|  Growing up, I'm pretty sure we didn't
have much money but we really were rich by knowing that we loved each other and that Daddy
and Mama seemed to always be able to provide what we needed to get along just
fine. My Mother stayed at home to care for us and be a "housewife"
and she Loved Christmas! It was absolutely her favorite
holiday. She took great pleasure in Christmas shopping and picking out the
"perfect thing" for everyone on the list. After the shopping, the Really
Important Part was wrapping the gifts. She was partial to foil papers and
bright shiny tags and ribbons. She sent a big stack of Christmas cards
every year and she baked lots of cookies and made candy---including divinity and pecan
pralines.
And she decorated much more than just the tree. One year, when we came home
from school, we discovered our front door covered with red oil cloth and wide white
ribbon, complete with sprigs of live pine and several glass Christmas balls worked into
the bow. Plus she always encouraged us to help with all the decorations and
suggest ideas of our own.
There was always a crafts box (but we called it "the makin's box") filled with
packages of sequins and beads, ribbon, colored paper and little bits of rick rack,
shiny cord and the like. We bought Styrofoam balls to decorate or snipped out
Christmas tree and angel shapes from felt and added sparkling decorations with white
glue. Some of these shapes were used to trim our Christmas packages and passed from
one family member to another from year to year. It was the obligation of whom ever
received it on a gift one year to pass it on the next. The tradition was to keep it
going to someone in the family so we could see who "got it" next.
However, the "craft" I remember the best was one that any family---no matter how
modest their means---can do AND DO extravagantly. One year we cut hundreds of
snowflakes from white paper - just plain typing paper (I guess you'd have to use copier
paper now days) . All sizes and the lacier the better. Some were
suspended on thread and hung from the ceiling with tiny bits of tape. (Vary the
length of the thread for the nicest effect) All the rest were randomly placed
on the walls with a tiny little fold of tape. Now I am sure there are wall
coverings or treatments that this could harm, but plain painted walls shouldn't be a
problem. The cut paper is so light that a very small bit of tape will hold in most
cases. Some of the really large ones may need to be secured in several places but,
again, just a little bit of tape will do the trick.
Hints
for Making Snowflakes |
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Start
with a square of paper, vary size of square from 2 or 3" to 6 to 8". The
different sizes all mixed together in display really look great. |
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Fold
opposite corners together to make a triangle |
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Fold
again twice more so you are cutting through six layers of paper |
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With
sharp, pointed scissors make a graceful cut on the folded side beginning out near the
edge. Curves are nice but do try some straight/angled lines or zig zag as
well. Remember, snowflakes are all different in real life so do lots of variety. |
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Cut
down toward the middle of the triangle but leave enough room to make additional cutouts
along the fold so that you will get a lacy effect. |
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When
you get near the middle point (leave at least a quarter size of paper at first--less when
you get adept), reverse the scissors and cut back up toward the outside. |
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As
with the original cut on the fold, allow a nice amount of paper so that lacy cuts can be
added to the folded parts. Try for a feeling of symmetry in the whole--which means
you'll want to cut the two "arms" to similar length and do remember
to cut rather "fat" so there is plenty of paper for making the cut outs along
the folds. |
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Experiment
and you will soon get the hang of this . You could use different colors of paper,
add glitter glue and other touches of your own. Try folding the triangle one
more time on larger ones to see what develops. |
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For
neatness, hold paper and cut over a wastepaper can or spread a sheet or a tablecloth to
catch all the paper snips. |
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Unfold
carefully and smooth out fold lines with fingers (careful on the delicate, lacy sections). |
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