New releases for holiday crafting

Last update: December 3, 2008 - 9:39 AM

Print this story

E-mail this story

Save to del.icio.us

Share on Facebook

Share on Digg

More from Home + Garden

New releases for holiday crafting

"A Greener Christmas," by Sheherazade Goldsmith (Dorling Kindersley, $25)

Family projects for hand-crafted gifts, cards, natural wreaths and other decor as well as traditional recipes. Resource list and patterns included. Lots of good photos, but no indication that this book, which extols a greener holiday, is printed on recycled paper.

"Swedish Christmas Crafts," by Helene Lundberg (Skyhorse Publishing, $14.95)

This book sets the right tone by advising "you shouldn't stress about Christmas. Think about what is important to you and your family, and put everything else aside for the time being." Directions included for some beautifully beaded felt ornaments and transparent lantern wrappers made of vellum or rice paper, as well as for the more mundane paper snowflake and hanging felt heart.

"Christmas Crafting with Kids: 35 Projects for the Festive Season," by Catherine Woram (Ryland Peters & Small, $19.95)

These are the crafts of your childhood, for kids through age 11. Instructions and patterns for ideas from baby jar snowglobes to ornaments from dried orange slices to basic paper "crackers." One nit: a few crafts require a blanket stitch, but how-to directions are not included.

"Activity TV: Hanukkah Fun, Volumes 1-2," DVD ($9.99 each, two-pack for $19.99, www.echo bridgeentertainment.com, click on "home entertainment")

Geared for kids 7 and older, the videos, each running about 70 minutes, combine directions for handmade puppets, dreidels, candles and cartoons, interspersed with simple recipes. Instructions and material sheets for each craft need to be downloaded from an Internet site.

"Paper Crafts for Kwanzaa," by Randel McGee (Enslow Publishing, $23.93)

Simple paper projects with easy-to-follow instructions for kids who can use scissors. Eight projects, including patterns, plus two pages explaining Kwanzaa and its guiding principles and symbols.

www.wherecreativityhappens.com webisodes

Several craft how-to project videos for kids (though the jewelry-making piece is geared for adults and older children) from Michael's crafting expert Jo Pearson; downloadable project sheets included.

KIM YEAGER

Recent Home + Garden stories

For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800 - December 3, 2008

For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800 - For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800, and when prompted press the following four-digit numbers: More