Looking for something to do during these cold snowy afternoons? Why not pay homage to winter by making paper snowflakes? You can keep it simple if your artist is younger; just can fold up a paper and let them snip away (supervised, of course to prevent loss of piggy-tails. (Emma!)) This is a great fine motor-skills developer. If your artist is older, try one of these 3D versions:

Materials:

Paper (Vellum would look great, I used plain printer paper.)

Tape

Scissors

Stapler

Directions:

#1 Take your traditional flake up a level:

1. Fold a piece of paper horizontally. (If your paper is not square, fold the bottom corner up so that the bottom edge of paper is even with the side and cut off the extra strip.)

2. Fold in half again and one more time. (So that it looks like the smallest triangle in the picture. A total of 3 folds.)

3. Cut a design into the triangle; keep it pretty simple and do not cut all the way through the triangle.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 four more times, for a total of 5 flakes. I kept the design the same, but you can experiment; that is what makes this fun.

5. Turn the flake so that it is diamond shape and pull the 2 side corners together (to form a tube). Tape the corners together and repeat for all of the snowflakes.

6. Lay all of the tubes together with their corners touching in the center. Tape them together.

7. Staple the edges of each adjacent tub as far up as possible to give the snowflake stability.

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#2 One spirally cool snowflake

1. Fold a square piece of paper horizontally.

2. Cut 3 slits parallel to the outside edges of the triangle. DO NOT cut all the way through. (See picture.)

3. Open the paper back up and turn it so that it is diamond-shaped and the connected sections are running up and down.

4. Pull the side corners of the smallest, inside triangle together and tape together to form a tube.

5. Flip the snowflake over pull the corners of the next biggest triangle together and tape them to form another tube.

6. Repeat again, flipping the snowflake over.

7. Repeat steps 1-6 five more times, for a total of 6 spokes. Hold the points of 3 of the spokes together and staple, then do the same for the other 3.

8. Now staple the 2 halves together. Also staple each of the adjoining spokes (as far up as they will touch) to stabilize the snowflake.

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#3 A little something from the ’50s

1. Make 3 traditional snowflakes. (If you are not sure how to do this yet..well, I guess I just haven’t done my job.) I made mine long and skinny…um, I probably wouldn’t do it that long and skinny next time.)

2. Turn the snowflake so that it is diamond shape and fold it in half down the middle. Match 2 of the halves up and tape at each edge.

3. Do the same with the third, taping it to the other 2 snowflakes. It should now resemble those table decorations that were so popular in the ’50s (Think crepe-paper wedding bells.)

4. Make 1 inch cuts in the middle of the snowflake’s outer edges on each spoke of the snowflake. Pinch the sides together and tape (This will cause the sides to pucker and stand out better.)

Starting to feel the holiday panic? If you are like me, the gifts have been bought, but have yet to be wrapped. Obviously you can’t make the kids wrap their own presents; but they can wrap everyone else’s. As long as they are wrapping gifts up, why not let them personalize them too by drawing or painting on the paper. You can buy butcher paper for around 15 cents per foot at the craft store. You can decorate the paper then wrap your gifts (roll out a long strip and let them go nuts), or you can wrap the package up then setting your little elf to work on it. Imagine how much grandma and grandpa will love a package decorated by their favorite artist. (And it will eat up a little of that hyper-Christmas-awaiting-school-free time on your kid’s hands!)

If you are like my family, you may have treasured family stockings that are practically heirlooms. Grandma Lu diligently knits each member of our family one of these cute Santa stockings. You can see the age progression with Mike’s stocking, which he complains is unfairly small. The “Merry Christmas” hanger was one of my projects this year. It is done out of 1/4″ rod and rebar.

If you don’t have treasured stockings that must be used, why not let the kids put their extra time and creative skills into making their own stockings. Felt is a great fabric to use because it can be easily glued. Gather up some pom-poms and sequins and fabric paints and let them go nuts. Older kids can practice a few simple stitches with embroidery floss. I haven’t had time to throw anything together, but when I searched, I found some great ideas. Here are a few to get you going. My Mom made stockings for our family that look like ballet slippers and cowboy boots. Family Fun’s site has some great ideas, including this ice skate and puppy paw. eHow recommended using an old stocking for your base. Better Homes and Gardens has some ideas for the really ambitious too. You guys may have so much fun making this years stocking that it becomes a tradition!

Many of my Christmas decorations had to stay in the box this year. What can you do when you just don’t have a lot of surface area to display nativities and nutcrackers? So a gingerbread house wasn’t high on my list of things to make…or was it? As I mentioned in last year’s gingerbread house post (which has recipes and more ideas.) The Jensen family has moved to making large cookies instead of full houses. It is just easier; easier to make, easier for 19 kids to decorate their own cookies instead of 7 family houses, and this year I realized they are easier to display too.

I have a curtain rod in the kitchen which I usually hang family pictures from. For Christmas, I wrapped a garland around it and then tied my cookies to it with a wide ribbon. As my (well, actually Grandma Lulu’s) recipe for gingerbread is not super hard, (it is the kind that tastes good–really good!) I glued the cookies to mat board and punched a hole for the ribbon in that. Simple to do, you kids will love to decorate an army of cookies for you to hang up and the kitchen will smell even better for it!

Looking for a great gift for Grandpa and Grandma? Why not put your kids to work making them a fabulous calendar starring your family? Depending on the age of your kids, it can be little to no work for you. But no matter the work involved, it will certainly be a hit with the Grans (and fond aunties, etc. etc.)

Materials:

pictures of your family

your kid’s artwork

paper(I like legal sized for this.)

(a computer will be helpful, but not necessary.)

Directions:

1. First, you will need to decide how to layout your calendar. I chose to use legal size paper. I made my calendar about 2/3rds of the layout (I know that my Mom likes to have plenty of space to write in her events.)

2. You may want to print out the calendar from your office program, but your child could also draw one with a ruler.

3. Now put together the decorative part. I used Megan’s paintings as a background and then chose snapshots to lay on top. You can do whatever, make it as simple or complex as you want.

4. Take it down to a copy center. and make a color copy of each page. (This allows you to distribute copies to any family members you like. It also makes a cleaner version and is easier to print the pages on the front and back of th paper for less bulk. However, you can certainly skip this step if you wish.)

5. They can also add a spiral binding at the copy center or you can pick up a few ring clips at an office supply and punch holes in the top of the calendar. Another option is to stack the pages and fold them in half; then staple. Punch one hole at the top and bottom of the pages to hang the calendar with. Get creative, take a look at several different calendars and find a method of binding it that best suits your design. Have fun, pretty soon you will have a great gift!

The kids are out of school and most likely are going to be driving you nuts about the time you pull the pies out of the oven (or the shopping bag–whatever.) Why not put them to work making your table turkey-tastic?

Materials:

construction paper (brown and orange for the feet and beak, as well as the colors you want the feathers to be.)

glue (I used hot glue for more structural support, but it can be done with any type.)

scissors

scotch tape

Directions:

1. Make an origami cup by cutting a brown piece of paper into a square. Fold the square horizontally to make a triangle.

2. Hold the triangle so that the longest side is at the bottom and the point(a) is up and then fold each tip(a) down to the base to make a crease, then put them back up. (You are only creasing and going back to the triangle.)

3. Fold each of the base point(b) to the middle of the opposite side.

4. Now fold the points(a) back down. (One side will cover the two tips(b) that are folded up. This is your turkey’s body.

5. Cut a beak by folding a piece of orange paper and cutting a triangle (leave the fold as the base side of the triangle.)

6. Cut out a wobble, feathers and feet (that are wide enough to support the rest of the turkey.)

7. Glue the pieces together and fill the cup with candy or trailmix and write the names of your guests on the feet if you want to use them as place cards.

So, this is probably the elementary teacher in me coming out, but I think a table decorated by your kids is the way to go for Thanksgiving. The great thing is that it gives them some important work to do to help you prepare for the big day. (This could also be an activity to keep all of those cousins busy until dinner on the big day.) This works great for any age (the older they are, the more elaborate the mats can be.) It could also be done with butcher paper to be a table runner, if that feels more appropriate to your decor. You can also just enjoy them nightly for the month like we will.

Materials:

fall leaves (this will turn out best if they are not dry yet so they are still flexible.)

large sized construction paper (We used brown for a fall feel.)

glue

clear contact paper (available at any grocery store)

markers, crayons, or paint…you choose

Directions:

1. Arrange your leaves into the design you want on a piece of paper. As you can see, I choose to make them the feathers for a turkey, Megan went a more abstract route…whatever works.

2. Once they are how you want them, glue them down. (You don’t have to be too careful, just tack them down so that they stay in place. Now embellish them with the markers. I cut a circle of brown to make the turkey’s body and glued it over the base of the leaves.

3. Lay the contact paper over your mat to see what size you need to cut. After it is cut to the right size, peel back one corner and align it to the paper. Now pull the rest of the backing off gradually while you smooth the contact paper over the placemat. *It is a good idea to leave about 1/4″ border around the paper. You can put another piece on the back and the border (of just contact paper) will seal it so that the mat is water resistant. If you are doing a table runner, it isn’t necessary to back it with the contact paper as it won’t get as much abuse.

4. Now praise your little artist’s contribution to your Martha Stewart-esque (right!) table!

I am lame. We all have colds and I am rushing to get things ready for a boutique that I was asked to join at the last minute. (Yes, I am incapable of saying no.) Anyhow, we went to a great Halloween party at Stephanie Bletzacker’s on Wednesday. It was done with her usual style and everything was so cute. The kids were my favorite, of course; but in close second were these darling witch’s broom bags. Stephanie said that they aren’t hard to make, but possibly a little time consuming.

Materials: (per bag)

2 paper lunch bags

1 twig (about 12″ long)

yarn or string

scissors

treats to fill the bag.

Directions:

1. Cut one of the paper bags into a fringe (about1/2″ wide and down to about 3/4″ from the bottom.

2. Open the bag and place the other (uncut bag) inside; fill with treats.

3. Pull the fringe up and squeeze the 2 bags closed. Stick the twig in and hold all of it together with one hand while you wrap the string around several times, then tie it off.

Hooray! Halloween is here and I am so ready to get spooky! I noticed some adorable luminary ghosts in this issue of Family Fun made out of milk cartons. Unfortunately, we do not get many visitors traipsing up our front walk. So I took the basic idea and made a goulish garland for our front porch. Beside being great looking, it is cheap and easy and made from recycled milk cartons.

Materials:

This depends highly on how long you want the garland to be.

Milk jugs (rinsed and without caps and labels)

Black tulle (I used about 7 yards)

Yarn or string

Black permanent marker or paint

Utility knife and/or scissors

Directions:

1. Cut an X in the bottom of a milk jug then use scissors to make jagged Vs up past the curve of the bottom to the side.

2. Bend the Vs out so that they are pointing out, down and in.

3. Draw the faces. I liked the simple ones best (with small “dot” type eyes…but see what works for you.)

4. Tie string through the handles to create a garland. (Take your long line through the handle and knot it, then through to the next.) It is best to leave some space in between them, about 6-8 inches.

5. Cut the tulle into strips. (It is fine for them to be jagged, just roll or bunch it up (so the short side is rolled and cut.) Knot the strips on the yarn between the jugs.

I also did a Happy Halloween banner by cutting the letters out of fun foam and then laying them out (backwards) and hot gluing them to 2 lines of wire. (It took a little trial and error, but running a bead of hot glue along the wire is the best way I have found to keep the letters on.

We are spending a fabulous 9 days with our 4 nieces and nephews while their parents (along with Mike’s younger brother and his parents) take an even more fabulous Mediterranean cruise. Morgan, their oldest daughter is one seriously crafty girl! We have been having a ball. Today we made these spider webs. They are easy to do and are great for kids over 5.

Materials:

3 black pipe cleaners (per spider web)

black yarn

spider materials (see below)

Directions:

1. Hold the 3 pipe cleaners in a bundle and twist them (all together) in the middle. (See image below)

2. (They should now be intertwined.) Arrange the legs to create the spokes of the web.

3. Cut a length of yarn about 1 1/2 feet long and tie the end to the tip of one of the spokes.

4. Working around the circle, move from spoke to spoke, wrapping the yarn tightly around each pipe cleaner you pass.

5. You can also connect lines of the web by tying the line onto the middle of another line of yarn.

6. Knot it at the center when you have gone around until as many times as you like and leave a length for the spider to dangle on, if desired.

Some spider options:

1. A store-bought spider works great. You can wrap yarn around its legs to attach it.

2. A body cut out of felt or paper would also be good. Fold the paper (or felt) in half and cut 2 body shapes. Then use 4 pipe cleaners sandwiched between for the legs.

3. You can also make a spider from a large and medium (or medium and small) pom-poms glued together. Googley eyes are great for either of the handmade options.

4. I made mine with 3 more pieces of pipe cleaner. I cut 4 three-inch lengths and bent them into an M shape Then used the rest to circle around them Ms, holding them together and create a ball shape for the body.