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Gingerbread Man and more…in felt

Jiffy 2-18-08

It was a frosty 17 degrees today. Even Jif is needing a blanket.

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Gingerbread Man

This little guy was a last minute project for a Christmas party a few years back. A cookie cutter makes a great pattern. Trace it onto paper and cut it from light brown felt. The cheeks were cut with a single hole punch and the heart is just free hand. Sew the heart and cheeks and face on first. Then blanket stitch the back to the front and stuff with batting just before closing him up. It didn’t take too long–and hour and a half/two hours-ish. The hardest part was that the gold thread was really a pain to work with. It’s very tangley.

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Christmas Tree Cookie

Cookie cutter works here too. Cut a smaller one for the colored “frosting.” Sew the bead “sprinkles” or french knot “decos” on the frosting before blanket stitching them together with embroidery thread. Sew cookie pieces together and stuff with batting just before closing.

felt-001Christmas Star Cookie

The directions are the same as for the Tree…except that it’s…a star.

Click HERE for all the Gracious Rain Holiday ideas in one convenient place!

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Personal History Prompt Jar

~What could you see from your childhood bedroom window?

~What did you do, as a child, that got you in big trouble?

~Do you remember a favorite nursery rhyme?

~Have you ever gone fishing?

These are just a few of the personal history prompts that we’ve folded up mysteriously and sealed into a class jar. Someone you love–grandma, grampa, mom, dad–then, chooses one question each day to trigger a slew of childhood memories. It doesn’t matter so much if they write them down in a formal journal or a simple spiral notebook, as long as they start putting it on paper…for the rest of us to enjoy.

Probably the number one reason people hesitate to begin a journal or personal history in the first place, is because they have no idea where to start. So what better gift to give them than a box or bag or–in our case–a cleaned candle jar–of daily prompts with intriguing questions that will actually be fun to write about. If they answer only one question per day–in six months they will have quite an impressive history. And who knows? That history may just be their Christmas present to you–next year!

Instructions:

Click on the link below to make your own copy of the prompts. Print them on white or colored paper–or both. Cut them into strips. Fold them and store them in a bottle or box. Tie a ribbon around it–and there you have it. A family heirloom in the making. Oh, and adding a pretty pen and notebook or journal is a nice touch too.

Click the following link:

Personal History Prompts

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