Christmas Workshop

1. Wrap a shorter piece of pipe cleaner around each end of longer piece, about 1″ (2.5 cm) from end.

2. Fold yarn in half, forming loop, and lay along seam of walnut.

3. At midpoint of nut and at right angle to nut seam, place strip of glue across string; then attach pipe cleaner along glue strip.

4. Glue on eyes and pom-pom nose. Add trim.

1. Enlarge ice-skate pattern, trace onto red felt, and cut out.

2. Fold one piece of skate so that straight tops meet, tuck 1″ (2.5 cm) of yarn inside, then glue tops together, and let dry. Repeat for other skate.

3. Cut white felt to fit completely around top of each skate, then glue in place (see illustration).

4. Punch holly berries out of red felt. Cut holly leaves out of green felt.

5. Glue holly leaves and berries to white felt trim (see illustration).

6. Slip paper clip through open fold on bottom of skate.

1. Spread newspapers on table before you start.

2. Cut potato in half lengthwise, and lay it cut-side-down on plastic lid.

3. With pencil, poke hole in top of potato, and stick longest branch in hole.

4. Poke hole on each side of potato, and place 6″ (15 cm) branches in holes to form triangle outline of tree (see illustration).

5. Add more branches, placing longer ones near center of tree and shorter ones around them.

6. When all pieces are in place, use clippers to trim branches that stick out too far.

7. Decorate tree with tiny ornaments and small bits of tinsel or with small candy canes and little red bows.

One of the good things about this Christmas tree is that you’ll never need to water it. The greens stay fresh for weeks because the potato acts like a water-filled sponge.

1. Paint tongue depressor white; let dry.

2. Draw apple on poster board, paint—add worm for good measure!—cut out.

3. Glue apple to end of tongue depressor.

4. Make heart variation for another friend.

1. On poster board, draw simple pattern.

2. Cut out pattern. (You may wish to cut into middle from edge and then tape cut edge.) Discard piece cut out.

3. Fold construction paper in half to form card.

4. Position pattern on front of card, and lightly tape into place.

5. Unfold card and lay on table with poster-board pattern on bottom. With sharpened dowel, carefully push construction paper into pattern below it.

6. Untape pattern. Your gift tag or card is ready to write in. Design variety of patterns. Each will make several cards before edges wear down.

1. Draw gingerbread body on brown felt, and bow tie on green felt. Cut out, then punch hole where shown.

2. Glue gingersnap head and belly in place.

3. Cut pieces of rickrack, and glue in place (see illustration).

4. Glue bow tie to gingerbread man’s body, and cinnamon candies to gingersnaps (see illustration).

5. Thread yarn through hole, then knot it. Gingerbread man is ready for hanging.