Vintage Hanky Key Ring

My new Spearfish friend, Marie Anderson, gave me a ton of vintage hankies that belonged to her and to her late husband.  So, before I being crafting with them, I decided to make her a few keepsakes out of her own hankies.  One is this keyring.  Super simple.  The magnetic locket can be found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's -- or probably other craft stores.  I cut a very tiny floral piece of one of her hankies and crammed it into the locket.  You could cut it exactly and lay it flat inside.  But I'm kind of an abstract, non-perfectionist kind of girl.  I like this look better.

October 2016:  My new bunco friend in Wichita, Rosemary, gave me a bag full of her mom's hankies.  She had hung onto them but didn't know what to do with them. So I made a couple of key rings and some bracelets for her to have and share with family.  Lovely little memento of someone you care about.

October 2016:  Brooke made the ones above and below on our craft days at her house.  When making the hanky bracelets, there are always some little scraps left over.  These lockets are the perfect way to use up every piece!  Or many of the pieces anyway.

Fairy Doors

8-23-16:  My new Spearfish friend, Maury, taught the hatchery peeps how to make Fairy Doors tonight at crafts.

Maury has made hundreds, so hers are exceptionsl

Now these are the little doors that you place at the base of a tree or rock (or up in it), for the fairies to go in and out of.  Last year Maury made  50 plus and set them on a rock beside Spearfish Creek.  She included a note for parents to "hide" them somewhere where a child could find them.

she includes a little poem when she gifts her fairy doors

The bake-able clay, an exacto knife, a toy rolling pin, and beads or other accessories that can be baked are needed.

a few of Maury's fairy doors and fairy boxes

wonderful evening to sit by the creek and craft

me, Cheryl, Jane, Jerri, and Maury

Ms. Jerri got the hang of this pretty fast!

so did Cheryl

Sigh.  Can you guess which one is mine?

the least neat and tidy one

but I got an "A"!! 

This was such fun craft!  With a little practice -- and focus -- I think I'd get a little better at it!

And thanks to my friend, Jerri Cooper, for hanging out with us while we made our Fairy Doors and taking pix!

Vintage Hanky Bracelet

My friends Marie and Nancy hand-modeling

As I began searching for handmade gifts to make from vintage hankies, I fell in love with these bracelets from Pinterest!!

the materials needed:  hankies, thread or twine, scissors, jewelry fixings, needle-nose pliers, E-6000 bead glue

1. First I cut a hankie in half.  Then I cut the half into 3rds lengthwise.
2. I do the same with a coordinating hankie.
3. For my third piece I use chain, which can be bought craft stores.
4. Put one piece of each of the 2 hankies and one piece of chain in the same length together and tie off one end with your thread or twine.
5.  Braid the 3 pieces as tightly or loosely as you'd like.
6. Tie off the final end with your thread or twine.
7. Clip the ends fairly close to the thread or twine. Using the E6000 bead glue, begin stuffing the ends into the jewelry end caps. You may need to use a toothpick or something about that size to help stuff them.
8.  Allow to dry, maybe even overnight.  Any glue "strings" can be removed after drying.
9. Using your needle-nose pliers, attach lobster claws and a charm or 2.

You do not have to use chains.  You can simply use 3 strips of hankies if you'd prefer.  I love the chain look.

Nancy's turned out puffier by accident -- but I really like it

Marie's bracelets were my first and I loved how they turned out

I gave one to Marie and one to Brooke

these are made from hankies that Marie and Nancy gave to me

goes well with a matching Vintage Hankie Scarf

Brooke's was a little loose, so I tied it in a "knot" 

I'm liking the look with the knot

a few more I made

and a few more

kind of addicting

3 of my Great Plains Nature Center peeps got these

Linda Sue got this one

hers was too big so it got a knot as well

Brooke and I had some craft days at her house in October

she decided to make some for Christmas for coworkers, friends, and family

it's fun crafting with a creative person -- got some good ideas from her

just a second for pix, but we gotta get back to it

pretty good for one day

and I've gone a little crazy making more at the camper

Kathy Palmer chose this one

since the end caps are sometimes hard to find in the right size, I tried some with clamps. Works great.

found 20 little boxes in the wedding deco area of Michaels for $10

perfect size

tiny sacks work well, too

I was thinking these would be Christmas gifts for family and friends for 2017, since I knitted mitts for them this year.

But I can't wait to give them!  So some folks will get both this year!

I also had some pretty ones on hand when Walter died, so I gave one to Odestine as a warm fuzzy.  She'd planned on wearing it to his funeral, but spilled coffee on it the day of.  I took her another one a couple of days later.  They are a nice little something to show someone you care.

One of my new Bunco friends, Rosemary, in Wichita (Linda Sue's Bunch group in which I subbed one day), saw Linda Sue's and said she had a bag of her mom's hankies that she didn't know what to do with.  So she offered them to me but wouldn't let me pay her.  So instead I made a few bracelets and keyrings that she could use and give as gifts.  Great way to have a memento of someone you love.

Kathey, Glenda, & Julie learning to make some bracelets

January 2019: Introduced this craft to some of the ACC ladies.

Thanks Pinterest!!!