Swapping

Oh how I adore it.  What is more fun than scheming and working away on some little project knowing that someone(s) out there is doing the same in return?

At several points over the past few months, my blog reader was brimming so far over its rim that I had to just take a deep breath and say "Mark All As Read" and not look back.  As a result, I was not on top of discovering swaps we might want to do, and Hettie especially was really hoping to do another kid's ornament swap like we did last year.  So, I shopped local, and hit up the families in a local parenting group and came up with a dozen folks who were game to swap kid made ornaments with us.  Phew.

Their creations have been arriving on our doorstep over the past couple days,and the collection is just lovely. 

The sorting is underway!

 

For our ornament we killed two birds with one stone.  First, we reduced the pile of toilet paper tubes I have been collecting, and second, we made use of the clever technique used in these beautiful pointsetta ornaments that I have been gazing at for a couple of weeks.

We cut our tubes into three sizes of rings.

Then we painted them white.

And let them dry.

We glued them together in threes... big, middle, small... snowman style.

Then we glued them onto strips of white cardstock.

We (and by "we" I mean "I... with an exacto knife")

then cut off the extra cardstock.

And then, there must have been some magic in the that old Sharpie we found...

...for when we put it to their heads, they turned into pretty dandy snowmen.

And I think that last line is a sure sign...

it is time for me to lay off the gingerbread cookies.

Comments

[rae]

they are so cute!! what a clever idea. the swap, too! love it. i will have to remember that for next year. i love the idea of swapping with local kids!

[jess]

Merry Christmas! And Merry Swap!
I love ornament swaps!