'Twas The Week Before Christmas - And There's Still Time To Make It From Scratch

The final edition before Christmas of the Make It From Scratch blog carnival is Here and once again, it's full of really good stuff...

Visit Mrs. Micah's site and find links to all of the participants - lots of recipes, last minute craft ideas, some different thoughts on ways to celebrate.

I love Make It From Scratch day!

The Candy House

It began two weeks ago when we went to visit Santa and Maya saw the Candy House.
oooohhhh....a Candy House....



Since then, she's seen candy houses at Walgreen's and at Big Y, she spotted candy houses in Christmas magazines. There was a candy house in a commercial on TV.
Every time she saw one, Maya wanted me to look at it too.
A Candy House.

This morning we made a Candy House.

Nothing fancy, not a gingerbread house, our house began as a cardboard box covered with foil. We frosted it, shingled it with graham crackers, then dressed ourselves in coats and hats and boots and mittens and set out for a walk to the corner store for the candy.





By lunch time, we had our very own Candy House.



Now that it's almost time for bed, our candy house has a lot less candy.
I tried to quell the vandalism - "nibble, nibble, little mouse! Who's that nibbling at my house?"

"It's me, Maya. I'm eating the candy off this house."

Alrighty then.
Carry on.

Now Here's A Good Site! ThriftyFun.com

This is a big site full of Good Things.
I stumbled across it looking for Christmas ideas and they certainly have those!

Here are nearly 200 Christmas recipes that ThriftyFun users have submitted throughout the years.

But here's the idea I loved - simple, thrifty, fun!



Greeting Card Finger Puppets!

A Special Saturday Edition, A Special Make-It-From-Scratch Carnival Entry And A Very Special Guest Blogger - Grandma Strange's Folk Art Rag Bag

Thank You To Grace Martin at WOW, that had to hurt for sharing her blog, her talent and her very special knit "rags"!

Please be sure to view all of the entries in the Make-It-From-Scratch blog carnival -
Click Here



from Grace:

Grandma Strange's Folk Art Rag Bag

My Grandma Strange was old fashioned & a loving Grandma. She always wore a braid in the back of her hair & always wore an apron. Grandma knitted dish cloths/cleaning rags from left over yarn before paper towels were manufactured or purchasing rags became popular.

Grandma taught me to knit and while we knitted the afternoons away, we would talk. She would show me that every rag we made was different, not perfect, just like people. I learned many life lessons during my knitting visits with Grandma Strange.



I remember my visits like they were yesterday. Grandma was quite plump & would always greet me with warm hug. It was like being engulfed by a billowy pillow.

Now, as an adult, I would like one visit with Grandma Strange, but it is not possible. So, I knit rags in loving memory of my Grandma Strange. No matter how bad life is or what is going on, I can always knit & picture Grandma here to talk things over with. There were times she only had to look at me & I knew what she was saying.



Remember, these rags are just like Grandma Strange's Rag Bag. None of the rags are perfect or the same as the one before or after. I kept the bright, funny colors too. We had to use the left over yarn. There was never yarn to make one rag the same color.



If you would like to purchase a rag or two, please Visit Grace By Clicking Here for all the details.

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

"Mommeee...Grammy's talking weird again! She's callin me 'ye thankful'!"

The Kinder Arts newsletter just arrived and I was immediately drawn to the number of projects designed to help our family count its blessings.

Susan Futch has directions for Blessing Boxes made from milk cartons to show what you are thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. (I don't see why any small box wouldn't work just as well)

Karen Rowley shares a fun and educational Thankful Turkey.

Amanda Formaro walks us through the steps of making a Handprint Thanksgiving Tree.

And, if you're feeling really thankful - and ambitious! there are two Thanksgiving Quilts to choose from -
one from Yamilka J. Sena
and another designed by Mindy Shupak.

So Come, Ye thankfuls -
Let's get busy!

Starting To Panic? Here Are A Dozen (Or More) Simple Last Minute Costume Ideas

If you are looking for a fast and simple costume for trick-or-treating or for a Halloween party, go over to About.com and visit Sheri Osborne at Family Crafts! She has several last minute costume ideas you can make with items you have laying around your house. She's included a variety of costume ideas, along with a quick listing of the main supplies needed to make that costume. Click on each costume title to find directions for making that costume.
You'll find ideas like a Basket Full of Laundry costume, a Biker Costume, Autumn Leaves and a whole lot more!

A Dangling Spider And Grinning Jack -o-Lantern From HighlightsKids.com

A couple of fun decorations to work on over the weekend from Highlights Kids.

Dangling Spider
Give your family and friends a fright with a spider made from felt and a film canister. Directions Here

Grinning Jack-o'-Lantern
You'll be grinning when making a jack-o'-lantern from a balloon, glue, and yarn.
Directions Here.

For some extra fun - how about this Monster Puppet?

This silly monster is easy to make with a shoebox, construction paper and some imagination. Directions Here.

A Great Recycled Craft - Make A Handbag From Plastic Bread Bags!

This weeks edition of Make it From Scratch is up and running over at And Miles to Go Before We Sleep. Just like every other week, there are a lot of recipes and ideas being shared. I especially enjoyed this one from Cindy at My Recycled Bags. This project is a fun one for older children (and grammies!), while providing another opportunity to discuss the importance of recycling. Cindy says "I saved about 30 or more bags to make this multi-colored handbag. It’s really durable and will definitely be a conversation piece when you use it."
It's a beautiful bag, Cindy.
Go on over to My Recycled Bags where you'll find the full instructions for making a bag of your own. Then start saving those bread bags!