Glitter Princess Wands

Ok so this one has nothing to do with Christmas, but Roo is in a big princess phase, and while shopping for Christmas craft supplies, we came across some awesome wands and I just couldn't say no. I'm a weakling- I know.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Pre-made foam wands from the $1 store
     - glitter glue
     - finger or acrylic paint
     - assortment of decorating choices (stickers, puffs, etc)

Now, if the store near you doesn't have these wands you can EASILY make them by cutting out a shape from foam and adding ribbons and a plastic dowel. This is a really hands off craft, even for my not-quite-2-year-old. I set her up with a little bit of paint, the wand, and some stickers and let her do her thing.

After she was done, I took the liberty of adding a glitter border to make the wands a little more "magical." Here is how they turned out:

Stamped Gift Tags

Roo is all about stamps. I blame Gymboree for giving her stamps after every class. Also, some of the links from the Christmas Paper Chain we made got torn off. I thought they would be perfect to make gift tags with a little sprucing up.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Scraps of paper, re-use if possible!
     - stamps and ink pad

We let Roo practice her stamping abilities on some other papers for a while, so she could get used to the little stamps we got for this project. There aren't too many pictures from this night because she was being a stinker! As you can see, more ink ended up on her face and hands than on the paper!

After she was done, I folded the papers in half, cut to size, and labeled the inside with "To" and "From."

Recycled Glitter Ornaments

After wrapping all the Christmas presents and cooking the dinner, we had a lot of ribbon spools and plastic lids left over. So we put them to good use!

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - left over lids or ribbon spools
     - spray paint primer
     - glitter glue
     - 4 4-6 inch ribbons

Before you being, punch/cut/drill a hole in any materials that don't already have one. Spray the spools and lids with paint primer and let dry completely. Let your toddler make their own creations with mixing colors and techniques using the glitter glue. Roo couldn't quite figure out how to draw with the glue so we switched to painting, which she did really well.

After the ornaments are covered, let dry. Add the string and hang.

After the ornaments are covered, let dry. Add the string and hang.

Thumbprint Christmas Lights

DAY THIRTEEN:

Super excited about this craft. This is something you can redo every year and see how your child grows!

What you need:
     - acrylic or finger paint (at least 4 colors)
     - sharpie
     - 1 baby thumb (if the rest of the kid is attached, that works too)
     - paper

Before you start, draw a squiggly line from one end of the paper to the other. This will be the strand for the lights. Put only a few drops of each color of paint in a shallow container. We used baby food lids and introduced only one color at a time to avoid mass chaos making a mess. Depending on how old your child is, they can do the next part on their own or you can help them. Dip your toddler's thumb or index finger in the paint and position the print just above the strand line. Do a few of each color.

Let the paint dry completely. For us, this turned into a perfect opportunity to make a family painting, using the rest of the paint. Roo hijacked all artistic attempts and we turned out with this masterpiece! 

After the paint has dried, ground the floating light bulbs to the strand. I added Roo's name, age, and the date so we can keep this as a memory :)

Foam and Glitter Ornaments

DAY TWELVE:

I know we have been making a lot of ornaments lately, but they are so fun and make great gifts! Not to mention the fact that before these crafts, I only had about 10 ornaments for our tiny little tree ;)

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 Sheet of Foam paper (or as much as you want to make)
     - glue and brush
     - glitter in variety of colors

Before you begin, Google a few ornament templates and choose your favorite. Transfer the template to your foam paper and cut them out. Put a hole punch on the top of each ornament. Loosely tape each shape to a paper bag.

Let your toddler paint on the glue. You want a good amount so the glitter can stick, and you can't take too long or the glue will dry.

Then let your little one shake the glitter like a polaroid picture crazy. Hopefully your floor won't be covered when you are done like mine was! You can do each one a different color, all multi-colored, or even create patterns if you have an older child. Roo's ended up all multi-colored, not surprisingly.

After you and your child are satisfied with them, take them outside and spray them with a clear adhesive. This will prevent the glitter from flaking off any time you touch or move them. Let them dry overnight. Loop a 5-6 inch ribbon through the hole punch and hang on the tree!

Stained Glass Ornaments

DAY ELEVEN:

Yes I am a day behind.. We had a very busy day Tuesday, so today we will do 2 crafts to catch up. Today's activity is something I spotted at the Dollar Store while I was hunting for Stocking Stuffers. Nothing beats a craft with no prep for only $1!

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 Stained glass ornament kit (from $1 store)
     - tape

Just a note, it took me about 20 minutes, 2 knives and a bandaid :( to open the stinkin' paint palette. Loosely tape each ornament to a paper bag to avoid slippage. What worked for us was opening only one color at a time. That way Roo could paint a little of each color on all the ornaments without mixing the colors and ending up with 8 brown ones. After each color, rinse the brush and color section with water to avoid "cross-contamination." Let dry overnight and string them.

Roo REALLY liked this craft. It really surprised me how she was actually painting one part on purpose (see above, top section of the ornament, stars on the sleigh, and the snowman's hat, etc.) instead of just painting everywhere. At one point she even said "Hands! Hands! Hat!" as she painted the snowman's 2 hands and hat. Proud mom moment!

Here is the final product. As you can see, you get what you pay for. This project is great for entertainment value, but don't expect to get a good result. We had so much fun with this, I didn't really care that the colors were so weak and cracked. Disclaimer: I did the Christmas tree (below) and it didn't turn out much better than Roo's! :)

Grocery Bag Wreath

DAY SEVEN:

This is a free craft, made from left over bits of other crafts we've done this week. There is always a way to reuse things from other projects, so never throw scraps away! I also have, like, 50 paper grocery bags stashed away, just waiting for a purpose. I adapted this craft to use paper bags instead of paper, and I love how it turned out.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 paper grocery bag
     - green construction paper cut into 1 inch squares (from Christmas Paper Chain)
     - red felt squares cut into 1/4 squares (from Felt Stocking)
     - 1 pipe cleaner (from Pipe Cleaner and Bead Candy Cane Ornaments)
     - tacky glue
     - paint brush

Before you begin, you need to make the bow for the wreath from the pipe cleaner. You also need to cut out the outline of the wreath from the grocery bag. To do this, trace a large dinner plate for the outer ring and a bowl inside for the middle ring. Cut out the area where the bowl was and the area outside where the plate was, so that you end up with an "O" shape. Also, keep one of the handles from the bag to use as the wreath hanger.

Now, set your child up with a bowl of green squares, a bowl of red squares, and a paint brush. I loosely taped the wreath outline to another grocery bag to prevent glue from ending up on the table. Apply the glue to the wreath and let your toddler spread it around with the paint brush. This was Roo's favorite part.

Then have her place the green squares around the wreath however she desires.

When the wreath is covered with green squares, dab a few dots of glue on top. Have your child place the red squares on the dots of glue.

To finish it off, glue on the bow and the handle (on the back side) and your craft is complete!

Felt Stocking

DAY SIX:

I originally wanted to do a Christmas Tree for Roo to decorate, but my store only had red felt sheets, so I had to work with it.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 Sheet red felt
     - 4-5 Cotton balls (left over from Cotton Ball Snowman)
     - mini pom balls, assorted colors
     - tacky glue

Before you start, cut out a stocking from the felt sheet. Pour some tacky glue on a plate. Instruct your toddler to "dip" the cotton balls and place on the stocking, lining the top. Then let her continue dipping and placing the mini poms on their  stocking as they desire.

Daddy even helped, too!

The final product!

VERDICT: I give this project an A+! It cost less than $1 for the supplies and there are countless ways to change it up- different shapes and different decorations. This makes it easy to adapt this to any holiday/season and you can use anything you have on hand to decorate!