;)
Kids Ornament Swap and a Giveaway
Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 10:28AM 
Since I'm so obviously a joiner, I quit fighting my nature and joined the Kids Ornament Swap (hosted by Full Circle). If all goes as planned, we will make and mail seven ornaments, and receive seven different handcrafted ornaments in return. I love kid ornaments. My brother and I made Christmas ornaments at school every year when we were little. I made button wreaths, clay snowmen, pom-pom elves, and felt Santa hats. My brother made a strawberry made out of a walnut one year, and another year he made a salt dough star. He also made beaded candy canes and wreaths. (His teachers were obviously more crafty than mine.) When JellyMan was in kindergarten, he made hand dipped candles, tissue paper "stained glass" votives, and a cute ornament made with an ice cream cone and a styrofoam ball. Anemone has never been to school, so I am out of ideas for ornaments. I need your help. And because I know nothing in life is free, I'm willing to pay up.
To win this sweet little button wreath, leave a comment telling me what sort of ornaments you made when you were a kid. (You could also describe the ornaments your kids are making now.) I want to hear all about your popsicle stick reindeer and your construction paper poinsettias. You have until noon (eastern time) on Thursday, the 4th of December. I'll announce the (random) winner sometime that afternoon. (Do you think there are enough parentheses in this post?)
Oh, yeah. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Reader Comments (15)
I came over to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, so I'll so that first. "Happy Thanksgiving Four Squares"
Yesterday, my youngest and I were talking about kidmade ornaments or should I say the lack of kidmade ornaments. He has made one in Sunday school and it is pretty cool.
Clear plastic round ornament ball - the kind that is split in half
Glue
Glitter
Ribbon
~ Pour glue inside until each half is coated & sprinkle the glitter. Snap back together, tie with a bow.
We make paper snowflakes to decorate the back slider door. I like to see the changes in their degree of difficulty each year.
I should look through Chrystal's box of kidmades....she made tons of them.
I have 3 ideas for you of simple ornaments that your kids could make. The first is wine cork reindeer. You stick red pipe cleaners in the top for antlers, glue on googly eyes and a red pompom for the nose and draw a mouth.
The second are beaded wreaths using green and red beads strung on pipe cleaners that are just twisted into a bow on the top.
The third is reindeer made with clothespins, again with googly eyes and red pom pom nose.
I have photos of all three for you but couldn't figure out how to add them so if you email me I will send the photos to you.
We have made ornaments kinda' like Sheri's but we opened the top and put a few drops of different colors of paint in the glass bulbs and swirled them around.
Also we have made cinnamon, applesauce dough ornaments. Basically cut with cookie cutters and you make a hole at the top with a pencil. You can paint them or just leave them brown for gingerbread men and such.
I have a little angel made out of a folded paper doily and my girl's picture pasted on the head of the angel.
I like the idea of snowflakes too. We have done that and made paper chains for advent.
I know Donna has some cute ideas on her website too.
I am making crochet stuff this year. I'm trying to make little gifts for friends but my kids keep adopting them. I don't know if any snowmen will make it out of my house;)
My second daughter really loves crafts, but doesn't want any help from me. Last year she made snowmen and stockings out of felt. She cut them out in the correct shapes (sort of) and quickly discovered she couldn't sew well and mom got tired of threading the needle. She perservered and came up with a solution. She stapled them together, then stuffed them with polyfil. I'll have to hunt down a picture and post it. LOL
When the kids were in preschool, their teacher cut out snowmen with hats, from white foam sheets. The kids painted the hats with a black glitter paint, glued on eyes, nose and mouth. The teacher took pictures of the kids and glued their head shots on the belly of the snowmen. It was so cute, I made a set for my MIL for her Christmas.
The kids also like to make the twisted pipecleaner candy canes, while whining about not have real ones. That's always good.
Um...have to think of other things they made.
You can go ahead and send me that cute button wreath. :D I REALLY like it!
My favorite ornaments were the glass ones with paint swirled inside of them. We have also done the glass ones with christmas foam stickies. those are nice and easy. In fact we may make some of them this year ourselves.
The easist kid ornaments are the red and white beaded candy canes that you bead over a pipe cleaner. Not very exciting though. I am trying to think of something else, but I am at a loss. Sorry. Do I still get to be entered?
Hey, you ladies have great ideas! Thanks so much!
Kristy, don't worry about the pictures; I can visualize what you're talking about. The cork reindeer sound very, very cute!
Tressa, that was totally lame, but since it's that time of year I will let you enter. :D
Sorry...I just read your follow up comment after I already sent you an email. So you have photos and more! I think my extra effort deserves the prize.
Right, my parents loved giving me crafts for birthdays and Christmas. I realize now it was just an attempt at their part to keep my busy, out of their hair, and creating free gifts they could send to family... or perhaps I'm just cynical today, lol!
One year I made matchstick creations, wooden Grandfather clocks (in 3D), with large bows from which to hang from the tree. Then there were the pompom creations, snowmen, santa clauses, etc. And the salted white bread ornaments (the pleasure came in daring each other to eat the dough). We made felted Advent calendars one year, that was spectacular and my mother still has ours. But that was organized by a super crafter Adult. Um, the gimp and pony bead ornaments (made with glittery pony beads and glow-in-the-dark gimp, epitome of cool). And then the safety pin angels... Fabric Pompom creations (again snowmen, but also sheep).
That's about all I can think of at the moment. Mind you, I have yet to pull out decorations and I'm sure I could share more as ... they've all been carefully preserved and gifted to me! lol!
Honestly, I don't remember making too many ornaments as a kid. Lots of other stuff, but not ornaments. I think we were too busy decorating and stuffing our faces with Spritz cookies or something.
We did make cute little angel tree-toppers one year, from a pattern my mom found. I'm pretty sure my mom did 95% of the work on those, too, as it required the use of the sewing machine. But the result was pretty cute. In fact, I still have mine -- she's in my sewing basket, where she has been for the past 3-5 years, waiting for me to take two stinking minutes to sew back on her wings. Maybe this is the year for the Anemone's kitty AND my angel tree topper...
By coincidence, I posted another Christmas ornament. It is here, http://donnayoung.org/homeschooling/crafts/folded-star.htm. It's folded stars. I think it is probably okay for your middle-aged kids. (Middle-aged - double-digit before 15. ((my definition)) )
=)
And I just had another idea.
Make permanent miniature gingerbread houses out of Popsicle sticks and tediously homemade fake candies and fake white stuff.
And for a homey tree:
Take a Styrofoam ball and glue little squares of different fabrics all over it. Then add the big ole checkered bow on top.
And don't forget the popcorn garland.
Donna, I love the stars and the gingerbread houses sound terrific! I know a certain someone who would delight in tedious fake candy making. The fabric ball sounds adorable, and I've always liked popcorn on a tree. I came down with mono when I was a teenager (don't ask how) and after a very dicey three weeks I had recovered just enough to string popcorn for our tree - it was the only Christmas activity I could handle. I remember having to rest after stringing every five kernels. We haven't done it since we brought Norman home from the pound - we don't think he could handle the temptation. Norman LOVES popcorn. LOL
Thanks for the pictures, Kristy. They're very cute! You should post them on your blog!
Roberta, your pony bead ornaments sound so, like, 1980's. LOL
Have you fixed your angel, Jamie? You should. Those two minutes shall set you free.
My kids have made a few but since I haven't brought up the decorations and tree yet I really can't tell you what they are. We need to make some to send to grandparents but I'll have to see if the kids are even interested in doing this or not.
I know that you've already named your winner, I'm just really late in getting around to catching up on blogs this week.
That is so pretty!