but I needed a new idea! Here are some samples of the latest gift boxes…two for Christmas and two that could be for birthdays. To save space, I’m thinking I could make these and store them flat until needed.

    Making These Gift Boxes

    To make these boxes you will need:

    4 greeting cards; 1 sheet of cardstock, about 12″ square; 4 pieces of 1/4″ ribbon (about 14″ long each); Ruler; multipurpose glue (I used B-7000); Single hole punch; Scissors.

    The base of these boxes is a single sheet of cardstock, about 12″ square. They come in a tablet of solid or decorative colors. They can be found at Michaels Craft Stores, JoAnn Fabric Stores or any craft store that caters to scrapbooking crafters.

    First, I chose four cards that would go together…a floral theme.

    I pulled out a sheet of decorative green cardstock…white on the reverse side. The decorative green side will the inside of the box. The cardstock was not exactly 12″ x 12″ so instead of 4″ squares I had to make them 3 1/2″ squares. Here’s how I measured out the template:

    I trimmed off the top and side, then cut away the corner blocks. I saved a corner block to use as a template to mark the greeting cards. Here is what it looks like after cutting it apart:

    Here is the reverse, which will be the inside of the box:

    Next, I used my ruler to help me fold the four sides up:

    One of the corner pieces you cut out can be your template to draw the cut line on the pictures on the cards. Here’s an example from the snowman card I’ll use in the Christmas box:

    Once you have all four cards/pictures cut, place them on the outside of the base cardstock, turning the pictures so they are right side up when you fold it into a box. Glue each picture down with a quick drying glue…I used my jewelry glue (B-7000 multipurpose glue).

    When the glue is dry, punch holes in the top corners of each side:

    Using a 14″ piece of 1/4″ skinny ribbon, tie each corner together to make the box.

    This project looked like it would be a good way to use up my stash of greeting cards…these four boxes used 16 cards! If I waited to tie them into boxes, I think I could store them flat until I needed a box. I’ll add this project to my list of ways to make gift boxes! Give it a try! Could be a project for kids and grandkids and you could recycle all those cards that come in the mail! Enjoy!

    Learning to Take Better Photos of my Gemstone Bracelets

    I have enjoyed making gemstone beaded bracelets over the last year and while I’ve taken many photographs of them, I’m never quite happy with how they look in the photos. I’ve just assumed that folks on Etsy and jewelry websites must have a professional photographer take their pictures because even tiny details show up clearly. I finally had a chat with a photographer friend who suggested I get a “light box” and just play with light and color to see what works for me. Sure…

    Thanks to Amazon, I typed in “light box” and guess what!! Up came quite a few choices. With the price range from cheap to VERY expensive, I ended up with one like this:

    It showed jewelry being displayed, so I figured it would work for my bracelets. It was pretty easy to set up but it took me a while to figure out how to begin. The top had a hole to look down at the surface with my phone camera. The plastic color mats fit inside and the light had an extra shield to diffuse the circle of light.

    When I looked down from the top, I could see the bracelet I had placed under the light.

    The box came with 6 color choices in plastic sheets.

    I first needed to remember what I used last year that turned out such lousy photos. I had a piece of light green foam that I thought would work to put each bracelet on. I did that for each of the 120 bracelets I made for the craft sale in July. The photos looked like this:

    Frankly…not very exciting. The colors didn’t show up very well. I recently took pictures of the latest bracelets I’ve made and realized the pale green foam did not enhance the look of any of the bracelets!

    So, here’s my first attempt at taking a photo under the light in the light box.

    I left this picture at full size so you can see how the circular light is reflected in every bead! Ugly and unacceptable!

    Next, I chose another bracelet, put it on the black plastic background with the light at the top. This time I put the extra piece of fabric with a hole in it under the light to buffer the light. A little better.

    Next, I stood in front of the box and took a picture. That helped eliminate the reflection from the top. However, the black plastic still reflected the light from the silver spacers.

    The black plastic background really doesn’t do the bracelet justice. How about the green background?

    Ahhhh…nope!

    Next, I tried the beige (plastic) background:

    Better for the beads, but the plastic still reflected the light.

    Finally, I found a piece of beige linen fabric. That did not reflect any light! Yea! Much better. Actually, if I put the fabric on my desktop instead of in the light box, my iPhone camera and flash does a great job with the picture and is much easier to set up! Who knew that worked just as well as the light box!

    I still needed to check a few other bracelets that had more subtle colors. This one had only Amber and Citrine. The beads are washed out with the beige background so I tried a piece of white linen.

    Beige background:

    White background:

    When I switched to a white background, the colors showed up much better!

    The final bracelet I wanted to check was the one below, because it had both dark and light beads. The beige background worked fine for both.

    I feel so much better about taking pictures of my bracelets now. I’ve got until next July to beef up my inventory! Who knows…maybe I’ll have to put out a catalog! Enjoy!