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Ornaments
1.
Cookie Cutter Ornaments
Salt Dough
Recipe:
This dough
can be baked or left to dry on its own.
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Ingredients:
- 2
1/2 cups of flour
- 3/4
cups salt
- 1
cups warm water |
Pour
water into a large bowl. Add the salt and stir to dissolve.
Add half of the flour and mix in with an electric mixer. Continue
adding the remaining flour gradually until it becomes difficult to mix.
Add the remaining flour and knead by hand. Continue kneading until
the dough is soft and smooth. You may have to add a little more water
or a little more flour, it all depends on the texture that you desire.
It should not be sticky, and should be easy to work with.
This
dough does not have to be baked, but if you choose to bake it then preheat
your oven to 300 degrees F. The benefit of baking this dough is that
it will slightly rise and create edges that are soft and round. This
dough keeps well (sealed) in the refrigerator for many weeks. The
recipe makes 2 doz ornaments.
Creating
the Ornaments
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Materials:
- Rolling
pin
- Small
amount of flour
- Waxed
paper (optional)
- Christmas
cookie cutters
- Craft
or white glue
- Poster
or model paint (preferred)
- Ornament
hooks OR craft wire OR pipe cleaners
- Tin
foil |
Form
1/2 of the dough into a ball and flatten it with your palms. I like
to work on waxed paper, but if you do not have any you should sprinkle
your surface lightly with flour. You may also have to occasionally
rub a little flour onto your rolling pin as well to keep it from sticking
to the dough. Roll the dough out to a thickness of no more than 1/4
of an inch. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. Place
them on a foil-covered cookie sheet and insert one of the ornament hooks
into the top of each one (the bottoms of the hooks will need to be straightened
first). How far in you insert the hooks will depend on the size of
hooks you have, you will have to rely on your own judgment. Note:
Another option here is to glue pieces of pipe cleaner onto the backs when
the ornaments are dry instead of using wire or ornament hooks. Don't
make the ornaments too thick or too large as they will be too heavy for
the tree branches.
Next
put your cookie sheets into the oven. Be sure not to crowd your trays
or the ornaments will bake un-evenly (the trays should have space around
all sides). Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours. Try not
to let the edges get brown. Remove from the oven and let the ornaments
cool for about 1/2 hour. Now you can paint the ornaments with model
paints (this is the fun part!) If you wish you can add a clear coat
once the paint is dry to protect them and to add shine. Don't forget
to sign and date the backs.
Variations:
You can use this recipe to model with as long as you do not model something
too large. It will not bake properly or will take a long time to
air dry. You can also use it to create beads of various sizes and
shapes for jewelry.
Attach one
of
your homemade ornaments to gifts!
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2.
Tree Bulbs
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Materials:
- Styrofoam
balls, varying in size
- Plastic
Jewelry Beads
- Strait
pins
- Christmas
Ornament Hooks OR Craft wire
- Craft
or white glue
- Glitter
(sparkles) |
1. Rub
glue thinly on a ball or paint it on with a brush. Roll the ball
in the glitter.
2. Decide
which beads you would like to attach and secure them to the ball with either
the straight pins or the glue.
3. Cut
a 2 inch piece of the craft wire (or use a straightened ornament hook),
bend it in half, cover it with glue and press it into the top of the ornament
almost as far as it will go.
4. Attach
one of the ornament hooks to the wire that you inserted into the top of
the bulb.
5. Repeat
the steps to make different or matching bulbs. Be creative, anything
goes!
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3.
Sugar - Glitter Cutouts
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Materials:
Clip Art of Christmas-related
pictures
Reindeer - click
HERE
Stars - click
HERE
Bulbs - click
HERE
Rocking Horse
- click
HERE
White sugar (it
sparkles in the light of the tree)
Ornament hooks
(options: craft wire, thread, pipe cleaner)
Craft or white
glue
Paintbrush (small
and cheap)
Glitter (sparkles)
in various colors
A few small bowls
to put the glitter in
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To
save images:
Click on the
links above. Then right-click on the image and select "Save Image
As..."
from the menu.
Select a location on your hard drive to save the images to.
OR
Print the images from your browser. It is best to use cardstock
or heavy paper.
1. Cut
out the images once you have printed them. Don't cut away the black
edges.
2. Paint
glue (thinly) onto any parts that you want white (keep away from black
edges). Sprinkle with sugar
and shake off the excess.
3. Paint
glue (generously) on antlers (if you choose the reindeer) and around black
edges of the cutout.
Sprinkle with another color of glitter.
3. When
entire cutout is completely covered, poke a hole near the top and attach
an ornament hook.
Notes:
-
Let the glue dry in between colors and the glitter will not stick where
you don't want it to.
- When the
glue is still wet, you can correct mistakes with a knife or your fingernail.
- Don't worry
about touching the edges of sugar or glitter with your wet brush, even
to touch up missed areas.
- Stray glitter
can be picked off with a pin when you are finished.
- You can
use suction cups to hang these on windows.
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Magnets
1. Felt Magnets
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Materials:
- Squares
of felt, various colors.
- Craft
or white glue.
- Strips
of self adhesive magnet.
- Scissors
and pen.
- Christmas
coloring book. |
1. Select
the picture that you would like to use (or draw your own). Cut it
out to use as a stencil. Trace around it on the felt color of your choice
and cut that out too.
2. Cut
out pieces from the other colors of felt to decorate your magnet.
You can also use buttons, nerds, smarties or jewelry beads. Put the
glue on light and thin as it can seep through the felt (which is very unsightly).
3. You
may wish to make a frame or outline of your magnet from a different color
of felt. Just take the original stencil and trace a larger image
around it and glue your magnet onto it. This gives the magnet a finished
look.
4. Finally,
cut a one inch strip of magnet and attach it to the back of the felt.
If your magnet is large you may need to attach two smaller pieces at top
corners or edges. The magnet may need glue to stay attached properly.
Alternatives:
Magnets can also be made from cookie cut outs (as in Ornament recipe above)
or any small toy (such as Lego) or Shrink Art (see Jewelry).
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2. Picture Frame Magnets
Submitted
Nov, 2001 by: Missy ~ Winston-Salem,
NC, USA
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Materials:
- Picture
Frame
- Glitter
or Glitter Glue
- Various
items to decorate the frame |
Buy
a flat acrylic picture frame with the magnet on the back and have your
child decorate it with a glitter pen or glitter glue. Hot glue ANYthing
you want onto it - Buttons, "jewels", rocks, sticks - whatever pertains
to the pic that you are going to use in it.
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Pot-Pourri Sachets
These beautiful
little sachets are easy to make and
virtually
anyone can use them. They make great class projects too!
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MATERIALS:
9" X 9" squares
of lace
9" X 9" squares
of netting type fabric
10" strips of
lace ribbon
Small silk flowers
Pot-Pourri
Craft or white
glue
Small elastic
bands
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the netting
material into 9" x 9" squares . Fill with about 1/4 cup of pot-pourri.
Match opposite corners to gather at the top and secure with an elastic
band.
Cut the lace into
squares also (check the reduced bins for scrap ends). Place the netting
with pot-pourri into the center of the square, gather and secure with an
elastic band.
Tie a bow around
the elastic and use a generous amount of glue to secure a silk flower.
NOTES/HINTS:
Tape 2 strips
of paper - 9" x 9" long onto your work surface to guide your scissors and
you won't have to do any measuring.
The netting material
prevents the small bits of pot-pourri from falling through the lace and
getting onto clothing or collecting at the bottom of a drawer. It
also prevents anything "poky" from sticking out of the lace.
Secure an ornament
hook to hang these on the Christmas tree.
I have made these
with my grade 2 students. I had the first step complete and the ribbon
and flowers ready to go. They found this very easy and it took no
time at all.
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Jewelry
1.
Homemade Jewelry Beads
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Materials:
- Fine
string or elastic thread.
- Poster
or model paint (preferred)
- Beads
created from Ornament recipe above
- Scissors
and small paintbrush
- Newspaper
- Optional:
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks,
jewelry hardware (clasps, posts, broach pins) |
Use
the Ornament recipe above to make various sizes of beads (be sure to poke
holes through them if you wish to string them). Cover your work area
with newspaper. Paint the beads that you have made and string them.
Once you get the desired length you can tie jewelry clasps to the ends
(or just tie them together). You can make matching sets that include
a bracelet, necklace and earrings.
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2.
Homemade Pendants and Charms
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Materials:
- Shrink
Art sheets
- Christmas
Coloring book (optional)
- Permanent
markers or pencil crayons (washable
markers and wax crayons will not adhere)
- Scissors
and a hole punch
- Jewelry
hardware (your choice)
- A
few sheets of white paper |
Shrink
Art sheets are clear plastic sheets that can be colored, cut and baked.
During baking they shrink and become thicker and hard. The sheets
can be purchased at craft stores. They come with directions
so my suggestion is to follow those. Since they are clear it is easy
to trace any image. They shrink to a little less than half of their
original size. You can buy sheets that are smooth or ones that are
a bit dull. I prefer the smooth clear ones but I sometimes need to
rough them up a little with fine sandpaper so that the marker and especially
pencil crayon will adhere. You can also purchase sheets that have
pictures on them already, but these are a little more expensive.
Once
you have the sheets, simply draw, color, cut out, punch a hole at the top
(at least a 1/2 inch from the edge) and then bake. Place a sheet
of white paper on a cookie sheet first for better results. The cut
outs will twist and bend while baking but will eventually flatten.
Turn on the oven light and let the kids watch! If they do not, flatten
properly then immediately place another white sheet of paper on top and
press gently. These cool very quickly!
Variations:
You can use these as name tags for gifts, tree ornaments or magnets.
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 Candy
Cane Reindeer
These little
reindeer are great as gifts, tree ornaments, or you can tie them right
onto gifts!
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Materials:
- Deer:
Candy Canes
- Antlers:
Brown chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
- Eyes:
Very small googly eyes OR scraps of felt OR felt marker
- Noses:
Scraps of black or red felt OR very small pom-poms
- Collars:
Ribbon
- Craft
glue |
Do
not unwrap the candy canes. First, glue the eyes onto the front of
the curve of the cane, about 3/4 of the way up from the end. Cut
out small circles for noses and glue them onto the bottom of the front
of the cane. Red noses look best on green canes and black look best
on red canes. Cut the chenille stems into 4 inch pieces, twist them
onto the top of the curve and bend them so that they look like antlers.
Next, tie a ribbon onto the cane where a collar would be.
This
project takes very little time and kids love decorating these little guys.
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Coupons
This may be
the easiest and cheapest gift that you can give. If you are REALLY
broke, this
is for you! On the other hand, it can be the sweetest gift you can give.
It all depends
on your imagination!
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Materials:
- Paper
or scraps of material or felt
- Markers
and/or fabric paint
- Glitter
- Optional:
Magazine cut-outs buttons, plastic jewelry beads etc.
- Optional:
The recipient's favorite cologne, perfume or spice |
Create
your coupon from the paper or fabric of your choice. This is fairly
strait forward so I will not explain it! Use the other materials
to decorate it. Give it a spray of perfume or dust it lightly with
a spice. You could also attach a cinnamon stick or mint candy. Another
idea is to use small dowel or twigs to glue onto the coupon to create a
scroll. Be creative! When you are finished seal it in an envelope
or wrap it up fancy with tissue paper and ribbon. |
Example:
Create
a coupon from silk fabric. (Be careful, glue shows through silk VERY
easily). The coupon might read:
"This certificate
entitles you to one free hour of sensual massage."
Don't
forget to add the fine print! For example:
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Expires
January 1st.
Other services
are at extra cost.
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OR
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Cannot
be combined with any
other coupon
or offer.
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Other coupon
ideas:
Free Baby-sitting.
Free snow removal. |
Free Laundry Coupon.
Breakfast in Bed. |
For Kids:
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Free waiver
of dishes duties.
Trip to Arcade.
1 Free cleaning
of your room. |
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Snow
Globe
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Materials:
- A
large or small baby food jar
- Christmas
cards
- Craft
or white glue
- A
hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Glitter
(any color)
- A
square of Christmas material (4" x 4")
- A
length of ribbon (about 12") 3/4" wide |
Soak
the jar in hot water and remove as much of the label and glue as possible.
Dry the jar well. Cut an image from a Christmas card and cover the
front with white glue. Paste it onto the outside of the jar so that
when you look through the jar you will see the picture. Fill the
jar with water and add about 1/4 of a teaspoon of glitter. Cover
the jar tightly with the lid. Put a thin line of hot glue all around
the outside rim of the lid. Place the square of material over the
lid and press it down all the way around the rim. Next put another
line of hot glue around the rim and press on the ribbon. Tie it into
a bow and glue the bow between the folds to keep it from coming untied.
You can glue pieces of garland, cinnamon stick, candy, holly, nuts or hard
candy onto the top of the lid.
Options:
Use hot glue to secure a small Christmas figurine to the inside
of the jar either on the bottom or on the lid (upside down globe) and use
a cut-out for a background scene on the outside. You can also
add tiny pine tree cones - or anything else that is decorative but will
not get damaged from the water.
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Note
Clips
1.
Notepad and Holder
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Materials:
- Popsicle
sticks
- Glue
- 1
silk flower (optional)
- 1
piece of magnet or small length of string
- Small
notepad
- Pencil |
1. Cover
2 popsicle sticks with glue and place them horizontally about 2 inches
apart.
2. Place
about 11 or 12 sticks vertically across the two horizontal sticks.
You may want to draw a square on a piece of paper and lay the sticks on
it to help keep your note clip square.
3. Glue
the edge of a stick horizontally (1/2 inch from the bottom) to your
"raft." Break 2 sticks in half and glue 2 of them (the edges) onto
the left and right sides of the "raft" (in the center of the 1st and last
vertical "raft" sticks) with the broken ends touching the stick that you
have just glued to the bottom. Next glue one more broken piece (the
edge) about 3/4 inches from either of the 2 other broken pieces.
This is what will hold the pencil, and the bigger space will hold the notepad.
4. Next
glue (flat) two popsicle sticks horizontally to the edges of the 3 1/2
sticks to provide a cover for the pencil and notepad. If you wish
you can break more sticks and glue them (spaced apart) vertically (about
5) to the 2 horizontal sticks. This gives a nice "picket fence"
effect. Now you can glue any type of decoration to the front such
as a silk flower or some plastic holly.
5. Glue
a magnet to the back or a piece of string or pipe cleaner.
Sign and date the back and place a pencil and small notepad inside.
You can make a custom notepad with colored paper and use the computer (or
a pen!) to personalize each sheet. The sticks can also be painted.
This may sound
complicated, but it is not!!!
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2.
Clothespin Note Clip
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Materials:
- Wooden
clothes pins
- Glue
- A
picture, drawing or silk flower
- 1
piece of magnet |
1. Glue
the magnet to one side of a clothes pin
2. Glue
the picture (or flower) to the other side so that it barely covers the
bottom of the pin.
3. That's
all... Anyone can do this one! Stick it to the fridge! You
can use a cut-out from a Christmas card, nuts or holly instead of a picture
or flower. Or you can use one of the ornaments made from salt dough
(Ornaments above).
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Other
Gift Ideas
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Give
Christmas baking or homemade chocolates in Christmas tins. |
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Make
a donation to an organization that you know the recipient cares about (Thanks
Jane). |
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Take
some crazy and candid pictures of the recipient's pet and create an album. |
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Create
a scrapbook or photo album. Decorate the pages with drawings, pictures
cut out from greeting
cards,
or small leaves or flowers. This is a nice gift from a Mother or
Father to their child. |
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