Christmas Tree Ornaments making!!!

This last week has seen the making of tens of little Christmas ornaments both at school and at home. The reason for all this creativity is an on-going project between our school and three other schools from different European countries.  Each one of the four schools that participate in the project will make ornaments to send to the other schools. So each school will have its own lovely tree, decorated with the little makes they will receive. This is a nice project that aims at getting   the students offer something to children they have never met, but with whom they have a lot in common. This may be the beginning of new friendships and more nice projects in the future!

Last Thursday, I conducted a workshop at the school premises, to show students how to make little ornaments, using simple, easy to find material.

We all know how imaginative and creative kids can be when they are given the right incentive. So, my little ones were just fantastic, they came up with their own ideas and they also followed the instructions I gave them very carefully.

 Here are some of the things they made. 

I love the  ornament with the little ‘wings’ made of denim. 

A girl  really surprised me when she asked me if I had any wire with me. I found some in one of my boxes and after a few minutes she showed me these. Aren't they beautiful? She made them at no time and they look great. She added tiny , shiny bells at the top and here they are . Simple and nice!

By the time the workshop was over and they had to go home, everything had been  covered with glitter and bits and pieces of colourful cardboard, fabric, beads, stickers , ribbons and paper.  We all had great amounts of fun and went back home tired but happy.

It was a very Christmassy afternoon, with Christmas songs, something sweet to nibble and lots of glitter!!

At home, it was time for me to give it a go and make some more ornaments! My fingers were itching for a bit of relaxed and carefree creativity.

I found some   pieces of balsa wood in a drawer and some lovely napkins from last year and started transforming the little pieces of wood into tree ornaments.

Of course, I used my beloved method of decoupage which works miracles at no time and so after some hours, I was happy to display a few little ornaments that will soon be send to Poland and Romania where our partners are.

Do you like them? I love the little Santa and his wife and the red hearts and lace.

I used red, shiny ribbon to hang the ornaments from and here they  are , ready for their trip!!

 I also made  little birds, a reindeer and a tree using felt, ribbons , pieces of fabric , paper and beads.

Finally I used pine cones , ribbons and some felt in the shape of holly  to make a few more little ornaments , very easy to make, yet quite nice, I think .

That's for now dear readers . 

Till next time, enjoy your weekend and the week ahead . It is very cold here in Greece so, I’m glad the weekend has arrived and I can stay a bit more indoors!

Love to all of you , 

Tina xxxxx 

Colour !

 Today has been a grey, rainy day and it may sound strange but though the weather apparently didn’t help a lot, I felt like writing a post about COLOUR!!I  So off I went to detect sources of colour and light around my neighbourhood.                                

It was about 3:00 p.m. when I took my little camera and started my ‘quest’.

I was lucky because most people had finished their weekend shopping by then and were at home taking a nap or watching their TVs and I could more or less take my pictures without many strange looks.

At first, it was just another photo shooting for my blog, but I soon realized that I was looking at my otherwise familiar surroundings as if watching them for the first time.

Attracted as I was by colour, I paused and spent time looking at bushes and trees, branches and fruit that I see every day, but don’t pay attention to , or even don’t realize they are there at all.

 Like this gorgeous pyracantha bush just outside the big supermarket I visit  for my daily shopping. A plant that so  often appears in parks and gardens and doesn’t need a lot of care to thrive. A humble plant, which ‘hides’ its  beauty and gorgeous cherry red or orange colour.

 A  shy , common , ‘boring’ plant outside shops and car parks ,which has its unique and so attractive appearance and gives colour to our everyday lives , even if we don’t  even notice it!

Another thought that came to my mind, while pausing to take pictures, is that by doing so I noticed things and heard sounds that I would have ignored if I passed by at the usual fast pace of my everyday busy life.

While taking the pictures of a bush, I heard the miawing of a kitten who was hidden behind the branches of the plants. It was a little cry for help, attention and the need for some food. When I pass by that spot I never cease to look around, so I wouldn’t have detected the kitten if I wasn’t attracted by the colour of its surroundings.

I also took the pictures of a gorgeous, pink bougainvillea outside a seemingly deserted, very old detached house with a big neglected garden. But suddenly, I noticed that there was someone at the back of the garden raking the dead leaves. The house I thought no body lives in, has actually a resident.

Well, in my search for colour this cloudy and grey afternoon , I discovered things in and about my neighbourhood, that I hadn’t noticed and wouldn’t have, if I didn’t cease for a while .

So, I think it will be nice, if we made some time to stop and watch or listen to what we ‘ignore’ or take for granted around us, we may discover many colourful and other things and creatures that need our attention. 

If you like what you read here and you want to share your thoughts and ideas with me , please leave a message. 

Have a nice Saturday night and a nice Sunday too. 

Till next time, love to all of you , 

Tina xxxxx

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Little houses and a necklace

 Last weekend started with stormy weather but it ended up with sunshine!

The weather forecast had warned us for extreme weather conditions and Friday afternoon was so overcast that I thought that they were right. So, I hurried back home after work, though I had the chance to pay a very quick visit to a favourite shop first and buy some ‘necessary material’ for a weekend at home(more about it later).

 On Saturday morning I woke up in a rainy Athens and I was happy I could stay in and indulge myself in things I like(e.g. have a nice breakfast and read a favourite magazine).Then, it was time for some creativity, while the rain was falling outside and it was getting darker and darker. I felt very Christmassy for some reason and I l turned on some tiny, red fairy lights that I have recently put in my kitchen.  I looked outside and I saw my neighbours’ garden, all wet and lonely but Oh-so-beautiful and I felt the urge to create something cute and sweet and ‘tender’.

 The decision was made in my mind. I would make some little wooden houses, covered in lovely flowery fabric, with tiny doors and windows, which remind me of fairy tale creatures and happy Christmas stories.

So here we are! Look at the houses before their transformation. Just wood.

My husband actually cut the wood and gave it this shape, some months ago, but I hadn’t managed to do anything decorative with them, so they lay patiently waiting for this moment, for quite some time.

I used three different fabrics for this project, all very beautiful and my favourite. Then, I added the details and put them on a shelf with my fairy lights. Don’t they look quite festive?

                                

         

 The next project I did at the weekend, is this necklace which turned out very impressive. What do you think?

       

       

  I love the colours and the texture of the beads. I bought the material on Friday after work, just before the rain started.            

     

On Sunday, the weather was brilliant. Everything looks different when it is ‘soaked’ in sunlight.

 Look at these pomegranates. Aren’t the colours incredible? And you know what? They remind me of the colours in my new necklace. What a nice coincidence!

Well, dear readers, this is my weekend story of rain, sun, fairy lights , beads and tiny houses. I hope you liked it and I will now leave you with lots of warm wishes for a lovely week.

Till next time,

Tina xxx