"All Merry and Bright" chalkboard wreath

"All Merry and Bright" chalkboard paint design wired into a grapevine wreath.

       My firstborn loves to fashion wreaths during the holidays. She assembled this one using a chalkboard painted logo on a bauble shaped, galvanized steal sign. After wiring the sign to the inside of a grapevine wreath, she wrapped wire around pine branches and faux berry picks, just at the top of the wreath only. Then she hot glued pine cones between the branches for a bit more texture. This wreath hangs cheerfully on my pumpkin colored front door! 

• DIY Chalkboard Painted Ornaments
• How to craft a memo cabinet for the kitchen...

Print, Color and Cut a Frisky Fox for the tree

        Below is my frisky fox cardboard flat designed for those of you who have limited supplies and cash...

        You didn't paint or color the foxy ornament they way that I did, but, I've included a color version for those of you who would like a suggestion for "how" to finish the drawing. Apply a coat of Mod Podge and make your cardboard double or triple ply to give your finished ornament some durability. 

• Learn more about the fox from our ark-o-pedia
• Draw another fox, head only

Craft soap box cottages for Christmas

        To make these sweet little soap box cottages, you will need to collect the following supplies: pine cones, pliers, recycled soap boxes, a bag of cotton balls, white school glue, scrap cardboard, acrylic paints, green chenille stem (just one), tiny red beads,masking tape, transparent glitter, hot glue and gun, and white felt for the bottoms of the cottages.

Above are the finished soap box cottages wrapped in cotton batting. The roof tops are also covered in snow and glitter.

       First, you will need to pull the scales from the pin cones and snip of any split ends. These will be hot glued on the roof tops eventually. Second, cover the empty soap box with masking tape. Then shape a simple triangular roof by folding a triangle of cardboard in half and attaching this with hot glue on one end of the soap box. Use masking tape to secure this roof feature even more to the box. Cover the roof with masking tape. Close the ends of the roof with more cardboard and tape. Now hot glue the scales onto the roof top to act like roofing tiles. (see pictures)

Left, are pine cones. Center, pliers. Right removed scales from the pine cones with split, damaged tips cut off.

        Cut a flat chimney piece to adhere to one of the sides of the cottage, cover it with masking tape. Glue on a felt rectangle to the bottom of the cottage to prevent it from scratching furniture. Unravel the cotton balls to prep these for use. Apply generous amounts of white school glue between layers of cotton batting to form the outside walls of the cottage. Allow the cotton walls to dry.

The cottages have been prepared for details.

       Take the hot glue gun in hand and squeeze lumps onto the cardboard chimney to form a "rocky" looking surface. Let this hot glue dry and apply a coat of brown, black or dark grey. Then dry brush paler colors of the same to give the rocks depth.

Detail photos of chimney, door, window and bottom of the box covered with felt.

        Cut small details of the door, window etc... from cardboard and glue these on the cottage as you like. I also bent a tiny wreath for the door using a green chenille stem and added red beads for berries. Now the cottage is ready for additional snow. Glue in cotton lumps between the roof tiles and scattered randomly across the top. Smear white school glue on places around the roof tiles and chimney to adhere sprinkling of transparent glitter as you like. Let it all dry overnight and display the little Irish Cottages wherever these are needed.

How to paint and display a garden spider for the tree...

Left, the wooden flat of a spider unpainted. Right, my painted version based upon a common
garden variety spider found where I live.

       This popular, wooden flat of a spider may be found in many hobby stores or online. I've recycled a plastic netting that once was used to package lemons or onions, I don't remember. This netting looks so much like a spider's web that I decided to display it along with my spider on our family Christmas tree. Spiders are frequently included on Christmas trees in Europe because of several stories told to children during the Season of Advent; below is one of three I have heard told...

Legend of the Christmas Spider

       A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pine cone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow's children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again.

Use a cake stand to display a nativity set...

A distressed, galvanized steel cake stand is used to display a pewter nativity set.

       My eldest daughter decorated with pewter, galvanized steel pieces and plaid textiles this year. Here is how she used a simple cake stand to display a Nativity scene.  She used natural looking shredded grass paper to replace the "straw" in the manger vignette. 

Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, a shepherd, sheep, an ox and two angels are all present at the Nativity.

       She split up the wisemen in the scene, because they came to visit Jesus while He lived and hid in Egypt with his parents. (He was about two.) Below you can see them walking through a galvanized steel village on the middle shelf of our Welsh cupboard. The cake stand and Nativity where positioned lower on the counter of the wooden display cabinet. 

Left, you can see that she used silver leaves to represent trees in the background. Right, the 
manger scene on top of the cake stand.

DIY a Yule Log Centerpiece

Steps to assemble a Yule Log centerpiece.

 "The old north breeze thro' the skeleton trees, is chanting the year out drearily; but loud let it blow, for at home we know that the dry logs crackle cheerily." Albert Smith

       The Yule Log was a great log of wood, sometimes the root of a tree, brought into the house with great ceremony on Christmas Eve, laid in the fire-place, and lighted with the brand of last year's log. While it lasted there was great drinking, singing, and telling of tales. Sometimes it was accompanied by Christmas candles; but in the primitive cottage the only light was from the ruddy blaze of the great wood fire. The Yule Log was to burn all night; if it went out, it was considered a sign of ill luck.

• Read more about the Christmas Yule Log Traditions of England
• Craft a Cotton Batting, Birch Yule Log Ornament
• Make a Yule Log cake candy container

Supply List:

• a dry log
• drill press - woodworking tool
  
• candles tapers or other sizes if you prefer
  
• bit to fit the press that is the same size of the candles
• greenery collected together to trim the log: pine cones, red berries, holly etc...
• optional feet cut from branches to stabilize the log
• thin wire for attaching greenery
  

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Select a clean, dry log of medium size for decorating the center of your Christmas table.
2. This log may have a flatish bottom or your may need to cut pegs from scrap branches to keep the log from rolling while on display. (see photos)
3. Choose a drill bit the same diameter as the candles you wish to use inside of the yule log and drill several inches into the log. If some of these are deeper than others and the candles don't fit exactly, just stuff cotton down inside of the holes to even the candle heights in the beginning.
4. Wire in Yule Log greenery in an attractive fashion.
5. You may also wish to display a Yule Log inside of your fire surround or fireplace instead of burning logs. This always adds a romantic touch during the holidays and is far less messy!

Yule Log Plant & Candle Meanings:

• English Ivy - symbolizes eternal life
• Holly/Holiday Berries and Mistletoe - good luck, protection
• Pine Cones - symbolize resurrection
• Juniper Sprigs - symbolize healing
• Candles - white symbolize "light", red symbolize determination, green prosperity

Close up of plants used to trim our Yule log.

 

        "These are glowing today for very joy, each in the measure of its greatness, like the wax candles which burn big and bright if they are big, little and bright if they are little, but are all flaming heavenward in rapture. Christmas is for everybody. To each of us the Child was born, and the world that was redeemed is our world. The merry greetings of Christmas morning are but symbols of that redemption. The children's happiness, the neighborly good-will, the generous deed are at once memorials of that pure dawn of long ago, and prophecies of a day more perfect still. Indeed, when we truly keep Christmas in the heart, the heavens are so near - the earth that the angelic voices are like the voices of those we love, and the faces of those we love shine like the faces of the angels. We forget the poor gift, the half-filled stocking, the anxiety. We think only of the perfection that is so close, after all, to our imperfection. To live but one day in good-will to all men is to anticipate and hasten that day when all men shall live in good-will. It is thus that the candles now lighted in the heart shall also be." Perry

Decorating with Belznickle or Belsnickle Figures

A selection of Belsnickles by Kathy Grimm, 2012 editions. Left, view more. Center, view more. Right, view more.

      When searching for these folk art Santa figure on the web it is important to know that the word "Belsnickel" is spelled in many different ways. (also Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, from pelzen (or belzen, German for to wallop or to drub) and Nickel being a hypocorism of the given name Nikolaus) is a fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald region of Baden-Württemberg. Read more . . .

• The Legendary Gift Givers
• Some clip art from kathy of depicting German Belsnickles
• Sculpt your own Belznickle Head Candy Cone
• Craft an old-world pine cone Santa head ornament 

Limited Edition Belznickles by By Kathy Grimm:

1. Tall and Thin, Old-World Belznickles by Kathy Grimm
2. The Limited Edition, White Cloaked, Belznickles from 2012
3. My Belznickle Doll in A Patchwork Coat
4. Yesterday's Santa, Limited Edition Belsnickles Sculpted by Kathy Grimm
5. Belznickles With Glittery Pink and Blue Coats by Kathy Grimm 
6. Sculpted Belznickles in Gold, Blue and Brick Red Winter Coats
7. Belznickle Candy Box by Kathy Grimm

Open-Edition Belznickles:

1. Primitive Folk Art Belsnickles by Susan Brack   and Crazy Quilt Belsnickle Dolls
2. Yelloware Santas from Bittersweet House Folk Art by Kathy
3. Chalkware Figurines by Rich Connolly
4. Belsnickles by Linda Lindquist Baldwin
5. Reproduction Belsnickles by Kay and Guy Stamm
6. David Bignell's wood carved Belsnickles
7. Vallancourt Chalkware
8. Mary Fisher's Reproduction Belsnickles
9. Made to order Belsnickle Santa Dolls
10. Gariné Arakelian and Rick Hamelin Santa/Belsnickel pottery pieces

Decorating With Belznickles:

1. My Welsh Cupboard Decorated for Christmas
2. Woolen pattern by Bonnie Sullivan made up and displayed on a tabletop. and here is her website
3. Hand-stiched needlepoint Tree Skirt of Old-World Santas
4. Countdown to Christmas!
5. Christmas Decor Part Two from A Primitive Place
6. Collection from Stars and Stripes
7. Memories of Christmas Past - Belsnickles