Christmas tree baubles

This is a bit of an addition to my Paper mache Father Christmas decorations, rather than a completely new post or idea.

Basically you follow the instructions in the Paper mache Father Christmas decorations post to create a solid paper mache base, but then instead of proceeding to paint it pink and turn it into Father Christmas, we go down a very slightly more tasteful route!

You will need
 

• Pva glue mixed with a dash of water
• Paintbrush or spatular
• Christmas wrapping paper
• A paper mache bauble (see Paper mache Father Christmas decorations )
• Need and string

Begin by carefully ripping out motifs from your Christmas paper - e.g. a whole reindeer or penguin, the words Merry Christmas, or whatever is on your paper.

Set these aside, they go on last to ensure that they remain whole and are not covered by other layers.

Now rip the rest of your Christmas paper up any way you like.

Cover your bauble with glue and then build up a layer of Christmas paper.

Once the whole bauble is covered with bright Christmas paper, add the pieces you set aside earlier as a final layer, trying to keep the motifs whole.

Finally, once dry, take your needle and firmly, but slowly, push it through the top of the shell and pull string through to create a hanging loop.

Then you're done!

Paper mache Father Christmas decorations

So these are simple paper mache decorations, built from scratch using nothing but scrap paper and then decorated with felt.

However, they are also my revenge Christmas decorations! Every time my mum visits she brings more and more toys and bag loads of plastic tat, which subsequently ends up strewn across my living room.

As way of thanks, little Nutmeg and I are making her lots of very beautiful Christmas decorations which I am sure she will treasure (and feel obliged to display!)

As each layer is added it will need to dry, so this is a project that we have been adding bits to every day this week. (Perfect for a 3 year old who gets bored quickly as she can do a little bit each night)

You will need

• PVA glue mixed with a dash of water
• Paint brush or glue spatula
• Balloon (or water bomb for nice round shape)
• Scrap newspaper or brown paper
• Pink paint or pink paper
• 1 sheet of red and 1 sheet of white felt (or thick paper)
• Black pen
• Scissors
• Toilet roll tubes (optional)

Getting started

Blow up your balloon to the desired size. My decorations are going to be hung on a tree, so were kept quite small, but there is no reason why you couldn't go BIGGER!

Mix some PVA glue with a little water

Rip up your scrap paper into small pieces (it is important that it is torn and not cut so that the edges blend better)

Next begin covering your balloons in glue and then paper, painting each piece of paper with glue as you go

Once the balloon is covered in paper, it's ok to add a second layer of paper immediately.

After this, place your balloon on a toilet roll while it dries (avoid it sticking to the table etc)

Once completely dry it's time to burst and remove the balloon...

Make sure that you are holding the end of the balloon as you burst it to ensure that the balloon doesn't fall inside your decoration.

Then gently wiggle it out through the hole.

At this point your decoration should be quite firm, but would benefit from a couple more layers to give it extra strength and to cover the exit hole.

Paint the whole decoration with glue and add 1-2 more layers of paper.

Standing the decoration on a toilet roll tube may make this easier and avoid sticky fingers.

After letting decorations dry over night, either paint pink them or cover them in pink paper

Either way, they will need to dry again...

Now for decoration

To make the hat, draw a circle on the red felt/paper and cut it out.

Cut this in half and then wrap it around to create a cone. Gluing down the seam.

Add a strip of white along the bottom and then add details like a beard, mouth, eyebrows and eyes

My final step will be to put a piece of white wool through the hats so that they can be hung on a Christmas tree.

Alternatively you could colour/decorate the toilet roll tube and display your Father Christmas as a standing decoration.

With the 3rd balloon we covered, we will be making an angel/fairy for the top of the tree next week. Isn't my Mum a lucky Grandma!!!

(Please see also a slightly more tasteful version of this craft project where the baubles are covered in Christmas wrapping paper - Christmas tree baubles )

Sew simple, homemade Christmas cards

Sew simple Christmas cards (made by a 3 year old)

Christmas is coming and my daughter is at home with me (and her baby brother) 2 days a week, so I am always looking for things we can do together.

It's an extra bonus if it isn't messy and makes something that you might actually want at the end of it! I think this ticks both of these boxes.

Today we made Christmas cards from blank cards and scraps of coloured wool.
Megan is only 3 and hers came out good enough to send (with help of course) so I am sure older children will enjoy this and be able to create their own designs too.

You will need...

• Blank cards and envelopes (mine were from John Lewis)
• Pencil
• Bodkin (not very sharp wool needle)
• Coloured wool
• Merry Christmas stickers/stamp (optional - especially if your children are old enough to write, my stamp was from John Lewis)

Let's do it...

Begin by drawing out your design on the blank card. As wool is quite thick it is ok to do this on the right side (front) of the card, the wool will cover any lines.

 



Next take your needle and make guide holes through the card evenly around the design. This will make sewing much simpler and mean that your child is only gently pushing the needle through an existing hole rather than needing to force it through the card.

Now begin to sew between the existing holes. This should be done using back stitch where you skip a hole, and then work back to the previous hole filling in a gap. The next stitch is then started from end of the previous stitch. (repeat)

 

It is not essential that back stitch is used, but this avoids oversewing the whole design twice and means the back of the design shouldn't be too untidy

 

 

Finally tie off any loose ends and add a greeting of your choice.

 

Simple but I'm sure our family will like receiving cards Megan has made herself.

 

 

 

 



Really cool ice cream cone cakes

Who knew ice cream cones can survive 20 minutes in the oven? Well they do, and look what that means you can do with them...

Really cool ice cream cone cakes - look like ice creams but are really cakes!

 

You will need

(Makes 12)

• 12 (flat bottomed) ice cream cones
• 60g cocoa powder
• 175g of butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 120g self raising flour
• Level a teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 large eggs

To decorate

• 80g of butter
• 200g icing sugar
• Splash of milk
• Hundreds and thousands
• Mini chocolate Flakes (or 4 large Flakes cut into 3)
• Icing bag and large star shaped nozzle (see below)

Getting started

• Pre heat oven to 160 degrees and put your cones onto a baking tray

• In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder and baking powder.
• Mix well for around 5 minutes then spoon the mixture into the cones
• Each cone should be between half and 3/4 full to avoid them over rising or not reaching the top of the cone

• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cake has risen and is springy

Next to decorate

Make sure that your cakes are completely cool before decorating, or the buttercream will go grainy and may not hold its shape

• Making the buttercream is as simple as adding the butter, icing sugar and milk and beating until thick but smooth. If it doesn't hold a peak in the bowl, then it won't be thick enough to pipe out as "icecream". Add more icing sugar now.
• When piping, start from the outside of each cake and pipe in a spiral into the middle following the shape of the cake underneath. Try to keep the spiral tight so there are no gaps in the icing effect.
• Finally finish with a sprinkle of hundreds and thousands and a chocolate flake.

This is my new little brother - introducing baby scrapbook project

I'm expecting a new baby in less than 2 weeks (Eeek!!) and people keep telling me how I need to spoil my little girl, as she won't quite understand and will be confused, upset and/or jealous.

So here's my idea...

A "This is my new little brother" scrapbook project

At 2.5 years old Megan might not quite be old enough to create a master work of art, but I'm hoping she'll enjoy scribbling and sticking, and most importantly, spending a little time with Mummy.

To get her started, I went to a pound shop and for £5 bought a folder, some coloured paper and some stickers.

I'd originally thought about a scrapbook but decided that as my daughter is only 2 and a half, it would be better to give her individual sheets to work on and then put them into the folder later. (Any mistakes can then be discarded).

I then made a title page to explain my idea (and also because I wanted to play!)...

So there we have it - a lovely project that she'll be able to add to as Baby grows and develops. We'll write in dates and weights and milestones, draw pictures and stick in photos, maybe even try to do Mummy, Toddler, Baby hand prints.

As well as the scrap folder, I have also been informed that it's traditional/a nice idea for Baby to have bought the existing child/children a gift for when they come to visit.

Over Christmas we went to a wedding where disposable cameras were provided on every table. Megan absolutely loved this and ran around shouting "cheese" at everyone all night! What's more surprising is that some of her pictures actually turned out really well!

So I looked at buying Megan a disposable camera to go with the scrapbook project. However, they're over £10 for one with a flash, and I thought she'd get through the 27 pictures really quickly and then have to wait until someone could take it to be developed/printed.

Instead I did some research into children's digital cameras, and decided to buy her the Vtech Kidizoom Twist robust camera.

It 2 megapixels and has a 4 times zoom. It has a voice recorder, takes videos, allows animations to be made and pictures to be edited and manipulated (think adding wigs and text and frames etc!).

What's best is that it will plug straight into our TV so she can see the pictures immediately, and also plug into the photo machines at Tesco/Boots so we can easily print anything that comes out well.

I'm really pleased with it. I paid £30 for the camera and an extra £5 for a case.

Can't wait to give it to Megan, and let her have a central role as family photographer, taking pictures of her new little brother to stick in her book.

Hope you like :o)