Life, Made Interesting.: What To Do With Corks and Old Books {Tassels!}

Oh my! I never thought I'd take a week off from blogging when so many things are also running through my mind. Unfortunately life happens.

I am a preschool teacher two days a week, but also plan activities for a third day every week. On top of that, I organize the supplies for crafts for our church's Sunday School program. It sounds like it shouldn't be a big commitment, huh? Give someone like me the spring lesson books with 26 craft lessons, 2 classrooms each... and I spend several straight days trying to buy, cut, write verses, etc.... all at once... to get it all ready by the following Sunday. Call me OCD, but it drives me nuts to have things only partially done. However... it's now done and won't need any thought till June. :-) Just in time for VBS Preschool directing to kick in.... (yes, I am slowly learning to say "no"... but for later projects...)

Oh, and I'm a mom of four.

I missed blogging!!! It was driving me bonkers that I couldn't get online to blog.

But alas... I'm back!

Today, I decided to tackle a project I've been wanting to do for awhile. Tassel-making. Now, I'd love to be able to sit down and make gorgeous FANCY tassels with pretty figurines, expensive fringes, and beautiful ribbons. However, until those costly items show up in a local yard sale or thrift store, I'm upcycling a few things sitting around the house for now.

Last weekend, I grabbed a bag of corks from Freecycle (have you ever used Freecycle? I LoooooVE it!) Yes, we drink wine. Yes, I *should* have a huge bag of my own corks by this time in my life... however, we destroy corks. Call me a novice de-corker. I rip 'em to shreds every time.

(If anyone knows how to remove them easily and without ruining them, let me know!)

A few months ago, I grabbed a few old books at the thrift store that appealed to me: a worn-out Bible Story book (not a Bible... don't know what the protocol on that is, but decided it wasn't worth having to explain myself later...this is just a story book for kids and liked the idea of seeing Biblical names in my book-page projects later) and a Children's dictionary.

So, together I put those items along with a few ribbons, wire and trinkets I found in the craft closet.

Needs:

Old book pages (cut into a fringe)

Ribbons

Wire

Hot Glue

Beads/Ink/Stamps/Clothespins/Etc

Steps:

1. First take a few pages of fringed book pages and roll into a tassel. Secure with wire. Hot glue to the bottom of a cork.

2. Begin to add more pages to the wired section and then begin glue ribbons around the cork. In my case, I formed loops with the ribbon to make it all a little puffier.

3. Layered a few more pages and ribbons

Then to cover up the ugly hot glue mess and ribbon/paper edges, I wrapped some thinner ribbon and some sisal rope around the top.

4. Then, I decided to give this a little charm with some personal interest. I used a mini clothespin and stamped it with our anniversary date. Then I strung a mini chain of some Chinese character beads to give the tassel a little embellishment. (We have an adopted Chinese daughter and have been to China.)