Recycled lanterns, DIY project

For Christmas, Halloween or any acasion, handmade lanters with cans! Its a great way o reuse and recycling metal can's thats would end in trash can..
I found this super restless idea here and i think the final result is great. 
this project needs adult supervision and I fond it to be a bit more difficult o execute then it appear.


What we need:

• cans, sausage cans, mushrooms, peas ... in short, those who we often have around in the kitchen,
• hammer, careful with your fingers,
• nail, it will look better if you use a thin nail,
• water, enough to fill up the cans,
• dishcloth,
• freezer, ya the one in refrigerator,
• candles, as many as the cans;
• indelible marker.

How to:

1. Fill up the cans with water;
2. Place then in the freezer;
3. Wait about 24 hours;
4. With the indelible marker draw the form you want to illuminate in the can, you can draw it in a piece of paper and secure it with tape to the can;
5. Cover a table with a cloth, make sure the table is resistant;
6. With the nail and the hammer punch some holes along the drawing lines, those must be equally spaced;
7. Place the can in the sink, wait until you can remove the ice block;
8. Dry the can; 
9. Now you can paint it like they did here; 
10. Place the candle inside.

Et voilá!
Light effects!

Enjoy!

Instant facts- Just add water 13

The common abbreviation for Christmas to Xmas is derived from the Greek alphabet. X is letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the Greek alphabet.
in: www.santas.net

DIY Christmas Project - EVA Santa Claus ornaments

This week the invited super restless mind is Quiane with a Santa Claus mold. Use it to do some ornaments to your Christmas tree, use EVA or Felt.

Source: Pais Natal para a árvore- em Feltro ou em EVA.






Et Voilá!

Enjoy!

Instant facts- Just add water 11

Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
in http://www.funfactz.com/christmas-facts/

Christmas Origami star- tutorial

We already did the tree and some ornaments, like Christmas balls, now its time to do the Christmas Star.

What we need:
an old magazine, 5 sheets for each star,

How to:

1. Fold the sheet in half and open it again;

2 Fold the 2 up paper ends inside, like the picture;

3. Fold the triangle down;

4. Flip the paper horizontally;

5. Repeat step number 2;

 6. Fold it again, like you are doing a second triangle; now it looks like a paper airplane;

7. Flip it again horizontally;

8. Fold up the 2 little ends on the bottom;

9. Now make a thin roll with the paper up to the end of the paper;

10. When you reach the top flatten the paper with your fingers, now you must have something like the picture, this is one of the five star tips;

11. Each star have 5 tips

12. Fit the points as shown, first the back;

13. Then the front;

14. Repeat the procedure until all the tips are fit. this is the final result;

15. This is what it looks like on the back.

You can paint it as you wish, use glitter to make it shine!

Et voilá!
Without the star the tree is not a Christmas tree!

Enjoy!

Christmas tree string ornaments

Another cool idea to make your Christmas tree the coolest in the neighborhood.

What we need:

• balloons, we only blow it half way, chose the right size;
• string, any color;
• scissors,
• ruler,
• white glue,
• water,
• brush,
• glitter
• small bowl,
• tablespoon,
• tissue painting,
• smmal sponge,
• old newspaper,
• plastic cup,

How to:

1. Cover the work table with the old newspaper sheet;
2. Cut a piece of string with 10 cm;
3. Blow the balloon until its circumference is 10cm, simply place the 10 cm string around the balloon, when the ends touch each other the ballon has a 10cm  circumference;
4. If you want to make several ornaments this 10cm don't need t be exact.
5. In the small bowl mix the glue (3 tablespoons) with water (1 tablespoon);
6. Cut a piece of string with about 6,5ft;
7. If you want to paint the string, now it's the time, place a bit of fabric paint in a small sponge, grab the string with the sponge, next drag the sponge along the string to paint it;
8. Let it dry for 3 or 4 hours;
9. Dip the string in the glue, until it is soaked;
10. Grab the balloon with one hand, and with the other one wrap the balloon with the string, your hands will be full of glue, don't worry water will take care of it later;
11. When you finish press the string end against the balloon;
12. Let it dry for 24h on the top of the plastic cup;
13. In the next day blow up the balloon, and pull it through the holes in the string, cut it in small pieces if you need, don't cut the strings!!!!!;
14. Glue all the ball again;
15. Apply glitter;
16. Hang on Christmas tree!

If you don't have glitter you can reuse old Christmas ribbons. Just cut the ends into small pieces. It's not the same thing but it works.

Et Voilá!
Another Christmas idea!

Enjoy!

A Christmas tree with plastic bottles (PET)

Imagination and creativity make all the difference.
The super restless idea this week smells like Christmas and came from here

Watch the video, all you need is a stick, plastic bottles, scissors and a candle.

the video is in Portuguese

but the walk through is easy to follow

Et voilá!
Another great idea to this season

Enjoy!

Christmas presents wrapped with milk cartons

Do you remember that milk carton that ends in the trash?
Today we are going to show you how to reuse and transform that piece of garbage in something useful.

What we need:

• empty and clean milk carton,
• wrapping paper, the original carton is usually not that ugly,
• craft glue,
• paper punch,
• scissors,
• rope.

How to:

1. Cut the top of the milk carton, wash it and let it dry, do this with no rush, you don't want your present bag to smell;
2. Cut the wrapping paper with the exact measures to line the carton;
3. Glue the paper to the pack;
4. Let it dry for 2 or 3 hours;
5. With the paper punch, punch the top of the pack on both sides;
6. With the rope make a handle to the bag, like shown in picture
7. Secure rope with a knot.

This is a super restless mind idea from here

Et voilá!
Offer something really original this Christmas

Enjoy!

Christmas tree ornaments

Another Christmas idea.
Let’s do some ornaments to the Christmas tree.

What we need:

• wooden spatulas,
• sand paper,
• nail,
• hammer,
• string,
• felt, with any colors you like,
• black marker,
• transparent glue,
• scissors,
• brush,
• old paper,
• "googly eyes",
• acrylic paint, your favorite colors.

How to:

1. Sand the spatulas, until they are smooth;
2. Draw on the felt the pattern you want to use, you can use your own designs or the ones at the end of this post;
3. Cut your drawings;
4. Use the glue, and with a steady hand, place the felt in place;
5. Let it dry;
6. With the black marker, draw the details;
7. Finally use the brush to paint all the other elements you want to add;
8. Let it dry for 3 or 4 hours;
9. With the hammer and the nail pinch a hole on the top of your spatula;
10. Pass the wire through, and make a knot;
11. Hang your art in your Christmas tree.

Et Voilá!
Another DIY art idea for this Christmas!
Enjoy

Who's Santa

The end of Halloween anticipates Christmas. The beginning of another holyday season, originally pagan but now well integrated among most of the families: The Christmas. This is the children favourite season, a lot of presents, a lot of colour, huge chocolates figures, a green and most of the times huge tree… and a fat, handsome man, dressed in red suit with a big big big bag of gifts, on a sled being pulled by reindeer. 

On the Internet we can find lots of information about this nice and kind old man. Most of it trying to explain who is he and what he has done. 

Of course everyone knows he is a fat, nice and kind man who lives in North Pole, he controls the time, and he has magical powers that allow him to move around with a bag of presents.
But who was he? In fact Santa really exists, around the year 300. We have look around a lot of sources and the next paragraphs show what we did found. Most of the information we got is in fact more legend then history, but it give us a good inside view.

Who is Santa?

Saint Nicholas was born in Patara, on IV century, on the North of Turkey, he was born in a Christian wealthy family. As adult he was named Myra Bishop, we estimated he was dead around December 6 on a unknown year, we estimated this because that was the day medieval church dedicated to him. His remains were buried in a church outside the city wall and taken to Italy on the year of 1087, everything else is not certain and the legend becomes “alive”.

The first reference to this man was made by Proclus de Constantinople in the year of 440., and clearly points that this subject belongs to legend domain, we also notice that the first written reference to Myra Bishop was made 300 years after he died by an unknown biographer called Michael. This fact is not a problem by itself; the problem is that no one seems to know who informed Michael about those facts.

With this biographer we learn several things:

The history of the poor man and their three daughters:

Nicholas heard that this poor man is unable to offer a dowry for their three daughters. "They were so poor," Michael writes, "that no man of their order wanted them as his wife. Not even men of lower rank thought about marrying them. Therefore, their father thought about ordering them to work in a brothel, so that he and the family would have some income."

Fortunately, Nicholas acts. During the night, he throws a pouch with money through the poor man window. Now the oldest daughter can married. This gesture is repeated three times and soon the poor man has all three daughter well married.

The story tells us, Nicholas was caught by the poor man throwing the pouches. The man expressed his gratitude and Nicholas promise that he won’t tell a word about the subject. That live us with a question, if no one spoke, how we know this story?

There are several other identical stories about Nicholas, he was well known for his generosity with the less fortunate and his love for children. He uses to give presents anonymously to children throwing them thru the windows. It’s said the he made several miracles, another story tell us he helped some sailors saving them from drowning.
After he “was free” from the fortune he had inherited from the father Nicholas is made Bishop of Myra. It’s said that the Bishop appeared to the officials that were keeping 3 innocent generals in Constantinople prison, and because of that they were sent free, the story also tell that Nicholas was seen at the same time in Myra, at his office.
The credibility of these stories isn’t supported by the fact that too many parallels exists between Saint Nicholas and other older stories.

Let’s take Pythagoras Apollonius example. He was born in Tiana, not far from Myra. This wise man also remains chaste and gives all his property to allow a poor man to give their daughters a dowry, he involves himself in a trial to save someone who is sentenced to death, he also has the power of bilocation.


Santa Claus and his pagans origins


Its not unusual a Christian Saint be adorned with pagan stories..

Mythologist Helene Adeline Guerber outlined the as similarities between our Santa and Nordic God Thor.
In Sweden Thor represents Santa Claus. Santa Claus researchers think that this Nordic God was used as a mold to Santa Claus of our days. Thor was the god of the peasants and common people. He was very friendly, young, heavy and presented a long beard. His element was the fire and his colour red. He drove a chariot pulled by two white goats. He fought against giants of ice and snow. He lived in North Pole, where he had his palace among the icebergs! The fireplace in every home was sacred and it is known that he came down the chimney to its element, the fire!


In the mid-5th century AD, was habit in the winter an old man of the community dress in furs and visit people in their homes. This man was designated as the "Old Man Winter" or "King Frost", and took food and drink. Tradition says that this old would take the cold and the bad winter with him and therefore population did not suffer much with the cold.
 
This tradition became stronger during the invasion of Scandinavia by the Vikings between the sec sec VIII and XI. They took many of their traditions as the God Odin, who is traditionally represented by a portly elderly man with white beard.

Before 1880 images of Santa Claus show him as a well feeded man with a long white beard and dressed in green.

• When dutch went to America they took with them St. Nicholas lengend, they called him Klaas Sinter. When this one was americanized as Santa Claus lost his bishop suit..
• Since then Santa Claus dressed several colours, that’s because he was transformed into an miix with the god Thor.
• In the XIX century Thomas Nast, a famouse cartoonist added the red tunic, the white beard, and the tos bag to a cartoon.
•  In 1822 Clemente Clark Moore wrote a Cristmas poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas",
• Some Christmas Cards published in 1885 shown a Santa Clause in a red coat instead of the green one.
• Thor car pushed by goats was replaced by reindeer and a sleigh.

Sources: stnicholascenter.org; lone-star.net; arthuriana.co.uk

Et voilá!
Saint Nicholas, Mytra Bishop, St Nicholas, Santa Claus, Thor, Odin, Whatever you call it he is coming to town

Enjoy!