Recycled Holiday Crafts For Kids: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Chanukah

 Parents, do the holidays find you up to your eyebrows in kids and work? Why not put those vacationing youngsters to work making #Crafts, greeting cards and decorations for Thanksgiving, #Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, or whatever winter holidays you celebrate? These cheap, green homemade crafts save money using recycled materials while keeping preschool kids productively busy and helping prep for your celebration.  Recycled Holiday Crafts For Kids: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Chanukah

Mexican bottle gourd bird house craft projects

On a family visit to a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch, I discovered a great 'green' nature craft: a gourd bird house made from a Mexican bottle gourd. Gourd bird houses are easy, inexpensive, eco-friendly crafts, perfect for classroom or homeschool. Gourd bird houses make excellent crafts to make with senior citizens, also. Especially crafty folks may want to consider making an assortment of gourd bird houses and selling them at local craft fairs or online at etsy.com.

 You will need a green bottle gourd or any other large gourd, available in many produce stands, farmer's markets and pumpkin patches. The bottle gourd is sometimes referred as a birdhouse gourd and Mexican bottle gourd. It has smooth green skin and a 'goose neck' crook at the top. You can use other gourds as well. Why not make a collection of bird houses and see what feathered friends you can attract.

Before you can make your gourd bird house, the bottle gourd needs to dry thoroughly. Store the gourd in a dry area. As the gourd dries, it turns from green to tan. You'll know when it's thoroughly dry inside and out when you can hear the seeds rattling inside. If the surface gets a little mold or mildew, don't worry. It will wash off. When the gourd is dried, gently scrub the exterior with warm, soapy water. Dry off the moisture. Allow the gourd to thoroughly dry or dry with a hair dryer on set on low. Drill a hole in the lower part of the gourd as an opening for the birds. The larger the hole, the larger the bird it will allow. If you are trying to attract smaller song birds, like finch try drilling a smaller hole. Small birds seek out small nest areas.

You can decorate the gourd with craft paint. If the paint doesn't stick well, try roughing up the surface with a fine sand paper. You can simply shellac the surface also. Shellac is non-toxic and used on cooking surfaces. Try to keep the birdhouse free from any toxins that will be harmful to the birds. If you wish to decorate, try staining the birdhouse with natural dyes or food coloring. You can also decorate with marker. As for the seeds and dried membrane inside the gourd, you can clean them or leave them as a house-warming present for the birds.

Drill a small hole near the top of the gourd that goes all the way through. Tie the gourd birdhouse to the tree by passing a rope through the hole and tying it to the tree.
For more fall craft projects visit green crafts and Halloween Harvest October

Patriotic floral flag garden, RWB flower decorations for gardens, Veterans Day, Memorial Day grave decorating

My mother-in-law lives in a retirement community. She's an avid gardener with an unusually green thumb. For Memorial Day she volunteered to plant a patriotic floral flag garden. She shared how to make a floral flag garden. You can also use these ideas to make mini indoor patriotic gardens for fall and winter. Or they can be used to decorate graves of loved ones. 

Best red flowers: geraniums, carnations, roses, mums, impatiens. White flowers could be gardenia, lily, carnation, impatiens and mums. Blue flowers include hydrangeas, forget-me-nots, cornflowers, petunias.

Flag centerpiece. There are several ways to make a patriotic garden. My mother-in-law arranged hers as floral tribute around her community's flag. Use this option if you have a flag pole. Or place a flag in the center. Make sure that it is in a solid holder, does not touch the ground and is either lit at night or taken down at dusk. You can create a patriotic garden around a lamp post. Place small flags in and around the perimeter and leave the light on at night.

Floral flag flower options. The easiest way is to use same kind of flowers for even spacing and growth. Impatiens and petunias are ideal.They come in solid red, white, dark purple and striped. Petunias have the best shade of blue. Use them for the blue field of stars.

Floral flag. For this option, you need 5.5 foot by 7.5 foot flower bed. Plant 13 rows of flowers 4-5 inches apart. Each row should have about 15 blossoms planted 5-6 inches apart. Stagger plant spacing row to row so that they don't look like a pegboard. For the field of blue, start rows 1-6 with 6 alternating blue and white flowers. Begin and end with blue. Continue rows 1, 3 and 5 with 9 red flowers and rows 2,4 and 6 with 9 white flowered plants. Plant rows 7, 9, 11 and 13 with 15 red flowers. Plant rows 8,10 and 12 with 15 white flowers.

Amount and cost of flowers: You will need 22-24 blue flowered plants, 87-90 red plants, 88 to 90 white plants. This is a total of 197 to 204 plants. You get 32 plants from a large flat with 8 trays in it. Each tray has four plants. Buy about 6-7 flats for this sized garden: 3 red, 3 white and 1 with 24 blue flowers and the rest mixed.

Lenten decorations, Catholic Christian Easter Egg crafts, object lessons

For many a Catholic Christian, the Lenten season, which begins after Ash Wednesday is a journey with Jesus. A Catholic follows the Lord through the desert. The Catholic Church prays the Stations of the Cross Lenten devotions and goes with Jesus on his way of sorrows to the cross. During Lent, a Catholic tries to imitate Christ in humility, prayer and sacrifice. Lent culminates at Palm Sunday and Catholic Holy Week which ends in the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ at Easter. To teach kids about the significance of a Catholic Holy Week and the importance of Lenten devotions, here are Bible object lessons using Easter eggs. In these Easter egg crafts, children explore the Easter story in hands-on Bible object lessons.

Label each egg as follows and place these items inside:
Palm Sunday--a piece of palm, dry grass or a plastic donkey (to remember Palm Sunday, when Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem)
Monday of Catholic Holy Week--a piece of cracker or crouton (to remember Christ's institution of Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper)
Tuesday of Catholic Holy Week--a dime (the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid to betray his friend Jesus)
Wednesday of Holy Week--a tiny piece of branch with thorns (Crown of thorns)
Holy Thursday--a nail (to symbolize that His hands and feet were nailed to a cross)
Good Friday--a cocktail sword or toothpick (to remember that Jesus was pierced with a sword in his side, from which poured water and blood)
Holy Saturday--a stone (the stone that was placed in front of the tomb of Christ and later miraculously removed)
Easter Sunday--Nothing! This reminds us of the empty tomb on Easter morning.
Open one egg each day from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Light a candle for this special time. Ask a young child to explain to the family or group what this item could mean. The family can share their ideas, experiences or scripture references to the item. You might all sing a hymn or chant to remember this part of the story. Sing Crown Him with Many Crowns, All Hail the Power of Jesus's Name or Te Deum. Extend Easter egg crafts, by having children to illustrate Bible object lessons they've learned. Combine illustrations in a family memory book and use for Lenten devotions in years to come.

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West come out to flaunt assets, wedded bliss, and big Christmas tree

Kim Kardashian and #Kanye West came out of their social media hiatus to flaunt her assets, his mental wellness, and their Christmas decorations. The couple's endured a series of unfortunate events lately, including Kardashian-West's Paris attack and Kanye's subsequent (and possibly related) emotional meltdown, and rehab stint. After rumors of a Kimye split, they made a valiant effort to appear a happy, normal couple in a holiday video. What's really up with the reality TV family? Kim Kardashian, Kanye West come out to flaunt assets, wedded bliss, and big Christmas tree

Halloween alternatives: harvest Thanksgiving party decortions, party activities

 Halloween is a top-grossing holiday and consumer spending will hit record highs in 2016. Young and old alike eagerly anticipate trick-or-treat, spending an average of $83 per person on costumes, spooky house venues, decorations, and candy. Not everyone looks forward to #Halloween, however. Some children are terrified by scary costumes. Some parents are rabidly anti-Halloween. But most parents only want to avoid the creepier aspects. Is it possible to celebrate a haunt-less Halloween? Absolutely!  Halloween alternatives: non-scary Halloween costumes, party games, Trick-or-Treat ideas

DIY crafts: No-sew curtains, repurposed window treatments for DIY remodeling

Does your home need a summer facelift? Are you looking for quick DIY remodeling projects that give a lot of bang for few bucks? How about DIY crafts to spruce up windows. Here are easy no-sew curtains and window treatments made from repurposed materials.   DIY crafts: No-sew curtains, repurposed window treatments for DIY remodeling

Reuse wedding reception decorations for bridal gifts, wedding presents, shower prizes | Examiner.com

One way to save money on weddings and bridal showers is repurpose, Make wedding reception decorations double as wedding presents and bridal party thank-you gifts. Make bridal shower decorations and favors multitask as shower prizes and bride gifts. Here are cheap, multi-use wedding reception decorations and bridal shower favors that serve as bridal party gifts, wedding gifts and shower game prizes.  Wedding reception decorations bridal gifts, wedding presents, shower prizes | Examiner.com

Free printable kids birthday party supplies, decorations, games, crafts, cards

If you have planned a kids birthday party recently, you know that it can be expensive. Themed children's parties, decorations, invitations, party supplies and games are costly. Here's a solution: free printable kids birthday party supplies and packages for themed children's parties. Print decorations and party supplies, party games, greeting cards, invitations, table decor, crafts, even party treat bags and gift wrap for all sorts of kids birthday party themes. Kids will have as much fun making decorations for their birthday party as they will at the party.  Free printable kids birthday party supplies, decorations, games, crafts, cards

Best interior paint styles in home decorating: Flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss

Spring is approaching and with it comes a traditional, if oft-overlooked holiday--spring cleaning! A big part of the annual spring cleaning is home decorating (or redecorating). For best interior paint styles, it's not so much as paint style or texture. This articles explore latex paint types. Latex doesn't contain lead. Before the advent of lead-free or latex paints, lead poisoning posed a terrible danger particularly for children and babies who might eat paint chips. Latex paint is low-odor, non-toxic and are much safer for to work with.   Best interior paint styles in home decorating: Flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss | Examiner.com

Free printable monster trucks coloring pages, boys birthday party printables | Examiner.com

Monster trucks have been popular with children and adults for several decades now. I remember when our boys were little, we discovered on a road trip where Goliath, an early monster truck "lived" (as the oldest son, 5, put it). The boys nearly fell out of the car trying to get to Goliath. Here are free printables of monster truck coloring pages, crafts, boys birthday cards and birthday party invitations. You can print everything you need for a monster truck themed boys birthday party! Your girls might even enjoy it too!  Free printable monster trucks coloring pages, boys birthday party printables | Examiner.com

Free printable Winter Solstice pagan activities, worksheets, snowflake crafts | Examiner.com

Among the high profile holidays--Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa--there is the lesser known, sometimes forgotten winter solstice. The winter holiday is an ancient pagan rite, celebrated around December 20-23, in connection with the shortest day of the year. Here are free printable winter solstice activities, snowflake crafts, holiday games, winter science and solstice social studies lesson plans. Pagan Druids and Wiccans commemorated winter solstice. This winter holiday also marks the first day of winter so it's a great time to teach calendar skills, marking time, changing seasons, the solar system, astronomy and constellations.  Free printable Winter Solstice pagan activities, worksheets, snowflake crafts | Examiner.com

Real Christmas trees vs. artificial trees: Ease of use, safety, health, cost considerations

When my husband and I first married, we were diehard holiday traditionalists and DIY-ers. We vowed to have a real Christmas tree each holiday. The whole family would select a tree and bring it home. But the kids have grown and finally reality hit me like the felling of a tree. I realized that I was doing all holiday decorating alone and it wasn't so much fun anymore. And I've become that Scrooge mom who uses an artificial tree. Here's a discussion on real Christmas tree vs. artificial tree, including safety, cost and health considerations. Here's the conclusion: a real Christmas tree is more fun for families of young kids but an artificial tree is the more practical choice.   Christmas trees: Safety, health, cost of real Christmas tree vs artificial tree | Examiner.com

Homemade Advent calendar: Catholic Christian Bible Christmas countdown crafts

Parents, are you dissatisfied with the commercialism of Christmas? Perhaps you're concerned that your children will learn selfish habits with so much holiday indulgence. It's not that kids are so selfish--advertisers bombard kids with "must-have" toys, digital products, gadgets and goodies. Who can blame kids for wanting all that cool stuff? And overindulgent parents have raised kids' expectations. Don't waste time telling kids not to want things (especially if you're giving them everything they want). Instead, give children opportunities to practice sharing with others. Here are lesson plans for Catholic Christian Bible Christmas countdown crafts for children. Make this homemade Advent calendar to teach unselfishness, giving and an attitude of gratitude.  Homemade Advent calendar: Catholic Christian Bible Christmas countdown crafts | Examiner.com

Free printable Christmas nativity scenes, Advent manger sets for Bible holiday | Examiner.com

Are you looking for religious Christmas crafts for little ones? You'll want these free printable nativity scenes. Children can color Bible characters and assemble manger sets. Here's a free printable manger scene with cut and paste coloring pages to put on paper towel tubes. Catholic Icing has eight coloring pages that you can click and print directly from her blog. Each page features Mary and Joseph, donkey, angel, wisemen, shepherds, Baby Jesus, camels. Download the set from the website.Free printable Christmas nativity scenes, Advent manger sets for Bible holiday | Examiner.com

 

Free printable Diwali rangoli patterns and Festival of Lights crafts | Examiner.com

Hindus, Sikhs and Jains began celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights. In 2014, it began with Dhanteras on October 20 and moves to the official Diwali on October 23 and 24. Diwali, also spelled Deepavali, is the Hindu calendar new year. There's lots of feasting, decorating, worship, lighting of diya (lamps) and fireworks. Rangoli are special Hindu designs used in crafts and decorating. Here are free printable rangoli patterns for Diwali.Free printable Diwali rangoli patterns and Festival of Lights crafts | Examiner.com

   

Halloween pumpkin carving tips and free printable pumpkin patterns

Do you ever wonder how people carve Halloween pumpkins in such intricate designs? You can too, with a few basic tools, this tutorial and free printable pumpkin carving stencils, patterns and pumpkin templates.Halloween pumpkin carving tips and free printable pumpkin patterns | Examiner.com

 

Free printable Despicable Me Minions crafts, masks and games | Examiner.com

 Despicable Me continues to be a hit cartoon, thanks in large part to the yellow (and sometimes purple, yikes!) Minions. Gru's capsule-shaped assistants are cray-cray popular! We're going to see a lot of Minions trick-or-treating as they're a top 10 Halloween costumes of 2014. Here's a DIY Minion Halloween costume. How about some free printable Minion masks and crafts? Free printable Despicable Me Minions crafts, masks and games | Examiner.com

Devo's Jerry Casale sorry for tacky 9/11 themed wedding: Oops, but not their bad - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

 What's that about minding your metaphors? That's what a celeb couple married on September 11 learned. Devo's Jerry Casale, who is sorry for his tacky 9/11 themed wedding, reported Billboard on September 15. However, Casale says oops, but it's not their bad. Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale, 67, married Krista Napp, 27 on the anniversary of the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. But the newlyweds meant no disrespect with 9/11 box cutter party favors and Twin Towers wedding cake. The World Trade Center decorations were the bizarre brainchild of a friend and as much an unpleasant surprise to them as it was to everyone who was offended.  Devo's Jerry Casale sorry for tacky 9/11 themed wedding: Oops, but not their bad - Grand Rapids News | Examiner.com

Christmas lights in home decor: Decorate with repurposed holiday lighting

Holiday lights are a favorite Christmas decoration. I grieve every season when taking the Christmas lights down. Then I decided to keep the Christmas lights in home decor year-round. Holiday lighting is wonderfully versatile! Here's how to decorate with repurposed holiday lighting.Christmas lights in home decor: Decorate with repurposed holiday lighting