Clay Pot Nativity

Last December, I found a box of little clay pots at a thrift store.

Thirty for $1.25!

I didn't need them.

I had no idea of what I would use them for.

But, they were SO tiny and SO cute,

I  had to buy them.

A few days later,  I found Jennifer's craft

at Kids on the Grand.

Perfect!

To make it easier for my daughter, I glued the beads on the night before.

For Joseph and Mary and I bought the kind with one flat side.

Beka painted the pots and the basin,

then glued moss down.

Baby Jesus just needed a square of fabric,

some cotton,

pretty sure this is from a bottle of Advil,

'cuz I'm thrifty like that,

and one tiny bead.

A little glue, a little folding, and a little more gluing.

The beard was a little scraggly.

 

Her sister is a cosmetologist, so Beka was very confident

she knew just how to trim a beard.

 

The finishing touch was to set the family on a slice of wood

I had squirreled away in my craft room.

Do you keep things just because you like them

and you think you might need them some day?

A fun, inexpensive craft, a fun memory, and a holiday

decoration we'll use for years.

Jessica from Craftily Ever After had her own version.

I loved her idea of using burlap.

Janet posted this one at Design Dazzle.

Isn't it adorable?

This craft is a good way to inspire your family

to keep

Christ

in

Christmas.

Flowers That Won't Fade

Sometimes I'm a little slow in getting a blog post done.

I made these headbands over a year ago,

but you probably didn't need to know that.

I started with silk flowers from the Dollar Store,

and a wide headband from the Dollar Store.

I like my flowers to be really full, so I began by taking the flowers apart,

and throwing away all the plastic pieces.

I know some of the craft bloggers would probably make

something really cool out of those pieces,

but I needed to get them in a garbage can before they ended up

my grandchildren's noses.

Of course, my kids didn't do strange things like that,

but my grandkids sure do. 

Don't know where they get some of their habits. :)

Any hoo...

I prepared my supplies.

The layers of silk flowers were sewn together,

then sewn onto the headband.

I used a lot of stitches.

Kids can be rough on things.

 

Isn't she loverly???

I love huge flowers on beautiful little girls.

Brookelyn, my first granddaughter.

Grandson Brayden, is also adorable, but yanked this off his head.

He doesn't like fluffy stuff.

After all, his nickname is Bubba.

Doesn't every family need a Bubba?

Done.

$2 each

He definately didn't like the pink one.

Silly family.

Why would they put flowers on a little boy and take his picture when he cried?

I dunno.

Cuz' he's so stinkin' adorable?

My daughter, Rebekah, (far left) is in a Keepers at Home

group with these girls and their moms.

The Lord brought us together in a wonderful way,

all four moms have older teenage kids,

and second grade daughters.

I've been teaching the girls handsewing,

so this was the perfect project to work on their skills.

Some of the girls chose to hot glue a large button

 in the middle of their flowers.

 

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Flowers are a reminder for one of my favorite promises in the Bible,

I Peter 1:24-25

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away,

But the word of the LORD

 endures forever.”

These girls are being raised with more than just helpful skills,

for their future lives.

They're being raised with the enduring Word of God,

for their eternal lives.

Time to Play!

We had our first 5 kids in about 9 years.

After a 7 year gap, we had Rebekah.

Other people might call that last child

an oops,

an afterthought,

a surprise,

or

a caboose.

We simply call Rebekah Joy our joy.

Since she had no siblings close in age,

 when she was a baby I decided I'd play with her every day.

Play is a child's work.

It's crucial to their development.

Not that I need the approval of worldy philosphers,

nor would I probably condone most of their works,

but sometimes I like to prove that Moms know best.

(These experts probably got their ideas from their moms, anyway.)

The older kids were kind and good to her,

and also made her life special by playing with her,

but I still felt a determination to enjoy playing with her those early years

to make sure she had the kind of fun childhood her older sibling had.

We still love playing together, although it's no longer needed daily.

One time we were playing with my Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

(Yes, they're mine.  You didn't read that wrong.)

The girls were going on a trip and needed sleeping bags.

I quickly cut  a simple pattern on cardstock,

included the little rounded part for a pillow,

then cut them out of soft light green fleece.

Whoever wants to understand much must play much.

Gottfried Benn

German physician

We simple folded them in half, and Beka sewed.

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers

American television personality

(Yea, way to sneak in a sewing lesson, huh?)

I learned long ago to not be picky when kids are sewing.

We only rip it out if it is really, really bad.

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.

Abraham Maslow

American psychologist

Beka's were all fine.

Children learn as they play.

Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.

O. Fred Donaldson

Contemporary American martial arts master

We rolled them up with small hair rubber bands

and put them on like backpacks.

It is a happy talent to know how to play.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Emerson says I'm talented?)

Now they're ready for vacation!

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.

Ovid

Roman poet

(People that need a vacation?)

Tucked in for the night.

In play a child always behaves beyond his average age,

 above his daily behavior.

 In play it is as though he were a head taller than himself.

Lev Vygotsky

Russian psychologist

They also worked well for sun-tanning

on the deck of the Fisher Price boat.

Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child.

Joan Almon

Contemporary American educator

Back to playing with my joy.

Children need the freedom and time to play.

Play is not a luxury.

Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison

Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

Play is Rebekah's work, remember.

And I didn't need the professionals to tell me that.

Hanging on a Tree

Sometimes, those good intentions from previous Christmas seasons can be a head start for another year.

Two years ago, I ordered some adorable nativity craft kits from Oriental Trading Company, made a few the first year, made a few with the neighbors the second year, storing  them in my antique buffet in the dining room for two years altogether.

I packed them in a wicker basket with glue guns and brought them to my  homeschool co-op.  The rules require me to be in study hall with Rebekah 8:30-3:15 every Wednesday.  I have found we enjoy the time more if I bring a craft, an educational project or a game to share with the other kids.

The nativity kits were a bit complicated for young kids, so required an adult or two constantly at attention with the glue gun. When I made them with much younger kids, I glued most of the stable together and glued the clothing on ahead of time.  It really takes a trial run ahead of time, sometimes, to know how well a craft time with kids will go.

I love watching kids create, and give them the freedom to make changes as they want. Kids often have good ideas of how they want things to look, and will think of things adults don't.

My heart was thrilled to ask these kids what they knew about the Lord and His birth and to hear the precious truths their parents are storing up in their hearts. One young girl wanted to give her nativity set to her grandpa because he wasn't a Christian, and she was very concerned about him. Another young man began sharing about the Rapture, and the appropriate verses he was learning in a Bible class.

I made sure each child wrote their name and the date on the back of their ornament to commemorate their achievement.

The young kids went excitedly home with a precious treasure, something they made, and could hardly wait to hang them on their Christmas trees.

But, more importantly, they have the treasure of the truth of the Savior's birth stored up in their hearts, and will have eternity in Heaven if they hang their sins on the tree where He was crucified.

Matthew 1:21

"And she shall bring forth a son,

and you shall call his name JESUS:

for He shall save His people from their sins."