Crafty Christmas Countdown: 20

Two years ago I made a nativity set for my mother. It's a nice little set but was missing some pieces. With the addition of these figures it should be relatively complete.

 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 21

I tend to use thumbtacks more as decoration than to actually hold anything on my wall at work. I like the little festive touch this string of tacks adds to my work space.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 22

Today's craft wasn't one I intended to make. I bought a cheap string of white lights to replace a bad string I own that has flamingo shaped covers on the bulbs. As I got ready to move the covers over I realized I had the chance add some subtle Christmas decoration to my room. But I didn't want to use just plain white lights. So I cut some little star shapes from red and white cardboard, punched a hole in the center of each, and slipped them over the bulbs.
 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 23

Today's craft started with a pair of Christmas socks that I've owned for years. They were some of my favorites so I was pretty bummed when I realized that the sole was wearing out. I was resigned to the idea of relegating them to the rag bag when I realized that there was nothing wrong with the cuff. And sock cuffs make great sock puppet shirts. Or, in this case, sock ugly Christmas sweaters. Add in goofy eyes, a tacky red nose, and reindeer antlers and it's just the right level of Christmas tacky.

Crafty Christmas Countdown : 24

A couple of weeks ago, while trying to fall asleep, I had an idea. Why not count down to Christmas here on my blog by posting a different holiday craft every day? In the light of day I had to admit that the notion of producing 24 unique crafts in less than a months was a truly impractical idea. One might even say nutty. But I couldn't talk myself out of it. So we'll give it a try. To be clear, I'm using a pretty loose definition of crafts. And also of what makes something a Christmas craft. Take today's project for example. I've had this kit for making wind-up robots for quite some time. What makes these little guys Christmasy? Each one has a candy cane made out of pipe cleaners glued to it's side.

Book review - The Spell Thief

Title: The Spell Thief
Author: Tom Percival
Genre: fantasy
Similar Books: Moldylocks and the Three Beards by Noah Z. Jones
                     Operation Bunny by Sally Gardner
Rating:

Cute

Summary (provided by publisher): Join Red, Jack, Rapunzel, and Anansi in this fun fairy tale mash-up chapter book series!
Life for Jack is great: he's got a magical talking hen called Betsy, he lives in a town where stories literally grow on trees, and all his best friends live there with him. That is, until Anansi, the new kid in town arrives...
When Jack sees Anansi having a secret meeting with a troll, everything changes. Trolls mean trouble and Jack will stop at nothing to prove that Tale Town is in danger. Even if that means using stolen magic.

My opinion: There were times reading this book that I felt like I had missed something, like there was a story that preceeded it that I had not read. Nothing so vital as to prevent understanding the plot, just little gaps. Apart from that this is an easily understood and interesting take on familiar characters. I especially liked the inclusion of Anansi. Tricksters are great elements especially since traditionally they are neither hero nor villain. The plot is decent, though the moral is a little heavy-handed. A solid choice for kids beginning to read chapter books independently, especially as the text is supported with a healthy dose of illustrations.

More Information: The Spell Thief releases December 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Merciful Minerva!

A few years ago I painted some peg dolls for a craft fair. After the sale, I had a handful of dolls left. Given that there were just a few I though I would reuse them later. This weekend, on a whim, I painted this one. Wonder Woman turned out so well I may have to do a whole series of female superheroes.