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11/4/25

Hidden Money Birthday Card

Each year for his birthday and for Christmas, I give my nephew Timothy a money-themed gift. I started doing that when he was 13. He turned 25 last week (!!) and I'm seriously running out of ideas, particularly since I have to mail his gifts now instead of giving them in person. (No more money trees or Air Force One style gifts). I've given Timothy a hidden money birthday card before, but I hid the money in different ways this time. For this project, I started with the idea of making George Washington the focal point, then built the rest of the card around that. Affiliate links below. 
 



Hidden Money Birthday Card


Materials:


Steps:


Cut a base from black cardstock. Then cut the layers: a piece of patterned paper that is slightly smaller than the base; a strip of black cardstock that is the same width as the base; and a piece of white cardstock that is slightly smaller than the base. 

Use scotch tape to secure two bills to the black base. 


Use the tape runner to add adhesive JUST to the outside edges of the back of the patterned paper, then adhere it to the base, sandwiching the money in between the layers. 

Tape a bill to the back of the black strip, then use the tape runner to put adhesive onto the exposed black areas. Position the strip in place so that the money is hidden. 


Fold another bill so that just the face is exposed. Use the tape runner to put a tiny bit of adhesive on the back of the bill. Stick it to the center of the card. The bill will want to pop up a bit, but we'll fix that next. 


Select a quote sticker. Dust the back with baby powder, then add a foam dot to the back. Adhere it to the card so that a small part of the sticker holds the focal bill in place. Do the same with a second sticker on the other side. (I used a present.) Fill in the empty spaces with more stickers, as desired. 

Write your message on the white cardstock, tape another bill or two to the back, then adhere it to the back of the card. 

Here are all the places money is hiding:


Happy birthday, Timothy! 

11/3/25

Chemist Halloween Costume

This year, I dressed as a chemist for Halloween. 
 

That's my own front porch. Rather than open the door repeatedly as trick-or-treaters showed up, I thought it would be more fun to just hang out on the porch to pass out candy. And indeed it was. The trick-or-treaters loved my set-up and had lots of questions about the mystery liquids, the test tubes, and letters on my sign. I loved watching them choose their candy from petri dishes. I chatted with parents and was much more involved with my neighbors than if I'd stayed inside and just opened the door when people knocked. 

I'm really pleased with my name badge and candy sign. I used PicMonkey to create the images, printed them, then backed them with cardstock. I slid the CINDy into a badge holder and I folded the CaNDy into a table tent. 


I'm fortunate that I can spell my name with elements from the periodic table. Steve was disappointed to learn that he can't. Neither can Trevor. My mom (KAtHY), my sister (KArI), nephew (TiMoThY), niece (AlLiSON), and mother-in-law (PAt) all can. 

If you are interested in dressing up as a chemist, here's a supply list to get you started. Affiliate links below. 


Chemistry Costume and Porch Decorations


Materials: 


This costume was so much fun! I'm going to have to start thinking now about how I can top it next year.