This is the angel Luke made at school as a Christmas present for me.
And here is the battle scene he drew at home as a Christmas present for me. Both were wrapped up and tucked under the tree on Christmas morning. I particularly like the detail on the left -- the man who loses his glasses as he falls out of the sky and uh, smashes his head into the ground. Happy holidays everyone!
This letter to Santa, written in 1911 by seven-year-old Alfred and ten-year-old Hannah Howard, was found tucked inside a chimney in Dublin. Via A. N. Devers on facebook.
Here's a shot of the paper village we always put up around this time of year. Some of the houses -- the three-dimensional ones with pastel roofs -- I made a year or two ago using a Martha Stewart winter village kit
I've taken photographs of other houses in our neighbourhood, and ones of the houses of some relatives and friends -- you know, the people who don't actually live in our neighbourhood but we wish did. (Gramma, when you read this, please email us a photo of your house and Den's.) And, time permitting, I'm going to add those houses to our paper village, too. So that even if the real world isn't perfect, our paper one will be.
Or maybe not. If you look closely, you can see where the roof of our porch is starting to fall down, right above the steps. And unfortunately, there's another slight problem. I suggested to Luke that we might like to put little cut-out photographs/paper dolls of him and Vivi on the felt, next to that snowman say, and he thought that was a great idea. "We should look sad, though," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the house is on fire," he said. And unfortunately, it does look a little like that. Luke thinks the glossiness of the map behind the roof of the house even looks like smoke.
We could just go with that, I suppose. Add a toy fire truck and all.
All you need to make your own is a photograph of your house printed on a sheet of vellum, a battery-operated tea light or two (whatever you do, don't use real ones), and some tape. The glass vase or candle-holder is optional. If you don't want to use one, just fold the photo of your house in a kind of tube around a tea-light and fasten it with the tape.
Bill Lobley and family's Chrstms crd.
Image found here.
If you're in the middle of Christmas shopping, here's something you* really need to keep in mind: the five best toys of all time. Trust me, you* don't want to miss that list.
*And by "you" I mean "me."
I love, love, love this new Oxfam Christmas giving campain -- love the design, love the copy, love the gifts. Click here to give one of the gifts mentioned above or a dozen chicks or a goat or a vegetable patch or books or art supplies for kids or a school lunch or or or... what to choose? Via How About Orange.
This is one of artist Annalise Rees's cardboard cities. It's on our list to reproduce -- it may be a good activity for Boxing Day!
These vintage mason jar snow globes, which Anthropologie is selling for 18 to 38 dollars a piece, would be easy to make yourself for much less, especially if you have some of the items around the house already, as we do. I plan to make these with the kids sometime soon -- I'm quite taken with the little saltshaker one.
This so-called pearly expanse ornament, priced at 12 bucks, would be easily replicated with styrofoam ball
One of these years we'll get organized (haha) and get someone else to take the photos so we can all be in the same picture. Anyway, happy holidays to you and yours!
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