Girlfriend Bracelet Charms

Things You'll Need

For each charm bracelet:

1 sheet shrinking plastic
Charms patterns
Good-quality colored pencils in bright neon colors (See Note below.)
Fine-tip permanent marker
Small scissors
1/8-inch circle hole punch
Regular circle hole punch
About 7 inches of silver jack chain (See Note below.)
6mm silver split rings
3mm lobster claw clasp
Needle-nose pliers or jewelry pliers
Cookie sheet covered with foil
Pot holders
Cooling rack
Oven
Note: Don't use cheap, waxy colored pencils or wax- or oil-based coloring products. They can catch fire in the oven. Silver jack chain is inexpensive. You can find it at home improvement stores.

Use a photocopier to make a copy of the charms patterns for each guest.
Attach a lobster claw clasp to one end of each bracelet using the needle-nose pliers.
Read all the instructions for coloring and baking the shrinking plastic.
Help your girl move the charms in and out of the oven, and attach the rings with pliers.

Let's Begin!

Lay shrinking plastic over pattern page on work table. Rough, dull side
of shrinking plastic should be face up.

Trace and color patterns. Or, sketch your own original designs. Add lettering with a fine-tip permanent marker or dark-colored pencil.
Cut out plastic charms with scissors. Round off any points or sharp corners.
Use the small circle punch to punch a hole near the edge of each charm.
Following the instructions that came with the shrinking plastic, bake the charms: Preheat the oven, and put the charms on the foil-lined cookie sheet.
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Set the sheet on a cooling rack. Let the charms cool.
Use the pliers to attach a split ring to each charm. Then attach each split ring to the bracelet.

Slumber Fun Centerpiece

Things You'll Need

Moon and Star Cookies:

Refrigerated sugar cookie dough
Star and moon cookie cutters
Rolling pin
White paper lollipop sticks
Cookie sheet lined with baking parchment
Spatula
Oven
Pot holders
Wire rack
Tub of white frosting
Yellow and blue sugar

Moon & Star Cookies
Note: Make sure you supervise the oven and hot cookie sheet when the girls bake the cookies.

Roll out cookie dough 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Cut star and moon shapes with cookie cutters.
Use spatula to move cookies onto cookie sheet. Stick a lollipop stick in side of each cookie. Bake cookies following directions on package.
Using pot holder or oven mitt, carefully remove hot cookies from oven. Use spatula to move cookies to wire rack to cool.
Frost cookies with white frosting. Decorate stars with blue sugar. Decorate moon with yellow sugar.

Things You'll Need

Cloud Ornaments:

White craft foam
Light blue parchment card stock
Computer with printer or black felt-tip pen
Glittery dimensional paint
Pencil
Scissors
Plain white paper
8 white paper lollipop sticks
Wire cutters
Craft glue

Cloud Ornaments
Write song titles or other phrases on blue parchment with felt-tip pen (or print them out on computer). Leave enough room between titles to cut out a cloud shape around each.
Cut out simple cloud shapes around titles. They should measure about 3 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches. Check the cloud pattern to make sure your paper clouds will fit on it with room to spare.
Trace cloud pattern onto white paper. Cut it out. Trace around pattern onto white craft foam eight times. Cut out with scissors. Erase any pencil marks.
Glue a blue cloud in center of each foam cloud. Decorate clouds with swirls of glitter paint. Let dry.
Trim eight lollipop sticks with wire cutters. They should measure 3 3/4 inches. Glue one to back of each cloud.

Things You'll Need

Wreath:

12-inch plastic foam wreath
Adhesive dots or craft glue
1/2-inch double-sided tape
Small blue and clear rhinestone stars
Fluffy craft stuffing
String of tiny clear Christmas lights
1 1/2-inch silver star spangles
1 1/2-inch blue gingham ribbon
Wire nippers
Tape measure

Wreath
Use tape measure to measure length around wreath. Cut a piece of ribbon that long, adding about 1/2 inch so ends will overlap.
Wrap double-sided tape around wreath. Cover sides of wreath with ribbon, pressing it onto tape. Cut tiny piece of tape to hold ribbon end in place.
Pull handfuls of stuffing and glue them over edge of wreath. Use only a little glue. Don't mash stuffing flat. You want to make fluffy clouds. Pull another fluffy lump of stuffing to rest in center of wreath.
Glue a star rhinestone in center of each star bangle. Glue bangles to stuffing. Glue a few clear star rhinestones to stuffing. Let dry.
Poke sticks of cookies and clouds through stuffing into foam wreath.


Add Starlight!
Before guests arrive, arrange Christmas lights on table so that they will fit in center of wreath. Set wreath over lights, leaving light plug free.
Plug lights into nearest outlet. They will "sparkle" through the clouds.
Safety Note: Use an extension cord if needed. Don't put cord where you will have to walk over it. Don't cover the cord with sleeping bags, pillows or blankets. Unplug the wreath before you go to sleep.