Reindeer games

Need a last minute game to keep the kids busy!?!? Why not invite them to play a reindeer game! I used formula cans but you could use just about anything, boxes, sand pails, etc. I wrapped my cans with construction paper. Glued on a puff ball nose. Taped on a few bent pipe cleaners and we had a bucket toss game!

The kids at my son’s school loved playing it during their Christmas party.


 

Crafting gone wrong.....

I love to make things and that included our Christmas stocking. So a few years back I had picked up some stocking and put our names on them so they would all look the same. Well, then the little surprise showed up earlier this year and now he needs a stocking. No problem! I can do this again, right? WRONG.

Now that I have two kids, my patience are very thin, on everything. So when the package said “set on wool and iron for 90 seconds” I take that to mean 90 seconds. So when five minutes later the letters STILL had not transferred, well I got impatient. I bumped the iron up to cotton and, well, the smoke and smell were almost instant as the stocking melted to the iron! “MOM” my six year old yelled “you need to be patient!” Funny thing that… I tell him that all the time and yet he is the one who over the years has made me impatient.

Lucky for me I was able to scrap the stocking off of the iron and I had not spent a lot on it either. With a trip to the store the next day I set out to once again make our youngest his Christmas stocking. With the iron on wool, I took a deep breath and counted to 90. And this time, this time it worked, just like it was supposed to! I was patient. I followed directions and now my sweet baby has his very own Christmas stocking. I guess I can do it all, just kidding.

Frosty the fridge

I have seen this idea floating around the Internet on various sites and thought, ya know what, I can do that! And I did. It was super simple and you can make one too! I used plates and cups to draw the circles on black construction paper. I then cut a strip of wrapping paper for the scarf and poof, the cutest fridge ever! So what are you waiting for? Go make Frosty the fridge. I promise you will smile every time you go in your kitchen!

Oh Christmas tree

Check out these Christmas tree ornaments we made! They are simple, beautiful, and will look great on our tree. We simply painted three popsicle sticks green and glue them into a triangle. For the trunk we used craft foam. I had some left over jewel stickers we decorated them with, but you could use anything, glitter, paper, etc. For the hangers we looped over a pretty piece of ribbon and glued it to the back. I have a feeling we will be making more of these before Christmas! Why not see what creativity your child puts on their tree......

"Making" Christmas

I am so sick of the commercialism of Christmas. The commercials on television convey the idea that “if you don’t buy/spend X then you don’t love the person your giving the gift to” has about put the baa humbug in my heart. Even my six year old son commented on how much he was tired of hearing about Black Friday. Really? Yes! Even a child is tired of hearing about buying toys. *gasp*

So what to do? After explaining to my son that buying a gift for someone is nice, but making a gift filled with love is better, he quickly jumped on board with the idea of making gifts. We are going to try to make each other gifts this year. I say try, because I already broke the rule and bought my son a gift. But in my defense, he asked for a real vacuum cleaner and it had to be red. I can’t make one of those! And I knew it really meant a lot to him. You see, when he was two he had a red toy vacuum that he loved till it fell apart, so getting him a real red vacuum would mean the world to him.

So, I sat down with my son and asked him what he would like to make each person on his list. It was amazing the creativity that poured forth from him. We made a trip to the craft store for supplies and he quickly got to work. He has the drive of an elf I tell you! We have all ready start quite a few of the projects on his list and still have lots of time to finish them.

The reason I am sharing all this with you is that maybe we can inspire you to “make” Christmas this year. Yes, you will still spend money on supplies, but that is not the point. The point is to teach your children how to put love into a gift and make it more then just a “thing.” My son could have bought his grandma a bird house, but instead he is making one. And I know each time she walks past it her heart will be filled with the love her grandson put into making it, making it more then just a bird house!

I am even going to be so brave as to teach my six year old son how to use a sewing machine as he makes a stuffed toy out of socks for his baby brother. I plan to do a lot of baking of gifts. I mean what fills people with love like a beautiful loaf of bread or extra yummy cookies!?!?! And I am making my son a blow egg ornament from his chicken's first egg she ever laid. He will be beyond excited. My husband is still not on board. Maybe because he fears he is not creative enough, I don't know. But for my oldest and I, it is going to be a handmade homemade Christmas!




 

Terra cotta snowmen

Everyone likes a cute snowman, and we have a craft that will bring a smile to your face. These little snowmen are made from terra cotta pots. We used smaller pots for ours, but really you could use any size you wanted to create these whimsical little fellows.

We started by giving the pot a base coat of white. Working with terra cotta is great for children since the pot sucks in the paint and it dries very fast. Once we had the pot painted white, it was time to break out the creativity. As you can see, no two snowman will be alike, as each person puts their personal touch on painting the face and picking decorations.

I used a baby sock my youngest had out grown to make a hat and scarf for my snowman. My six year old chose puff balls and a pipe cleaner to make ear muffs! Your only limitation on this craft is your creativity. So bust out your craft supplies and make a magical family of snowman to decorate your home this holiday season. These would also make wonderful handmade gifts for friends and family. What grandparent wouldn't cherish one of these cute snowmen made by their grandchildren!

 

North Pole this way......

Here is a neat craft that requires nothing more then a paint stick (free at your local home improvement store), a tongue depressor size craft stick, and some paint! Kids will have fun making their very own sign. Be creative and have FUN!!!