12 Days of Christmas - Day Eight

Ooops! Day 8 kind of got lost in the hustle and bustle of the season! Hubby and I have been working on projects for the kids and grandkids, plus today was a presentation at school by a grandson, and then all the elementary kids had the Reindeer Run, so of course we had to go watch all of that. We have a 1st grader, two 3rd graders and a 4th grader to try to keep up with. Plus nieces and nephews. And tonight is Cub Scout pack meeting! It never stops. (But you know we love it.)

Today's projects is another "can" gift. It's a Snowman in a Can, and it's super simple, unless you're me. lol  All you need is an empty 1-gallon paint can and some scrapbook paper to decorate it with. Then, inside, you put a hat, a scarf, a pair of gloves or mittens, and a carrot nose. The easiest way to do this is to use some the kids have outgrown, or visit the thrift store or yard sales. Me.....I knit my hats, made the mittens, and THEN bought the scarves at the thrift store. I trend to do things a little backwards.

 

Make the nose from a piece of dowel that you shaved down to a carrot-like shape (haha) and paint it orange. Splatter it with a little watered-down black paint, and then paint some snowflakes on it.

 

Here's the top of the can.

 

 

And here's all the goodies!

 

 

It's a fun gift for those who live where it snows. And like the snowball fight, you can put the snowman in a bag, too.

 

 

It just needs it's drawstring and goodies and it's ready to go. If you have any questions, just leave a comment below. I know I'm kind of lacking in detail tonight, but I feel like I'm getting sick and I want to go to bed before I totally lose all my umph! I hope you like this project and will make one for some little people in your life.

 

See you back here tomorrow,

 

12 Days of Christmas - Day Seven

Day 7 is here and I have a really cute project for you. This is something I've wanted to make for a long time, and now I finally have! I've seen many versions of it, and I like them all, but I decided to make it my way.

 

I used a wide brush with natural bristles and I left them natural, too.

 

All you need is a paint brush, red paint, flesh color felt, a little tiny scrap of pink felt, some googly eyes, a little pom-pom and some white fur. Oh, and I used some blush on his cheeks. Paint the brush handle a nice Christmas-y red. Spray it with clear acrylic spray or give it a coat of water-base varnish.

 

 

Cut a strip of flesh color felt the size of the metal on the brush. Fold it in half and cut a curve from the cheek up to where the nose will be glued. Cut a little half-circle of the pink felt for the bottom lip. Glue these to the metal with hot glue. Use blush to give him rosy cheeks and glue his nose in place. I didn't have a red pom-pom, so I used a darker pink one. Glue his little eyes just above his nose. Cut a strip of the fur and glue to the top of the face. Cut a circle of fur and glue it into a little ball. Glue to the top of the brush handle to make his hat pom-pom.

 

I gave him a little snowflake (that looks like a big jack) on his hat and he's all done! This photo is a little washed out because of the light in the motor home, but he's really cute and I'm NOT giving him away, like I do most of my samples!

I hope you are enjoying getting ready for Christmas and the holiday fun that goes with it. And I hope that as we draw nearer to the holiday, that we all remember the true reason for the season.....the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Until tomorrow,

12 Days of Christmas - Day Six

Day 6.....This is the halfway point. That means Christmas is only 8 days away!!! Oh, crap! Excuse my language, but I thought I was doing so well until I counted the days! Oh, well, I will just keep plugging along. My gifts that have to be mailed will be in the mail by Friday, I hope, since that's the last day that First Class Mail can be mailed with a guarantee to get there by Christmas. I'm working madly, just ask my hubby. I've got him working madly, too. I can't say what he's working on, just in case, but he IS working hard.

 

Today's project is a fun one, and if you have some heavy duty thread and some buttons, it won't cost you a thing!  All you need is paint chips! The long ones with the different shades going from light to dark.You will need 2 small buttons and 2 large buttons in colors to go with your paint chips.

 

 

You can use any color you like (and these don't necessarily have to be for Christmas). I chose reds and greens. My paint chips were about 7" long and I cut them 1 1/4" wide. Stack them up, alternating the red and green. I have a Crop-a-dile (that's the tool with the pink handles above) so I can punch through all the layers at once, but if you don't have one, then punch them 2 or 3 at a time, being sure to line them all up with the first one you punch.
 

 

Now you take the heavy duty thread and cut a piece about 6 or 8" long. Thread it through one of the small buttons, with the "stitch" on the front of the button and the thread ends going out the back. Cut a pieces of thread about 14" long and thread it the same way through the other small button.

 

 

Take one of those buttons and stick the two thread ends through the holes in one end of the paint strips, from front to back, so the button ends up on the front side. Put the ends of the thread through the holes in one of the large buttons and tie them in a square knot. Trim the ends of the thread to about 1/2" long.

 

 

Now do the same thing to the other end of the strips, only don't rim the ends of the threads yet. After you tie the knot on the front of the large button, take the two ends and tie an overhand knot in them to form the hanger.

 

 

Now it's time to start spreading the strips open to form the ball. Start with the bottom strip and pull it out to the middle. You have to do this carefully by turning the ends at the buttons. Then do the next one and move it over next to the first.

 

 

One strip at a time, pull them all out to form a ball. Adjust the spacing until they are evenly spaced and you have a nice ball shape.

 

 

It's hanging from my oven door because I don't have much room in this little motor home, and notice the name of the oven....Holiday! How apropos is that?

These balls can be made in any size, although if I were to make them tree ornament size, I would probably use a 1/4" paper punch and use brads to hold them together. Then you could wrap a piece of heavy duty thread around the brad on the top and tie it to make the hanger. I also think they would be really pretty made out of 12"x 12" card stock with pretty designs!

Well, that's today's project. Hope you will try it out. And remember to have some joy this season as you make and take gifts to your family and friends. Joy is what the season is about!

See you tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Days of Christmas - Day Five

I love Christmas time! I don't always like the weather (although I DO love snow) but I love Christmas. Most people are at their best this time of year, and not just because they're worried about Santa leaving them coal in their stockings, lol, but because Christmas just makes them happy. I know that there are a lot of people in the world who don't have much, but Christmas can even make them happy if they let it.

My husband has been a hard working man all his life. He had his first job at 16 and has been working ever since. He never finished high school due to circumstances beyond his control (sort of) and so has never been a professional man who earned a large salary. He supported his family the best he could, sometimes working two jobs, while believing that I should stay home and be the mom. I love him very much for this, but we really did struggle at times, and if it weren't for the church, we might have starved a few times as well.

 

But as bad as things got sometimes, we always had a great Christmas. We didn't spend a lot of money because we obviously didn't have it, but we made our Christmases the best we could for our five children. Piece by piece, we acquired some wood working tools, and started really learning to use them. I've been sewing since I was 8 years old, so that was a big help. I made pj's and clothes and soft toys, while hubby built wooden toys and play kitchens and blocks and anything else we could think of. We spent time with our kids, going caroling with the church folks, playing "I Spy" around the tree, watching sappy Christmas movies, stringing popcorn (or styrofoam packing peanuts in our case).....all the things that my children still remember with fondness. At least, that's what they say. Some of my children have said they didn't know we were poor when they were young, and others knew we were poor but didn't feel like they were missing anything great.

 

And along with all that, I taught my kids to make their own Christmas, too. They drew each other's names to see who they had to give to, and then made them something they would like. They made gifts for me and dad and for their grandparents. In fact, when my mother died, I found in her things some of those gifts that she would never part with. Some of my kids may have forgotten what those Christmases were like, but I know they remember the feeling. And, if I have to, I will admit that there were times I went into my closet and cried because we didn't have more to give, but now that they are adults, I see that it was good for them to learn that Christmas is about more than getting, getting, getting. I just hope they will pass that lesson on to the next generation.

You might recognize these guys from the Snowball Fight in a Can.

So now that I've rambled on for four paragraphs, let's get down to the fun stuff. Today's project is something I've been doing for over 40 years. How many of you have done thumbprint art with your families? I did my first thumbprint cards when I was just a young girl and have always loved seeing what I could come up with to make from a thumbprint. Or a fingerprint, in most cases. And now, thumbprint art is all over the internet! You can just google it and get hundreds of hits. And Ed Emberly......there's just nothing that describes the joy I get from his books! Last year, we did these cards in Relief Society (the ladies meeting at my church) and had a ball trying to figure out new picture/pun combos. Then we sent them to all the missionaries and military people from our ward. I hope they enjoyed getting them as much as we enjoyed making them.

Because we were adults, we used paints. When I do these with kids, I usually use ink pads. They don't wash off quite as easily, but they don't spill, either. (I wish I had used white paint on the stocking cuffs, then the top of the red wouldn't show through. That's how we learn, by trial and error.) If you cut a piece of white cardstock in half and then fold it in half, you will have a great size card. You can have them open on the side or bottom, or even on the top if a little one makes a booboo. Grandparents will love that!

Give your family (or yourself) some paint or ink pads, markers, a few card blanks., and the freedom to experiment, and you will be surprised at what creativity will pop it's head out.

 

You can make gift tags, too. So cute, no one will want to throw them away!

 

 

 

A little time spent with your family is more precious than silver or gold, so go make some cards. Teach them that making something thoughtful, or even fun, is so much better that just going to the store and buying the first thing you see. If you make a gift for someone with them in mind, they will appreciate it so much more.

 

See you tomorrow,

 

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

Yesterday was a good day. I had two of my grandsons for the day, and we had a good time. We left at about 1:00 or 1:30 and went in to Vegas to the Bass Pro Shop. They were having Christmas fun for the kids. There were letters to write to Santa, pictures to color, slot cars and RC cars to race, target practice....you get the picture. Plus, we stood in line for an hour for pictures with Santa. There was me and my hubby and our two grandsons, my daughter and her hubby and two more of our grandsons, my sister-in-law and her hubby and their daughter and her four kids. We were quite a bunch! After we left Bass Pro, we headed out to Callville Bay to see the lights on the boats and have some dinner. We had pigs-in-a-blanket for the kids and hamburgers for the adults. We got home and 10:13, so it was a full day.

 

When I picked up the photo, I said to the boys, "Look! There's an ugly old woman in the picture! Why didn't you tell to get out of there?" The oldest one looked really close and said "Where?" I thought that was really sweet of him!

 Here are some of the beautiful boats with their wonderful light displays.

 

 

 

So...day 4. Today's project is dedicated to my mom, and based on something she used to make when I was a kid. She called them kissing balls and hers were a lot of work! She used little clear, medicine cups (like they give you your pills in at the hospital. They used to be crystal clear and a lot heavier plastic). My dad had to drill a little hole in the bottom of each one, then she would dip the rims in glue and then in gold glitter, and use gold, pearl-headed straight pins and pin them through the little holes onto a big (and I mean BIG) Styrofoam ball. Oh yeah, she had to put a hanger through the ball before pinning all those little cups to it, or there would be no way to hang it! And I almost forgot, in the bottom of each cup was a gold paper medallion, too.  Lots of gold. I remember how carefully she packed it away each year, wrapping it in layers of dry cleaner's plastic bags and tissue paper, only to have to repair it the next year anyway.

 

Now, I'm clearly not as motivated as my mother was, but I wanted a kissing ball, so this is what I came up with. I started with a 6' Styrofoam ball, some old music, some green glitter paper and some glittery red poinsettias I found at Michael's. I used my 3" circle punch to punch the music. I think it took about 22 or 23 circles to cover the ball. I used my 2" flower punch to punch green glitter circles, one for each music circle.

 

 

I crumpled all the music circles into little balls a couple of times, so there would be lots of wrinkles.

 

 

Then I took a dark green stamp pad and rubbed it over them, which colors the wrinkles dark, but not the rest of the circle. Then I started gluing them to the Styrofoam ball.

 

 

I put each circle into the palm of my hand and kind of shaped it into a cup shape, color side down.

 

 

Then I put glue on it and put it onto the ball. You have to kind of finagle them around to cover all the spaces, and keep cupping your hands around the ball until the circles are stuck well.

 

After the ball is all covered, you start putting the glittery green circles onto the ball. I put the poinsettias on each circle first and then glued each circle to one of the music circles. There may be a spot or two where you can fit them exactly, but do the best you can and they'll look great!

 

You will probably wind up with a spot that you just can't fit a green circle, but that's the spot where you'll put the bow!

 

 

Now, isn't that pretty? And it's a lot faster and easier to make than mom's, and a whole lot better to store! And.....I don't think there will be any time spent on repairs next year when I pull it out of the box!

I hope this will inspire you to take another look at those old Christmas ideas and maybe revamp them for today. Our mother's and grandmother's had the right idea.....they just didn't have the resources we do. And I don't know about your mom, but mine was about the most resourceful woman and crafter I have ever known! I have even been told that I'm just like her, which is a great compliment to me! So get out those old ornaments and decorations and see what you can figure out, and be sure to tell your mama thanks! Even is she is no longer with you, a little thanks is still in order. I know she will appreciate it!

Until tomorrow,

12 Days of Christmas - Day Three

Woohoo! Day 3! Today's project is so quick an easy, that it will give you time to catch up on everything else! You know those nice little cuffs they put on coffee cups now to help insulate and protect your hands? Well, we're going to make one for a candle! I don't know what they are called, but I call them candle cuffs.

 

 

 

First, find yourself a pillar candle that you like. I chose one that looks like a candy cane, but I know now that a plain color would have been easier to work with. Find some scrapbook paper that looks good with your candle and cut a strip 4 or 5" wide by 11" long. (Adjust for the size of your candle, of course.) Now pick a second paper that looks good with the candle and the first paper. I used an old piece of sheet music. Cut a  strip 2 or 2 1/2" narrower than your first strip, and layer it onto the first one. You can make it the same length, or it can be shorter, like mine.

 

 

My first layer has a cool design on one end, so I didn't want to cover it up completely. Wrap the strip around the candle and fasten it together, using scrapbook adhesive or Tacky glue. Tie a piece of ribbon, jute twine or raffia around the middle and attach a tag, and you're done! How easy is that? And they make really nice gifts. You could have a basket full by the front door for those people who drop in unexpectedly.

 

 

 

 

And that's a wrap! (Pun intended! lol) Wasn't that easy? Now run right out and make a dozen!

 

My favorite childhood memories are of Christmas, and my mother. She always had something ready, no matter who came by. She loved to give and no one did it better than her. Love and miss you, mama.

 

See you all tomorrow,

 

12 Days of Christmas - Day Two

It's time for day 2! This post is really late in the day, but I have been trying to fix my hubby's facebook account all afternoon! I swear, technology is going to be the death of me yet! I took a year's leave from blogging and the problems they were "working on" are still here. I'm trying to be patient, but it's not easy.

 

I think before I start today's project, I should give you a little update on what's been happening in my life. We moved into the Medford, Oregon, area, a little suburb called Phoenix, in February. The house is much bigger and everyone had their own room. It has a really big living room and a huge family room, and 2 bathrooms! Woohoo! My daughter-in-law is closer to school and my son is about the same distance from work, plus it was a lot closer to doctors and hospitals and all. My hubby's health is not really good, so that's nice. I had back surgery this last summer and hubby had prostate surgery. We decided it was time to fix up the motor home, because we have lived with the kids for way too long. My husband has a brother and a brother-in-law who have auto shops in southern Nevada, so here we are! Our first year being snowbirds! After the new year, we will start tearing the inside of the motor home apart and remodeling and re-doing. It's going to be so nice. Hubby's brother has a lot of shop tools and worked for a cabinet maker for a while, so he is going to help us with that. Then, we have to work on the engine of the truck and the transmission of the motor home, so we will be busy for a while. We have to be back in Oregon at the end of April for doctor's appointment, but we are here until then. This will hopefully explain my need for craft supplies. I brought what I could, but our motor home is only 23 ft. long, so there's not a lot of room. But you would be surprised at what I DID bring! My hubby loves me enough to make me as much room as possible for all my craft crap. He's a nice guy. So, that's whats been happening in my life (the abridged version, of course), so now, on to the fun!

Our project today is a Snowball Fight in a Can! Many of you live where you get snow every year, but a lot of my grandchildren don't, so I thought I would give them the gift of an indoor snowball fight. I did this last year for all the kids in the library reading program and they had a blast! You will need some white yarn (or blue, if you like that better), an empty gallon paint can, and some fun scrapbook paper.

 

You start by making pom-poms. If you have a particular way you make pom-poms, then go right ahead. It has taken me many tests and trials to come up with this technologically advanced way of doing it. Use your hand! Hahaha. Cut a piece of yarn about 14" long and place it between your ring finger and your middle finger. Pull the two ends up and tuck them under your thumb.

 

Then start wrapping yarn around your four fingers. You need about 100 wraps, but I finally figured out if you use more than one yarn at the same time, you don't have to wrap so many times. Duh! After you have your 100 wraps, cut the yarn down by the bottom of your hand. Now, let go of the two yarns under your thumb and bring the back one around the wraps to the front.

 

Use your finger to push the yarn down between your ring and middle fingers and bring it back around to the front again.

 

 
 
 

See what I mean about problems not being fixed? This photo just decided to jump to the right and I can't do anything about it! Grrrrrrr!

 

Now you have two yarns around your wraps for double protection. Slip the yarn off your fingers and tie the two ends around the wraps. You need to pull them as tight as you can without breaking them. Be sure to tie them in a square knot, and if you're not sure, that's right end over left, the left end over right. Tie once more for good measure and you have something that looks like this.

 

 

Now, stick you scissors down into the loops and clip them. Be sure to go back and make sure you got them all. The pom-pom will look a little shaggy right now, but we are going to fix that.

 

 

 

You will have quite a pile of trimmings when you get done with all your pom-poms. I'm thinking they would make great stuffing for a soft stuffie. What do you think?

 

That's it for the pom-poms! Not so bad, once you get the hang of it. Now, it's time to decorate the can. You will need two pieces of cute paper 11" long and 7 3/8" tall, or some combination to make that size. You will see that I used two different papers on mine. You'll also notice that there is one pom-pom that looks like it doesn't belong. I put one red, white and green pom in each can......I figure the kids can make up games using that one as the special one.

 

 

I got on my computer and printed a little sign for the lid that say Snowball Fight in a Can, and a long sign that says Let's have a Snowball Fight!!!! Then I used some light blue paint and did some thumbprint snowmen having a snowball fight. I think the kids will get a kick out of it. I used a 3" circle punch to punch the circle for the lid, but you could do it any way you like. I also use a light blue stamp pad to color the edges of both signs.

 

 

I put a couple of die-cut snowflakes on the lid, too, to fill up the room. I will be sending some of these across the country, and thought it might be easier to send them in bags instead of cans, so I made these drawstring bags to put them in. They aren't quite finished....they will have an iron-on that says Snowball Fight in a Bag.

 

 

That's day 2 all done! I hope you like this really easy idea. I know the kids will! It's been tried and tested, and passed with flying colors. Now, go make some fun of your own. Remember, "discoveries are often made by not following instruction, by going off the main road, by trying the untried." Frank Tyger

 

See you tomorrow for some more fun!  As always....