Paper Christmas Trees

I really didn't mean to go the whole week without posting. I had several things planned, but I had more to do to get ready for Christmas than I thought. In fact, I still have a few gifts to wrap and my entire house is covered in spray adhesive and glitter, but I am going to take a minute to share one of the Christmas crafts I did this year (and I will do a second post on my favorite pins since it is Friday). It's likely too late to be of any use to you now, but pin it for next year!


I originally saw the idea for these paper trees in my paper copy of Better Homes and Gardens and didn't look twice at them because there weren't any instructions in the mag, rather one was to go online for the template. Later I saw them on my favorite local lifestyle show and have even linked you there before. The pattern was posted so I downloaded it and printed it off.

They were really easy to make. I filled the trees with candy and a little gift for the recipients.

The guest on the TV show suggested using wrapping paper... because that is what company she represented. Wrapping paper is decidedly less expensive than scrapbooking paper so I tried it. The wrapping paper I used was too lightweight and the trees collapsed a little bit. I gave them to some eight year old girls in my church and would wager that by the time the trees got home a few no longer resembled trees. You should make some, but I would suggest using heavier paper.

Merry Christmas!!

Gingerbread Houses- Ultimate Creativity!

I love making gingerbread houses. It's such a fantastic way to explore creativity. You are given a limited amount of materials and the sky is the limit as to what you can make. It's a great experience to make candy and frosting into something new. This year husband Spencer and I made the Snoopy's dog house from the Charlie Brown Christmas movie.

Spencer made this amazing Snoopy lying on top of the house out of a marshmallow Santa. I was blown away.


The poor sad Charlie Brown tree was made by drawing it with melted chocolate onto wax paper and putting it in the freezer (mom's idea), then Spencer added the Fruit by the Foot leaves and fondant ornament.

My best contribution was the 1st prize ribbon from a peppermint and Fruit Striped Gum.

My brother and sister-in-law got creative with the green frosting and made a Hawaiian hut. Can you say creative? They melted candy for the water and used cereal and brown sugar to replicate the elements of an island.

And check out that tree! It's made from fondant, then frosted and decorated to resemble a palm.

Of course our littlest brother (actually the tallest?) always has a grand time creating his gingerbread house.


Remember last year when we made a Grinch Who Stole Christmas house? If you have made a gingerbread house leave a link in the comments below so I can come check out your creativity.

P.S. Thanks Mom.

Quilled Christmas Cards

Remember when I got my quilling kit? I have been playing with it and made a few Christmas cards. If you like paper crafts you should really try this art form!

You can find the original instructions and inspiration for these first three designs here.

This little baby was my own design and creation. When I first made Rudolph, his antlers were a lot smaller. Dear husband, who was sitting next to me the entire time I was working on it, asked if it were an alien. I might have thrown it at him. I was so proud that I had designed my own quilling pattern.... and it looked like an alien!!!! I have since added bigger antlers and announced it is Rudolph to anyone I have shown before they can ask or guess.

While slightly time consuming, quilling is super fun. Try it!

Handmade Gift Exchange

Once again I participated in Linda's handmade gift exchange over at Craftaholics Anonymous. My partner this year was Melissa from Sew Cute by Melissa. She sent me these adorable Christmas blocks. Aren't they fantastic? I love the papers and colors she chose. They match the colors of my decor really well. I put them in the window of the dining room... and area that could use a little Christmas love.



I sent Melissa a few accessories to get her holiday party ready: a sparkly green necklace, some red hoop earrings, and some black rose shoe clips.

A big thanks to Linda for hosting and to Melissa for the great gift!! Be sure to hop over to CA to see the other gifts that were made!

45+ Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

It's December and the Christmas season is in full swing. It's so easy to get caught up in all the gifts, parties, shopping, and wrapping and forget the true meaning of Christmas. I recently saw a funny comic on Pinterest that said something to the effect of "I find it ironic that the day after we celebrate being thankful for what we have, we become greedy and go crazy buying more stuff." Too true.

It's important to consciously choose to participate in activities that keep the real spirit of Christmas in our homes and hearts. Below is a list of such activities that I compiled last year for a church activity. Many of them apply to members of the LDS (Mormon) Church, but plenty will work for you if you are of another Christian faith.

Keep Christ in Christmas

· Hold a family testimony meeting.

· Read about prophecies of the Savior’s birth in the Book of Mormon.

· Read the Christmas story from the Bible.

· Memorize The Living Christ.

· Make a list of your blessings.

· Watch the First Presidency Devotional on the first Sunday in December.

· Watch Music and the Spoken Word Sunday mornings.

· Make thank you notes to use after Christmas.

· Learn a Christmas hymn to sing as a family.

· Read a Christmas story from the Friend or Ensign.

· Make or use a service advent calendar- no one gets the treat until a service has been performed.

· Write down on paper, roll up, and tie with a bow, a gift you are going to give to the Savior.

· Keep track of all the service given by family members in December in a white stocking, gift box, or manger scene. Read the good deeds on Christmas morning.

· Write your testimony in a Book of Mormon and give it away.

· Make Christmas ornaments that focus on Christ.

· Visit Temple Square- especially the nativity scenes and the statue of Christ in the visitor’s center.

· Make a flannel board nativity and leave it out for children to retell the story.

· Use simple costumes to act out the nativity story.

· Write letters and make cards to send to loved ones far away.

· Color, paint, (or purchase) a nativity scene and hang it in your home.

· Watch an uplifting Christmas DVD together such as Joy to the World.

· Have a "white" Christmas--attend the temple.

· Go shopping together for Sub-for-Santa or angel tree gifts.

· Help children clean out toys and donate good used ones to charity.

· Make dinner for a neighbor in need.

· Help children write a story about the manger on Christmas night.

· Write a note to a missionary.

· Have a Bethlehem dinner.

· Have a family Christmas music night with instrumental and vocal performances.

· Attend a live nativity.

· Listen to Handel's Messiah and learn the story behind music. (See Ensign December 2010).

· Make a Christmas advent candle, and read a Christ related scripture each night as candle burns.

· Wrap meaningful and uplifting Christmas books and open one each day and read together.

· Collect uplifting Christmas stories and compile in a binder to read as a family each day.

· Collect or make from paper symbols of Christmas and teach children the meaning. They could draw one from a gift bag and tell how it reminds them of Christ.

· Go for a nighttime winter walk and enjoy the beautiful stars and talk about the special star that appeared at Christ's birth.

· Draw names of family members on Dec 1^st. Secretly serve that person all month. Reveal on Christmas morning.

· Make handprints of children, cut out, and print "I will have helping hands for Jesus."

· Determine a need and perform a service anonymously.

· Forgive and make amends with someone.

· Give family members a “golden gift.” Wrap a Christ centered gift (book, scriptures, CD, etc) in gold paper and open on Christmas morning.

· Purchase nativity play sets for children

· Strive to be more like the Savior each day!

Helpful links:

Christ Centered Traditions Blog
Helps for memorizing the Living Christ at Discover the Scriptures
Nativity Matching game
CHRISTmas at I am Momma- Hear Me Roar

Embellished Brown Paper Packages

Wrapping gifts is not one my talents. Most of the time my presents come out looking horrible. I tend to stick with gift bags (usually ones that someone has already given me, including the tissue paper!). This year I decided to skip all the wrapping paper and bows and go with simple brown "Kraft" paper as my blank canvas. Now I can be creative and have fun!

I had to make these particular gifts flat without much dimension because I was sending them home on a long road trip over Thanksgiving weekend with Spencer's sister's family and I didn't want the wrappings to get squished.

If you want to make your gift all coordinate, consider buying a few sheets of matching scrapbook paper, stickers, and a little bit of ribbon. All the paper I used was from the same line so the gift somewhat go together.

This one turned out to by my favorite. I used a simple strip of paper with the word lyrics, some neat letter stickers, and some holly leaf stickers. So quick and easy, yet personalized and cute!

This one used another strip of the paper and a few strands of ribbon that are each taped to the back of the package. The tag came printed on the paper. After the photos were already taken I filled in the to and from.

The present for Anne is the first one I did, and obviously I was more ambitous at the beginning. I painted the snowflakes on the package using a stencil. I added a ribbon and another tag cut from the paper. I finished it off with letter stickers to spell out the name of the recipient.

This was for a nephew (rather than the other three for nieces) so I figured I could go a little more simple. I punched three circles out of coordinated scrapbook paper and added a simple sticker for a monogram. I love putting monograms on gifts and tags. It's easy and stylish.

For the parents I used the same ideas as above- strips of paper, a tag cut from paper, and monogram stickers. I like it.

I still have some wrapping paper left that I will use this year (probably for Spencer's gifts) but from this point forward I am going to stick with the brown paper. It can be customized for any person on any occasion!

I want to show you what's in these packages, since I made the gifts. I don't think anyone in that family reads my blog, but if you do, be warned that later these week I will be posting photos of the gifts and don't want to spoil your surprise! : )

"Seeing Christmas Through New Eyes" (my gingerbread house)

"There are certain words that ring like bells in my soul and remind me of the beauty and meaning of Christmas—words such as “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus”1 and, of course, “Joy to the World!” “Away in a Manger,” and “Silent Night.”

"There are other words, more cautionary, that are worthy of our consideration as well—words such as:
Every Who
Down in Who-ville
Liked Christmas a lot . . .
But the Grinch,
Who lived just north of Who-ville,
Did NOT!2

"The Grinch, that memorable character from a classic children’s story by Dr. Seuss, had a heart that “was two sizes too small,” and he hated everything about Christmas. Through the course of the story, however, he undergoes a dramatic transformation when he learns that there is more to Christmas than decorations and gifts.

"Perhaps the Grinch’s story is so memorable because, if we are honest, we may be able to relate to him. Who among us has not felt concern over the commercialization and even greed of the Christmas season? Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed by the packed calendars, the stress of finding gifts, the pressure of planning meals and events? In fact, psychologists tell us that during this season of cheer and goodwill, many feel sorrow and depression.

"If we look for what is wrong with the Christmas season, we can surely find it. Like the Grinch, we can grumble and complain, becoming cold and cynical about what we see around us. Nevertheless, if we look for the good, we can see this time of year with new eyes—perhaps even with the eyes of a child.

"The Grinch saw the good in Christmas when he learned to look past its worldly trappings. If we do the same, we can, with the Grinch, proclaim: “Maybe Christmas . . . doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!”

"Our heart may not grow three sizes as the Grinch’s did, but our heart will change. Our eyes will open to the miracles all around us—at Christmastime and throughout the year.

I pray that during this season and always, we will see the purity of the story of the Savior’s birth and feel sincere gratitude for His life, teachings, and saving sacrifice for us. May this gratitude cause us to renew our determination to follow Him. May it also lead us to draw closer to our family, our church, and our fellowmen. And may we look steadfastly forward to that blessed day when the resurrected Christ will walk the earth again as our Lord, our King, and our blessed Savior."

Click here to see/watch/listen to the full text of this talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Star Necklace Tutorial with Free Printable (100th post!)

This is my 100th post!

This year I wanted to make a small Christmas gift to show my appreciation for a few friends. I wanted it to be meaningful and purposeful without going over the top. I came up with this simple star necklace to represent the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. Keep reading to find out how you can give this gift too.

Materials:

Chain

Star charms (I used the package from Blue Moon that has 6 or 7 stars on it, but only one star is still in the packaging in the picture.)

Headpins

Clasp

Jump rings

Small pearl, clear, or silver beads

Jewelry pliers (not pictured) Cut chain the desired length. I cut mine to about 20 inches.


Using jewelry pliers, pry the jump ring open, attach the star charm, and attach to the chain.


Put the pearl or other beads on a headpin. Use round-nose pliers to bend the wire and make a loop.

Trim the loop, attach it to the chain or jump ring, and close the loop.

It should look like this so far...

Finish attaching the beads- as many as desired. I don't have a picture of this step, but use jewelry pliers to pry apart another jump ring. Put the clasp on the ring, add it to the chain, and close the jump ring. Put a jump ring on the other end of the chain so the clasp has something to hook to.

Make more necklaces if you wish to give this to multiple friends. The Blue Moon package comes with a variety of stars to make each necklace unique. Many of the women I will be giving these to have pretty conservative styles so I didn't want to make the necklaces too flashy.

Plus, it takes away from the message and spirit of the star, just like too much commercialism can do to Christmas.

I created a card that would fit inside a jewelry bag and was able to print 6 on a page (see below to get your own copy.)

I cut them apart, and made a slit with a craft knife right under the scripture reference for the star charm to poke through. I then taped the rest of the chain to the back of the card so it wouldn't fall out of place.

I put the necklace in a plastic jewelry bag and now have a cute, meaningful, handmade, Christmas gift.

I am really excited about this gift. I wanted to make something for these ladies, but I also wanted to celebrate the real reason for the season- the birth of the Savior. I feel this is an appropriate way to bring the two together.

Here is the tag if you want to use it. The way it should work is that you should click on the image to make it full sized. Then right click (or control + click for Mac users) to save or download the image for your own use. It is a .png file.

If downloading the picture doesn't work, just email me (aubreelarsen [at] gmail.com) and I will send you a copy.

Thanks for reading. I hope you are having a very Merry Christmas!