photo credit: dAvE Mont.

What mother has not found their fair share of broken crayons all over the house? And where do you normally throw those broken crayons?  In the trash can right?  So this year we decided to collect all the broken crayons we found and create a couple really cool gifts for my daughter to give away as Christmas gifts.

Pleas make sure that you are careful when you start doing this. They melted wax becomes very hot.

We use a warm iron to create sun catchers

My kids just love the beautiful colors that are thrown across the room through sun catchers.  But instead of buying a sun catcher have some fun and make one with your child.

Give your child a pencil sharpener and let them make crayon shavings.

Fold a large sheet of wax paper and sprinkle crayon shavings on half of it.  With a warm iron, run the iron over the wax paper quickly.

Allow the wax paper to cool and then cut it into various shapes.

Make butterflies or flowers with holes in them where you can tape the melted crayon wax sun catcher on the back so the light and colors shine through.

Simple as pie and so much fun.  I will post another crayon waxing craft in a couple days so keep checking back.

photo credit: Attempts at Photography

Remember when traveling you were able to find snow globes at every gas station you stopped at?  People use to collect them as the went from state to state and hold on to them as memories.  It not only helped you remember your visit but it also help you think of winter even in the hotter months.

Of course the snow globes you pick up today don’t look anything like the ones we used to find when we were little.  Now they are fancy and do all links of neat things.

But this year you will be able to help your children make snow globes and maybe even start a Christmas tradition.

Here’s what you need to make one:

* Small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (baby food jars are great for this).
* Distilled water or water that has been boiled and allowed to cool.
* Glycerin (You should be able to find it in most drug stores or in crafts departments).
* White or silver glitter.  Don’t choose glitter that is too fine – it’ll be too small to fall like snow.
* Small waterproof ornament or toy.
* Clear silicone sealant.  Adults should be the only ones to handle the sealant.
* Small plastic lid such as a film canister lid to elevate the ornament inside the jar.  Florist’s clay would also work.
* Decorative ribbon or fabric to cover the lid.

And here’s how to make your own snow globe:

Wash and dry the baby food jar and lid to be sure they’re completely clean.  Be sure the inside of the lid is clean as well.

Build up some clay or attach the film canister lid inside the lid of the jar.  Attach the ornament, toy, or other miniature to that, building up the base so you can easily see the figurine.  To make sure the toy is at the right height, put the lid on the empty jar and check it out.  Keep adding more clay until you’re happy with how it looks.

Add cold water to the jar, leaving at least ½ inch at the top.  Sprinkle glitter into the jar, approximately ½ teaspoon for the medium to large baby food jars.  Add ½ teaspoon of glycerin so the glitter will float rather than fall.

Line the inside of the lid with silicone sealant and then screw the lid down as hard as you can.  This should make the seal waterproof.  Run a bead of silicone around the outer edge of the lid and let dry overnight, lid side up.

You can make a wooden base for the globe if you like.  If not, decorate the lid with the fabric or ribbon of your choice by hot gluing it to the lid.  Let your globe dry entirely.  Then shake it up and let the snow fall.

Since your children have helped to make them, baby food jar snow globe gifts are great to give to friends and family.  They may not be perfect like those you can buy, but they will be loved for the time and energy you and your child took to make them.

Once you’ve decided on a card “template “, it’s time to gather your supplies together. Make a list and go to your local craft store to get everything you need. You’ll most likely want to have glue sticks, glitter, card stock or other thick paper, and anything else you’ll need to make your Christmas cards. You can print the message you want to use for the card onto the actual paper, and use this as the  “base card “. Choose the font and color of your message as well as the location, and then print this onto the card stock paper for each card you plan to make.

After the cards are printed, fold them in the manner you prefer, whether it’s top to bottom or side to side, and even a little fold-over section for the top if you’re making a card with this style. If you’re gluing different colored paper or letters, etc onto the card, it’s time to go ahead and start cutting them out and getting them ready to glue to the card. Once you have enough shapes or letters in the paper style and color you need, go ahead and glue them to the front and inside (if need be) of the card. Make sure they are applied securely and if you’re using wet glue, be sure it dried thoroughly before moving on to the next step.

The fun part of making your own Christmas cards is the personalized decoration. Add glitter, shaped brads (these can be found at most craft stores), or even photos. The choice is yours, but no matter what you choose, be sure it’s a reflection of your style and that it shows others how much you love them. Use your creativity and make the most unique Christmas cards ever. Let it become a family tradition, and come up with new card ideas to make by hand each year.

That night, the spiders climbed all over the Christmas tree and checked out the ornaments and all of the beautiful branches. They were delighted at its beauty, and left spider webs everywhere they went. The next day the Christ child was worried the woman would be disappointed over the spider webs, so he reached out and touched all of the spider webs. When he did this, they suddenly turned into beautiful strands of silver and gold, and this is the legend of how tinsel first begun.

If you’d like to make your own Christmas spider ornaments, it’s a very fun and simple process. You will need crystals of several different sizes (you can choose the color), a glue gun, metallic thread, and 26-gauge wire. First, glue the two largest beads together hole to hole with the glue gun. This is basically the body and head of the spider. Cut four wires and string the smaller beads along them to make the legs. Bend the end of the wire so the beads do not fall off.

Once you’ve added the beads to all four of the wires, twist them together to create the legs. Then, hot glue them to the bottom of the larger beads so that it takes the shape and form of a spider. Next, using about ten inches of the metallic thread, place it through the two holes in the biggest beads (the body), and you’re ready to go! You now have a beautiful crystal bead spider ornament, just like the legend of the Christmas spider. Make as many as you want and decorate your tree with them this year.

Making Christmas ornaments for your tree can be loads of fun. Many traditional means of making ornaments for the tree include stringing popcorn, hanging candy canes on the tree or creating ornaments from a mixture of flour and water, and a few other ingredients baking them, allowing them to cool and then painting them.

Here is the recipe for Dough Ornaments:

Materials: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 cup water, paint

Instructions: Mix flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Slowly add the water (3/4 to 1 cup) until you get a clay consistency. Work the dough into the shapes that you want. Use cookie cutters, play dough tools, or anything you can find. Don’t forget to bring out the garlic press to make hair! (The stamps designed for play dough work great for the toddlers) Use a paint brush dipped in water to smooth out the edges of finished shapes. Don’t forget to make a hole so you can hang your ornaments (I use the blunt end of a wooden shishkabob skewer). Bake your ornaments in a 250 degree oven for approximately 1 hour depending on ornament thickness. I have found that an ornament about 1/4″ thick takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool and paint!

With all the expenses that come along with Christmas, it is a wise decision to try and possibly make some of your Christmas gifts. Handmade gifts can be fun and easy to make. The person receiving a handmade gift will also know that you spent extra time and effort making the gift for them.

Some handmade gift ideas include:

1) Food – Who doesn?t like to eat? Whether it is sweets such as cookies, fudge or other Christmas candies or other foods such as snack mixes, granola, or even beef jerky there are tons of food related ideas that you can turn into a great homemade gift.

2) Bath and Body ? Did you know you could create soaps, lotions and lip-glosses yourself? There are many kits and mixes out there where you can personally create bath beads, body lotions, hand creams, bar soaps and more for those special people on your Christmas list.

3) Photo Gifts ? Whether you just take a few great snapshots of your kids and/or have some taken of the whole family and frame them, or you spend extra time creating a calendar, photo book or other unique photo gift. Photo gifts are a great way to give your loved ones something special that you did yourself.

4) Sewn Gifts – Do you sew, or maybe you can just tie knots? There are many gifts in this category, from blankets, to monogrammed towels, pillowcases, bags and more! There are even gifts that only require tying knots. Gifts such ad these can be both practical and personal.

5) Children?s Creations – If you have children what a better way to get them involved in gift giving than to have them to create their very own gifts. Kids can be very creative so let them have the freedom to decide what they want to do, within budget of course.

There are many things about the Christmas season that we all enjoy, from gifts, to food to the music that surrounds us all throughout the holidays. What is your favorite Christmas song? Do you enjoy religious Christmas carols, traditional songs, or some of the newer music created by today?s recording artists.

Christmas caroling is a tradition that many people enjoy participating in. What songs would you choose to sing as apart of your caroling routine?

I would love for you to vote for your favorite Christmas song from the lists below. You can vote by leaving a comment in the comments section.

Angels We Have Heard On High
Mary Did You Know?
Away in a Manger
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Do you Hear What I Hear
Silent Night
The First Noel
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Holy Night
What Child is This?
Go Tell it On the Mountain
We Three Kings
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
Good Christian Men Rejoice
All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Deck the Halls
Joy to The World
Frosty the Snowman
Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Here Comes Santa Clause
Holly Jolly Christmas
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
It?s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Let it Snow
O Christmas Tree
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Silver Bells
Little Drummer Boy
Up On the Housetop
12 Days of Christmas
Winter Wonderland
White Christmas

Sending Christmas cards is a fun tradition that many people enjoy during the Christmas season.
There are many ways to obtain Christmas cards these days to send to those on your list, however have you ever thought about making your own?

Making Christmas cards is yet another craft that you can do with your kids. Bring out the construction paper, the wrapping paper, scissors, glue, glitter, crayons, markers, brads, stamps, and more to create fun, creative Christmas cards. Allow your child to create their own card for each family member, they can even fold and make their own envelope to house their card. You can look up fun and creative card ideas online or use your imagination to create something unique of your own.Another way to make your own Christmas cards is by designing something on your computer and printing it off.

I have found a couple really great sites I thought I would share with you. Want to find some great ideas on how to recycle last years Christmas Cards. Then you have to check out Women By Grace . com. Also there is Card Making Inspiration that gives you examples of different Christmas cards you could make. There is also My Expression that does photo Christmas cards. So as you can see there are so many different things you could do but no matter what you do Have Fun.

This year is it going to be a Homemade gift or a Store Bought gift?