Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Tomorrow is the big Turkey day and everyone will be busy cooking and watching games on the tube.  It is a big day for families to spend quality time together, even when the quality is questionable.

It is also a day to look at ourselves critically and to review our blessings.  There is not a single soul that cannot find a blessing to be thankful for.  With that said, it is also a time to rejoice in the good company of family and friends--a time of coming together to recement the common bonds we all share.

I can make a long list of all the things I am thankful for....family, friends, work, enough money to stay afloat, good food, and so on.  I'm sure your list would be very similar.  But still, I'd like to encourage all to take a silent moment tomorrow to mentally review all the things we have to be thankful for.  Remember our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who are separated from their families so we can be with ours.

I pray that all who read this enjoy the true blessing of this holiday and are filled with joy.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Make your own Christmas Cards

Image by Salon de Maria via Flickr

I used to always make my own cards for special occasions.  My grandsons have quite a collection that they proudly display in their rooms going back to when they were very small.  I've made cards for my family for years.  This year I was thinking about making my own Christmas cards to give to my friends, since I don't usually give gifts to anyone except the boys.

I really enjoy making cards.  It is very relaxing to do and opens up your creativity.  I usually find myself looking at the calendar for the next big occasion while I am working on cards for the present occasion.

Below is directions for creating a lovely Christmas card.  Try it out, you might find that you love making cards.  Beware, though.  You may find yourself addicted!


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Joy Greeting Cards

Craft Project - Joy Greeting Cards

By Linda Peterson

Materials
AMACO® Craft Porcelain Modeling Material
AMACO® Rub ‘n Buff® — Gold Leaf
Loew-Cornell Water Color Crayons
Black Card Stock
Grey Paper
Decorative Papers in Colors of Choice
#2 Rounded Tip Clay Shaper
Fiskars Paper Edgers — Deckle Paper
Glue of Choice.
Helpful Hint: Keep a small bowl of water and paper towels handy. Wrap craft projects in wet paper towel to keep it from drying out.
Step 1
Letters are created by rolling a ball of clay into a log and shaping it into the desired letter. When dry to the touch, apply Rub ‘n Buff®. Note: The size of the ball determines the size of the letter.
Step 2
Holly berries: Roll 3 small balls.
Step 3
Leaves: Roll a ¼” ball into a teardrop and flatten. Feather edges of leaves until they are thin. Draw in veins with clay shaper.
Step 4
Place three leaves together. Paint green with watercolor crayons. Paint berries red and apply over top of leaves.
Step 5
Cut Black Cardstock:
# 6″ x 12″ (fold in half)
# 3″ x 3″
# 2¾” x 2¾” (cut edges with deckle scissors)
# 1½” x 5½” strip
Step 6
Cut Grey paper:
# 2⅞;” x 2⅞”
# ½” x 5½”
Step 7
Layer the paper using the picture as a guide. Add mullbery paper to top of square. Glue on holly embellishment and letters. Highlight edges of paper with Rub ‘n Buff®
Step 8
Add interest by varying the size of the card such as in the second sample. Embellish the letters with holly leaves or other flowers of choice.

Creating Paper Clay, "Santas" for your tree or holiday decorating

Here is an Christmas craft I found but can't figure out how to get the pictures to copy.  So, I have copied the instructions below and included the link to the original posting PDF so you can see the pictures.

I have started making some of these and will be showing you the progress as I go along.  So far, all I have done is make the actual Santa's parts out of clay and have been drying them.  Here is what I have so far:

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Inexpensive and original!

See the original instructions here so you can view the pictures!

Instead of baubles, cute dangly Santas and red hearts could be hanging on your Christmas tree this year! They're really easy to make using air-drying modelling clay. A creative Christmas craft idea - great fun to make with children too!

Material:

Paper clay (sufficient for approx. 15 Santas or for approx. 18 hearts), 1 kitchen knife, 1 tile or piece of smooth film to serve as a work surface, several transparent sleeves for drying on, 1 reel of wire, 1 pair of pliers, several toothpicks and skewers for modelling with, 1 rolling pin for rolling out with, 1 heart-shaped pastry cutter, 1 pair of scissors, string, 1 bowl, 1 box of paints, several paint brushes for painting with and a moist cloth.

Step l:

Roll the paper clay out to an approx. 5 mm thick sheet. Place a triangular-shaped template for the Santas on the sheet, outline the form onto the paper clay using a wooden stick and then cut out with the knife.
If you want to make hearts, simply cut the hearts out of the sheet of clay with the pastry cutter. Smooth all edges with water!

Step 2:

Hangers are inserted into the hearts straight away. Make them out of wire which you shape by wrapping around, e.g., a pencil. Leave the finished hearts to dry for one day on transparent sleeves. After half of the time, turn the hearts over so that the backs dry as well.

Step3:

Now it's time to transform the cut-out clay triangles into Santas. Note: before adding details, moisten the triangle first with water! First make a thin sausage out of clay which you then use for the fur edging along the bottom of the coat and the hat. For the eyes, place two tiny balls directly underneath the bottom of the hat and add pupils to them using the toothpick. Now attach an oval-shaped pug nose. A hint of a beard is added by drawing several lines with the wooden stick. Don't forget to make the holes for the dangly legs and hanger! If you want, you can give your Santa a handsome moustache. Simply press it on directly under the nose and add a whisker structure using the wooden stick. For the dangly legs, roll out an approx. 7 mm thick
clay sausage and cut into 1.5 cm long pieces. Make holes through the individual pieces using the wooden skewer, leaving you with elongated pearls. All finished parts are then left to dry for one day on transparent sleeves. Turn over every now and again to ensure that they dry evenly and that the Santa shapes don't bow.


Step 4:

The dried hearts are then painted all over with red paint from the paint box. Use a fine paint brush to give the Santas a rosy pink nose and cheeks. To do so, dilute the red paint very well. The hat and coat are painted red. Beard, face and fur edging stay white. Paint the pearls for the boots using black paint out of the paint box. Once the paint is dry, push a piece of string through the two holes on the bottom edge of the Santa (looks like a belt), thread a pearl onto each end of the string and tie a knot in the bottom. Another piece of string threaded through the hole in the hat and knotted at the end serves as a hanger.

Have Fun Making Them!


Tips:
Always wrap bits of Paper Clay that get left over while you're working in a moist cloth to prevent them from drying out, so that they can be used again later. Even when taking a short break in your work, cover the not yet finished pieces with a moist cloth.

Wrap open packs of paper clay well in cling film and keep in an air-tight plastic box. This keeps the clay soft for several days.

Make sure that the holes you make for the string in the Santa and pearls are large enough! Should the holes be too small, you can make them larger after hardening using a small electric drill!

Christmas Shopping Advice for Men

Here is an article I found that is quite humorous.  You might want to print it out and "accidentally" leave it lying for your man to find.  It really gives some good advice on how to buy a present for a woman, and even if it was published in the UK, it has universal information.
I hope you find this as interesting as I did and I hope it helps you get what you "really" want for Christmas this year!

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Author: Carrie Spacey

Published: 11th November 2009 12:37

It's a well-worn cliche that many men put this task off until Christmas Eve - but have you ever wondered why that is? It won't necessarily be because he's lazy or disorganized, no, it's far more likely he just hasn't got a clue and has that "can't do right for doing wrong" mental block.

We're here to help, so all you worried men out there, read on....

Christmas shopping for the woman in your life can be daunting, but knowing a few basics about the noble art of buying gifts for women can help you on the way to a harmonious festive season:

It's About Her, Not You
This has to be the cardinal rule: Do not, under any circumstances, buy her something that's on your own wishlist. So, nothing from the DIY shop, no sports DVDs, no gardening implements. Most women will not have "52" LCD TV so I can watch Liverpool v Utd next Saturday" at the top of their must-haves.

No Household Appliances
You might think you're being helpful by getting her a chop-o-matic or one of those nifty new hoovers with a ball instead of wheels, but believe me, go that route and it's highly likely you'll be spending Christmas night in Arrowe Park A&E. Christmas is a time for gifts she wants, not stuff she needs.

Apply the Mother-in-Law test

Each idea you have must be put through this rigorous testing procedure. If you think your Mother would like it, forget it. Move on. Quickly.

Big Pants or Black Lace? Neither!
It's entirely possible that your loved one could do with some new knickers or a nightie. But, you must strike the right note - half-way between granny pants and your wildest fantasies should be about right.

Don't Attempt to "Do" Fashion
Clothing may seem to be an ideal gift, especially if your partner loooooves clothes. However, the point is, if she does love clothes, she probably has a very strong idea of what she does and doesn't like, honed over several thousand hours of window/online/real-life shopping. How can you hope to compete with that level of experience?

A far better idea is to figure out her favourite shop, buy an extravagantly generous voucher and then wrap it up beautifully - layers and layers of silk, ribbon, little notes in between each layer. Anything to disguise the fact you wimped out and got her a voucher, basically.

Listen and Learn
Once upon a time I had a craving for a particular, really funky, leather jacket. I went on, and on, and on about it in the presence of my then boyfriend. In fact, no-one in a 10 mile radius could have been in any doubt of what I wanted for Christmas. He, however, bought me an "ornamental" painted wooden frog. Called Bladder. I kid you not.

OK, I appreciate this is an extreme example, but it does serve the purpose of pointing out that you could do well to actually listen to the hints she is dropping. Sometimes these may be subtle, but most likely they will be like bricks landing in a duck-pond. They'll probably have started around late October. Listen and act on them. Definitely.

Love Conquers All
There's probably very little chance you will ever get it 100% right, because we women are a capricious bunch. But, if she can tell you've at least thought about it, and curbed your urges towards the mundane, the easiest option or the downright lazy, the chances are you will avoid the spectacle of your Christmas dinner ending up on the dining room wall.

Just show her you care enough to follow the above rules, and I'm prepared to bet my wooden frog Bladder that you'll see her smiling at you over the sprouts this Christmas.

Find the original article here

Here's a great idea for an evening spent with your daughters.  Help them to enjoy natural beauty and natural goodness. Cleansing the face is something we all do regularly.  Why not teach our daughters how to do this simple thing in a fun way and spend quality time while doing it?

Try this out during the holiday rush--take some time just for yourselves--to pamper and relax your mind and body!

Apple Face Mask, excerpt from The Natural Beauty Book
By Anne Akers Johnson

Mask are intensive treatments and should be limited to your once-a-week routine. Choose one that is well suited to your skin.
Facial Mask Basics
1. Before applying a mask, find a place where you can lie back without being disturbed. Spread a towel out where you will rest your head in case your mask drips.
2. Choose and prepare a recipe.
3. Pull your hair back off your face. Pull long hair back into a ponytail.
4. Wash your face so it's nice and clean.
5. Run a washcloth under warm water, squeeze it out and hold it over your face for a few seconds to dampen your face. If you've just had a steam, skip this step.
6. Apply the mask all over your face and neck (if you like), avoiding your eye area. Lie back and let the mask work for 10-15 minutes. If it starts to feel itchy or uncomfortable, less time is OK.
7. If your mask is particularly chunky (like oatmeal) use your washcloth to gently wipe it off your face, shaking the bits of mask into the trash (this is the trick to avoiding clogged drains). Once it's mostly off, rinse your face in warm water.

Apple Face Mask

Ingredients

1/2 Apple, grated into a bowl
2 t Honey
1 T Uncooked, regular oatmeal

Directions

Step 1: Grind the oatmeal into a flour in a clean coffee grinder or food processor if you have one. Unground oatmeal is OK too, it just makes the mask a little messier.
Step 2: Combine all the ingredients.
Step 3: Lie back and gently press small handfulls of the mask onto your face. Rub it along the sides of your face, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes before removing and rinsing.


For more homemade beauty projects like these, check out The Natural Beauty Book: Create Your Own Natural Spa Experience by Anne Akers Johnson.

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Recipe for making paper clay

Image by Swamibu via Flickr

Paper clay is fairly expensive at the hobby store, so I went online to find an alternate source of the stuff used to make many of the beautiful and expressive art dolls I have been viewing.  I also like paper mache, so when I found this video, I knew I would want to share it with you.  I can't wait to try to make this.  Maybe this recipe will be the answer to my "artistic" block!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and try this out.  Won't you post me a comment and let me know if this worked for you?

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Here's a look at why I like paper mache!

This artist has the most enjoyable and whimsical creations.  Please browse through the galleries and see if you don't agree.  This really is why I love paper mache, it's so versatile.

I love that you can take a medium available anywhere, that children can use to create, and make these gorgeous sculptures.  If you do an online search, you will find many paper mache artists out there whose works are unbelievable!

Here is the link to view PapierDog