Category: Activities

Light Up Snowman Indoor

An Indoor Snowman or Snowwoman

It may seem odd to have an indoor snowman (or snowwoman) but if you can’t go out in the cold or you don’t have much snow in your area, an indoor snowman is a fun way to enjoy making your own snowman without any snow and without getting your hands cold!

Light up the Snowman

Lighting up a snowman indoors can be a fun and festive way to decorate your home during the winter season or for special occasions. Here’s a simple guide on how to create a light-up snowman indoors:

Materials you’ll need:

  • White styrofoam balls in various sizes (or any other material for creating the snowman’s body)
  • Black felt or construction paper (for the snowman’s eyes, mouth, and buttons)
  • Orange felt or construction paper (for the snowman’s nose)
  • Small twigs or pipe cleaners (for the snowman’s arms)
  • Scarf, hat, and any other accessories you’d like to add
  • Clear string lights or LED fairy lights

Step-by-step instructions:

  • Build the snowman’s body: Stack the white styrofoam balls on top of each other from largest to smallest, creating a snowman shape. You can use glue or toothpicks to secure the balls together.
  • Add facial features: Cut out eyes, a mouth, and buttons from the black felt or construction paper, and stick them onto the snowman’s head.
  • Create the nose: Cut a small triangle from the orange felt or construction paper and attach it to the snowman’s face to make the nose.
  • Add arms: Use small twigs or pipe cleaners and insert them into the middle ball of the snowman’s body to create arms.
  • Dress up the snowman: Put a scarf around the snowman’s neck and place a hat on its head. You can also add other accessories like mittens or a small broom for extra detail.
  • Prepare the lights: Wrap clear string lights or LED fairy lights around the snowman’s body, being careful not to cover the facial features or accessories. Make sure the lights are evenly distributed and secure them in place with tape or by tucking them into the snowman’s body.
  • Plug in and enjoy: Once you’re satisfied with the snowman’s appearance and the lights are securely in place, plug in the lights and watch your indoor snowman come to life with a warm and enchanting glow!

Safety Tips:

  • When using string lights or fairy lights, ensure they are in good working condition and do not have any exposed wires.
  • Avoid using candles or any open flames near the snowman or other flammable materials.
  • Keep the snowman away from curtains, fabrics, and other potentially hazardous areas.
  • Remember to have fun and get creative with your light-up snowman indoor decoration. It will surely add a charming touch to your home during the winter season or any festive occasion!

Other Light-up Christmas Decorations

There are numerous creative and delightful light-up Christmas decorations you can make to add a festive ambiance to your home during the holiday season. Here are some ideas:

Light-Up Christmas Wreath

Create a traditional Christmas wreath using artificial greenery, pine cones, and ornaments. Add battery-powered LED lights or string lights intertwined throughout the wreath for a warm and welcoming glow.

Mason Jar Luminaries

Decorate mason jars with holiday-themed stickers, snowflakes, or paint. Insert fairy lights or battery-operated tea lights inside the jars to create charming luminaries for your windowsills or tabletops.

Light-Up Christmas Tree Centerpiece

Craft a small tabletop Christmas tree using cardboard or craft foam. Add colorful ornaments, beads, and garlands, and wrap string lights around the tree to create a sparkling centerpiece.

Glowing Snowflake Window Clings

Cut snowflake shapes out of translucent vellum paper or plastic sheets. Stick them to your windows and add LED lights behind the snowflakes for a magical, snowy effect.

DIY Christmas Lanterns

Decorate glass or metal lanterns with holiday-themed stencils, ribbons, or paint. Place battery-operated pillar candles or LED string lights inside the lanterns for a cozy and safe illumination.

Light-Up Christmas Canvas Art

Create festive holiday scenes on canvases using acrylic paints. Embed LED lights or fairy lights within the artwork to make the elements of the painting come to life with a warm glow.

Twinkling Christmas Garland

Enhance a standard Christmas garland with battery-powered twinkle lights. Drape the garland along the staircase, fireplace mantel, or across a bookshelf for a magical touch.

Illuminated Christmas Village

Build a miniature Christmas village using cardboard, craft foam, or even recycled materials. Place battery-operated tea lights inside the buildings to bring the village to life with a cozy radiance.

Light-Up Christmas Stockings

Embellish your Christmas stockings with battery-powered LED lights or fairy lights. Hang them on the mantle, and they’ll add an extra twinkle to your holiday decor.

Light-Up Mason Jar Snow Globes

Create your own snow globes using mason jars, water, faux snow, and small holiday figurines. Add LED lights inside the jar to illuminate the scene and give it a magical feel.

Remember to prioritize safety when making light-up Christmas decorations. Always use battery-operated lights or LED lights to avoid any fire hazards, especially when using materials like paper or fabric. Enjoy the creative process, and have a merry and luminous Christmas!

 

Glass Blowing

Glass blowing is a glassmaking technique which involves gently inflating hot glass to a bubble with the help of a blow pipe. A person who blows glass using the blow pipe is known as a glass blower, glass maker, or gaffer. Discovered in the 13th century in Venice, Italy, glassblowing has come a long way since then and today it’s one of the most popular forms of art the world over.

Glass blowing is all about creating both decorative and functional shapes like figurines, ornaments, testing tubes, dishes, and more. The invention of glass blowing can be traced back to the Roman Empire, but back then this craft was being done exclusively by using molds. Molds developed in the first century AD.

Blowing glass with a (special type of) furnace, also known as kiln, is similar to furnace baking, the difference being that kilns can heat the glass at one end of the furnace to a specific temperature before blowing the material out the other end of the furnace.

It is important to realize that glass blowing and mold-blowing techniques are not the same. Mold-blowing involves blowing molds of various shapes, sizes, and depths into the mold, while glass blowing usually only involves blowing clear glass or semi-opaque glass. Mold-blowing techniques are often used by artisans who design stained glass windows.

An important distinction between the two techniques is that glass blowing utilizes a blow pipe, while mold blowing uses a mold pipe. The difference between the two types of glassblowers is that glassblowers do not need to quench their work with oxygen. Once molten glass has been allowed to cool, most glassblowers can finish the job by merely blowing on it. A mold blower on the other hand needs to quench his glassblowing work with oxygen in order to ensure that the final product is clean, smooth, and free of bubbles and lines.

The earliest glassworkers practiced their trade by creating small glass items such as test tubes and figurines. Although glassblowing was considered unusual, the artisans found that their skills could be developed and enhanced when they started making larger glass items such as bowls and vases. Glass bowls and vases are perhaps the earliest example of modern glassmaking, and the first glass-making furnaces appeared in the 1st century AD.

The Roman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and much of Asia for over a thousand years, is well known for the things it left behind. Among these items are many magnificent glass objects, including Roman glass decorative furniture, mosaic tiles, and even some authentic glass jewelry. Most of these objects have survived to this day, and new glassworkers continue to produce new items, ranging from gorgeous glass figurines to intricately designed glasswork. The next time you have the opportunity to partake in the history of blowing glass, you should make the most of it.

Alyosha Lonoff loves making glass art. To learn more about glass blowing check out her site today.

Christmas Gifts for Kids – Giving the Perfect Gift This Christmas!

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Every year, parents wonder what to give as Christmas Gifts for Kids. This is an age where young people’s interests change drastically. Sometimes, the most fun things that you can buy them are toys. But toys are not the only things you should consider for them. Here are the best Christmas Gifts for kids.

Ages

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There are different gifts that are appropriate for different ages. If your child is two years old or younger, then the best gifts for him or her are probably stuffed animals. In fact, stuffed animals are among the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids of all ages and even some adults. Some of these soft toys remain treasured long after childhood, as recounted in the classic children’s story of “The Velveteen Rabbit”, in which a toy rabbit becomes real through a child’s love.

Play Toys

Kids ages four to eight years old can be given toys. These toys will keep little ones busy all day and they won’t get bored even with playing these toys all day long. One of the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids, whether boys or girls, is a dollhouse. With a little bit of imagination, you can add many things to this toy to make it more interesting. You can add a kitchen set and a play kitchen. Or maybe put in some furniture and dressers. Adding a dollhouse to your child’s room can help him or her develop his or her own motor skills and help develop their social skills as well. Some playsets come with action figures, so that the dollhouse can be turned into a multi roomed firestation or superheroes hideout. Many kids enjoy toy kitchens and some of these items are big enough to play with friends as well. A toy shop is also another very social type of toy that two or more children can play with, so that older siblings can play with younger ones.

There are many other toys available for this age group, including Duplo and Lego building bricks, construction sets, ride on toys, like bikes, balance bikes and toy trucks; and board games, like Ludo, snakes and ladders, or jigsaws and coloring books.

Favorite Movies

Every kid loves watching their favorite movies. Buy your kid a gift certificate for his favorite movie rental house and let him watch his favorite movies every night of the year. Some kids even collect movie memorabilia and have turned their bedrooms into a mini movie theater. There are so many Christmas Gifts for kids that incorporate watching movies into their gift giving. Of course, there are also plenty of DVDs of their favorite movies or perhaps you would consider a subscription to a movie channel or you can buy an online version of certain movies.

Toys That Move

Kids of all ages really like anything that moves, or activity toys. This Christmas, what about a mini golf set? They’ll spend hours having fun with this item. You can get ones for kids of 3 years old or more advanced ones suitable for children from the age of 10 years, or adults. Older children may enjoy a rock tumbler for polishing their own gem stones.

Gift Baskets

If you don’t know what single item to buy, what about several smaller items in a basket? You could always give them an ornament. Or a book about what happens during Christmas time. You could even get them a basket full of things they’re fascinated by such as stamp collections or doll house furniture or several art canvases and paints to make their own picture. Kids often love baskets and will find many ways to play with them, for instance for keeping collections of things, like toy cars or marbles, or as a dolls’ bed or a pet bed or even for keeping their own bathroom items in, like their toothbrush or own soap or bubblebath.

These are just some of the ideas you could use to give a good Christmas gift for kids. Of course, you need to know what your child likes. Also, you need to make sure that you’re buying something they will like. The same goes for the person you are shopping for. After all, it is only for them.