Merry Christmas!

Be Merry! 

Rejoice!

A Child Is Born!

Christ Jesus, Our Savior!

Blessed Christmas from the Koehneke Family!

Thank you for reading all of my little postings. It's been a fun first 3 months!  I enjoy sharing nap time with you, and appreciate your kind words of encouragement more than you know! 

Christmas isn't over yet!
 Click here to tune in to Lutheran Public Radio's Sacred Music for the Christmas Season. 

Christmas Bows for Everyone!

Hair bows are Adelae's trademark accessory. It all started when Adelae was a baby - and kind people would thoughtlessly remark, "He's so cute!" or ask, "How old is He?" - even when my little girl was wearing a cute little pink dress.  Very early on, I started sticking a bow on her head each morning, and even now she rarely leaves the house without one.  I quickly learned the downfall of the hair bow habit, they're expensive bits of ribbon, and are easily lost!  So I channeled my millinery heritage (thank you, Great Grandma Clara!) and started making all of Adelae's hair bows myself.  It's great fun!


I made a Christmas bow yesterday, using my black and white plaid ribbon, and took a few pictures along the way because more than a few friends have been wanting to learn to make their own bows too.

materials

a spool of ribbon

scissors

lighter or matches

floral wire

wire cutters

glue gun

alligator hair clips

rug gripper

rhinestones

Start by cutting your ribbon into two equal pieces, mine are about 16" long, and one shorter piece, about 8" long. Singe your cuts to avoid fraying.  Also, use your wire cutters to trim a 2-3" piece of wire.

Fold one of the long lengths of ribbon in fourths, accordion style. Set it aside, and repeat with the second long piece of ribbon.

Pinch the accordion folded ribbons in the center and a arrange in a cross shape. Then, twist your wire around both pieces, trim the excess wire, and wrap it around the center to hold the ribbon together tightly while making sure that the wire is pressed closely around the ribbon.

Use the smaller piece of ribbon to cover the wire.  Find the center of the ribbon and knot it around the center of the bow. Fluff the bow to arrange each section - make it look pretty!

Gather your clip, a fourth short length of ribbon, a thin strip of rug gripper, and a rhinestone - if you'd like to add a little extra shine - and heat up that glue gun!

Hot glue the rhinestone to the center of the bow.  Then, for a finished look, wrap a piece of ribbon around the clip before gluing the clip to the bow.  Insert the ribbon into the clip. Add some hot glue to the ribbon, then proceed to wrap the ribbon up and over the clip, covering the springs on the back side.

Trim the tail of the ribbon and singe to ward off fraying.

Here is a great secret I learned from my cousin, Michelle, who also makes hair bows for her girls - glue a strip of rug gripper to the inside of your clip!  It really does help the bow stay in place!

Finally, glue the bow to the covered clip!  Another hint: when making a wide bow like this one, I always cover the clip with a wide piece of ribbon because it allows me to arrange and glue many of the sections of the bow to the clip, and this helps the bow keep it's shape.  That's it!

I don't know about you, but one of the most frustrating aspects of transitioning into mommy-world is the wardrobe.  Your body shape is different, and it seems like someone is always drooling on you or grabbing at you.  I just can't buy really nice clothes anymore, even for Christmas, because I know they'll just be destroyed.  BUT - just because I don't spend tons of money on my clothes doesn't mean I don't want to look nice.  What are we teaching our daughters when we spend time grooming and primping them but neglect ourselves?  As a mom, it just takes a lot more effort to put yourself together because you really have to think ahead, "Can I nurse in this?", "Can I spot clean this?", "If this piece gets totally destroyed do I have a plan B replacement - or will I cry spot-on-scene?" and so on.  Every part of life is a phase, but I do look forward to dressing for myself again someday, and not having to dress as a napkin!

Hardest of all, especially with an infant, is jewelry.  Muscle Man Pete has ruined more necklaces than I care to share, so I've also learned to plan ahead and make baby friendly accessories.  I was so happy with the way Adelae's hair bow turned out, that I decided I'd make a second bow for me to wear on my sweater! The only difference is that I added a second short ribbon covering my wire - just to make it a little fuller. Pins are out, and I know Pete will really tug on it, so I just stitched it right on to my sweater!  Then, after Christmas, when I want a fresh look, or a fresh sweater (!), I'll carefully snip the bow off again.

This year we are heading "home" for Christmas, and will be worshiping at my childhood church, Trinity Lutheran - Toledo.  One of my fondest childhood Christmas memories is singing the Quempas Carol at the Christmas Eve service at Trinity.  It was always very special, especially to my dad, who on this night only, always sat in the far right corner of the front pew.  Trinity members know that this pew was "reserved" for the Howard and Elanore Drager and their family, but they graciously scrunched together for us that night! Trinity members also know that Mrs. Drager was known for her quaffed, seemingly plastic perfect hair - a continued topic of discussion and wonder in our family - and for Mr. Drager's bow tie collection! 

In Mr. Drager's honor, I just had to make Peter a dapper little bow tie to wear to church on Christmas Eve!  This was my first attempt at making a bow for a boy, but I can tell you, if he doesn't protest too much, it also won't be my last bow tie!  I looked at a lot of patterns for making bow ties, and all of them used old ties or material, I but really wanted to use the same ribbon I used for Adelae's bow.  Here's how I made it!

materials

spool of ribbon

scissors

lighter or matches

masking tape

iron

needle and thread

For a little baby boy, Pete's 10 months old, cut about an 11" length of ribbon.  You'll also need a shorter scrap of ribbon; it only needs to be a few inches long. Cut the long piece of ribbon with the "V" shooting out, and singe the edges to avoid fraying.  I also used the flame to round off the points of my "Vs".

Fold in the sides of the ribbon to make it a little thinner and give the final product a more realistic bow tie look. To help crease my folds, I held them in place with a few pieces of masking tape (or try pins) and then ironed the folds in place. 

Fold the ribbon in thirds with one end on top and the other end sandwiched in the middle.  Flip it over, because the fold on top should actually be hidden in the back of the tie. 

Starting with your first stitch tucked in the middle of the folded ribbon, run a few vertical stitches down the middle of the tie.

Pull the thread tight to pucker the center of the tie, but don't knot and cut the thread yet.

Secure the center by tightly wrapping the thread around the middle several times, then knot the thread and cut off the excess. 

Use the shorter scrap piece of ribbon to cover your thread. I tried making this center piece several different ways, but I like it best when knotted.  Tie a loose knot in the middle of your scrap ribbon.

Sew the ends together to form a circle  Don't worry that the raw edges are showing - just turn your little knotted circle right side out and slip it over your bow tie.

Add a few stitches to the back of the tie to hold the center knotted piece in place.  That's it!  But how does the tie stay on?  Drawing a cord, even a beautiful ribbon, around my son's neck is a sore spot for me!  At birth my little Pete almost didn't make it because his cord was tightly knotted and wrapped around his neck twice.  The Doctors had never seen a baby with such a knot survive! I'll be taking NO chances with my little miracle! 

Instead, I thought about clips or other devices for holding the tie in place, but in the end I decided that my best bet was simply to stitch it on.  Four or five quick stitches later, and Pete is one dapper dude! After Christmas I'll snip it off to wash the shirt, and can always sew it on again.

No, I didn't forget about Andy!  And, no, he was not willing to wear a bow tie!  Accessories for guys are tricky.  Bow cuff links? no.  Ribbon sock guards? no.  A cleverly arranged ribbon pocket square? I didn't think so!  In the end, I found a few more little hair clips and covered them with some pieces of ribbon using hot glue. The result?

A coordinating money clip! Traveling over Christmas gets pretty expensive, after all, so why not? Ha! 

Merry Christmas!

Child Crafted Super (Simple) Stocking Stuffers

Adelae Mints - 2011

Like homemade cards, I love homecrafted gifts.  Ok, I've not met many a gift I DON'T like, but,  gifts thoughtfully created by the hand of a loved one are always extra special treasures.  Luckily, Adelae shares my enthusiasm, and we work together to design and execute these little gifts of love.


This year, in addition to our other little projects, we wanted to again make customized mint boxes, and some lip gloss too.  They are so easy to make, fun to give, and are especially great for relatives who live far away - each time they grab their mints/lip gloss, they'll remember how much you love them!


Adelae Mints - 2010

Last year we remade TicTac labels, easy enough with scribbles on shipping labels. This year, Adelae can really draw and write, so even though the gift is the same, it has grown with her.  Plus, we found some mini Altoids with the letter A on each mint - perfect for a gift from Adelae!

materials

1 tin of mints/gift

white mailing or packing labels

markers - permanent if your child can handle them!

clear packing tape

scrapbook paper

1 picture of your child/gift

First draw on the packing labels.  Make sure to tell your child that you'll be using pieces of her drawings separately to make the new labels.  Alternatively, encourage them to draw within each label individually, or separate the labels and re-stick them onto wax paper for the child to easily stay within label perimeter.  For the lip gloss labels, I liked the idea of featuring parts of her larger drawings that orginally spanned multiple labels.

While drawing is under way, peel the original labels off your lip gloss.  Then just select an interesting portion of the drawing and apply the new label. 

I also added a strip of labeling around the base with Adelae's name printed on it.  Once the labels are applied, snip a piece of clear packing tape and apply it on top to form a protective seal over the new labels created by your child.

For the mints, I asked Adelae write her the first letter of her name on each label.  She isn't quite able to squeeze her whole name on a little label - especially using a marker.

While Adelae printed her "A"s, I trimmed labels to cover the most of the top of the tin. Next, I cut out her "A"s and she placed them on the left side of the tin.

I wrote the "delae" of the "Adelae" and then we coated each lid with a strip of clear packing tape.  We COULD have stopped there, but these are "Adelae Mints" so we needed to add a happy little picture of our little miss!

Cut out your pictures and little rectangles of scrapbook paper to about the same size as the inside of your mint tin lid. Cut a piece of clear packing tape and lay it sticky side up on the table. Place your picture face down in the center of the tape, and then top it with the paper.  

Flip the tape coated picture over and place it inside of the lid. Trim to fit and add another layer of tape as needed, making sure not to cover the little dent in the lid that keeps the tin closed. 

They're personalized stocking stuffers, made with love!

Red Bauble Necklaces

When I asked Adelae what she wanted to make people for Christmas this year, she immediately answered, "necklaces!"  With our "Baubles" theme this Christmas, it was a pretty simple jump to suggest that we make Red Bauble Necklaces!  This is a fun, simple, gift idea, or throw one together as a last minute party accessory for yourself!

materials

  mini red ball ornaments (plastic, if you can find them without an ugly seam)

twisted red or gold cording  (we found our spool in the gift wrapping aisle)

craft glue

The cording we found was designed for gift wrap, and while I'm sure the plastic silver balls are lovely on a package, they were a quite unattractive as part of our necklace, so first we striped the silver off, leaving only the twisted red cording. 


Measure the cording around your neck to determine how long you'd like your necklace to be, and then add another 7-10".  Our cords were just short of a yard per necklace - probably about 33". Singe or use clear nail polish on the tips of the cording, as needed, to prevent fraying.

Next, add a sliding knot closure. Knot the necklace together, leaving about a 5-8" tail, as shown above.  Then simply knot the end of the cord to the necklace, as shown below. The sliding knots will allow the wearer to adjust the length of the necklace and style it to match their neckline.

Finally, just add your Christmas ornaments!  For some people maybe just one bauble is all you need. Others just need more - a lot more!  To add the bauble(s), just pinch together and pull out the wire hanger at the top of the ornament.  We found it was easiest to take off the entire metal topper, then the wire. 

Once the wire is released, hook it in between the two strands of twisted cording - exactly in the center of the necklace. Pinch the wire back into the metal topper, add a dab of glue, then pop the ornament back onto the topper. 

One is cute, especially on a longer cord. Alternatively, add many, many baubles - at least 12 - on a shorter cord for some serious festivity for the nativity!

I guess since we've been talking about the red bauble as a reminder of the Eden fruit and our sinful nature - a reminder of our desperate need for a Savior - this necklace is somewhat of a scarlet letter.  Still, without the pain of the Law there is no sweetness in the Gospel. When you put on your new necklace, take a minute to remember your sin, but then let the red color remind you of your Savior, whose blood conquered sin.  If Christmas is only about celebrating a birth, it's almost as shallow as the commercial Christmas of our culture.  Christmas is about the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus, the victor over sin, death and the devil - making His coming a time of joy beyond measure and grand reason to celebrate the season!



Baubles & Bread Themed Ornament Making

Over the past week much of our spare time has been spent making ornaments for our Baubles and Bread themed Christmas tree. I gave the details of our 2011 Christmas Theme in an earlier post (click to read) - explaining the history and meaning of some early Christmas ornaments, that serve as beautiful reminders of our sin and salvation. I encourage you to read it! 


Here I'll show you the ornaments we made to address this theme along with instructions for making them yourself!  While each ornament fits the theme, they are also made from common, inexpensive and shatter proof materials, and can be constructed even by little hands - all very important aspects in designing a Christmas tree for the home of a baby and preschooler!

Bauble Fruit

The red bauble, a classic symbol of the season, connects us back to Eden with that sparkling forbidden fruit, a symbol of our Original Sin, remedied only by our Savior, Jesus.  Our simple Bauble Fruit ornaments make this connection a little less abstract.

Materials

Plastic Plain Red Bauble (Ball) Shaped Ornaments

Heavy Green Paper

Glue Stick

Glitter

Scissors

Small Hole Punch

Wire Ornament Hooks, or Paperclips

Working in small sections, apply glue stick to green paper, covering it completely.  Sprinkle glitter over the glue and tap it in place with your fingers. Once dry, cut into leaf shapes, punch a hole on one end and slightly bend or fold the leaf to give it some dimension. You'll lose some glitter, but keep a lot of it, so don't worry! Loop the leaf onto the wire ornament hook followed by the red bauble.  Pinch the hook closed.  We displayed ours on a some tiered cake stands until we were ready to hand them on the tree!

Cranberry Cords



The classic string of cranberries!  Another fruit connection that can not only remind us of the bitterness of our sin, but also of the red blood of Christ Jesus, whose birth we celebrate during the Season of Christmas. 

Materials

Cranberries

Needle (with a large eye)

Thin Ribbon

2 Bowls - one large, one small

Empty the cranberries into a large bowl.  Little ones will enjoy sorting the firm "good" berries from the smooshy "bad" berries, and discarding them into the smaller bowl.  Meanwhile, string the berries who have passed the quality control check onto the ribbon.  We left about an inch and a half of space between each berry, which stay in place on their own when strung on ribbon.  Tie a knot on one end before stringing, and the other end when the strand is complete. 

Gingerbread Cookies

To make our cookies durable, but still contain wheat as to match the important "Bread" of our theme, we stirred up a batch of cookie dough derived from a biter biscuit recipe.  We substituted molasses for the maple syrup called for in the original recipe, originally printed a few years ago in Wondertime Magazine. By also adding some spices, our "cookies" took on the look and wonderful smell of lebkucken ("bread of life") or gingerbread cookies, but they are as hard as rocks.  They smell tempting, but don't eat them - you'll break a tooth!



Materials

4 c Flour

1c Molasses

1/2c Applesauce

A few pinches of warm spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, etc.)

Rolling Pin

Cookie Cutters

Drinking Straw

Stir all of the ingredients together. There isn't a lot of liquid in this recipe, so it takes a bit of hard stirring to form the dough.  Keep at it, eventually you'll have a warm Christmas-y scent in your kitchen, and nice strong arms too!

Roll out the dough on a floured surface, and cut out your favorite holiday shapes using cookie cutters. It's important not to forget to make a hole in each "cookie" so you'll be able to hang them after they bake.  We used a drinking straw to make the holes, but a toothpick might also work well.  Bake at 300F for 35 minutes.

Once cool, use wire hooks to add the cookies to your tree. It would be pretty to tie with a bow too.  These cookies really fill out the tree and make your whole house smell wonderful throughout the season!

Glowing Orange Slices

A must for Floridians, it doesn't get simpler, or more beautiful, than these orange slices - yet another fruit connection.  Andy and I agree that these ornaments "make" our tree! I simply cannot photograph these glowing oranges as beautifully as they look hanging on the tree. 



Materials

Oranges

Wire Ornament Hooks

Cranberries

Christmas Lights

Slice oranges thinly and evenly.  Each orange yields about 6 ornaments.  Spray a cookie sheet with baking oil and set the oven to 200F.  The goal is to dry the oranges, not bake or cook them, so this process takes time!  Dry the oranges in the oven for at least 2 1/2 hours, flipping about every half hour.  Once dry, hook the oranges onto a wire ornament hook along with a cranberry to finish the look.  Strategically hang the oranges in front of lights on the Christmas tree to make them glow!



Trinity Wheat Sheaves

These are even simpler than the Orange Slice ornaments!  Count out three sheaves of wheat, trim off the top half of each sheave, but be sure to save the bottom halves for the Wheat Sheave Stars (below).  Bundle the sheaves together with a red cord and hang them on the tree, remembering the gift of the Bread of Life, Jesus, born to be our Savior, our eternal life giver!

Wheat Sheave Stars

These ornaments will take a bit more time to complete - plan on about 5 minutes each, plus soaking time prior to making the stars, but they also have a huge impact on the overall look of the tree, and are well worth the effort.  Wheat again, draws us to recall the Bread of Life, Jesus, while using the straw portion of the sheave reminds us of His lowly manger, and the shape, a star, that led the Magi to the King.

Materials

Wheat Sheaves

Gold Twist-Ties

Tub of Hot Water

Wire Cutters

 Scissors

Cut the bottom half of wheat sheaves (available at floral shops or, if you're luck enough, a field near your home!) to five 7" lengths.  Five pieces are needed for each star, and 8-10 stars for a 6' tree.  Fill your sink or a large tub with hot water, and submerge the wheat under the water for an hour.  Meanwhile, use wire cutters to cut the twist-ties in half. You'll need 11 twist-tie halves for each star.  After the wheat is soft gather five straws and use a twist-tie to bind them together in the center of the cluster. 

Draw two straws together and bind with a twist-tie about about an inch away from the center tie.  Repeat, binding all ten spokes in groups of two. Next, split the straws, bending them left and right, then connecting adjacent straws together with a twist-tie to form each side of the star.

For complete directions and more wheat weaving projects, check out the Wheatweaving Company.  They recommend using a waxed string, but because I wanted my ornaments to be made by my children, it was much easier to use the twist-ties and work together to twist them tight over knotting each point of connection.

There you have it!  I beautiful, homecrafted Christmas tree that is full of meaning - and is *nearly* babyproof too!

Merry Christmas!