Christmas Trees and Pom poms

Make your own Christmas Tree
I have been eyeing these porch/entryway Christmas trees that I have been seeing at stores, for a while.
I've seen them in many sizes, with or without decorations and typically they range in price from $30-100.00+
I don't have much of a budget for holiday decorations this year, so I made my own.

I started with an empty flower pot and a tomato cage.
You can place the tomato cage upside down over the pot, like I did below

or if your pot is large enough you can place it in it

I used 3 9ft sections on 2ply pine garland that can be purchased for $3.99 each.
Wrap each section of garland around the tree and position the branches to fill in the empty spaces. It won't cover perfectly but trust me it will look fantastic when your done.

After the pine garland was in place, I wrapped a string of white lights around it and Bella added the faux poinsettia to make the tree look festive during the day.

The tree looked awesome all lit up tonight.
After I make another I will post more pictures.


While at a holiday home tour I saw similar trees wrapped in moss and decorated with fruit.
One used only green apples, it looked beautiful.

Pompoms
Bella has jumped on the Pom pom Garland craze.
This was an easy craft that she really enjoyed

She loved the fact that she could do it all by herself and it didn't take long.

Looks great on her and

on her very own Christmas tree!

Felt Ornaments
Here's a sneak peak at a felt ornament I made

I am working on a couple other designs based on cookie cutter shapes.
When I'm done I will post my patterns so you can make your own.
Happy Decorating!
~Patricia

Ornament Crafts

While decorating the Christmas tree this past weekend I came across ornaments we have made over the years that are great kid crafting projects.
The first 2 are pipe cleaner ornaments.
Here's an easy candy cane that kids of all ages can make. We have them in several colors and sizes on the tree.

The snowflake may be better suited for older kids or the help from mom or dad to cut small pieces of pipe cleaners.
We had also made a wreath but I can't find it. If I make a new one I'll post a pic.

Trenton (10) and I made adorable reindeer ornaments when he was 3.
What a nice memory on our tree, we even have mommy and daddy reindeer hands...I think it's time Isabella made one ;)

Isabella did make this Popsicle ornament, there are also a few decorated with sparkles.

I made this gingerbread man garland several years ago along with a snowman set for my sister.



Here's the recipe for the garland
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Decorations:
Food Coloring, Glitter or Acrylic Paints

To make the dough, combine the flour, salt, and water in a mixing bowl.
Knead the dough until smooth and rubbery.

You can roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to make your shapes.
If you will be making the shapes for garland use a straw to make holes for the ribbon.

Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour.

Paint the ornaments after they have cooled completely.

Happy Christmas Crafting!
~Patricia