She actually made all of her gifts today for her Aunts and Uncles. She was so cute and really enjoyed herself. And I really enjoyed being her assistant!
She made 12 pinecone bird feeders this morning. Well actually 13 if you count my patio as one BIG bird feeder with all of the extra birdseed that she spread on the patio!
Of course I had my camera handy to capture the moment. . .
While she took her nap I made these gift tags for her. They have a photo I took of her making them and a note that says "I made this just for you! Just hang it from a tree branch close to a window and you can watch the birdies all day long. Merry Christmas "
We even hung one on our tree closest to the patio so we could watch the birdies.
When my girls were growing up I never allowed them to buy Christmas presents for their grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Instead I had them make their gifts. I of course helped them decide what to make and helped them gather and produce their gifts, but they actually made them. I wanted them to learn the value of a gift and not of money. After all, lids have no income! And most adults don't really need the little 1 - 5 dollar gifts that children give. It was a fun tradition and a good lesson for them to learn. I have lots of happy memories of doing this with them.
Monkey and I do lots of crafts together during the day while she's her, so I asked Bryanna if she minded Monkey using this week's craft time as a gift making session too. She was thrilled to let us do this together. It sure brought back lots of memories for me! Thanks Girls!!!
If you want to know how to make these yourself here are the directions. . .
1 med jar of creamy peanut butter
12 med pinecones (not the scented kind!)
1 bag of birdseed
string or yarn
Tie your string around the tops (down about one or two layers) of your pinecones. Make sure you leave enough string so you can tie them to your tree branch. Hold the pinecone from the very top and use a knife to spread the peanut butter onto your pinecones, being sure to get in between the layers.(I didn't cover the bottoms) Once your pinecones are covered roll them in the birdseed, being sure to totally cover the peanut butter. Let them sit for about and hour and then bag them up in cellophane bags or hang directly in your tree.
It is a little messy but easy to clean up after. So just have FUN with it!!!!
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