Christmas Cheer

The cheer has been slow the last few days with a stomach bug in the house.  We're hopeful it has run its course and is out of the way before Christmas.

We're still enjoying the season with little boys.  We've got a few new ornaments for the tree which they are so proud of.

The Christmas countdown is in the home stretch and there's been lots of talk about Santa and visiting family and friends.  Love the excitement!

Little Plaster Hands

I hosted this "craft" for Hans' playgroup in our building's lounge.  Mamas like them some little hands keepsakes.

Freddie

Hans

Here's a step by step guide.  Pictures aren't fabulous but you get the idea.

About an inch of salt dough pressed into a disposable "gladware" container

Find a container that will accomdate your child's hand, and fill with about an inch of playdough/clay.  I used salt dough.

It's ok if they curl their fingers in there a bit.  Just make sure the impression is relatively deep.

Smooth the playdough and press the hand in, making sure each finger and palm has made a nice indentation.

Pour in the plaster.  I got the plaster of paris at Home Depot.  (The ratio is 2:1, plaster to water.)  My containers were about 5.5 inches wide and I felt like 1.5 cups of plaster (mixed with 0.75 cups of water) was adequate to give a nice thick result.  To keep mess to a minimum we placed the plaster and water in a bag and mixed, then snipped a corner off the bag to pour it into the container.  Not exactly eco friendly, but great for a big group in an area you don't want to get messy.

Now just wait.  The plaster sets and is relatively hard within 20 minutes.  The problem is there is moisture in the playdough underneath, so to be sure it is completely dry I recommend waiting 8 or so hours.  Wiggle the plastic container and out pops the plaster.  Peel off the playdough.

Freddie on the left, Hans on the right.  Hans curled his fingers a bit which made for a nice effect.

Voile.    I used epoxy to adhere a picture hook to the back.  You can try sticking in a string in the back while the plaster is still wet, but I felt like the epoxied hook was a more stable option.

Any inperfections can be sanded off, but I like the rough look.  I have seen plaster prints epoxied to decorative plates to make them stand out a bit and give border, but I like the simple white plaster. Don't forget to note the name and date!

Bead Ornaments

I loved making these as a kid and I love watching Freddie enjoy it too! 

Materials needed:  Pipe cleaners and "tri beads"  I'd like to add some metallic pipe cleaners to our craft box because I think they'd add a little sparkle to these.  Try using wire cutters to turn the ends of the piper cleaners in tightly to prevent beads from falling off.

Hans as been taking this one off the tree and pretending to eat it. 

Adding a little kink on the end of the pipe cleaner helped Freddie to not push the beads off the end.  He's been talking about patterns a lot lately so this activity was perfect for him.

I had only made candy canes and wreaths but aren't the snowflakes great?  Clip a the pipe cleaner into three equal parts and twist together to get the form.

Arts and crafts on Bordeaux

Charlie's been having a ball making fun of my "craft project" in the backyard for the last few weeks. He's also frustrated that my stuff has been all over. Ironic, considering the state of most of his projects.

Liz and I have been making birdbaths. We started with elephant ear leaves, sand to help form a rounded mold, and concrete. We scooped out some mortar mix, and patted it over the top of the leaf. Of course it poured on day one of the project, so drying time was delayed.



The leaves left a nice impression in the concrete.


Larger leaves turned out better than the smaller simply because they'll hold more water. Next time the smaller leaves will be placed on a higher sand pile for a more curved end result.

The concrete leaves then got a "wash' of paint, either green or red, followed by a coat of concrete sealer after the paint dried.


I lost one of the larger leaves because the concrete wasn't thick enough. Picking it up by the edges caused it to break from the weight.


I've filled it with water, which isn't very much, and I've placed it next to the cage which will hold up my sweet peas. I wonder if I'll ever get some birdies.

It's fun to make them, and I have a few, so if you find one in your garden, you'll know where it came from.