More holiday cheer!

We were invited for dinner at the home of some new friends.  I thought it would be a fun activity for the kids if we decorated a gingerbread house...

Before we left home, we had to mix up the frosting and assemble the house.  George helped with the electric mixer:

Yum, frosting...

Here the kids waited patiently as I took a picture:

Then they brushed icing on the roof:

And decorated with lots of candy:

And our finished house:

George even helped by piping on the icing for the door.  I think if I would have given him the icing bag the whole dining room would have been covered.  Well, it was a good activity, the kids liked it, and I can't wait to do it again when George is older. 
Christmas is almost here.. are you squeezing in every last bit of holiday fun while you can?

Low Budget Holiday Cheer!

I had this idea when I went to bed the other night.  (still playing with the handprint idea, like on mom's wall hanging..) I didn't know how it would work out, but it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and as a result,10-12 lucky Christmas card recipients will also get a bit of original artwork this year (or maybe I'm just prepping him to become a Sumo wrestler..)

What you need:

• washable poster paint = $3 at Target
• cardstock = I had some left over from my mail art days. You probably have some lying around too.
• wax paper covered cutting board
• silicone basting brush
• newspaper to cover your work area

I set it up assembly-line style on my ironing board.  Then I put a full coverage bib on the kid just in case, held him in my right arm and guided his hand from the paint to the papers with my left.  When we ran out of papers, I carried him right to the sink.

So easy!  Minimal mess!  Big score on cuteness!

So of the 45+ Christmas cards we send, a few will be a bit more special this year.
Hope you're having as much fun with your holiday crafting!