1st Sunday of Advent - 2012

I've put my Sunday Fun Links on hold until after Christmas!  I wanted to spend the next few Sundays sharing with you the traditions and activities that we are doing as a family for Advent.  None of these things are earth shattering...or new.  These are just ordinary ways of celebrating this season of anticipation with an "extra-ordinary" Widener spin!

Last year was the first year since Nathan was a baby that we've had an Advent Wreath using real candles.  I thought we ready.  I thought wrong.  It's too much stress for me worrying about who is touching the candle...who is sticking their fingers in hot wax....or who is blowing them out too hard and blowing wax all over the place!  Real candles are still too much of a temptation for my kids.  So, with the help of some wonderful ideas on Pinterest....I found one that we could make.  It was fun and easy.

I started by making the wreath itself.  I traced the girls hands 4 times each using two different shades of green.

 

I cut them out and then glued them together in a circle. 



 

 

 

I had been saving up my toilet paper rolls for just this occasion!

 

A little glue...

 

A little purple/pink/white scrapbook paper....

 

Roll it on up.

I measured the paper slightly longer than the tube.  I don't really know why.  I suppose they could have been exact and it would have worked fine too.  I just thought the edges were cleaner this way.

 

Slit the excess paper with scissors and then fold and glue them down.

I cut out a circle of paper for the tops...made a slit in the middle of the circle and then inserted a "flame" that I traced and cut out.

 

I think it turned out cute.

 

Now I don't have to worry about little burned fingers or scraping wax off of my dining room table!

Enjoy your first week of Advent!  Happy New Year!