{recommended by} heidi

After I posted an (almost) handmade Christmas ideas, I started thinking about people that purchase big ticket Christmas gifts (for the record- we are not those people). I was thinking about some of our best investments over the last few years and thought I'd share. Most of these are things we had wanted forever before we actually got them. These are some of our favorite things (did you sing that?). Zero buyer's remorse included.

1. DSLR camera
Specifically the Canon T1i. It's not a professional camera but it's not a point and shoot either. There's lots of versatility with it (lens wise) and I take it with me 99% of the time.

2. Navigation system for the car
Neither of our cars have a built in system so the portable version was great for us. It's been a huge time (and dare I say life?) saver for us. Can't imagine driving in a new city without one now.

3. King Size bed
We didn't even have a queen before so our upgrade from a full to a king was huge. Huge. HUGE. Really. This was such a good investment. We'll never regret it!

4. Kelly Moore bag
R wouldn't put this on his list but it's definitely on mine! Best purse camera bag I ever had. Okay. Fine. So I use it as a purse. But can you blame me? It's adorable (I have both the grey hobo and the mustard messenger- the hobo is by far my fave). It's pockets are amazing for anyone that lives out of their purse. And it protects your camera. What more could you ask for? And since there's little compartments inside- it's a super fast switch for me to go from everyday use to a photo session. I absolutely love it! I think the messenger one would make a good diaper bag too!

5. Sectional
Yup. I'm putting a couch on the list. It's a U-shape sectional with a chaise on one end. It's comfy. I think it looks nice but not too nice so you still feel comfortable on it. I like it. A lot. (Once I got over the coffee table issue and found the perfect 'coffee table' I loved it a lot more!)

6. Toms
You know the ones. The ones I wear pretty much everyday. That is until the 30 for 30 started and I didn't put them on the list. Yeah. I don't know how that happened either. Really. I'm still debating switching out another item for a pair of them.
Seriously. They are super comfy. Versatile. Amazing. What's awesome is I got a pair on sale for $20. What's even better is since they give a pair when you buy a pair- it was like 2 for $20. Can't beat that!
I want them in a couple other colors but since we are being good about not spending and all I have to pass. For now.
Oh- and if you plan to buy some, I know they say to stick to your regular size but all of mine are 1/2 size bigger. I think some people's look too stretched out and I've had no problems with mine being too big. They kinda form around your feet.

7. Pampered Chef Knife Set
It's one of the few PC purchases I've made (we were blessed to have a PC wedding shower and I've also earned most everything else PC that we have). We, of course, got the good deal on the set and it was worth it. I never knew what a decent knife cut like. It was life changing. Or something like that.

And I'd say my computer would make the list but I'm afraid that would jinx it and Macxine (that's her name) would crash on me. I would like to bring her little Pro nephew home one of these days. But not for long long while.



So there's my list. What would make yours??

Stamped Metal Necklaces

Stamped Metal Necklaces (the one that I almost caved in and bought before my inner cheapness talked some sense into me!)

I'm posting this project because I had a hard time finding any information about it online. (Mostly because I didn't know what to search for.... now I know I needed a metal stamping kit and tutorial. ha)

Supplies:
spoon (the cheaper/thinner the better)
chain
hammer
drill
metal stamping kit ($18 at Michaels if you use your 40% off coupon- teachers have a 40% coupon they can use good until October 1st- or you can borrow mine!)
(optional) any pearls or jump rings you want to add
sharpie pen
jewelry cloth (or I found a wet paper towel works in a pinch)


-Lay your spoon face down on a mat (I did this in the garage... the concrete surface under the mat worked well). Use the hammer to flatten out the spoon.

-Bend the spoon where the handle meets the head until it breaks. (Using tin snips to give you a head start works great. I also used some fancy machine at my father-in-law's house that was really nifty for this step.... not sure what it's called...)

-Drill a hole at one end of your metal disc.

-Sand the rough edges (I was able to use a metal grinder but they do have metals sanders you can use).

-Use your metal stamping kit to stamp your letters. I used the tutorial video on beaducation.com to get some tips. The biggest problem I had was that I had to turn the disc over and flatten it again after each letter. I didn't do this the first time and found that the letters would show really well on one side but you couldn't see the whole letter.

Jen's "one whack" method works the best but it's difficult to do with the heavier weight metal.

And even if the letters don't look perfect.... it's very therapeutic after a Monday work day. (Rusty even asked if I skipped work today because I didn't have any good stories for him.....)

-Fill in the letters with your Sharpie pen and wipe off the extra. The jewelry cloth works great for this but for my first one I was in the garage and just used a rag. It worked okay too.... just required more rubbing.

-Put your pieces together on your chain (I'm still on the hunt for inexpensive chains)!

That's it. Not nearly as hard as I was expecting them to be. I would practice letters first. And am probably going to pick up some cheap thinner metal discs so the letters are easier to make. But overall, a decent project that is cheaper to do than buying a necklace. (And you know how I'm a fan of the squint method!) : )