Here are some other ideas, though not all made from construction paper... Spray paint a paper plate gold. Have the kids glue an old Christmas card cut out in a circle shape for the center. Use a hole puncher to punch a hole in the top, add a ribbon or length of yarn for a hanger, call it a wreath. Cut a sheet of const. paper in half. Fold each half to make a Christmas card. Use old Christmas cards to decorate the front, then let the kids "write" a message inside with Crayola (washable) markers. Cut out Christmas tree shape from constr. paper. Put a tree-shaped tree in the center of a larger piece of contr. paper. Let the kids decorate the tree with paper punchies, yarn for garland, etc. An old favorite at our house: Save the red 1" tall plastic peanut butter lids from the Sams Club-sized jars. Fill with plaster of paris, stick in a pine cone and let it dry. Give each kid a bottle of glue and a pie plate (to catch the glitter) to decorate their "tree". Hope this sparks some other ideas for you! Julie

danielle is right (in my opinion, having lived with lots of marble countertops for almost a year now): your children will age but other things will stay the same. I have a super-messy husband (but an incredible cook) and two little kiddos (four and two) and I would do all (for we've slab backsplash as well) our marble again in a New York minute. Earlier this evening the children and I were making green sugar cookie dough and rolling it on the marble. I never, ever think twice about using it -- that's what it's there for! Ours is a honed finish and I cannot see any etch marks -- I assume they must be there but they sure are invisible! We have NO stains. None, not a one. Ours are sealed (Miracle 511 Porous Plus), but nothing stains. Well, except the time a piece of rusted steel wool was stuck on the bottom of a sponge and the marble sucked that rust right up. We used a poultice (Iron Out) which literally removed the stain on contact and then I sealed sealed sealed. I've also been told regular powdered Comet is a great poultice, and remember, any time you use a poultice you must reseal! I think marble is incredible, and I cannot imagine my kitchen without it. That being said, marble is not for everyone -- you have to want the patina, want the signs of life and be excited about them being a part of your countertop. If you think that you'll fret all the time and freak out if anyone comes near the countertop then you might want to explore other countertop materials. Life is too short to worry about a naturally messy place like the kitchen. If you have your heart set on marble (as I did) please do also know that you can have marble, have children and have a happy home life. So long as your marble is thoroughly sealed you should be able to avoid most things. Good luck!

I really like paper piecing and have use all the above papers at some time. My favorite is the cheapest copier paper I can find. Like Teresa said I don't see why you would have to see throught it but even copier paper is seen through if held to the light. I fold every line before I start. This gives me a visual on the side for the fabric and helps in the removal of the paper when it is finished. I also use very small stitches. Cathy(woodenzoo), although I have a roll of the pattern tracing paper I have not actually tried it. I think however it would be especially good if I wanted several of the same pattern and sewed through a stack with a needle only technique which someone mentioned above. I have used regular tracing paper that comes in a pad but my experience is when I press it with the iron on each seam it becomes brittle and sometimes comes off the fabris before I'm ready. I,too, think you paid a lot for the paper. PP is so much fun don't let paper be a reason not to do it. At that price I'd be reluctant to do much. Just my opinion. Sally

Crayola crayons, markers and colored pencils are not acid free. THe paints and glitter glue are though. If you are going to laminate them, I don't think I would worry about it.Maybe you could color them with chalk, or acid free markers.