Advent Activity: Tree Trimming, Big & Small

TREE TRIMMING, BIG: I love going to pick out a fresh tree each year. One of my favorite moments of the season is the knowing that you've found the right tree. As we were describing this to Big B on the way to our selection, we told him the tree had to "speak" to him. After years of being a Frasier Fir family, this year a new breed spoke to us: The White Pine. It has a sweet softness and density that we love, and the price was right.Some of my favorite ornaments, mostly vintage or handmade:This ornament was given to me last year, as we were busy creating our own winter nest for little b, born on the Solstice. For more holiday nesting ideas, visit A Natural Nester and check out her gorgeous wreath.
I cherish this set of handquilted ornaments, made by a dear college friend. Click here for a similar tutorial.
Papa and I have an annual tradition of exchanging ornaments, and his choice last year reflects the celebration happening in our house. I love the color palette; it adds a big spark to our tree.
Mimi often finds unusual ornaments at thrift stores, like this little forest dweller, and this adorable fruitcake bearing hostess.I am lucky enough to have a complete set of handblown glass ornaments from Somewhere Glassworks in Gainesville, Florida. Each orb is unique and crafted beautifully.This paper crane was a gift from The Laughing Monkey, who offers a tutorial and some history behind this incredible symbol.Remember the amazing yard sale day we experienced in November? This was one of my favorite finds that day. I cannot look at him without smiling.
After all of the lights, garland and ornaments were hung, I was rewarded by hanging our sweetgum balls on many a bough. The effect is just what I'd hoped for.

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TREE TRIMMING, SMALL: I was thrilled to win a recent Crafty Crow giveaway: a download of the Kids Craft Weekly Christmas Craft Guide, a 20 pager chock-full of great ideas. Using the scrap green wool felt from the Advent Calendar project, and some leftover party hats, we adapted their cardboard trees into these adorable soft miniatures.

HOW TO MAKE PARTY HAT CHRISTMAS TREES

MATERIALS: used party hats, green felt (or paper), spray adhesive, kid-safe glue, beadsSTEP ONE: Carefully take the party hat apart so it lies flat and create a template.
STEP TWO: Using the template, cut your your felt.
STEP THREE: Spread out some newspaper and spray craft adhesive onto one side of the felt. Stick it to the outer side of the party hat, smoothing out any wrinkles.
STEP FOUR: Quickly troubleshoot any wonky areas near the 'seam.' I love craft adhesive because it adheres quickly yet is forgiving enough for repairs. The party hats we used had a tab and slot construction, so I simply lifted the felt from above the slot and inserted the tab back in. Voila.

STEP FIVE: Now comes the fun (and slightly messy) part. Using beads, sequins, foil stickers, or anything else that strikes your fancy, decorate your tree. Big B and I experimented with dabbing glue onto the tree first, then sticking on the beads; we also tried using toothpicks to pick up the beads and dip them in glue. The dab-then-stick method seemed to work best. Elmer's glue dries clear, and spills just enhance the 'snowy' effect.
THE BIG FINISH: We used a bit of poly-fill for the 'snow,' and a sweetgum ball for the star atop the decorated tree. I got this adorable incense log cabin as a gift last year, and it's right in scale. From our little house to yours, we hope you have fun trimming your trees, big and small.

Song of the South: Horses and Children

"There is something about the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man."
-Winston Churchill

A piece of our winter trip to Nanny and Paw Paw's: a visit to the barn, where Nanny helps take care of 29 horses. There is something about the way these creatures speak to children that is unique, universal, and indescribable. Papa teaches Big B about the electric fence, and which wild green things the horses like to eat. Then Big B, after patience beyond measure, rides. Little b had a brief sit atop the majestic animal as well, touching it carefully, happily. It is a pleasure being a parent and watching a memory being made, feeling quite sure it will stick.

"Horses and children, I often think,
have a lot of the good sense there is in the world."
-Josephine Demott Robinson

Advent Activity: Three Kid-Made Christmas Cards

In keeping with our handmade holiday around here, we have decided to try a few different kid-created Christmas cards. We are fortunate enough to have over a hundred cards to mail each year, so we knew the winning design would have to be equal parts lovely and easy, with a sweet injection of kid-ness.

KID-MADE CHRISTMAS CARD #1: Painted Prints

MATERIALS: one saved styrofoam tray from the grocery store, scissors, chopsticks, toothpicks, kid-safe paint, blank card paper
STEP ONE: Cut the rim off of the styrofoam tray to produce a flat piece of material.
STEP TWO: Have your child use the toothpicks, chopsticks, and any other implement that might make a deep indention, to 'draw' a picture in the tray.
STEP THREE: Paint the entire tray.
STEP FOUR: Press the tray, paint side down, onto your card paper and hold down a second or two, being careful not to move the tray. Lift up and admire!

STEP FIVE: The beauty of using the not-so-eco-friendly (yet recycled!) tray, rather than the tried-and-true potato print method, is that it really can be washed and reused over and over and over again. Simply rinse and repeat.

Big B's Design: 'A Tree in the Snow'

BENEFITS: Your child needs only enough patience to do one masterpiece, and you can reproduce it a zillion times.

DRAWBACKS: It's a bit time consuming on the parental end, and let's be honest, not everyone will know what they're looking at.

CONCLUSION: I'll resurrect this activity when Big B and little b are older.

KID-MADE CHRISTMAS CARD #2: Stamped Leaf Designs

MATERIALS: Fern leaf stamp, green ink, blank card paper
STEP ONE: Have your child use the leaf stamp to create holiday designs.
STEP TWO: Repeat step one.

BENEFITS: Easy, easy, easy.
DRAWBACKS: What child has the patience to do this over a hundred times?
CONCLUSION: Although I had illusions of six-leafed snowflakes and leafy Christmas tree designs, I loved what Big B did, and will save this activity for thank-you cards and other greetings that require only one or two iterations.

KID-MADE CHRISTMAS CARD #3: Artwork Christmas Trees

MATERIALS: Your child's artwork, scissors, craft glue, foil star stickers, blank card paper

STEP ONE: Discuss this project with your child. Let them know that you love their artwork, and this will allow their friends and family to love small pieces as well.
STEP TWO: Draw triangles (smaller than your card size) on the back of a piece of art for your child to cut.
STEP THREE: Cut triangles! I cut a bunch while Big B was cutting his.
STEP FOUR: Using the craft glue, affix a triangle to the front of your card.
STEP FIVE: Stick a star on top and marvel at the cuteness of this little tree!
BENEFITS: Your card recipients will feel special because they've each received a truly unique card. Your child will feel special because his or her art is card-worthy. You have found a creative use for some of the art collecting dust somewhere in your house because you can't bear to part with it. You are not spending any money.
DRAWBACKS: Hmmmmm....
CONCLUSION: The winner, by a long shot.

I've seen lots of Christmas cards that use cut-outs from a large piece specially created artwork, like this one I found on The Crafty Crow, using a red, green, and sparkly palette. I decided to make use of the large pile of Big B's art in my office, just waiting to shine.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

They say that smell and memory are closely linked, and that a good ol' factory sensor can bring back a childhood experience. Perhaps nothing does this for me like a batch of Mimi's Christmas potpourri. After returning from our road trip, it was the first thing on my mind; our house was musty and needed an instant injection of Christmas. This is such an easy way to bring the holidays right into your home, and with kitchen goods you likely have on hand. The little ones can help too (big B likes the cinnamon sticks).

INGREDIENTS: apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves

OPTIONAL ADD-INS: allspice berries, fresh ginger, nutmeg
STEP ONE: Wash and thickly peel the fruit, leaving plenty of meat on the rind. Do this over a medium saucepan to catch any drippings. Feed the apples and oranges to the kiddos, or chunk them up into the pot also.STEP TWO: Add 4 cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon or so of cloves, and any optional ingredients to your liking.STEP THREE: add enough water to cover most of the ingredients (too much water dilutes the aroma, but too little risks burning; I often check the pot and add more as the day goes on).
STEP FOUR: bring to a boil, turn down to low, and enjoy a day's worth of deliciousness. I have been known to cheat and turn the same pot on the next morning; it's the gift that keeps on giving.

For a quick Christmas gift, basket up two apples, two oranges, four cinnamon sticks and a sachet of cloves and allspice berries. Print up a nice label with some instructions and spread some Christmas cheer!

(Some other scent-sory indulgences: When the season calls for splurging, my favorites are the Frasier Fir Collection from the Thymes, and the Winter Forest Pure & Green Collection from Williams Sonoma.)

On the Road Again: Trip Kit Extraordinaire

Just when we get settled back in, off we go again. This weekend Papa will cheer our alma mater to victory at the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, while I will spend some quality mama and kiddo time with a dear friend. From there we will head northwest to visit Paw Paw and Nanny and cross our fingers for snow. We will have spent roughly 24 hours in transit upon our return next week. Our Thanksgiving jaunt exhausted the novelty of my car entertainment arsenal, so today I reloaded for what is sure to be an effortless and tear-free trip. (Hear that, universe?)
Things we already had:
--2 Where's Waldo books
--alphabet activity book
--baby toys and books
--BrainQuest, preschool edition
--current Ladybug magazine
--current High Five magazine
--magnetix
--children's CD's, both music and audiobook
(current favorite: Peter and the Wolf)
--legos
--National Geographic world map
--Nintendo Gameboy
--paper, colored pencils & markers
--pipe cleaners & beads (maybe we'll whip up some of these)
--pompoms & egg cartons
--tape measure
Things we borrowed:
--16 library books (including several Christmas titles and our newest Magic Treehouse adventure)

Things we made:
--neck pillow (cut two pieces of soft flannel in the shape of a large 'C', sew the right sides together, leave an opening at one end, turn the right sides out, fill the pillow with with rice, and sew it shut)
--felt board (glue dark felt to a piece of thick cardboard, then cut out felt shapes in various contrasting colors)
--book of Christmas carol lyricsWe look forward to chilly visits, hot chocolate, big city Christmas lights, kids' parties, horses, hay, mountains, family and friends. And we look forward to coming home and getting and decorating our tree, egg nog, baking, sewing, wrapping...did I mention how much I love this time of year?

Advent Activity: Sweetgum Ornaments

Our trip to the woods gave us many treasures, including a collection of five dozen balls from the native Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styriciflua). Actually the fruit of the tree, these balls have been used decoratively for centuries. We found several holiday applications, like this modern spiky one from Kaboose. Here is our slightly more natural take on this charming tradition.

MATERIALS: sweetgum balls, paper towels, newspaper, a bowl, spray craft adhesive, white glitter
STEP ONE: If you have collected these balls, as we did, from their native habitat, dry them overnight on paper towels and shake them out (little insects love the seeds hidden inside).
STEP TWO: Spread newspaper on your crafting surface and pour your white glitter into a shallow bowl.
STEP THREE: Hold one sweetgum ball by its stem and spray it all over with craft adhesive.
STEP FOUR: Pass the ball along to your young helper to dunk, sprinkle, and roll it in 'snow.'
STEP FIVE: Allow the ornaments to dry for at least an hour.

THE BIG FINISH: There are several ways to display these dazzling beauties. For a natural look, you can simply use their stems to hang them from your tree. For a sturdier and more colorful approach, remove the stem and use a needle and red embroidery thread to make a loop through the ball. They sparkle all nestled together in a bowl, or as part of a centerpiece with greenery and candles. A few of them tucked into your wreath this year can add a snowy touch.

"...I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree."

Our annual Thanksgiving vacation was filled with beauty. Big B and I enjoyed creating gratitude devotionals, reminiscent of my summer camp days, from things we'd find on our morning nature walks. We realized that almost all of the objects we found paid homage to the life cycle of trees. As we enter the Advent today, when many families celebrate the tree all month long, we give thanks for the arboreal beauty we witnessed this autumn.

"Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root."
(Malay proverb)