Gratefulness: Family DIY Activities that Encourage a Heart of Thankfulness

DIY Pallet Project: Infarrantly Creative

Well, hello there again precious peeps! I am oh.so.happy to announce we have happily skipped right on past the doorbell-candy-begging-day and have arrived to the warm cozy season of GRATEFULNESS. I for one could not be happier to see Halloween pass us by. I love the carefree dress up of it all - at the same time the dark side of it is something that is becoming inescapable. So let it BE GONE!

And here we are... finding ourselves seven steps into the month of NOVEMBER already. 

Today's inspiration came to me in a very roundabout way. A friend of mine, who lives in Africa with her littles, was looking for some kid friendly Thanksgiving crafts that would use simple {easy to find in Africa} materials. Not the easiest of feats by any means. I was already bored, confined to my cozie blankie with several sore throat lozenges stuffed down my throat..did I mention BORED???... and who doesn't want to be the perfect craft finding hero for someone living in Africa anyway? So a-hunting I would go...

Simply Vintage Girl

WOWZA - was I blown away by the amount of GRATEFUL ideas for families out there. There are some seriously talented and thoughtful Mama's out there doing some fabulous footwork for you to have a quick, pain-free start. So, as much as I want to show some of the nugget-size, simple, cute crafts I found -  I believe these heart-sized concepts on these links will leave you truly inspired for a larger impact this November and beyond. You can always fill in the down time with cutie pie crafts you find on pinterest.

I LOVE the Thankful Tree by Vintage Girl in the photo above. I can think of several different options for the tree and the adornments. How delightful to have an endless opportunity to keep on adding throughout the month, along with the daily reminder of our blessings. Not to mention it is cute to boot! 

UpsideDown Homeschooling

I am really excited about this printable keepsake journal - it is a prompter of the heart and mind for the kids as well as a keepsake to treasure for decades. There are two options: one for younger primary and one for the olders. It is on sale for $1.99! Check it out over at Upside Down Homeschooling. 

A Grateful Chalk Board for families to write their own items on by the creativemama.com

I love this one for SO MANY Reasons. Mainly because it looks soft and cozy like a beautiful fall season full of gratefulness. It makes me want to snuggle up in the basket with the heart pillows or pull each one out and hug it while wrapping my little pea brain all around the gratitude focus on that one sweet little heart. 

 I also love picturing the precious hands of my family sewing each treasured heart of gratefulness. LOVE IT!!! Like really love - will probably do.... and can use my Aunt's vintage fabrics, Africa fabric scraps we have brought back with us and other scraps we have saved from other projects throughout the years... YES - THIS is a MUST DO!

The Thanks Giving Tree by Ann Voskamp: Simply ADORABLE!

The Thanks Giving Tree:A Holy Experience

These Free Printables are over at A Holy Experience by Ann Voskamp of One Thousand Gifts. There is an easy download to make these ADORABLE leaves full of wisdom, love and gratefulness with a journal area to add your family's precious additions.

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Inspired by Familia

21 Days of Gratitude is already up and running over at Inspired by Familia, heading into it's second week...but.... it is never too late to start being inspired with gratefulness, is it? So why not head on over and check it out. She has several designs of graphics and a great challenge to join in on. 

I love the idea of being prompted to find gratefulness  in a specific area. It can be so easy to find things to appreciate in the direction our eyes naturally focus on. These "prompts" allow us to look into areas that would typically slide right by unnoticed. This is a terrific way to help our children's vision of gratefulness to expand to areas they may not naturally think of. What a wonderful way to help them grow and develop in gratefulness.

These are only about half of the inspiring ideas I found. Yes, half. Now to pick the one I really think will impact our kiddos the most this year. I am thinking the basket of fabric hearts or the Thankfulness Tree. Hmmm.... I really like the journal too. Would three be too much? Hee hee.

I hope that these projects and/or concepts have encouraged you in some small way. I believe that the more we teach our children to look for things to be grateful for, the more they will be generous with their hearts & their lives.  

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers - Eph. 1:16

-Simply Sublime

Mason Jar Makeovers

If you have been following my blog for awhile you will remember me sharing about my precious Grandma Toodles and the BIG MOVE. As she down-sized she passed many of her treasures on to me. I like to call them "Toodle's Treasures". (insert my BIG silly grin here) 

One of my very favorites is the vintage glass jars. Oh how I  L.O.V.E. me some MASON JARS! Actually just glass jars in general. I have been collecting glass canisters and jars from my family members for over  two decades now - so as you can imagine I have quite the collection. Today I am going to show you how to use a few of these delightfully charming jars I received from my Gram to make some really cute Christmas decor and handcrafted gifts. 

Mason Jar #1

SNOW GLOBE-aciousness. 

materials needed:

• Mason Jar 7 Lid
• small artificial tree
• hot glue gun
• fake snow

This was one easy-peasy craft project. You simply hot glue the base of the tree onto the inside of the canning lid - pour a little fake snow into the glass jar. Place glued tree lid on jar and screw the ring on. VOILA - complete & 

SO STINKING CUTE! 

If you look close at the photo above you notice the vintage ring. The age of the zinc ring brings such beautiful vintage hues to this piece. I adore this little treasure. 

I decided this year to keep my decor SIMPLE and focused. So I displayed this little trio together. I love the basic white with a pop of color. 

Mason Jar  #2

Salted Caramel Sauce 

YUM-O

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt 

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a rubber pastry brush dipped in water  to wash down any crystals forming on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Watch closely and have other ingredients measured out & prepared ahead ready to add when needed. 

Remove the sugar from the heat. Very slowly & carefully pour & whisk the heavy cream in. If you poor cream in too quickly it will ruin the consistency of the sauce. The mixture will bubble up like crazy - I wear an oven mitt when I stir because the steam is HOT!!! Once the cream is all stirred in add the butter and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. Once cool poor into little mason jars. Top with burlap circles and cinch with a festive ribbon. (*Tip: I used a rubber band to stop the burlap from slipping off when tying the ribbon on - once the ribbon was secure I removed the rubber band.)

This recipe will make approx. 4 cups of sauce. It can be stored in the fridge for about 4 weeks - that is if you can make it last that long! 

Last year I made Christmas gifts of Preserved Lemons & Salted Caramel Sauce in mason jars. With these I added a lil' chalk paint to the front and labeled with chalk. People have been requesting more ever since. This one is a BIG HIT!

Mason Jar  #3

Cocoa Yumm-a-licious

I have seen these little cocoa stations all around pinterest. For the ingredients I decided to create my own version with some of our family fave's. The containers and decor I selected for this little grouping were each chosen selectively as they are truly treasured memories from my childhood. 

Mid-Summer I found this treasure of a ceramic tree at Goodwill. For a few years I had been searching high and low for just the right one that would remind me of my nap time at my babysitters when I was a wee one. In each bedroom we would turn on the little tree's as we fell into a deep slumber...ahhh. I remember the wonder and awe when the little switch would click and the lights began to twinkle, creating a colorful glow on the wall. 

Next is the plate - Homer Laughlin made this little lovely. My Grandma on my Dad's side would pull these plates out for our Christmas dessert. This isn't the physical plate - hers are long since gone. Fortunately I found a box of these at a flea market a few years back and they were a STEAL! A box full of dessert plates, picnic plates, saucers, cups, cake plate, cake / pie server for $7 total. YOWZA~  Now add the vintage Santa Candle that I have been so eager to place every Christmas season since I was probably in diapers. ...and finally... the moment we have all been anticipating...

THE JARS!

Filled to the brim with yummy goodness. 

Cocoa Jambo is THE MOST delicious cocoa ever! PURE Ghana Cocoa - oh so delicious. Once you try this you will not go back. What makes this a LOVE LANGUAGE for me is the fact it is from Africa. It helps the less fortunate to provide for their families. What a beautiful partnership. I placed the cocoa in one of my Grandma's green glass jars with a zinc lid. Then candy canes for stir sticks in another jar the same size. 

The yummy mini marshmallows always have a home (as do many other small items in my pantry) in the short clear glass mason jar with zinc lid. I love seeing these jars lined up with fun little fixin's in them.

We have had several occasions already to enjoy the cocoa spread. I have to say the fact I have this combination of LOVES in one charming little decor bundle leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy. My Grandma Toodles calls me "The Nostalgic One" - I am realizing more and more everyday just how true this is. 

The proof is in the Cocoa! :) 

-Simply Sublime!

John 15:13 NIV 

Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.