Leftovers

Each year we exchange ornaments among the cousins on my side of the family. Usually it is handmade, but it can be anything. One year, I bought the ornaments because I knew exactly what would fit for each child. This year we have struggled with different ornament ideas. Aine made pipe cleaner candy canes with beads. I tried some felt creations. Eamon did some woodworking. Nothing was quite right.

Then I had an idea. When Eamon finished his ceramics class this fall, he still had quite a bit of clay leftover. We weren't sure what to make with it, so I stuck it in the closet for a few weeks. Inspiration finally hit, and we made some holiday ornaments.

Benton, Aine and I setup a workspace on the table(Eamon elected to continue building LEGO creations). Under Eamon's watchful expert eye, we laid out butcher paper in lieu of canvas. Rolling, cutting, and writing ensued. We made a bunch of ornaments, decorations and gift tags. Using a sprig of pine from our tree, the kids and I imprinted the designs. Benton also tested out the use of a pinecone for imprinting. I carried them outside to dry a bit. We then hung them on ribbon for gifting. They turned all out really nice and I am sure they will be well received.