"a beautiful mess" string art cross...

Have you heard of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)?  I have been involved with one group or another since Grayson was born, almost 6 years ago!  I am in charge of the "Creative Activities" for our group and this year's theme is "A Beautiful Mess".  When looking for a craft that would fit the theme and be a little on the frugal side.  I came across this pin for a string art cross on Pinterest and it was perfect!

We have a a friend who has access to free barn wood, so my husband pulled out a bunch of boards and cut them into roughly 5x7 pieces.

I made a little pattern for the nail placement and we hammered in the nails for all 70 boards!

I bought small brad nails from Lowe's and a multi-pack of embroidery floss from Hobby Lobby (with my 40% off coupon!).  The whole project ended up costing a little over $10 for 70 boards!  A great, frugal project that is perfect for our theme and perfect for adding a little fall touch to our house.

{MOPS craft}: blessing bags...

Are you part of a MOPS group?  Or have you been in the past?  It stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and has been one of my favorite things that I've been a part of since becoming a mom.  We meet every other week for breakfast (without kiddos!), a speaker of some sort, and a craft.  The "craft part" is what I'm responsible for.  We typically make some sort of craft that can be made quickly and on the cheap - since we have over 50 moms in attendance!

This past week we made Blessing Bags.

Blessing Bags are kits that you put in a plastic zip-top bag to keep in your and hand out when you come across someone in need.  Here's what we put in our Blessing Bags:

1. Bottle of water

2. Washcloth

3. Toothbrush

4. Applesauce

5. Cheese and crackers

6. Shampoo

7. Peanut butter crackers

8. Toothpaste

9. Band-aids

10. Granola bar

11. A sweet printable from Joy's Hope.

I bought all of the supplies to make between 40 and 50 bags for a little over $90!  We have also put these together with our college students and asked everyone to bring an item for the bags.  Either way, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money...but it can make a big difference in someone's day!