Author: robinmaderich

I am a multi-published author, illustrator and crafter. The creating keeps me sane.

How-to: Gingerbread Man Paper Mache Ornament

This is an excerpt from my how-to Christmas craft book, 12 Days of Christmas Projects, which is available now at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other on-line retailers, as well as for order from your local bookstore (support local!).

Gingerbread houses and gingerbread men are iconic when it comes to the holidays. This gingerbread man is made from paper mache and is meant to be hung on your tree as a jolly reminder of the season. I have made mine the thickness of my particular cookie cutter, making for a hefty (although fairly lightweight) decoration. You may make yours as thin as an actual cookie, or anywhere in between. Just remember that the thicker the paper mache, the longer the dry time. I also used strips of fabric for his scarf and as a hanger to add to the primitive style.

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Happy Halloween!

I’ve only had two trick-or-treaters in the twenty years I’ve lived in my present home. I stopped decorating for Halloween these days, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the innovative, downright fun displays in this blog reposted from Houzz. I especially like the first one. How spooky that would be on a dark night!

Coffee, Anyone?

Yes, I know, that’s not a coffee pot above. But, as you’ll soon find out, I’m not what you’d call a coffee drinker.  I can honestly say I have about three or four cups of coffee a year and usually don’t finish the cup. And still, I occasionally crave it. Not sure why, exactly. I’ve even gone so far as to buy a cup of Dunkin’s and about a quarter through it, I stop. It’s delicious, but, as I’ve said, I’m not what you’d call a coffee drinker. But as I also said, I occasionally have a craving for a cup.

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Facebook Failure

What’s a Facebook failure you might ask? If there were a picture of me somewhere on this website, you’d be looking at it. I started with Facebook some years back at the behest of my publisher. You know, need to make those social media contacts, after all, and toot your own horn about your “accomplishments”. Only I wasn’t really sure how to make those contacts or what to do once I had. Somehow, though, it happened (thanks to my daughter-in-law) and Facebook friends started to “appear”, as well as the friends I had from my real life, and family members, and oh, jeez, a whole world!

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Follow the Firefly and Run, Rabbit, Run! by Bernard Carvalho (Book Island Books)

Found this fabulous blogger, Picture Books Blogger, reviewing (what else?) picture books. As I am a fan of deeply illustrated books without words, I checked out the reviews under “Wordless Wonders” and discovered this book, among others. I hope to be buying it shortly–for me (my kids are all grown, you see, but I’m a sucker for well-crafted children’s books)!

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10923300_10152961120625446_966095189953267695_nHere is a book which you can read from front to back AND from back to front, we kid you not!

We love it when we find something we’ve never seen before, or that is quite different from the norm and this ticks all of our boxes and the some.

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Originally published in 2013 by Portuguese author/illustrator Bernardo Carvalho, this original concept is executed beautifully and contains two very different stories of which you, are the author.

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‘Follow the Firefly‘ and ‘Run, Rabbit, Run‘ are wordless stories which play out within the confines of the same tome, but each possessing their own unique story lines and fabulous twists.

Upon your first reading of the book, you are not necessarily aware of the second story making an appearance on the same spreads, until you reach what would normally be the end of the book and you are presented with the next story on…

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Hearts-a-Poppin’

What does it say about me that my favorite is the outhouse???

Which one is yours?

10 Favorite Holiday Movies I’d Watch Any Time of the Year

This may seem a little late in the season, but as the title says–I’d watch them any time of the year. Does anyone care? Probably not. But I would highly recommend all of them. Here goes, and not necessarily in this particular order (and please remember, this is only my personal opinion, so no need to get testy if you don’t agree…:-)

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Christmas Lighting – Don’t I Wish?

Check out the treehouse. My favorite of the bunch. Wish I lived there…

Here are some wonderful ways to light up your home for the holidays. Once again, I have borrowed a blog from another source and re-posted it here–just in time for holiday decorating. I must say, my favorite is the tree house! Enjoy and be inspired.