10 GIFTS To Make with Your Kids
	DECEMBER 2003

by Lisa Schall
Photos by Brad Shifflett

The holiday season is upon us. It’s time to turn on some Holiday music, bake some cookies for the neighbors, make a cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkles on top, read your children’s favorite Christmas story, pop some corn, and cuddle up on the couch to watch the Grinch steal Christmas one more time.

All too often the holidays also become a time of stress, crowded with frantic shopping trips and anxious moments having to do with buying gifts.

You can preserve the quality of the Holiday experience for you and your children by involving them in creating gifts to give to the people on their shopping lists. The quality time you and your children spend creating these gifts might become incredibly valuable. We give ourselves in the things we make. When a grandparent, aunt, teacher, or parent receives such a gift, there is usually a special delight that transcends a store-bought gift.

When You Do These crafts
I have included the instructions and pictures to make ten of my favorite holiday crafts.

Children love to make things. Use my instructions as an outline, but let your children be creative. Remember, it’s not the end result in crafts, it is the process that is important.

Have fun with your kids. Ask them to whom they would like to give their gift. Help them wrap their gift; and let them choose the place under the tree where it should go.

See them light up when they watch someone open the gift that they have made.

The Spirit of Christmas Jar

• 1 bag Hershey’s Kisses
• 1 bag Hershey’s Hugs
• 1 decorative jar

The Spirit of Christmas is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, and gentleness. We get so busy this time of year, we sometimes forget what the holiday is all about. So, this year make your family a Spirit of Christmas Jar. Fill it with Hershey’s Kisses and Hugs.

When you catch someone living in the true spirit of Christmas offer him a treat from the Spirit of Christmas Jar. What a blessing it would be if you had to fill it more than once this Holiday Season.

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

• 1 pine cone, medium to large size
• 1 yard red or green ribbon cut into 2 pieces
• 1/2 cup peanut butter in a bowl
• 2 cups bird seed
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• Plastic knife or butter knife
• 1 zip-top gallon size baggie

Place the bird seed, sunflower seeds, and peanuts in a plastic bag and set it aside.
Parents, please be sure to check the pine cone to make sure there are no sharp prongs on it.

1. Using the plastic or butter knife, spread the peanut butter onto the prongs of the pine cone, coating it thoroughly.
2. Carefully place the pine cone into the baggie and zip it shut.
3. Gently shake the bag to completely cover the pine cone.
4. Take the pine cone out and tie the red ribbon around the base so that it will hang upside down from a branch.
5. Let the pine cone sit out a couple of days to set the mixture.
6. Wrap in cellophane and tie another ribbon into a bow to finish.

The birds will love this gift. I’ll bet someone on your children’s gift list will love it as well.

Crunchy Chunky Chocolate Cookie Mix

Dry Ingredients for jar:
• 1 quart size wide mouth canning jar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chunk semisweet morsels
• 1/2 cup dry roasted macadamia nut pieces
• 6 inch circle of cotton fabric
• 1 Holiday ribbon (18 inches long)
• 1 recipe card

1. Place ingredients in this order into jar:

• flour (be careful not to get flour on the sides of the jar)
• salt
• baking soda
• brown sugar packed down with a spoon
• white sugar
• chocolate chunks
• macadamia pieces
• This will be a tight fit, so gently push down with spoon.

2. Place canning jar lid on top.
3. Top with the circle of fabric.
4. Screw the canning jar lid ring in place over the fabric.
5. Tie ribbon around the lid and into a bow.
6. Attach the recipe card with the following directions:
1. In a large microwavable bowl melt 1 cup butter.
2. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. Carefully add all the ingredients from the jar.
4. Mix again. Drop generous teaspoons of cookie dough onto cookie sheet spaced well apart.
5. Bake in oven (375°) for approximately 8-10 minutes. This recipe makes about 40 cookies.

Our neighbor, a professional chef, tasted one of them and gave it his unqualified approval.

NOTE: Don’t forget to bake a batch for yourself.

Laurie’s Cinnamon/Sugar Sprinkles

• 1 glass spice jar
• 1 package Seasonal Rub-Ons by Home Accents
• 1 roll scotch tape
• 1 jar each green and red colored sugar

To decorate the jar:
1. Thoroughly wash and dry spice jar.
2. Cut out 1 Seasonal Rub-On.
3. Pull off protective backing and tape to outside of the jar so the picture shows.
4. Using the Popsicle stick provided, rub the entire Rub-On until when you gently lift the edge you see that the Rub-On is adhering to the jar.
5. Replace the backing sheet over the surface and rub with the Popsicle stick once more making sure all edges are smooth.
6. Fill jar with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

To make cinnamon/sugar mixture, mix:

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon red and green colored sugar

These sprinkles are great on toast, rice, and sprinkled on Holiday cookies. Yum!

Grandma’s Gift Tags

• old Holiday cards
• glitter
• decorative edged scissors
• glue
• hole punch
• regular scissors
• red or green Cotton Perle Thread or yarn

I can remember sitting at my parent’s table in my childhood home, making gift tags from last year’s Holiday cards. My mom would begin this special experience by bringing out the glue, scissors, yarn, and her old cards. We would sit for hours recycling cards into gift tags for our presents. This is a great way to use old cards, and it is fun to get them out and read them again.

This gift presents an opportunity to be creative and have fun.

1. Fold the cards.
2. Cut them out with decorative edged scissors or leave them whole it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is for you and your kids to have fun together!
3. Decorate with glitter, if you like.
4. Punch a hole in the corner.
5. Tie a piece of yarn through the hole.

Your tag is ready to use.

Artwork Mouse Pad

• your child’s favorite drawing
• 8 1/2 x 11 inch card stock
• colored markers
• 1 old mouse pad
• 1 3M spray adhesive
• 1 roll Clear Cover self adhesive roll (from craft store)
• 1 pencil
• scissors
• newspaper

to decorate it and make it look fresh and new.
1. Place the mouse pad on a piece of card stock (heavy weight paper).
2. Using your pencil draw an outline around the pad.
3. Ask your child to draw a picture with the markers. Remind him/her to stay within the lines.
4. When they are finished drawing, cut out the picture along the line. (This should be the same size as your mouse pad.)
5. (Parents only) Take your mouse pad to a well-ventilated area, cover area with newspaper, and spray a very light coat of 3M spray adhesive.
The mouse pad will be very sticky.
6. (Parents, you get one shot at this.) Very carefully place your child’s artwork evenly over the mouse pad. It will stick immediately!
7. Using the palm of your hand smoothly rub the surface to get out any bubbles.
8. Cut the Clear Cover so it is larger than the mouse pad.
9. Peel back the paper backing from the corner and center it on the mouse pad.
10. Again, smooth out any bubbles or lines with the palm
of your hand.
11. Cut away any excess Clear Cover.

Your personalized mouse pad is now ready to be given as a gift.

Liz’s Holiday Soaps

• Ivory soap bars
• old Holiday cards
• Sticky Dots Adhesive sheets
• Parowax (canning wax)
• disposable pie pan
• pot
• kitchen tongs
• Sparkles clear glitter paint
• sponge brush
• Holiday ribbon
• cellophane bags
• Saran Wrap

To prepare soap:
1. Unwrap bars.
2. Cut old Holiday cards, so they fit into the center of the soap.
3. Place cutout cards on the adhesive sheets and rub, then pull them off carefully. The adhesive dots will stick to the cards.
4. Lay the cards back on the soaps and gently rub.
5. (Parents only) Fill pot halfway with water, set on stove, and bring to a boil.
(The pie pan should fit on top of the pot without tipping, like in a double boiler. If the pot is too big you will have steam that can burn you. If the pot is too small the pie pan might spill the wax.)

NOTE: The wax will become very hot and dangerous so please use great caution and supervision.

6. Place 1 bar (there are 4 in a box) of paraffin wax in pie pan. Melt slowly over medium high heat.
7. When wax is completely melted, dip the soap into the wax using the kitchen tongs. The wax should cover the card with one dip. Do not coat the bottom of the soap, just the top. The wax will dry very quickly.
8. Let the kids help you wrap the soap in Saran Wrap or cellophane bags and tie a ribbon around them.

NOTE: Be sure to make an extra bar. Your kids will be very excited to take a bath tonight.

Potted Bulbs
This is a great gift for the gardener in your family.

• Spring blooming bulbs
• Potting soil
• 1 clay pot
• 1 clay saucer that fits upside down on top of the pot
• 1 spool 1 1/2 inch wide Holiday ribbon
• 1 Christmas ornament
• 1 to 3 pebbles to partially cover the drainage hole of the pot

1. Place pebbles in the bottom of the clay pot to partially cover the drainage hole.
2. This will keep the soil in the pot.
3. Fill the pot to one inch from the top with potting soil.
4. Depending on the size of the pot, cover 1 to 3 bulbs in the soil.
5. Turn clay saucer upside down so it forms a lid.
6. Wrap the pot with ribbon to keep it closed, and tie a bow.
I like to put a little ornament on top for decoration.

Spooly Snowman Ornament
This is a simple ornament to make with your kids.

• 1 7/8 inch washer
• 4 5/8 inch unfinished wooden spools
• Deco Art Americana Craft paint: Snow White, Lamp Black, and Cadmium Orange
• Glitter: Crystal Disco 1 1/2 ounces
• 6 inches of 1/4 inch red satin ribbon
• 2 toothpicks
• 1 sponge paint brush
• black yarn
• 12 inch thin wire scissors

1. Take 3 spools, and have the kids paint them white.
2. They paint the first coat, then you paint the second.
(Coat them completely.)
3. While the paint is wet, have your kids sprinkle with glitter.
4. Do this part over the sink or the trash can, otherwise your home will be sparkling for years.
5. Set them aside to dry.
6. Paint the last spool and the washer with the black paint.
7. Use two coats, and let dry.
8. While the last coat is wet, sprinkle the edge of the washer with a little glitter, to look like snow.
9. Take the toothpick and break off the tip; this will be
your paintbrush.
10. Dip the toothpick into the black paint and dab two
dots for eyes, and five dots for the mouth onto one of the glittered white spools.
11. Let dry completely.
12. Dip the other toothpick in orange paint to make his carrot nose.
13. Let dry.
14. Cut three lengths of black yarn 20 inches long.
15. Fold the yarn in half.
16. Take the thin wire, fold it in half, and thread it through the top of the snowman in this order:
• black spool
• black washer
• white snowman faced spool
• the other two white spools
17. Capture the yarn in the wire and pull it up through the spools, leaving 2 inches, for top of tassel.
18. Tie a knot in the yarn so that it does not slip back into the spools. There will be a long tail of yarn. This needs to be tied snugly at the base of the bottom spool, leaving approximately a 3 inch tail for the tassel bottom.
19. Tie the red ribbon around the second white spool for a scarf.
This little snowman is now ready to hang on any tree.

SnowMan Tea Light candle holder
This would be a fun gift to make for a teacher.

• 1 round votive candle holder
• Deco Art Americana Craft paints: Snow White, Lamp Black, and Cadmium Orange
• Glitter: Crystal Disco 1 1/2 ounces
• 1 tea light candle
• 2 Q-tips
• aluminum foil

1. Thoroughly wash and dry candle holder.
2. Pour out a quarter-size puddle of white paint onto a piece of foil.
3. Holding the candle holder in one hand and your child’s hand in the other, begin to paint a circle using your child’s pointer finger as a paintbrush. The circle should be 1 1/4 inch in diameter. This will be your snowman’s head.
4. Take the child’s finger and place dots of white paint all over the candle holder.
5. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle with the glitter.
Do this over the sink. (You will thank me later.)
6. Gently blow off any excess glitter.
(Children love to do this because the glitter flies
everywhere.)
7. Let paint dry completely. Pour a small puddle of both black and orange paint on foil.
8. Dip Q-tip in black and paint a line on top of his head for the hat brim, then a rectangle over that for his hat.
9. Let dry.
10. Use the other end of the Q-tip to make two round dots for eyes and five round dots for his mouth.
11. Let dry.
12. To make his nose, dip the other Q-tip into the orange paint, start in the center of his face and pull it out lifting up to a point.
13. When completely dry, place a tea light candle inside.

Lisa has a degree from SJSU in Creative Arts. She is a homemaker who has dedicated her life to applying the lessons and techniques she learned in college to pleasing and delighting her husband and her two children in their Brentwood home.