Paper Can Become Elegant For Christmas

Making an elegant centerpiece for your table, that you can paint a design on to match your Christmas table settings. Here I will show you how to make a elegant bowl to hold fruit, nuts or sweets.

This will also help recycle your old news papers.

The art of papier-m"ché is one of the cheapest and easiest crafts to do and can result in some stunning beautiful pieces. This can be fun and rewarding to see your own work as center of attraction.

There are two techniques of papier-m"ché. Pulping involves mixing pieces of paper with water and boiling them to a pulp and adding an adhesive this makes a clay like substance. This type is used for sculpting and is for the more advanced person.

The second type and most popular is layering, in which layers of torn news paper are pasted over each other onto a mould, this method is used for more delicate projects and is the type I recommend for beginners, and this is the one I will be sharing with you today for your elegant centerpiece.
Tip! Take the total of your Christmas expenses and divide it by the total amount of pays until next Christmas.

The materials you will need are.

News paper
Several sheets of waste plain paper
Flat bottom metal, china or plastic bowl for mould
Petroleum jelly
PVA glue
Scissors
Craft knife
Thin cardboard
Masking tape
White matt emulsion paint
Paint brush
Soft pencil and eraser
Colored gouache paints
Non-toxic watercolor varnish

What to do.

1.Tear news paper and plain paper into strips about 10cm to 15cm long and 2cm to 4cm wide.
Tip! Family Fun Cookies for Christmas: 50 recipes for You and Your Kids by Deanna F.

Smear a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the mould. Mix the PVA glue with a little water.

Dip strips of paper into glue mix and start pasting to mould. To ensure a consistent thickness, alternate layers of news paper with layers of plain paper.

Apply eight to ten layers of paper, leaving each one to dry before applying the next.

2.Trim around the top and bottom edges of the bowl with scissors. Gently insert a knife between the mould and the papier-m"ché shell, and separate the two.
Tip! Put in place a strategy that will help you survive Christmas with as little pain as possible.

Bind the top edge of bowl with more strips of glued paper. Cut a circle of cardboard to fit the base and secure this to the outside with masking tape.

Remove the bowl completely from the mould and cover the inside and outside with two more layers of glued paper strips.

Allow to dry completely.

Note: Apply glued strips at right angles on the last layer to keep the surface as smooth as possible.

3. Paint the bowl with two coats of white matt emulsion paint to give a neat strong surface leave to dry.

4. With a pencil lightly draw your design on the surface, then fill in with gouache paints and again leave to dry. When completely dry cover with two layers of clear varnish.
Tip! Prelit Christmas trees come ready decorated, so you can have your tree ready in a matter of minutes, without the need to spend time hanging decorations and untangling last year's light bulbs.

I painted mine in a deep red and painted gold stars just here and there for a Christmas theme and filled with assorted sweets hanging candy canes around the edge.

This technique can be applied to most moulds that have straight sides or even plates and trays.

Plates can make a very attractive wall hanging with a photo of your family or pets in the center.

Let your imagination go wild and most of all have fun, these projects are suitable also for supervised children, you can make wonderful piñatas for parties using balloons as moulds and when dry pop the balloon and cut a small hole in the top to fill with sweets then with tape stick the piece you cut out back and decorate with shredded tissue paper.
Tip! Keep track of all your Christmas spending. A good way of doing this is by carrying a small notebook and pencil and writing your purchases in it.

About the Author: Sandra Hedditch.

Sandra is a retired Primary School Craft Teacher, who excels in the fine art of crafts -And has just written an E-Book on a craft she invented look out for it at
Tip! Your Christmas wreath is made from Dunkin doughnuts.

…http://imagine-craft.com/index.php Who knows you may get inspired to make something yourself.

Scrapbooking Your Christmas Memories

Christmas memories are some of our fondest, most heartwarming ones. So of course we want to preserve them in our scrapbook albums. However, when the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us, we may forget to take particular photos or save certain memorabilia. To help you remember, below is a list of Christmas memories and keepsakes you'll want to capture in your scrapbook album.

Cutting Down the Tree For those who get their trees from a tree farm, cutting down the tree is a favorite Christmas activity. Take pictures of the tree before, during and after the cutting. Journal about who picked out the tree, where you got the tree and what the weather was like that day.

Trimming the Tree Whether your tree is real or artificial, trimming the tree is a special event. Take pictures of the tree in various stages of being decorated. Include people hanging their favorite ornaments, putting on the star or angel, and posing with the fully decorated and lit tree.

Deck the Halls In addition to the tree, you probably have lots of other Christmas decorations throughout the house. Take photos of the foyer, staircase, dining room or any other room you've spruced up for the holidays. If you have outdoor displays and lights, remember to take pictures of them, too.

Traditions We all have our own Christmas traditions such as baking cookies, going caroling, or hosting the neighborhood party. Make sure to capture these special traditions with photos. Keep in mind that journaling is especially important when it comes to traditions. For example, include your family's cookie recipe or some of the words from a favorite Christmas carol.

Letters to Santa/Christmas Lists If you have children who write Christmas lists and/or letters to Santa, make copies before mailing them so that they can be preserved in your scrapbook album. You, your children and your grandchildren will surely enjoy reading those letters together one day.
Tip! Celebrate -­ Christmas is time to celebrate YOU! Uplift yourself with memories of the joys you discovered and successes you achieved over the year. Spend moments in gratitude for these wonderful memories.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Here are some ideas of what to take pictures of on Christmas Eve: the family dinner; a gathering of family and friends; everyone dressed in their "Sunday best" for Christmas Eve mass; stockings hung by the chimney with care; snack/drink/note left for Santa and his reindeer. If Santa leaves the note behind, remember to save it for the scrapbook album.

Christmas Morning If you have young children Christmas morning can be quite chaotic, and it may not be easy to get certain shots. Some to try for are: the kids coming down the stairs and/or into the room with the tree; the tree before all the gifts go flying; the full stockings hanging by the fireplace; everyone with his/her favorite gift; the family breakfast.
Tip! Remember that Christmas is only one day a year. You don't have to spend a weeks worth of grocery money on one day.

Christmas Visiting Whether you're traveling over the river and through the woods or hosting at home, it's hard to get pictures of everyone you're celebrating with. Try for a whole group photo (if the group's not too big) or break it down into smaller groups: the grandparents with the grandchildren; the grandparents with their own children; the men/boys; the women/girls; three or more generations; a photo of each family. Remember to include everyone's name in your journaling.
Tip! You knitted your dog a Christmas cap and shirt.

Christmas Card and Newsletter Particularly if your Christmas card has a picture of your family or children on it, be sure to put it in your scrapbook album. You may also want to include any special cards you received - for example, a baby's first Christmas card from Grandma and Grandpa. And if you write an annual newsletter to send out with your Christmas cards, put a copy of the newsletter in your scrapbook album as well.

Christmas Portraits The holidays tend to be a time for formal/professional portraits: family portraits, portraits of the children, and the traditional picture with Santa. If you saved your children's letters to Santa, you can make a two-page spread of the letters along with the picture of the children on Santa's lap.
Tip! Anchor Steam Christmas Ale The Ale recipe is different every year as is the label! This ale's motto is to celebrate the newness of life. http://www.

Keep this Christmas list of scrapbooking ideas handy during the holiday season, and you'll be sure to capture those precious Christmas memories. Merry Christmas and Happy Scrapping!

Lisa Fleming is an avid scrapbooker and the owner of Scrapbook Town. Scrapbook Town is a scrapbooking website that has scrapbook supplies, ideas and information.

Christmas Crafts

Christmas is the most popular holiday for decorating your home. It's also the time to find and make Christmas crafts! While it is very easy to purchase ready made decorations and Christmas crafts, it is far more festive and fun to make your own special Christmas crafts!

Christmas crafts can be made from a variety of materials. If you like working with wood, you can cut out typical holiday designs, like snowmen, Christmas trees, or Santa figures and then spend some time painting to bring life to your Christmas crafts. There are many websites that offer free patterns to make these items, or you can print an image from your computer and use it to create your own pattern. If it's your first time working with wood as a Christmas craft, start out simply- cut out a rectangle and make a sign for your holiday guests! You could paint little trees or stars, and print out "May all your Christmas wishes come true!" or a similar saying.

If you'd like to really get into the holiday spirit, try your hand at making wreath Christmas crafts. Go to your local Christmas tree seller, and ask for tree branches that have fallen from the trees as people drag them to their cars. Often, you can get them for free. You'll want to browse the Christmas crafts section of a hobby store- and pick up festive ribbon; a deep red will look beautiful. Walk down the craft aisle that contains the silk flowers and pick out some small, red holly type flowers as well as babys breath. Alternatively, you could make your wreath Christmas crafts with real flowers.

To assemble your wreath Christmas crafts, bend a wire coat hanger into a circular shape. Using string or bread ties, start winding your Christmas tree clippings around the wire to form a circular shape out of the branches. Keep attaching the pieces to your wire coat hanger until you get a full, round wreath. Here is when making your own Christmas crafts becomes fun! Wrap your ribbon around your wreath decoratively, and move it around until you like it's positioning. Tie a fancy bow in the center. Then, using a hot glue gun, you can finish your wreath Christmas crafts by attaching pieces of babys breath and holly berries that you purchased from the craft store. Scatter them all around the wreath to create perfect Christmas crafts.

The holiday season is a festive time, and making your own Christmas crafts can really add to the special feeling of that time of year.

Warren and Karen have been involved in the internet for a number of years and run several websites. They are most interested in providing opportunities for people to connect with information relating to business, health and creativity. Check out their Christmas Crafts blog for more information.

Involving Your Baby In Christmas Celebrations

The Christmas holiday period is a time when, for millions of families, the daily routine is likely to change, sometimes drastically or sometimes just a little. If you have a new born, or very young, baby in the house, do not believe that they will not be aware of what's going on just because they are lazing around in their crib sleeping most of the time. They will be aware of differences in their environment, so it is a good idea to think about the well being of the baby in advance, and plan your Christmas period accordingly.

Probably the first sign that something different is going on in the home will be the Christmas decorations and ornaments going up. While the baby may seem oblivious to all commotion and activity as the decorations go up all around, there is a good chance that a baby who has lived in the house for a few months will be very aware of them, even if they cannot focus on the detail of the decorations themselves. This is a good time to get the baby involved in Christmas, right at the start, by letting them lie in the room being decorated while they are awake. Let them watch the rest of the family as they hang the Christmas tree decorations and lights, and all the other ornaments. Once in a while, take over an ornament that is bright and let her see it up close; find some that make a noise, and let her hear the gentle sounds up close. Nothing too noisy, of course, that will scare the baby, just the gentle sounds. Also, pick her up and take her up close to hanging ornaments. That will help the baby feel a part of what is going on, even if they do not have a clue what it is all about.

If your Christmas holiday is being spent at home, then the routine with the baby need not change too much. If you are expecting a lot of guests, though, then it may be rather different, so try not to forget to plan for the baby too. If you are getting caught up in a frenzy of cooking and other preparation in the days before Christmas, and on Christmas morning, then try to involve the baby just a bit, by allowing her to lie in the kitchen with you, or in whatever room the preparation may be going on. Remember, your baby will sense stress and anxiety in the parents, so it is best to allow plenty of time for your preparation so that you are not too rushed and stressed out.
Tip! Put in place a strategy that will give you a plan to enjoy your next Christmas. This plan will also run itself without you even thinking about it.

If the baby is used to having a lot of people around, then she will probably not be too disturbed by the sudden influx of visitors. Even then, remember she needs peaceful periods, and when she joins the throng while awake it is worth keeping an eye on whether she is becoming overwhelmed by too much boisterous attention, especially as the alcohol may flow later in the day, or sooner in some cases. Always remember, your baby just needs love, warmth, care, food and security, so as long as you remain conscious of those things at all times, then your baby can enjoy Christmas as much as you, even though she may not be able to tell you so.
Tip! You knitted your dog a Christmas cap and shirt.

If you are going away, then the routine upset will be greater, so it may not be quite so easy for baby or parents. Everything mentioned above for staying at home still applies, and the travel preparation should be no different than for an ordinary trip away. However, take extra care and ensure you have everything that you will need for the baby while travelling and away, listed well in advance and organised in plenty of time. Depending on where you live, there may not be shops open on Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve shopping may be a stressful nightmare for you and the baby. So, it is well worth getting yourself, and your baby's, things well organized in advance.
Tip! When you are doing your shopping use a calculator to make sure you stay within your Christmas budget.

Christmas should be a great time for you, your family and your baby. Much will be just as normal, but it is always worth remembering that she will be aware of anything that is different, whether in surroundings, tension levels, or sounds. If you are breastfeeding, you should be aware that what you eat and drink will provide her milk.

So long as you remain aware of those things, and act accordingly, your baby will be happy, and have a good grounding for getting more involved next Christmas.

This baby care article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Bouncing New Baby website. Ably assisted by his baby daughter, he is also responsible for the Baby Blog

Christmas Gifts for Dad - 2 Easy Projects for Children

Is Dad hard to buy Christmas gifts for? If adults have difficulty choosing holiday gifts for men, think of the problem it is for children. Here are four possibilities.

Fire Starters for Dad

Most dads have either a fireplace or barbeque and can use fire starters. Have the child pick up pine cones at the park or anywhere there are pine trees. Let them dry out. You can decorate them with a little glitter if you wish. Pile them up in an attractive basket or bucket, add a big ribbon and the gift is ready. It's also inexpensive!

If pine cones are not available, twigs will work fine for fire starters. Gather them in sheaves and tie them with ribbon. Stand them up in a basket or bucket. Add a big ribbon to the handle.

A third type of fire starter is made with adult help. Save up your cardboard egg cartons. Cut off the tops and recycle them. Get some cotton twine and thread it through the bottom of each section of the egg carton, tying a knot underneath so it does not pull through. Cut the twine at the height of the egg carton plus one inch. This is the wick. Melt paraffin (adults only) and pour it into each section, very carefully. Keep the wick upright. Sprinkle a little glitter on top. Let dry. When dad needs a fire starter, he cuts one or two sections, puts them in the fireplace under the wood and lights them.

Bird Feeders: A Project for Dad and His Kid To Share at Christmas

This gift is a project for Dad and his kid to do together. The Christmas gift for Dad is the materials for the bird feeders. You need: a few pine cones, the larger, the better. Yarn, a scissors, two butter knives, a jar of peanut butter, and bird seed are also needed. Decorate a box big enough to hold everything, with a lid. Put everything in the box, cover, and add a ribbon.

When Dad is ready to help his kid with the project, they use the butter knives to spread peanut butter on the tips of the pine cone sections. Sprinkle bird seed on top of the peanut butter. Use the scissors to cut the yarn and tie it to the pine cone to make a hanger. Hang your bird feeders outdoors.

These simple Christmas gifts for Dad should help solve the problem of what to buy him for Christmas!

To create your own personalized christmas stockings for dad, visit My Christmas Stockings.

This article was submitted by Jen Carter. Create your own free personalized santa letters, visit free printable letters from Santa.

Yule Logs for The Christmas Holidays

I realize it is July and here in Texas it is 100 plus degrees, but this is also the perfect time of the year to stay indoors and start making your gifts for Christmas.

One of my favorites and least expensive to make, is the Yule Log. I mass produced these at one time when I had a manufacturing company, years ago, but it is one of those items that never goes out of style.

I was fortunate enough to have access to 12 acres of woods with fallen trees, but if you are not this lucky, it is okay. You just need a fire wood log that has not been split. You want it to be round but stable enough that it will "sit" without rolling over. It should be about 12-18 inches in length and no more then 24 inches long. The diameter of the log should be about 4-6 inches. If you choose a larger log, you would want larger holes drilled for larger candles or maybe ever one large hole off-center for a three inch candle.

Once you locate the perfect log, you will need to drill 3 holes, 7/8" diameter, spaced equally apart. These holes are for your tapered candles that will be part of your decoration.

Now for the finish. You will need a hot glue gun and a box of old Christmas decorations. Christmas balls, 1 1/2 inches -2 inches in diameter or small one inch balls, greenery, old ornaments such as a miniature Santa or reindeer, or elves work nicely. Pine cones, which most of us have somewhere in Texas and other states as well, are great as part of the decoration as well. As a final touch, you will want to purchase #9 Christmas ribbon from your local craft shop. You will need approximately 4 yards of ribbon.
Tip! Wish Creation­ - Make wishes on the eve of Christmas. This is a special time as it is the night when the Star of Bethlehem magically appeared.

Once you have assembled all of your materials, the fun will begin. You will start by using your hot glue gun to lay your base of greenery on the log. Once you have glued the greenery, you will then hot glue your Christmas balls in groups of three, resembling "berries" maybe. Then you can add your theme decorations such as the Santa or elf. Finish it off with a bow, made from your ribbon, leaving enough of a tail to ripple and hot glue the length of your log. The last addition is your three tapered candles.
Tip! Scrooge & Marley Hazelnut Christmas AlemmDefinitely a unique name and blend for the holiday season! www.huberbrewery.

For smaller projects, you could use a shorter log and smaller taper candles, like the half inch diameter.

Once all decorations are in place and glued, you will want to complete this project with some spray glitter. This really makes the Yule Log look professionally created. This is a great project for kids and adults alike.
Tip! Your Christmas lights on your house are brighter than the sun, moon and stars.

Michele Graham-CEO and owner of Professional Healthcare Management has 41 years in the healthcare industry. She writes about business issues in all businesses and the healthcare field as well. She also owned a craft business for 16 years.

http://www.phmnetwork.com

http://www.craftmenagerie.blogspot.com

http://craftmenagerie.net

Make a Painted Christmas Card

Arts and crafts is a tool that provides you with unlimited creativity, patience, skill sets and a whole lot of fun. Many times, people don't know or they feel ignorant as how to make something decorative, creative and beautiful and as such there are different craft books available to guide you for making a particular craft.

If it is the much awaited Christmas time and you want to send some beautiful Christmas cards to your friends and relatives then why to purchase an expensive card from the market instead you can paint a Christmas card at your home that shall have a personal touch too.

To craft a painted Christmas card, you need to have a white blank card, green acrylic paint, gold liquid marker, gold glitter paint, silver glitter paint, calligraphy pen, black calligraphy ink, red calligraphy ink, water, paper towel, yellow marker, grey marker, red glitter paint, green glitter paint.

Steps to create a painted Christmas card:

1. First mix enough water with small amount of green acrylic paint to create a thin wash and thoroughly mix it.

2. Dip your brush in the wash and paint the front of the card in straight brush strokes. You have to cover the card with the wash as quickly as possible as so the stokes of your paint brush won't show and the card has a nice even coat of the wash being created. After you finish the wash you need to blot up the excess wash from the front of your card completely. Let your card dry and then place a new piece of paper towel over the card and place a heavy book on top of the card so that it dries flat. This is necessary so that it is flat before you draw on your design.
Tip! Put in place a strategy that will give you a plan to enjoy your next Christmas. This plan will also run itself without you even thinking about it.

3. Draw your design on the front of the card lightly with a pencil and then draw a faint line where you could writer your own words.

4. Once you are satisfied with the design, assign colors to each part and trace over these parts with the help of markers of the chosen colors. These colors should correspond with the paint colors that you shall use on the parts of the design later.
Tip! Take your Christmas Dinner budget and make a shopping list.

5. Trace over the thin lines that you drew for the words with the liquid gold marker. Let it dry and then test it by pressing a paper on the line and lift it carefully to check whether it had dried.

6. With the help of the red calligraphy pen write the words "Merry Christmas" on the gold line you have created. Practice on another sheet of paper if you feel necessary. You can also cover your words with a small piece of paper to blot it while you continue to decorate your card.
Tip! Scrooge & Marley Hazelnut Christmas AlemmDefinitely a unique name and blend for the holiday season! www.huberbrewery.

7. You can trace the design with glitter paint and then using the fine tip of the bottle or pen trace around the parts of the design in their respective colors such as yellow-gold, silver-silver, red-red, green-green. To spread the paint around the thinner than the lines created by the tips of the bottles or pens you are using just smear it with the help of a toothpick.

8. Next change the color of the calligraphy pen to black and write a message inside the card as well. Practice it on a separate piece of paper and then place a paper towel over the ink to blot so that it does not bleed to other side of the card before it dries. You can also let it dry standing up and open.
Tip! Movie Tickets - Suggestion : Get a pack of movie tickets that your loved ones can use even long after Christmas is over.

Olivia Andrews, writing for Craft Books is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, health, entertainment, music, gifts, crafts, travel, apparels and mobile phones.

Gift Ideas for Baby's First Christmas

Its baby's first Christmas! How exciting! It's a perfect time to start a tradition, like buying the little bundle of joy a special ornament for this holiday and every holiday to come, or you can just plain spoil them with lots of toys and fun-filled activities. Here are a handful of suggestions that will have them cooing with glee:

Piggy Bank: A piggy bank is a collectible gift that will be treasured for a lifetime. It's also a great way to start teaching a young child the fundamentals of money management. What better way to get good habits started early? Personalize it with the baby's name for an extra special touch.
Tip! Add up all your Christmas expenses including gifts, food and any other costs.

Classic Baby Toys: Encourage imagination and learning with a time-honored and tested baby toy. Some of the better choices include a Fisher Price Animal Sounds Farm, wooden ABC blocks, jack-in-the-box, shape sorter or an activity gym. Go to a toy store to find the largest assortment of classic baby toys.
Tip! Your Christmas wreath is made from Dunkin doughnuts.

Collectible Teddy Bear: Here's another option for launching a family tradition. Every year, buy the baby a collectible bear from a specialty teddy bear store. These are high quality crafted items that will be cherished for generations. They can also be found at your nearest gift store, or your favorite online shopping spot.

Baby Einstein Gifts: The entire Baby Einstein collection is loved by parents and babies, too. The theory behind Baby Einstein is to teach a baby basic ideas and concepts. Select from their award-winning videos, DVDs, books and music. Baby Einstein products can be ordered online or picked up at your favorite toy or department store.
Tip! Put in place a strategy that will give you a plan to enjoy your next Christmas. This plan will also run itself without you even thinking about it.

Music Cube: It's been proven that music stimulates the brain and encourages early learning skills. With the push of a button, a baby can compose and arrange musical scores and develop their creative mind. Your local toy store should carry several different types of music cubes, and of course many options can be found online as well.
Tip! Your Christmas lights on your house are brighter than the sun, moon and stars.

LeapFrog LeapStart Learning Table: This award-winning educational toy will introduce a child to letters, numbers, shapes and colors through a fully interactive musical experience. It's a learning adventure that is sure to delight any baby! They're available at toy stores and mass-merchandisers nationwide.

There isn't a magical tool for finding the perfect gift for a child. But if it is a gift from the heart it will surely bring magic.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. All Rights Reserved. This article is brought to you courtesy of The Home Gift Shopper - http://www.homegiftshopper.com - A wonderful online source for gifts and gift ideas.