Puffy Snow Guys.

Here are the burlap snow guys "all puffed up!" 
These were for a Silent Auction at our church event last night. I kept them neutral so they aren't just for Christmas. It's fun to have a few snow guys hanging around in January after all the Christmas decorations come down.

Popular Guy.

This guy was inspired by Pinterest.

We had our event and this was one of the biggest hits. I tweaked the Pinterest inspiration a bit. I used one of the paper lanterns for the head. I bought one a bit larger than the Dollar Tree ones because this tree was 6.5 feet tall. It was still less than $2.00. Our event was called "Candy Cane Lane" so I wanted to use two of the lighted candy canes from Wal Mart as arms. The one I saw on Pinterest didn't have arms but I wanted these. We just used cable ties to hold them in place and plugged the lights into the ones on the tree. The Candy Canes were less than $3.00 each. The scarf is a scrap of red and white striped cotton fabric - not even 1/4 yard if you have to buy some. The "buttons" are die cut peppermint candy mints from the school supply store. A vinyl table cloth with candy canes and peppermints on it is the tree "skirt". I had originally planned a white sheet as the skirt but I saw this one for $4.88 and it fit the theme. I had the plastic top hat - leftover from a Hollywood party but  it was originally from Oriental Trading. If you have the tree it is very inexpensive to create this. Wal Mart has 6.5 foot white unlit trees for $40.00. The funny thing is that they sold out immediately and I  think it's because of the snowman tree being all over Pinterest. And I think Pinterest rocks.  

"It's Snowing Men!!"

Remember this lantern idea from an earlier post?? Well, I've been making lots and lots of snowmen for the event this Friday and they were so cute all piled up. They're even cuter when they are all lit up!

I'm also painting some burlap door hanger snowmen for Friday as well. I'll try to post pics when they are all finished and puffy!

Yes, they have polka dotted noses :)

It did actually flurry in Atlanta this week - crazy. It'll be 70 by the weekend. That's our weather - you never know?! I always like snowman art projects though. I love their graphic quality and the high contrast and the fun colors you can add to all that black and white. Or maybe I just like that they are painted and I'm not really in freezing temps with tons of snow!! I'm a warm weather girl all the way!!! (Although, I must admit there are ski plans for Christmas Break, BRRRR!)

Charlie Brown Christmas!!

Tonight at church the kiddos watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special - sweet message by Linus at the end- and then we made Charlie Brown Christmas trees. This is such an easy project and it costs next to nothing if you are looking for a project for a lot of children this Christmas season. I did this with College Girl's classmates when they were in

 elementary school. This project goes way back with us :)

You need some type of clay or playdough to hold the tree upright. I used this because it was leftover from another project. Use whatever is cheapest- it doesn't show. It's just a way to hold the tree in place. The tree is a scraggly clipping from the Christmas tree lot. They will give these to you.

You simply put a blob of clay in the center of a small paper plate ( this one is a dessert size for reference) or a square of cardboard and stick the clipping in. I bought the small red plastic ornaments and wire ornament hangers at Wal Mart but Dollar Tree had some as well. The ornaments  were actually 10 cents each ( 30 for $2.97) and a small square of blue fabric to represent Linus' blanket. I didn't have a single scrap of blue fabric anywhere to be found so I had to buy some. Since I hadn't spent anything for this project I splurged on blue flannel just like the blanket :) but any light blue cotton would look like the blanket.

Run, Run Rudolph!!!

It doesn't get any cuter than this...  This was our last Afterschool Art Camp of the year and we had so much fun. We sang Christmas songs - with gusto, I might add - and created these great holiday artworks. These are keepers for years to come!!

So much personality in such a simple project. I had some 8x10 Dick Blick canvasses left from an earlier camp. They already had two holes punched in the top. I added 4 to the bottom edge with my Crop-a-Dile. Don't have one yet?? Seriously, I love that thing. I use it constantly. Get one and you'll be looking for things to punch holes in.

We painted the bottom half brown and the top half is a deep "turquoisey" blue.  Rudolph's head is a small oval plaque from Hobby Lobby. The 99 cent size purchased at half price. The legs are jumbo craft sticks painted brown. The antlers are repurposed puzzle pieces painted black. We used red bottle caps or pom poms for the nose and wiggley eyes.

We added a sparkly red or silver pipe cleaner for the hanger and a strip of torn red and white striped fabric for the scarf. We painted dots of white for snow. ( We are in the deep South. When I explained that we were painting the white dots on the deep blue sky to look like a snowy sky behind Rudolph one child said, "Oh now I get it. I wondered about the polka dots. I never thought of it snowing on Rudolph!!"  It can be very warm on Christmas Day here. Last year Atlanta had a shockingly white Christmas. We were in Hawaii in shorts and bathing suits but friends sent us pictures via their phones. I'll take HI and the 70's in December anyday!! )

A couple of tan spots on his back made with the previously mentionned Spouncers and he is almost ready to run!! The fun part?? We attached the legs to the canvas with silver index card or notebook rings from the office supply. It makes him wiggly and super cute!

Seriously, how could you not be in the Christmas Spirit when this guy is hanging around?? They just make me smile!

**For a very low budget, practically free version of this use an 8x10 scrap of cardboard or matboard instead of the canvas, a plastic lid, like a peanut can, or a circle of cardboard for the head, tie the legs on with yarn or pipe cleaners. The bottle caps are free if you choose that for the nose or pom poms are so inexpensive. Everyone has a puzzle with a missing piece or the Dollar Tree always has puzzles. It would still be super cute- just a little more prep.

Fifteen Minute Nativity!!

That's what my friend K asked for and she needs it now!! We do this every year with the 4's and 5's and it has become a tradition. Moms tell me they have each child's little Nativity lined up on the mantel. This is simple, quick and inexpensive. They are so cute when little fingers make them and I'll try to remember to post pictures of their work after we do them the first week in December but... my friend needed the info now!


I use Crayola Model Magic in white - love.love.love this stuff!! You also need small foam stars and a small chipboard box plus a couple of toothpicks and some snips of raffia. I buy my chipboard boxes at Hobby Lobby when they are 40 to 50 % off and they are usually 99 cents full price. This year we are lucky enough to have free, repurposed little boxes for all 70 children!! I'm sure there are some great recyclables you could use if you are doing just a few. One year I used Altoids boxes and spray painted them but I like the rustic look of the cardboard. You could also tear a little square of cardboard and glue the figures to it, punch a hole in the top and turn it into an ornament.

You simply pinch off a piece of Crayola Model Magic ( again, no kickback, no free product - it's just perfect for this project because it is so soft and sticks together so easily) and roll 3 small balls and 3 short fat snakes. Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus in the making.

I use a small, flat piece for Joseph's beard and Mary's head dress.

We push a small toothpick section into the head and body to hold them together. It slides right in and doesn't need to be but about a 1/2 inch long. Then you simply push Joseph and Mary together gently. Then place Baby Jesus across the Holy parents. That's it!! They stick together.
 ( if you have time you can make a small gold wire halo for Baby Jesus .) I use the end of a toothpick to give them eyes and a mouth - simple, sweet faces.

Put a small circle of glue in the bottom of your box and sprinkle with raffia. Add the

Holy Family.

Put the star inside the lid.

The last step is placing a sticker on the lid of the box with the Bible verse from Luke on it.

And you have a sweet little Nativity in no time at all.  It's easy for the children because even the little ones are used to rolling clay or playdough, it sticks together so easily, it's very few steps and all children love things in little boxes. We wanted a Nativity that the children could really do themselves!

I have several more Nativity ideas that I will post soon!!

Sand Painting

Everyone loved Sand Painting!

 We looked at pictures of Native American Sand Paintings - they are intricate and amazing but use lots of basic, geometric shapes to create the paintings. So we did the same thing ( on a simpler scale!)

I always have them sand paint on sand paper. It adds an element of fun and is different from other surfaces we usually use.

This is what makes sand painting controllable for me and keeps the school janitor from coming after me!! I put the colored sand in containers that are large enough to put the whole piece of sandpaper down in it. I put the containers on large trays and put them on a table that is low enough that the child can easily reach into the containers.

                    We used tracers of basic geometric shapes to create pictures of our homes. We drew the outlines with black crayon.

 

Then we painted a shape with glue and went to the sand table to sprinkle the color of sand we wanted on our wet glue. It is so fun to watch their faces as they shake off the pile of sand and their pictures start to emerge. This is the hardest part for my 4 year olds- you can only put glue on one shape at a time or the sand sticks to the whole picture. So it's a fun process to participate in. Paint with glue, spread sand, shake it off and go back to the glue table and do another shape. You get to get up and go to different tables for the different steps in the process.

They turned out great!! They have a unique textural quality and the colors are nice. You can color your own sand if you want but a friend bought 20 bottles on clearance this Summer for just a $1.00 each so I am set. It is inexpensive and comes in tons of great colors at

 Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

They are a little curly right now because they are still drying and we used a lot,

 I mean a lot, of glue.

** a huge bonus to this project in a classroom setting is that boys really like this project as much as the girls.