Materials

• Blank wooden ornaments (You can purchase these at craft, dollar or online stores)
• Paint pens (we like the Posca brand)
• Detail Pens (such as Microns)
• Ribbon or cord (some bank ornament sets include this)
• Pencil/eraser

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

1) Chose an artist that inspires you and recreate their style on an ornament.  Here are a few ideas that we tried:

• Georgia O’Keeffe
• Sonia Delaunay
• Henri Matisse
• Vincent Van Gogh
• Piet Mondrian
• Jackson Pollack
• Yayoi Kusuma
• Wassily Kandinsky
• Keith Haring
• Kenojuak Ashevak

2) Sketch your ideas in pencil and then trace them with paint pens and then add details with fine point pens such as Microns.

3) Attach a ribbon or some cord to be able to hang your ornament on your tree.  Inscribe the back of your ornament with your name, the artist’s name and the date and give it to a special friend, teacher or family member!

4) We’d love to see the artists that you chose if you do this project- please tag us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/make_it_your_own_/

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Purpose

• Recognizing the style of various artists.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Donations

1) In lieu of gifts, we give donations for the adults in our family and close friends.  These are organizations that are important to ourselves or the recipient.   However, we like to attach a handmade ornament to the donation card.  Here are a few we have made in the past:

Snow person: http://make-it-your-own.com/silvery-snow-snow-person-ornament/

Santa, Mrs. Claus & Elf Ornaments:

http://make-it-your-own.com/christmas-ornaments-santa-claus-mrs-claus-and-the-elves/ 

Clay Faces: http://make-it-your-own.com/clay-portrait-ornaments/

Shrink Art Ornaments: http://make-it-your-own.com/snow-globe-shrink-art-ornaments/

AND Our favourite handmade cards:

Snow People: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-make-your-own-snowperson/

Ornament Card: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-ornaments/

Snowy Forest: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-snowy-forest/

Candle Cards: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-candles/

2) We do give gifts to teachers and help Santa with the stockings of our family members so here are a few items we like to add:

• Plantiful: https://plantiful.ca/  I wear Plantiful’s lip butter every day (and night)- I just love it!  With their new compostable tube with 3 times the amount of lip butter in it, I pop in my coats, purse and have one beside my bed.  My kids like to have one by their bed and in their back packs for school too!  We love their vapour balm (I literally have it on while I am typing this), face masks, hand creams, pain remedies and make-up remover (so good for face paint).  I like that all their products are plant based.  My friends and the kids’ teachers can attest, that their products make lovely gifts!

• Justine Ma Designs: https://justinema.ca/ Since my kids just love making, I think it is always important to support makers and Justine is a favourite of our whole family!  She has beautiful, handmade ornaments, cards (which I am always giving my family members) and cake toppers.  If you look at Justine’s site, she participates in many events in her community, promotes and donates to initiatives and is a lovely friend!

• This year we are adding all sorts of re-useable items to our adult stockings such as metal straws, veggie bags, wax wraps etc.  My husband always likes consumables too- hot sauce, chocolate etc.  And my mom always taught us to include some practical items such as nail clippers, combs etc. as well.

• For teachers, if we know that they like something in particular, we try to align our gift ideas to that.  So for example, give bakers things to use in their kitchen, cook books etc.  Other gift ideas include:  stationary, throws, winter wear, candles, body care items, tea/ coffee, books gift cards etc.  We include a handmade piece of art, or an ornament, along with a personal note of appreciation.   We will also try to include a children’s book with an inscribed note.

Kid Gift and Stocking Ideas

We generally don’t give our kids tonnes of gifts as we travel for the holidays to visit family and try to focus on experiences such as lessons, activities etc.  However, we select one toy to share and help Santa with the stockings!  Here are a few ideas:

• Craft and art materials:  Our kids love things like paint pens (Posca), Paint Sticks (https://www.thepencilgrip.com/collections/kwik-stix-super-quick-drying-solid-tempera-paint-sticks), paint brushes and our new favourite place to order wooden craft materials for open-ended creating and crafts: Wood Pecker Crafts https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/

• Melanie Shanks: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/MyBigWorldPlayscapes Melanie makes beautiful, hand-sewn felt PLAYMATS and our kids just love playing with figurines (animals, fairies, sea creatures etc.), so these play mats are perfect for play in both your home or classroom.

• Adventures in a Box: https://www.adventure-in-a-box.com/shadow-puppets/ Liska and her family create these intricate, detailed SHADOW PUPPETS.  We have used them in groups, given them to friends and teachers and they have always been a hit!

• Pink NouNou Stuffies: https://www.pinknounou.com/shop_/ If your child would like a “lovie” to treasure, Ana’s creations are unique and designed by her.

• This year our children’s gift to share is going to be Connetix Magnet Tiles: https://connetixtiles.com/.  We have heard such great reviews about their magnet strength and can’t wait until they are available for order here in Canada!

• In the past our children have enjoyed Schleich figurines, Playmobil, various building items such as LEGO, forts and cardboard blocks.  They love items for dramatic play such as puppets and costumes as well.  Board games have also been a hit as they have grown.  If you want age specific toy recommendations the developmental information behind those selections Toy Ideas is a good site: https://www.toy-ideas.com/

• This year the cousins are getting a Building Kit from us or

• A Gingerbread Kit  (video coming out soon)

Books

We just love Children’s picture books and novels and here are a few of our favourite sites for book recommendations:  (we give our neighbours books if they have children and treats/ hot chocolate/ tea if they don’t)

• Innovation Press: https://www.theinnovationpress.com/our-books I like that the Innovation Press illuminates the careers and contributions of women to STEM related fields.  Here are some of their newest titles that we have been reading:

• My Colour is Rainbow: https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/my-color-is-rainbow-a-playful-children-s-book-on-kindness-love-and-acceptance-shop/:  The kids sure enjoyed this book and if you are familiar with Agnes and her family, they support lots of Kindness initiatives!

• Happily Ever Elephants: https://happilyeverelephants.com/ Lauren has good, thoughtful book suggestions with titles that lend to discussion and debate!

• Here Wee Read: http://hereweeread.com/ This is such a great site for diverse titles which is something that I always tried to focus on as teacher and in our family in expanding our library.

• Kid Art Lit: https://www.kidartlit.com/  Megan and Julia have created a subscription box that combines their love of Children’s picture books and art, delivered right to your door!

Project Books:

These make lovely gifts for little friends with a few supplies in a basket, along with the book.  Here are a few that we have enjoyed lately:

• Babble Dabble Do’s The Bot Book : https://babbledabbledo.com/the-bot-book/ If you have a child who enjoys STEAM or you would like to get them into more of it, this is a great book for creating!

• Best Ideas for Kids: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/ . Kim’s new book is all about recyclables which is great for the earth and I know my kids are always using the recycling bin as place to get inspiration!

• Red Ted Art Paper Project Book: https://www.redtedart.com/my-new-paper-crafts-for-kids-book/ . This book is great in that it uses one material that we all have on hand in so many unique ways!

• Sticks and Stones Outdoor Activity Book: https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/outdoor-activity-book/  We love collecting nature- sticks, rocks, acorns and pinecones and this book of Melissa’s is great for showing your projects that you can make with those nature finds!

• Color Made Happy Rock Painting Book: https://colormadehappy.com/  Our youngest just loves rocks and so we are often creating with them.  Sam’s book had the best recommendations for supplies to use and potential ideas for projects!  We truly feel like it took the kids’ rock creations to the next level!

We’d love to hear your holiday gift recommendations!  We hope you have a most wonderful one, with the greatest gift- the warmth of family & friends! 

Materials

• Blank Advent Calendar https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/search.php?search_query=advent%20&section=product

• Peg Dolls (https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/peg-doll-people/)
• Paint Pens (we like the Posca brand)
• Detail pens (we like the Micron brand)
• Clear sheet (we used an overhead projector sheet from my teaching days)
• Pencil/ eraser
• Double sided tape
• Glue
• Snowflake Numbers Template *Circles are 1 inch in case you want to use a punch*
• Thick paper
• Paint

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Paint your background.  For the square style Advent calendar the box portion is 22.5 cm by 22.5 cm.  We just made a simple sky with a whispy cloud in it.

• Add some layers to your scene to create the appearance of depth.  We made a snowy hill and added some beads behind it so it would “stick out” from the background.

• We made our snow person out of beads, a button and some chenille stems.  Add details with a paint pen.

• Create your peg people.  We used pencil and an eraser to sketch out some ideas, traced and coloured them in with paint pen and then went over the edges with a detail pen.

• We created the snow using an old overhead sheet (your mom or dad might have a few of these in their office from days gone by!) or you could cut out the window portion of  toy packaging etc.., adding a little bit of snow at the bottom of the sheet.

• Print your numbered snowflake template and cut it out or punch it with a 1 inch punch.   Glue each circle onto the boxes.

• Add some items to your boxes.  Some ideas might include: Notes of kind acts to do together, 1 piece of a puzzle (to complete the whole thing over the month), pieces of a set of LEGO or Playmobil to assemble over December, notes for a book to read each night, or notes of different types of food to add to a box each day for the Food Bank.

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Purpose

• Celebrating various traditions related to seasonal activities.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Clear holiday Christmas baubles (these come in both glass and plastic- chose which one is best for the age of your child)
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Egg cartons
• Scissors
• Pom poms
• Ribbon
• Paint Pens (our favourite brand is Posca)
• Needle with a large eye

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

Elves

• Carefully take the top off of your ornament and squirt in your paint to match the skin tone of your choice for Santa and your elves.  Replace the top.  Rotate the ball to get coverage of the interior of the bauble.  Leave the top off your ornament to allow for drying and then carefully put it back on.  You may need a little adult help for this.

• Cut off the peak of an egg carton.  This will make the elf’s hat!  You may need an adult’s help for this and good scissors make a significant difference.  Make sure to trim the edges and have an adult help you poke a hole in the top if there isn’t already one in your peak.  Paint this and allow it to dry.

• Out of the top/ flat portion of your egg carton, cut out a pair of elf ears, based on the size of your bauble. Paint them the same skin tone that you chose for your elf.  We did both sides.

• Draw the face of your elf with paint pens.  (Be sure to pick sides that do not have the seams of your ball)  You could always embellish this if you like with googly eyes and/or pom poms for the cheeks etc.

• Glue your ears onto the sides of your elf’s face.  We used the seams to help us figure out where to put them.

• Loop your thin ribbon or embroidery floss through the loop of your ornament, then thread it through a needle with a larger eye.  Then put this through the egg carton peak (as seen in the video), through your pom pom (you could substitute a bead if you have those on hand) and then make a knot.  Create a loop with your excess ribbon, knot it and then trim it.

Santa 

• Glue some mini pom poms around Santa’s mouth and as trim on his beard.

Mrs. Claus 

• Use the egg cup portion of the carton and paint it white.  You can use this as a hat or as bun for Mrs. Claus, trimming it with pom poms!  You could add any number of details to personalize your ornament, like our daughter did, with the earrings.  We’d love to see your variations of the ornaments- please tag us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/make_it_your_own_/

Give your ornaments to a friend or hang them on your tree!  (Be sure to write your name and the date on the bottom)

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Purpose

• Recognizing characters that are significant to holiday traditions.
• Re-purposing recyclables for creating.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Small items such as pom poms and beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Model Magic (we often get this when it is on sale at Michaels, but you can order it online too)
• Clay tools or old utensils (butter knives, scissors etc.)
• Clay board, craft tray or table cloth
• Canvas or thick paper
• Light blue paint
• White/ craft glue
• Shaving cream (as this uses compressed air to be used with direct, adult supervision)
• Spoon
• Old gift card or small rectangle of cardboard

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Paint your canvas with a thin layer of  blue paint.  Don’t forget to cover the sides for a finished look.  Allow to dry.

• Create yourself out of Model Magic.  We suggest you use a clay board or something to protect your surface.  Think about what you would be wearing in the winter and from the perspective of laying down.  Allow yourself to to dry.  (You can turn your knife sideways and slide it under your creation to gently remove it from your board.)

• Once you are dry, create your puffy paint with equal parts shaving cream and glue, mixing gently with a spoon.

• Spread it onto your canvas and then using your gift card, scrape off the paint where your arms and legs would make your snow angel.

• Gently lay yourself in the wet puffy paint.  You may need a bit of adult help with the last two steps!

• Allow to dry overnight and hang up your snowy, winter art piece!

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Purpose

• Experimenting with different types of creating materials.
• Manipulating different types of clay/ dough to create a figure or image.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use tools and the shaving cream with care and direct, adult supervision.  Follow the product directions for storage etc.

Materials

• Drawer organizer
• Small items to create with (wooden pieces, beads, caps).  Our new favourite place for these types of items is Woodpeckers: https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/
• Glue
• Popsicle sticks
• Patterned paper (you could use origami, re-use a paper chopping bag or sometimes wedding invitation places have off cuts for re-use)
• Scissors

Deluxe version

• Hinge set
• Faux leather strip

Shrink Art Person 

• Shrink Art
• Permanent markers OR pencil crayons/ sandpaper
• Popsicle stick
• Two button magnets
• Glue gun/ glue

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

Mini House 

• If you like, glue patterned paper onto the sections of your home, to serve as wall paper.  You could create the paper yourself, use old artwork or origami, re-used paper bags or off cuts from a wedding invitation place work well.   Alternatively, you could paint or colour each square in as well.

• Use your imagination and little bits to create items that you might find in your mini home- furniture, appliances, art work etc. Create a little house of your dreams. You can find lots of these wooden items at our new favourite spot to order from- Woodpeckers: https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/

Shrink Art Person

• Draw yourself on your shrink art.  You could use either permanent markers or scuff the shrink art paper with sandpaper and then use pencil crayons.  We find if you outline your character in black, it really makes you pop!   Carefully cut yourself out and place yourself on a cookie sheet.

• Follow the product directions with an adult directly supervising as to how to “cook ” the shrink art.

• Once cooled, glue yourself into the centre of one of your button magnets.

• On your popsicle stick glue your other button magnet, making sure it is flipped to the side that will attract to the magnet on the bottom of your shrink art!

Deluxe version 

• Take 2 drawer organizers and attach them together with a hinge  (we just glued ours on).

• Create a loop to hold it together using a piece of faux leather (from the craft store) and a bead.  (Have an adult make the slit in the leather piece and glue the bead onto the wood).

• You can create a small carrying handle with your leather strip too.

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Purpose

• Changing scale.
• Using one’s imagination.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills, especially handling and manipulating small objects.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Foam wreath form
• Toothpicks (you can cut the sharp ends off if you wish or use with direct, adult supervision)
• Coffee filters
• Liquid watercolour paints or food colouring
• Beads (you can paint wood beads or use coloured beads)
• Glue gun/ glue
• Paint brush
• Cooling rack

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Paint your coffee filters and allow them to dry.  We used a cooling rack to speed up the process, making red for the petals and green for the leaves.

• Paint your wooden beads.  We used a BBQ skewer with the sharp end cut off inserted into floral foam and painted the beads in a vertical fashion.   Allow to dry.

• Glue a bead onto the top of your skewer to form the centre of your poppy.  We put a smaller bead on top to cover the hole/ glue.

• We then layered the filters with reds on the top and greens underneath to form a poppy flower.

• Insert the end of your toothpick into your layers of coffee filters.  You may need an adult to help you with this step.  Be sure not to do too many at once and not to poke yourself.

• Once you have your flower complete,  insert it into your foam and repeat until your wreath is complete.  Hang it on your door!

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Purpose

• Recognizing symbols associated various cultural events.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use toothpicks with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Light coloured pumpkin
• Confetti dots
• Glue
• Metal bucket
• Permanent marker or black paint
• Small popsicle stick
• Bead
• Foam brush
• Glue

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Purchase inexpensive tissue paper confetti dots at a party store, dollar store or online.

• Glue your confetti dots onto your pumpkin and allow them to dry.

• If you like, carefully and gently cover them with an additional, thin layer of glue. Allow to dry.

• Purchase an inexpensive tin bucket from a craft or dollar store.  Have an adult remove the handle if you like.  Flip it upside down.  Draw a chute for the gumballs to come out of and a slot for the coins.

• Glue a small popsicle stick and a bead on top for the gumball machine handle.

• Put your pumpkin on top of your bucket.  Glue it down if need be.

• Display your pumpkin for Halloween!

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Purpose

• Celebrating various holidays!

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.