Aloha! Kailani is the brain-child behind this fun Friday meme. If you feel inclined to answer my question, please post your answer in the comment section. Sound fun? Of course it does! Want to answer more questions? Hop over to An Island Life and play along!
(Please feel free to answer the question below, even if you’re not playing Aloha Friday!)
My question:
Vent! What’s going on in your life right now that’s driving you nuts? (Come on, you can tell us. It won’t go any further than this here blog).
These curious ornaments will make a purr-fect addition to your Christmas tree this season.
Materials
* Wooden craft spoons
* Acrylic paint
* White card stock
* Glue
* Pipe cleaners
* Seed beads
* Fine-point permanent marker
* Green tissue paper
* Red beads or glitter
* String
Instructions
1. To make each one, first coat a wooden craft spoon with acrylic paint. Paint a patch of the same shade onto a piece of white card stock and let the paints dry.
2. Cut a 1⁄2-inch square from the card stock, then cut the square in half diagonally and glue the 2 triangles to the top of the spoon for ears. For a tail, curl a 6-inch piece of pipe cleaner and glue it to the back of the spoon.
3. Glue on black seed beads for eyes and draw a face with a fine-point permanent marker. Add a holly collar by twisting two or three 1-inch squares of green tissue paper around the tip of a pencil, then glue them in place, adding a few tiny red beads or glitter for berries. Glue on more beads for buttons.
4. Make a hanger by tying a piece of string into a loop and gluing the knot to the back of the spoon. Let all the glue dry completely before hanging.
1. Bend an end of a pipe cleaner into a 90-degree angle. Have your child thread on beads from the opposite end, stopping a half inch from the tip.
2. Twist together the two ends, and the strand is ready to shape into a star, a candy cane, or another festive object.
Variations:
Twist together the ends of two pipe cleaners for a longer strand, or attach short beaded lengths to add a striker to a bell or holly berries to a wreath.
Here’s a real treat for your tree: a candy cane-like ornament that points the way to Santa’s place.
Materials
* Large craft stick (ours was 4 ½ inches long)
* Acrylic paint: white, green and red
* Craft knife
* Permanent marker
* Glue
* Small green felt holly leaves
* Red mini pom-pom berries
* White glitter
* 5-inch piece of ribbon
Instructions
1. Coat a large craft stick (ours was 4 ½ inches long) with white acrylic paint and another with green paint. Let them dry, then add stripes of red paint to the white stick.
2. Use a craft knife to cut a 3-inch section from the green stick, notching each end to create an arrow shape, as shown. Write “North Pole” on the sign in permanent marker, then glue the sign to the red-and-white craft stick.
3. Next, glue on small green felt holly leaves and red mini pom-pom berries. If you like, add dabs of white paint, then sprinkle on white glitter for snow.
4. Finally, glue both ends of a 5-inch piece of ribbon to the back of the signpost for a hanger and let the glue dry.
Create the perfect little ornament that your kids can make in a jiffy.
Materials
* Craft knife
* Craft stick
* Glue
* Paint
* Cord
Instructions
1. For each mini sled, you’ll need 6 colored craft sticks.
2. To fashion the steerer, use a craft knife to make an angled cut at each end of 1 stick, leaving a 2 1/2-inch piece (A). Save 1 end (B) and discard the other. Lay 2 whole sticks side by side and hot-glue piece A across them, near the top.
3. Cut another stick in half at an angle and lay 1 half on each side of the 2 whole sticks, as shown. Glue piece B across the 4 sticks, near the sled’s center, trimming it if necessary.
4. Finally, glue on the 2 remaining whole sticks for runners. When the glue has dried, attach a length of cord to hang the sled and have your child decorate the sled top with puffy paint or glitter paint.
Dressed in red jackets and Tudor bonnets, these wooden soldiers are ready to stand sentry around the Christmas tree.
Materials
* Old-fashioned clothespins (no springs)
* Acrylic paints (white, black, red, brown and gold)
* Red and black pom-poms
* Glue
* Gold thread
Instructions
1. Begin by painting white or black trousers on each clothespin. Holding the clothespin by its rounded top, paint the portion from the upper edge of the split down to the tips. Line up finished clothespins on the edge of a shoe box (as you would if you were pinning them on a clothesline) and let them dry completely.
2. Next, mix dabs of red, white and brown paint to create a skin tone and use it to paint the soldiers’ heads. Paint red jackets on the sections between the heads and the trousers. Again, let the paint dry completely.
3. Now, paint on distinguishing details, such as gold buttons and buckles, black arm outlines and facial features, and white gloves.
4. Glue a red or black pom-pom onto the heads to create the soldiers’ bonnets.
5. Lastly, loop a length of gold thread around each clothespin below the soldier’s head to use as a hanger.
You can find more homemade ornaments here and here.
Christmas song #10
Santarrific by Harry Connick Jr.
Write From Karen 