When you find yourself unexpectedly babysitting, you dig into the memory banks and come up with a holiday craft to do with the kids. I made these wreaths from contact paper, construction paper, and sequins with a 5 year old and 2 year old.
And as a special treat for the 5 year old, we made this holiday puppy sock puppet while his sister napped.
We don't want to leave out our animal friends during the holiday season so I thought I'd make a dog toy. I've made simple tug ropes in the past but decided this time to make a wreath. This was done with a simple overhand knot around a central core of cord for strength.
These little ornaments were simple to make but I think all the better for their simplicity. I used a base layer of white paint on some precut ornaments and added decoration with paint markers.
I got this decoration for free last year because it was flawed. While I certainly didn't want to put it up as-is, I could see potential in it.
The first step was to pry off that bottom bar. I set that aside for use in a future project. While I was at it I pulled off the tree too. That left me with a nice surface to repaint. I find the red glitter too much, so I made it a more natural camper color. When I was satisfied with the overall look, I decorated it for Christmas with a little wreath and some red and green pennants.
It's December and that means it's time for my annual countdown to Christmas. We're starting small today with a simple trio of paper ornaments. I cut these shapes from scrapbook paper, added contrasting paper for the tops, and some interest with a bell in the center of each one. These ornaments could hang on the tree or would make nice wall decorations.
When I started listening to this book I expected to get the most entertainment from the stories collected from the Herriot novels. The humor and straightforward tone of the writing is soothing and engaging. I figured the connections to Alf Wight's life experience might add some interesting context but it would take a back seat to his tales. In reality, the book nicely blends the two. We get snippets of the books of course but always as a method of discussing Alf's real life and more importantly, the greater context of life in the Yorkshire Dales. Most interesting of all is the historical picture we gain from the assorted stories. Alf's career was poised at a turning point in science and medicine and we can see the changes as we read the stories. The narration of the audio is personable and reflects the accents we expect from Herriot stories. Even if you've read All Creatures Great and Small or the other books a dozen times before, this audio is a worth addition to your collection.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Have you ever tried punch needle? Its fairly easy to learn and you don't need much in the way of supplies. And there are some nice beginner kits on the market (I learned from this one). When I found myself in need of something do do with my hands last week I threw together this little balloon dog.
