My Sister's Closet

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” - President Boyd K. Packer

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Here is an adorable twist on the Soup & Share idea. Kim's young women leaders put this together for their young women, love it!
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Here are all the cute details (plus a few extras):

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PURPOSE

To give the each of the young women an opportunity to serve and share with others. Also, possibly serving the temporal needs of one or more of your young women - secretly.  :)

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Beginning Cross Stitch

Here is another activity I have done with the young women.  Beginning Cross Stitch.  It would also be a great activity for the activity day girls as well.
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Honestly, this turned out much better than I thought it would.  When the girls told me they wanted to learn how to cross-stitch I thought to myself, "Cross-Stitch? Really?"  Luckily, a quick refresher course and a few supplies later...  voila!  "You girls would be so proud of me!"
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SUPPLIES USED

• 14 count plastic canvas, perfect for beginners
• embroidery floss
• 22 rounded needle
• scissors
• pencils

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I went to Michael's and picked up a plastic canvas sheet for each girl.  My first thought was to purchase an embroidery hoop and fabric for each girl, but I am glad I went with the plastic.  I figured the plastic canvas would be easier to work with.  And it was.   

I admit, I needed a refresher course myself.  I found this:  Learn How To Cross Stitch In 5 minutes.  Just what I needed to get started!
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I started by drawing a grid on the chalkboard and explaing in detail how to create a basic cross stitch.  Remember, I am a visual learner.  :)  I think that approach worked out really well.  We also went over how to thread a needle, knotting the end of the thread, and finishing a stitch.
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There was some one-on-one instruction where needed.  But, the girls picked it up really quickly.  And we heard a number of them say "this is fun!".  :)
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The girls used their pencils to draw a picture, a favorite quote, a design, whatever they wanted to on their sheet of plastic.  Then, using their new found knowledge, they began to stitch.

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Here is a sample of a few different stitches (no, I did not stitch this):
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DID YOU KNOW?
The word 'Sampler' is derived from the Latin word 'Exemplum'. The meaning of this word being 'an example to be followed'. (You could create a great object lesson with this information, couldn't you?)  :)  Samplers are different examples of a stitches. It is generally believed that sampler stitching was carried out by young girls to encourage skills in stitching for use in later life. A sampler would probably have a variety of different stitches, and would be kept by the girl as a reference for future work. It would normally have been the particular individuals first attempt at stitching.
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 The above sampler was done by 6 year old (yes 6),

Emily Shelton Sander, dated 1858.

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During the 19th century, samplers became an important part of the school curriculum, young girls were encouraged to stitch to prepare themselves for their role as wives and mothers. These samplers tended to simple in their design, usually only having alphabets, numbers, their name and date, and the name of the school. The age of the stitcher ranged from as young as six up to about the age of fifteen years. The average age being eleven.
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Creating a sampler would be a wonderful 10 hour project for the young women.  And a great addition to their hope chests.  :)  Just sayin'.
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Here are a couple modern day samplers I found (plus a few more patterns):
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Daisychain ABC's Crewelwork Sampler Pattern

available here for $6.00
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found here
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Arise and Shine Pattern
This and more LDS cross stitch patterns found here.
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"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
found here

Hope Chest and Testimonies

Maddy, my daughter, asked me to help her with a spiritual thought for mutual.  Her Beehive class activity for the night was going to be focused on the hope chest.  (Yea!)  Maddy said it was her idea.  (Double Yea!)

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We started by reading a few different scriptures to see if anything we found went along with the idea of a Hope Chest.  We began focusing on 2 Nephi 31:20, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of god and all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life."

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Maddy practiced what she was going to say - a few times.  We both, in our own minds could see the correlation, but agreed it was a stretch.  So we tried something else.

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I am a visual learner.  If I can see it - I usually get it.  So, Maddy and I went to the whiteboard.  This is what we drew, as we talked about the correlation between a hope chest and a testimony:

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A hope chest, historically, is a box where a young women collects items:  linens, dishes, a special dress, etc... - in hope/preparation for married life.  The box being portable, so she can take it with her.

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A testimony, is a place in your heart where you continually add to it:  prayer, scripture study, service, etc... - in faith/preparation for eternal life.  A testimony is the one thing you take with you.

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It is amazing what you can learn when you put a some thought into something.  I especially enjoyed the conversation Maddy and I had as we were brainstorming our ideas.  :)

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As for the activity, the girls were asked to bring an item, a momento, to place into their hope chests.  When Maddy came home at the end of the night she was holding a box that her young women leaders had given her to begin her very own hope chest.

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I love that the leaders are encouraging this! 

A Glimpse of the Past

Brie received one of the most adorable gifts for her 16th birthday.  I thought it was so clever and thoughtful.  Her friend found a vintage owl clock.  She removed the clock face and inserted a black and white photograph of the two of them in it's place.

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Beautiful girls, inside and out.  :)

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Talking about vintage finds...

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Yesterday, Maddy and I met up with one of the young women in our ward - who has been waiting for me to take her to a few of the antique shops near our home for over a year.  Better late then never, I suppose.  The three of us had such a great time meandering through the shops, excited by the treasures we discovered, and bewildered by items we had no idea what they were - or purposes they once had.

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A few of our memorable finds:

• women's vintage hats (I think a wall of vintage hats could be quite cute, if done right.)
• vintage cameras (Maddy fell in love with these!)
• a view finder, with a ton of black and white photos of incredible architecture and landmarks from the early 1900's
• beautiful jewelry, which we envisioned being worn by royalty (it was probably all costume jewelry though)  :)
• a really cool wire butter slicer
• vintage toys

I have a love of birds, so when I saw this pair of ceramic green birds I had to take them home with me.  The shop owner surprised me when she mentioned there was a 20% off discount on my find.  Yeah!  They are so much cuter in person - I really need a new camera!

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As we were walking back to the car I thought, "how fun would it have been had we had a slip of paper with the dates of when our parents, grandparents, great grandparents were certain ages (year they were born, teenage years, year they were married, etc).  We would have been able to take a better glimpse into their lives as we searched for treasures."

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I got home excited to find a nesting place for my new treasure (the birds).   Then I starting thinking about some of the treasures I already had at home.  A couple of those items:  a baby blanket made by Great Grandma Tholen and embroidered pillowcases handmade by Grandma Phillips.  Both of these items are wonderful treasures to me.

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My thoughts then turned to, "What will my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren treasure most, as they think of me?"  "What more can I do to leave a glimpse of the past - for them?"

YW Camp Book

Girls, I saw this YW Camp Book from here and loved it!
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What a wonderful keepsake for the girls to have from camp.  Something they could place into their hope chest, and pull it out later in life when their own daughters are preparing for their first week of camp.  A future memory share, bonding moment!  :)
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She said it took quite a bit of time to put them together, but said it was well worth it.  That's why I decided to share this with you now.  ;)

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They purchased old books from a local library for $1.00 each.  She mentioned that they were able to purchase a set of encyclopedias and a few dictionaries that were the same size.  (perfect for pressing leaves and flowers, don't you think?)  They spray painted the covers gold.  (you could even wrap them in fabric or sturdy paper)

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This is what filled the pages:  (go here for a few photographs of the pages)

• pockets for secret sister letters
• pockets for their letters from home
• a pocket for a strength of Youth pamphlet
• Table of Contents, for the subjects of each devotional
• blank pages in each section to write thoughts or memories
• a keepsake pocket for leaves, flowers, little treasures they found in the mountains
• blank pages for others to write on - similar to a yearbook signing
• pages in the back, for photographs taken at camp

A Gathering Place

A simple shoe box can be a wonderful gathering place for handouts and mementos from time spent in the Young Women program.  "I still have a box filled with handouts...  which remind me of lessons I have been taught."

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A shoe box would fit nicely into a young women's hope chest, wouldn't it?  :)

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This idea could be presented during a Sunday lesson on keeping a journal and preserving memories.  You could have a box available for them if budget allows, or simply have the girls bring a small box of choice:

• an old shoe box (make sure it is a sturdy one though - you want it to last)
• photo storage box (you can usually find these for less than $5.00 at Joann's or Micheal's)
• clear plastic container with lid (Dollar Stores are a great place to find these)

You could also set aside time during a week night activity to have the girls decorate their boxes.  Wrapping them in gift wrap, scrapbook paper, photographs, really anything they would like.  You can find instructions on decorating shoe boxes here.  Or do an internet search for other ideas, there are so many out there.

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If you really want to help them get organized, they could create sections within the box for different topics, such as dating, scripture study, or any/all of the young women values.  Personally, I just like the idea of rummaging through the box and having random memories of lessons and activities.

Penny for an Idea

At the beginning of the year I started searching for pennies from every one's birth years and anniversaries (oops, I let the cat out of the bag!).  I've done pretty good, I am only missing a few of the years.  I have them in a Ziploc bag, ready to be displayed in a cute little frame.  I thought it would make a fun custom birthday/anniversary gift.

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I just came across these Lucky Penny Keychains and have been inspired to possibly use these pennies in a different way.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to punch the holes.

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This would be a wonderful addition to Project HOPE CHEST.

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This idea would even be fun to use in making custom necklaces for each of our young women.  A gift to present them on their birthday.  I suppose the key chains would be great for our Laurels.  :)

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JUST FOR FUN

Your kids would love these penny stunts!  I found them in an article titled "Fun with Pennies", from The Friend, January 1984.  This might be fun for a Family Home Evening activity, possibly after a lesson about tithing, saving for a mission, or money management.

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Before you put your pennies into a piggy bank, you might like to try these stunts with them. Some aren’t as easy as they seem!

1. Submerge a small glass right side up in the bottom of a large wide-mouthed bottle filled with water. Then try to drop pennies into the glass.
2. Press a penny firmly against the center of your forehead, slide it upward about an inch, let go, and it will stay there.
3. Lie flat on your back on the floor. Have someone put a penny on the tip of your nose. Without moving your head, try to dislodge the coin by wiggling your nose.
4. Stand with your feet together and your heels against a wall. Have someone place a penny about eighteen inches in front of your toes. Without moving your heels from the wall, try to pick up the coin.
5. Hold out one hand, palm up. Have someone place a penny on each fingertip except the thumb. See if you can get all the pennies into one pile on a fingertip without using the thumb or other hand.
6. Have a friend put an even number of pennies in one closed fist and an odd number in the other. Announce that without looking you can tell which hand holds the even number of pennies. Ask the person holding the pennies to multiply the number of pennies in his right hand by five, the number in his left hand by six. The two results are added together and the total number announced. If it is an even number, the even number of pennies is in the right hand. If the total is an odd number, the number of pennies in the right hand will be odd.

Humble Beginnings

This is for those of you who accepted my earlier invitation to join me in Project:  HOPE CHEST.  I wanted to give you an update on my humble beginnings.

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You may know that my hope is to have a cedar chest for each of my daughters before they graduate from high school.  This was also my desire, then I moved it to hoping to have one before I got married.  Now, I simply hope I have one before I pass on.  :)

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Well, knowing it may take some time to actually acquire a ceder chest (whether it be cost, or time for them to be built by a family member, or even trying to transport them from another state), I decided to create a make shift hope chest.

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Our humble beginnings - This past week I purchased a large plastic container/with lid (which slides nicely under my bed)  for each of my children (boys included).  I purchased them at our local Target store for $5.99 each.

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In these I have placed items which I believe have significance.  School photographs and awards, as well as sports photos and awards (those not on current display in the home).  Invitations and programs from their baptisms.  Little stories they have written.  Art work they have created.  Notes and cards from Grandparents.  And other little items that have personal meaning.  Keeping in mind that these boxes will hold treasures they may someday want to share with their own children.

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I figured I had to start somewhere.  This is where I have chosen to begin.

Project: HOPE CHEST

Is it too late for me to have my very own hope chest?  I don't think so.  I realize I am a grown woman, married and with children...  and throughout history a hope chest has been used to collect items by young women in anticipation of married life.  But I still would really like one!

photo credit here

Hope chest contents usually include typical dowry items such as clothing (especially a special dress), table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts and occasionally dishware.  I have always loved the idea of the hope chest and the treasure they hold.
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When we were younger, it was always a special treat being able to go through mom's cedar chest.  Though it began as a hope chest, it became a treasure chest for us, as her daughters.  It held treasures.  It still holds treasures.  "Glimpses into the life of a young women, the one we call mom."  Those cute little earrings from china, do you know the ones I am talking about?  In the light green fabric box with the wooden clasp.  Wooden dishes from Hawaii, she received from Grandpa Burgon.  So many more treasures!
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I remember being so jealous, yes jealous, when Kim had Mike build her one for her room.  And more recently, Ryan building one for his sweetheart.  Yes, you Janeal.  Silly me, to be jealous.
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It has been awhile now, but I have talked to Mike about building a couple for Brie and Maddy.  Someday, I hope.  For a hope chest.  Ha, Ha. 
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By the way, we have such skilled and talented brothers, don't we?

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I have been wanting to do this for a long time:

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this is an official invitation to join me in

PROJECT HOPE CHEST

"rediscovering the joys and anticipation of marriage

and the treasures of life"
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This is just the beginning.  You haven't heard the last of this!  :)