Fresh Christmas Wreath

I've been making this kind of wreath on and off since high school (which seems like four score and seven years ago). On meaning when I'm feeling all fancy and crafty, off meaning when I'm feeling lazy and would rather hang up the fake wreath I got at an after Christmas sale forever ago. Usually I opt for the fake wreath. But not this year! This year I'm all fancy with my fresh wreath. That totally makes me a professional wreath-maker. When I feel like it. Bow down.

Because it's beautiful, simple, and really inexpensive. 

And whenever I make a fresh Christmas wreath, I feel all One With Nature without actually being in nature, so it's a win-win for me. Do you want to be One With Nature, too? All the cool kids are doing it.

What you will need:

Christmas tree branches (I just grab some trimmings from the store's pile when I buy my Christmas tree)

Scissors (kitchen shears work well)

Wire hanger

Twist ties (the ones from the grocery produce section work well because they're green)

Glue gun 

Ribbon 

Small ball ornaments (the cheaper the better! WhooYah!)

Prep:

It's a good idea to cover your work surface because those tree needles are going to be everywhere. I use a really fancy specialty work surface protector otherwise known as the $0.50 on sale plastic party tablecloth left over from one of my kid's birthday parties. Because I'm glamorous like that.

Cut the branches into reasonable pieces. You want flimsy little stalks that you can bend. Try to get the ones with lots of green.

You'll need a bunch.

Grab your hanger and tear off all the paper nonsense.

Curve the top part into a little circle hook and the bottom into a large circle.

Turn the hook inside the circle. You can use that part to hang your wreath later. Or you can cut it off if it gets in your way. The large wire circle will make it easy enough to hang the wreath, so it's up to you. I only cut that loopy part if it still shows when I'm done with my wreath. The wire is sharp after you cut it, so you probably want to wait until you're finished with your wreath to decide.

Make it!

Start wrapping and twisting your branches around the wire circle form.

If you're careful, the branches will stay in place pretty much all by themselves, but a little support never hurt anybody. That's where the twist ties come in handy.

Here's a back view:

As you add new branches, you'll just tuck them into a previous branch and twist them around your circle form. Keep going until you have a nice, full shape. If you have any uncontrollable branch pieces that stick out, and they're driving you crazy, just cut them off. I like mine a little bit on the wild side, but you are totally the boss of your own wreath. You're not any more of a hero if you have to trim it. Sometimes it just makes me happy to cut off the sticky-out pieces.

What's that wreath? You got something to say? Take that! (Cut.) And that! (Cut.) I'm totally the boss of you, wreath! (Cut.)

It's cathartic.

And so is using that big word just now.
But maybe not the fact that I consider cathartic a big word. That might just be sad.

It doesn't matter, because I'm the boss of my wreath.

Anyway!

Glue gun on your ball ornaments.

Make a ribbon bow and glue gun that sucker on, too.

Beautiful and DONE!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Pretend-Professional Fresh Wreath-Maker, Out!

Getting It Done

A Toys R Us Christmas toy catalog came in Sunday's newspaper last week. I gave it to Peyton and Ella to look through, because I knew they would love it, but mostly because I enjoy Mommy Quiet Time. I gave the classic instructions, "Circle the toys that you would love to get for Christmas. It doesn't mean you'll get them, but it's fun, and Santa likes to know what you like."

Did you do this when you were little? I remember spending hours and hours circling my favorite toys in the Sears Christmas toy catalog when I was young. It seemed so important! I also remember that I rarely received ANY of the toys I circled. I still got great stuff - I'm not complaining at all, but I think Santa and I had conflicting ideas of what was best for me. Just as, I'm sure, Santa might possibly have conflicting ideas of what is best for Peyton and Ella. ESPECIALLY Ella.

Peyton went first. He flipped through to the boy section and carefully circled the things he liked. Then he wrote them in his notebook. Then he researched each toy by looking over the pictures again and erased the ones he deemed inappropriate (too babyish) for his age.

He's totally my kid - the way he tried to write it all neat and organized, and how he researched and made changes. I just think it's the sweetest list ever.

And, off-topic, here's the next page in his notebook:

I love it. He's the perfect 6 1/2 year old. 

Then, Ella got to go through the catalog. I look over, and she's on the couch circling EVERY SINGLE THING in the girl section. Not joking.

And when she was done with all the circling, she got a piece of paper and a pen. And then she asked, "Mommy, how do you spell....."

I'll translate for those of you who aren't proficient in 4 1/2 year old writing: 

"ALL tHE tOYS iN tHe WORLD"

I know! Why didn't I ever think of that? The girl doesn't mess around. She GETS. IT. DONE.

And then, a few days later, I was watching Little Bill with her. A commercial came on for that dang Barbie Jet and she was all ooh-ing and aah-ing over it. I asked her if she would like to put it on her Christmas list and she got all irritated because I had forgotten:

"Mommy! I don't need to, remender?" (I LOVE how she says remender. LOVE!)
"Why?"
"Because it already says All The Toys In The World!"


Good luck with that one, Santa.

BOO Pumpkins

Last year I bought some craft pumpkins at an after Halloween sale. I pretty much buy all my holiday decorations after the actual holiday. But not the day after the holiday when everything is 50% off. Oh no! It has to be like a week or two after the holiday. When everything is 75% off. Or, even better, 90% off! Because that's what separates the bargain shopper from the super-risk-taker because by that time most of the good stuff is gone. That right there takes some skill. It makes me all tingly just thinking about it. If a penny saved is a penny earned, I would be a rich, rich woman. But I'm not, so obviously the clearance sale portion of that theory is a bunch of crap. 

Anyway! I buy my decorations and then I have to put them straight away into their respective storage boxes, and I forget about them a little. And then I get to open them the next year, Yay! It's so fun! Like Christmas morning on Halloween decorating day or Easter decorating day or Christmas decorating day or.... 

So, I got these pumpkins for something crazy like $1 each. When I got them out of their box on Halloween decorating day, I knew I wanted:

A) To paint them white with some cute polka dots.

Because I love real orange pumpkins, but fake orange foam pumpkins, not so much. And, because I do love a polka dot.

Do you know how hard it is to paint something that resembles a circle on a bumpy pumpkin? It's quite difficult. I might possibly have spent a large amount of time mumbling "Stupid! Grumble grumble. Darn you! Grumble. We're out of glue! Grumble. I will conquer you, circles! Grumble. Circles!" as I tried to pull this off.

and

B) To spell out BOO on them. 

They are exactly the same size, so I didn't feel like I could pull off this awesomeness like my sister-in-law, Ali. I know! She's craftilicious!

The letters started out much, much smaller and kept getting much, much bigger as I tried to make them all even and pretty. Ah well. They make a statement, that's for sure.

Bam! That B isn't taking any prisoners.

And then the middle of the O's were begging for some spider webs. I kind of love them.

And, now,  the moment you've all been waiting for!

BOO pumpkins!

Happy Halloween!

Monster Rap!

I just made our traditional Halloween video on JibJab! Traditional as in I made my first one last year. Anyway.. It's so fun! And so freeeeeee! Well, some of them are free  - like the ones I did. You know how I roll.
Click on the titles to check 'em out! (Sometimes they take a while to load, you have to be patient - but it's worth it!)

Monster Rap 

Cast
DJ: Darcy
Dracula: Peyton
Frankenstein's Monster:  G.G.
Witch: Ella
Mummy: James

This video, and the one from last year, needs 5 characters. Last year I included our dog. This year I used Peyton's stuffed bear, G.G. Peyton and Ella could NOT figure out who played Frankenstein's Monster even though G.G. is an integral member of our family. But after they watched it a few times, they thought it was hilarious.

And, just because I could, and mostly because it was free, I also made a cool Star Wars video:

Star Wars

Cast
Luke Skywalker: Peyton
Hans Solo: James
Princess Leia: Ella
Lando: Darcy

My kids love these! We watch them over and over and over and over and...

Go make one!

Patriotic Window Stars

Summer is almost here! That means it's the perfect time to get a Patriotic Stars craft kit to fancy up the place!

You can make them with the pretty red ribbons that I include and hang them inside or outside your house:

Or in a tree for a festive party decoration:

But if it starts to rain bring them inside for crying out loud!

Or you can skip the pretty ribbon and stick them to the window with the glue dots that I include:

They make cool suncatchers!

AND making the Patriotic Stars craft is also a great way to keep those trouble makin' kids busy for more than half a second.

Because you KNOW you're gonna need some quiet time. I'm not saying the craft is going to give you that quiet time, I'm just saying you're going to need it. Ha! I helped Ella make a star and she talked the entire time. Some days that girl talks from the second she wakes up in the morning until the moment she goes to sleep at night. So, it might not be quiet time, but it's still quality time with your kid. And we can all use more of that.

Ella has made these stars before, and she's also made a ton of the Leaf Suncatchers (which involve a very similar crafting process), so she is somewhat of a professional.

She cut:

(Aren't her little pink kid scissors so cute?)

She spread glue:

And she sprinkled the star confetti:

She made herself into a Star-Headed Sneetch:

(That part is totally optional.)

She arranged just so:

She found a heavy book to keep it all flat while the glue dried:

And she framed:

And she flattened:

And when it was all dry she loved her star:

But she refused to open her eyes for a picture.

"Ella, honey, open your eyes and smile at me."

"I AM!"

Whatever. Anyway, all the supplies are labeled and packaged:

In a cute biodegradable box ready to be opened and enjoyed:

Happy Crafting!

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

The day after Christmas, I yelled across the house in my happy Let's-Make-Something-Cool mom voice, "Who wants to make cinnamon ornaments?"

Peyton: "NOOOOOOO!"

Ella: "I do! I do!"

There you go.

I wanted to try out this recipe, even though cinnamon is one of my least favorite scents ever. Why? Because I planned on making them for the family. And I'm willing to be a craft martyr. Look how much I care! I had my children make these for you because we love you so much and because we're awesome. Also, I had half a jar of applesauce in the refrigerator and I hate waste.

Really, I don't mind a basic baking-in-the-oven cinnamon-mixed-with-something-else smell. I just cannot stand that cinnamon-scented candle /cinnamon-scented pine cone / cinnamon-scented fake fakety fake smell. You know, that super strong smell that hits you in the face when you walk through that certain aisle in your local craft store. I was hoping these would smell real.

I had let Ella pick out some new cookie cutters the other day. Hobby Lobby had about fifty different kinds. My little sweetie picked out the princess crown and the teddy bear. So we pulled those out, plus the star that I had from making the Wired Star Ornaments, and we got to work.

I used this recipe from McCormick, but I changed it up a little bit. I also added a couple tablespoons of white glue, because I heard that it helps make the ornaments a little stronger. Six days and a 25-hour road trip later and our ornaments aren't broken yet, so maybe the glue helped.

Cinnamon Ornaments

Makes 12 to 15 ornaments

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

3/4 cup applesauce

1 bottle (about 4 ounces) ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons Elmer's white glue

Supplies

Plastic Wrap

Rolling Pin

Wax Paper

Cookie Cutters

bbon

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.

2. Mix applesauce, cinnamon, and glue in a small bowl

until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need to use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.)

3. Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into shapes with 2- to 3- inch cookie cutters.

Here's Ella, cutting with all her almost-4-year-old might:

4. Place ornaments on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Use a straw to poke a little hole in each one.

5. Bake 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on a wire rack.

When they are done baking, and you go to pull them out of the oven, hold your face waaaaay back. I did not hold my face way back. I went right on in like it was nothing and the cinnamon smell came straight up out of the oven and smacked me in the face. And attacked the inside of my nostrils. Like it had something to prove. CINNAMON! GEEZ! I GET IT! YOU'RE STRONG! And honestly, I didn't use McCormick cinnamon. I used the cheapest store-brand cinnamon I could find. So I probably deserved it.

If I got in a fight with cinnamon, it would totally kick my butt. And, in fact, I think we just did get in a fight. Yay for you, cinnamon. I hope you sleep well at night.

Anyway! The first open-the-oven-door cinnamon smack-down was the worst of it. They do have a strong scent, but it's not overwhelming. After they cooled, I strung some raffia through the holes and called the whole adventure a success. They were really easy and really cute. Next year I may even have the kids paint them. I'll just make my husband get them out of the oven.

Happy Crafting!

Wired Star

When I saw this craft over at Family Fun, I just thought it was the sweetest thing ever. So I got all the supplies and my kids and I got to work.

Some things I realized:

1. The craft at Family Fun calls for 18-gauge wire. For some reason, I can never find it. I used 16-gauge and it was okay.

2. Wire is sharp. Especially the 16-gauge and heavier kind. And it can be a huge pain in the butt if you aren't a wire professional. I am not a wire professional and step #2 just about drove me crazy. I'm just not any good at using wire cutters to twist wire. After that step, though, the rest was a breeze.

3. I would recommend doing this craft with kids older than 3 and 5. We were able to finish three stars each by staggering them over a couple of days, but the wire wrapping can get a little tedious for the young ones.

Wired Star

Supplies

3-foot length of 18- (or 16-) gauge gold (or silver) colored craft wire

Small jump rings like these (or you can use a little bit of the extra lightweight wire to make a loop)

Star-shaped cookie cutter

Wire cutters

20- to 24-gauge colored lightweight wire

Ribbon

Iridescent beads

Make sure a grown-up does the first two steps. And don't yell at me if you cut yourself on the stupid wire.

Grown-Up Job: Press the 16-gauge craft wire around the cookie cutter twice to form a star shape.

Grown-Up Job: Use wire cutter to twist the ends together and cut off any excess. Stupid, stupid step.

Take one end of a piece of the lightweight colored wire and secure it by wrapping it around the star outline.

Wrap away! When you get to the end of each piece of colored wire, just twist it around the star a little.

Use whatever colors your child wants and go for it! For extra fanciness, thread some pretty beads onto the wire as you wrap the star.

Sometimes the stars won't be a perfect star-shape, but that adds to the child-made charm!

Attach the little jump ring to the top of your star and thread a ribbon through.

We gave ours to the grandparents (we love you!), so I printed up some little tags.

So pretty, right?

Peyton and Ella were so proud! I like that this is a very sturdy craft that will last forever. The second step I really, really disliked, that's true. But the end result was worth my pain and irritation. And wine helps, too. I'm just saying.

Happy Crafting!