Gifts Kids Can Make

     Want to make the holidays more meaningful for your family?  Make your gifts.  It is a powerful move away from the overspending, the overindulgence of our culture during the holidays.  Most children are eager participants, and those who are more reluctant need a climate of acceptance in the home.  A climate that welcomes the drive and spill of creativity, and overlooks the mess.  Making gifts takes a few simple materials and the same amount of time you would spend at the mall.  What's stopping you?  Give it a try!  And have a wonderful Holiday Season!

 Wild West Bean Soup Fixin's

     Have you ever scooped up and run a thousand dried beans through your hands?  It is an indescribably pleasant feeling!  When they were toddlers my children's favorite rainy day activity was sorting, spooning, filling cups, and swooshing little hands into the big bowl of beans I kept in the cupboard.  Out of this, a project was born--a delicious gift as much fun to make as it is to give!

    You can make an event out of selecting the beans for your soup.  Our neighborhood grocery store carries a huge variety of dried beans in the bulk section.  Beans with exciting names like rattlesnake, Appaloosa, red runner, and turtle.  The type of bean does  not particularly affect the taste of the soup.  It is a heavenly recipe the whole family will enjoy on a cold winter evening with cornbread and grated cheese. 

 What you will need:

 1 pound of a variety of dried beans

a quart jar with a lid

ribbon

plastic wrap to make a small beribbonned pouch of the following spices:  1/2      teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground chili, 1 teaspoon garlic      granules, 1 teaspoon seasoning salt, 1/2  teaspoon thyme, a few chili      pepper flakes (you can adjust the seasoning up or down to suit your taste.

     Have your child place the beans in the jar along with the packet of spices.  Place the lid on the jar.  Cut out the following recipe and paste it on a decorated card.  Paper punch a hole in the card and tie a ribbon holding the recipe around the lid.  Be sure to make this soup for your own family one day!

 

Wild West Bean Soup

 2 quarts water

2 T. vinegar

1/2  cup catsup

8 slices of bacon

1 onion diced

1 4.oz.  can diced chilies

1 T molasses

1 quart jar of beans

spice packet

 

     The night before making the soup, cover the beans with water and soak.  The next day pour them in a colander, drain, and rinse.  Place the beans in a big pot with the uncooked bacon cut into pieces and the 2 quarts of water.  Cover and cook at a simmer for around an hour and a half.  Add the remaining ingredients including the spice packet and simmer for another half hour.  You may need to add a little extra water if the soup is too thick.  Top with grated cheese or sour cream.  Chopped fresh tomatoes are heavenly as a garnish too.  Enjoy!

 

Marbelized Ball Ornaments

    These ornaments have the lush look of an expensive holiday decoration.  Best of all they are unbelievably easy to make! 

 What you will need:

 plain colored glass ball ornaments

plastic bucket

spray paint in a contrasting color from the ornament

 When using spray paint, work in the garage, outdoors, or in a well ventilated space . 

      Spread newspapers over your work area.  Fill the bucket two thirds with water and place on the newspapers.  Have your child spray a layer of paint onto the surface of the water and quickly swirl with a disposable stick (like a popsicle stick).  Then, holding the glass ball by the hanger, dip the ball into the bucket of painted water.  The paint will adhere to the ornament in a beautiful marbelized pattern.  Lay carefully on newspaper and allow to dry.

 Holiday Votive

     Who can resist the magic of a meal eaten by candlelight?  These votives are made with a special clay that sticks to glass.  Kids can use their imagination and sculpt the clay into a three dimensional object around the jar, or cut out stars or Christmas trees to let the candlelight glow through. 

 What you will need:    (for 3 baby food jar votives)

 1 cup of either green, white, or red crepe paper clippings (tear or cut crepe      paper into fine pieces, pack it into the cup somewhat firmly)

1 cup warm water

2/3 cup white flour (approximately)

3 clean baby food jars with the labels off

      Place the clippings into a bowl and cover with the warm water.  Let it set for several hours until the crepe paper is smooth and pliable (you can do this overnight).  The water breaks down the fibers of the crepe paper and makes an extraordinary clay when flour is added.

     Pour off all the water, and stir 1/2 cup of flour into the crepe paper.  When this is completely mixed, add the remaining flour if it seems too sticky.  Knead the dough on a floured counter top, adding flour as needed until the clay reaches the consistency of pie crust dough.  Divide into three pieces and have your child roll or flatten the clay with his hand into a longish rectangle that will circle the jar.  Press the clay onto the jar and smooth the seam with your fingers.  Use a butter knife (fingers work too!) to cut holiday shapes out around the jar for letting the light peek through (simple squares and circles also look great!).  My sons listened to none of my instructions and immediately created wonderful faces with big noses and bushy eyebrows.  So my advice to you--Let those imaginations go! 

 Cookie Cutter Napkin Holders

 

     It is all in the title!  These clever napkin holders are nothing more than painted and decorated cookie cutters.  Stars make fabulous holders because they can stand up at each place setting.  This is a project everyone loves!  Consider making heart holders for Valentine's day, shamrocks for St. Patrick's day, eggs for Easter, etc.

 What you will need:

 6 star cookie cutters (or any other holiday cutter that will hold a napkin      through it's center nicely)

red enamel spray paint

green acrylic paint

 

I admit it, I have a thing with spray paint ("environmentally safe" spray paint).  I love it and this project is so much easier by using it.  My kids love using spray paint as much as I do, but if you are reluctant to turn your child loose with a can, I recommend that you do the spraying of the cutters and your child can do the decorating. 

     Spread newspapers over the floor where you will be painting (outdoors or in a well ventilated place).  Spray paint the cutters completely, making sure to turn them over to spray the bottom side.  We applied several coats to ours, allowing each coat to dry before applying another.  When dry, use the green acrylic paint to decorate the cutters with lines, dots, curves or whatever the imagination comes up with!  If you are giving these as a gift, place a cloth napkin in each holder, and wrap it up!

 

 

Clay Pot Candles

     Candlemaking may sound like a troublesome project, but it is actually a simple proceedure that is always  worth the effort.  Particularly this one--the clay pots give these candles a lovely rustic look for the holiday table. 

 What you will need:

 small clay pots

corks to fit the drain hole of the clay pots (hardware stores have corks in a wide variety of sizes, bring your pots to insure a perfectly snug fit)

white cotton string or candle wick from craft supply store

1 box paraffin wax (available in the canning section of your grocery store)

large empty coffee can

small empty coffee can (push on the rim to make a slight dent for a pouring      spout for the melted wax)

crayons to color the wax (optional)

pencils, chopsticks, or bamboo skewers (to tie wick into place across the pot)

wire rack

raffia to tie around the pot (optional)

 

This project  requires adult supervision!

      Make a double boiler for melting the paraffin from the two coffee cans:   fill the large can with several inches of water, place the paraffin into the smaller can and set it into the water of the larger can.  Bring the water to a simmer and the wax will slowly melt.  In the meantime, thread the wick through the drain hole of the clay pot from the bottom up to the rim.  Tie the rim end of the wick to a pencil, chopstick, or skewer and lay the pencil across the top of the pot.  Pull the wick firmly down from the drain hole and fit the cork into the hole against the wick--this will hold the wick straight and taut from top to bottom. Got it?  Hold the pot up to a light and look inside.  Do you see any cracks around the cork?  If you do, the cork needs to be pushed further into the pot. 

     Spread newspapers on a counter and place the wire rack on the newspaper.  Place the prepared pots on the rack (the rack bars should accomodate the cork and keep the pot level). 

     When the wax has melted, stir in a crayon to color the wax if desired.  Then carefully pour the wax into the pots.  Interestingly, we found that some pots absorbed the oil from the wax and slightly darkened the outside of the pot, while some did not (we like the looks of both).  When the wax hardens pull the cork out or trim it off, then snip or untie the wick from the pencil.  For a final touch, tie the raffia around the candle.

Comments

[Jack-O-Lattern]

This is the first time I comment on your site, but I've been reading the articles for about a few weeks. I admire the passion with which you write the articles and dream that someday I can do the same. Love