My three kids got the hooded towels made out of a washcloth and a towel sewn together and then monogramed with their names. I love it because it means I can keep up with who used what towel and not wash towels just because the kids threw them all in the floor.

This year I got smart. I bought most of my gifts the day after Christmas at the half price sale. I didn't have time to make stuff to give because I was selling it in the craft booth.

I wish someone would make me something! I do all the making! I love doing it though. here is a picture of the gifts I made this year....

The best homemade gift I got?, well really there have been 2 of them. The afghan my mom crocheted(sp) for me years ago that I still have and the afghan a friend of my mil's ( she was like an aunt to me)made for me in Christmas colors. Both these ladies are gone now, but their memory lives on in those afghans

Wackeyweeder-what are the colored balls made of? I think those are beautiful. Can you give the directions? Please Please Please!

I would love the directions for the colored balls also. It looks like they are lighted and I love lighted Christmas crafts. Thanks in advance.

I'm not wackeyweeder but I know how she made the balls. I did a few a few years back.

You need to go to the craft dept and buy a glass bowl...like a fish bowl or whatever they have. (They're usually not more than $3 at our Wal-Mart.)You'll also need a bag or two of the flat marbles in the colors you want, a tube of silicone caulking, a terra cotta pot and a saucer that the bowl will fit on and a string of lights if you want it lighted.

Take the fish bowl and turn it upside down. Now take a marble and put the silicone on it and stick it to the bowl. There is a trick to this because if you get too much silicone, the marble will fall off and if you don't get enough, it will fall off. You'll figure it out as you go. Keep repeating until the bowl is finished and let it sit and dry (overnight is best).

Take the terra cotta pot and silicone the saucer to the bottom of it. This will be your holder for the ball. Just place the ball on the saucer so it's upside down and put the lights up in it and you're done.

Leslie

Thanks for the directions Sweets 98. Just one question though. Where does the cord come out at? Does it sit level?

You can also use thrift shop, or yard sale, glass light globes (for less than $1 usually) and they don't have to be clear-they can also be frosted. If they sit on a clay pot, the cord can come throuth the hole in the bottom of the pot, use a file to make a groove in the pot, to fit the cord. If you use a more decorative (?wrought iron??)
stand you won't have to worry about the cord.

Sharon, I was just trolling old posts and saw yours. Looks you got great directions from these other ladies. I personally used Bond 527 glue. I havent tried the silicones but they sound "gummy" to me and I wanted a "hard" hold. The trick with that was waiting a few min till the glue was tacky enough to stick. I did not use a saucer on the bottom, I simply used an upturned terra cotta pot, I shoved the christmas lights thru the hole, and filed a groove on the bottom of the pot so it would sit level and the cord could come out. I am currently making a larger one for a friend, and I just saw HUGE fish bowls in hobby lobby and I think I shall have to have one of those for myself. I started with bargain store recycled fishbowls, but when I bought up the local supply of those, I had to resort to walmart. LOL. I have goten hooked to say the least and everyone thought they were great christmas presents. Ive made tons and still dont have one for me!