I spent a little time making a string of them last night. Have you ever strung Cranberries? It is super easy to do- just get a thick needle, thread and dive right in. They are easy to poke through but be careful to have protection because when one pops, and it is inevitable that one will, they do stain.

In working with our decorations-that-must-be-disposable theme this year I wanted to incorporate a few words around our house. Cranberries seemed to be the prefect way to do that.

For this project I used one small bag of the berries and about a yard of thread.

Thread enough cranberries for your entire word onto one length of thread. Then once you have the berries up on the wall arranged how you would like simply cut the thread off between the letters. To hang I used a nail/thumbtack combo but you could also use heavy tape or small mounting pieces.

Make one word to encapsulate your season or make a bunch to cover an entire wall for a striking display. I love how the simple word JOY looks above our bed.

Fair warning from me- make sure your berry strings are out of the dogs reach;)

P.S. If you’d like an eatable Cranberry project instead THIS RECIPE is the only recipe I ensure is made every year! It is my favorite- the cranberries are perfectly sweet and look beautiful out on display. I have a batch waiting for me to sugar them later on today!

BLESSINGS

This project was inspired by a morning meandering through my favorite store where I happened upon the sales staff making snowflakes out of tissue paper, tulle and chicken wire for their winter window display. It looked so lovely I just had to recreate a similar project at home.

We used these props first for our winter photo shoot. They created a whimsical feeling of winter even in the desert. Here is a sneak peak-

After coming home I tied the two boxes together to make one large snowflake. It is lovely and it fits the free & recyclable Christmas decorating plan of the year.

The snowflakes were made out of empty tissue boxes and white present paper. I first poked holes in all but one side of the tissue box. I stuffed it with the paper and used a bit of leftover tulle to give it that snowy bling. Super easy and basically free.

Now it hangs in our living room and where we can cozy up under it and pretend that it really is blistery outside.

Is it snowing where you live? Lately, I have been really hoping for a white Christmas to visit us here in the desert.

BLESSINGS

A blessing tree- A small living tree that will be filled throughout the season with all the great blessings we have been given, recorded by our family & friends.

This season has been particularly trying on our family as we are in the middle of a move and a job change with two babies crawling circles around us. Finances are tight and a new chaotic situation seems to be ensuing each day. Yet, we still so desperately want to experience the peace and joy that symbolize this great season. Already though, it has begun to get lost amidst the struggle- I trust in at least some way you can relate.

What better to do than focus on the many, many blessings in our lives?!?

Whenever we feel particularly blessed we will write it down on a paper ornament and then hang it on our tree.

We will also be encouraging our guests throughout the season to write down a blessing they have received this year. Near the tree sits a stack of ornaments just waiting to record the blessings of our friends and family.

Beyond the blessing ornaments we are keeping the decoration of the tree very simple only red lights and a few special symbols of the Christmas season.

I have great hope that our hearts will be inspired through this tree.

With initials printed on the back of each paper we will be able to save the blessings to look back on years from now…

when the chaos has died down and we will understand even greater how truly we were blessed this Christmas.

What are you blessed by this season?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It’s finally done after a few alterations and tweaks, I am happy to share with you our 2009 Advent Calendar.

Advent Conspiracy is more than just a guide for buying gifts to us. We believe that participating will change Christmas for us this year. We are hoping in the years to come it will allow us to worship more fully and allow our whole family enjoy the holiday with more sincerity. For our kids this doesn’t mean just saying no to Santa, it also means creating activities to allow them to worship throughout the season and establishing traditions that will encourage them to understand why we are celebrating.

It was from this notion that our Advent Calendar was conceived.

I started with 25 words that I felt epitomized the season. Words that I hope will deepen my kid’s understanding of all the hoopla going on around them this time of year.

I received the red date labels as a gift but you could easily make something like this at home using photoshop or even construction paper. I took each word and assigned it a day writing it directly on the calendar where it could be seen throughout the month.

Click here to download my 25 words for Advent

Then I came up with activities that would transcend kids of all ages. Read-sing-gift-create-color-design-act. Activities we could do with each of our children tweaked in slightly different way for age appropriateness through the years. I printed these words out on strips of paper.

I then sewed my labels onto burlap fabric with a thick #5 needle and embroidery thread. I stitched the sides and bottoms leaving the top open to stuff.

In each day I tucked the strip of activity paper and then spent a little time writing down the age appropriate ways we could celebrate the specific word of that day.¬¨‚Ć Some of them are very simple like day 14’s reading from Isaiah on how Jesus dwelt with us. Some days are more complicated- On day 15 we will give a secret gift to someone who we know will rejoice upon it’s receiving.

Stuffing your calendar with activities is a great alternative to candy but you could also stuff each day with a piece of chocolate or a special treat along with the activity.

The finished product was stapled onto canvas and hung by a ribbon.

Obviously this year the focus of our family celebration will revolve around the adults and in small ways (singing and reading) when we can include the babies. In the future though we will focus on activities that will allow our children to celebrate Christmas using these 25 words on a yearly basis. Repetition and activity breads understanding in young minds.

I am giddy in anticipation of all the fun and worshipful ideas we will enjoy through this tradition.

Drawing what a child perceives is holy. Going to serve someone who is poor. Acting out ways we can love one another. Caroling down the street with joy.

These are the ways our children will learn to truly treasure the Christmas season.

BLESSINGS

A couple of resources for you today:

If you want to learn more about The Advent Conspiracy- what it is all about, why we are so passionate about it and how you can participate visit the site.

Watch and share the 2009 video-

If you are in need of more gift ideas check out the Rethinking Christmas Forum where you can converse with other conspirators.

* I will be back a bit later today with the 2009 Advent Calendar. I am excited to be putting the finishing touches on it to share with you shortly.

BLESSINGS