Christmas Wish List

http://familyfun.go.com/printables/season/printable/christmas-wish-list/christmas-wish-list.html?campaign=NLC-NL_Print&link=Section3Link3

This is a really cute page to print out for your kids' wishes. My girls give me a list every year and they know they are going to get only a few gifts. I found that they appreciate gifts more if they do not receive too many. Plus we don't have the cash for alot of gifts.

Friday Fun For Kids

I saw this really cute craft on Family Fun.

Create a flock of these bright votive holders: they're a great project for kids and, filled with battery-operated tea lights, a luminous addition to your table.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Hot glue
Glue gun
1 1/4-inch wooden doll head (available at craft stores)
Small glass bubble votive holder (ours is 4 inches wide by 3 1/2 inches high)
Brush
Mod Podge
Tissue paper
Scissors
Tacky glue
Beads
Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Apply a dab of hot glue from a glue gun to the wooden doll head. Then adhere the head to the votive holder.

2. Brush Mod Podge over the head and body, then cover them with overlapping tissue paper scraps. Apply another Mod Podge layer and let it dry for at least 45 minutes.

3. To make the tail feathers, cut 9- by 2-inch strips of tissue paper, bend each in half without creasing it, then twist the ends together. Use a dollop of tacky glue to attach each feather to the body.

4. Cut a beak from a double layer of yellow tissue and affix it with tacky glue. Add two beads for eyes. Cut a long oval of red tissue, twist one end, and affix it as a wattle. Allow the turkey to dry.

Friday Fun For Kids

Frank 'n' Friends From Family Fun

Dried citrus rinds give this seasonal squash -- and his companions -- their un-natural good look

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Craft knife
Hole punch
Glue dots
Spaghetti squash
Two limes
Black craft foam
Duct tape
Toothpicks
Large bolts
Black permanent marker
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Use a craft knife to cut a circle of rind from the top and bottom of an orange or lime for the eyes (a parent's job). Cut a slit in the remaining peel and remove it intact to use for ears, teeth, and other features. If you're making the witch, reserve the larger pieces of orange peel for the hair.

2. Clean the fruit from the rinds, then use scissors to snip out your character's facial features, as shown. Cut them a little larger than you want; they will shrink as they dry. To dry the pieces, bake them on a foil-lined cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 20 minutes, then allow them to air dry for about 1K hours (or until glue dots will stick to them).

3. Use a hole punch to make a pair of pupils from the craft foam, then adhere them to the white side of the rind eyes with glue dots.

4. Attach all the pieces with glue dots, as pictured. To make the ears stick out (for Frank and the Count), tape a toothpick to the back, leaving about 1K inches of the toothpick exposed, then insert it in place.

5. Finishing touches for Frank: Cut the hair from craft foam following the diagram at right and attach it with glue dots. Bore a hole on each side of the squash with a pencil, then insert the bolts. Use a permanent marker to draw the teeth.

6. Finishing touches for Witch: Cut a small mouth from the craft foam. To make a hat, cut the shapes shown at right from a piece of black craft foam. Roll the half-circle into a cone with a base slightly larger than the center of the ring, and secure the edge with glue dots. Tuck the cone's base into the center of the ring. For the buckle, double-fold a sheet of foil to create a square shape. Snip out the center, then adhere it to the hat with glue dots.

7. Finishing touches for the Mummy: Wrap the pumpkin in gauze, using glue dots to attach the fabric as you go.

8. Finishing touches for the Count: Cut a collar and hair from the craft foam, following the diagram at right. Wrap each around the pumpkin and attach them with glue dots, as shown.

Go to the site to see the finishing touches and the cut outs. http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12055

Count Down To Halloween Printable

Print out a Count Down to Halloween Sheet from Family Fun

http://familyfun.go.com/printables/season/printable/halloween-countdown-house/halloween-countdown-house.html