Another Christmas Workshop Class

I have included a couple more pictures of the tall wood Santa holding a chalkboard. This will give you a couple of closeups to view. The color is not turning out well but the face color is the same as the elf in a box. The Elf in a Box will be another class that will be a bit more difficult. You will need to be a bit flexible because I am having difficulty finding enough good boxes that are all the same size, which means the sizes will vary. Also, because I have molded the head out of a paper mache material over a styrofoam ball, this might be frustrating for those who are perfectionists. I will help everyone with the shaping of the ears, nose and cheeks but you need to be aware that they will not all look the same. This is your chance to show some of your artistic abilities!!! I will sew the hats a head of time (ha,ha, a head!!!) so after you have shaped the head the rest is pretty easy. We will Mod Podge paper onto the box (I have plenty of the same paper) and score the collars. The rest will be gluing and piecing. This is NOT a working elf in the box. The saying on the front of the box will differ for each person, but you will be able to choose the rub on you would like to use. The cost will be $25.00. (If I can find the boxes cheaper or use coupons, I could lower the price to $20 but so far I haven't had much luck.) Teresa will be the teacher.

More Christmas Workshop Classes

If you are a crafter like I am, you have noticed that the hot new craft is felting. I will be teaching a class on felting and we will make these 2 adorable snowmen. You will receive all of the supplies along with the special needle and the foam that you need to get started. We will be using roving that I have ordered straight off the sheep farm!!! (It's clean - don't worry). I will have additional project ideas available (in case you find it is just your thing) and we will discuss how to dye it with Kool-Aid. This is a very easy project and doesn't take a lot of time. The cost will be $12.00 for both of them along with all of the supplies. I will have plenty of roving for sale if you want to make additional snowmen or other projects at a cost of $4.00 a project. The snowmen are about 4" in height and the class will be taught by Teresa.

The second project for today if a 3 1/2 foot wood santa that has a combination of paint, paper, fabric, chalk paint and roving for a real life like beard. He is easy to make and will come with a wood platform on the bottom so he can stand up by himself. The chalkboard portion gives you freedom to write any notes or welcomes depending on the situation. It is difficult to tell from the picture but the mustache is a separate piece of wood and helps to give a more dimensional effect to the face along with a button type nose. (Button type nose? Sounds familiar!) The price of this great Santa is $40 and everything will be included. For those of you flying into town we could look at a shipping cost to mail it home. He is not that heavy but is tall. Teresa will be the teacher.

1st posting for the CHRISTMAS CRAFT RETREAT!!

Hello gals, we are so excited about the Christmas Craft Retreat. We have been purchasing like mad - we keep thinking of craft ideas and at least I am having a tough time stopping! Here are the first 4 crafts - there will be many more.

Our first class item is a wall hanging that is approx. 12 1/2" wide and 10 1/2" tall, not including the handle. The base is made out of wood and is a mild distressed flat black. It is very good quality - 7gypsies. As you can see I have filled up the spaces with a vintage look and have purchased a number of the items from antique stores. The only things you would have to provide are some personal pictures. I used 4 pictures, one of which was color and the remaining 3 I did in black and white. Here are the sizes you will need:

3 3/4" w X 2 1/2"

2 3/4" w X 4"

2 1/4" w X 2 3/4"

3-31/2" w X 1 1/2"

What I did was have wallets and 4X6 pictures developed at Costco in color and black & white and then I decided what I wanted to use as I designed the piece.

I have tried to get duplicates of everything so your piece will look exactly the same except for a few small variations.

The price for the kit and class will be $45 (this is at the top of the range of classes that we will be doing, we will have 3 more between $40-$50)

There will be a limit of 5 people.

Paper Mache Santas. This Santa is about 8" tall and is easy to make because the face and other features are paper. After painting and attaching the paper with Mod Podge, the Santa is then covered with German glass glitter. I will have 3 sizes available for those who would like to make a family of Santas. The price on the Santas will be $8.00 and everything will be provided.

The 2 projects above will be kits that will be available over the 3 days for you to do. They will not be classes. The first is a "genuine snowman" in a jar which is fun to send to friends or to give as a small token over the Christmas holiday. They will be $2.50 each and you can make as many as you like.

The next one is a fun project made with the decorative end of a piece of silverware - many of them are silver plate antique spoons and forks - and you will be able to add charms to it and make a key chain or use it as a piece to hang from a necklace. The price will vary depending on the charms you choose, $5 - $8.00.