More holiday ideas
OK folks, my mind works in strange ways, and once I get on a kick I just have to ride it out till it's over. So you'll be getting the benefit of every thought that goes through my head regarding gift-giving this season. ;P This installment is going to be all over the place.
How about a really warm pair (or two) of socks, a nice pair of gloves and a hat. Place them all in a box and use a nice matching scarf as the "ribbon". Similarly, a nice shirt in the box and a necktie as the "ribbon"- you could even tie it right and tape it down for added presentation.
Gather a few of your favorite cookie and candy recipes and spend a couple of days in the kitchen. (The kids will probably love helping with this one.) Once everything's made, get some pretty shirt boxes and some cupcake papers. Use the cupcake papers to hold a few cookies or pieces of candy each in the boxes and you've made your own holiday sampler. And as for the "map", just use the round yard sale stickers and pretty handwriting- you can either place them inside the lid or on the bottom of the paper cups. And if you feel like it you can include recipes for everything in the box on pretty cards.
Homemade decorations are great and a nice alternative to the bows that always get thrown away. (Unless you're like my Mom; she saved and reused the same bows for over 20 years!) Two recipes I really like are:
2 part flour
1 part salt
Enough water to make a dough
Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters. You can use a drinking straw to make the hole at the top, then just let them air dry. Then use poster paint to decorate them.
1 can applesauce
2 cans cinnamon
1 TBS school glue
Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters. Again, use a drinking straw for the holes and let air dry. They'll look like gingerbread cookies, and you can hot glue beads and ribbons on them to complete the look.
Another fun ornament to make is ice cream cones. Get a box of the hard sugar cones and spray pain them gold or silver. Then hot glue shiny ball ornaments on top, with the hook straight up. That's it- and you can fit a few of them in a shirt box. (Just remember to pack them with tissue paper.) This would make a great host/hostess gift for a pre-Christmas or tree-trimming party.
One year my Mom brought home satin ball ornaments (the kind with the styrofoam in the middle), beads, and pretty, long, pins. She had my sister and I decorate them for her, and they were beautiful.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box as far as decorating. Our first year in this apartment I had very little money and very few decorations. I happened to find a large branch on the side of the road and I brought it home. I put it in a clay pot from the Dollar Tree, and wighted it with rocks from outside, then a small strand of white lights, and 2 packs of small ornaments later (all from the Dollar Tree), and we had a beautiful, unique holiday decoration atop our table- all for just $3.
Every year we pull out the dehydrator and fix up some dried apple and orange slices for the tree. If you do this though, remember to put a hole in them before throwing them into the dehydrator. I forgot one year and we lost a lot of our ornaments. LOL
So again, spam me with any and all ideas you have. I love finding new ways to make the holidays more personal and special. :)
How about a really warm pair (or two) of socks, a nice pair of gloves and a hat. Place them all in a box and use a nice matching scarf as the "ribbon". Similarly, a nice shirt in the box and a necktie as the "ribbon"- you could even tie it right and tape it down for added presentation.
Gather a few of your favorite cookie and candy recipes and spend a couple of days in the kitchen. (The kids will probably love helping with this one.) Once everything's made, get some pretty shirt boxes and some cupcake papers. Use the cupcake papers to hold a few cookies or pieces of candy each in the boxes and you've made your own holiday sampler. And as for the "map", just use the round yard sale stickers and pretty handwriting- you can either place them inside the lid or on the bottom of the paper cups. And if you feel like it you can include recipes for everything in the box on pretty cards.
Homemade decorations are great and a nice alternative to the bows that always get thrown away. (Unless you're like my Mom; she saved and reused the same bows for over 20 years!) Two recipes I really like are:
2 part flour
1 part salt
Enough water to make a dough
Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters. You can use a drinking straw to make the hole at the top, then just let them air dry. Then use poster paint to decorate them.
1 can applesauce
2 cans cinnamon
1 TBS school glue
Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters. Again, use a drinking straw for the holes and let air dry. They'll look like gingerbread cookies, and you can hot glue beads and ribbons on them to complete the look.
Another fun ornament to make is ice cream cones. Get a box of the hard sugar cones and spray pain them gold or silver. Then hot glue shiny ball ornaments on top, with the hook straight up. That's it- and you can fit a few of them in a shirt box. (Just remember to pack them with tissue paper.) This would make a great host/hostess gift for a pre-Christmas or tree-trimming party.
One year my Mom brought home satin ball ornaments (the kind with the styrofoam in the middle), beads, and pretty, long, pins. She had my sister and I decorate them for her, and they were beautiful.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box as far as decorating. Our first year in this apartment I had very little money and very few decorations. I happened to find a large branch on the side of the road and I brought it home. I put it in a clay pot from the Dollar Tree, and wighted it with rocks from outside, then a small strand of white lights, and 2 packs of small ornaments later (all from the Dollar Tree), and we had a beautiful, unique holiday decoration atop our table- all for just $3.
Every year we pull out the dehydrator and fix up some dried apple and orange slices for the tree. If you do this though, remember to put a hole in them before throwing them into the dehydrator. I forgot one year and we lost a lot of our ornaments. LOL
So again, spam me with any and all ideas you have. I love finding new ways to make the holidays more personal and special. :)