May your Holidays be warm and Merry! See you in the New Year with lots of new projects and crafty fun!

Always amazed

I was up early and really enjoying my crafting time when my oldest joined me and snuggled up in my knitting chair with my new copy of Betz White's new book, Warm Fuzzies instantly he was entranced by the topic of working with fulled-wool ( some people say felted, but fulled is the correct term to use when shrinking a piece of already knit fabric). Betz's new book is colorful and pure inspiration. Not every project is for the rank beginner but that means that there is something for everyone.

Each project in the book was ooo'd and ahhh'd over and soon enough cabinets were flung open and *fulled* sweaters were being gone through for project inspiration. ~ I saw my quite morning going down the tubes but that was OK since I love to see the kids really get into a project.~ * and yes I just happen to have a stash of already fulled sweaters on hand from many a thrift store trip, sue me :)
Number 3 son decided on making a new Christmas stocking from a very funky green Icelandic pattern sweater and by this time number 5 son had joined the act also deciding on a new stocking but his was to be out of a frosty pale blue sweater that had fulled up so thick that is was next to bullet proof! Older son planned, cut and sewed his stocking all by himself( picutre above) and little guy cut his own felt and planned out the stocking but I did the sewing since the fulled wool was so thick that I worried that it would break a needle.

Both boys picked bird themed embellishments for their stocking since we have spent the last 8 weeks watching birds, learning about birds and even putting in a mini-bird sanctuary in for front yard. So the choice of birds seemed like a very nice extension of our learning. Little guy showed that he knew his stuff when I asked about the stand out button that was chosen as one of the eggs in his little applique nest. He went on to tell me that it was a Cow Bird egg and the mama Cow Bird had left it there for the blue bird mommy to raise. If you know anything at all about Cowbirds you know that this is right on the money and a charming way to remind me that they are talking it all in as I talk to them each day.

Soon two very busy but productive hours had passed and each of the boys had a new stocking to hang on the mantel and I have a few more precious memories to file away under the heading "just one more reason we homeschool".

Balancing on a House of Cards

Tis the season and with it comes holiday cards. Like most I enjoy seeing the lovely holiday scenes and the warm wishes but after the holidays I feel a bit guilty and chagrined at having so many cards to dump/recycle. Not only does it feel wasteful but it also feels like I am throwing away memories. But if there is one thing my house does not need is a towering collection of holiday cards of years gone by. With that in mind I offer you this craft using old holiday cards and a 3 inch circle punch. It's a great way to save the memories by transforming them into something that is easy to store and that you can use each year.

Holiday PaperPunch Garland

Use this craft to spend some time talking with your kids about what the holidays means to you and your family. Punch out images of things that make you feel warm and loved and that bring to mind the ideas that your family holds dear. Punch out circles featuring candles and snow flakes, wise men and snow covered pine trees. Punch words and colors. Heck even punch that bare bottomed elf card from your crazy Aunt Sally. Punch in a wild or a precise manner but keep on punching till you have 30-50 "fronts" and a matching number of backs.

For the Garland you will need:

1) Card punched circles

2) Colored yarn long enough to make decent length garland -25 feet is a good start

3) Double stick tape/ scrapbooking tape/ glue dots. You can also use liquid or stick glue but that makes things MUCH more complicated and increases the wait time dramatically.

Take some time to match up your back and front circles so that they go well together, color and theme wise OR just go pot-luck. Either way it's going to look great!

Decide how close together you want your circles. I suggest a 1 inch space between each. This enables the garland to hang easily since it gives the circles room to tilt.

Take one circle/dot and apply your sticky stuff of choice to the WRONG side of the circle. Now lay the yarn along the center of the circle and sandwich the other dot on top of your now sticky dot with the yarn on it. The idea is to lock both the dots together with the yarn between them so that the dots DO NOT slide along the garland.

Keep going in this fashion until you are out of dots or in my case until your cat gets into the Christmas tree, eats some tinsel and comes to yack it up on the floor next to your chair. NOTHING spoils the holiday mood like "cat yack"

Now go hang up that work of beauty and see if you can identify who sent which card and what each circle means to the person who punched it out. If you do this craft each year for a few years running you will have plenty of garland to do even the biggest of trees! What a great way to remember all of those who have taken the time to send you a card!

When the holidays are over one of the best ways to store your garland is by wrapping it around a sheet of card board that is cut a bit smaller than a standard manila envelope. Wrap the garland around the cardboard as you wind it off the tree and then insert the wrapped board into the envelope for safe storage until next year.

Want to kick things up a notch and make this a full blown math lesson? If so check out this site. They are all about the Pi.

A Little Punchy

Over the next few weeks I hope to spend some time talking about how craft punches can be used effectively in the homeschool setting. Once the dominion of the scrapbooker and the card crafter today's punches lend themselves to many dynamic educational projects. I favor the Giga and giant sized punches but some of the small punches are also useful. The Giga sized punches come close to 3 inches in size and are more like die-cuts in their use. The exaggerated size makes them good for multiple projects and makes owning more than one style easy. Mind you this is not exactly altruistic on my part since each time I can come up with an effective multiple use for a new punch it totally justifies it's cost in my mind,bad Maddie!

There are multiple punch manufactures and styles of punches to be found and all have their advantages and disadvantages. In general staying away from the cheaper punches will save you a lot of heartache over the long run. But like most things this rule is meant to be broken on occasion. For a punch that I just "have" to have but has limited potential or is going to only be used for a special event I will often opt for a cheaper punch. This deal with the devil has worked on many occasions but more than once it has cost me not only money but time due to a failed project so it's you choice. I won't flog you with wet craft thread if you buy the cheap stuff but if you don't get clean cuts don't come looking in my direction for a shoulder to cry on since I might be in the other corner cursing my cheap impulse purchase and will be too busy to comfort you.

Let's just assume you took the high road and bought a quality punch, good for you! But now that you have shelled out the cash you will want to keep that nifty toy in good shape. Cutting a sheet of common kitchen wax paper every few punches will go a long way towards keeping the punch lubricated. Punching a couple of tin foil images with help keep the blades sharp. If things get more serious and your punch gets jammed try a little time-out in the freezer. One to two hours in the freezer will help the punch release since the metal will contract when it gets cold. If your problem is a small burr on the cutting surface go to your friendly hardware store and ask them for their finest size of crocus cloth. When they look at you like you have sprouted a second head just ask them where the sandpaper is then look for a very fine type of sandpaper used by mechanics or machinists for smoothing metal surfaces. Use this paper to sand away the burr and to keep the edges sharp. Avoid dropping your punches and try to store them in a dry area when possible.

If you are new to punches and ready to go shopping the selection will make you dizzy. Take my advice and start with the most basic of shapes in large sizes if you are wanting to use them in your homeschool. Yes, I know that the Scooby-doo punch it too cute for words but past the study of Great Danes or perhaps the history of cartoon television you are not going to get as much bang for your buck as you will with circles, squares, tag shapes and ovals. If you want to go a little wild look for a large simple leaf shape or a scalloped medallion to jazzed things up.

In future installments to this series we are going to be using a 3 inch circle punch for multiple projects.If there is only room for one punch on your shopping list that is the one to get. The going price seems to be $20 but it can be found for as little as $13 on some crafting websites. I purchased mine at Michael's Craft store with their weekly 40% off coupon. So got mine for the rockin nice price of $11. If I see any sales in the next few days I promise to post up information!

Today's embroidery is an infinitely do-able, kid friendly craft for children 6 and over. The image to the right is from the ever wonderful Hillary over at Wee Wonderfuls. Her work never fails to charm me and I am currently scheming on how many ways I can use her designs before the holidays. But what if you don't know one end of the needle from another?

Here is a great place to start. Kids Embroidery: Projects for Kids of all ages. Perfect for the beginning adult and the ambitious kid!