Christmas Tree Card Holder

 

I use to tape my Christmas cards to the blinds on the back door.  I never found a card holder that I particularly liked-- one that look good with or without cards.

Enter some sticks, hot glue, and twine-- all things I have on hand in my craft room and outside on the ground.

I measured the blank wall I have in the hallway and broke my first stick to that length. Then I worked my way up, laying the sticks out on the driveway, making sure my sticks laid pretty flush to the ground (and thus the wall so I wouldn't inadvertently skewer someone).  I little hot glue and then some twine for extra security.

I love it. Now my mom wants one.  I love almost free crafts!

Christmas Candles

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... and it's not even Thanksgiving! I don't think I'm going to be able to wait to decorate until after Thanksgiving.  I had to sneak in a little Christmas project and the dollarstorecrafts.com 's Christmas Decor Challenge sponsored by DollarTree was the perfect excuse!

I was wandering the isle of my DollarTree when I came upon a new item. I snatched up 3 right away.  Faux wax LED Candles! They are plastic dipped in wax so they really feel/look like candles, except lighter.  Do you recognize them from my previous post on my new mantel?

I made them new collars in anticipation of my Christmas mantel. Here's what I did.

Materials:
3 Faux wax LED candles ($1 each)
1 bag mints ($1)
2 sheets cardstock (red, white; on hand)
tissue paper ($1, on hand)
hot glue

I cut a strip of cardstock and glued it so it fit loosely around the candle--I wanted to be able to remove it. For the first candle, I hot glued mints around that cardstock collar in 3 rows.

For the second candle I cut strips of tissue paper sheets (about 2.5 inches wide), twisted them, and glued them around another cardstock collar.

For the third one, I used a glue stick to glue printed tissue paper around yet another cardstock collar. You could also use Christmas wrapping paper.  (Missed the picture, but you can see it below)

That's it... super easy, huh?

Then, do you know what I discovered? By setting the candles on a small objects of varying heights (I used a small playdough container and a cooking spray lid) and sliding the cardstock collars down, you create the illusion that your candles are different heights!

There are so many ways you could decorate the cardstock collars to change out your candles for the different seasons and occasions. Like these ones on my Thanskgiving mantel.

Happy Crafting!
*Linking up to DollarStoreCrafts.com Holiday Decoration Challenge

I Hate My Mantel...Remake

Yeah. It's looked about like this since we moved in. I keep finding things that I might want to put there, so there they sit. Maybe this...how about that...this is cute...what about this here... ugh! I couldn't commit to anything. And nothing was coming together.

So it all came down!

I decided that I might have a commitment issue. I'm going to try switching out my decor for the seasons... then I only have to commit to 3 months (or less!). I don't want to break the bank, nor do I want to create a storage issue.  My goal is to have easy to store and/or versatile decor.

Here's what I came up with, and I only spent $4.50, with most of it coming from things I had around the house.

My friend gave me these cute indian corn cobs-- they are actually popcorn, and yes, I saved some to try and pop!  I took some cardstock to make a collar around these Dollar Tree candles.  A little hot glued and these faux wax LED candles look perfect. Best of all I can slip them out and make new collars for all the seasons. 

I saved the husks and glued them aroung a cardboard circle. My small pine tree was kind enough to lend me some pinecones for the middle of the flower.  I cut some colorful branches for the vase and tossed in some pumpkins to finish off the look. 

No time to create the fabulous large wood plaque I envisioned, so I covered my large picture frame with kraft paper and painted a thankful message.

I'm excited about how it turned out. Even more excited that I'm only committed to it for a few more weeks. You'll have to stay tuned for my Christmas mantel!  Christmas goes up the day after Thanksgiving at my house... how about at yours?

Fall Wreath

Have you seen those creepy grapevine wreaths with the snakes. It's all painted black and super spooky. Yeah, I made one of those, except I haven't made it to the store to get black spray paint so it sits in my crap craft room in all it's naked snake glory. Can't put THAT on my front door!

I needed a quick wreath so I skipped holidays and went for a fall themed wreath. I was inspired by thriftycraftygirl.com 's Spooky Ribbon Wreath only I didn't have ribbon--but I do have lots of fabric scraps!

A while ago I picked up an embroidery hoop at the thrift store--one hoop can make two wreaths using the inner and the outer circles! I rolled up newspaper and used twisty ties to secure it to the outside edge of hoop.

I cut strips of scrap material and tied them around randonly.  After they were tied I trimmed them and attached some indian popcorn (they are small cobs than regular indian corn) at the top. Quick and easy and it gave my hands something to do while my ears listened to the media's opinions on last tuesday's debate. Good times!

 

As soon as I get some paint I'll swap the wreaths out and then post a picture of the snake one!

Crispy Crockpot Chicken

Crispy? Yes, you read that right! Here's how you do it.

I took my whole chicken (innards removed!) and gave it a rinse. I plopped it in my crockpot. Next comes my favorite part-- my little secret that I'm going to share with you.

Have you seen these?

 
See all the fantastic flavor options? And this is ain't all of them!

I'm in love with them. Oh, so tasty. And I use them for more than just marinating and grilling!
Tonight I picked Mojito Lime. Mmmm... I just sprinkled 1/2 the package on top of the chicken. No rubbing or anything fancy. I rolled up the seasoning to save for another time.

Turn on your crockpot on low and cover. Cook for 3 hours. Now here comes the crispy part. Ready?

Stick a wooden spoon under the lid for the last hour. Getting that steam out will allow the skin to crisp up. Now we aren't talking Kentucky Fried crispy. It's more like rotisserie crispy. But that's a ton better than slippery, slimy! 

Now my chicken was just under 5 lbs. It cooked a LOT faster than I thought it would (I was planning on it taking 6 hours!). It's been done since 4:00 and dinner can't be for at least another hour. But that's the lovely thing about crock pots. I've left it plugged in and vented with the spoon. It'll be fine.

See. Mmmm... Please pass the rice!

Costume for a dollar, or less!

Need a costume quick? Don't have much time or money? Here ya go!

What you need:
Laundry basket ($1 at DollarTree, on hand)
Scissors (on hand)
Assorted clothes (on hand)
Empty laundry detergent bottle ($1 at DollarTree, on hand)

How To: I'm sure you can figure it out from the picture above! With heavy duty scissors, I cut out the bottom of the laundry basket. Mine snuggled perfectly when pulled up to my hips but if yours is loose, make two shoulder straps from two long-sleeved shirts with the sleeve cuffs safety pinned to the front and back of basket. Stuff with random clothes--personal preference is clean clothes so I would not have to smell dirty socks all night, but if you're brave enough to go authentic, go for it!
Grab a bottle of laundry detergent, a stain stick and or dryer sheets (hey, these might make your dirty clothes smell tolerable!).  Feel free to really heap the clothes as much as you want. You'll be toasty warm if you safety pin more clothes to your shirt and/or hat.

Need a couples costume. Decorate a box to look like the washing machine for your other half!

Mr. L2D says he'd like to use this idea for Halloween, so I guess I need to make a washing machine for me.

**Enter in dollartree.com 's October Craft Challenge, sponsored by DollarTree.**

School Time: Color Activities

I've decided my kids need online names.  LegoLad (#1) and GameBoy (#2) are named for their interests, and #3's nickname is BusyBee 'cuz she is always on the go! You already know Mr L2D. Besides 5 fish that live in upstairs, that's our family. Pleased to meet you, too!
 
Well, school's started. LegoLad and GameBoy are gone all day and all morning, respectively.  It's just BusyBee (she's 20 months) and me. Time for some fun with a little learning snuck in!
 

 

 
Today we sorted colors.  She aced this, so I need to step up my game. Here's what we did.
 
I put a bunch of colored pompoms in a box. I spread out corresponding colored papers for the 8 colors I had.  I picked a color, named it and put it on the correct paper. By the third one she had taken over. She had to think a bit about some, but got every one correct!  Every time she picked up a color I named it for her--"Ooo... red. Where does the red go?" or something similar. 
 

Here's some other color activities that we did or are planning to do soon:
 
Dyed Pasta Stringing:  http://www.makeandtakes.com/coloring-pasta-making-necklaces
      --I love how bright the colors turn out when you use rubbing alcohol.  I had BusyBee thread them on a bamboo skewer stuck into a blob of homemade playdough. I keeps her occupied for over 30 minutes while I make dinner.

**After dying the noodles and carefully scooping them out, I put about a half cup rice in the bag and there was enough "juice" to dye it, too.  BusyBee loves scooping/pouring the rice into different containers.  
 
Fruit Loop Rainbow:  http://familycrafts.about.com/od/rainbows/a/cerealrainbow.htm
     --Sort and glue fruit loops into a rainbow. (Also can sort and string.)
 
Torn paper art: Tear construction paper into small pieces. Glue pieces on a paper shape. (Blue on a rain drop, yellow star, red heart, green leaf, white cloud, black wheel, etc…)

Lacing Cards: Glue construction paper onto a cereal box for strength. Cut out shape. Punch holes along edge and use as a lacing card with string. Cover with contact paper for more durability.

For Older Kids (Preschool)--
 
Chameleon Hunt: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-lesson-plans/61856-a-color-of-his-own-chameleon-lesson-plan/  After reading Leo Lionni's book A Color Of His Own, cut out chameleons from different colored papers. Take turns hiding each chameleon on an object that is the same color.
 
What's Missing? Game:  Fill a cookie sheet with 5-10 objects, all the same color. Have the children identify each object (i.e. toothbrush, sock, toy car, crayon, hairbow, cup, etc.). Cover the sheet with a towel and secretly remove an object. Uncover and have the children guess what's missing.  Adjust number of objects if the game is too easy or hard.
 
I Spy Book: Have kids gather as many objects (even magazine pictures) that will fit on one 8.5x11 sheet of paper.  Without touching, play “I spy with my little something that…(give a clue)”. Take picture of these color pages to make quiet books—I would put photos in inexpensive albums and give as Christmas gifts.
 
Iron-on Shapes. Have kids color a shape cut out of sand paper. Use lots of crayon! Turn upside down a white sheet of paper and cover with another piece of paper and iron.  You can buy iron-on fabric crayons to transfer to t-shirts or kitchen towels.

Cookie Cutter Painting: Place a small amount of paint on a plate. Show kids how to dip in paint and press on paper.

Color Wash Painting: Color a picture with crayons. Thin tempra paint and have children paint over the entire picture.  Paint won’t cover crayons making the drawing show through. Large paint brushes are best for this.

Dot Painting: Use bingo markers or ends of crayola markers (or glue sticks, pencil erasers, q-tips, etc) dipped in paint to create a picture with dots or to fill in a cut-out paper shape.