February 7

Rocket Man: DIY Jet Packs

jet pack by Kelly Crawford

Looking for a fun craft to help combat cabin fever? Kelly at Sewing in No Mans Land has you covered!

Just grab some empty water bottles, foil, electrical tape, streamers, and a few other materials and you too can create these awesome jet packs. (You/your kids must supply your own wooshing noises, but I’m guessing those won’t be in short supply.)

Be sure to hop over to her post for the how-to, plus adorable pics of her little man in action.

Links of Interest:

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January 4

Jewelry for Band Geeks

Clarinet key earrings-140848-BOA by Hangups in KC

Any Band Geeks out there? My husband played trumpet in his high school marching band, and continued as a member of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Now my daughter is following suit, playing his horn in her school marching band. Over the past 20+ years, I have attended and cheered at many a band performance, and developed a definite soft spot for those musical type geeks.

So I am pleased to toot the horn (couldn’t resist the pun) of a local Kansas City duo who is making some pretty cool things out of retired band instruments. Hangups in KC has created the Band of Angels Retired Instrument Jewelry Collection, crafting unique handmade items such as clarinet key earrings (pictured above), guitar string bracelets, and a necklace from repurposed violin wood.

These ladies are passionate about their craft and their commitment to using repurposed materials. I love their brand vision and message, and that they are giving new life to retired band instruments in a unique way. And bonus –  they give 30% of every sale from the collection to Band of Angels, a non-profit that collects used music instruments and makes them available to kids in need so they can join band and orchestra programs. Nurturing future generations of band geeks is something I can get behind!

For Christmas, I gave my daughter one of Hangups’ ornaments made from a retired trumpet mouthpiece. She thought it was pretty cool, then when she heard it helped other kids get started in band, it became an even more meaningful keepsake. Band mom win!

Trumpet ornament by Hangups in KC

Are you a Band Geek? What instrument did/do you play?

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June 16

Spoilers, Sweetie

Spoilers SweetieThis is definitely a spoiler. . .  For you!  Thanks to Sara Montagnani, you can purchase this beautiful handmade charm of River Song’s Journal from her shop, Silly Love Crafts on Etsy.

This lovely reproduction of the journal is handcrafted from recycled materials.  Sara even used coffee to tint the pages of the journal.  The richness of the charm comes in the excellent details of the original diary.  The journal comes with it’s own silver chain as well.

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