Christmas Tree Popcorn Garland

Make a garland by stringing popcorn. Thread a needle and then thread the popcorn (you might want to wear a thimble on your finger when you push the needle through the popcorn. Use as much popcorn as necessary to propery adorn your tree.

Thanks to Jani in Denver for this quick tip: If you push the needle through the hull, the popcorn will stay together and not break off so quickly! Try adding cranberries to the “rope” for color.

Santa Hat

Take a sheet of heavy red construction paper and cut out a large triangle.

Measure the size by fitting around the child’s head; cut down size if
necessary. Glue cotton balls along the bottom to form the brim. Staple
together to make the hat fit the child’s head. Glue a cotton ball to the top of the hat.

Christmas Spice Potpourrie

4 Oranges
4 Lemons
1/2 c Whole cloves
1/2 c Whole allspice
10 Cinnamon Sticks, broken
10 Bay leaves, crumbled
8 oz Decorated jelly jars with
-bands lids

Using a vegetable peeler, peel fruit carefully, removing only the peel, not any of the white pith. Cut or tear into one inch pieces.

Spread peel on paper towel lined pan. Place in preheated oven to 175, or set oven to WARM. Dry in oven for 1 1/2 hours, tossing occasionally. Peels should be leathery and/or slightly crunchy.

Spread peels on dry paper towels and let air dry for 24 hours.

Combine with the cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and bay leaves.

Fill jars with mixture. Place lids on and screw bands on tightly.

Yield: 3 or 4 half pint jars.

To use: Remove lid and leave band on for decoration to fragrance a room. OR
put one Tblsp into a jar and fill jar with boiling water to release
fragrance.

These make an excellent christmas gift.

Santa Bottle Cover

Candy Wreath for Kids to Make

1 coat hanger
30 pieces of assorted, wrapped hard candies, suckers, etc.
30 pieces of colorful curling ribbon, cut into 8″ pieces
Wire cutters
Pliers to bend the hanger
Masking tape
A dull pair of scissors to curl the ribbon
Adult Supervision

Directions: Unbend the hanger and cut it in half (this will be enough
for 2 kids). Bend the 1/2 hanger into a circle leaving about 4″ at
the top to make a hook. Twist the end to make it look like a circle
with a hook on it.

Cut your curling ribbon into 8″ pieces. Fold your ribbon in half. In
the middle of that ribbon tie one piece of candy. Tie it on the end
of the candy where the paper twists. Now tie the candy with 2 knots
tightly on to the hanger. Tie the candy right next to the wire to
help cover it up. Use the scissors to curl the ribbon on each end.
Repeat the process for all your candy pieces.

It might take a few more or less than 30 depending on the size of
each candy. Suckers should be tied close to the head. You may add a
ribbon on the top to cover the hook if you want. Tip: Tie on a pair
of small scissors so people can eat the candy when they visit.

Cinnamon Tree

Materials:
1 Large styrofoam cone
Several packages of 4-5″ cinnamon sticks (enough to cover the
styrofoam tree in lengthwise layers)
hot glue gun/glue sticks
1 pkg., dried apple slices
1 pkg. of 8-10 tiny red velvet bows
1 miniature Christmas star or angel for top of tree
1 1/2 yds of 1/2″ plaid ribbon

Instructions:
1. Completely cover the styrofoam tree with cinnamon sticks angled
downward around tree. Begin at bottom of tree in rounds overlapping
the previous round. Attach with glue as you go.
2. Wrap the ribbon snugly around tree as garland. Glue with small
dabs of glue in several places to secure.
3. Glue bows to edge of apple slices to create a wreath effect.
4. Glue the apple slices with bows attached to spaces in between the
ribbon garland, allowing the slices to overlap garland.
5. Glue the star or angel atop the tree

Stained Glass Window

Materials needed: black cardboard and different colors of crepe or tissue paper If you have a small window in your door it would be perfect for a stained glass window, but you can make any shape you want and hang in in any window. Cut the shape of the window you want out of the black cardboard. Cut pieces out of the cardboard, leaving inch for between cut-outs. Cut out shapes from crepe or tissue paper slightly larger than the holes in the cardboard and glue them in place. Fasten to your window and it will look beautiful when the light shines through it.

Foil Flakes

Cut a strip of metallic paper 22 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold the paper into inch pleats. Cut angular designs along both sides of the folded foil. This will form the cutout pattern of the snowflake when unfolded. Start with a few cuts and add more as you see how they look. Run a threaded needle through each fold inch from the bottom. Tie the ends of the thread together. Open the snowflake like a fan until the ends come together. Join them with tape and your is ready to hang from the tree.

Cellophane Balls

Make 12 circles 3 inches in diameter in clear or colored cellophane. Fold each circle in half without creasing it, then fold it again in quarters. Run a threaded needle through the pointed tip of the cone-shaped figure. String all twelve together and form them into a ball.

Christmas Bells

Using colored construction paper trace and cut out three bells exactly the same size. Fold each bell the long way down the center. Glue the sides of the bells together to form a three-sided ornament. Hang it on the tree or use as a centerpiece.

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