Owl and Toadstool Ornaments

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

from Owl & Toadstool  !

Here are pics of my owl and toadstool ornaments on my Christmas tree and also from around my house. Most of my owls were gifts from my sister over the past few years...some new this year!  As you can see I like Owls and Toadstools! I have always liked owls and toadstools but I really started to like them even more when I was Brown Owl for Brownies.

This jeweled Owl is gorgeous!

A gift from my niece Rebecca this year...
6 in the pack ...Love them!

I bought 12 of  these Toadstools at Walmart this week

I made this wreath last year...
100 sandwich baggies tied to a coat hanger

These are Stephen's skates from the early 1970's

Dollarama tree and toadstools...Owls from yardsale

Although not an Owl nor a Toadstool this ornament is a Girl Guide ornament...Girl Guides Angel from the former GGC Nova Scotia store...a gift from my mother a few years ago.

I hope to blog about Girl Guide activities soon!  I have a few more Lapbook activities to share!  Enjoy the rest of the Holiday Season! 

Community Service Fun

The Guides were busy last week making these cards for seniors...100 in Total!

We also crafted these mini Wreaths to give out to the local Seniors. {I created this craft idea a few years ago when I was Brown Owl} We used the plastic blue ring from a 4L water jug... wrapped it with a Chenille pipe cleaner ...then glued on a bow. There are many colour combinations as you can see.  Such a fun, quick and easy craft...and feasible!

The Guides joined the Brownies for a visit to the RK MacDonald Nursing Home in Antigonish.  They sang carols together, enjoyed a snack together, and then handed out the cards and wreaths to the residents.  {The Brownies had painted plaster ornaments to give to the residents but I do not have a photo}. It was nice to see how much the residents and Girl Guides enjoyed mingling together.  We all had a really good time! I could hear comments such as "its so nice to hear the children singing".  

A few of the residents had told us that they too were once a Girl Guide or a Girl Guide Leader many years ago. One lady was once a Guider in New Brunswick in the 1940's.  Another woman said she was an Antigonish Guide Leader in 1938! She had taken the Guides to New Glasgow for the Royal Visit back in the late 1930's...and the Queen stopped to talk to her! That was a great honour and she will never forget the experience.

Girl Guide history lies deep within our Communities for over 100 years.  Many woman were/are involved with Guiding and had/have daughters/nieces/granddaughters/sisters/mothers/aunts, as members of Girl Guides.  Providing community service such as visiting Nursing Homes not only offers a sense of community involvement and giving, but an opportunity for our Girl Guides to interact with members of long ago and to learn first hand of local stories from Girl Guides past!

More Christmas Crafts...

Angel: Wood Plug for Head, fabric dress, 
bead halo,ribbon bow and wings

Beaded Star made by my Niece Chelsea

Cinnamon Stick painted Santa

Santa: Peg Clothespin, embroidery floss, 
cotton ball belly, half Popsicle stick arms
{update 26 July 2013: I found the instruction sheet 
for this Clothespin Santa if anyone is interested}

Santa: Crochet? Knitted? I can never tell!

Angel:  Wooden Bell body, moss hair, wood heart wings, feathers

Pin Cushion: baby food jar, fabric, potpourri, stuffing, ribbon

Mini wooden Chalkboard:  Paint

Festive stick people: paint, add a face

Lee Ann & Stephen S'mores! made by 
my nephew Jonathan from fun foam shapes

Gingerbread Man: Plastic Canvas, yarn, mini pompoms

Frosty:  Snowman wood shape, paint Made by Stephen

Snowman:  Wood spool, wood block, paint, fabric scrap, snow

Christmas Mouse:  a gift from Aunt- in -Law Joan

Birdhouse:  1" dowel, wood scraps, plastic bird, paint, glitter

More to come once I dig them out of the Christmas storage bin!

Pine Cone Skier Craft

 

This is the craft my Guides had made at tonight's meeting ... they loved making these!  

I found this idea on Pinterest but as usual it has taken on it's own look.  Crafts always seem to turn out differently from the original inspiration pic... the look depends on what supplies I have available.

The pine cones were closed and frozen on the ground but I put them in the oven so they would thaw and open. {Thank you to my hubby Stephen and his co worker friend Craig for collecting pine cones the day before the meeting...There are huge Pine trees at work!} I put them on a foil lined cookie sheet for several hours on about 85 degrees C.  It took a while for them to dry out ,warm up and open!  {tons of seeds fell out ...they are interesting looking...like tiny fairy wings...hmm what can I make with those??}

Here are some of the Skiers that the had Guides made...so cute and easy to make!

The hats and scarves are the fingers of a glove, the head is a mini Styrofoam ball, the ski poles are tooth picks with fabric snowflakes....pipe cleaner arms, mini Popsicle sticks for the skis...and google eyes.  We used a low temp hot glue gun as opposed to white glue.  Then they painted their Skier with silver glitter glue.  All supplies {except for the mini Popsicle sticks from Walmart} were from the Dollarama! 

Christmas Crafts

This is a portion of my collection of Christmas crafts from the past several years.  Most crafts were made at Girl Guides , a couple were crafts made by others given to me as a gift, and some I made for my own Christmas tree and decor. Since my Christmas decorations are still packed away during this time of year I do not have access to get close up shots for all of these crafts...but luckily I found most of them. These pics were taken last Christmas.  If you see anything you like just let me know and I can attempt to describe how they were made...otherwise you can just look and try to figure it out.

Christmas Card...Dollarama Santa suit...mini clothespins, string, card stock

Peace & Love Angels...terracotta pots, 
wooden head, hair, wings, pipe cleaners, bells

Plastic sandwich Baggie skirt, pipe 
cleaner body on Popsicle stick, pompom

Felt Skates , ribbon, glitter glue

Wooden Building Block , felt, wooden head, pompoms

Fimo clay Santa Star...a gift from my niece Rebecca

Felt Teddy Bear...made by my sister-in-law Karen

Wishing Spool-Wooden Spool, paper, ribbon...
looks nicer painted

Snowman handmade Pom Poms...
Guides made these last year

Recycled Christmas Card star

Film Canister Soldiers...
idea from Pack o Fun Magazine years ago

Sugar Plum Fairy...
made from Dollarama supplies- fake flowers

Water Jug ring wrapped with a 
Pipe Cleaner and tiny ribbon bow EASY PEASY

more samples of Pipe Cleaner water jug ring Wreathes

Wooden Ice cream Spoon Reindeer

Two Peanuts Reindeer

Pipe Cleaner Santa

Faux Stained Glass -tissue paper ...hang in a window

Reindeer- two old style clothespins 
wrapped in embroidery floss

Half Walnut shell sleepy kitty-pompom, felt, fabric scrap

Mouse-Wooden ice cream spoon, felt, pompom,ribbon, paint

Large Paper Star from 12x12 scrapbook paper

Tissue Paper faux stained Glass Card

I made this many many years ago...
Bird on a Wreath wrapped in Ribbon

Believe it or not I have more Christmas Crafts! but do not have a photo of them.  If I get a chance to take more photos I will post before Christmas.  Thanks for viewing my blog! Have a great week! and enjoy your Christmas Crafting!