Crystal Garden

Liquid Bluing takes forever to use up, so here is a fun activity to do with your kids or grand kids, or neighbor kids this summer that uses liquid bluing. This can be used to teach the properties of natural crystals.

"One of the main ingredients for this project is salt, which is itself a crystal. If you look at it under a microscope, salt crystals look like diamonds. You will find this project one of the more exciting natural crafts ... because you can watch the crystals grow larger day by day."

Crystal Garden
6 charcoal briquets
disposable aluminum pie or pastry tin
measuring cup
salt
liquid bluing
ammonia
coffee can with lid or jar with lid
food coloring in 4 colors

Place six charcoal briquets in the aluminum pie or cake tin, Fig. a.
Measure one-quarter cup of salt, bluing, and ammonia and pour all ingredients into a coffee can or jar. Mix them together.
Squeeze or sprinkle different food colors onto four of the briquets, one color for each briquet. Squeeze or sprinkle all four colors onto the fifth briquet. The remaining briquet is not to be colored.
Pour the salt mixture evenly over the briquets, Fig. b.
Place the tin in a warm place.
The crystals will start to grow in a very short time.
Mix the same solution of salt, bluing and ammonia in the can or jar and cap tightly.
Add some of the solution over the garden every two days to keep it growing.

Paper Snowflake Decorations

I have a daughter who made several beautiful snowflakes following these instructions I have saved (I think from Martha Stewart Living).  After laminating them, we strung them from clear thread (attaching thread with glue from a glue gun).  I placed a dot of hot glue from a glue gun at the top of the window and set the end of the snowflakes thread into it until it hardened.  Then the snowflake appeared to dangle in mid-air.  I save them and place them in the windows each year so we have a little "snow" on Christmas.

Christmas Crafts

Wow!  A White Christmas!

Santa’s List Ornament
Wooly Sheep Ornament
Rudolph the Paper Reindeer Decorations
Easy Hats to Sew Gift (beginners)
Pinecone Fire Starters Gift
Paper Snowflakes Decorations
Magic Reindeer Mix (Christmas Card)

Santa’s List Ornament

What you need: 

acrylic paint and brush

wooden thread spool

marker

paper strip, cut to fit the width of the spool

double-sided tape

ribbon

self-sticking label

Step 1: Paint a regular sized wooden spool red. 

Step 2: While drying thoroughly, each child copies their Santa List onto a narrow slip of paper that fits the width of the spool.  

Step 3: Roll the paper around the empty spool, using double-sided tape to fasten it, and leave some of the list hanging down (so Santa notices). 

Step 4: Thread the ribbon through the spool's center and tie a knot at the top for hanging.  Write child's name on the self-sticking label.  Affix to the ribbon. 

Wooly Sheep Ornament

What you need:

white yarn

rectangle of stiff cardboard

rubber band

scissors

black felt

glue

small golden bell

black pipe cleaner

black pipe cleaner

red ribbon

embroidery needle

Step 1: To make the body, loosely wrap the yarn around the width of the rectangle until it has been covered at least three times.  (The more yarn used, the fluffier the sheep's coat will be.)  When finished, slide the yarn onto your fingers, gathering all the loops together.  Using your other hand, put a rubber band around the loops, cinching it in the center like an hourglass. 

Step 2: Cut through the loops on both ends of the hourglass and fluff up the pom-pom.  If the yarn pieces are uneven, "shear" the sheep with the scissors. 

Step 3: After cutting a face shape out of the felt, glue it and the bell onto one end of the sheep.  Cut the pipe cleaner in half and thread the two pieces through the center of the sheep's body, so that they stick down on each side like legs. 

Step 4: For a hanger, cut a 10-inch length of ribbon, fold it in two, and knot the two ends together.  Thread the unknotted end of theloop through an embroidery needle, then pull it through the center of the sheep.

Rudolph the Paper Reindeer Decorations

Fold a piece of brown construction paper in half.  Cut out the shape of a reindeer body and head with the fold on the bottom of the deer.  Glue on wiggly eyes and cotton balls for tails, and paint white spots on each deer’s back. Secure two clothespins on the bottom of the deer as legs.  To finish, tie yarn, a ribbon or a pipe cleaner around the neck.

Easy Hats to Sew Gift (beginners)

What you need:

Tape measure

1/2 yard fleece fabric

Scissors

Needle and thread

Buttons, appliqués, or felt pieces for decoration

1 yard decorative cord

Time needed: Under 1 hour.

Step 1:  First, determine the size of the hat. (To avoid ruining the surprise, measure the head of someone who is similar in size to the recipient.)  Now cut a piece of fleece that is 16 inches wide and as long as the measurement you took plus 2 inches. 

Step 2:  Fold the fleece in half, right side in so the 16-inch edges match up.  Sew a 1/2-inch-wide seam along this edge, stopping 5 inches from the bottom (see A).  Just below the last stitch, make a 1/2-inch cut in from the side.  Turn the material right side out.  Now sew a seam along the last 5 inches of unsewn fleece (see B).

Step 3:  Roll the bottom of the hat up two turns, so the cuff conceals the bottom part of the seam.  To keep the cuff from unrolling, sew on a decorative button, an appliqué, or a felt cutout.

Step 4:  Finally, gather the top 3 inches of the hat and tie a colorful cord around it.

Pinecone Fire Starters Gift
A thoughtful homemade gift: This has been moved to my post "Homemade Firestarters."

Paper Snowflakes Decorations

How to make and suspend homemade paper snowflakes: This has been moved to my post "Paper Snowflake Decorations."

paper snowflakes decorate every window

Magic Reindeer Mix (Christmas Card)

This Christmas Card Tradition began when my children attended a wonderful preschool (3 hrs, 2 days a week).  Their teachers gave them an adorable card with Magic Reindeer Food!  I have painstakingly copied the card and duplicated it for Girl Scouts and friends.  Gooseberry Patch showed a simpler version in their Christmas Book 8, p. 122:  "On Christmas Eve, sprinkle this magic reindeer mix on your lawn to guide Santa's reindeer to your rooftop.  While Santa makes his delivery inside, Rudolph and his friends can have a snack."  The mix or food is simply clear glitter and old-fashioned rolled oats.