Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas | DIY Ornaments

We've been feeling really cooped up with the cold weather and a project was way overdue.  We found the homemade paper ornaments project in the Family Fun Magazine.  You can check out the full instructions on their site at HERE
Items needed:
3 sheets of colored construction paper (for 1-2 ornaments)
Cookie cutters
Blender
Towels
Seive
Ribbon, glitter

We laid out a plate with a kitchen towel on it and topped it with paper towels to put our cookie cutters on.  The boys went to work tearing the pieces of paper up.  They really enjoyed ripping it up.  For about one sheet worth.  Then I was given the honor of ripping up the rest. Yay me.

We added the paper to the blender (we used our bullet) then added boiling water and let them soak for 5+ minutes.  Then blend to a pulpy mush.  Strain the water out of the pulpy mush using a seive; then fill your cookie cutters - be sure to fill in the crooks and angles well!  Press it all in nice and tight and blot with a towel to get excess water out.  Gently remove the ornament from the cookie cutter, sprinkle with glitter, and place on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven for at least two hours.  I think we did ours for more like 6 hours.

While you wait for the ornaments to dry out feel free to get creative.  Wear socks on you hands. Underwear on your head.  Lay around and sigh a lot like your mom is torturing you with the waiting game.  Or go the more dignified route of entertaining yourself with legos and playtime while you wait.

He took the underwear off his head when he saw the camera.  I need to work on my sneakiness when hunting with a camera.

Hang the finished product on the tree.  It looks homemade.  I think that's a good thing.  The kids are pretty bummed that they couldn't eat them.  I guess if it comes out the oven it should be edible by their reasoning.

The Christmas decorations are up.  We've done cut out snowflakes; put up the tree and hung the ornaments; sent Christmas cards out, played in the snow; and been to see Santa... Its definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.