Paper Rosettes from Gift-wrap and 5 Christmas Picture Books We Love
paper rosettes printable gift for you!
As our 3 boys have finished school for the holidays and are now cozily reading in bed, I remember what a privilege it is to have a home, a place of safety and warmth. Earlier this week, Ezra and I built a gingerbread house, waiting for his older brothers to come home to decorate the roof. I just watched him, his face so radiantly enjoying the project with a giddy smile, earnestly trying his best to resist the temptation to eat it all up. He did manage to wait. We’ve since guzzled up the roof of our gingerbread house with its colourful sweets and chocolates, candy canes, flakes, beads on white and red icing and only a small amount of it remains now, a little like an old Irish thatched cottage crying out to be noticed as a fantastic fixer-upper. Home is such a wonderful thing when we feel safe and warm in it. This winter, maybe more than ever, with so much heartache and loss around us, I’ve been struck by how simple tender moments can come and go so quickly, they are so fleeting. And pausing to savour tenderness demands attention and a certain calm awareness of its worth or a serene stillness. I long to get better at that with time. That’s probably what I’d really like for Christmas.
Make Paper Rosettes
I have a little gift for you, if you like to re-use all things beautiful.
Look out for salvageable left-over wrapping paper this Christmas, cut them up in long strips and carefully put them into a large envelop or box (wherever you keep your Christmas decorations) with THIS printable. Also add some string if you have any lying about. This way, your paper rosettes will be ready for you to create next winter. You can print it at home by clicking HERE. The sheet is a how-to make paper rosettes sheet I’ve drawn for you.
The scene was inspired by my recent trip to Pennsylvania, where the Main Street of Ephrata was getting ready for Christmas. I even got to see their super tall Christmas tree arriving on a massive truck. So I got my sketchbooks out from my trip and drew squirrels decorating a toy store window display with paper rosettes. Here’s a little video of the process. Oh and… it also serves as a colouring sheet, if that rocks your boat.
5 Christmas Picture Books We Love
At the end of November we borrowed some Christmas picture books from our local library and added them to our festive reading baskets. We’ve appreciated them all month and I thought it’d be nice to share with you an image or two from our favourites finds.
Anna Currey’s Truffle’s Christmas.
We liked this little story about a mouse who can’t decide what he wants for Christmas, hesitating between a hula hoop and a much needed blanket without any holes. In the end, he gets both but you’ll need to read it to find out how. The delicate inky drawings were a hit, especially this double spread in Truffle’s room on Christmas morning. It had strong Griffindor vibes. That scene when Harry Potter opens his first ever Christmas gift. Funny how the boys’ imagination can transport them to other worlds, I’m confident Anna Currey had no idea this could or would happen!
We Wish You A Merry Christmas, illustrated by Amye Rosenberg.
I bought this one last month at a 2nd hand sale in a library in Adamstown, Pennsylvania for 20c. It’s a concertina book illustrating little cats and rabbits going from house to house in the snowy countryside carolling We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Their faces, delightful! There’s probably a whole series. I want to see them all.
The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown.
This one I grew up with so it comes with a bunch of nostalgia. The landscape spread is such a typical English countryside scene, very like ours here in Yorkshire at this time of year (not much snow yet).
Paddington’s Magical Christmas by Michael Bond, illustrated by John Lobban.
It’s as London-British as it gets and this spread of Portobello Road made me want to hop right onto a train straight to Kings Cross to get there. Who could resist these colours? There were quite a few more pages I’d share but this one was my favourite.
Rob Biddulf’s An Odd Dog Christmas.
So many easter eggs in this one, it’s full of colour and it’s very pleasing to the eye and enjoyable for young and older. If you’re looking for something super fun, this is the one. Maybe an idea for next year.
What are your favourite Christmas picture books? Which books bring you back to your childhood? Which ones would you want to read to children today? What do you feel is the most important message you’d like to convey and how would you convey it?
Sending lots of love this Christmas,
Helen xx
PS: from a stormy and grey (with absolutely no chance of snow) Yorkshire but blessed to have a warm home to stay cozy in.
PPS: Remember to pick up and salvage the wrapping paper.