Paper Snowflakes

Since it's about to be frigid outside and since it's January and since I haven't finished decorating for winter at the day care I thought I would make up a batch of paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling.  I've truthfully never been good at it.  I know you're supposed to fold paper somehow and cut out shapes.  But mine have always come out square with no points at all.  So I looked up an easy folding and cutting template and now... look out!  I can't stop making them!  I've made eight today and have the paper cut out to make three more.  You would think I would let the kids in on the fun, and I might.  Honestly, most of them are pretty good with scissors.  But with all the folding and thickness of the paper I am having to use my good kitchen scissors with these.  Maybe we'll come up with an easier fold for them to be able to use their own preschool scissors.  They are pretty excited and impressed with Mrs. Laurie's snowflakes so far.  So they should be pretty pumped when it's their turn.  

Here is the folding template that I am using.

Photo credit: kinderart.com                          

And you do need to begin with a square piece of paper.  I simply cut two and a half inches off of a regular sheet of copy paper.  We will always use the scrap around here.

Next I just looked up templates on yahoo images and found the rest.  This is so much fun!!

I honestly don't know what I would do without nap time!  It is normally when I get the most done!

My Home Holiday Decorating

I have been preparing for my main tree in the house since the beginning of November when I decided I wanted to make beaded snowflakes.  I wound up with forty six in total!  They were so fun to make and I already had all the beads from long ago projects and yard sales.  I also wanted to put big roses all over the tree and wound up loving the snowflakes so much that I didn't want to put the roses on.  I finally made myself do it and wound up adoring the tacky look of it along with tons of white feathers all over the tree. 

 

My other idea for our tree this year was to take the loose feathers from all around the house that I have found and collected for... ever... put them in clear glass ball ornaments and hang them with decorative ribbon.  My main tree is not a huge tree and once I decided to put two strings of tiki camping lights on the small tree in the kitchen, there was no doubt that the feather balls should be on the tree as well, along with more feathers.  I told my sister that I wasn't sure if the tree was more tiki hut or Native American.  Either way it is unique and I love it. 

 

Our home is finally decorated for Christmas and I did it all in one day.  I hung vintage holly garlands with lights above my kitchen sink and garland with lights, white poinsettias, feathers and gold butterflied above the claw foot tub in the bathroom which is so tacky it's gorgeous.  So far I turn all the lights on when I get home each day and when I get up each morning just to illuminate the house in a cheerful way.  Hope you're holiday decorating has gone well for you too this year!

 

 

 

I love this vintage holly garland that I scored at an estate sale in October.  I paid one dollar for the sack full of this and another garland.