how to make your own handmade leather passport cover from vintage leather

I have a love affair with leather. Not just any leather--that soft buttery leather that just feels right when you touch it. That kind of leather is hard to come by, but when I found a piece of it at a garage sale this past summer, I couldn't pass it up. 

It wasn't in the best shape, but it was the smoothest leather you have ever felt and it was nearly 100 years old! It was an old book cover with a hand painted Indian on it that was falling apart. Boy if that thing could talk! The stories it could tell and the places it had been!  So, I kept that book cover that was falling apart tucked away in my closet until I decided what to make with it. 

I finally decided to make a leather passport cover. Our whole family has passports and in a drawer, they all look the same.  I knew I wanted something that would set it apart from the others and have a fun story to tell.

Lately, my passport has become one of my favorite possessions. I love the stories behind the stamps and the amazing places that it's taken me. Travel to me, is one of the greatest gifts.  I love my passport now even more with this handmade leather cover made from an old treasure I picked up at a garage sale.

You don't have to use a vintage book cover, you can use any piece of leather that you have. Maybe an old coat or a scrap from a project. It took me less than twenty minutes to make. Come see how!

The Honda Odyssey mini van review

I am not one of those moms who thinks she's too cool for a mini van. I've owned a mini van for nearly two decades and I am unapologetic about it. I love my mini van. I even wrote a little love note to my mini van.

It's practical and to be honest, I don't think my three kids could have survived childhood had they all had to be squeezed in together in a backseat row. And now as they are getting bigger with gangly legs and big feet we need the room that a mini van provides.  I've tried to pretend that we don't. I've tried out sporty sedans and cute SUV's in hopes that maybe just maybe I could break free from the chains of a mini but I just can't. I am a die hard and will be a die hard until my dying day!

Heck, how else am I supposed to load up all of my garage sale treasures every weekend if I didn't have a mini van? And as we prepare to launch our oldest son off to college in the fall, I can see vans full of college crap loaded up for years to come as our kids trickle out of the house.

After I tried out {and loved} the Kia Sedona  I begged to try the 2016 Honda Odyssey. In my head, it's been the most logical replacement for our current 2005 Honda Odyssey that is lacking all of the bells and whistles {and vacuums} that the newer version has. And so, for a week, I gave the Odyssey a try to see what I would think of the much more sophisticated updated version of my current van that I am driving would be like.  

You might be surprised to see what I thought. And as always, my 17 year old son is writing the nuts and bolts review to let you know what he thought.

Kids hand painted watercolor cards made into gifts for friends and family members

I know Christmas is over, but we didn't want to spoil the surprise for our friends and family members, so I'm just now sharing them with you. These watercolors are winter heavy, but the same idea can be used anytime of the year to make a special gift for friends and family members.

My 13 year old daughter painted them and I think she did a great job.

Come see what each of them looks like and find out how you can make your own.

Easy to sew, easy to give beginners pajama pant kit with free downloadable directions file

My niece is eight and when she asked her mom recently for a sewing kit, my sister in law was at a loss. She wasn't quite sure something like that existed or really what she was looking for, so when I got the questioning text, I messaged back "I got this!".
I ended up taking one of my readers favorite tutorials and creating a pajama pants kit that had pre-cut materials inside to make a beginners sewing project. 

I'm sharing with you the file, so that you can create a sewing kit for some of the beginner seamstresses that are in your life.

Talk of the Town Link Party #2

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

Take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Vinyl Tile Over Concrete Floor

Farmhouse Bathrooms

Canvas Antique Sign

Love You Forever Sign

Monthly Meal Planning

Rustic Chic Antlers

Door Hall Tree

Repurposed Storage Bench

Coffee Station

Cabinet Door Table

Frugal Tips

Favorite 2015 Posts

Should you join a gym? Pros and cons of gym membership

Almost exactly eight years ago I started hitting the gym as part of a rare new year's resolution that I had made. I was turning 30 and was done having kids and one of my older friends kept telling me how much your metabolism changes once you hit your 30's and lawd knows, I didn't need that catching up with me!

I've never been the most athletic person. I like being active and being outside but if you are playing a game, I don't blame you for picking me last. I had never stepped onto an elliptical before, never really used weights to work out with and outside of a PE class in high school where we did a Cindy Crawford workout video, I had never done a group fitness class ever.

But, with three small kids at home, my attempts at finding time to workout weren't working out, so I took advantage of the great deals in the new year and found a gym that offered a free three week trial. I got comfortable with the idea of going to the gym and then joined a different gym that was closer to my house that had everything that I needed.

If you are like millions of Americans who resolve to get healthy in the new year, I have a few thoughts if you are considering gym membership. It may save you a ton of money!

The secret to keeping your New Year's Resolution

Every January it's the same old thing. The gym that I frequent is always busy, the racks at the stores are full of workout gear and there are ads all over for weight loss this and diet secret that. 

I was one of those New Year's resolution makers that said I would start hitting the gym. I was 29...about to hit 30. I had three small kids at home and I was skinny but I wasn't fit. I had heard that your metabolism changes at 30. I had fears that my nightly bowl of ice cream and my dessert snacking were going to catch up with me, so I took advantage of one of those 3 weeks free gym trials and I started to work out. I switched gyms once I found out how much the fees were, but I did start a healthy habit that I have actually kept for eight years now.

But I must confess, I hate this time of year. I hate the people who show up at my gym and make me shift my normal routine. Faces I see for a few weeks before they drop off again. The workout clothes that get bought with good intentions, but that only get worn after February to run errands in.

Trust me. It's gotten harder and harder for me to sometimes find the time to fit workouts in, but I think I might have the secret for you so that you can keep your New Year's resolution to live a healthier lifestyle.

One word of the year

Last year, I selected one little word for the year. It was the word intent. I surprised myself that I thought about that word often and was reminded of it several times throughout the year. I love the word intent and long to remain intentional in my actions this new year, but it's a new year, and I wanted to add a new word for me to focus on this year. 

It was only fitting that the perfect word came to me as I was sitting in church this past week. 

photo credit Josh Byers

A letter to the guy who smashed my car window and stole my purse

I feel like I need to give a little background to this post. A few weeks ago, I was parked in the evening in a Starbucks parking lot working on my blog. I had worked all day at the middle school at my other job as a substitute teacher.  So while my daughter was at cheer practice, I took the opportunity to get some of the work on the blog done that I had neglected that day.  I had Pandora pumping on my phone and was sipping on some decaf tea and was generally enjoying my evening.
This evening at Starbucks had become a sort of tradition on the two days a week that my daughter had cheer. I was getting to know the baristas and I had my refillable drink order down. In fact, one of the baristas had just offered me a snack platter for free {my favorite price!} since it was nearing it's expiration and had to be tossed out that night.  All was well with my world.
As I prepared to depart the Starbucks at their 8 pm closing time, I thanked the baristas and wished them well, before heading into the dark rainy night to retrieve my daughter from cheer practice. When I got to my car, my feet crunched on the ground. I climbed into the front seat and realized that something wasn't right. There was wind and rain rushing in from behind me and I turned around to see that my back car window had been smashed in and my car had been riffled through. My purse, that I had tucked under my middle console, had been taken, a bag full of DVD's that we had borrowed from a friend that I was on my way to return to them, were missing and the backpack that I had bought from Target on clearance and planned to craft on for an upcoming craft bazaar had been snatched from the front seat.  
In hindsight, it was the perfect car for a car prowl and the thieves hit the jackpot.  I wrote a little letter to the thief to let them know some of my thoughts.

It's time for Talk of the Town link party #1!

Hey friends! I am so excited about a new year here at Holy Craft as I enter into my sixth year of blogging. Holy cow! When did that happen?! Some of you have been around since the beginning, others of you are new here. I'm happy to have all of you here!

One of the new things I am most excited about this year at Holy Craft is that I am co-hosting a link party with some fabulous hosts! I've taken part of link parties since I started blogging and find that it's a great way to find new blogs and be inspired by some amazing ideas. When I got the opportunity to host a party, I jumped on board because I know you guys are going to love it!

Every Tuesday evening, you will find the Talk of the Town link party right here at Holy Craft! If you are a blogger, you can submit your latest and greatest projects and posts and if you are a reader, you can enjoy the inspiration. Visit new blogs, pin projects and craft and create all the day long! So without further adieu...

It's Time for Talk of the Town!

20 Things Frugal People Do some tips and tricks that will save you money!

I'm cheap. You can call me frugal, thrifty or a good shopper.  Perhaps even a mindful consumer. If I had to pick a word to describe my spending style, I think I would like to be considered resourceful.  According to the dictionary, frugal means sparing or economical with regard to money or food. I suppose that's a good word to describe how we chose to live.  And it's one most people can relate to.

I really like to live well on less.  That's sort of my motto.  We started out married with a newborn at the ripe old age of 20 and 21, part of being frugal came out of necessity. Next year, our oldest son is starting college, and well, we are going to be going back to working with a pretty bare bones budget. However, through the years, we have found out just how far we can push our budget without really feeling like we are missing out on anything.  We really do live pretty darn well on less. 

I've written a list of 20 things that frugal people do every day to save them money.

Best of Holy Craft 2015 a year in review

I can't believe how quickly this year came in and now it's nearly over! I've been doing this Holy Craft year in reviews since I started my blog back in 2010. It's hard to believe that I'm going on six years of blogging! That's a lot of projects a lot of random thoughts and a lot of garage sales!  In case you missed it, you can find the best of year in reviews here:
2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
This is always one of my favorite posts all year because it's fun to look back at the projects that I worked on this year. Won't you take a look back on 2015 with me and see some of those projects?