Kids Art: Clay "Gingerbread" Ornaments

I always do a clay project with my art class around this time of year and Clay "Gingerbread" Ornaments was the perfect choose.  For me it was easy and simple to do...For the kids it gave them several things to cut out and paint...they can never just stop at just one.  :)

So here's the project in a nut shell:

I gave each of them a ball of terracotta colored clay for them to roll out ...just like cookie dough...Simple!

I have learned through the years not to give to many chooses, so I gave them 7 cookie cutters to choose from....Each child got to make 4 ornaments.

After rolling out the clay to about a 1/4" thick they cut out their shapes using the cookie cutters.

We used a straw to make the holes for hanging.

I then took them home to fire...

We painted the following week...Again I did not give them a ton of color chooses...my experience has been when I do that, they put every color on all the ornaments...kind of like a rainbow threw up on a piece of clay. :)

I fired the pieces for a second time and wha-laa...Lovely Christmas ornaments...

that their family's will cherish for years to come!!

Wouldn't a whole tree done in the snowflakes be beautiful?!?!

Well there it is a simple easy clay project...give it a try!  Most schools have access to a kiln and a desperate need for art volunteers!!.

And as usual Thanks for visiting and I will be linking up to many of the party's on my side bar..check them out!

Denise

Christmas Stocking Hanger / Holder

Here's a little project I just finished, that I am Sooo happy with!!

It was simple, cheap, and fun to do...

Win * Win* Win..  :)

We don't have a great place to hang stockings in our home so, I purchased a stocking holder/hanger similar to this years ago... OK, it had a no saying and a Santa on it...but the same idea....you hang the board and then hang your stocking on it...

(By the way these are a sampling of the stockings I sell on Etsy).  :)

anyway....

Here's how I made the Stocking Hanger:

I started with a board from who knows where, that was laying around my house.  I stenciled BELIEVED and MAGIC first using cheap stencils I bought from Walmart.

I then added the "in the" and the reindeer and snowflakes.  The blue didn't show up the way I wanted on the flakes so I went around them with a sharpie.  I spray painted four wooden drawer pulls and the also stenciled them after the dried.

I drilled the srews threw the back of the sign and then screwed the drawer pulls on....

I thought I was going to have to run to the hardware store to get the thing-e-ma-bobs to hang it but then I remembered  seeing on pinterest a way to use the tabs off soda cans and being that I am a Diet Coke addict...there were plenty of tabs to be had!!!  :)

I went to my Helpful Hints Board and sure enough there was the pin!

I zipped on over to: apartment therapy followed her simple instructions and ..Va-La...no need for a trip to the store after all!  :)

I plan on making some more for my space down at Viking Village...just need to come up with some more boards!!

As usual, I will be linking up to many of the link parties on my side..do check them out!!

And Thanks for Visiting!!!

Denise

Framed Vintage Ornaments

 Here's a fun way to show off those vintage ornaments you've been collecting....

These I scored at a garage sale this summer...they were at a bottom of a box full of Christmas things

The frame I got for free from a friend...

It was gold and fairly beat-up...The beat up part I didn't mind...the gold had to go.  :)

So the first thing I did, was give it a light coat of spray paint... letting just a little bit of that gold show through.

I then added the pink dots using acrylic paint and the eraser end of a pencil.  I tied the bow and glued it to the top and then stared stringing the ornaments, using different colored ribbon.

The little pinwheels I made out of paper gluing a vintage button to the centers.

Don't you just love this blue one?

Anyway that's it....my framed vintage ornaments...What do you think...How do you plan on displaying yous???  

I would love to know!!!

As usual I will be linking up to many of the party's on my side bar...do check them out!!

Happy Holidays!

Denise

Little Yellow Dresser

Here's my latest furniture transformation...
 I got this little gal at a garage sale, there was something about it, that was just asking for yellow....So yellow is what I did!

 I forgot to take a "before picture" of the whole thing, but here's a drawer before I started painting.

The handles were just a boring bronze color so I spray painted them with Krylons's Dual paint and primer in Pistachio...I think it looks great with the "Whisper Yellow" by BEHR!!

One of the drawer pulls was broken and I couldn't find a matching one so I purchased a totally different style...painted it to like the others and placed it on the top drawer.

I also added a little birdie ...

Just for fun....

So what do you think?
I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar...check them out
and
As usual
Thanks for visiting!
Denise