Five Years of Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt Dough Ornament

 

Last year was the very last year we made salt dough ornaments.  We have enough now to substantially cover our tree and several hefty garlands.  Little Stinky was finally old enough to add several original pieces of his own last year, so we're retiring that tradition.  However, we've had so much fun with it over the years that I thought I'd share a little bit about it.

Salt dough ornaments are such a great Christmas craft for young kids, and with a little extra love, they can look beautiful on your tree and last for many years.  They make sweet home made gifts for your children to give, too! 

I've seen many varieties of salt dough ornaments, from the "cookie" with a pom-pom mouse that hung on our tree when I was a child to some very posh-looking, stamped, natural finish ornaments that I've pinned on Pinterest.  The version hanging on our tree now is the product of my own brainstorm on how to make an ornament that a 2 year old could paint that would actually look nice.

 

The salt dough itself is actually the easy part, and I recommend it over some of the other doughs suggested for ornaments.  We tried the baking soda and cornstarch dough once, but I was disappointed to discover that it breaks very easily and is water soluble!  That shouldn't be a problem on a Christmas tree, but with kids, you never really know! 

Once you've cut, pierced, and baked your ornaments, it's time to get serious.

I've found that the best way to get really NICE looking ornaments is to give them a "primer" coat of white acrylic paint prior to letting the kids at them. 

This gives them a smoother surface for painting and makes your paint colors appear brighter because they're not being absorbed into the baked ornaments, and even where you can see through them or the kids miss a spot, they look "finished".

Obviously kids LOVE the painting part.  This is one project I allow them to use acrylic paint on.  I just make sure they all put on one of their Daddy's "paint shirts" before they get started because they will invariably end up wearing at least a little of it, and acrylic paint is a nightmare to remove when wet.  You can totally forget it if it's allowed to dry.

It's messy and some of it takes a while to dry, but it manages to come out looking really neat.

 

(Here are some flash-back pics from three years ago!)

The 2 to 4 year old crowd really makes the best ornaments because they aren't trying too hard yet.  I usually give the kids three related colors on a plate and let them at it.  We change out the colors every second ornament or so, so they don't get bored and you can have a variety of colors. 

Once the kids are burned out on painting, you get to pick up and finish off these one-of-a-kind little masterpieces.  It's really a good idea to wait until they're in bed!

Most kids only manage to get the very front of the ornament covered, which is OK.  Grab their paintbrush and use their leftover paint to paint the edges and the back.  I tried to leave their original artwork completely alone.  You'll probably be surprised at how pretty the random paint swirls actually look.  I still wonder at and adore how unique each one is!

When they're dry, I paint the child's name and the year on the back (because I'm sentimental like that!).  Then coat the front with an iridescent or gold glitter paint.  Gold is my fav of the two.  It seems to add a more polished (if such a word can be used to describe a children's craft!) look.

When all the paint has dried completely, take the little beauties outside and give them several coats of clear, high-gloss sealer. 

Then you should have some pretty fantastic, cheap ornaments that will actually last really well.  I store ours in large cookie tins with plenty of padding.  Our oldest ones have survived five years and still look great!  Happy Family Christmas Crafting!

Baby Jesus in the Manger

As I mentioned in my Peek-a-Boo Baby Ornament post, I handsewed one Mini Baby Mannequin before I realized I was happier with the results of using my machine.  So obviously, I had an extra little baby.  While I wasn't completely happy with his stitching, he is still very sweet, and with a little swaddling cloth, he makes a perfect Baby Jesus.

I've discovered recently that popsicle sticks are not just for kids.  Yes, technically your craft WILL have a bit of child-like whimsy when you use them, but you can have some pretty great results if you're careful and finish them nicely.  Here's a crib I made for my girls' dollhouse recently.

(This picture is like deja vu!  And the fabric is actually scraps from the cribset I made them.)

Anyway, our little Baby Jesus needed a manger, so here's how I went about making one:

You'll need:

• popsicle sticks
• craft glue
• sturdy scissors
• hot glue
• paint (optional)
• yellow/gold yarn or embroidery floss
• a scrap of yellow felt

There is no exact science to this.  I usually cut one of each different piece and use it as a template for all the others.  That way, the measurements are really close, which is kinda important, since we're relying on glue to hold this all together. 

These are the pieces you'll need to cut:

• 4 end pieces
• 6 horizontal side pieces
• 4 vertical side pieces

You could probably use hot glue to stick this all together with fairly quick and sturdy results.  I like craft glue because it's more precise and less likely to be seen.  Start by gluing your end pieces together to make two Xs.  I glued the first, then put the second set on top of it to make sure they were angled the same.  That is important!!!

Then glue your horizontal side pieces to your vertical side pieces.  Glue the top and bottom pieces first, get them as square as possible, then center and glue the middle piece.

 

Next comes the tricky part of gluing your manger sides to the ends.  I used the scissors to hold one side up while I glued the other, then you can put glue on the edges at the top and stick your other manger end to them.  This is the moment of truth about how square your manger sides are!

 

This is the point at which I pulled out the hot glue gun.  I ran a bead down each inside corner to stabilize them.  The craft glue holds well, but there isn't a whole lot for it to be sticking to, and this will get man-handled by the kids.

I gave my manger a quick coat of acrylic paint.  You don't have to, but I like the way it looks!

Then I cut up a bunch of embroidery floss (yarn would have been preferable because it's thicker and more filling, but I don't have any, so I used what I had) and glued it randomly to the inside of the manger. 

I glued a small rectangle of felt inside the manger to sort of make up for my sparse hay, and added more floss to the ends of the felt to camoflage it a little better.  If you use yarn for hay, you probably won't need the felt at all.

(Fuzzy informed me that this looks like a cheese taco with extra cheese.)

After the glue dried, I placed our sweetly sleeping Baby Jesus in his new manger bed.

Peek-a-Boo Baby Ornaments

 

Baby's First Christmas Ornaments

I've wanted to make baby ornaments for my kids ever since they actually were babies!  I was inspired by a very specific baby ornament on our tree when I was growing up.  (I think it was my brother's.)  It was a simple printed felt bear in a cradle, but the charm and appeal to me as a child was that I could actually take the little bear out and play with it.  I LOVED that thing!  So I wanted to make my kids something similar, but as I brainstormed about this (around this time every year!), I couldn't come up with a satisfactory idea.

I am such a big sewing nerd that, in addition to Pinterest, I am constantly Googling sewing projects for inspiration.  One such search for cloth dolls led me to a pattern and instructions for this adorable Mini Baby Mannequin.  There was my Eureka moment!

I have zero experience with "needle sculpting" or doll making!  But this was really easy.  Her instructions were very clear and easy to follow.  Since I have no idea what Dolskin knit fabric is, and I wanted to use stuff I already had laying around, I ripped up one of my husband's old white t-shirts and dyed it an acceptable flesh color with tea and a couple drops of red food coloring.

I'll let you follow her instructions, but since she really doesn't show you any real pictures beyond the finished product, I'll show you what this looked like as I went.  (FTR, I actually hand-sewed the first baby I made, but I wasn't happy with the seams, so I coaxed the final four babies out of my sewing maching by using the hand crank on the side.  No pedal.)

After clipping and turning...

I would really suggest making a test dummy baby mannequin before the actual baby you intend to use.  The placement and amount of stuffing is not something I can explain, and my second baby looked much healthier than my first because I understood HOW it worked.

Anyway, when you get your baby stuffed and it looks like a turtle, don't worry!  It will actually look like a baby eventually!

 

Follow the needle sculpting directions and you'll end up with a cute, chubby little baby... or four, in my case!

She recommended a bunch of fancy stuff for painting the face, and I'm sure her finished product was much nicer than mine, but I stuck with straight up cheap-o acrylic paint from Walmart.  That stuff is eternal.  Especially when you accidentally get it on anything.  So make sure your work area and clothing are protected!  I kept my babies' faces simple- hair, closed eyes and mouth.  (I also painted an initial their right butt-cheek to avoid later baby confusion.)  When the paint was dry I used embroidery thread to add a bow to the tops of the girls heads.

Ok, stockings.  I will tell you straight up that felt would be a heck of a whole lot easier than flannel!  I was trying to avoid felt, since we already have several felt ornaments on our tree, so I went with flannel.  I sketched a rough stocking shape, making sure the it was large enough to allow 1/8" seam allowances and also fit a baby!  The top of the pattern measured about 2" across.

Whether you opt for felt or feel the need for some self-inflicted punishment and use flannel, you'll need to cut out two of the stockings.  For felt, you'll need one little rectangle for the contrast at the top. Apply to top of front stocking piece, then sew all three pieces together around the body of the stocking, leaving top open and VIOLA!!!  You are DONE!!!  (You see now that I am a glutton for punishment.)  For flannel, you'll need a square that you'll fold in half and sew to the top of the WRONG side of the front stocking body.

 

 

Fold the little cuff you've created over to the RIGHT side of the stocking front. 

Now line up the front and back pieces of the stocking and fold over the top of the stocking back to the inside to match the stocking front.  I used permanent fabric glue to just tack the thing down.  (Be sure to allow it to dry if you choose this option.  Your sewing machine won't like the glue!) 

Now put your two stocking pieces right sides together, sew 1/8" around body edges leaving top open.  You may want to clip tiny triangles out of your seam allowance in the toe of the stocking to let it lay nicely when you turn it, but it isn't completely necessary.  Then turn your stocking right side out. 

I used a heavy thread to make a loop at the corner for hanging.

Pull out that acrylic paint again and personalize!

 

 

And you're done!  My husband noted that this process would be MUCH easier if you never intended for the baby to come out.  All you'd have to make is the stocking and a little painted head, but that kind of defeats the purpose and charm!

The kids were so excited when they woke up this morning! 

They played with them for a good bit.  They also wondered why the babies don't have diapers, and I just gave them the look!  LOL  But I was very happy to cross a major project off my Christmas crafting list that's been there for literally YEARS, and add four cute new ornaments to our tree!

I *Heart* Homeschooling!

I actually haven't dropped off the face of the earth as some people have been insinuating lately!  Promise!  We're just into school full-swing, and let me tell ya!  That will eat up your time!  But the truth is that I love it.  It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job (in addition to being a mother) that I have ever had the priviledge of doing! 

 

 

 

My husband and I decided well before our children started arriving in rapid-fire succession that we would homeschool them all, and it is kind of scary how quickly those years before school went by.  This will be the fourth year we've been homeschooling.  It has changed over time, as I have been learning right along with my kids how to best guide them, praying all the time that God give me the wisdom and patience to teach them.  Now I think I'm fairly comfortable instructing.  With each new thing they master, I can't help but feel incredibly excited that I actually had a hand in their learning!  It's amazing!

 

This year was a bit of a suprise year because the little Fluffies are quite the little over-achievers and jumped on the learning band wagon so whole-heartedly that I felt it was best to go ahead and start them in first grade instead of spending another year doing Kindergarten level stuff like I had originally planned.  They've been doing fantastically and I couldn't be happier with their progress!

 

Fuzzy is into second grade and doesn't quite share his sisters' enthusiasm for learning or over-achievement, but he's doing well over-all, so I can't complain too much. 

 

With the heavier curriculum load for the three older ones, I was somewhat concerned about Little Stinky.  We do school in the morning, and he only naps in the afternoon...occasionally.  And he's busy.  He has a couple of little preschool books that I've let him work on, but the truth is, he is not quite there yet.  After browsing Pinterest and various blogs for ideas, I came up with several little learning activities that he could do while we're doing school.  I thought I'd share what I came up with just in case anyone else is kind of drawing a blank on what to do with their wild toddler while the rest of the kids are trying to do school!

 

 

This one was simply matching the colors and gaining familiarity with seeing their names spelled out.

 

 

Matching shapes.

 

 

These simple puzzles are still his favorites.  He loves the frog (but wants me to put it together).

 

 

 This one was for more precise matching of colors and patterns.  I was impressed that he did it so exactly like the examples!

 

 

Straws and pipe cleaners for motor skills.

 

 

My husband suggested this one, and it goes over quite well, though I try to encourage him NOT to set it while the other kids are doing school!

 

 

Learning how his name looks.

 

 

This is a color and simple pasting activity.  He had zero interest in it.  LOL

 

He gets a kick out of matching all these, and it takes a little time for him to go through the whole pile.

 



These I grabbed at Walmart for $1 each.  He LOVES stickers right now and has a blast with these ones!

 

Other things he loves are coloring books, Betty Lukens Bible felt quiet books that my mom made for the older ones years ago, and his own bin of basic Legos like Fuzzy's.  And puzzles.  Giant floor puzzles or little puzzles he can do on his desk make him really happy!  I have to do a little moderating for cleaning up and trading out activities, but as long as they keep swapping out, he isn't too terribly restless.  He did lose interest for a little while, but some new crayons and coloring books freshened it up and he's back into "doing school" with us again.