Not sure where to put this so...

[mycatis]

My son and I want to make christmas decorations. I have been trying to download stencils to use with spray snow, because I've never used it before and lets just say, freehand would be a mess lol. I cant really find anything suitable. Also I wondered if anyone had any other ideas for us to try? Thanks and Happy Christmas to everyone

[nfn]

paper chains, glue, glitter and sparkly pipe cleaners don't appeal then? No? Don't blame you! How old is your boy, old enough to melt wax crayons over candles? Just hold the crayon over the flame, let it melt and run down the candle. Lots of colours, lots of mess but loads of fun that can look quite pretty - with one eye closed and in the dark!

[lou 26]

Hi Mycatis,

Not sure how old your son is, My daughter is 3 (almost) weve been making paper snowflakes today. The glitter/glue pics are always good fun (if you enjoy cleaning up the mess!) and you could always collect some pine cones or leaves etc. and spray them lightly with the snow or glue/glitter them! Its all messy but good fun! oh and asda are selling biscuits (santa and reindeer shaped) that come with tubes of icing for little ones to decorate their own! Hope this helps, have fun xxx

[lou 26]

p.s. Happy Christmas too xxx

[maggie01]

You could make some Christmas Crackers from loo rolls and crepe paper, glitter stars for the tree. Cut a shape for a snowman, cover with cotton wool and cut out coloured paper for hat, nose,eyes etc. You could decorate a piece of coloured paper and cut through it in straight lines to make a lantern. Cut out two Christmas Tree shapes, decorate them. Slit one halfway up from the bottom and one halfway down from the top, push the together and make a 3D tree. Just a few things we have made with the children at work this year.

[boobesque]

hi hun, wilkinsons have paperchains very very cheap, i made them here, and apart from the disgusting taste (for hours!) they look great, i also bought really cheap baubles (loads in the sale now) and decorated them myself, made some really nice personal ones.

Sorry if thats not much help hun!!

merry xmas to you and mini mr cat!

[mycatis]

Thank folks, my boy is 9 but he loves all that kind of stuff (ok ok I do too lol)
Morning boob, how are you hon?

[Jules001]

here is a link to some stencils (don't be put off that they say for cakes!) http://www.supercook.co.uk/stencils.asp hope this helps.

[mycatis]

That's great jules thanks got a reindeer and some bells :-)

[stoo_pid]

When we were kids I used to love making Xmas decs. These are some of the things I can remember:

• Cut out symmetrical star shapes from thick cardboard (or paste 3 or 4 layers of cereal boxes together). Stick shiny foil / paper on one side. Then on the other side, using a ruler & the back of a pair of scissors, score straight lines along the spines of the star from point to point. This will make the star sort of 3-D shape. Then paint the dull side with festive colours, red, green, silver, etc.


• Paint old table-tennis balls & then cover them in glitter.


• Make mini stained-glass windows by cutting out simple festive designs (e.g. angels, stars, snowflakes, etc) from colouring books (or, of course, download them). Don't colour them in but, following the lines carefully cut out different parts of the pictures & stick tissue paper, or even better coloured cellophane, on the back. Then hang them in the window.


• Make Xmas tree baubles by cutting up old Xmas cards into squares or circles & making them into cubes.


• Old twigs & thin branches sprayed silver and / or with fake snow bundled together can look great either standing on a hearth or laid along a mantlepiece. Even better if you have a set of plain white fairy lights to drape over & around them.


• Wrap loads of empty boxes & pile them under the tree.
  

cont...

[stoo_pid]

...cont

• Make a batch of gingerbread biscuits cut in festive shapes to hang on the tree (you'll probably have to keep doing this cos they never stay on the tree for long!)


• Decorate an empty jar (use felt-tip pens) & place a tealight inside. Perhaps make an acorn ring to go round the base.


• We also made a perpetual advent calender from green & red felt hanging from a little pole with 25 little numbered pockets stuck on. We'd put little sweets & lollies in each pocket.


• We once kept the plastic sweet tray from a chocolate advent calender (posh or what?!), and we used that each year as a mould to make chocolate sweets from melted Scotblock. These were wrapped in bits of tin foil & put in the advent calender and hung from the tree.


• Another thing I've seen but not done myself are little decorations made using little figures stuck on old CDs (the freebie internet offers you get in the post or displayed at the supermarket checkouts are ideal) with the shiny side up with spray snow, twigs, cotton wool etc to look like little ice-skating scenes etc.


• You could also glue a couple of CDs back to back to hang as decorations.

Merry Xmas!

[Mistopheles]

String cranberries to hang on the tree, and push cloves into oranges to hang up - smells wonderful too.

Homecard Christmas cards are great fun and most people love them.

If you can persade him it's not too girly, it's easy to make stuff for a tree. Get some plastic cross stitch material, stitch a pattern on and trim. I made about 30 years ago, and I've just put them on my tree again.

Homemade sweets? Mint creams are really easy and taste great, and I made some gourgeous coconut chocolate candies last year that were so popular I'm going to make them again this year - if I can find the receipe! Just search on google for mint creams receipe and you should find one.

[boobesque]

hey cat, i am grand thanks, not been in chat as i have been going to bed early (xmas is knackering me out!)

how are you?

[mycatis]

LOL I clicked on "rate" and gave you stars without even thinking!! I meant to reply to you, glad you're ok hon and hopefully talk soon x x