it sometimes starts early

.. the Christmas vibe, when you have children. Excited children.

I already need to chill out from the enthusiasm, and do so by eating soup and knitting.



But some things are nice. We made this mega Christmas list of ideas. One per day until Christmas to be exact. Out on a walk we talked about all of the things we like doing around about now and when we came home I made up a big list, just because it's good to have ideas at the ready, even though I am not organised enough to plan for them, they are mostly things we can do anyway. On a regular day. If we fancy.



So far we went wild making a million paper snowflakes. The good thing about these are that no matter how you cut them they turn out great, every snip equals magical art when you unfold them. We found they looked best made from paper circles (draw around a plate). Even a three year old can be an amazing artist when it comes to snowflakes. And there was a more real looking snowstorm on the floor when it was all over.



Here's our list, so next year I can be easy and copy-paste:

1. Make a wreath for the door from the garden and hedgerow
2. Cut out paper snowflakes (done and double done, big tick here)
3. Make peppermint creams
4. Make Christmas crackers
5. Ditto, Christmas cards
6. Get a tree and decorate it
7. Make a Christmas cake or mince pies (gf)
8. Decorate cake w. marzipan (I seem to have children who love marzipan)
9. Pullout basket of Christmas stories and dig in
10. Make window stars (done)
11. Go and listen to Christmas carols and stories
12. See Esmé's nativity play
13. Listen to Christmas music at home
14. Make a Yule log, like this for the solstice
15. Go to the Christmas fair (food and craft)
16. Make paper chains
17. Ditto decorations for tree (sliced and dried blood oranges?)
18. Gingerbread, make, bake, decorate
19. Make Christmas village, all are in love with this one here, so wish me luck
20. Make some easy gifts (jam-done) chocolates, glitter play dough
21. Bring holly and mistletoe inside to decorate house
22. Make reindeer food ie, oats mixed w. glitter to sprinkle outside on Christmas Eve
23. Bake gf Stollen, or try
24. Read 'twas the night before...'



Amen. And phew, already.

friendly giant

just phew, and thank goodness

It fits. Goodbye pattern. I really knew how to kill that one. It died slowly. Over and over.



Not super girly like the other one, but as Isaac pointed out - it's even better because it's knit in the colours of Aston Villa football team! By god, he right. It's the exact colours. I can probably eBay this now to some manic fan. Or Esmé can go along with the boys to the matches. Grief. She likes it though, or at least consents to wear it, which is pretty much the same thing.

early walks

Early morning hill walk, becoming a favourite, the two youngest, myself and the dog. Felix is getting handy with my camera. Hence my rare inclusion in some shots :) I feel so happy to be just out and walking lately. Wind, rain, damp, I just don't care.



Having a dog means the kids don't even moan like they used to when I just wanted to walk for walkings sake. Because a dog speaks for it's self and it's need to be outdoors. They know it. And it's getting me out even on the rare times I just don't feel like. Because I always see something to make me feel glad to be alive. I think walking makes that happen. It's a blessing.



















Even if the beautiful thing happens to be one of my children. It's good to notice that too.

window star tutorial

Because we make these every year, and yet I still need to get my book out and remind myself of the technique. It's easier for kids and less frustrating if they are about 8-ish yrs before doing these (unless you happen to know they are a wizard with paper crafts).



Saying that, I made the massive rainbow easy one (above) together with Esmé, but really there was not much of it she could do alone (even tho she feels she made it all), and I think adult hands would be best be prepared to do a lot of helping otherwise. I had to cut all of the boys squares and rectangles; BORING they said about the measuring, not exactly the best way to start a project, hey, but also if the measurements are off, the stars just won't fit together. They liked the folding and gluing tho. Plus the finished result is so nice it makes you want to make just one more. In a different colour.



Under eights might find stained glass windows quicker and more fun. As I was photographing these, Esmé asked what I was doing, I told her and she said, well then! you should take pictures of what I am doing! She was making the easier 'windows' I set up for her so I could have a tiny ten minutes of peace folding these. So at the end of this window star tutorial is another on making a stained glass window. By Esmé.



Materials: For the stars you really need kite paper, which is a waxed tissue paper. Regular tissue paper won't cut the mustard; too thin and rip-able. Not stiff enough to hold it's shape while hanging up. I buy a little multicoloured book of kite paper here and it lasts several years. For the Esmé-easy stained glass windows you are free to use the tissue paper wily-nily as you please. Scissors, PVA glue and a pencil and ruler needed too for the stars.

There are two ways to make window stars - one starting out with a rectangular piece of paper, or the other, with a square. The rectangles are slightly more fiddly (and more rewarding to look at) prettier and have the shape within a shape look, the square ones are more basic and much easier. But still good. And dang, I wish someone would make a load of kite paper in the actual sizes needed for these window stars! Every frickin time you need a ruler and pencil to measure and cut with scissors. Ok, for one perhaps, but 10, 16 pieces? Kids are soon frustrated and also make errors. Perhaps in Steiner-land the involvement of measuring and scissors has some soul incarnating value but in the real world, at home, it'd be nice to have the pre cut sizes. So there. Make note Myriad.

For a rectangle the usual measurement is 4 inches by 3 inches and for the square , it is 3 by 3. I made the massive rainbow star above with Esmé, and we cut no paper just used whole square sheets as they came. Luxurious feeling since you use rather a lot but much easier an experience for smaller hands.

There are lots of variation in making stars, these are just two of my favourites.



Window Star 1:
Using - 8 rectangle pieces of kite paper, 4 by 3 inches

~Measure and cut your rectangles



~When you have a nice pile select one. Fold it in half lengthwise.



~Open it and then turn in all four corners to meet the crease you just made.



~Open up the bottom two corners and fold in the tiny corners to meet the newer crease, like so.



~Fold back over to the previous crease and stick down with a teeny tiny dot of PVA glue (really, use the smallest amount possible, you don't want to see the glue when you stick them to your window).





~Then, fold inwards the other top two corners, so the long sides meet the inner first crease.



~Glue these down and it will look like this: a mini kite





~Repeat the above 7 more times with your other bits of rectangle papers.



~Next glue the kite's on top of each other in an overlapping circle like this, using the lower quadrant to deposit glue.







Window Star 2:
Using 8 or 10* square pieces of kite paper, 3 by 3 inches each.
* 8 pieces for the super simple star, 10 for the slightly more detailed one. The simple one is the large rainbow and the smaller purple to the top left (made by Felix). The trickier star with 10 squares is the yellow as shown.



~Take a square and fold in half, diagonally.



~Reopen and fold the opposite two points down along the crease.





If you are making the easy 8 piece star, this is all you need to do, so glue down the flaps and repeat with all 8 pieces of paper. Then glue down each kite overlapping on the lower quarter to imitate this large rainbow star.



~Otherwise, for the 10 piece star, reopen the triangular flaps and fold the point inwards to the newer crease.



~Refold over and glue.





~Repeat for all ten pieces.



~Next separate your folded papers into piles of 5. You will be making two five point stars and then sticking one on top of the other.



~Stick five pieces of folded paper together, overlapping just a bit like this, try laying out first before gluing in place to get a sense of how it should look and if it fits.



~Repeat until two stars are complete.

~Finally, overlap one star with the other making a ten point star, glue together at various points, mainly just the centre.



~Done!



Esmé and the Stained glass window

Cut stiff card to window shape.



Glue over a sheet of white tissue paper (or even baking/greaseproof paper which is slightly stronger and holds up better to the glue onslaught to come).



Tear lots of coloured tissue paper up into random sized bits.



Spread a thin layer of PVA glue all over the white tissue/baking paper paper (THIN being the best description, holes all over the paper make for a floppy finished article, but a couple are workable, so don't fret).



Paste the tissue paper bits covering every bit of white, overlapping is good, but not so that there is an inch of tissue paper, Esmé tried that and we ended up with a window that just looked boarded up and desolate looking (but it's still hanging up cos' she liked it anyway).

Leave to dry turn around to pretty side and fix to window. Tad da!



Good home ed group activity for winter. There is also a book I sort of want now, called Magical Window Stars, I use Crafts Through The Year for mine so far, but this one looks like fun for the paper crafts enthusiast, er, like me. I am a bit of a block-colour purist, but Esmé forced me into making a few with mixed up random colour choices (hers). I think I like them better than any other :)