Sewing: Drawstring Bag

I came across a Simple Drawstring Bag tutorial from Happy Things and luckily she spoke in simple sewing terms.  I more than lack skills in sewing so if I can sew it you certainly can too. 
I made this bag a few months ago for some homemade lacing shapes. A little drawstring bag could hold so many kid things like fun-shaped homemade crayons and story dice and would make a perfect little gift for a birthday or Christmas.
(find another simple Drawstring Bag tutorial on Make and Takes) 

Crafty CD Case

 Last month on Making Memories blog I saw a CD Holder idea made with paper that I knew I had to make.  I've downloaded lots of free music specifically for my mom and needed something to hold the CD's.  I love how these turned out.  I tweaked the measurements after I made the first one.  My husband mentioned that he thought paper could scratch CD's so I also added the foam circle.  The foam helps the CD to stay in the case a little tighter too.

Here's my picture tutorial.  Click on each pic for instructions.:

 

 

 

 

**Skip step 3 if you want to make the case with one piece of cardstock.

Peppermint Candy Ornaments

Two years ago I saw a segment on Decorating with Peppermint on Studio 5 (a morning show in Utah) and I got excited about the peppermint ornaments.  I made 20+ for my tree and they're my favorite ornaments.  These would make great neighbor gifts and a whole set could be a unique gift for newlyweds!

• Arrange 5 to 6 peppermints on a foil lined pan with space in between each candy (start with making 2 or 3 first to see how they turn out)
• Bake at 250° for 10-15 minutes-- watch closely 

After all the melting is complete:
• *Spray one side with sealer-- allow to dry
• Spray the other side with sealer-- allow to dry
• Tie a ribbon around each ornament

*Spray in a well-ventilated area with newspaper down and wax paper under the ornaments.

A big bag (over 3 lbs.) of Brach peppermint candies at Walmart is under $5.  I made some green ones with the Great Value brand and they still turned out. I spent around $11.00 to make 30 ornaments (includes mess-ups).  You will have plenty of mess-ups-- sometimes they cracked after cooking and many times just one candy didn't want to melt good and it ruined the whole ornament.  When storing, layer them on wax paper in a small box and keep in a normal/cool temperature area if possible.