I am strongly leaning toward taking the Christmas tree down tomorrow. I know I said I’d linger in Christmas for weeks to come but…
The tree is looking a bit stressed:
- The manger scene under the tree looks more like a bus station with people littered all about.
- The, “No, Molly!”, effect has long lost its ability to thwart my little one from thinking all the ornaments are her play things, so the the tree looks like it is not wearing any pants.
- I found more mini-ornaments from the kids’ tree in the tuper-ware drawer than on the mini-tree.
- Even the mini artificial tree decorating the bathroom is starting to shed its needles. Is that even possible?
So to help me ease out of Christmastime and into this new year, besides clearance shopping myself into the poor house, I thought of a few projects to do with leftovers. No, not old ham and potatoes. Crafts, what else?
Leftover Cards

Ornament shown was made by my Aunt Mary Jo.
When I was a kid, my Aunt Mary Jo taught me how to make a circle-triangle patterned sphere ornament. I thought of publishing a tutorial here at Just a Blink, but why reinvent the wheel?
I searched the web and found an Icosahedron Ornament tutorial from a math teacher’s blog called, The Quilted Turtle, that makes this project formerly know as, Old Christmas Card Balls, sound way cool. Check it out if you want to re-purpose your Christmas cards this season.
Used Advent Nativity Calendar

Q: Want to make a fun Christmas scene for your felt board but don’t want to cut it out of felt?
A: Reuse an old advent calendar or buy one at an after Christmas close-out sale to create such a scene.
Items Needed:
- Felt board
- Old advent calender with nativity scene or other winter-y/Christmas-y illustrations
- Scissors
- Just Hooks (one sided Velcro; sold in office supply stores)
- Lamination or Clear contact paper (for longer lasting pieces)
Directions:
- Cut out desired pieces
- Laminate
- Apply self-sticking, one-sided Velcro to each piece
- Stick pieces onto felt board for a removable and playable Christmas or Nativity felt board scene
Someday Blankets

**I Heart Target** I picked-up two King flannel sheet sets, on Christmas clearance, for $5 a piece. Yes, I said King. I saw the cozy and wintry patterns on the flannel and I knew that they had to come home with me. They hopped in my cart like a match made in heaven. Little do they know, they’ll be cut-up and poked with a needle a couple thousand times.
Oh wait, I don’t know where my bobbin is or how to get sheets to become blankets for my darling little ones.
But for now I’ll keep the sheets tucked away, by my absurdly large, decor shelf collection (I just seem to attract them at every garage sale I see), in the corner of my closet for the someday blankets I know they have the destiny to become.
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Domestic Life, Food