This Friday is
Make Something Day at our house. We've observed this day for three years now and we all enjoy knowing that we don't have to do anything the day after Thanksgiving except make Christmas gifts for our family. We have most of our supplies ready to go. I can't let you in on what we're making this year, but I
can tell you what we made last year.
Our homeschool group had a co-op day in December where we assembled bath products with essential oils. The host had the pretty tins, bags and tags all ready to go. These were the gifts the boys gave their Friday school teachers.
As a newbie at high altitude I don't know what possessed me to try giving baked gifts, but I think it all turned out okay. We iced some ring cakes like the one on the right and gave them to dh's co-workers. We ate everything else you see here.
For friends far away we make a little photo album every year with one or two pictures from every month so they can see how the boys are growing. This little album was just 4"x4".
B loved this project. He grated up several bars of soap (it made for a couple quiet hours), we mixed the shavings with a little bit of water and then pressed them into cookie cutters and let them dry. He packaged them into clear cellophane bags for his cousin, uncles and grandparents.
This was B's other big project. He wanted a sewing project. This kit we bought at the craft store made six cute silverware holders for his grandma's Christmas table. He did get tired of the detail work toward the end, but most of it was his own work.
J's gift turned out really cute. These are little throw pillows we made using a freezer paper stencil that he drew, cut out, ironed on the fabric and painted with fabric paint. We borrowed a friend's sewing machine to put them together. Then he stuffed them and hand sewed the opening. Two grandmas and two aunts enjoyed the results.
This was my project. Post-it note booklets and magnetic refrigerator pads with very small pencils.
S painted some wooden ornaments but I didn't get photos of them. If you're interested, you can google all of these projects and find out how to make them. None of these ideas are original to me. If you want to see what we did the year before you can see that post
here.
Here are some other sites I've enjoyed looking at to get ideas for this year:
Just wanted to say that I really appreciated your post on Heart of the Matter today.
ReplyDeleteI've always known my son was "special" but I also knew that he wasn't ADHD. We also have never wanted to give him drugs. I just figured it was his personality (with a good dose of BOY), but this was such a blessing to see a name/discription for it and even a BOOK to read up on how to relate to him better!
Loved the line about "and I didn't kill him"...oh my, oh my! =) haha!
I also loved just seeing that it isn't all in my head...this child is very difficult and it is ok that right now I am not head over heals in love with him (I just thought we were similar and he could push my buttons well...maybe it's a bit of that too!)
Thank you for sharing!
Blessings,
Tarena
ps...feel free to link over and see my oldest!
I too have enjoyed your posts on HOTM!! I love the idea about the time line. We are going to do that!
ReplyDeleteI'm the mom of 4 boys and love them all.... even all the crazy that happens in our house.
I really like this idea of a handmade gift day. I have started that this year with the boys that they are to make gifts for their brothers this year and it has been fun having them stuff pillows or sit on my lap while we sew together.
I love the pillow idea that you have.... that's going to the grandparents next year.