bookhoucraftprojects

Project #46 Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decorations by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Making homemade Christmas decorations is a great way of helping your children embrace the spirit of Christmas but it’s often hard to find an activity that is appropriate for different age groups. Here’s a fun Christmas activity that can be modified for children of all ages.

You’ll need:
*Polymer clay (we used Fimo)
*Rolling pin
*Skewer
*Cookie cutters
*Ribbon
*Baking paper
*Baking tray

Step one:
Separate the polymer clay into even amounts for each child.
Step two:
Use a rolling pin or your hands to soften the clay.
Step three:
Older children can create any shape or decoration using the clay. Here, we created a wreath by plaiting three equal lengths of clay.
Younger children can use skewers to decorate shapes cut from clay using cookie cutters. 
Step four:
If you wish to hang the decorations from your tree, you can use a skewer to create a hole in the top of the finished decorations.
Step five:
Place decorations on baking paper and bake in the oven according to directions. (Ours was baked for 30mins at 110°C.)
Step six:
Thread a ribbon through your decorations and hang them on the tree or secure them to the top of a present.

Thanks Khali!!
..Little. Lovely...

Project #45 Okra Printed Gift Tags

Okra Printing Project:  Gift Tags by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

This project is simple enough for even young children to enjoy.  My 2-year-old did a great job with it!  I used okra because of its unique shape, but you can try other vegetables too. (In the past I have made cute post cards using lotus root.)

What you'll need:
*fresh okra(vegetable)
*scrap paper
*card stock
*paints
*sponge
*felt
*hole punch


Step one:
Cut your card stock into desired shape for gift tags. 
Step two:
Slice okra in half using a sharp knife.  You will get a better print with a cleaner shape if you remove some of the seeds before stamping.
Step three:
You can make a stamp pad to use for this project by painting a sponge with a generous amount of paint.  Make sure the paint is pretty well absorbed into the sponge. 
Step three:
Practice stamping on a piece of scrap paper.  If you place your paper on a sheet of felt you will get better results.
Step four:
Stamp your gift tags, and then punch a small hole in each tag to complete the project. 
..New House Project..