Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Craft 1: Yarn Balloon Ornament




Yarn Balloon Ornament

What You'll Need
Balloons
Yarn (3 Yards)
Glue


Instructions
1. Blow up a balloon to about the size of your fist. Keep in mind that whatever size you inflate your balloon will be the size of your ornament.




2. Tie a piece of yarn on the end of your balloon. This will not be for the purpose of hanging your ornament; it will act as a hanger for your balloon while the ornament is drying. (You'll see.)


3. Dilute some glue so you can coat yarn with it easily. That's right... get your fingers in there! Put all of your 3 yards of yarn in the glue and coat it evenly. It is not necessary for the glue to be sopping... just well coated. In fact, you may want to wring some excess glue off of the yarn so that it does not drip glue everywhere.


4. Wrap the yarn around the balloon in an even but irregular pattern. You want the yarn to cover parts of the entire balloon so that it will have a good support when the balloon is removed. (See picture.)


5. Let the yarn-clad balloon dry. It will take several hours depending on how much glue is used. It's best to hang it from an area where it can dangle and dry freely. Put a paper towel under the ornament to keep glue from dripping on surfaces.


6. Once the yarn is completely dry, take a pointy object and puncture the balloon. Carefully pull the balloon out of the yarn shell.


7. The result is a beautiful yarn "snowball".


The Lesson of The Yarn Ball Ornament

When Jesus walked the earth, he was a physical human being. He was as real as the balloon you held in your hands to make this ornament.

When Jesus died, he promised he would leave a form of himself to comfort us: The Holy Spirit.

This ornament reminds us that Jesus never leaves us and loves to comfort us.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas Crafts Introduction


My friend Sarah is an amazing mother. Several years ago she posted a Christmas Cookie Countdown for December and... what's more... she had her small boys help her bake every single one. (If you want to shout "MERCY!" like I do, then go ahead.)

With every cookie recipe, she taught her wee ones about Jesus. She taught them a glimpse of Him and His coming. I admired her immensely for this teaching. I also was thankful that her cookies and baking were about family and togetherness.

I asked her if I could "please, pretty please" copy her idea.

She said yes.

So I'll be copying... er, "imitating" Sarah. Except I'll be using crafts.

For the advent season, I'll be posting a host of different crafts to get your Christmas-giddy, craft-happy busybody buddies into a jolly mood. What's more, each craft comes with a nugget of Christmas truth to pass along.

Stay tuned.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Eve and Blogging

She's almost two and loves to be in the mix of things:


She has puppy dog eyes.


She's very nurturing:


She wears everyone's shoes but her own.


And she only wears sunglasses when she doesn't need to do so.


Very fashionable.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

These Days

The days are busy. Not so much with sewing, but with mothering.


During nap time, these babies beckon me with their bright cheerful colors.
They look like pancakes hot off the griddle.


With a litte string and some scissors...


... I can take these tags I made and label the potholders.


Each one has a story.

"Before I was
a potholder
I was
a vintage tablecloth."

Pictures are being taken in the hopes of putting these projects online.
We'll see how it goes. :)