DIY Jacob's Ladder Toy for Christmas

       This is a very old and ingenious puzzle and an amusing toy. It is very simply made. A number of blocks of wood must be cut, 4"x 2 1/2" x 3/8". Any number may be used, but not less than seven - twelve for the most traditional type.

       Round the edges of the blocks and make them smooth with sand-paper, as in Fig 488. if the toy is to be given to a toddler. Cut strips of tape about 1/4" wide and long enough to go over the rounded ends of the blocks, a, b b, etc., in Fig. 488. There are three tapes to each block. Nail and glue tape a to the center of upper end of block A; it is then brought over and downward under the middle of the lower end of block B and fastened.

       Tapes b b are now fastened to the opposite end of A about 1/4" from the end on either side, and are then brought round the opposite end of B, as shown in the diagram. The center tape c is fastened to B and then brought down underneath to the center of the opposite end of C. The tapes must be arranged like this throughout the whole set of blocks. 

       Fig. 489. shows how the blocks are held when they are all complete. Top block A must be turned so as to bring the second block to the same level. The top of this block then falls, and it appears to pass rapidly down first on one side and then on the other, until it reaches the bottom. This is only what seems to happen. What really happens is that the second block becomes reversed and falls back again, in its former position. This makes it come level with the third block, which at once falls over on the fourth, and so on to the end of the ladder. A very illusive effect is thus produced. The blocks might be colored with some bright enamel paint, contrasting colors on opposite sides.

Jacob's Ladder Toys from Victorian Era

More Jacob's Ladder Toys:

• How to make a Jacob's Ladder toy with hand tools 
• Jacob's Ladder made from cardstock 
• Tricks to do with Jacob's Ladder toys

An Uncle Sam Jumping-Jack for Your Patriotic Tree

This Uncle Sam paper doll was designed
by George Piper in 1920.

   I've restored this 1920 Uncle Sam Jumping-Jack by George Piper for your all American, patriotic Christmas tree. You will need some tiny brass brads, scissors and string to assemble him after you have printed out this paper doll.

   Once he is assembled, use a hot glue gun to adhere a tiny bottle brush wreath or tree between his hands. 

   If you want your Christmas scrap to look "older" simply print it out onto yellowish-tan or beige paper.

More of Uncle Sam for Christmas Decorating:

• Uncle Sam Cookies from Melissa Joy
• Commemorative Christmas ornaments from The White House
• Lia Griffith shows how to make red, white, and blue paper stars that would look lovely on a patriotic Christmas tree
• DIY red, white and blue pinwheel rosettes for your tree and table displays
• Patriotic Prairie Point Star Ornaments
• DIY patriotic paper wreath

      Did you know that there are 38 total other countries that have red, white and blue colors in their national flags? Patriotic Christmas trees aren't only for Americans; countries like: Australia, Cuba, France, Haiti, Norway, Russia, Taiwan, and even the United Kingdom all have the red, white and blue as their very own national colors!

Red, White and Blue Christmas

A vintage American shield graphic.

       This graphic comes from a very old catalogue that is about 100 years old. I've cleaned it up of course.  I hope that those of you who have red, white and blue Christmas themes on your trees this year will enjoy including it with a few tinsel trims among the the branches of a dusty green pine.

       There are many other countries around the world that also have red, white and blue colors to represent their flag. So this new category here at my Christmas blog may inspire their holiday projects during December as well.

More eye candy about an antique, patriotic Christmas:

• Patriotic Christmas Tree from Victoriana Mag
• Red, White and Blue tree by Jerry Arnold
• Patriotic white feather tree decorated with red, white and blue baubles
• I've started a pinboard about patriotic Christmas tree decorations and other decorative ideas here. 

Two suggestions for temporary pendent trims of a chandelier making alternative use of the shield graphics.
 These vintage suggestions come from a vintage Dennison company catalogue.

A Vintage Canadian/British shield graphic.

"This is our Christmas Tribute to military men and military families.

 Thanks for your sacrifices so we can have the freedoms we do."

These girls have lovely voices; check them out. Watch out for those

BB guns however, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

Owlets in a sycamore tree ornament...

The completed baby owls stare out from their cozy candy
container. These are adorable on a woodland inspired
Christmas tree or a cotton batting themed Christmas tree.

        This woodland inspired ornament craft includes both natural materials and traditional cotton batting applications. It is made from a hollow cardboard tube so that Santa's elves may insert small toys or candy inside of it on Christmas morning.
       In order to complete this ornament with success, I am presuming that visitors here have been working with cotton batting for a while. If you are new to my blog and have never tried crafting with these materials I will include links to simpler cotton batting projects where I describe the techniques in greater detail within the text of the step-by-step directions.

Supply List:

• cardboard tube 
• white school glue
• masking tape
• acrylic paints: yellow, white and black
• tiny paint brush
• cotton balls
• dryer lint
• wire for hanging
• extra cardboard
• one walnut, cut in half
• black thread
• scissors

Step-by-Step Directions:

This tube was not masked properly, but I have
included the picture for you to see how the
walnuts look when glued in place.

1. Select a cardboard tube and cut it to the size you prefer. Mask all of it's surfaces with tape. 
2. Use the sharp end of your scissors to puncture two holes on opposite sides of each other at the top of your cardboard tube in order to thread a wire for hanging.
3. I covered a wire with cotton before looping it through these two holes at the top. (wrapping wire with cotton)
4. Use the sharp end of your scissors to poke two holes into the side of the tube where you will glue the walnut shells into place. These will become your baby owl's heads. Do not make the holes too big! When gluing in the walnut halves, you want a little resistance from the cardboard tube. These shells should be nestled into the tube with both glue and the firm application of dryer lint surrounding them. Saturate the dryer lint into place under the edges of the nut shells with glue and then let the tube dry over night. You need to make sure that your walnuts are set firmly into the tube before continuing with your process. The tube may take on a warped shape after drying but this will lend a natural appearance to the tree trunk idea.
5. Cut from extra cardboard a circular shape to fit and seal off the bottom of the tube tree trunk. You can do this by setting the tube on top of a piece of cardboard and drawing around it's circumference with a pencil or pen. Cut the shape out and tape it firmly to the bottom of your tree trunk.
6. Now apply with white glue and your finger tip, the dryer lint to the opening of the trunk.
7. Unravel your cotton balls and glue down a first layer of faux, white bark to the remaining sections of the tree trunk. 
8. Between layers glue in some wrapped areas of black thread and then glue and layer on top of this thread random layers of white cotton. (practice imitating bark for a yule log) This will application is intended to imitate the surface of a sycamore tree. (film of owls nesting in a tree trunk)
9. Roll cotton between your finger tips to make the eyes and beaks of your owls. Glue these in place and let the faces dry over night. (Practice rolling cotton between your finger tips while crafting peas in the pod.)
10. Paint the features of the owl eyes and beaks. I used a bit of white paint to complete a few feathery strokes in the crevice of the walnut shells. 

Close up pictures of my owlets in a tree trunk ornament.

The Sheave of Wheat Chrismon

Above, you can see that I've painted the final
 Chrismon with gold metallic paint but you
could leave it natural looking if you like.

       A description of this Sheave of Wheat Chrismon it at Christian Clip Art Review.

       This faux sheave of wheat is made by first covering the outside of a paper tube with wheat stalks before gluing on the choicest kernals onto it's surface. By doing this you will: stretch your  budget and make the Chrismon lighter weight. 

       Note also that there is a difference between a sheave of wheat symbol and a singular wheat stalk Chrismon in symbolism. Although their meanings are related, these two symbols are not necessarily interchangeable. Many stalks bound together refers to a group of people.

Supply List:

• hot glue gun and hot glue
• preserved wheat stalks (pricey, I know)
• cording to tie the stalk off
• paper tube
• masking tape
• scissors
• metallic spray paint (optional)

Step-by-step Directions:

1.  First cut the length of a paper tube and shape it to the thickness you desire your sheave to have. Tape that shape in place. 
2. Cover the tube entirely with masking tape.
3. Cut the straw parts of the wheat to cover the tube entirely using hot glue. It isn't necessary to measure these so much; they are easily cut even after applying them to the tube. 
4. Select the nicest kernels and leaving these attached to an identical straw length to that of your "sheave" tube, proceed to hot glue these to the ornament every 1/4 of an inch around the outside of the tube.You will need far fewer of them to make your Chrismon sheave look full, had you simply bound a giant handful of wheat stalks. This way of making the ornament may be a bit fussy but it allows for the finished product to be considerably lighter weight.
5. Tie a rough looking cord around the sheave and trim.
6. Spray paint the Chrismon metallic gold to match the traditional color scheme of a Chrismon tree if you like. I actually prefer the natural gold color.

Left, the cording and preserved wheat stalks for my project. Center, paper towel tubing cut and
masked prior the hot gluing the straw on them. Right a finished Sheave of Wheat Chrismon unpainted.

The Open Bible Chrismon

A simple interpretation of the Open Bible Chrismon.

       This contemporary Chrismon, an Open Bible is described at The Christian Clip Art Review. I used the traditional gold and white Chrismon colors to make this simple Open Bible Ornament.

Supply List:

• corrugated cardboard
• masking tape
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• metallic gold spray paint
• gold ribbon
• white paper
• stapler
• printed paper that reads "Holy Bible" and verse from Luke 4:16
• double stick tape

Directions:

1. Cut a cover for the Chrismon Bible ornament out of corrugated cardboard. Cover this in masking tape.
2. Trim off the masking tape.
3. Bend the book cover in half.
4. Spray paint this cover with gold metallic paint outdoors. Spray paint inside a cardboard box so that it may be tossed in the recycling bin after use. 
5. Cut and staple several sheets of white paper that may be fitted between the covers of this Bible Chrismon ornament. Make sure that the printed pages are stapled at the inner-most fold. 
6. Hot glue these stapled pages between the corrugated cardboard Bible cover after using double stick tape to position the pages open permanently.
7. Hot glue a long gold ribbon down the center of the pages seam. Make sure the ribbon looped at the top of the book is long enough for the Chrismon to hang easily from the tree.

Far left, cardboard book cover, masked. Next the cover trimmed. Center, paper pages lined up and stapled. Right, pages are taped open with double stick tape.

Karen Barber shares her Chrismon tree with the web.

Craft a Snow House for A Christmas Display!

Crafting snow houses was very popular during the Victorian era. Most antique snow houses are valued for hundreds of dollars; that is why I decided to make my own, of course.

        This snow house began as little shed that was donated to a resale shop for charity. In it's original state it was quite unextraoridinary, dusty and unattractive. I purchased a wooden picket fence at a local hobby store for a few dollars and added a bottle brush tree and wreath. The snow baby was made by gluing a Sculpy face onto a popcycle stick and wrapping a simple gown of snow white cotton batting with white glue. 

       I wrapped the interior walls, roof, base and outside walls with sheets of cotton batting and white glue. The cotton batting icicles where crafted using the method found here.

       The final touch, transparent glitter, gives the finished product a fresh looking layer of ice.

• Craft a Snow Baby from Cotton Batting
• What is A Snow Baby?
• Miniature, Villages, Snow Houses & Christmas Stalls

A tiny snow baby lives here along with a lovely bottle brush tree and wreath.

I covered my recycled Christmas house with masking tape prior to wrapping the walls with cotton batting.