Christmas 2010 Craft - Miniature Presents!

Each year my daughter and I have a tradition of making a Christmas craft.

This year we are makingthe Miniature Christmas Presents featured in the photo above. The photo above and the craft idea and instructions are from the Kaboose website. This particular craft is by Amanda Formaro.

What I found appealing about these miniature presents is their simplicity. TIP: Purchase and use ribbon that is 1/8" wide. I found this width to work best for wrapping around the ornaments and making the bows of the ornaments.

Everyone loves presents and these bring joy and smiles and hope. The ornaments themselves may be small, but what a present can bring in the way of hope and joy can be big.

As in years past with our other Christmas crafts, especially the Jolly Elves crafts, we will be giving these to family and friends. We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

An Alternate Advent Calendar

Summer is not over, but with the slight seasonal changes I have been noticing outside, my thoughts have wandered ahead to the start of school, and the Christmas season.

I have begun to look for this year's Christmas ornament that my daughter and I will make. Last year we made the adorable Jolly Elves Ornaments. Making Christmas ornaments together is time my family spends together creating and that requires me to slow down and in the process spend quality time with my daughter.


This year I'd like to add an advent calendar to the season and our family traditions. I thought about making one, but have since decided that a wood advent calendar may be able to be enjoyed now and then in the future shared with my daughter when she is an adult and perhaps has a family of her own. I prefer a Christian themed advent calendar to a secular one. The advent season is a perfect time remember the "reason for the season".

Hope you are having a wonderful summer and that as the Advent season approaches the beginning of November you and your family will have time together making Christmas traditions.

The Pink Snuggie: A Perfect Gift

This year my sister and her family surprised me with an As Seen on TV Pink Snuggie Blanket -   It's the pink Snuggie which benefits The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and of course has sleeves.  Let me tell you, it is warm.  And the book light is wonderful.

The funny part of the gift is that during the summer months our family collectively enjoyed the parodies we found online on this blanket with sleeves.  We enjoyed the videos so much, we needed a box of tissues nearby to dry our eyes from all the laughing we would do while watching the parody.

Now we are laughing because two of us in our family have recevied them as gifts and more are on their way as presents for family members who have also requested the snuggie as a gift.  Who knew there are Snuggies for Children, and Snuggies for Pets!  Amazing!  In addition to pink, the blankets come in red, blue, leopard, and there is even a Snuggie Zebra. I wonder if there is one in camouflage?

The darn things is so simple in design it a head scratcher why we didn't think of it ourselves! That being said, there is no doubt I am enjoying staying warm with the blanket that has sleeves!

Landmann Super Sky Fire Pit

Bring out the Landmann USA 28905 Super Sky Fire Pit this season and invite your family and friends over to roast marshmallows, sing caroles and be festive for the holidays.

With the 365 degree view everyone will enjoy the large opening for warmth and appreciation of the cut out designs.

Selecting a location to have your gathering is easy with the full handle that goes around the entire diameter of the fire pit.

This fire pit is made solid and is easy to assemble. You'll have it set up with dancing flames in no time.

Enjoy the holidays and add some outdoor sparkle with a Landmann Super Sky Fire Pit

Jolly Elves Christmas Craft

My daughter and I are making Jolly Elves this year for our annual Christmas craft. The image shown to the left and the Jolly Elves craft idea are from the Parents Magazine website.

Prior year holiday crafts have included Gingerbread ornaments using felt (2004), decoupaged angel ornaments using wood cut outs and tissue paper (2005), sparkle balls using small styro foam balls, pins and sequins (2006), decorated glass ornaments (2007), and in 2008 we made (and enjoyed) an edible treat as gifts. These gifts are for family, teachers, coaches, friends, and of course as momentoes for our Christmas trees.

My daughter and I look forward to this tradition each year. From choosing the craft, to gathering or buying the materials, and then making the items, we enjoy the together time as well as the anticipation of the actual gift giving. We also enjoy decorating the Christmas tree with the current and prior year craft ornaments. With each item we recall what grade our daughter was in, how we enjoyed, or in the case of the sequin sparkly ornaments how we didn't enjoy, making each ornament.

Parents Magazine has been the inspiration for many of our Christmas crafts. We are looking forward to creating our Jolly Elves and would like to share with you some material and item buying tips that you may find helpful with making this craft.

The instructions call for chenille pipe cleaners, Large and Small beads, smiley face beads, felt hats and scarves, and bells. You will need a glue gun and glue sticks for making the hats.

Here is list of the items and where they can be found:

Chenille stems: We found ours at Michaels crafts. You can also purchase the Jolly Elves Craft Pipe Cleaners at Amazon. They are 12" or 6mm long. They are the super thick variety, I am thinking of getting the "standard" or non super thick stems to assist the beads and bell going into position easier.

Large and Small beads: I found the Large wooden beads used for the body also at Michaels, but these Large Wooden Beads at Amazon look very similar. The beads from Michael's are round and the diameter of the inner circle is spacious. The selling price for the pack of 35 was $2.99. For the small beads we are using pony beads. They look okay, but I think small wooden beads in primary colors would look better. The shine on the pony beads is a bit distracting.

Smiley Face Beads: I purchased the 25mm smiley faces at Sunshine Crafts. Oriental Trading also offers the smiley face beads.


Felt: Any craft store, I did buy sparkle felt at Sunshine Crafts, but because of the extra thickness of the pieces have decided to use good old fashion plain felt, in various colors of course! Now the felt is used for the elf caps and the scarves. The scarves are 4" long and 1/2" wide. Most pieces of felt are 12" long, netting you 3 scarves per 1/2"W horizontal cut. The hats are also felt. I just checked at Amazon.com and they do have these felt pieces if you want to order them online. The craft directions call for a semi circle from a 1-1/2" circle, I found a typical tealight candle to be just the right size to use to trace a pattern for making the felt hats. Cut the circle in half and then wrap and glue the right and left points together to form a cone, leaving an opening for the chenille stem.

Bells: The bells we purchased and are using are the 12mm gold bells we found at Michaels crafts. The opening for use with the super thick chenille stem is a little tight, but with a little patience, the bell fits onto and slides down the stem to sit atop the elf hat. These Gold 13mm Jingle Bells might work too since they are a bit larger.

We've completed 8 little guys, and hope to make a total of 24 Jolly Elves. Twenty four is the original plan, but after seeing how adorable these little guys are, we may be making and giving more! Happy Holidays!