Painted Christmas Mason Jar Luminaries

How to Make  Hand Painted Christmas Luminaries:

 I came up with this fun craft project of making homemade Painted  Mason Jar Luminaries about five years ago when my children threw a Christmas party for their friends.We wanted something unique outside to light up our house during the party and to add to our Christmas decorations. I was interested in Luminaries, but didn't find any I like at the store. Most of them where designed for a one time use, but I wanted something that we could use every year.

That's when I came up with the idea to paint mason jars, then decorate them with Christmas stickers or stencils. These painted Luminaries are great for celebrating any Holiday . The Mason Jars that I use are pretty heavy and don't seem to break that easy, making them last from year to year. I hope you have fun making theses with your family as I did making them with mine. In fact we try to add new ones every year to really light up our yard.

 What You'll Need to Make These Glass Luminaries:

Items List For This Craft:

   1. Mason Jars( any size will work, but I prefer the larger ones.)
   Note: You can use recycled Pasta Sauce Jars, but make sure that all the paper and glue is removed or the paint will not stick to the glass

   2. 1 bottle each of 2 oz Craft smart or Acrylic craft paint in Red, Green, Blue or any colors you like.

   3. Paint brushes 1' wide or larger bristles( Set of 3 work out great)

   4. Several packages of Christmas stickers( Scrapbook sticker work great for this project since you want them placed all over the jar)

   5. Small tea candles or battery powered tea lights.

   Other items that you will need for this project:

•   plastic lids or paper plates for paint
•    glue
•   empty egg cartons for small stickers

 Steps on How to Paint the Mason Jars:

 Pour the paint out on to a flat surface, I use lids that we save from plastic food containers, but you can also use paper plates.These work great and you can just toss them away when your done.

  Start painting the outside of the whole jar with the first coat of paint, then let it dry for about 20 minutes.

  Next apply the second coat of paint and let that dry over night. You want to make sure that the jars are completely dry before working with them.

  Mason Jars will require 1 to 2 coats of Paint to cover them, but don't over do the paint. You want a transparency look to your jars so the candle light will shine through them. The darker colors may not need a second coat of paint, but I found that the light colors will definitely need more than one. On the darker colors you can decide if you want a second. I always apply second coats on both light and dark colors to make sure that they are fully covered.

  Note:  A Great way to make sure that the paint sticks to the glass surface is to add glue to the Acrylic craft paint or purchase paint that is made just for painting glass. I find that adding glue is cheaper than some of the craft paint made for glass and the Acrylic paint comes in more colors.

Adding Stickers to the Painted Jars:
 
Check to make sure that the paint on the Mason Jars are dry and that the paint sticks to the glass jar.

 Make sure that the stickers you purchase are flexible, not stiff or they will not stick to the jars. The stickers need to bend around the surface of the jars. Some of the scrapbook sticker are to large and stiff to use on the mason jars.

 Peel off each sticker and place it on the jar.

 Remember that once the sticker is placed on the jar you can't remove them or they will pull off the paint from the jars.

 Note:  If you are doing this project with small children, I would recommend that an Adult paint all the jars first. Then allow the children to put on the stickers. A safe to make sure that the jars don't slip and breaks is to place a towel on the spot where you are working to make a soft clean surface for painting and applying the stickers. 

Here are some other ideas that you can use to make Luminaries. These Faces can either be painted on, vinyl cut outs or stickers.

Here is a picture of the finished project:

The last step is to add either tea light candles or battery powered ones. I use the tea lights that come in their own metal container and light them with a long matches that you use for fireplaces. This way the wax doesn't drip inside the jar. Another way to place a candle would be to buy large candle holders and place them into the jar. I have tried both ways and they work great.

Just make sure to place the jars in a spot where not to many children are walking to keep them from knocking over the Luminaries or catch their costume on fire.


Safety tip:  I find that if the Jars get tipped over they seem to go out, but I would still be careful where I place them in my yard. I place mine on the grass or planters that circles the trees in our front yard away from any walkways.

 Note: All these item can be purchase at Amazon or Micheal's

Bead Filled Glass Ornaments

Best Glass Ball Ornament:

 If you are looking for fun and easy-to-make ornaments this holiday, then this the Best Glass Ball Ornament craft to make for a one of a kind handmade Christmas decoration. You just need an empty glass ornament, that is filled with beads, and then tie a ribbon to the loop cap. 

It's fun to make your own ornaments for the tree, and this easy to do craft should take you only about an hour. These ornaments are so easy that even your kids can do it with you as a fun family project when they are home for the holidays.

The best part of this ornament is that you can make several of these glass ball ornaments for under $10 each and they will be a great addition to your tree every year or you can make several of them and display them in a glass bowl as a center piece. In fact these would look great mixed with the marbled painted ornaments as a beautiful table decoration to any Holiday party or dinner. You can even make these as gifts for friends and family members.

 

Ornament Supplies:

• 1-2 1/2" clear glass ornament
• 1 Package mixed color iridescent plastic beads - example shows approximately (800) 5mm beads
• Silver ribbon - approximately 13"
• Elmer's Glue-All

Instructions:

1. Take the cap off of the ball and fill to the top with the plastic beads.
2. Put a small amount of the glue around the top and replace the cap. Let dry completely.
3. Wrap the silver ribbon around the cap and tie a bow.
4. String a piece of silver ribbon through the top loop and knot leaving enough to use as a hanger.

Another fun idea is to make these as gifts for grandparents and glue a photo to the ornament.

If you are looking for easy-to-make ornaments this holiday season, this is the Best Glass Ball Ornament to create handmade decoration for Christmas.
Read more at http://www.allfreechristmascrafts.com/Ball-Christmas-Ornament-Crafts/Best-Glass-Ball-Ornament/ct/1#EwfCRbmk4MepaBZV.99

If you are looking for easy-to-make ornaments this holiday season, this is the Best Glass Ball Ornament to create handmade decoration for Christmas. Take an empty glass ball, fill it with beads, and hang it on your tree for the world to see. It's easy to make a DIY ornament, and this one should take you under an hour. DIY room decorating can also be a fun craft to do with your kids when they are home for the holidays.
Read more at http://www.allfreechristmascrafts.com/Ball-Christmas-Ornament-Crafts/Best-Glass-Ball-Ornament/ct/1#EwfCRbmk4MepaBZV.99

Create Marble Ornaments

How to Create Marbled Ornaments for Your Tree:

These marbled ornaments are so easy to make, yet they look beautiful on any Christmas tree or you can just place them in a bowl as a unique center piece for your Christmas party or dinner. All ages can enjoy the fun of making these elegant marbled ornaments with acrylic paint and clear ornament balls. These are the one ornament that I love to make every year with my children to place on our Christmas tree.  What a wonderful and fun way to spend some time with your children over the holidays and make a memory that will last forever.

Materials Needed:

• Acrylic Paints-( I used Delta Ceramcoat) 3 to 4 colors or more.
• Clear glass or Plastic ornaments- mine are glass, but plastic would be better for small children.
• Paper cups or empty egg cartons

Instructions:

1. Remove hanger and cap from the ornament. Rinse the inside of the ornament with rubbing alcohol. Let dry completely. No moisture should be inside the ball. Start with one color of paint. Squeeze just a small amount about 1/8 of a teaspoon of the first color into the ornament so it runs down the side.
Rotate the ornament and add more paint down another side until you have about three or four lines of paint with only a dime size amount of paint pooling at the bottom.

2. Add the next color, squeezing out a small amount the same size as the first color. Place this color next to where you added the first color. Continue to add one or two more colors in the same way.

3. Rest the ornament on its side for a about five minutes in the box it came in or use either a paper cup or the egg carton. ( I found that the egg carton seems to work the best for this craft project.) Tilt the ornament slightly as you rotate it a quarter turn. You want to do this every five minutes to make sure that the paint covers the entire inside of the ornament.

Pour Out Excess Paint: 

At this point you are almost finished. Once you have your desired look created,then drain out the any remaining paint. Let them sit and dry for about an hour. Replace the the cap with the hanger when dry.

And voila! You have beautiful glass ornaments that you can keep for yourself, or make as gifts.

 

 

 

More Variation Ideas: 

•   Try different variations with colors- perhaps if a friend roots for a certain college or university, try making an ornament with those colors. Or try a color-themed tree this year and make some accordingly.

• Horizontal Marbling: coat ornament with your choice of colors and let the ornament dry on its side, rotating one side another avoiding an up right position. 

• For Vertical Marbling: coat ornament with your choice of colors as in step 1 and 2 and prop ball upside down in a paper cup to drain. Let dry

• For Irregular Marbling: drop in one color of paint, swirl, then add another color. Continue adding or repeating colors and swirling until the entire ball is coated on the the sided. Follow step 3.

Enjoy making these marble ornaments with your family as I did with mine.In fact we add more to our collection every year.  Even if you don’t put up a tree, try placing the ornaments in a glass container, jar, or bowl for a different decoration option. I use them on both my tree and in glass bowls for center piece decorations during the Holidays.  

Note: All these item can be purchase at Amazon or Micheal's

Holiday Ornaments Anyone Can Make

Easy And Inexpensive Christmas Ornaments For You To Make:

Do you spend loads of money on holiday ornaments every year, trying to create a unique and unforgettable Christmas tree display? Do you wish holiday decorating were simpler and more affordable?

If so, here are three fun and easy ideas for creating your very own Christmas tree ornaments from recycled household items. Remember, decorating doesn't need to be expensive or stressful. Creating your own ornaments can be one of the most rewarding and stress free activities of this holiday season.

 

1. Make a Whimsical Light Bulb Reindeer

To Make the Reindeer above You will need:

One used light bulb
Brown felt cloth or fun foam
Acrylic paints and brushes
Ribbon
1 small red pom-pom
Glue

First, paint the light bulb brown. Set aside and let dry. Once the brown paint on the light bulb has dried completely, use a paint brush to paint eyes and a mouth on your reindeer. When the paint has dried begin to glue the red pom-pom nose onto the end of the light bulb, just above the mouth. Next, use the brown cloth or foam to fashion a pair of antlers for your reindeer. Glue these to the side of the light bulb. Finally, cut a small piece ribbon, loop and tie into a knot, and glue it to the top of your reindeer light bulb ornament.





You can also make Snowmen, Santa and Christmas trees with used light bulbs too.

2. Make a CD photo ornament:

This is a great personal gift to give to someone you love.

You will need:
An old CD
A piece of felt fabric
Ribbon
Glue
A photograph

Use the CD as pattern to cut out a round piece of felt. Carefully spread glue on the back of the CD. Place the felt circle that you’ve cut out over the CD, and pressed gently. Make sure you haven’t put too much glue on the back of the CD!

Next, cut around the photograph you plan on using. Trace the picture onto a piece of felt, leaving about ½ inch around the sides. Glue the picture onto the felt, and then mount onto the CD with glue. The photograph should cover the hole in the middle of the CD.

Finally, cut a piece of ribbon and tie it into a loop. Glue it onto the back of the CD. Your CD photo ornament is now ready to be hung!

3. Make greeting card ornaments:

Do you hate parting with all those beautiful Christmas cards you receive each year? I do. In fact I have a box full of these cards every year in my closet. So instead of throwing them out or keeping them shelved away, I found a way to transform them into beautiful Christmas tree ornaments?

Cut out your favorite Christmas card images and mount them onto wooden craft shapes with glue that you can find at any craft store or online.
For an older finish, varnish them, drill a small hole at the top, and then tie ribbons at the tops.

You can also cut out your favorite images from cards, laminate them, punch a hole at the top, and use a piece of ribbon as the hanger. If you don’t want to cut anything out, an even simpler approach is to glue the front and back of the card together. Punch a hole at the top of the card, loop a piece of ribbon and it’s ready to hang.



These holiday ornaments are so easy that anyone can make them this year without spending alot of money.They are also perfect for children to make as gifts for the grandparents especial ornament #2 using this years school pictures.

CD image: www.betterbudgeting.com

Christmas Decorating Trends for 2013

So What Are the Trends for Christmas Decorations for 2013:

This year, the latest craze in Christmas decorating is Nostalgia . Homeowners seem to be less interested in the icicle-type lights and the use of single color strands.  Baby boomers are going to back to the days
of their youth, by bringing back the full color glory of traditional Christmas lights that can be strung on roofs, windows and even around the yard with light holders that add a dash of color to any decorations on the house or in the yard.

Trends for Outdoor Decorations:

Lawn ornaments and huge Inflatables have become a must-have for the decorating elves in your neighborhood.  Families everywhere are installing huge lawn ornaments and inflatable,a many consisting of animated light patterns.  They sheer number of choices for shapes, sizes, and designs should tell you that these are very popular with festive homeowners.  I am a huge fan of the old-style bubble lights (you know…..the ones with colored water and bubbles inside), and they have returned with a vengeance.

Trends for Tree Decorations:

Many people seem to be gravitating back to using real trees, instead of using plastic pre-fab ones.  Who can blame them?  They smell great, and they make Christmas feel that much more real.  My family has always used a plastic tree, but we wanted the ones that looked real. Two more trends for this year are Whimsical and Enchanted Christmas Tree decorations. The Whimsical tree is using fun or silly decorations like food, toy or other cute  ornaments to decorate the whole tree. The Enchanted tree uses fairly, angles or any type of mystical characters even dragons would be fun on this type of tree.

There are Even Trends for Christmas Flowers:

It seems that Christmas flowers have also changed with the times.  Although the classic red poinsettia will likely be with us for the rest of time, many florists are offering their customers alternatives.  As has been the case with flowers in general for some time, florists are now adding dyes to traditional holiday flowers and bouquets.  My personal favorite happens to be a bright violet poinsettia.  My daughter prefers cobalt blue.  What is your favorite color?


Whether you are a staunch Christmas traditionalist or you want to keep up with the current decorating trends, today's Christmas decorations have never before left consumers with so many wonderful choices.  So get out there and shop, shop, shop!  Tis the season, after all!

Christams Decoration Ideas For Children

Home Made Christmas Decoration Ideas for Children

Are you a parent or grandparent?  If so, there is a good chance that you already know just how much children love the holidays.  That is why you may want to think about letting your children help you decorate the house for Christmas.  Besides just letting them help you hang Christmas decorations, you may want to allow them to make their own handmade decorations.  Not only will you find that there are a number of benefits to doing so, but you will also find that there are a number of fun and exciting Christmas decorations that they can easily make.

Almost every family that celebrates Christmas has a tree. A fun and exciting craft project is letting your children make their own Christmas ornaments.  Christmas ornaments can be made from regular paper or any other type of material. You can find a number of Christmas ornament cutouts and books on how to make ornaments from your local craft store or online. These ornament pieces are likely plain, but already shaped like something, such as a star or a cross that your child can paint, but some books give you ideas on using felt or other material to make even more ornaments.  The pre-cut type of wood craft projects are great for small children or those who may be making their own Christmas decorations for the first time.

In addition to Christmas trees, a lot of families have small Christmas signs or pictures throughout their home. These signs have Christmas message or a pictures of Santa.  Your children could easily make their own paintings with supplies that can already inside your home. Your child’s picture would likely look great on your refrigerator or you could even frame the picture and hang it up somewhere else inside your home.  This type of Christmas craft project is ideal for children of any age and a great way to save money since you already have all of the supplies.

Another fun Christmas decoration that your children could do is make a centerpiece for your dinning room table.  You can do this by purchasing artificial flowers, pine cones, a large bowl or vase, as well as other decorative items. Your children can arrange these items to create their own unique centerpieces for your dinning room table. It may also be a good idea to let them be crafty. Your child may also be able to create a centerpiece in the shape of Santa or a Christmas tree by using construction paper, Styrofoam and a few other small supplies.

In addition to the above mentioned Christmas craft  ideas for children.You can also find a number of other

fun Christmas craft projects for children online by performing a standard internet search. Also look for books in your local library or at one of your local book stores to find a collection of Christmas craft books for children. These books tend to outline the supplies needed, as well as give detailed directions on how to make Christmas decorations.  These decorations may include Christmas drawings or paintings, tree ornaments, table centerpieces, and much more.

Regardless of which type of Christmas decorations you allow your child or children to make, they will likely enjoy the experience, especially if you participate as well.  For a child, there is nothing like seeing their Christmas drawings hanging on the walls or their Christmas ornaments hanging on the tree. That is why you are advised to let your children make their own Christmas decorations. As mentioned above, there are a number of decorations that they can easily create; decorations that may require little time and money.

Ideas On How To Decorate Your Bathroom for Christmas

Here Are 5 Ideas on How to Decorate Your Bathroom for Christmas:

 

Are you one of those people who just loves the Christmas season?  If you are, then there is a good chance that you are interested in filling your whole home with Christmas decorations.

Although you may not have thought about it, did you know that you can even decorate your bathrooms for the holidays?

You might want to give it some serious thought about how to do that and have fun with it at the same time. There are a number of Christmas decorations that would look great in your bathroom.

1. Pictures

A simple, easy, but traditional way to decorate your bathroom for Christmas is to hang a picture based off the Holidays or winter in the bathroom. Whether that picture is an elegant framed picture or just one made of cardboard, such as a cardboard cutout of Santa or a Christmas tree, this will easily transform your bathroom. If you already have pictures in your bathroom, you can just take them down, put up the Christmas pictures in their place and store them until Christmas is over.

2. Towels and Washcloths

Another way you can decorate your bathroom is to purchase Christmas towels and washcloths. Depending on where you shop, you should be able to purchase Christmas bathroom sets with matching towels and washcloths. You will find that many are designed with cartoon characters for children. These are great if you are decorating a child's bathroom, but if you are looking for a more elegant style for an adult bathroom. You will find that as well in many of the department stores or online. It is possible to find small solid colored towel sets with a simple Christmas design on them, like a snowflake. Snowman or a Santa's face. Having these towels hanging in your bathroom, is a great way to bring that little bit of Christmas spirit into one of the most used rooms in your home.

3. Bathroom Soap Sets

Besides Christmas towels, there are other Christmas decorations that are designed for the bathroom like   soap dishes,lotion pumps and tissue covers. It is easy to find a soap dish with a Christmas design.  The same can be said for soap or lotion pump containers. It is not uncommon to find some of these containers in the shape of Santa or a Christmas tree.  What is nice about these types of Christmas decorations is that you can purchase them for a low price at your local dollar store or discount store.

 

 

4. Bathroom Shower Curtains

If you are really interested in bringing the Christmas spirit into your bathroom, then you could even take it a step further. Besides matching towels and washcloths, you can even purchase bathroom sets that include shower curtains, toilet seat covers and floor mats.  Depending on where you shop, you can find Christmas bathroom sets that even have matching window curtains. While it may seem that a Christmas shower or window curtain is a little over the top, it might not necessarily be, especially if you love the holiday or have children in your home.

5. Christmas Ornaments:

Adding a few Christmas Ornaments in the bathroom is a fun and easy way of bring the Season into your bathroom.You can take a piece of string and loop it threw a small ornament, then tie it to the toilet bowl handle. If you have the room tie some pine tree branches together with  a red bow and add some Christmas ball or pine cone to the branches, then place it on top of your toilet. You can drape garland around the edge of the sink and tape it into place,then hang ornaments on the garland.

The above ideas are just a few of the ways that you can decorate your bathroom for Christmas.  If you would like more decorating tips, you can search the internet with the phrase Christmas bathroom decorating ideas tips. Your search will likely return a fairly large number of results that may give you more idea on how to decorate your bathroom for Christmas.


 Tamara Madrid is participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, endless.com, amazonsupply.com, or myhabit.com.

Pine Cone Christmas Decoration Ideas

5 Pine Cone Christmas Decoration Ideas:

Pine cones are a great ways to decorate for Christmas as the are readily available in most areas that have pine trees. You can start by just picking them up off the ground before the Holidays.The best thing about pine cones is that they area natural and fun material to use for any type of Christmas decoration ideas.

1. Yo Yo Stuffed Pine cones: 

 This fun idea is from Clover USA and use fabric to fill up large pine cones. This cute stuffed pine cone can be hung on the tree or several of them can be grouped together on a table or fireplace mantel. Just mix and match all your favorite Christmas or other fabrics  for a pine cone decoration that's one of a kind. This is also a great way to use up leftover fabric scraps.


Materials:

•     Assorted fabric
•     Clover Extra Small Quick Yo Yo Maker template (optional)
•     String
•     Sewing Needle
•     Pinecones
•     Clear drying glue

Instructions:

    Make as many extra small yo-yos as needed for your pine cone.
    Stuff each yo-yo.    
    Secure the stuffed yo-yos to the pine cone with a small drop of clear drying glue.

2. Pine Cone Wreath:

Pine cone wreaths are one of the easiest and fun ways to use pine cones for Christmas Decorations. All you need to do is gather up or purchase these supplies.

Materials Needed:

• Styrofoam wreath form
• small pine cones
• foam brush
• gold red or any color paint you prefer.
• glue gun and glue sticks
• 2" wide ribbon (1 yard)
• scissors
• tacks

(Instructions:)
Paint Styrofoam form with paint.
You can spray paint pine cones in the same color as the painted form,different colors or leave them plain for a variety of looks
Apply Glue and Attach Pine cones: Place a small bead of glue on the underside of each pine cone then place on wreath; press and hold in place for a few seconds until secure.  
Tip: Place pine cones as close together as possible and vary the sizes to add textural interest.
Tie or loop the ribbon on the form and hang on the door.

3. Pine Cone Candle Holders: 

Here are two simple, but fun ways to make candle holders with pine cones for a table center piece, fireplace mantel or a beautiful  hostess gift for a friend or co-worker. These candle holders can be used every year if you wrap them up and store them in a safe place.







The first one is a Simple Christmas Candle Holder: 

Materials:

• several small pine cones natural or painted
• spray paint in any color you like. Suggestions: are silver, gold, red or green.
• a dollar store glass candle holder 
• red satin or velvet like ribbon
• glue gun and glue sticks. 

Instructions:

1. spray paint pine cones and let dry over night.
2. wrap a piece of ribbon around the candle holder and tie in a bow
3. Hot glue the pine cones on either side of the ribbon and hold until set.

The Second is a Floating Candle Holder:

Materials:

• Glass cylinders
• Suspended pillar cups
• Pine cones, berries, silk poinsettias
• Floating Candles

Instructions:

1. Fill the glass container approximately halfway with cones, berries, poinsettias.
2. Insert pillar cup.
3. Place candle in cup.

4. Painted Pine Cone Tree Ornaments:

This is my favorite pine cone craft idea and it is easy to do, because children can do this one at home or as an art project in the class room. The children can use paint brushes and paint the pine cone with all different colors, then add glue and glitter.

The adult version of this project can be done with silver or gold spray paint, then add glue and glitter around the edges of the pine cones.

Materials for Easy Children Tree Ornament:

• Pine Cones: Found in the yard or purchased from a craft store
• Paint
• Glue
• Glitter
• Ribbon
• Old crayons

Instructions: 
For Christmas ornament, simply paint the pine cone, then let dry. Apply glue on outer edges, then sprinkle with glitter.  Tie a ribbon or make a hole for a hook on the top.
A nice way to add more color and texture to the pine cone is to melt old crayons and dip the pine cones in the resulting wax mixture (make sure an adult supervises while using hot wax).


Adult Version of Painted Pine Cones :

Materials:

• Pine Cones: Found in the yard or purchased from a craft store
• Spray Paint in any color that you like
• Glue
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• gold, silver or multicolored Glitter or clear Glitter spray
• foam paint brush for glue
• Ribbon/ Christmas ornament hooks

Instructions: 

1. Layout pine cones on newspaper or cardboard. Spray the pine cone with regular paint or glitter paint on all sides and let dry for at least 24 hours.
2. If using regular spray paint to add glitter spread the edges of the pine cone with a thin layer of glue and sprinkle on the glitter.
3. Make a bow or loop out of the ribbon and glue on top to hang
4. or poke a hole on the bottom  for the hook or to thread a string.

 

5. Pine Cone Fire Starters:

You can make fire starters with pine cones compliments of Mother Nature and left over wax from candles or purchase your own wax and scents at any craft store. These make great fire starters for your fireplace or as gifts for friends and family. They smell great just sitting in a pretty basket or can easily be decorated by putting them in gift bags and tying them with ribbon.

Materials:

•  Candle wax: leftover wax or purchased from hobby store.
•  Favorite Spices or Scents designed for candles making.
• Several different Shaped Pine cones.
• Double boiler or Candle making container to melt wax in.

Instructions:

1. Use a double boiler to melt down the wax (or melt it in a jar over a candle warmer) and then carefully dip pine cones in the wax.
2. Add the fragrance drops to the melt wax and stir slowly or 
3. Sprinkle with any type of crushed spice while the wax is warm so they stick easily. Any crushed spice like cinnamon, nutmeg or rosemary will add that special holiday touch. 
4. Let the wax covered pine cones cool in the refrigerator in muffin tins or on an old baking sheet.  

To make any of these pine cone craft ideas you can purchase any of these supplies at your local craft store or on Amazon under craft supplies.

Materials:

• Assorted fabric
• Clover Extra Small Quick Yo Yo Maker template (optional)
• String
• Sewing Needle
• Pinecones
• Clear drying glue

Read more at http://www.favecrafts.com/Ornaments/Yo-Yo-Stuffed-Pinecone#UwjlVUOKJpYLuzq8.99

This playful decorating idea from Clover USA is whimsical and unique.  Use stuffed yo yos to fill up large pinecones for a look that will standout.  This Yo Yo Stuffed Pinecone would look great hanging from the Christmas tree or decorating the mantel.  Mix and match all your favorite fabrics for a pinecone decoration that's unique and fun.  This is also a great way to use up leftover fabric scraps.
Read more at http://www.favecrafts.com/Ornaments/Yo-Yo-Stuffed-Pinecone#tBpvdiyQp3VAga0B.99

This playful decorating idea from Clover USA is whimsical and unique.  Use stuffed yo yos to fill up large pinecones for a look that will standout.  This Yo Yo Stuffed Pinecone would look great hanging from the Christmas tree or decorating the mantel.  Mix and match all your favorite fabrics for a pinecone decoration that's unique and fun.  This is also a great way to use up leftover fabric scraps.
Read more at http://www.favecrafts.com/Ornaments/Yo-Yo-Stuffed-Pinecone#tBpvdiyQp3VAga0B.99

Christmas Decorations: Ideas On Using What You Already Have Inside Your Home

Are you planning on becoming one the millions of Americans who decorate their homes for Christmas?

  When it comes to Christmas decorations, there are many individuals who choose to buy new Christmas decorations each year. While it is nice to have new Christmas decorations each year, you may not want to spend that extra money.  If so, you are lucky because there are a number of different ways that you can go about decorating your home for Christmas by using items that can be found around your home or neighborhood.

When it comes to using the items that you already have in your home, to make Christmas decorations, you will start with your own ideas, things that you have seen on television or doing some online searches to creating your own original decorations.



Some Ideas On Using Items Found In The Home or Leftover From Last Christmas:

One idea is to take colored ribbon that was leftover from last Christmas tie one end to the stair railing and hang some old or extra Christmas balls on the other end with a hook. The second idea is to take a plain glass mixing bowl, and adding other items that you may already have inside your home, such as artificial flowers, Christmas balls or pine cones, to create a Christmas center piece.  One of the many benefits to doing this is the fact that you can save money.

Another idea for creating a table center piece or any table is using candles or candle holders to create your own Christmas themed pieces. This can be done with plain glass candle holders that you already own or purchase some inexpensive ones from the dollar store, then hot glue red or green bows leftover from last year on one side making it the front of the candle holder either in the center or small ones around the bottom. You can also use ribbon, red berries or pine cones that you collected from outdoors.

In addition to table centerpieces, Christmas pictures and drawings are also commonly used. If you have some paper, colored pencils, markers, or even crayons around the house, you can let the children create Christmas themed pictures for you or paint some yourself, then take picture frames and turn your Christmas pictures or drawing into a framed work of art that can be displayed in your bathroom, the living room, or even the entrance to your home.

 Some Ideas for Making Christmas Decorations for the Tree:

While it may be a little bit harder to do, you can also make your own Christmas decorations for the tree with items that you found around your home. This is a great way to keep your children busy before the big day. With a little bit of construction paper, scissors, tape, glue or staples, you and your children can create some fun Christmas tree decorations.

One ideas is to cut construction paper into small strips, form them into circles inside of each other and gluing the end turning them into links. This is a nice substitute for Christmas lights or garland. Another idea is to fold a piece of cardboard in half, then cut out an oval on one side. Glue pasta to the side of cardboard with the oval, paint it and place a picture of you child inside and glue the unfolded edge together. Punch out a whole on top,thread a ribbon through the whole and tie the ends together. The decorations pictured used old sewing spools,felt, paint, little craft pom poms and other items that you can find at any craft store.

More Ideas on Reusing Old Christmas Decorations:

In addition to making your own decorations for the tree, there is a good chance that you may already have Christmas decorations stored in your home, from previous years.  If this is the case, you may want to think about using them again. If you would like to spice things up a bit, you can easily rearrange the decorations and how they are displayed in your home to prevent them from looking the same way every year. You may also want to alter the decorations that you have. You can easily do this by adding a bright red Christmas bow to an artificial wreath, group some of the tree decorations on a table, fireplace mantel and so on.

Why spend money on new Christmas decorations if you don’t have to?  By keeping the above suggestions and ideas in mind, you could easily save your money and still decorate your home for Christmas.

How to Find Inexpensive Christmas Decorations

Inexpensive Christmas Decorations

Are you planning on decorating your home for Christmas this year? If you are on a budget, there are still  ways that you can get your home decorated for Christmas. You can do so with Inexpensive Homemade Christmas decorations. But how do you find inexpensive Christmas decorations? 

When it comes to inexpensive Christmas decorations, it is important to remember that different people associate low-cost with different things.  Just because you think a particular Christmas decoration is low-cost doesn’t necessarily mean that someone else will. For some individuals, an inexpensive Christmas decoration is an item that only costs one dollar, for others it is five, and for others it can be fifty dollars.

That is why it is important, when looking for inexpensive Christmas decorations, that you keep this in mind.  However, no matter what your view of low-cost is, there are still a number of different ways that you can go about decorating for Christmas.

Perhaps, the easiest way to save money while decorating for Christmas is to not buy any Christmas decorations.  If you decorated your home for Christmas last year or in recent years, did you save your old ones?  If you did save your old decorations, you may want to think about using them again this year. Although it may be nice to have brand new Christmas decorations, they are not required.  Not only can you save money by using your old ones, but you might not have to spend any extra money at all!

In addition to using your own Christmas decorations, you may want to think about using other people’s old Christmas decorations. During the summer and early part of the fall, you may be able find local yard sales.  Yard sales are a great place to get used Christmas decorations for an affordable price.  If you are unable to find a yard sale, you can also purchase used Christmas decorations online. You can easily find a collection of vintage, used or sometimes even deeply discounted brand new Christmas decorations by doing your shopping at an online auction website like eBay. 

Although you can save a fairly large amount of money by buying used Christmas decorations, as mentioned above, there is a good chance that you might want some new ones too.  If this is the case, you still have a number of different options.  You should check your local dollar stores, online stores, and even department stores. Many of these stores, around Christmastime, have a large selection of Christmas decorations, at an affordable price. If you are looking to save the most money, it may be a good idea to visit your local dollar stores. Some of these stores sell really nice Christmas decorations for a dollar or even less. 

It might even be possible for you to make your own inexpensive homemade Christmas decorations, with items that you already have around your house or can purchase at a craft store or online.

In fact, this is how you can turn your old Christmas decorations into new ones. All you need to do is alter your existing decorations by adding a some bows, glitter or pine cones and you turn your old decorations into new ones. 

You can take a simple glass candle holder, tie a red bow around it with some pine cones and turn it into a Christmas one. A fireplace mantel can be decorated with a red or green piece of fabric that has some bells, red berries or small bows glued onto it and stocking hung with little ornament hooks. A stairs railing can be decorated with inexpensive garland, Christmas lights and simple ornaments. The same can be said for a number of other items that you might already have around your home.  This is another way that you could avoid spending any money on Christmas decorations. 

As you can easily see, there are a number of different ways that you can go about finding or making your own inexpensive Christmas decorations. Although you may be worried about the quality of those decorations, you shouldn’t be.  Most times, it isn’t necessarily about the decorations themselves, but the way they are arranged on the tables, mantel or tree.

Top Five Novelty Food Christmas Ornaments

My Favorite Top Five Glass Blown Food Ornaments:

One of the fun traditions for our family is to pick out a brand new ornament every year to add to our Christmas Tree. We started this tradition when we purchased a baby ornament for each of our three children to hang on the tree, then allowed them to each pick out their own ornaments as they got older.

One of unique ornaments that my children started purchasing was food shaped Christmas ornaments like pickles, orange wedges and other various kinds of food made from glass that are hand painted.

I have researched and found some very cool food ornaments for the foodie in all of us. These food ornament are my top 5 favorites. I enjoy the ones that are made from glass, then hand painted as this gives that rare one of a kind feeling instead of looking like their mass produced.

1. My first pick is this Taco Ornament. My family loves Mexican food and this Taco is adorable. It features meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes in a shell that are all hand painted in bright colors, but the fine details like the bumps on the shell and added glitter really make it special. This ornament would be a fun addition to any ones Christmas tree that really enjoys Mexican food.

2. Who isn't a fan of the all American burger? This cute little cheeseburger is my second pick and it will make you smile with it's golden,wheat flecked bun filled with a thick meat patty, slice of cheese, Ketchup, lettuce and relish on a bun. You'll have to hang the Cheeseburger Christmas Ornament at the top of your tree to keep your hungry guests from eating it.This cheese burger ornament was delicately hand painted with many bright lacquers and glitters for both Adults and Children to enjoy.

3. My third pick is for that person who really loves pizza. You can celebrate your love of

this wonderful food with this cute Slice of Pizza loaded with 

pepperoni,black olives, green peppers and

cheese.The detail in this ornaments from the olives to the bright red tomato sauce will make your mouth water. Created from blown glass and hand painted this food ornament will stand out on any tree.  

  

4. Number Four on my favorite list is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Ornament that brings back my childhood days of School, Friends and the wonderment of Christmas. Do you have a childhood memory of 

the best Christmas ever? Would you like to recreate that again or surprise the child in your life with this fun Sandwich Ornament? This ornament has two thick slices of white bread with peanut butter and sticky grape jelly oozing out like the one you ate as child or still love today. This sandwich is just begging for you to take a bite.












5. My last food ornament is my favorite, because it has to do with the first meal of the day. Breakfast! Who

can turn down Hot Pancakes for breakfast on a cold winter morning with all that sweet tasting syrup dripping down the sides. This Short Stack of  3 golden Pancakes is sitting on a red plate topped with pad of butter and  sweet maple syrup running down the sides.











All of these beautifully hand painted nostalgic blown glass novelty food ornaments are created by Old World Christmas company and remind me of the ones that I had growing up as a child. I have several of these types of Christmas Ornaments in Planes, Wooden Soldiers, Snowmen and even a green pickle that my daughter picked out. along with several others hanging on my tree every Christmas. They bring back a feeling of Christmases past for me, but also add the right touch if you want to recreate a vintage Christmas.  

Ideas For Using Christmas Lights To Decorate Your Home

Decorating with Christmas lights:

We have all seen them and many of us have even watched our parents use them growing up. Now we want to use them for our own home. But when it comes to Christmas lights, we often associate them with the one places that every one used them. Our  family Christmas tree. While Christmas lights are still used to decorate the tree, did you know that they can also be used for so much more?

If you are planning on decorating your home for Christmas,then you need to examine where you can also use Christmas lights. After giving it some though or searching on the web, you will soon come up with other ways that you can use those multicolored lights.

Listed below are some ways that you can these lights in your home or help to spark some of your own creative ideas on how to use Christmas lights.

The first place that everyone thinks of it the Christmas tree, because the is traditionally the first place that Christmas lights with small light bulbs, as well as large ones. Traditional Christmas lights originally came in white or a combination of all different colors that you strung on your tree or placed around the outside of your roof. Many of us saw those lights used in our friends and families homes. But these lights come in a number of different sizes,shapes and styles.

 In recent years, the popularity of different types of lights has skyrocketed.  You can now purchase single colored Christmas lights, lights in multiple color combinations, LED base lights that change color or different shapes. These types of lights are ideal for those who are looking to theme their Christmas tree. Many of us saw those lights used in our friends and families homes. But now a days these lights come in a number of different sizes,shapes and styles.

Although many of us still choose to use Christmas lights for our trees, there are other uses for these type of lights as well.  One of those uses is decorating the outside of your home. Online and in many retail stores across America, you can easily find Christmas lights that are designed for outside use, particular around a home. One of these types of lights are called icicle Christmas lights.  Icicle Christmas lights allow the lights to hang off the side of a house. Another is the LED lights that come in a variety of shape,colors and styles like little Candy pieces, Christmas trees, Candy Canes, Snowflakes or Santa shapes that can line your driveway. Some of these lights blink or change color to add a special touch to your yard. 

In addition to decorating the roof of your home, you can also decorate the trees, around your front yard and windows outside of your home. They have light holders that you place an individual light into it and this allows you to string lights around your front lawn without them touching the ground. The nice thing about these holders is you can string light anywhere in your yard and create your own design. These light come in small, medium or large bulb shapes. The fancy decorative LED style light have their own stakes that stick in the ground so that you can place them around the yard to light up the night and show off your Christmas spirit in your own special way.

I love to start with the Large Candy Cane lights in the front part of my house under my window and along the front fence, then add smaller candy cane lights on one side of my lawn and front walkway, then finish the design with Blinking LED multicolored along the front part near the sidewalk. I wrap smaller lights around two wood Christmas trees on each corner of my main lawn. These lights are hooked up to the other decorations placed around my front lawn. The other window in my front yard has candles with white lights as flames. Along the other side of the house I place large round LED lights that flash and change colors.

You can also use Christmas lights to decorate any room inside your home.  There are many people who hang Christmas lights around their windows, fireplace mantel or wrap them around a staircase banister. This is a great way to add that Christmas spirit into the room that your Christmas tree is in, as well as every other room in your house. In fact, you can even use Christmas lights to decorate your bedrooms.  This idea is often enjoyed by teenagers and small children; many of them enjoy the bright lights and colors. Decorating your home’s bedrooms is a great way to bring the Christmas spirit into a room that you may have otherwise not decorated.

Another place is your kitchen. You can use battery powered lights to add a touch of fun and color to your table center piece. Hang them under or on top of kitchen cabinets with removable hooks. They makes a great night light or extra light during the darker days of winter to give your home that extra Christmas spirit while you cook.

 Even patios or decks can be decorated with these lights to create a little Christmas magic and the best thing about using them in the backyard is you can these lights up when you have back yard parties all year long.

As nice as it is to decorate your home for Christmas, you might also want to decorate your car or workspace. But remember that not everyone celebrates this season so it  might pose a problem, when it comes to decorating your workspace. Therefore, you should ask your company or boss for their approval. If they approve then you can easily hang a few Christmas lights around your office wall, cubicle or along the sides of your work desk with removable hooks that hold the lights.

Isn’t it amazing all of the different ways that you can use Christmas lights to decorate your home or office? What is even more amazing is the above examples are just a few of the many ways that you can use Christmas lights to bring the holiday spirit into your home or office. So take some of these ideas and use your imagination to come up with other creative ways to use these wonderful,inexpensive lights to decorate your home.

Why You Should Decorate Your Whole Home for Christmas

Ideas for Decorating Your Whole Home

 for Christmas

 Are you one of these people that  looks forward to Christmas every year?  If so, there is a good chance that you cannot wait until it arrives. While it is difficult to make Christmas come any sooner, there are ways that you can bring the Christmas spirit into your home before the holiday arrives.

How? By decorating your whole home for Christmas.

When it comes to decorating for Christmas, most people place a focus on just one room and one room only. That room is likely the room in which their Christmas tree is in. While it is important to decorate your Christmas tree and the room that it is in, you should also think about decorating the rest of your home.  In a small amount of time, you can easily show your appreciation for Christmas, in each and every room of your home.

Bathrooms:

Since, the room in which your Christmas tree is in was already covered, may be the next room to focus on would be the bathroom. After all, it is one of the most used rooms in any home.  If you are interested in decorating your bathroom for the holidays, you can do so with a few small, yet affordable ideas like hanging a picture,adding pine cones with a red ribbon on top of the toilet tank or replacing some of your bath towels with ones that have a Christmas theme to them.  If you want, you could even replace your bath mat, soap dishes or shower curtain with a holiday theme too.

Kitchens: 

The kitchen is another room that you could easily decorate for the holiday season. The kitchen, just like the bathroom can be done using a few simple and inexpensive ideas that allow you to decorate. For example, did you know that you can purchase Christmas themed potholders, oven mitts, and kitchen towels for only a couple of dollars each. Dinning tables can be decorated with center pieces made from pine cones, scented candles and branches from different trees like Douglas firs.

If money is not an issue, you may want to think about adding some special Christmas themed kitchen items or dinnerware into the mix.You can find canisters,cookie plates and even flatware that have Christmas designs on them.  
                                   

Bedrooms:

You may also want to have fun decorating the bedrooms in your home, especially if you have children.  One Christmas decorating idea that all children love is Christmas lights. In fact, there are some adults and children who decorate their rooms with Christmas lights all year long. Just string the Christmas lights around the perimeter of  the room and you easily add a Christmas-like feel to it, but if you worry that the lights might keep you or your child up all night just hang a Christmas picture, put a holiday place mat or a few ornaments on the furniture in the room. The pictures can be a nice framed one, some old Christmas cards that you saved or it can be one of the Christmas cardboard cutouts that you can purchase in a package at most dollar stores.
 

                                                                   

Outdoor Ideas:

 In addition to decorating the inside of your home, you may also want to think about decorating the outside as well.  If you are looking for a simply way to showoff your Christmas spirit, you could easily run Christmas lights along the outside of your home, add a few Christmas yard signs or you can go even bigger than that. There are a number of large inflatable and other outdoor decorations like Christmas trees, reindeer, or Santa themed characters that you can place in your yard beside just lights. No matter how much or how little decorating you do outside of your home, it may be a good idea to showcase your love for Christmas to your entire neighborhood.

The above mentioned Christmas decorating tips are just that, tips. If you want to decorate your whole home for Christmas, go right ahead its your decision to do so.  However, you don’t have to. For some individuals a simple Christmas tree with light and ornaments  is all the Christmas spirit they need.