Mr. Sandman

Total Time Needed:: 1 Hour

Scented with holiday spices, our scroll-bearing sandpaper-gingerbread folks couldn't be a more inviting way to get out the word about your cookie-making party. And when they're finished with their party come-hithers, these charming messengers can moonlight as tree ornaments.

Materials

Sandpaper (finer grits are easier to cut)
Glue and brown construction paper
Cinnamon stick and whole nutmeg
Gingerbread person cookie cutter
Pencil and scissors
Cardboard

Puffy paint
Hole punch
Ribbon, 1/8-inch wide
2 1/2- by 8-inch strips of paper (one per invitation)
Envelope

Instructions

To cover the unglamorous back of the sandpaper, coat it with glue, press on the construction paper, and flatten it under a book to dry. Rub the sandpaper hard all over with the cinnamon stick and then with the nutmeg; this will scent it deliciously.
Now make a template by tracing around the cookie cutter onto cardboard and cutting out the shape. Trace around the template on the back of the sandpaper and cut out as many people as you need (we got about four gingerbread people per 9- by 11-inch sheet of sandpaper).
Use puffy paint to add details and decorations and let the paint dry. With a hole punch, make a hole in the top of the head and one in the hand, then thread a length of ribbon through the head and knot.
Now write your invitation on the strip of paper, roll it scroll-like, and fit it through the cookie person's hand. Flatten the scroll slightly and pop the cookie person in an envelope.

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