Medallion Cannister Banks

Like Hector the Collector in Shel Silverstein’s poem, I, too, collect odd bits. Take, for example, I collect empty nut canisters and decided to make two banks as the special additional prize for a full trading card sleeve (see ATC award article) for my kids in Sunday School as soon as I found out how to make these pleated medallions on You-tube. I’m always looking for inexpensive prizes for them and I think they will like these banks.

To begin = each 23 oz canister took almost a whole sheet of 12” x 12” scrapbook paper. I cut it into these pieces = cover (6” tall x 12” long); you’ll have to insert a piece between the two ends of this piece on back of canister since it isn’t quite long enough (6” tall x 2 ½” long); and 2 (1 ½”) strips for the medallion. The ribbon is also cut out at this time and a 1” circle punched out of a piece of cardstock scrap for the back of the medallion. Warm up your glue gun.

I used double face tape to attach the 2 ½” piece to the back of the canister first and then the larger rectangle around the canister, smoothing it down as I went. Then the ribbon around the top, fishtailing the end so it won’t ravel out. I taped the two ends of the longest strips together and scored it at ¼” along the width with my mini-scor-it and accordion folded-it, taped the mountain & valley ends together and pressed down one side to make the medallion. Then I hot-glued it, bunching it in the center with my fingers, to the punched circle along with the fish-tailed ribbon streamers, added a button or pog to the center and hot-glued all to the canister. To finish, I added punched flowers to the girlie ribbon at the top and glitter dots to both. Oh, and before I forget, to make the money slot in the canister lid, I punched two holes with my long arm Crop-a-dile about 1 ½” apart and cut a slit between them, snapped on the lids and wha-la, Banks! Easy peasy!

Christian Acronym ATC’s

You know what's cool? It's inspiring my pastor! I made atc's (artist trading cards) as attendance rewards for my preschool/kindergarten Sunday School kids. If they had 5 out of 10 star stickers each week on their chart,

then they would get to choose an atc to put in their trading card sleeves. When that's full, they would get a special prize along with their trading cards! And then they would start over with a new sleeve.

The first Sunday of the month our children remain in the sanctuary for the whole service instead of going to Jr. Church during the latter half. Our pastor has a children's moment lesson during the service in which he invites the children to come to the front and he coordinates a coloring sheet for quiet bags to go along with his regular sermon. He saw one of the trading cards his son brought home and he used that idea to make the coloring sheet. It also inspired his sermon and a song he taught the children! F.R.O.G.! Fully Rely On God! Which in turn, inspired me to make more atc's using acronyms. God is so good!

Here's two I made, the one Pastor was inspired by and another. Frog, praying hands, and PUSH sentiment are Stampcraft brand stamps. =

F.R.O.G = Fully Rely On God!



P.U.S.H. = Pray Until Something Happens




Here are other acronyms I think are great also and may they inspire you!

A.P.E. = Always Pray Everyday
A.P.P.L.E. = Adorning Papa’s Pupil Loving Eye (Ps. 17:8)
A.W.A.R.D. = Appreciated Winning Attainment. Rewarded Decoration.
B.I.B.L.E. = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
B.U.G. O.F.F. = Begone Uncertainty GRACE! Oppose fear FAITH!
C.R.O.S.S. = Christ Rose On Salvation Sunday
E.G.G. = Extra Good God
D.O.G. = Depend on God
D.U.C.K. = Down Under Christ's Kindness
F.I.S.H. = Faithful in Serving Him
G.E.M. = God Encourage Me
G.I.R.A.F.F.E. = God Inspires Reverent Affection Forgiveness For Ever
G.R.A.C.E. = God Redeems Adored Christian Enthusiasts
G.U.M. = God Use Me
K.I.N.G. = Kindly Inspired Noble Grace
L.O.V.E. = Love Others Very Eagerly
R.O.C.K. = Resting on Christ's Knees
S.A.L.T. = Seasoned Applied Love Treasure (Col. 4:6)
S.O.A.P. = Scrub Off, Apply Purity (Is. 1:18)
T.E.A. = Thankful Every Afternoon
T.E.D. = Treasure Each Day
T.I.G.E.R. = Trust in God, Everything's Right
W.W.J.D. = What Would Jesus Do?

You Might Be Interested in these Ideas Too!

Veggie Tale ATC's

More ATC Ideas 

Posh-ibilities

"with God, all things are possible. ~ Matthew 19:26"

I read a book from the library: "Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women." By Jo Packham. Sterling, 2005. Dee Gruenig's favorite quote was listed and I just had to find it in the scriptures. To my delight, in the book of Matthew, chapter nineteen, I found Jesus comparing the kingdom of God to needlework: "I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (v.24). Jesus created a word picture for his disciples, many of whom were fishermen and well aquainted with a needle for mending their nets. Now here was something I could identify with too -- needlework craft!

I tried to imagine pushing a camel or old money bags through a needle. Would have to be a mighty big one! And then, I remembered the mechanical puzzles we used to play with – like the one where we had to figure out how to get a small ring off the chains welded between two horseshoes.

Isn't it amazing how God can see the possible solutions to the puzzles in my life, like how to design a card to theme for a magazine, etc.

Prayer: I praise you, Jesus, for your ability to captivate your disciples then and now. Thank you for the solutions to our puzzles. Thank you for the gifting of the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). I praise your name!

Today's Quote:

"Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then [you] reassemble those floating bits and pieces into enticing new possibilities." ~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter.