The visiting teaching message for February is "Managing Resources Wisely and Staying Out of Debt". I was really drawn to the last paragraph of the message, where it talks about how we need to exercise faith in the Savior to be better in sacrificing our wants in order to meet our own and others' needs.In order to demonstrate the need we have to tighten our purse strings, I made a little purse with the quote printed on the inside flap, and filled it with coins that have the five key steps to financial freedom printed on them.
All you really need to make your own purses to share with the sisters you visit teach is some adhesive (I used double-sided tape) and 1 sheet 8 1/2 x 11 paper. I used scrapbook paper, but you could use whatever you have on hand - you could stamp or embellish copy paper or cardstock and get a similar result.
Everything else is extra - you could get by without it, and still have a cute handout to share.
I used a green flower brad as an accent on the purse flap, and a piece of adhesive velcro to close it up (you could just use tape or a sticker). I found some chocolate coins that I glued the "five keys" onto, but they also looked really cute going solo, with the same pattern as the purse on the back.
Begin by downloading the purse and coin pattern here. Cut out the purse and fold on the dotted lines. Make creases where the bottom of the purse meets the front and back. Apply adhesive on the flaps sticking out from the base and the back of the purse.
Press the base flaps to the back flaps, then do the same with the front to the back.
Apply adhesive to the handle edges and press to the inner sides of the purse.
I then punched a hole and added the green flower brad.
I pressed the velcro on top of the brad's legs and carefully placed the other side of the velcro to the front of the purse so it would be positioned to close correctly.
As you share the message, you can begin by emptying the purse of its coins, then dropping them back in one at a time as you discuss the "five keys".
Idea taken from http://www.visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com
The Visiting Teaching Message for January is about self-reliance. Since January is also the month of resolutions, I made a little goal planner intended to help us think about the ways in which we can improve our self-reliance. The nice thing about the size of this little planner is that it fits into a pocket or a purse so nicely, which makes it easy to take out and ponder from time to time.
The planner is made from one sheet of folded paper. No glue or adhesive is required.
Your paper now looks like this.
Place the paper on the table so that you see a W when you look at the end.
Cut the center of the W along the center fold. You'll be cutting through two layers of paper and stopping at the cross fold (This is marked with a dotted line on my downloaded file.)
Hold the center point of the W together on both sides so the cut middle section falls open. Let the backs of the planner pages meet each other. You will have an open book with 4 double-sided pages at this point.
Find the front page of the planner, and bring the remaining three sections to the back, so you have a flat book.
