Welcome to my 2010 pages for VBS decorating!
DISCLAIMER: I am not associated with LifeWay in any regard.
I do not have access to any of its materials beyond what is on the official "Saddle Ridge Ranch" Web site.
I offer only my own decorating ideas, based on LifeWay's theme, and links to outside resources.
And if I don't bring you a laugh or at least a smile along the way, I haven't fully done my job! 
Love, Bobbie
"Saddle Ridge Ranch" Vacation Bible School Decorating Help
| Decorating Ideas & How-To's | Resource Links | Help for Any VBS Theme |
Saddle Ridge Ranch
Roundin' Up Questions, Drivin' Home Answers
Saddle up for VBS 2010 where kids will be ridin' the range and roundin' up questions like: "What is God's plan for me?" and "How can I be like Jesus?" At the end of the day, they'll discover that God's Word has all the answers.
Scripture: James 1:5 "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him." HCSB®
Motto: Need Answers? Ask God!
Decorating Ideas and How-To's
Miss Bobbie's Mini-Blog
March 9 -- I'm nearly done with all the decorations I can think of. The last of what I have to show you is literally stuck to a kitchen cabinet door. 
But I'll leave that for tomorrow.
Now let's "Get along, little doggies!"
Cheap Shopping
Thrift stores and yard sales are more important than ever in our current economy. Look for stuffed toys such as horses and coyotes. Worn or soiled? Make hand-stitching repairs if needed, then throw them into the washing machine. When you pull them out of the dryer, they're fresh and wonderful. The Baby Boomer generation remembers the horse-on-a-stick toy. Who's imaginative enough ('cause I know it isn't me!), to make such a toy from a yarn mop? Oh, look! I found a link for Mop Ponies!
Look for miniatures as well, for windowsills and centerpieces. Take a second look at the items in your own house, including the toy box. How do you like this horseshoe cowboy? Everybody should have one of these.
and three mini hay bales for $1.75! I have no idea yet what I will do with them but I know they will come in handy."
Wow! A horse with a saddle sure beats a mop! 
Costumes
This might be as easy as opening your closet door. Western-style clothing can be found not only in western shops, but at Wal-Mart and other discount chains. It can be as ornate or plain as you like. Pair any western-style shirt with jeans, pop a hat on your head, and you're good to go! Women's items can include fringed skirts, lacy shirts, and scarves. You'll be ready for the next post-roundup square dance before you can get your boots on! Don't forget your hat!
Is there a western store in your area? Retailers often have eye-catching stand-ups, not necessarily with blatent print advertising. Could you borrow? Imagine such a life-size prop of a cowboy leaning against a fencepost. Add a plain white paper speech bubble (like you see in comic strips) and your cardboard ranch hand can be saying, "Real cowboys love Jesus!"
Fencing
No, I'm not talking about epees and shields, I'm talking about containment. Look at these three examples and imagine making a split-rail or picket fence that circles a classroom! All it takes is strips of brown construction paper, kraft paper, or wood-grain contact paper (unpeeled!) with loops of masking tape on the back to hold them in place. Also consider plastic "chicken wire" on a roll. Find it in garden departments, cheap. Want realism? My horse neighbor has an electric fence that looks like strips of ribbon from post to post. A few leftover scraps might be borrowed?
Sister-in-Christ Judy suggests a corral made out of old wooden twin size bunk bed ends. I like it!!
Basic Expectations
Cowboy hats, boots, and horses are all easily done as silhouettes. Enlarge images and cut them from cardstock and poster board in various colors. The picture at the left shows 25-cent painted wood cuts found at Michael's, for use when you need a "little" something.
Rope
Here's a versatile item that can be found everywhere, even "dollar" stores. Coil it to hang on a wall. We don't need high-quality here; it can be so cheap that you can put a coil at the end of every pew. Frame a poster. Pile it on a windowsill. Pin miniature coils to shirts.
Like the image above left, choose twine to write a message! Write it first on a piece of poster board or foam-core. Now go over your line -- just a little at a time -- with a bead of tacky glue, and press your twine into place. Weight it with books until it's completely dry. Doing this in sections will keep it the twine from straying.
Tumbleweeds
For those of you in live in areas where these rolling balls of dry vegetation are a common nuisance, bring a few to church!
The rest of us will have to make our own. If you live in an area where vines are prevalent, cut some down while they're green (and therefore pliable) and roll them as if you were winding yarn into an irregular ball. Let it dry out in the garage or basement. Now take it outside and coat it with aerosol-spray adhesive. Often used in the upholstery trade to hold cushion pieces together, it can be found in fabric stores.
Sister-in-Christ Jody offers this easy craft that can yield tumbleweeds in any size. "Make your own tumbleweed with the kids. Supplies: balloons, yarn, and glue. Have a balloon blown up and tied. Dip brown yarn in glue and wrap in various directions around the balloon. Wait till it dries and pop the balloon. Your own tumbleweed! You don’t have to let the wind direct your paths; ask God to show you the right direction."
Cut It Out!
Magazines can provide an abundance of pictures for wall-filling art. Not only will you find stunning images of horses and scenery, the advertising is a special bonus! My husband brought me these titles: "Cowboys and Indians," "Performance Horse," and "Western Horseman." Your local bookstore has many more publications; look for "American Cowboy," "Horses USA," and "Horse Illustrated." Cut the images and apply to card stock, posterboard or colored copy paper. I grouped saddles on one sheet of card stock, boots on another, horseshoes on another, etc. To add some needed color -- we're dealing with a lot of browns and greens here -- I added strips and squares of scrapbooking paper in red prints, as well as red paisley craft ribbon, at the corners and other places. I got several dozen such mini-posters out of just 3 magazines.
The Red Bandana
You can find these in bulk at Oriental Trading Company. Or make your own in the traditional paisley pattern fabric. The common size is 22" by 22", and the purchase of 1 and 1/4 yards of printed fabric will yield 4 high-quality bandanas. Give them a narrow hem all around so they won't ravel, or use pinking shears. Also look for them ready-made in a smaller size such as men's handkerchiefs. I have a couple in my dresser drawer, but have been unable to find them in stores. 
Reader to the rescue! From Virginia, Sister-in-Christ Sheri writes: "I have been buying bandana square handkerchiefs at a few of the local Walmarts in my area for over a year now. They are usually in the ladies accessory section and come in many colors! My hubby uses them as hankies and they are quite large. I have also found them at Roses (this store may not be in all areas) for only 99 cents!"
I found them at our local Roses store, a full 22" by 22", properly printed and very nicely hemmed -- an excellent value. Thank you, Sheri!
Conestogas
Conestogas, covered wagons, and prairie schooners may differ in design, but they all served the same purpose. These amazing horse-drawn vehicles helped pioneers and settlers to bring their families and household goods across vast distances.
Since such wagons are part of LifeWay's promo video, let's have some fun making them! The kit you see here was found at the local A.C. Moore, tucked back in the corner with other unfinished wood. The package contains nice wood pieces that a grade-schooler can glue together. The canopy leaves a lot to be desired, in that it's a flimsy non-woven piece of something resembling a fabric-softener sheet, and the wire intended to create the shape of the canopy came out of the package folded and twisted, worse than a past-its-prime bread tie. But, hey! The whole kit was a buck forty-nine! Worth it for the wheels!
I offer the pictures below to show you how chennille stems held in place with tacky glue can really help define the canopy, and they stay flexible!
This cute little wagon can be painted and you can even place a folded-up bit of fabric on the seat as a cushion. Use as a centerpiece or a prize.
Make a Shoebox Covered Wagon
Take a regular shoebox and draw a line 1/2" up from the bottom, along both sides. Mark spots on that line 3" in from each end. These are your wheel locations. Punch through those spots to accomodate the wheels.
Before you go further, decide what you want for wheels.
One option is to cut 3"-diameter circles from heavy cardboard, and use a fat nail or drill bit to punch a hole in the middle. Another option is to cut 6 or more 3"-diameter circles of cardstock, glue them together, and weight them down with heavy books for a couple of days so the paper won't warp as it dries. Use a fat nail or drill bit to punch a hole in the middle. These options will require old-fashioned paper fasteners in lieu of axles. The option I'll use is wooden wheels with chopstick axles.
Next, at only one end of your shoebox, cut halfway down; a pocket knife works easily. I drew a line on the outside and scored it with my pocket knife, and the resulting flap for the seat folded down quite nicely!
Now it's time to use paint, construction paper, brown grocery-bag paper, or contact paper to make your shoebox look more like a wagon. I bought a roll of wood-grain contact paper at WalMart for less than $6.00, and covered my entire box with it. First I covered the interior long sides and bottom. Right away, before I could forget , I punched through the previously-made holes where the wheels will go. We don't want to lose those locations!
Next, cover the underside of the seat -- yes, the flap that was cut earlier. You'll want to flatten it out for easier coverage. (You'll notice I didn't care about the direction of the wood grain.) Then -- and this is important -- hold the flap down and cover the top side of the seat. The flap must be folded down while covering to retain its shape. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold the seat flap down and take a picture at the same time.
Now just finish covering the rest of the box. If you use contact paper like I did, smooth it with your fingers as you go. I was lucky to have a box surface that allowed to me to pull back the contact paper when I needed to reposition it. If you have bubbles, pop them with a straight pin and smooth with your fingers, or, if you have one, try a small seam roller intended for wallpaper. Make sure all your wheel holes are punched through, for the last time, I promise. Next is some trim and the canopy!
I decided I wanted a little wood trim around my wagon. My husband, who has been building models of cars / planes / ships / wagons / you-name-it for about 40 years, gave me some strips of balsa wood. I used some tacky glue along with a few small plastic clamps to keep the balsa from slipping until it was dry.
Ah, the canopy! A bit of cotton fabric in an off-white plain-canvas color is ideal! It could be any color or weight, actually; hauling stuff across the prairie meant dust storms and mud splatters and rain streaks and all manner of staining. Only you can decide your canopy's dimensions, based on your shoebox and the length of your chenille stems. Mine were 12" long. After hemming all four edges (if you don't sew, pinking shears or regular scissors will be just fine, and small cuts or rips in the fabric would lend realism!), I drew pencil lines on the back side, ran a bead of tacky glue along them, and set chenille stems on them until dry. I purposely let the stems extend beyond the finished canopy, and next you'll see why.
Now place your wagon on its side, apply tacky glue to the ends of the chenille stems, and let dry. Apply more trim as desired. Then do the same on the other side of the wagon. The beauty of the chenille is that it naturally wants to straighten itself out. I was able to butt the fabric canopy right along the top of the wagon sides. Peek into the wagon and see the stems on the inside. At long last, push your axles through the holes you created earlier, push a wheel on each end of the axle, and there you have it -- your own covered wagon! And it rolls, too.
Worship Rally Valley 
Nothing would make a greater impression on our VBS visitors than seeing genuine ranch-associated articles as decorations. I'm talking saddles, harnesses, bridles, lariats, cowboy hats, boots, horseshoes, hay bales, branding irons and yes, a wagon wheel! If you're in the position to borrow these items, I know I would find them fascinating! Imagine a large prop made into a tack shop. On a smaller scale, take a tri-fold presentation board and decorate it with images found from magazines. For those of us who grew up in the city, this is really nifty stuff.
Recreation at Mustang Mountain
Crafts at Blazing Star Stables
Bible Study Bunkhouse
Missions at Firefly Cavern
Snacks at Big Sky Grill
Chuckwagons carried foodstuffs, water, cooking utensils, and first-aid supplies for long hauls. Does your church have a food-service window in its fellowship hall? I believe that my more creative readers can make a flat side-view of a chuckwagon out of brown kraft paper, construction paper, even wood-grain contact paper (use loops of tape on the back rather than peel away the backing of the sticky part, to protect church walls) and center it over the food-service window. Snacks would come out of the food service window just as if real cowboys were claiming lunch trays.
Here are other illustrations to show all that these vehicles carried over prairies and deserts.
Music at Campfire Creek
Day 1 -- Who am I?
Bible Story: God Creates Adam & Eve (Genesis 2:4-24)
Life Application: I am God's greatest creation. I can praise Him.
Bible Verse: I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. (Psalm 139:14)
Day 2 -- Does God care about me?
Bible Story: Joseph Recalls God's Provision (Genesis 45:1-14)
Life Application: God cares about me. I can trust Him no matter what.
Bible Verse: Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7)
Day 3 -- What is God's plan for me?
Bible Story: Jesus Visits Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
Life Application: God has a plan for me. I can have a relationship with Jesus.
Bible Verse: For I know the plans I have for you - this is the Lord's declaration-plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Day 4 -- How can I be like Jesus?
Bible Story: Jesus, Our Example (Luke 5:16; Luke 4:14-16; Mark 6:30-46) (Teaching that Jesus prayed, went to church, and cared about others)
Life Application: I can be like Jesus. I can follow His example.
Bible Verse: Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)
Day 5 -- What do I do now?
Bible Study: Go to it! Do it! (Philippians 4:4-9 )
Life Application: I know what to do. I can live in ways that honor God.
Bible Verse: Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
| Decorating Ideas & How-To's | Resource Links | Help for Any VBS Theme |
These Kingdom Servants pages are written and maintained by Bobbie Lee Pugh. I'm here to serve!
