Handmade Holiday 2010 - The Kid Edition

Disclaimer - I know I said yesterday

it was my last Handmade Holiday post,

****                             but I wasn't lying!                           ****

It was MY last Handmade Holiday post.

This one's the kids. 



We have always included our kids in the act of giving at Christmas and birthdays.  In the past years, that meant they were taken on a special outing to buy gifts for each other.  This year, however, it seemed silly to take them shopping when I myself didn't go shopping for them.  So I decided to include them in the handmade gift making process. 
After watching me make peg people for Lissy, Logan wanted to make some for her too.  I was excited about his idea because at that time, I was so wrapped up in my own crafting, I hadn't begun to think about what they could make for each other and I hadn't even mentioned crafting for each other to them.  It was wonderful to see that he wanted to make something for his sister.  So we searched the house and found two last peg guys.  He went to work painting their bodies.  I added the eye dots and Mod Podge.  Next he picked out what color hair he wanted for them.  He chose blue because it's Lissy's favorite color.  I also had him choose which fabric he wanted me to make the gnome hats out of.  It was so wonderful to watch him sort through my scraps searching for butterfly fabric, knowing his sister LOVES butterflies.  It made my heart happy see how much he considered HER likes while creating these little peg ladies for her.

While Logan was painting his pegs for Felicity, I was trying to think of what she could make for him.  Then Logan said, "Mama, can Lissy please make me some guys for Christmas?".  Perfect!  So the next week Lissy made her men for Logan in the same fashion he had for her.  She picked her paints (a bit of every color of course), fabric, and hair color, and with help from me, we made some nice peg guys for Logan.

Kian loves balls.  I had been wanting to do a marble painting with the kids for them to give to Zac.  So instead of using marbles, I turned the one project into two gifts.  I bought a wood ball and a medium sheet of Art Board from Michaels.  I really wanted canvas but the Art Board was so cheap and its nice and sturdy so I couldn't pass up the deal of a few bucks.  I took a piece of flat cardboard and folded the edges up, making a box slightly bigger than the Art Board.  The kids and I placed the Art Board in the box, randomly put spots of paint onto the board, and rolled the wood ball around inside the box.  One kid stood at each end of the box and we gently rocked the box so the ball rolled around in the paint.  We added paint when we thought we needed more and stopped when we had a product the kids were happy with.  The painted Art Board is their gift for their Dad, and the paint covered ball is their gift for Kian.  After we were done using it to paint with, I set the ball on wax paper to dry and then put Mod Podge on top to seal in the paint.  Next time we do this I'll use 2 complementary colors that will create a third color (such as using blue and yellow to make green).  We used colors that will go in the kids' bathroom but when mixed all together by the ball, they made some mucky colored spots.  Of course, the kids thought it was great.  I wasn't planning on it but I had them paint a layer of Mod Podge on top of the painting after seeing how it made Kian's ball look a bit nicer.  They were very happy with both of their creations.

Putting Mod Podge on Daddy's painting.

The finished painting.

I wanted to post this on Christmas Eve because I think there's nothing sweeter than kid made gifts.  I love watching them create and seeing them excited about gifting their creations.  This is, in fact, the season of generosity and I hope these fun lessons in giving will bring them closer to the understanding of God's generous gift to us, His son.