A Homemade Christmas Ornament Idea

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really in the Christmas spirit this year. I have a goal to get back to writing more often, so I am sure I will be sharing more about the reasons behind that, but for now all you need to know is that Christmas was pared down from the past. We didn't do a lot of of crafts. In fact, I think this is the only one that we created, and mostly it was because we were given a plain glass ornament at church and asked to decorate it for the tree there. Sadly, this wouldn't have happened otherwise, and it would have been a shame, because this was fun to make.

The inspiration for this ornament came from the December issue of FamilyFun magazine. I have made a few changes, partially due to what materials we had on hand and partially due to personal preference for what seemed sturdy. (I really couldn't see making this with tacky glue, for example, and then having it come undone. Yes, this would have been more kid-friendly than my adhesive of choice: hot glue, BUT you have to agree that mine is going to hold up, and that was what I was going for.) Anyway, we were all pleased with the results.

{Our Family's Christmas Ornament - 2014}

Materials:

• clear glass ornament
• small pom poms (round beads are what was suggested in FamilyFun)
• toilet paper tube 
• scissors
• tacky glue
• hot glue gun
• card stock (whatever colors you like -- we used blue and silver)
• pipe cleaner (optional, for trim)
• clothespins (optional, but recommended)
• permanent marker (optional, for personalization)

Directions:

1. Remove the top of a clear glass ornament and hold it while the kids add some colorful "gumballs." (Note: Anything that is small enough to fit inside the opening could work. We used pom poms because we didn't have beads on hand. Perhaps real gumballs would fit?)
2. Cut a section of a toilet paper tube to make the base of the gumball machine. Wrap it in colored card stock (Logan picked blue.) and adhere with tacky glue. Add a small rectangle of another color card stock for the gumball machine opening. (We used silver.) Again, apply with glue. Now, here's a handy tip: Secure two clothespins, one on either end of the tube, and leave on until the glue has dried. This helps the curved paper stay put until the glue is set!
3. Find a base for your gumball machine. Ours is a lid (Thankfully, in the color Mia wanted: red.) from a peanut jar. FamilyFun suggested using a large button. (I don't know about you, but I don't have huge buttons laying around my house, however, I do have a good assortment of plastic lids at any given time.)
4. Assemble the gumball machine. I used a hot glue gun (adult use only) instead of the suggested tacky glue. I made a ring around one end of the tube section and then applied it to the bottom of the glass bulb. Then, I made another ring of hot glue around the other end of the tube and pressed the plastic lid onto it, securing the base. For a finishing touch, I used two scrap pieces of red pipe cleaner to cover up the hot glue. (I wish I had thought to do this when it was first hot, but better late than never. The tacky glue would have been less goopy looking and wouldn't have needed the "finishing touch," but I am still asserting here that my way is going to hold up for the long haul. And that is what we want since we're going to be displaying this year after year.
5. For a little extra personal touch, I took a black Sharpie and wrote our family name plus the year on the back. This was an easy (and totally free for us!) craft that we were able to make together.

Sandpaper Gingerbread Family Craft

For the past few years we have kept an Advent calendar. In the beginning, I used to put small candy such as Hershey's kisses inside each box, but last year I decided to get away from that. I typed up various activities (make hot cocoa, drive around and look at lights, watch a Christmas show, read a Christmas book, write a letter to Santa, etc.) and put the slips of paper into each box. This way, we are doing things as a family instead of just eating junk food.

Admittedly, my kids are not always thrilled about this. For example, they just plain ignored the slip that said, "make a list of our blessings." Fortunately, they were happy the other day when it said "do a Christmas craft." I didn't really have anything planned, but I had remembered pinning this idea ages ago. So I pulled out my sandpaper (purchased from Dollar Tree for this project) and my cookie cutters and we got to work.

The original craft that I was inspired by involved a lot of puffy paint (cute, but not exactly young child-friendly!) and it was intended to be used as invitations for a cookie exchange. This sounds very cute, too, but here is how I modified the craft to make a more appropriate project for my two kids.

{Gingerbread Boy and Girl by Logan, Age 4}
(Can also be captioned, "why puffy paint should not be placed in the hands of preschoolers!"
Although, his wasn't too bad. It was actually dry by the following morning, which surprised me.)

Materials:

• sandpaper
• gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters
• pen
• scissors
• tacky glue
• embellishments: buttons, feathers, pom poms, beads, pipe cleaners, craft foam, felt, markers, yarn, sequins, etc.
• puffy paint (optional -- not suggested for preschoolers and toddlers!)
• something to protect work surface (recommended -- I like cereal box liners.)
• old clothes/paint shirts (optional -- strongly recommended if using puffy paint!)

{Our Sandpaper Gingerbread Family by Mia, Age 6}

Directions:

1. Flip sandpaper over to the non-textured side. Place a gingerbread boy or girl cookie cutter on top and trace around it using a pen. Repeat as many times as desired. I found that we could fit 5 gingerbread people per sheet of sandpaper. (2 large and 3 small) Cut out the gingerbread people.
2. (If desired, protect work surface and kids' clothing before decorating gingerbread people.) Allow kids to decorate their gingerbread people by using tacky glue to apply whatever embellishments you have at hand. We used many craft staples that you likely have at home: buttons, yarn, pom poms, pipe cleaners, and regular markers. There are many, many, many possibilities. For example, Mia used buttons in the traditional fashion to make a shirt and Logan used them just for decoration all over an entire gingerbread girl. She also used feathers in more than one way -- to make a skirt and also cut and shaped to make hair. (Note: If you are brave enough to let your kids use puffy paint, remember that it will stain clothing and plan accordingly. Also, it is very tricky to "pipe" it neatly, as you can see from my own example with the blobby outline around the head, so that may be frustrating for little ones.)
3. Make sure that glue dries completely before displaying your gingerbread people. 

 {Brett came home and asked, "Where's Mama's?" Now I have one, too.}

Other Ideas:

• I think it would be cute to string several of these together to make a garland.
• Since we have both boy and girl cookie cutters in both large and small sizes, Mia decided that she would make one gingerbread person to represent each member of the family. This would a cute thing to do as a family or as a class: everyone decorates a gingerbread person to look like himself.
• These could also be made into ornaments by punching a hole and then adding ribbon, yarn, bakers twine, or a pipe cleaner. The only downside is that the sandpaper is kind of flimsy, so you may want to first reinforce these with a layer of card stock. A more durable option would be craft foam.
• In fact, if you don't have sandpaper, craft foam would be fine for this project. You just will not have the textural aspect unless you find a way to create it. One way would be to add a layer of glitter, but this is going to be messier than sandpaper, by far.
• To make these into puppets, add a craft stick like we did here.
• I really do like the idea, too, of using these as invitations to a cookie exchange. In the past, I made my own apron invitations for an exchange, but these would be a bit easier to mass produce.
• If you don't have a gingerbread cookie cutter, don't run out and buy one! (unless they are already on clearance, in which case feel free to share where you are finding them -- not that I need any more...) You could also use a teddy bear or a puppy or any other item that would look good in brown.
• Looking for more ideas of things that you can do with cookie cutters? You might also like: cinnamon applesauce ornaments, gingerbread men paper dolls, craft foam ornaments (page 20), and Christmas sun catchers.

Painted Christmas Tree Craft

Logan started this project at the library last week and then finished it this week. This shouldn't be too hard to do in an afternoon so long as you let the paint dry in between the painting and decorating steps. (Just give your child an empty cardboard box to play with. Those always seem to keep my kids occupied...) My favorite part of this craft is the clever and fun painting technique: using an actual limb from an evergreen tree or shrub in place of a paint brush! I also like that Mrs. D. added a small magnet to the back so that we can display the tree on the refrigerator (or the dishwasher or the back door -- we've got options.) It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house!

{Finished Tree by Logan, Age 4}

Materials:

• white card stock (or green)
• scissors
• fresh evergreen branches
• green tempera paint
• container to hold paint (I like Styrofoam trays.)
• brown construction paper
• glue stick/glue
• something to protect work surface (optional -- I like cereal box liners.)
• yellow construction paper
• stickers or foam stickers
• self-adhesive magnet (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut a large triangle out of white (or green card stock) to make the tree. Mrs. D. added simple branches by cutting notches out of the sides, which is simple and quick to do.
2. Cut a trunk from brown construction paper. Adhere the trunk to the base of the tree. (Tip: If doing this project with more then one child, you may want to write names on the back sides of the trees before moving on to the next step.)
3. Collect some fresh evergreen branches.
4. (Protect work surface and clothing, if desired.) Pour some green tempera paint into a bowl or onto a plate or Styrofoam tray. Let your child paint the tree using evergreen branches. Once he is done painting, set the tree aside so that paint can dry completely.
5. Decorate the tree! Cut a star out of yellow construction paper and let your child glue it to the top. Then, let him add stickers, regular or foam, for the ornaments.
6. To make it magnetic, simply add a self-adhesive magnet to the back of the tree. Your child's creation is now ready to be displayed on any magnetic surface. (Tip: If you don't have magnets, you can tape this just about anywhere. Or you can display it on a clothesline style art display. Ours came from IKEA.)

Other Ideas:

• You could make wintry trees in place of Christmas trees. Just substitute white glue "snow" in place of the sticker "ornaments."
• If you don't have stickers, trim the tree with whatever you have at hand: buttons, pom poms, sequins, beads, ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, rhinestones, feathers, etc.
• Mrs. D. displayed several plain green trees on the white board to make a winter scene. A few well-placed lines with a black dry erase marker, and it looked like the trees were standing in a snowy meadow -- very simple but pretty for a classroom display!
• Painting with evergreen branches could also be used to make wreaths. Just use a paper plate for the base and have your child finger paint on some read berries. Add a red or gold bow for hanging.
• Or skip the tree altogether, and just use the branches for paint brushes for a tactile experience. My little man is not always excited about crafts, but he loves painting in new ways, so he found this one to be very fun.

DIY Snoopy Costume

Sewing is definitely not one of my strongest skills, but I was pleased with how this home-made Snoopy costume for my husband's work party (his department had a Charlie Brown theme) turned out, especially considering that he only gave me a couple days notice that he wanted something like this. It wasn't really difficult so I think anybody can do this. I started with this basic idea for using a white hooded sweatshirt, which I found on clearance at Old Navy for $10.49 and improved upon it. The only other items I purchased were two pieces of black felt which were 23 cents each at Walmart. I was originally thinking that now that it served its purpose, I would dye the sweatshirt whatever color he chooses, but my mom suggested that we keep it for a Halloween costume, so I may wait a bit before deciding what to do. If I had known I might have wanted this to be permanent, I might have used something like Liquid Stitch to save myself some time.

Materials:

• white hooded sweatshirt
• 2 pieces of black felt 
• white felt
• scissors
• needle
• white thread
• black thread
• hot glue gun (optional)
• 16 gauge craft wire (optional)
• wire cutters (only needed if using craft wire)
• 2 black pipe cleaners (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the first piece of black felt into a large oval shape. It doesn't have to be perfect. Tip: Save your scraps later. Sew this to the back of the sweatshirt using black thread to make Snoopy's big spot on his back. I am not sure of the name of the stitch (running?) that I used but it was just like those lacing cards from when I was younger. I just did big stitches, about 1" long, and spaced them approximately 1" apart. I wasn't worried about how well it would hold up since I thought it would get worn once and then clipped off so that I could dye the sweatshirt.
2. Fold the second piece of black felt in half like a hamburger. Then, cut out a floppy ear shape. These can be simple ovals, again, or if you want they can be more of a kidney bean shape. Either way, you will end up with two identical ears. Position them how you would like onto the hood of the sweatshirt. Use black thread to stitch them onto the hood.
3. Cut a piece of white felt into a triangle shape, making it as long as you would like Snoopy's tail to be. (The website I found directions on said to use black felt, but my husband said that wasn't right. I checked online and sure enough, his tail is white with a small black spot, not black, if you want to be precise.) I used a length of 16 gauge craft wire that I already had at home, which I cut with wire cutters to help give the tail some shape and make it stick out from the back of the sweatshirt. This is optional, but it looks nice (Plus, Brett says his co-workers really liked it when Snoopy wagged his tail after getting a strike. Their party took place at a bowling alley.) I laid the wire on top of the white felt triangle, stuffed it with some of the extra felt that I had cut, rolled it up into a long, narrow, cone shape, and hot glued it. I tried my best to make the seams end up on the underside of the tail. Then, I covered up what was left of the seam with a black felt spot that I cut out and hot glued to the tail. Lastly, I sewed the tail to the back of the sweatshirt using white thread. Tip: If you don't have craft wire, you can use a wire coat hanger instead. 
4. This last step is optional, but I think it completed the look. Make a collar out of two black pipe cleaners. Fit them around the neck of your Snoopy, and twist them together. If needed, you can trim away the excess. (I also sent him with some black ribbon and black yarn, but this was the collar option he went with since it didn't require any tying, glue, tape, staples, or other work.)
5. Another option I gave him was some black face paint so that he could paint on a Snoopy nose. He chose not to do this since we had a Date Night together that evening. I think that was the right choice, but if you don't have anywhere else to be, it would be a nice finishing touch.

{Snoopy was a hit with our girl, Ritzy!}

Christmas Craft FAIL

At some point in the fall, I saw leaves in Mia's classroom that had colored paint streaks on them, which I assumed were made with marbles. When I asked about the process, she confirmed that they had done some marble painting, and I decided that we were going to try it for a Christmas craft. This was not my greatest plan.

I am not sure if the biggest mistake was using acrylic paint (knowing full well that the marbles would go flying at some point and almost certainly land on our carpeted dining room, which I HATE, but that's another story... or perhaps, it's why I wasn't too concerned about the issue of using paint that stains in the first place.) The other problem I had was not being sure of what kind of container to use to hold the paper and marbles. I decided on some clear storage bins that we have because they were large enough to hold the paper, but small enough to fit on the dining room table.

So, here is how we did this, and I am warning you up front that this is obviously not the best way to go about things. I can share this now because it's been long enough that I am no longer annoyed with myself, and I am not in the stress of the immediate situation of flying paint covered marbles. There's an image for you, right? Anyway, I figure it's good to be able to laugh at myself, plus it helps clear up any misunderstanding that you may have that I am Super Mom. Nope, just a regular mom who has some kooky ideas, some of them more successful than others.

{Christmas Tree by Logan, Age 3}

Materials:

• clear plastic container/s
• green construction paper
• pencil
• scissors
• plastic cups
• spoons
• red, green, and yellow acrylic paint
• marbles
• newspaper (optional)

Directions:

1. Fold your green construction paper in half like a hot dog. Draw 1/2 of a tree shape on one side, (Start at the top center and make increasingly larger triangular branches. When you have about an inch left at the bottom, draw the last line back toward the center crease and then down to the bottom of the paper to make half of the tree trunk.) and keeping the paper folded, cut it out. You now have a symmetrical tree. If you don't like how it looks, you can always re-fold it and trim some more as desired. Tip: If you are making more than one tree, use the first one as a template to save some time. Lay your tree shape into a container.
2. Pour a small amount of paint into cups. We used red, green, and yellow acrylic paint and added just enough to each cup to cover a marble completely. Tip: You may want to do this with a washable paint such as tempera paint. Tip: Gold would look nice in place of yellow, but we didn't have any gold paint. Tip: If using acrylic paints, have kids wear old clothes or a paint smock. Each of my kids has an old t-shirt of mine that we use for painting projects.
3. Use a spoon the scoop the marble out of the paint and gently set it on top of the paper inside of the plastic container. Let your child roll it around to make designs on the paper. Tip: The marbles don't always stay put, so if you are concerned about paint getting spilled, you may want to protect work surfaces with newspaper first. Repeat as desired with other colors of paint. Allow paint to dry before displaying your Christmas tree, which should now look like it is adorned with colorful garland. Tip: You can lay it on newspaper for this.

Additional Notes and Words to the Wise:
You can make other shapes besides trees. We did bells on the same day. It's not my favorite, but I think that is because I wasn't thrilled with my bell shape that I came up with. You can find templates for these types of thing online, if you prefer, but I usually save time by making my own, and in this case I wasn't too excited by the results.

{Bell by Mia, Age 5}

Since this interesting craft catastrophe took place, I learned a helpful tip. Logan made a marble painted paper ornament at Story Time last week. I am sure it was no coincidence that the ornament was a circle, the same size and shape of the container being used for the marble painting (round cake pans). This is sheer genius, people. And now, you know how I will be doing this in the future, if I am ever again feeling brave (or crazy, you pick) enough to attempt marble painting with kids.

{Logan's ornament has a folded paper topper -- glued on either side of the paper -- and yarn for hanging.}

The nice thing about this project (see how I can find good in even my goofiest flub-ups?) is that you can do it with almost any age child. The marble painting itself is very simple and toddlers can manage it just fine. There is some prep work that an adult will need to do, but overall, it is easy.It is the stress caused by flying marbles that is the parental concern here. Don't attempt this at home if you know it will put you over the edge.

My Little Drummer Boy

On a recent trip to the library, Logan selected the picture book Drummer Boy by Loren Long. After reading this nice Christmas story, we were inspired to make a drum. It ended up being a project for Mama instead of a kids craft project like I was originally hoping, but he is still enjoying playing with it, and even Mia has had some fun with our homemade drum. My directions are far from perfect, but I will share them as best as I can for anyone who would like to make their own recycled drum. Most of the time I think of crafting with kids as being about the process rather than the product, but in this case the product is definitely what I want to focus on.

Materials:

• clean empty canister with lid (we used a Swiss Miss Cocoa container)
• 2 sheets of 9" x 12" green construction paper
• 2 sheets of 9" x 12" yellow construction paper
• glue/glue stick (optional)
• clear tape
• paper cutter (optional)
• ruler
• pencil
• scissors

Directions:

1. (Note: The logical way to start would have been to measure the drum to see what size paper to use. I didn't do this right away, but eventually I determined that the circumference was 22 inches by using a piece of yarn and measuring the yarn with a ruler. This might have made things easier.) However, the way I actually started was by folding a piece of green construction paper around the canister. It was too tall, so I used my fingernail to make an impression of where it needed to be cut. Then I used my paper trimmer to cut it to size. I did the same with a second piece of green paper, overlapped the two and taped them to the canister. (Tape was adding when a glue stick wasn't really getting the paper to stay in place.)
2. Next, I made triangles from yellow paper. I decided to make 11 of them because I thought they would be 2 inches wide and then I would have an even number on my drum. (Note: It didn't actually turn out to work, but I was proud of myself for planning ahead and trying to use what math skills I still possess.) I used 2 sheets of yellow construction paper and used my paper trimmer to cut them into strips that were 6 1/2 inches long (the height of the container) by 2 inches wide. I folded one strip in half hot dog style and then used the crease to figure out where my triangle point would be. Then, using a ruler, I drew two pencil lines from the center (bottom) to the outer edges (top left and right). I cut out the triangle and used it as a template to make 11 more triangles.
3. I started gluing the yellow triangles along the top edge of the green paper. I laid them next to each other and kept gluing, eventually discovering that I had one too many triangles. (So much for my math skills, eh?) They started being a bit too long as well. The final drum ended up with some overlapping of triangles, which I had done all that math to avoid in the first place, but oh well. 
4. Logan doesn't care how it looks. He used two paper towel tubes for drumsticks, but you could use wooden spoons or whatever you are brave enough to give to your children. This drum does make noise when banged on, especially if they bang on the metal bottom instead of the plastic lid top. (Note: You can make your drum look even prettier I suppose, by adding ribbon, string, or yarn zig-zagged up and down the triangles. I would suggest securing it with metal brads if the drum is going to get played with, but again, this is not even needed.) Personally, I let it go that it didn't look perfect because the drum is making my little drummer boy quite happy, which, in turn makes me happy.

Build-a-Snowman Snack

Once again, we sat down to do a project that I pinned to Pinterest last winter. The idea was to make a snowman craft using mini marshmallows, but I decided it would be a shame to glue those tasty treats to paper when we could eat them instead. So, I switched it up and decided that Mia could build her own snack. I gave her a plate with some mini marshmallows, a skinny baby carrot, two pretzel sticks, and some mini chocolate chips. (I had originally thought to try to make it even healthier by getting out the raisins, Craisins, and peanuts, before deciding that it hardly mattered since the main ingredient of this snack was sugar considering how many little marshmallows it takes to make a decent looking snowman.) Here is what she came up with. Obviously, it didn't last long, but really, I didn't need a paper project with food on it that I would be concerned about somebody eating.

{Mia recently made this snowman snack.}

For Logan, I arranged the stuff on the plate in a snowman and let him have at it since I didn't figure he would have the patience to build a snowman himself. As you can see, mine doesn't look all that different from my five-year-old's handiwork. The kids both enjoyed this, and it wasn't time-consuming or difficult to do with items we already had in the pantry. Now, I am thinking that a gingerbread house with a snowman design would be another project for the future.

Easy DIY Glitter Ornament

Last night, at my Grace Circle meeting at church, there was a discussion of making ornaments and this technique was one that was mentioned. I thought it sounded simple enough, and then I was fortunate enough to get to make this one at my MOPS meeting this morning. Very serendipitous, indeed. And the good news is that these ornaments are truly simple to make. We moms used glass bulbs, but if I do this with my kiddos, I will seek out the plastic kind. I wish the picture showed the detail better. I used a mixture of blue and green glitter, and I was pleased with the results.

Materials:

• newspaper
• clear glass/plastic ornaments
• glue
• glitter
• paper/funnel
• permanent markers/paint pens/glitter glue pens (optional)
• ribbon/ornament hook
• scissors (if using ribbon to hang your ornament)

Directions:

1. Protect work surface with newspaper.
2. Remove the top of the ornament and pour in some glue. Making sure opening is covered, swirl the ornament around. If needed, keep adding small amounts of glue until the entire inside is coated with a thin layer of glue.
3. Using rolled up paper or a funnel, add some glitter. (You do not need a lot.) Again, making sure the opening is covered, swirl the ornament around until the glitter adheres to the glue, and you are happy with the results. Don't worry if you see white areas because they will dry clear and should have glitter as well. Put the top back on the ornament and set it aside so that glue can dry.
4. Decorate the outside of your ornament as desired. You can use permanent markers, paint pens, or glitter glue pens to write names and dates or to make designs. Allow drying time as needed.
5. Cut some ribbon and attach it to the ornament. Or use an ornament hook to hang your completed ornament on your Christmas tree. These would also make nice gifts. You can make them with your kids (I would suggest getting the plastic kind if doing it with younger children) and give them to grandparents, teachers, friends, neighbors, really anyone, because who wouldn't like something made by an adorable child? Another option if you don't want to use glitter and glue is to use paint inside of the ornaments. Happy crafting.

Salty Snowman Scene

{I like to think of this guy as "Salty the Snowman." Created by Mia, age 5}

Here's another one I have had pinned in Pinterest for quite awhile, and we tried it out. Mia enjoyed it, of course. She is very much into crafting, just like her mama. This project, however, was not a good one for Logan, age 3. He ended up with a snowball scribble covered in A LOT of salt. I am not even ashamed to tell you that I threw it away, especially since he did not even notice. The end result is a fun, textured snowman, no glitter required.

Please note that this is not an original idea. I keep trying to find the blog of the original idea for this, but the link seems to be broken. I guess that can happen over the course of 40 weeks (crazy, but true, this is how long ago I saved this idea), so my apologies to whomever came up with this idea. I really did try to give credit, but it is just not working out.

Materials:

• construction paper (any color)
• crayons or colored pencils (white and any other color you choose)
• paint brush
• white glue
• salt
• baking sheet (optional for containing the mess)
• small cups (optional for holding glue and salt)
• other optional decorative items: puffy paint, buttons, sequins, pom poms, etc.

Directions:

1. Have your child use a white crayon or colored pencil to draw a snowman. You can also put your snowman on the snow covered ground and make snowflakes falling in the air, as Mia did in her winter scene. Mia also drew a black top hat and a blue scarf.
2. Lay the paper on a baking sheet. (Tip: You can add wax paper, tin foil, or parchment paper as well if you don't want to craft directly on your baking sheet.) Have your child add glue to the parts that he or she wants to be snowy. (Tip: For less mess, put some glue into a Dixie cup and let your child apply it to the paper with a paint brush.)
3. Next, add salt to the glue. (Tip: I definitely recommend giving him or her another small cup of salt.) The salt can be added in little bits, shaken off, and then used again as needed. Allow the salt/glue mixture to dry.
4. Decorate your snowman as desired. Mia used orange puffy paint for the carrot nose and red puffy paint for the eyes, mouth and buttons. Other materials that you could try are buttons, sequins, and pom poms. Make sure that all glue is dry before displaying the snowman project.

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

 Materials:

• cinnamon
• applesauce
• glue
• bowl 
• spoon
• rolling pin
• cookie cutters
• plastic drinking straw 
• spatula
• cookie sheet
• ribbon or yarn for hanging
• scissors

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to about 175 degrees. Note: Only adults should use the oven.
2. In a bowl, mix equal parts cinnamon and applesauce. Tip: If it appears too runny, add more cinnamon.
3. Add a bit of glue. Tip: We used white glue, but you could try glitter glue for sparkly ornaments.
4. Knead dough into a ball, and then roll it out until it is about 1/4" thick.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Mia made a bell and Logan made a tree.
6. Use a plastic straw to punch holes in the top of each shape so that they can be hung later. Tip: If you don't have a straw, just poke a hole with a pencil or other pointed object, just make sure it is big enough since it may shrink a bit as the ornament bakes.
7. Using a spatula, slide ornaments onto cookie sheet and bake for about 1 hour. 
8. Carefully remove ornaments from oven and allow to cool. Tip: Ornaments may need additional time to air dry, so I would recommend setting them in a safe place for 1-2 days before hanging.
9. Once ornaments are firm, cut a length of ribbon or yarn, thread it through, tie a knot, and your ornament is now ready to display. These ornaments smell great and would make nice gifts for grandparents.

Toilet Paper Tube Christmas Tree

Mia made a similar project at church using rolled pieces of green paper, but it didn't hold up very well. This seems to be a sturdier alternative. If you don't have pom poms, try sequins, glitter glue, or beads for the ornaments.

{By Logan, Age 2}

{By Mia, Age 4}

Materials:

• 3 toilet paper tubes
• glue
• scissors
• stapler (optional)
• green paint
• tray to hold paint
• paintbrush (optional)
• newspaper
• pom poms

Directions:

1. Cut 3 toilet paper tubes in half so that you have 6 tubes. (If you prefer, you can start with 6 whole tubes, but we found this harder to work with.)
2. Protect your work surface with newspaper. Pour green paint onto a Styrofoam tray (or bowl or plate), and coat the tubes with paint. We used 3 different shades of green. Paintbrushes are optional; Mia figured out that you can just roll the tubes on the tray and that is faster than using a paintbrush. If you wish, you can paint the insides of the tubes, but my kids chose not to. Leave tubes on newspaper to dry completely.
3. Glue or staple your painted tubes to form a pyramid shape: 3 on the bottom, 2 in the middle, 1 on top. (If you are using whole tubes, staples are highly recommended. Otherwise, glue works fine.) Allow glue to dry before decorating your tree.
4. Trim your TP tube Christmas tree by gluing on pom poms for ornaments. Allow glue to dry completely before moving your project.

Gingerbread Boy and Girl Puppets

Here's a craft idea that has double the entertainment value. Once the kids are done making their puppets, they can use them to put on puppet shows... just in time for the holidays.

{Gingerbread Boy Puppet by Logan, Age 2}

Materials:

• brown construction paper
• pencil/pen
• gingerbread boy/girl cookie cutters
• scissors
• craft stick/s (one per puppet)
• glue
• decorative items: yarn, buttons, puffy paint, pom poms, rickrack, sequins, etc.

Directions:

{Gingerbread Girl Puppet by Mia, Age 4}

1. Fold a piece of brown construction paper in half. Trace around a gingerbread boy or girl cookie cutter. Keeping paper folded, cut around the outline. You will end up with two identical gingerbread shapes.
2. Have your child decorate one gingerbread cutout. Mia and Logan made eyes and mouths with red puffy paint. (I helped Logan with this.) Next, he chose buttons, so I helped him with the glue. Mia cut lengths of yarn to decorate her gingerbread girl, making clothes and hair. Once the gingerbread cutout is decorated, set it aside so glue or paint can dry.
3. On the other gingerbread cutout, glue a craft stick so about half of it is sticking out the bottom.
4. Make sure all embellishments are attached and glue is dry before doing this next step. Add glue to the entire plain gingerbread cutout including the part of the craft stick that is inside. Carefully press your decorated gingerbread cutout on top of the plain one, sandwiching the craft stick in the middle. Run your finger over the top of the paper to make sure all parts are glued down.
5. Once glue is dry, you can play with your gingerbread puppets. 

P.S. Don't forget to check out my book review and giveaway for Green Grandma's Vinegar Fridays. Giveaway ends at the end of the day today (Wednesday, December 14, 2011), so you still have time! This book has many amazing tips for cleaning just about everything including pet messes and crayon marks from the walls. There is something for everyone, so be sure to like Green Grandma's Facebook page and let her know I sent you.

 

Rudolph Treat Cup

While making Frosty the snowman treat cups as Mia's teacher gifts, I came up with this idea for reindeer treat cups to fill with home-made goodies and give to Logan's Early On teachers. This is a great way to use some of the tin cans that are taking up so much space in our recycling area, and they look pretty cute, too, especially with his little hand prints for antlers. Note: If using a hot glue gun, which I recommend, keep out of reach of children. Otherwise, you can substitute tacky glue so that older kids can do this project themselves.


Materials:

• tin can
• brown paint
• paint brush
• newspaper
• something to hold paint
• pen
• scissors
• yellow felt (or craft foam)
• red felt
• 2 googly eyes
• red pom pom
• black dimensional paint (or marker)
• gold sequins
• hot glue gun (or tacky glue)

Directions:     

1. If using a hot glue gun, first plug it in to warm up.
2. Cover work surface with newspaper. Pour some brown paint onto a Styrofoam tray (or whatever you are using to hold paint), and coat the outside of a clean, dry tin can with paint. Tip: Foam paint brushes work well for this. Set can aside so paint can dry.
3. On yellow felt, trace both of your child's hand with pen. Cut out the hand prints. Tip: If you don't have felt on hand, you can substitute craft foam.
4. Decide which part of the can will be Rudolph's face. I suggest avoiding seams. Once paint is dry, use hot glue (or tacky glue if you prefer) to adhere on hand print on the each side of your can to make Rudolph's antlers.
5. Finish Rudolph's face by hot gluing two googly eyes onto the can. Below the eyes, glue on the red pop pom nose. Draw a mouth with black dimensional ("puffy") paint (or use a black marker).
6. Cut a strip of red felt long enough to fit around the tin can. I cut ours about 3/4" wide. Glue near the bottom to make harness. Lastly, glue gold sequins around the felt to look like jingle bells. Tip: To make it look more finished, be sure the overlap of the felt is at the back of the reindeer.
7. Make sure that all glue is dry before moving or filling your Rudolph treat cup. Give as a gift or use as a decoration.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my book review and giveaway for Green Grandma's Vinegar Fridays. Giveaway ends Wednesday, December 14, 2011, so you still have time! This book has many amazing tips for cleaning just about everything including pet messes and crayon marks from the walls. There is something for everyone, so be sure to like Green Grandma's Facebook page and let her know I sent you.

Frosty the Treat Cup

Does anyone else ever have to get out of bed to write down craft ideas that pop into your head at night? I'm guessing this doesn't happen to that many people, but you're in luck because this is the result of the "visions of sugar plums" that were dancing in my head. I decided that it's a cute idea for a teacher gift so Mia's preschool and dance teachers will each be getting one of these snowmen filled with homemade goodies. Note: I'm labeling this as a kids craft, although I did most of the work. Mia chose the colors of the buttons for the eyes and mouths and also the colors for the pop pom/pipe cleaner ear muffs. Older kids could do more themselves, and if you substituted tacky glue in place of hot glue, I would feel more comfortable suggesting that. Hot glue guns should only be used by adults.

Materials:

• tin can
• white paint
• paint brush
• newspaper
• something to hold paint
• glitter (optional)
• buttons (for eyes and mouth)
• pipe cleaner
• scissors
• 2 large pom poms
• broken bit of orange crayon (or pom pom or button)
• hot glue gun (or tacky glue)
• felt (optional for adding a scarf)

Directions:

1. If you are planning to use a hot glue gun, plug it in to warm it up.
2. Cover work surface with newspaper. Pour some white paint onto a Styrofoam tray (or a plate) and paint the outside of a clean, dry aluminum can. If you want your snowman to be sparkly, sprinkle glitter onto the paint while it is still wet. Set can aside so paint can dry.
3. Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Take one half and bend it slightly to form a "u" shape.
4. Decide which part of your can will have the snowman's face. I recommend avoiding seams for this. Once paint on can is dry, apply hot glue to the inside of each end of the pipe cleaner and press down each end to make an arc across the top of the can. Apply hot glue to two large pom poms and then affix the pom poms on the ends of the pipe cleaners to finish the ear muffs.
5. Lastly, make your snowman's face. Use hot glue (or tacky glue) to adhere buttons for eyes and mouth. Hot glue works best if you are using an orange crayon stub for the nose. If you don't want to use crayon for the nose, tacky glue will work to hold a button or pop pom nose. Tip: If using a crayon, rub it down so that one end is relatively flat. This is the part you will attach to the tin can. For the other end, you can color with or use a sharpener to shape it as desired. 
6. We didn't do this, but you could also cut a strip of colorful felt and tie or glue it around the base of your tin can to add a festive scarf for you snowman.
7. Allow all glue to dry before moving or filling your snowman treat cup.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my book review and giveaway for Green Grandma's Vinegar Fridays. Giveaway ends Wednesday, December 14, 2011, so you still have time! This book has many amazing tips for cleaning just about everything including pet messes and crayon marks from the walls. There is something for everyone, so be sure to like Green Grandma's Facebook page and let her know I sent you.

Bingo Marker Christmas Tree Craft

Here is a simple Christmas craft that would work for toddlers on up.

{Christmas Tree by Mia, Age 4}

Materials:

• green construction paper
• pencil
• scissors
• Bingo markers
• newspaper 
• tape
• glue (optional)
• yellow construction paper (optional)
• brown construction paper (optional)

Directions:

1. Fold a piece of green construction paper in half like a hot dog. Draw half of a Christmas tree shape, including the trunk at the bottom. Cut out the tree shape and unfold it.
2. Protect your work surface with newspaper. Dot Bingo markers onto the tree shape. We used orange, red, blue, and purple Bingo markers from Dollar Tree. Logan decorated his tree with "ornaments" and Mia made "garland" and "ornaments" for hers. She also used lots of orange dots to make the tree trunk look brown instead of green. Allow ink to dry.
3. If desired, draw and cut out a star from yellow construction paper. Tape (or glue) on top of your tree. You could also cut a trunk from brown construction paper and tape (or glue) it onto the green paper.
4. Display your Christmas tree. Ours are now affixed to a window with clear tape.

   

   {Christmas Tree by Logan, Age 2}

Paper Bag Rudolph Puppet

Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet by Mia, Age 3 1/2

This is another one we made last year, and I ended up doing most of the work. We tried it again this year, and Mia did much more of the project. The idea for this craft, which I have made revisions to, came from here.

Materials:

• paper lunch bag
• tape
• pencil
• red craft foam
• scissors
• glue (I like Aleene's Tacky Glue)
• 2 googly eyes
• red pom pom

Directions:

1. Trace child's hand onto red (or another color if you prefer) craft foam (or construction paper) and cut out hand prints.
2. Fold in corners of the bottom of a paper lunch bag to form a pointy nose.
3. Glue on two googly eyes and a red pom pom nose.
4. Tape cut out hand prints to the back of the bag to form Rudolph's antlers.
5. Once the glue is dry, you can play with your puppet or display it.

Wearable Reindeer Antlers

Last year Mia and I made plain reindeer antlers. This year we added a reindeer face to them after I was inspired by this website. I have made a couple of changes that I think made this craft perfect for Mia.

Reindeer Antlers by Mia, Age 3 1/2

Materials:

• brown construction paper
• clear tape
• glue (I like Aleene's Tacky Glue)
• 2 craft sticks
• pencil
• red crayon (colored pencil/marker)
• 2 googly eyes
• pom pom
• paper trimmer (or scissors)

Directions:

1. Using a paper trimmer (or scissors) cut brown construction paper into two strips about 3 inches wide. Wrap paper around child's head to get an approximate measure and then tape the strips together.
2. On brown construction paper (or another color if you wish), trace child's right hand twice and cut out hand prints. Do the same with child's left hand.
3. Glue both right hand prints together on either side of a craft stick. Repeat with left hand prints. (This will give the antlers more support, and using double-sided hand prints helps conceal the craft stick.) Glue craft sticks inside of the paper head band on opposite sides. Use some extra tape to help secure the craft sticks.
4. If desired, add a face to your reindeer antlers head band by using two googly eyes, a pom pom nose (Mia chose pink, but you might want to use red for Rudolph's nose), and a mouth (Mia used a red crayon.)
5. Once all glue is dry, wear your reindeer antlers.

Advent Wreath Craft

I haven't come across too many religious Christmas crafts, but I thought an Advent wreath could be easily created using a paper plate and some tubes. This is our first attempt, so it isn't perfect, but it should make a nice centerpiece. Also, I love the symbolism behind the Advent wreath, which I will briefly explain. The wreath itself is a circle, symbolizing that God has no beginning and no end, while the "evergreens" show that God is always with us. Candles symbolize God's light entering the world. Purple represents royalty and it is also shows the darkness of sin. The first purple candle is the "Candle of Hope," the second purple candle is the "Candle of Preparation," the third candle (pink or rose) is the "Candle of Joy" (the pink color stands for joy), and the fourth purple candle is the "Candle of Love." Some Advent wreaths (like ours) include a fifth candle, the white "Christ Candle" to symbolize the reason for the Christmas season, God sending light into the world in the form of His Son. White represents the purity of Jesus, who came to wash away our sins!

Advent Wreath by Mia, Age 3 1/2

Materials:

• scissors
• glue (I like Aleene's Tacky Glue)
• paint brush (foam brushes work well)
• purple paint
• pink paint
• white paint (optional)
• green crayon
• paper plate
• 4 toilet paper tubes
• paper towel tube (optional)
• yellow tissue paper
• newspaper
• clear tape (optional)

Directions:

1. Cover work surface with newspaper. Paint 3 toilet paper tubes purple and paint 1 toilet paper tube pink. We used tempera paint. Stand tubes upright on newspaper to dry. If you want to have a fifth candle, the Christ Candle, make one by cutting a paper towel tube in half. Paint one half white and allow to dry.
2. While tubes are drying, cut away the inside circle of a paper plate. Color the remaining ring green. We used crayon, but colored pencil, marker, or paint would work, too.
3. Once purple and pink tubes are dry, apply a ring of glue to the bottom of each one and place them on top of the green paper plate ring. We ended up having about 1/3 of each tube hanging over the inside edge in order for them to stand fairly upright. (They do lean slightly inward. I also tried gluing these to the underside of the paper plate ring, which causes them to lean outward. If you come up with a way to do this without having the "candles" lean, please let me know.) If using a white Christ Candle, simply stand it up on the inside of the wreath.
4. Crumple some yellow tissue paper and use clear tape to adhere a "flame" to the inside of each "candle." (If desired you could omit the tape, but you will need large enough amounts of tissue paper for it to fill the diameter of the tube. This is probably the way to go if you want your Advent wreath to be functional and "light" each of your "candles" during the appropriate Sundays of Advent. I chose not to do this because I didn't want to have to keep track of the "flames.")
5. Display your Advent wreath on a flat surface such as a table or counter top. 

Easy Foam Christmas Ornaments

Here is a simple project I did with Mia last year when she was 2 1/2. You could make several of these easy ornaments to give as gifts or to hang on your own tree. This would make an easy group project if you had the shapes pre-cut (or just traced if doing this craft with older kids.) It would be perfect for keeping kids occupied at holiday gatherings and, as a bonus, it's not particularly messy so you don't have to worry about those nice Christmas dresses and sweater vests!

Materials:

• craft foam (we used red, white, and green)
• ribbon
• pencil, marker, or pen
• glue
• sequins (or beads, pom poms, glitter, etc.)
• scissors
• cookie cutters (bell, star, snowman, heart, Christmas tree, etc.) 
• hole punch

Directions:

1. Trace various shapes onto craft foam using Christmas cookie cutters.
2. Cut out shapes.
3. Punch a hole at the top of each cut-out shape.
4. Cut a length of ribbon for hanging each ornament. Thread ribbon through the hole and secure it.
5. Decorate the ornament as desired. We used sequins, but you could get fancier!

Recycled Angel Craft

Materials:

Recycled Angel by Mia, Age 3 1/2

• paint brushes
• 2 coffee filters 
• Aleene's Tacky Glue
• scissors 
• acrylic paints (or tempera)
• gold pipe cleaner (or yellow)
• empty plastic canister with lid (from Gerber puffs)
• watercolor paints (optional)
• rick rack (optional)

Directions:

1. Paint a skin tone on the front section above the neck of the canister to be the angel's face. We mixed pink and white paint for ours. (If you don't have a plastic canister like this one you could use a Pringles tube or a paper towel tube.)
2. Paint the remaining parts of the top section to be hair. Also, paint the lid to match. Mia chose brown for her angel's hair. (You might also use yarn for hair.)
3. Paint the bottom section of the canister as desired to be the angel's clothes. Mia chose pink. Any color would work. Once the paint was dry, we glued lavender rick rack around the neck line and closer to the bottom of the angel's dress. You could decorate your angel with different colors of paint, permanent markers, puffy paint, or paint pens.
4. Once the paint is dry, add facial features. Mia painted a red mouth, lavender eyes, and a turquoise nose. You could also use googly eyes and permanent markers, puffy paint or paint pens.
5. Put some glue around the outside of the lid. Next, wrap a gold pipe cleaner tightly around the lid, twist it closed, and trim off the excess (about 2 inches).
6. For the angel's wings we used 2 coffee filters. Mia wanted them to be red so I had her paint them with watercolors. After they were dry, we pinched them together and glued them to the back side of the angel.

Tip: For something a bit different, you could adapt this craft to make a fairy (glitter would be perfect!) or add extra (colorful!) wings and some pipe cleaner legs to make a butterfly.