Christmas Robin Tea Cosy Knitting Pattern

The cheery Christmas robin is no stranger to cold bleak winters. He knows how to keep warm and he will keep the teapot warm too. The festive robin novelty Tea Cosy is quick and easy to make and adds Christmas cheer to the kitchen or breakfast table, he also makes for a very unusual gift.

To make the Christmas Robin tea cosy you will need...
5.5 mm, UK size 5 or US size 9 knitting needles,
50g Brown double knitting wool,
50g Red double knitting wool,
25g White double knitting wool
And scraps of felt for the eyes and beak.

Divide all of the balls of wool into two balls so that the yarn can be used in double thickness but knitted up as a single strand.

The Back
Using double thickness brown yarn cast on 28 stitches and work 38 rows in straight garter stitch (Knit each row)

Leave the stitches on a spare needle until later.

The Front
Using double thickness brown wool, cast on 28 stitches and work 4 rows in garter stitch.

Break the yarn and change to white (again double yarn) Work another 4 rows.

Row 9: Knit 6 stitches with white, Join Red (double yarn) knit in red to last 6 stitches. Knit 6 with white.

Don't carry the yarn behind the work, instead use separate balls of wool and twist the yarns together when changing colours to avoid leaving holes.

Row 10: K6 white, K16 red, K6 white.
Row 11: K4 white, K20 red, K4 white.

Repeat the last row 21 more times.

Row 33: K5 white, K8 red, K2 white, K8 red, K5 white.
Repeat this row again.

Row 35: K6 White, K6 red, K4 white, K6 red, K6 white.
Repeat this row again.

Work two rows in white.

The Tea Cosy Top
Using brown double yarn proceed to knit across the tea cosy front and then tea cosy back as follows...

Shaping the top Row 1: *K5, K2 tog* repeat to end

Next and every alternate row Knit.

Row 3: *K4, K2 tog* repeat to end.
Row 5: *K3, K2 tog* repeat to end.
Row 7: *K2, K2 tog* repeat to end.
Row 9: *K1, K2 tog* repeat to end.
Row 11: *K2 tog* repeat to end.

Thread the end of the yarn through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself and draw up the knitting tightly and Finnish off.

With the front and back right sides together, sew about 9.5cm from the finishing off point down the side seam towards the cast on edge.

At the bottom of each side seam, sew about 3cm upwards. The holes are left for the teapot handle and spout.

From felt cut out two eyes (Approximately 4cm in diameter) and sew into position.

Cut a 5cm long kite shape from black felt and fold the fabric in half along the long edge and over-sew this edge with small stitches. With the seam at the bottom, flatten out to form a slender pointed beak. Sew into place.

Now the rosy robin can keep your rosy lee piping hot all winter.

This novelty Christmas robin tea cosy fits teapots up to 47cm round and up to 17cm high, a medium sized teapot.


S. Roberts writes for http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk a popular Christmas educational resource packed with creative things to do over the festive period including traditional, religious and 21st Century activities. For information about the Christmas Robin visit http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-robin.html

The peg art Teapo stand makes an ideal next for the Christmas robin tea cosy. See how to make the tea pot stand

Here...

Peg Art Christmas Star

Funky peg art stars can make a modern looking display. The stars are simply made from pegs and can be painted in any colour to fix in with your Christmas decoration theme.

To make a peg art Christmas star you will need…
20 spring type clothes pegs, a suitable wood glue, paint, thread for a hanging loop, a glass bottle and two identical blocks of wood - Jenga bricks are ideal. Don’t worry, they are just for support and will be fine to return to the game afterwards.

To start with you need to dismantle the clothes pegs and remove the springs. You’ll find this is easy to do, just twist the peg ends in opposite directions.

Glue your peg halves backs together so that the flat sides are back to back. You will end up with a round bulbous end and a thin tapered end. Leave the pegs to dry.

The star centre piece.
With the pegs on their side sop that you can see the glued joining line, stick 6 pegs together at their round end. Each peg needs to be lined up in a straight line with the peg opposite it. A small hole will naturally form at the centre of the pegs as you align them. Leave the centre piece to dry.

The star quarter pieces.
Again with the pegs on their side join 3 pegs together at the round ends. The pegs need to be at 45 degrees angle from one another.

Make two star quarter pieces in this way and allow to dry.

Star double pieces.
With the pegs on their sides, stick two pegs together at the round end at a 45 degrees angle.

Make four double pieces in this way and allow to dry.

To assemble the star…
With the star centre piece flat on the table glue on one quarter piece on one quarter piece in an upright position so that the centre peg is directly above the hole in the star centre piece.

Put a jenga block on both sides and running parallel to the quarter piece at approximately 2.5cm away.

Take two star double pieces and rest them on these blocks with the round ends glued to meet the rounded ends of the star centre piece and the quarter piece.

The double pieces should be adjusted so that they form a 45 degree angle between the other two pieces.

Leave the star to dry.

To attach the quarter and double pieces to the other side of the star, you need to stand the star in a glass bottle with a slim neck.

This will make the centrepiece flat as before. Glue on the quarter and double pieces in the same way as before and leave the star to dry.

Paint the star in whatever colour you choose. It is probably easiest to use car spray paint, do follow the instructions on the tin and only spray in a properly ventilated room. A few thin even coats will give the best finish.

When the paint is dry thread some gold thread through a hole in one of the star spikes. This is the hanging loop to suspend the star.

For extra glamour wind tinsel around the star spikes at the heart of the star.

For illustrations and a step by step illustrated guide visit http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-star-peg-art-chrismas-decoration.html

SantasPostBag.co.uk is a free educational resource packed with creative things to do over the festive period including traditional, religious and 21st Century activities. Click here for another great peg art idea - http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/peg-art-teapot-stand.html

Edible Christmas garland

Victorians were keen on using foods to make Christmas decorations they used to make orange and clove promenades by pushing dried Cloves in to an orange which dried over time and emitted a nice aroma.

The Victorian's made garlands from popcorn by simply threading pieces of popcorn on to a long thread. They then decorated their Christmas tree with the pop corn garland.

You could still make a popcorn garland today from plain or salted popcorn. Once threaded the pop core can be spray painted with a festive metallic paint. Apply the paint in light coats to prevent the popcorn from melting. Whilst the paint is still wet sprinkle over some glitter for extra glamour.

Despite being made from food I don't really think that anyone would want to eat these Christmas trimmings however, you may want to eat this Christmas decoration idea.

To make the edible wrapped sweets Christmas garland you will need?
Some boiled sweets or toffees, or any other type of sweets wrapped in the traditional way a bit like a Christmas crackers with the twisted ends, and a stapler.

Staple the sweets, wrapper ends together keep going until you run out of sweets. The garland will have a large bead like appearance.

Drape the garland around the Christmas tree. Sweets wrapped in foil or cellophane reflect the Christmas tree lights. Fruity boiled sweets in clear wrappers look a bit like Christmas fairy lights themselves. Experiment yourself with different wrappers.

You could even make yourself a boiled sweets necklace and bangle by stapling the first and last sweets wrappers together. You will be very popular with such a fashion accessory.

Warning - beware of large festive mice who dine on boiled sweet garlands.




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A Christmas Quiz

A Christmas Quiz by Gary Kurz

I think it is safe to say that one of the most celebrated days of the year in our country is Christmas. It is such a popular holiday that often those not of the Christian faith participate in the festivities. It is also safe to say that this day is widely celebrated around the world, even in cultures that are not Christian in culture or persuasion, such as Japan and China. They too call it "Christmas".

Despite the widespread recognition of this holiday, Christians the world over lament how commercialized Christmas has become and how convoluted the reason and meaning. We see signs hanging in department stores that say "remember the reason for the season", but it seems the author of this Yule-time slogan had customer spending in mind rather than something spiritual.

There are myriad examples we could site regarding the world's commercialization of this sacred Christian holiday and the loss of festive understanding, but too often we Christians come up short ourselves in this theological arena. As our Lord said, sometimes we need to remove the beam from our own eye.

How much do you really know about Christmas? How much of what you think about Christmas is Bible and how much is world? Could you pass the following quiz on this topic? Test your knowledge. There are no trick questions, but you might be surprised by some of the answers. Score 5 points for each correct answer. I will leave it up to you to decide whether you passed or not. The answers are at the end of the quiz.

1. Christmas (the day Jesus was born) probably actually occurred on:
a. December 25th
b. March 29th
c. April 1st
d. We do not know

2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a. 2
b. a multitude
c. 1
d. it cannot be determined

3. A manger is:
a. a feeding trough
b. a barn
c. a stable
d. a room behind an Inn

4. Where was Joseph's family from?
a. Bethlehem
b. Nazareth
c. Jerusalem
d. Galilee

5. How were the shepherds to find and recognize the Lord?
a. by following a star
b. by asking at the Inn
c. by looking for a babe in a manger
d. by looking for the Magi

6. How many wise men came to see Jesus in the manger?
a. two
b. the Bible doesn't say
c. three
d. none

7. How did Joseph and Mary get to Bethlehem?
a. walked
b. by cart
c. Joseph walked/Mary rode a donkey
d. The Bible doesn't say

8. When Mary was found to be with child, she and Joseph were:
a. married
b. companions
c. engaged
d. The Bible does not say

9. Who told Joseph what to name the baby?
a. Mary
b. An angel
c. God
d. Jewish elders

10. Where did the wise men find Jesus?
a. In the manger
b. On a donkey with Mary
c. In the field
d. In a house

11. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
a. Joseph and Mary
b. The shepherds
c. The three kings
d. Everyone
e. None of the above

12. The Innkeeper told Joseph:
a. There is no room
b. We don't allow children
c. You can use the stable out back
d. None of the above

13. Who told Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a. an angel
b. Herod
c. The tax collector
d. Caesar

14. What is meant by "heavenly host"?
a. an arch angel
b. greeting angels
c. an army of angels
d. an angelic choir or herald

15. What song did the heavenly host sing?
a. "Away in a Manger"
b. "Joy to the World"
c. "Glory to God in the Highest"
d. They did not sing

16. What animals were present at the birth of Jesus?
a. cows and sheep
b. cows, sheep and mules
c. cows, sheep and camels
d. unknown

17. What is the most accurate definition for "Magi"?
a. Magicians
b. Wise men
c. Astrologers
d. Eastern kings

18. Why did Herod want to know when Jesus was found?
a. So he could worship him
b. So he could tell others
c. So he could kill him
d. None of the above

19. How long was the trip for the wise men after they saw Herod?
a. Two years
b. Less than 1 day
c. A little less than two years
d. None of the above

20. How many shepherds were there in the field?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 6
d. We are not told

ANSWERS TO QUIZ

1. d
2. c
3. a
4. a
5. c
6. d*
7. d
8 . c
9. b
10. d
11. e (3 kings are not mentioned - all the wise men saw the star)
12. d (no mention of the Inn Keeper is made)
13. d (see Luke 2:1-3)
14. c
15. d (we are told "a heavenly host saying")
16. d (the Bible does not say what animals were present)
17. c
18. c
19. c (Herod had all the male children under 2 put to death)
20. d

*6 - the Bible says they saw the young child in the house - they were not present at the manger - and no mention is made as to how many Magi there were - we often assume there were three because there were three gifts

The author, Gary Kurz, is a Baptist Preacher and Bible Teacher. He helps those grieving the loss of a pet to understand the Biblical evidence that proves they live on. His most popular book, "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates" delivers hope and comfort to the reader in a very gentle, yet convincing way. Visit at http://www.coldnosesbook.com/ for more information, tips and gifts or write to Gary at petgate@aol.com.

Christmas Fun Stuff

Little Donkeys Special Secret

Donkeys are very special animals. Most people have enjoyed a donkey ride at the seaside, zoo or farm at one time or another as a child, a tradition started during the Victorian times. How could anyone resist those cute sad faces, and those extraordinary long eyelashes? But donkeys are special for another reason.

If you are familiar with the story of the nativity you will know that Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted, a journey of around 95 kilometres. This was no small distance back in those days when there weren't any motorised vehicles. Additionally the journey was over a hilly terrain, which made the long journey even harder.

Poor Mary was heavily pregnant and the prospect of such a journey must have been daunting. It's little wonder then that she rode a donkey on this long journey.

A special thing happened to the little donkey as it carried it's precious load. As the donkey carried Mary and the unborn Son of God, a mark of the crucifix appeared on the donkey's back. The top of the cross starting on the donkey's neck and running down his spine. The shorter line of the cross ran along the donkey's shoulder blades. The sign of the crucifix was given as a reward to the little donkey for the hard work it had endured, getting pregnant Mary safely to Bethlehem. (see the photographs of Donkeys too see their special marks)

To this day the little donkey is honoured for what he did for God, and all the donkeys bear the sign of the crucifix on their backs. You don't usually see the cross because donkeys at the beach are usually wearing saddles, so small children can ride them. Maybe this is why donkeys look so sad, because their special mark is hidden.

Donkey Adoption
Why not adopt an adorable Donkey?

Yes, there are a number of donkeys from all over Europe who could do with some loving! You will receive a photo of the donkey that you have adopted along with his or her life story. Also in the adoption pack is a fluffy donkey, with name tag, together with adoption certificate. You will also receive a news letter and new photo in 6 months time. Should you really hit it off...you can even visit them on their care farm!

Click Here... for more information on Donkey Adoption


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How to make a Christingle Orange

What do you know about the Christingle?

Christingle means 'Christ-Light'. The Christingle celebrates the light of Christ and puts Christ back into Christmas. The first Christingle service was in Germany around 1747. The service encouraged children to keep a candle burning in the window of their home so that people who passed by would see the light of Christ.

The Christingle service teaches children about Jesus. Of course Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, but the Christingle celebrates the meaning of Jesus' life, with each part of the Christingle orange having it's own symbolic meaning.

The orange itself represents the world.
The red ribbon around the orange symbolises the blood of Christ that Jesus shed to save us from our sin.
The four cocktail sticks are the four seasons of the year.
The dried fruit or sweets represent the fruits of the earth and the earth's riches God has blessed the world with.
The white candle, which is place in the top of the orange, represents Jesus, the light of the world that shines over everything.

The Christingle service usually takes place on the last Sunday before Christmas or on Christmas Eve. You could contact your local church for more details about visiting the Christingle service.

Of course you don't have to go to church, you could make your own Christingle range.

All you need is...
An orange, 4 cocktail sticks, red ribbon, dried fruit or small soft sweets such as jellies pins and a white candle.

Cut a hole in the top of the orange so that the candle will sit snugly in place.

Wrap a length of red ribbon around the middle of the orange. Hold the ribbon in place with pins, push the pins into the orange.

Carefully push dried fruit or soft sweets onto each cocktail stick, so that the cocktail stick is half covered Carefully push the cocktail stick into the orange above the red ribbon. Evenly space the cocktail sticks out to the Four Corners of the world.

Finally add the white candle to the top of the orange. Light the candle and leave it in a window for passers by to see the light of Christ. Do be careful not to burn the curtains, do not leave the candle unattended. Remember to enjoy the fruits of the earth.


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Fairy Lights and Bells Christmas Umbrella

Are you an extravert? Is your Auntie bonkers? Is your Granny Christmas mad? We have the perfect Christmas gift idea, which will definitely get them noticed.

Presenting The Fairy Lights and Bells Christmas Umbrella so named because it is an umbrella with some unusual Santa's grotto features. Fairy lights, Christmas baubles and some tinkling bells to ensure the user of the brolly jingles all the way.

To make this Christmas brolly you will need... An umbrella, felt fabric, Christmas baubles, small cable ties, some bells (the larger the bell the more 'Sleigh bell' they sound, whilst tiny bells sound like fairies and pixie dust). You will also need a packet of battery operated multi-colour lights.

Open the umbrella and sit it upside down on the table. You will notice that along each spoke of the metal part of the brolly, the umbrella fabric is stitched to the frame. At this point sew a couple of stitches on top of one another to finish off.

In a similar way, sew a Christmas bauble to the end of each spoke where the umbrella fabric is sewn to the tip of the spoke.

To attach the lights to the umbrella frame, you need to make a little 'pocket' to hold the light?s battery compartment.

Cut out a piece of felt that is half a centimetre bigger than the battery compartment all the way around. Cut out a second piece, but this time as well as the half a centimetre all around, also make an increase in the length of the rectangle by 3cm, this will give the pocket a 'tab' at the top.
Put the two pieces of felt together as sewn along the two side edges and the bottom. You will be left with a pocket with a tab.

Fold the tab over one of the spokes of the open umbrella, be careful to avoid any joints because this will prevent you from closing the brolly later.

Sew the tab to the back of the pocket to hold the pocket in position. Do not sew the pocket closed. Insert the battery compartment into the pocket.

Use the cable ties to attach the fairy lights to the other spokes of the umbrella in a circular fashion, again avoiding any joints in the umbrella's framework. Pull the cable ties firmly and trim off any surplus.

Now switch on the lights. As an optional extra plastic mistletoe can be hung from the spokes at the centre part of the umbrella. Bonkers Christmas brolly or what?

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Football Crazy Wall Clock

Do you know someone who is football crazy? Is your Dad a footy nut? Your brother a soccer Fanatic? This is possibly the bestest Crimbo pressie you can make them. You can make it fit any football team of your choosing, or add an assortment of football teams. You could also adapt this idea to make a netball, basketball, or rugby clock.

To make a Football Crazy Wall Clock you will need...
Paint, thick card or an old grocery box, a clock mechanism and clock hands (you will find these at craft shops or Maplin) and a print out of pattern of football shirts Click Here for the printable pattern.

Colour the football shirts in the teams strip you choose. You can colour them randomly if you wish. Number each shirt 1 to 12.

To make the clock face, draw around a large dinner plate or a tea tray onto some card. An old grocery box is great. Cut out two identical circles, and glue them together so that the lines in the cards structure cross, this will give the clock face extra strength.

Once the glue is dry, paint the clock face green. Again leave to dry. With white paint paint on a center line through the middle of the clock face, and paint a kick off circle in the middle of the clock.

Push a pencil through the centre of the clock face ready to attach the clock mechanism. Be very careful and use the old Plasticine trick - Put a ball of Plasticine on the table, put your card on top of it where you need the hole to be, and push the pencil through the card and into the Plasticine.

Arrange the fooball shirts on the clock face and stick them down.

Push the clock spindle through the hole and push on the hands. The mechanism has a hole for hanging the clock on the wall.

Put a battery in the clock and set the time.

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Christmas Presents for Pooches

Dogs are mans best friend, and as any dog owner will tell you, they really do become part of the family. This is probably why we can't leave the family dog out of the festivities at Christmas time. There are many of products on the market for dogs from doggie treat Christmas stockings, to Christmas theme food dishes, to Santa costumes to dress your dog up! Santa wrote a particular request asking people not to buy rubber Santa chew toys, because on Christmas eve when Santa is delivering presents, many dogs are looking a little too pleased to see him.
Why not take the time to make your best friend and extra special gift this Christmas, a Christmas sleigh bell dog collar.

All you need is...
A dog collar, bells, felt and glue.

The dog collar needs to be a fabric or woven type collar that can be stitched into. Choose a nice festive colour like red.

You can buy bells from craft shops or your local haberdashery. The larger the bell the more 'Sleigh bell' the ring of the bell will sound, and your pooch will sound like a reindeer prancing along. Small bells have a high pitch ring, ideal for small or lady like dogs, the delicate tinkle makes them sound like small Tinkerbell the fairy.

Adjust the collar to fit your dog comfortably.

Sew bells at regular intervals around one edge (the bottom edge). About 4 CMS is a good gap between bells.

If you are using small bells sew them on in clusters of two or three larger bells can be sewn on singularly.

The bells need sewing on firmly so that they don't come off. Your dog may try to eat them.

Cut out holly leaf shapes and berries from some felt and glue them into place between the bells. You could substitute the holly leaves for fabric Christmas tree bows for lady dogs.

A cute Christmas collar gift for your dog, which will make your pooch jingle festively on every walkies!

Do not leave the dog wearing the collar unattended.

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Christmas Stocking Sock Monkeys

Year after year does Santa Claus bring you socks? They might be a great gift for Santa in Lapland but on the whole they are a pretty unimaginative stocking filler. Well we have a fantastic idea to turn a boring old pair of socks into a cute, cheeky, little sock monkey.

All you will need is...
A pair of socks in any size, needle and thread, toy stuffing, 2 buttons for eyes and a sewing machine is an advantage but not essential

Take the first sock, turn it inside out and lay it out flat heel up.

Mark out the centre of the sock up to 4 cm below the heel line. With a dewing machine, if you have one, stitch 1 cm away from the centre line and sew down towards the ribbed part of the sock. Sew down to the bottom edge, turn away from the centre line and sew across the ribbed section to form a foot. Stitch the other side of the centre line to match.

Now cut up the centre line to divide the legs.

Turn the sock the right way out through the hole at the monkey's crotch. Lightly stuff the monkey's body and legs and sew up the hole in the crotch with invisible stitches.

Lay the second sock out flat in a side profile position and cut out relevant parts as indicated in the diagram.

Tail
Fold in half and stitch up the long side, tapering the ribbed edge to a point. Turn, stuff, turn the ends in and attach to the monkey's bottom.

Mouth
Turn in edges and pin the oval shaped mouth to the main monkey just below the toe. Stitch invisibly in place leaving a small opening. Lightly stuff and close opening. Embroider on a mouth.

Arms
Fold in half and sew up the long edge and across the ribbed edge. Turn, stuff, turn the edges in and stitch in place on the monkey's body.

Ears
Put two ear parts together with right sides facing. Sew around curved part of the ear and turn right sides out. Tuck the bottom edge up inside the ear and fold the ear in half. Tack half way along the bottom edge to form a fold in the ear and stitch in place at the side of the monkey's head.

Eyes
Stitch buttons on the front of the monkey's head above the mouth.

Pull the hat on to the monkey's head

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Home-made Safety Pin Jewellery

Make a beautiful bracelet from safety pins and beads. No one will know what it's made of until they look really closely.

To make the bracelet you will need...
Roughly 85 silver safety pins of the same size, an assortment of small beads and some sheering elastic.

Decorate each safety pin by opening each pin and slipping on some beads. Make sure there are enough beads to fill that side of the safety pin once the pin is closed again. Close the pin and use a pair of plies to squeeze the head of the safety pin to hold the pin firmly closed.

Decorate each pin in this way, adding beads to pins in a random way.

The pins are now threaded together. You will notice that there is a hole in the pinhead and another hole at the other end of the safety pin where the metal is turned, creating a circle. These are the holes used when threading up the pins.

Two lines of elastic are used one at the top and one below with the pins threaded onto them like the rungs of a ladder. To begin, thread the top line through the head of the first pin and the bottom line and through the circle hole. With the second pin, thread the top line through the circle hole and the bottom line and through the head of the pin.

Continue adding pins to the lines in this way alternating which way you add each pin. Make sure when you add the safety pins that all the beads are visible on the same side.

When the last safety pin has been added tie the two ends of the top line together so that all the pins sit closely together. Then tie off the bottom line in a similar way.

To make your bracelet look extra special, put it in an jewellery box or a metallic gift box on a bed of tinsel.

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Peppermint Sweets Gift

At Christmas time we all like to indulge in rich foods, such as Christmas pudding and Christmas Cake, sweets and candy. During the Second World War when food was rationed, children went without sweets. Sugar was rationed to 8oz (225g) per person per month. Sugar is the main ingredient of sweets, which is why they were so scarce and why they became a luxury item.

To make peppermint sweets you will need...
12 tablespoons of icing sugar, 1 egg white, green food colouring (optional), peppermint flavouring and cooking chocolate.

Remember to wash your hands and clean the work surfaces before you begin.

Method...
Add to a bowl the icing sugar, egg white, 4 drops of peppermint flavouring and 12 drops of green food colouring. Mix well and kneed the mixture to form a smooth ball. If the mixture is a little too wet add more icing sugar.

Roll the ball into a large sausage and slice into individual sweets. Use your hands to shape the sweets and leave them on a chopping board to dry.

Melt the chocolate in a dish in the microwave, it will only need a minute or two. Don't over do it, it just needs enough time to melt. If you do not have a microwave, you may need an adult to help. Stand a mixing bowl inside a pan of boiling water on the hob, keep the water simmering. Don't let any water bubble over the side and into the chocolate because this spoils the chocolate. Be careful not to let the pan boil dry.

Dip each sweet into the chocolate half way, and leave it on some tinfoil until the chocolate sets.

To package your home made sweets you could buy a small metallic gift box or gift bag, or you could bundle the sweets in paper napkins tied up with ribbon or tinsel, these look a bit like mini Santa sacks.

A perfect Christmas gift for someone with a sweet tooth.

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Simple Glitter Christmas Tree Decorations

These simple glitter Christmas tree decorations are ideal for younger children to make. They enable the child to practise some motor skills, drawing around a template, cutting out, sticking and painting. Children love making Christmas tree decorations that can be used and treasured year after year.

To make simple glitter Christmas tree decorations you will need?
Thin card to make stencils, thick card (a grocery box is ideal), glue, paint, glitter and thread to form hanging loops.

You will also need the free print out of the Christmas tree decorations, Click Here.. for the printable Christmas decoration stencils.

To make the stencils, stick the print out sheet onto some thin card. Cut the shapes out once the glue is dry. These stencils are used to make the Christmas tree trimmings.

Choose a set of stencils for one of the four designs and draw around each shape onto the thick card. Keep the shapes towards the edge of the card to avoid wastage.

Cut the shape out carefully. Stick the decoration together as follows.

The Christmas present decoration.
Glue the ribbon piece to the main piece so that it looks as if the box has ribbon wrapped around it.

The bell decoration.
Glue the bell rim to the main part at the bottom of the bell. Glue the dome to the top part of the bell so that it leaves a gap between the dome and the rim.

The angel decoration.
Glue the skirt to the main angel part so that the angel's toes peep out from below the skirt. Glue the halo piece on the main part halo so that the 'U' is the right way up.

The reindeer decoration.
Glue the long shape to the reindeer's back, and glue the reindeer's head into position. Stick the small ear piece at the base of the antler on the reindeer's main part.

Once the glue has dried the decorations can be painted in festive colours. Whilst the paint is still wet sprinkle on some glitter to make the decoration sparkle.

When the glue has dried stick some thread to the back of the decoration in a loop so that it can be hung on the Christmas tree.

For more Christmas Decoration ideas visit Santaspostbag.co.uk
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Crape Paper Christmas Ball Decoration

This three dimensional ball can be made from crape paper or tissue paper. The ball is made to hang from the ceiling or miniature balls can be hung on the Christmas tree.

To make a paper Christmas ball decoration you will need...

Crape paper or tissue paper, thin card, parcel ribbon or string, Prit stick glue and a stapler.

How to make it...

Draw around a plate (or something else that's round) onto the thin card and cut it out. Fold the circle in half and cut along the fold to create two semicircles.

Draw around one of the semicircles onto a piece of scrap paper, this will be the template. From top to bottom of the 'D' shape rule straight across so that they are evenly spaced. For a large ball, a ruler width is ideal. You will need a minimum of 3 lines.

Using one of the thin card semicircles as a stencil cut out 30 semicircles of crape or tissue paper. You could use one colour or two contrasting colours or a whole spectrum of colours. It's up to you.

To stick the ball pieces together...

Take the template with ruled lines and put a thin card piece on top of the template to fit on top of the drawn semicircle. With Prit stick glue draw down the straight edge of the semicircle and along every other ruled line from the top. Then stick a coloured piece of tissue or crape paper onto the glue. Press firmly.

Now with the Prit stick glue draw a line down the straight edge and draw a line of glue on the second ruled line and every other line after that. Stick a coloured piece of tissue or crape paper onto the glue and press firmly.

Continue in this way adding layers of tissue or crape paper alternating the template gluing lines.

When all the coloured paper has been used apply one last layer of glue and stick the last semicircle of thin card on the top.

Leave to one side to allow the glue to dry.

Add some lengths of ribbon, half way down the curve of the semicircle. Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon and staple into place. The knot prevents the ribbon from sliding out from under the staples.

Staple a loop of ribbon at the top of one of the card semicircles, again using a knot in the ribbon as an anchorage. This is the hanging loop.

With the 'D' structure in your hands with the curve side facing you, open it as if it were a book and fold it back on itself so that the two thin card pieces meet. Tie the ribbons on the side in a bow to keep the ball shape in place and hang your ball from the tree or ceiling.

After Christmas untie the bow and fold flat to easily store your paper Christmas decoration.

Try making other shapes too - you could make a star, a heart, a square, a flower or maybe an apple.

For more Christmas Decoration ideas visit Santaspostbag.co.uk
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