Last Minute Easy-to-Make Gifts from 1963

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr. Seuss

Today I'm sharing some neat ideas from a pamphlet my dad gave me entitled "Easy-to-make gifts for the small budget" put out by Johnson's Wax in the 1960's.

For a cheese lover: Decorate a dime store bread board with stencils and then add an expensive look by waxing. Put on it a small box of crackers and a selection of foil-wrapped cheeses-also a cheese spreader. Wrap in cellophane or Saran Wrap. Tie with holiday ribbon and trim with holly or small Christmas tree ornaments.

Pine Cones: Dip Pine Cones in self-polishing floor finish and sprinkle with artificial snow while the polish is wet. Wonderful to hang on your tree.

A Candle Centerpiece: Spray a muffin tin with gold paint. Fill the cups with votive candles-dime stores have them. Trim with shiny green leaves and a tiny crepe paper butterfly here and there. Tie a big satin ribbon bow at each end of the tin.

To A Little Lady: There's nothing like a "big lady" jewel box filled with junk jewelry. Buy a plastic tackle or utility box at the dime store. Use household cement to attach pearls, beads, flat rhinestone buttons and other glitter.

Note: You can use a glue gun instead of cement. These ideas are very basic, I really like the simplicity and all of them would be neat to make with kids.

~Brenda

Frugal Fun for Kids

These ideas come from an article I wrote several years ago. You can see all of the ideas here, but I thought some of these would be fun for those days that are just too hot to play outside!

Juice Carton Crayon Box

Wash and dry an empty cardboard juice carton and cut off the top. Using bits and pieces of masking tape, have the children tape up the entire carton, covering all sides, the more tape the better. Use crayons to color the masking tape box. The tape makes the box sturdier and will make a great crayon holder for their desk or dresser.

Coffee Can Stilts

Using two 1-pound coffee cans, turn each can upside down so that the plastic lid is on the bottom. Using a screwdriver, poke two holes, one on each side of the can. Using several strands of yarn braided or twisted together, or some rope, thread through holes in cans. Tie off inside the can. Cans can be decorated if you like.

Alphabet Catalog Collage

Using old toy, clothing, and plant catalogs, have the kids cut out colorful pictures that begin with a specific letter of the alphabet. Assign different letters to each child. Have them glue the pictures onto a piece of construction paper. Discuss the pictures afterward.

Cartoon Strip

make your very own cartoon adventure with crayons and a pad of paper. At the bottom of a pad, on each sheet, draw a figure (i.e., a dog). The first frame will be on the first page, second frame on the second page, and so on. Change the movement with each page. When you are finished, fan the pages with your thumb to see the show!

Bookmarks

Great for back to school or as a gift to someone you love. Make fun bookmarks with construction paper, markers, paints, and stickers. You can also use glitter, sequins, lace, doilies, buttons, and any other little bric-a-brac you have laying about. Cut strips from construction paper, painting the construction paper will make it sturdier, or you can visit the local library or office supply to have them laminated for longer lasting use. To complete the bookmark, attach a tassle make from strands of yarn.

See all 20 Fun Ideas That Won't Break The Bank

More fun: Musical Activities for Guaranteed Fun

Thrifty Thursday: Fun Ideas for Kids

This week I thought I would share with you some fun ideas for your kids or grandkids that cost very little or nothing (nothing is good!). There are quite a few fun activities and crafts here to keep them busy for hours. 

~ Amanda

Juice Carton Crayon Box
Wash and dry an empty cardboard juice carton and cut off the top. Using bits and pieces of masking tape, have the children tape up the entire carton, covering all sides, the more tape the better. Use crayons to color the masking tape box. The tape makes the box sturdier and will make a great crayon holder for their desk or dresser.

Coffee Can Stilts
Using two 1-pound coffee cans, turn each can upside down so that the plastic lid is on the bottom. Using a screwdriver, poke two holes, one on each side of the can. Using several strands of yarn braided or twisted together, or some rope, thread through holes in cans. Tie off inside the can. Cans can be decorated if you like.

Alphabet Catalog Collage
Using old toy, clothing, and plant catalogs, have the kids cut out colorful pictures that begin with a specific letter of the alphabet. Assign different letters to each child. Have them glue the pictures onto a piece of construction paper. Discuss the pictures afterward.

Paper Plate Holders
Using two paper plates, cut one plate in half and place on top of the other plate (turn the half plate to form a pocket over the whole plate). Use a paper punch to make holes going around the outside of the plate. Use scraps of yarn and "sew" through the holes of the plate. Start and end at the top of the plate so that it can be extended about six inches and tied. Have your children color, paint or decorate their plates. Now they have their very own place to put prized possessions, notes from Mom and dad, special pictures and more.

Cartoon Strip
make your very own cartoon adventure with crayons and a pad of paper. At the bottom of a pad, on each sheet, draw a figure (i.e., a dog). The first frame will be on the first page, second frame on the second page, and so on. Change the movement with each page. When you are finished, fan the pages with your thumb to see the show!

Animal Jumble
Using construction or white paper, ask each child to drawn a different body part of an animal, but to have their animal be a secret. For example, have one child draw the head, another draw the tail, another the legs and so on. let the children pick the animal they want to draw. When they are done have then put the animal together with tape or glue. Have fun coming up with a name for the animal (monk-dog-lion-potamus).

Go to 20 Fun Ideas That Won't Break the Bank to see even more ideas like this.

This post is part of Thrifty Thursday. Visit Thrifty Thursday to see more frugal tips!

Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids

We can only be said to be alive in those
moments when our hearts are conscious
of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Today I have more ornament and easy craft ideas for family fun this Christmas season.

This is the easiest thing. My 7 year old made a ton of these last year for gifts for her friends and to decorate the tree in her bedroom. ~MaddeesMom

Ice Cream Ornaments: Take a plain white glass ball ornament (we just used the generic ones from Wal-Mart) and glue it (with the hanger straight up) into an ice cream cone. Paint the top of the ornament with glue (we just used Elmer's School Glue) and then sprinkle the top with tiny beads to look like sprinkles! They look really cute on a tree and they are an easy fast thing to do for Girl Scout meetings or for church bazaars.

I was just thinking back to different crafts I've done with the kids at Christmas and remembered some edible ones that were great fun. ~Lizzy, OFL Community Moderator

Edible Baubles: You'll need a foam ball, some ribbon or cord to make a hanger, toothpicks, soft sugar coated jellies/jubes (little ones are cute like Jelly Tots). Start by making a loop with the cord or ribbon knotting it. Use half a toothpick to secure it in the top of the foam ball. Break the toothpicks in half and push the broken end into a jelly then push the sharp end into the ball. Continue doing this until you've completely covered the foam ball. Hang on the Christmas tree (if it lasts that long).

Gingerbread puzzles: Make your favorite sugar cookie or gingerbread mix. Roll into a large rectangle then cut into rectangles about 4 x 6 inches big. Use a small Christmas cookie cutter to score a shape in the centre (stars work well). Score the rest of the cookie to look like a puzzle. Bake and once it's cooked remove from the oven and while it's still warm rescore right through. Leave to cool then decorate with piped icing and silver cachous. Place your cookie puzzle onto a piece of cardboard and wrap in clear cellophane. This is a cute gift for kids.

Cookie Houses: You need a pack of 100's and 1000's cookies (they are square shaped cookies covered in pink icing and 100's & 1000's sprinkles). If you can't get them any plain square shaped cookies will do. You'll also need some liquorice all sorts (cut in half diagonally so they are triangular shaped) and M&M's (or Smarties)and white royal icing.

Use 8 cookies per house- glue 6 cookies together with icing to form a box (the icing on outside if using 100's & 1000's cookies). Then glue (with icing) 2 together for the roof (use the liquorice at either end to help hold up the roof). Glue some M&M's to the roof. You can wrap these in clear cellophane to gift when they are set.

Cookie Pops: You'll need one paddle pop stick and 2 plain round cookies per pop, white royal icing, small candies to decorate. Sandwich the cookies together with a paddle pop stick between using the royal icing. Cover the outside of the cookies completely with icing. Decorate with coloured icing and little pieces of candy. We stuck red and green M&M's around the edges of the cookie pop. Leave cookie pops to set then package them in clear cellophane with a ribbon bow.

On OFL we have some great Advent crafts:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/advent1.html.

~Brenda

Fall Fun for the Entire Family

Before the fall leaves have turned brown, be sure to play with them:

-Make leaf rubbings. You'll need very fresh, moist tree leaves or other plant leaves, a hammer, and pieces of muslin. Lay your piece of muslin down on a piece of paper, taping it down around the edges with masking tape. Lay your leaf down on top of the piece of muslin, and place a thin piece of paper over top of it (scrap will do). Pound the leaf with the hammer evenly over the entire leaf. This will transfer the leaf shape and color to the piece of muslin, so make sure to pound it all! Afterwards, you can glue the muslin to a piece of cardboard-framing it with a colorful mat if you wish. Note: I like to put a piece of scrap wood under the paper and cloth before pounding just to make sure it doesn't leave marks on my counter or table.

-Chop your fall leaves up with the lawn mower and use as a free winter mulch for your flower beds and throw some in the compost pile if you have one.

-Stuff a scarecrow with leaves instead of straw. Tie off the ends of the shirt and pants with jute (twine), and make a head of plain muslin-stuff them very tightly and leave a few showing for a fun touch.

~Create centerpieces by lining wicker baskets with leaves and filling with gourds, pine cones and other seedpods, or place a mum plant in a basket and surround with leaves.

-Have the kids gather leaves, and they can make a big collage on a piece of poster board. This won't be a "keeper" art project, but they will have a great time collecting, designing and gluing the leaves. Hang it up for the season, be sure to take a picture for them too.
Slip in some educational fun by having them identify each leaf!

~Brenda

A Halloween Pin or Magnet Craft

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them --
The summer flowers depart --
Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning


My daughter and I made these easy Halloween pins last weekend, and I wanted to share.



What you'll need:
Craft foam
Sticky back craft foam
sequins
hole punch
Glue stick and Elmer's Glue
craft or floral wire
scissors
magnets or pin backs

We didn't use patterns, but you can get an idea from the picture. The "dots" were my daughter's idea and worked fantastic. We punched holes out of the sticky back craft foam in orange and black, then we simple removed the paper and placed them on our hats or masks. The hats we cut out of the first color (plain foam), then cut the "brim" to match in black sticky foam. The floral wire was fun to use. We curled it around toothpicks, removed and stuck the ends through the foam to attach. The sequins were from an assorted bag that I had purchased. They glued on easily with the Elmer's glue, but not with the glue stick. After all the designs were finished I placed a heavy book on them for the night and they were ready for pin backs in the morning. The pin backs we purchased last month for less than $2.00. It was an entire bag, so we'll be making more holiday pins for Christmas.

My daughter also made this mask in the same way as the pins, but it's about 6 inches across and we hung it for a decoration. We wrapped the craft wire around pencils for this one.



The sticky back foam was about $4.00 at Walmart for a huge package and it's been money well spent. My daughter used the scraps to decorate drawings she made. She seemed to love cutting out dresses and placing them on her girl drawings the most:)

We also have these easy fall kid crafts on OFL:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/fallfun.html

I hope you have a lovely fall weekend. ~Brenda