What is my life saying?
Christmas season has begun! Black Friday deals abound both online and in stores. For those who plan ahead and already have their Christmas shopping complete, now is the perfect time to utilize price reductions and restock the pantry and/or replenish the gift stash for other celebrations throughout the coming year. Do your children get invited to a lot of birthday parties for their friends? Now would be an ideal time to stash away some little gifts just for that purpose.
However, not everyone is able to stock up or stash away right now. Some may not be sure Christmas will even happen at their house this year. Still others are just praying they have a house to live in come Christmas. Living Large on Less has "been there, done that", and we want to send encouragement to anyone who may find themselves in a season that is lacking financial abundance.
Christmas is about much more than gifts and extravagant abundance. The sights and sounds all around us sometimes scream so loudly that the true meaning of our holiday celebrations is all but drowned out. As with every decision when living a Living Large on Less lifestyle, a person must first determine in their heart and mind a course of action. I personally have found celebration to be an attitude of the heart that manifests itself in physical acts. How, when, and where this attitude of celebration will be revealed is up to each person or family individually.
Today's idea is one that practically anyone can use. It is extremely versatile using supplies that can be adapted according to individual situations and budgets. This simple activity can be done singly or in a group by anyone from one to 101! Supplies used are varied ranging from the simplest of simple to elegantly extravagant. When I say that this is an activity everyone can participate in, it's the truth---honest! So what is this amazing activity? Making paper snowflakes! Calm down, calm down. I can hear the groans from here - seriously I can. Oh wait! That's the wind. Sorry about that. My mistake. Please don't close the blog down yet. You'll be missing out if you do.
Let me assure you that ANYONE can learn to make a paper snowflake. I finally did, after I had children of my own. The memories of misshapen, ugly cut up pieces of paper I crafted in grade school are nightmares of the past. Now, snipping paper snowflakes out of copy paper has become a personal tradition that I eagerly anticipate. It's a sure sign that Christmas is coming when Mama starts making snowflakes.
Don't have copy paper? no problem. Pages from old magazines (please make sure the magazine isn't being saved by anyone and everyone has read it), old newspapers, colorful flyers, scrapbook paper, construction paper, paper bags, photocopies of music, wrapping paper, pretty much any kind of paper can be used. Not only does color and texture not matter, size of paper can vary as well. Just remember that the smaller the piece of paper, the smaller the snowflake and more difficult the cutting.
A large variety of how-to tutorials can be found online. I've included a link to one of my favorites right here. As one of the how-to articles I read says, all that is required is paper, scissors, patience, and creativity. Grab some paper, your scissors, and let the paper snippets fly!
OK, now that you have dozens of these flaky critters surrounding your house, what do you do with them? Whatever you want! Seriously. They can be arranged on top of a dark colored tablecloth and covered with a layer of sheer fabric for an elegant tabletop. Snowflakes can also be attached to ribbon and hung at the window. Using varying lengths of ribbon enhances this look. A whimsical "curtain" can be crafted by stitching snowflakes together like this talented crafter did here. Snowflakes can also be mounted on a dark background and placed in a frame for inexpensive, yet elegant seasonal art. Grandparents would treasure such a gift for years. Snowflakes can also be used as doilies on serving trays and under dishes at a Christmas/Winter tea/special gathering. Need a background for a scrapbook? Adhere paper snowflakes to black scrapbook pages for instant WOW. The uses of snowflakes are practically endless. I have some scraps of black velvet that just might be calling out to some snowflakes to join them in becoming new Winter art.
Here's the newest member of our snowflake family! I made my first one last night and have the paper cut out for a small one to put together later. Through the years we have crafted many different snowflakes. Windows of four different houses have had snowflakes hanging in them. Some of the snowflakes have been elegantly glittered with opalescent glitter, some have hung among glittered styrofoam "snowballs".(Christmas lights reflect beautifully off of opalescent glitter) No matter the size or shape, paper snowflakes are one of our family's most loved signs of the season. I'm sure they can become one of yours as well. Have fun! Abundantly Blessed --