Christmas, Crafts and Decor, For the Kids, Uncategorized

How to Create a Holiday Dollhouse:

Step 1:

Find an old doll house. I was able to snag this Fischer Price doll house from a local thrift store. I’ve seen many of these on the Facebook marketplace as well. Next, you want to spray paint the entire house inside and out with an antique white matte finish. (Primer would probably work just as well.) I used 2 cans of spray paint to make sure I covered it well.

Step 2:

After I let the spray paint dry, I added cheap acrylic paint to the details. For example, brown on the roof, floors and porch, brick red for the chimney and some evergreen tones to the windows and a tiny bit of white on the decorative trim, but you can do whatever you like. Another idea is to create a gingerbread house design. That would be adorable.

Step 3:

Once the house is dry, you can add a bit more detail work to the roof and chimney. These can make it look like real snow or define the chimney bricks. using a flat tip paint brush, make downward strokes on each brick. You almost want the brush to be dry, without much paint on it. This is called dry brushing. You want to dry brush the roof in downward strokes so the white will pop out on each shingle.

Step 4:

Let it snow! I used Mod Podge to glue fake snow onto the roof. You can find bags of snow at the craft store. Just glob the glue onto the roof generously and sprinkle the snow. I added some to each level of the house and gables as well. There is even a bit of snow on the porch base and porch roof.

Step 5:

Now that you have the entire house painted, you can apply a clear coat to seal it all in. I used a clear spray paint with a matte finish. You want to make sure it’s a matte finish instead of shiny or glossy. It will give it a softer look.

Step 6:

Deck the halls! This was ridiculously fun. I added fun mini battery operated Christmas lights. I found a small set of vintage looking lights from Fleet Farm. I’ve seen these mini lights at craft stores as well. Then I used an old strand of garland for some greenery by cutting it into mini strips. The garland has wire in it, which makes it easy to bend and manipulate how I want it. I made miniature wreaths by bending it into a circle and adding a bow. I strung garland from the porch roof and twisted it around the railing.

Step 7:

Lastly, you can add Christmas miniatures for extra fun. I found a small Christmas tree and Disney holiday figures to complete my house.

Materials Needed:

Old doll house
2 cans of antique white spray paint (Matte Finish)
2 cans of clear spray paint (Matte Finish)
Acrylic Paints: Chocolate Brown, Evergreen Green, Brick Red, White
Paint Brushes – Make sure you have one with a flat tip
Garland – Make sure it’s on wire so it bends
Ribbon for making bows
Hot glue gun
Fake snow
Mod Podge
String of battery operated lights
Holiday Mini Figures – Disney ones seen in picture

Christmas, For the Kids, Uncategorized

Magical Moment

IMG_20181202_072610_915.jpgMy Son Everett watched the Polar Express for the first time. If you’ve seen the movie, you understand that the bell rings for all who believe in Santa Clause.

I wanted to instill some magic in his young heart, so I attached a bell to some red ribbon and placed it in a small box. At the end of the movie I handed it to him. He didn’t even have to open it, and somehow he intuitively knew what was inside. His eyes lit up as he opened it. My husband Aaron laughed, “mommy’s been waiting her whole life to do that”. I laughed even harder because I knew it was true.

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Christmas, Crafts, Crafts and Decor, For the Kids, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

Snowflake Ornament

20181109_094953.jpgWe kicked off winter this week by learning about snow. It couldn’t have been a more perfect morning to teach the littles about it; as we watched it fall gracefully from the sky. There is something magical about the first snowfall of the year. I felt just as excited as they were. We read our Usborne book called “What is Snow?” and then worked on a simple snowflake project.

I had so much fun making these, that I want to share it with you. Plus, there was little to no set up time or cost to do this craft and the kids loved practicing their fine motor skills with the scissors! This was a win, win for me.

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Christmas, Holiday Albums, Uncategorized

Christmas Scrapbook

20181108_120513.jpgMy Christmas decorations went up the day my hubby left for hunting. Now that he’s out of the house, Everett and I can begin decking the halls. We have achieved to make a small dent in our annual holiday decor. One of my favorite things about the holidays is unpacking our Christmas decor and enjoying the pure magic of a nostalgic moment. My heart beamed as I watched Everetts eyes twinkle in rememberance.

As I sorted through my treasured items I found an old scrapbook I want to share with you. I made this a couple years ago and haven’t got around to posting it until now. . .

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Christmas, Holiday Albums

Christmas Mini Album

 

20181015_133834.jpgI created this mini scrapbook album to document all of our sentimental Christmas ornaments. It was important to me to document the meaning behind each one because I believe they tell our story.

This book is a special way to keep our family legacy alive. That way someday when I’m long gone, Everett can pass it down and his children and they might find nostalgia in our families history.

Although you won’t find any pictures in it yet. . . You will find many places for photos or journaling.

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Christmas, Crafts and Decor, For the Kids

DIY Christmas Ornaments

Let me tell you, I had so much fun making these! I made these fake cookies to stage a room decorated for Christmas at the Linden Mansion in Little Falls, MN. Here’s what you need: A good salt dough recipe (any will work, but I got mine from http://www.allrecipes.com), puff paints, acrylic paint and sprinkles. Get creative, you do not have to do the same style or colors or even the same shapes. Kids love making these too! If i do it again: I’ll be making these as ornaments for the Christmas tree. Just add a hole at the top before you bake.

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DIY Christmas Cookie Ornaments

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