Draft and color a paper log cabin for the Christmas tree

        Below is an illustrated model of how a log cabin, made from paper, may be cut and fashioned in such a way as to store it flat until needed. It is "a cabin home'' with pull strings and presto! the walls come together. Make free standing trees too and craft a small frontier display to assemble beneath a table-top tree if you like...

Other types of homes may be made following the above working plan.

How to sculpt mice using cotton batting and dryer lint...

I've added the whiskers here to the mice.

       Learn to handcraft a few little mice for a Christmas tree or for play in a mouse house if you prefer. Children love them no matter what color they are or from what materials you choose to make them with. Every mouse has it's own character and you will enjoy dressing them for the holidays as well.

• Read mouse stories and craft more for them here
• Follow the church mouse companion here. 

Supply List:

• chenille stems
• cotton balls
• dryer lint
• white school glue
• acrylic paint: black and white
• Sculpey oven-bake clay
• thread for whiskers

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Shred white cotton balls into fluff and layer this with white glue onto the chenille stems, winding the cotton around the stems. Once the cotton batting and glue is evenly distributed, you can roll the wire between the palms of your hands to adhere it to the chenille better. This process will also 'even out' the application.
2. Now cut and bend the cotton coated wires into basic mouse armature. See and copy the photos below.
3. Don't forget to twist the mice tails to the armature from behind. 
4. Now layer cotton batting and white glue on top of the armature in order to 'flesh out' the delicate little mouse bodies.
5. Glue on large round ears and eyeballs made from Sculpey oven-bake clay.
6. Once you have fleshed out the bodies to the most believable shapes, dab on white glue and dryer lint to color the white fur further.
7. After the mice have dried completely next to a heating duct, ideally, paint the eyes and thread a needle with white or transparent thread to weave in and out of the mice cheeks. Clip the whiskers to a shorter length at the end.

More Makers of Mice Online:

• How to make mice tutorial by Rosanna makes here - these are painted afterwards
• Needle felted sleeping mice by Sarafina Fiber Art
• Learn to make traditional felt mice by Crumble Cottage here
• Read and see how I make sock mice at one of my other blogs here

Left, standing mouse, wire armature. Center, sitting mice, wire armature. Right, 'fleshed-out' mice
 before adding painted eyes and dryer lint for colorful fur.

Above you can see the grey mouse from different angles.

Above is my spotted mouse from different angles.

Detailed photos of seated mice posed together.

See the dryer lint in a bag. I collected multiple greys, black and browns over time.

White mouse, standing version, holds bottle brush tree.

Paint a wooden flat squirrel ornament

Painted wooden squirrel flat.

       This little wooden flat of a squirrel is painted in a very abstract way using a dry brush and sponge technique. You could just as easily choose to paint him by the same methods using grey colors instead.

Supply List:

• orange, white, red, yellow acrylic paints
• tiny acorn and cap
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• a wooden squirrel flat, unpainted
• soft sponge, tiny brush, medium sized brush all three for application of paint

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Sponge the entire front face of the wooden squirrel one color; a rusty brown is good, if you're squirrel is to be a red squirrel.
2. While the paint is still wet, dry brush in some lighter oranges, reds and yellows.
3. After the surface is dry, paint eye and nose details in black. 
4. Go back with a liquid of soft, pale whites for the high-lighted areas.
5. Hot glue on the real acorn and cap just beneath your squirrel's paws.
6. Use the tip of a pin to add a high-light in the critter's eye.
7. Mod Podge the finished surface once you are satisfied with the results.

Assemble a pipe cleaner doll for your vintage Christmas tree...

A vintage girl shaped using chenille stems
and felt scraps.

        You can assemble this adorable little Christmas Miss using felt and tacky fabric glue. I believe she dates back to the 1960s or 70s. Make a whole series in any color to match your tree trimmings...

Supply List:

• two sheets of craft felt, one navy and the other teal
• gold braid rick-rack
• olive green velvet ribbon
• velvet pink flowers
• tacky glue for fabric
• white lace
• gold embossed paper trim
• a wooden bead for the head
• acrylic paints
• two chenille stems
• gold twine for the hanger

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut two lengths from the chenille stems: one five inches long and the second, seven inches long.
2. Cut and roll felt rectangles to cover both the arm stem, five inches and the leg stem, seven inches. Glue down the edges using tacky fabric glue. let dry
3. Twist the dry arm and leg stems together at the center of both. Pull the longer legs down and the shorter arms lengths above the legs.
4. Pinch the arm lengths in the center up approximately 1/2 inch up and glue inside the hole of the wooden bead for the doll's head.
5. Paint this wooden ''head'' bead using acrylics. Paint the hair, and facial features using a tiny brush for details. let dry.
6. Now cut a half circle for the doll's dress from felt. The half circle should measure approximately ten inches across it's length.
7. Next cut two more circles from the felt. The first smaller circle should be 1 3/4 inches in diameter to shape the doll's hat. The second circle should measure 2 inches in diameter to shape the doll's collar.
8. Decorate the right side of the largest felt half circle prior to attaching it with tacky fabric glue just below the wire arm stems. Use notions like: lace, rick-rack and other gold trims seen in the photo above.
9. Attach the felt skirt beneath the wire arms using tacky fabric glue, also gluing the shorter sides of the felt skirt together.
   
10. Loop a hanger for the doll from twine and thread it up through the backside of the circular hat. 
11. Glue this to the wooden head with the knot underneath and the loop for hanging above. This hat should be allowed to dry before proceeding to the next step.
12. For the collar, cut a slit through the felt only to the center of the circle. Then twist the collar beneath the wooden chin of the doll, covering the arms and skirt waist and glue it in place.
13. Tie a green velvet ribbon above the collar.
14. Now glue flower trims to the hat and additional felt boots and gloves if you like!
    

Pine Tree Gift Tags

        The following gift tags have been altered and colorized by kathy grimm for our visitors to print, cut and stick onto gifts for the holiday season! Do not resale or distribute these from any other website they are the freeware property of our belsnickle blog.

Christmas gift tags in red and green for all your wrapping needs this season, 2024.