When I go to the toy store or Wal-Mart with my three years I know exactly what he will say. “Oh,” he’ll exclaim with a mixture of excitement and surprise. “I want for Christmas!” What boy toddler does not want a new train, truck, race car or jet fighter? It’s a safe guess your toddler has a long list too. The question is how parents can make the last Christmas? How can you help your child enjoy and appreciate his new things for many days instead of five minutes of fame? Here are some ideas that have worked for us and our friends: 1. Enjoy 12 days of Christmas. Did you this pile of grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles? Or maybe you bought this 5 or 6 for Junior yourself. Try to start Christmas December 13 and allow your toddler to open one present each day until Christmas. This will spread the excitement and allow your toddler enjoy each gift. Why have just one day of Christmas, when you can have twelve? Now, many of us do not have enough gifts stacked so as to begin to open on December 13. Try to open one gift per day effective December 20, or one that just opened on Christmas Eve, most of the gifts on Christmas day, and record a gift for the new year. The idea is to spread the joy of Christmas. 2. If you’re traveling, open some gifts before and after your trip. If you head towards the house of grandmother, the last thing you want to do is load your bag already packed with new bike for your child. You can open your gifts at home before or after. It is always fun to save a gift to the house so when you need encouragement for your child to perform well during the trip by plane something, you have to offer. 3. Do something special for someone else. Teach your child to give gifts to less fortunate so that it can be more grateful for the avalanche of things he will receive. This year, our family has filled a shoebox filled with toys for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. This shoe box will be delivered to a boy who may live in the slums of Calcutta, or an orphanage in Johannesburg. Your child will remember the shoe box and begin to understand that there are many children around the world that has very little. 4. Re-gift! Find a forgotten toy in the house, something that your toddler used to love playing with six months ago. Wrap It Up, and give him again. You’ll be amazed how much fun he’ll have with her long lost friend or toy. Your child will have a Christmas to remember as you try these gift ideas!
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Artwork From Old CDs – Five Projects to Make With CDs Instead of Throwing Them Away
What do you do with those old CDs that you can’t use anymore? There’s a long tradition of making art from old CDs dating back to the days when AOL shipped out millions of CDs to mailboxes all over the country. CD arts and crafts have become even more popular as the importance of recycling has grown. Check out these ideas for making art from old CDs. Coasters from Old CDs Years ago, computer programmers around the world figured out that an AOL CD was the perfect thing to keep coffee rings off your desktop. It’s just the right size for the bottom of a coffee mug. Since then, crafters have offered dozens of variations on the old coffee coasters from old CDs meme. The basic process is simple. Decorate one side of the CD as desired. Cut a felt circle the same size as the CD. Glue the felt circle to the undecorated side of the CD. Need ideas for decorating your CD coasters? Here’s just a few: Make a photo collage by gluing photos to cover the front of the CD. Cover with clear adhesive paper. Paint a design with acrylic paints. Make a 3-D CD coaster by cutting out pieces of 2-3 CDs, stacking them so that the cutouts reveal the CDs below, and topping the stack with a clear spacer CD. Engrave the shiny side of the CD with a Dremel tool. Disco Ball from Old CDs There are several different versions of CD Disco Balls out there ranging from Christmas ornament size to full-size take-it-to-the-club balls. Again, the basic process for making a disco ball from old CDs is the same, no matter what the size. Start with a ball form for the core. A styrofoam ball works well. Cut old CDs into rectangular pieces with snips. Glue the old CD pieces to the ball shiny side out. Add a hanging string and hang it up. The finished CD ball makes a great sun catcher. Photo Frames from Old CDs Old CDs are also the perfect size to serve as a frame for a standard size photograph. There are ways to turn unused CDs into photo magnets, photo holders and photo frames. The process varies, depending on the finished product. One of the most innovative CD photo frames uses this method. Cut photo to fit CD. Glue photo to CD back. Glue a strip of hook and loop tape like Velcro to the back. Make several. “Hang” photos on the wall by sticking the fuzzy side of the Velcro tape to the wall. Using Velcro tape to hang the photos makes it very easy to rearrange photos to your heart’s content. CD Suncatchers and Mobiles The reflective coating on CDs makes them perfect sun catchers and reflectors. Whether they’re hung in a window or in the middle of a ceiling, alone or in groups, old CDs and sunlight can turn a bedroom into a rainbow. This is the easiest way to turn a CD into a sun-catching decoration. Use a Dremel tool or electric drill with a fine drill bit to drill holes in the CD. For a sun catcher, drill one hole about 1/4 inch from the edge of the disc. Hang from a suction cup hook holder. For a mobile, drill several holes evenly spaced around the rim of the disc. Use monofilament thread to make a hanging loop, and to hang other CDs at different heights around the disc. CD Room Divider A room divider made from old, unused CDs is a much more ambitious project. It requires 20 to 40 CDs, depending on the size of the divider, and some carpentry skills. The frame can be made from wood, metal or plastic, and can be any size, as long as the center is open. Make an open frame out of wood or any other material. Space cup hooks evenly along inside top and bottom edges of the frame. Use a Dremel or rotary drill to make holes on the edges of the CDs. String CDs together using varying lengths of monofilament threads. Make as many strands of CDs as there are pairs of hooks. Loop one end of monofilament thread over each hook in the top frame. Stretch down to loop the bottom end of the strand over the bottom hook, making sure to keep the strand taut. There are literally dozens of ways to upcycle those old CDs and keep them out of the landfills. These are just a few of the best ones out there.
Does Anyone Know of an Website That Sells Christmas Ornaments That Open Up With Hidden Compartments in Them?
I am going to be proposing on Christmas day to my girlfriend and would like to hide the ring in a Christmas ornament. Thanks.
Personalise Your Christmas Cards This Year and Make Them a Keepsake
Have you ever found yourself in a supermarket in your lunch break searching for a greetings card that didn’t look like you bought it from a supermarket? Remembering a birthday can be a nightmare if you remember at the last minute, I’m sure you’ve been there and wished you’d not forgotten that important occasion. Having that ‘light bulb’ moment whilst busy at work leaves you little time to find a special greetings card, and rushing around a packed convenience store in the afternoon, only to be caught up in the queue for a stamp at the counter and finding a pen in the bottom of your bag to write out the card has happened to us all. Wouldn’t it be great if someone offered a free service? Perhaps an email reminder sent a week in advance? How about a website who not only reminds you but also offers greetings cards and gifts that you can order online and send from a PC anywhere in the world? Now you’ve found www. funkypigeon. com. Create an account and add the birthdays or memorable dates of your friends and family in your account. The Funky Pigeon will send an email reminder in advance of these dates and offer to you the latest designs of greetings cards for you to browse. The biggest advantage with ordering cards from www. funkypigeon. com is that every card can be personalised. The latest text editor allows you to personalise the design on the front of the card, as well as typing your message on the inside of the card. With over 3,000 designs to choose from, there will be a card that’s perfect for your needs. Personalising a greetings card really makes a difference, and with the festive season approaching fast you can now order your Christmas cards and personalise them with your message of good cheer. Box sets of 12 are available now, with 4 designs and in a range of styles. Here’s the link: http://www. funkypigeon. com/Pages/Main. aspx?type=boxSets&majcat= Do you know a child that would like a special letter direct from Santa himself? The Funky Pigeon can send a letter personalised throughout to good boys and girls. A great gift idea that will be a memorable keepsake. Funky Pigeon cards are protected by a special UV (UltraViolet) coating to give an incredible gloss on the outside, yet the inside is a traditional feel where any pen will smoothly write – even fountain pens. There’s a wide range of gift ideas on the website and our personalised printed products include: Personalised greetings cards in 3 sizes, A6, A5 and A4 Personalised 2010 Calendars in A4 and A3 size Personalised Santa letters and matching personalised Santa door hangers Fun spoof movie posters personalised with any name A4 and A3 Fresh flowers sent next day delivery anywhere mainland UK Gifts and experience days, something to suit everybody Order your personalised printed product before 2pm Monday to Friday and the Funky Pigeon will post First Class Royal Mail.
Organize Christmas Items to Preserve Them for Years to Come
Organizing your Christmas items is the most effective way to preserve them for the years to come. While some of your Christmas decorations may simply be items used to fill an empty spot, for many of us, each item carries special memories. Whether it is a paper wreath made by a child, or an ornament purchased on your honeymoon, these items deserve special treatment. While any item can be broken or damaged while on display, items that are damaged while in storage are heartbreaking. To prevent this from happening, it is important to carefully plan how you are going to store your holiday treasures and take the time to store them properly. So what is the best way to protect your precious memories? The first step is to know which dangers are present that can damage your decorations. While you know that the main concern for your Christmas decorations is breakage, but it is not the only threat present that can damage your ornaments. Others important dangers to your decorations are moisture and sunlight. Understanding each of these dangers can help you store your decorations properly to prevent any serious damage. Protect From Breakage Protecting your Christmas ornaments from breakage is the main concern of many. There are several ways to do this. The first is to invest in storage containers that are specifically made for Christmas storage. Ornament boxes are made of a sturdy plastic and have spaces for each ornament individually. This prevents the ornaments from hitting against each other and prevents the box from being smashed if it is stacked in the garage or basement. If your storage containers have empty room in them after careful packing, fill the space with crumpled newspaper or tissue paper. This prevents the items from banging against each other, which can lead to breakage. Protect From Moisture While breakage is an obvious problem, moisture is a more insidious one. You may not realize that moisture is damaging your ornaments until it is too late. Moisture is particularly damaging to soft items but can damage anything. If you must store your Christmas items in a damp area, there are several things that you can do to minimize the damage. Store your decorations in plastic containers; raise them a few inches off the ground and add silica gel to packing containers that contain wreathes and soft decorations. This can help prevent moisture from damaging your decorations. Protect From UV Damage Prevent damage from ultraviolet rays by storing your decorations in colored, non-clear containers. UV rays not only bleach out fabric but can weaken it as well. Many plastic containers that are used for storage are clear or opaque. While these are acceptable for storage in a basement, if the storage area receives light through windows, you should invest in colored plastic containers. Once you know what the threats are to your Christmas decorations, you can protect them much more effectively. Proper organization of your holiday items allows you to find them easily and know that they are protected. While the initial investment in specially designed storage containers may cost more than storing the items in cardboard boxes or trying to fit them back into their original containers it is in an investment that will pay off. You will increase the life of your holiday ornaments, and make the decorating process one you enjoy rather than dread each year. Purchasing the proper storage containers for items such as wrapping paper, ceramic collectibles and candles is a treat that you deserve. The person that does the majority of the decorating should have the option of choosing which storage solutions would work best for the family. They are familiar with not only the decorations, but also the areas where the decorations are stored. This provides them with the most insight into what problems the area of the house may have such as moisture, rodent problems, or intense sunlight. Once you have invested in these storage containers, they should last as long as your keepsakes. Avoid over packing to prevent the boxes from stretching out. This can cause problems with the seals in your lids, and handle with common sense for the longest life. While there is no reason to be overly gently with these storage containers, do not stack heavy boxes more than three high, and do not throw them around. Just because your items are tucked securely into, their storage container does not mean you can throw the boxes around as if you would other, unbreakable, loads. Ornament storage is important because each decoration has many memories that go with it and learning the proper way to store these decorations can be very beneficial. Consider these tips during the next holiday season and you can safely store your decorations for many years to come.
What Are Some Crafty Uses for Glass Christmas Ornaments, Besides Hanging Them on the Tree?
I have LOADS AND LOADS of round glass Christmas ornaments and a fairly small tree this year. I’ve used some in bowls on the end tables, and filled the inside of a glass cake stand with them, and still have a ton left. Any ideas?
How Did Victorian Women Make Their Husbands Look Good? “Ornamented Them”?
I am writing about the roles of women in the 19th century
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