Greetings, Learning Expressions Readers!
The most wonderful time of year has finally arrived!!! Jingle Bells plays incessantly on every radio station around, Christmas trees hang precariously off minivans everywhere, and I can (at last!) greet the morning not with a fresh cup of coffee but rather with a slightly stale Santa-shaped chocolate from my advent calendar. Truly magical stuff!
Today I'm going to be sharing with you the Very Merry Ornaments Kit, available exclusively at Learning Express Toys. If you've recently carted home a Christmas tree (or salvaged its sad remnants from the side of the highway) then this is the activity for you!
During our last dabble with an arts and crafts activity (see Sparkling Hair Accessories Blog) I let my paralyzing fear of all things crafty get the best of me, and I merely sat back and observed while my artsy colleagues worked their magic on the sparkling hair bands. I am pleased to report that this week I built up the courage to make an ornament of my very own to hang on my tree! I can attest to the fact that this craft is not only idiot proof, but a heck of a lot of fun as well.
Step 1: Lay out all your materials. The Very Merry Kit contains enough supplies to create six unique ornaments. In each box you will find 108 paper strips, 400 mosaic tiles and sticky gems, six plastic stems, twelve knobs, and a selection of ribbon.
Step 2: Select 18 paper strips and create the pattern for your bauble.
Step 3: Add sparkling gems and mosaic tiles to your paper strips. You can add them where you please ofollow the patterns laid out on some of the strips.
Step 4: Once you have all your paper strips decorated, you will need to put them all on the end of an ornament stem and snap the ornament knob in place.
Step 5: You now must take each strip of paper and, in the order you want, place it on the other end of the ornament stem. As you do, you will begin to see your bauble take shape!
Step 6: Once all your paper strips are in place, secure the other ornament knob on the top.
Step 7: Now you just need to add some string to the top!
Step 8: Hang your beautiful ornament from your Christmas tree and admire your handiwork!
I hope you and your family enjoy making these Very Merry Ornaments just as much as we have at the Learning Express Toys home office!
Talk to you again soon!
